Latest news with #CumberlandUniversity
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Pearl-Cohn's girls flag football college signees captured 2nd straight MNPS title
Going into her senior year, Pearl-Cohn's Dyna'C Davis knew she wanted to go to college. She didn't know where. Austin Peay was her leading choice. One of her other Pearl-Cohn girls flag football teammates, Madison Woodard, was in the same boat. She was considering Tennessee College of Applied Technology. Advertisement Then a unique opportunity arose. The two signed to play at Cumberland University for flag football, which is an emerging TSSAA sport. Teammates Tatiana Groves and Khira Johnson both plan to do the same later this spring. Four years ago, that was nowhere near their radar. More: TSSAA girls flag football is in its inaugural season: What fans need to know More: How TSSAA flag football became a learning lesson for some Murfreesboro area teams in first year 'I never thought I'd be signing a scholarship to play flag football, ever,' Davis said. Woodard threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more, and Davis intercepted a pass in Pearl-Cohn's 26-18 win over Hillsboro for the Metro Nashville Public Schools title on May 2 at McGavock. It was Pearl-Cohn's second consecutive title. Advertisement Both schools advanced to the TSSAA's first state invitational May 7-8. Hosting a postseason tournament is another step forward for the sport, which potentially could receive TSSAA sanctioning for the 2025-26 school year. Woodard thought flag football was a fun experience when MNPS began offering the sport three years ago. That was the extent of it, though. It was for fun. 'Now, it's way more serious,' she said. 'I think it's pushing people to get more opportunities, because now you can go to college for it. Now it's something you can work for. There's going to be more competition every year.' Woodard and Davis got the full recruiting experience from Cumberland coach Steve Miller, a former Cumberland County athletic director who will lead the university's first team in 2025-26. Women's flag football began at the NAIA level in 2021, and though it doesn't have official championship status at the national level, it crowns a champion each season in a bracketed playoff. Advertisement The recruiting process is like what it is in other sports. Davis and Woodard, who also play basketball, made official visits. Miller stayed in close contact and even went to watch them at Pearl-Cohn basketball games. Pearl-Cohn has embraced flag football with open arms. The Firebirds are 24-0 the past two seasons and have reached all three district championship games since 2023. Pearl-Cohn coach Kenneth Miller is equally intense on the sidelines as he is in the fall as an assistant for the football team. 'I knew that the same way I pushed for the effort from the boys, I had to do the same thing for the girls,' he said. 'That's probably just me. I coach the same way. And I've found that they love the tough love.' Advertisement Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for him? Reach Tyler at tpalmateer@ and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83. He also writes The Tennessean's high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to the newsletter here. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee girls flag football: Pearl-Cohn tops Hillsboro for MNPS title
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elite Multimedia Levels Up Esports at 'Battle of Tennessee' with Next-Gen LED Tech
Why Colleges Are Betting Big on eSports—And How LED Screens Create a Next-Level Spectator Experience MOUNT JULIET, Tenn., April 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The energy was high and the competition fierce as four major Tennessee universities—Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech, Cumberland University, and Belmont University— participated in The Battle of Tennessee Tournament held in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. As members of the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC), these schools demonstrated that eSports has become more than just gaming—it's an essential part of college athletics, recruitment, and campus engagement. With the growing popularity of collegiate eSports, universities are turning to high-tech solutions to enhance both player and spectator experiences. Elite Multimedia Productions hosted the event to showcase how LED display technology can elevate gaming tournaments to new heights. Large-format LED screens, such as PixelFLEX's FLEXTour—designed for high-quality, mobile event staging—brought real-time gameplay, replays, and behind-the-scenes action to life, giving the crowd a fully immersive experience. Spencer Claypool, Head Esports Coach at Cumberland University, said, "It's about the 'Wow-Factor.' We want people to come watch—it's just like traditional sports." With stadium-style visuals, LED walls enable spectators to follow every move, see behind-the-scenes strategy, and feel like they're inside the game. They helped bridge the gap between digital and traditional sports, creating an electrifying atmosphere similar to major athletic events. Why Colleges Are Investing in eSports & LED Displays With eSports scholarships on the rise, collegiate gaming programs are becoming an enticing recruitment tool for non-traditional athletes—offering opportunities for students who may not have previously considered college athletics. Schools looking to launch or expand their eSports programs can benefit greatly from incorporating LED technology into their events. Large screens provide an engaging way for spectators to feel like they're part of the action, increasing school spirit and participation while also offering valuable advertising space for sponsors and local businesses. For universities looking for permanent on-campus eSports infrastructure, PixelFLEX's FLEXUltra Pro is a high-performance LED installation solution that delivers exceptional visual clarity and looks stunning both in-person and on video. With professional-grade LED displays, schools can create dedicated gaming arenas that enhance both live and broadcasted matches—providing an elite, high-tech gaming environment that attracts top-tier players and future students alike. An Investment in the Future of College Esports As Esports continues to gain recognition in the collegiate sports world, schools that invest in dynamic, engaging gaming experiences will stand out among their competitors. Whether for one-off tournaments or permanent installations, LED technology is transforming the way students and spectators engage with eSports. For more information on renting LED displays for your next Esports event contact Elite Multimedia Productions, or if your school wants to integrate permanent high-tech solutions into your campus, contact PixelFLEX today. About Elite Multimedia Productions Elite Multimedia Productions is a premier full-service audiovisual company delivering high-impact live event solutions for concerts, corporate experiences, eSports, and touring productions. Known for pushing creative and technical boundaries, Elite offers LED, lighting, audio, and video production tailored to each client's vision. As a trusted partner to global brands, artists, and eSports leagues, we bring immersive experiences to life with precision and innovation. Headquartered in Nashville, TN, Elite operates nationwide with a reputation for excellence in every show. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Elite Multimedia Productions
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local professor researching Silent Hero from Vietnam War
A local professor teaching at Cumberland University participated in a national program to recognize military personnel who died while serving. Dr. Tara Mitchell Mielnik, Associate Professor of History and Public History, is one of 55 educators across the country, and the only one from Tennessee, researching the lives of what the National History Day nonprofit calls Silent Heroes. NHD's Researching Silent Heroes webinar series will show the collection of the research conducted over some of the service people who died in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. 'It's a national competition for middle and high school students that I've been involved with for over 25 years,' Dr. Mielnik said. '[I was] asked to be a judge in 1999 when I worked in South Carolina, and that's how I got involved with it.' The program started with WWI and WWII soldiers, especially soldiers of the latter who are buried in France after the D-Day invasion, with the purpose of developing biographies for the lesser-known service members who never returned home. ' 'This is a program that they've developed primarily for high school teachers and their students to try to bring awareness to soldiers that never came home,' Dr. Mielnik added. 'They're buried, typically in national cemeteries abroad.' This year is the first to involve soldiers listed as missing and also from the Vietnam War. 'We were asked to choose from a list of soldiers they gave us. So I narrowed it down to two soldiers; one from Franklin, and the soldier I ended up choosing,' Dr. Mielnik said. She chose SSGT Joe Lynn DeLong from McMinnville, Tennessee. Dr. Mielnik is also from McMinnville, so she said the choice came down to that fact. 'I was not really aware of him,' she said. 'McMinnville has a Medal of Hero winner from Vietnam, David Robert Ray. There's a school named after him, so I was very aware of Bobby Ray and his story, but I didn't know anything about Joe Lynn DeLong.' DeLong's status as missing is important because his remains have never been recovered. More than 100 files related to DeLong's case have been declassified in the last few years by the Department of Defense, which has been looking for his remains since 1973, which is when the family was first notified of DeLong's status. Most military personnel listed as MIA from Vietnam were pilots who were shot down and never recovered. The story of a ground soldier who was never recovered is somewhat unique. 'It seems like he needs his story told. So that's what I wanted to do was tell his story,' Dr. Mielnik said. DeLong was born on June 18, 1947, drafted into the army in the latter part of 1966, deployed to Vietnam in March of 1967 and captured only two months later. He was killed in November of that year. 'What we know is that he was captured when his platoon was overrun. There were just a handful of soldiers in his platoon that survived at all. When they were discovered the next day, he was the only one that was unaccounted for,' Dr. Mielnik said. 'Later, it was determined that he was in a prisoner of war camp. He was in a very small camp with only eight other POWs from another incursion.' An escape from the POW camp was attempted, and ended up failing. North Vietnamese soldiers showed the remaining U.S. prisoners DeLong's bloody fatigues ridden with bullet holes as an example of what happens when prisoners attempt to escape. National History Day is coordinating with the American Battle Monuments Commission (ACMB) in researching the soldiers. 'National History Day's Researching Silent Heroes program is essential to our work to improve the teaching and learning of history,' Cathy Gorn, Ph.D., Executive Director of National History Day, said. 'Thanks to ABMC, teachers across the country and around the world get to dive into primary source research about the lives of service members from twentieth century conflicts. I can't wait to read the impactful profiles the teachers will write about these fallen service members' lives.' Dr. Mielnik has been working on this since right before Christmas, but the bulk of the research occurred in February and March. During March, she went down to spend time in the McMinnville archives, interviewing family members, and visiting DeLong's grave marker. Dr. Mielnik said the main goal is to tell Long's story. She said she may reach out to historical commissions and societies in Tennessee to share DeLong's story. Rotary McMinnville and Warren County Genealogical and Historical Society have asked Mielnik to speak at veteran programs.
