What is the heart of AU to me? I transferred to AU from Ohio University. I was only at AU for three semesters and commuted and worked while I was finishing up school. I enjoyed my time at AU, but never felt a connection to the school being there for such a short time. At least…not until an amazing basketball team came into my life years later. We started following the AU women’s basketball (AUWBB) team when a friend of ours was a cheerleader at Malone invited us to watch her cheer at AU. We watched that one game and we were hooked. We could not wait to go to more games. We proudly cheered the team on to their first national championship. The next season we went to all the home games and really started to get to know the players. And things just kept progressing from there. AUWBB became such a big part of our lives. I was invited to be a part of the AUWBB Mentor program which has been a complete honor and extremely special part of my life. My family and I actually plan our winters around the AU basketball games. The year the girls won the second championship I attended 30 out of 37 games. Talk about something that will really make you feel connected to a university. It was such an amazing experience and journey that team took us all on. So when you ask me what the heart of AU is …it’s the basketball program. While I thoroughly enjoy watching the actual game, it’s really so much more than that. It’s something that my family enjoys doing together and has allowed us to spend more quality time together. It’s also brought so many wonderful people into our lives…players, coaches and even other fans. I know we have made friends that will last a lifetime from our involvement in this program. And, no doubt, this team has brought our community together in such a special way. You can see the love and support when you attend a game. Kates Gymnasium is one of my happy places. I really wish I could put into words what it means to me. I am very thankful this team and my experience with the basketball program has shown me how very special Ashland University is. I am very thankful we have this university as part of our community in Ashland. Even though I was here for a very short time, I am a very proud alumni. Go Eagles!
