Some of my earliest, most formative childhood memories were that of listening to music on my sleek, silver iPod touch, the envy of my peers and the pinnacle of early 2000s tech. Specifically, I remember listening to songs on my dad’s Apple Music account and being introduced to the world of alternative music, including one of my longtime favorite bands. “21 Guns” was my first delicious taste of the pop punk phenomenon that is Green Day.

Early mornings. Late nights. No days off. Welcome to the world of sports. This is a world that Jonathan Litscher, junior cross country runner and exercise science major, knows all too well. “I grew up playing sports,” Litscher said. “If it’s a sport, I have played it or watched someone play it, and I enjoyed it. I always knew I wanted to be around sports.”

The score was tied 1-1 with a little over 10 minutes on the clock. The Delta State Statesmen had just scored. I was standing pitchside, taking breaks from shooting photos to bite my nails. Truly a pressure-cooker of a match. There were several attempted goals from the Union Bulldogs, but none of them could quite find their way into the net. The Statesmen’s defense was fierce. At least, it was until the 84th minute.

The Union University Lady Bulldogs kicked off the Homecoming weekend on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Fred Delay Gymnasium with a hard-fought 98-72 victory over the UT Southern Lady Firehawks. The men’s team followed with a 93-66 win over the Firehawks.