McKendree University

Boys are all feeling good.

So going in this weekend against McKendree with our home opener Saturday.

So we're all feeling good, ready to go.

Herm, how are we doing out there with the purple gang, as I like to call you guys?

Um, I played hockey all my life.

You know, uh, I played hockey at McKendree university here.

And one day, a buddy on the hockey team called me at like 10 o'clock.

He's like, Hey, what are you doing? Like, just got down with glass.

As a senior at Nickerson High School, you were part of the inaugural season of girls wrestling in Kansas, capping off your high school career with a state title at 116 pounds.

You spent time at Baker University, McKendree University, before landing at Fort Hays State, where you finished your athletic eligibility and ending with an appearance in the first NCAA-sanctioned women's wrestling national tournament last spring at Extreme Arena in Coral River, Iowa.

That's a lot to take in.

You hold a very unique place in the sport that you helped usher in as a first high school state tournament and then the first college national tournament in NCAA history.

South Carolina takes on Alabama on the M3 side, and that's a big matchup, not just for brand wise, but perhaps to see where Alabama is and a measuring stick for South Carolina.

McKendree versus Middle Tennessee State.

Let's see if the Blue Raiders can get back on track.

They've had a rocky couple of first weeks here to start the season.

where she led regional campaigns and brand strategy for the organization.

In addition to her advisory work, Lisa teaches sports management at McKendree University, bringing real-world industry insight into the classroom and helping shape the next generation of sports business leaders.

Lisa holds a business administration degree from the University of Illinois and an MBA from St. Louis University.

She lives outside of St. Louis with her husband, Rob, and their three sons.

And having had the the brand experience and the team experience, I probably for the past eight years, I've known that I eventually would want to go onto the consulting side of the world.

And so I started having a lot of conversations with people, a lot of people that I consider mentor and friends that have done it over the years and just started asking questions of how did you go about doing this? What did you focus on? What advice do you have? And so I knew that it was coming.

And then a little over a year ago, this opportunity with McKendree University popped up.

And I had taught as an adjunct over the years at St. Louis University.

You know, there wasn't classes.

I went to McKendree University, which is a very small university right outside of St. Louis.

There was no logistics classes.

There was, you know, the word wasn't even in my brain when, you know, I was offered an interview and said, okay, yeah, I, you know, I need a job.

And then two that I think people are going to be surprised to learn about this go-around, Harmon Marine.

who has just been quietly excellent in the Bass Nation and now this year in the Opens, fished for McKendree University.

You know, I think Pete could just, again, quietly work his way to the Elite Series.

And then Cody Abbott, who's been really, who fished really well in Division I, another college angler.

Arkansas Tech on Friday morning really got the weekend started right.

Illinois Springfield Friday night, McKendree on Saturday evening.

By and large, did it look the way you wanted it to this weekend?

Yeah, it was a good bounce back considering how we ended our last tournament.

I know you're getting ready for them, so I'm sure you were watching.

Yeah, Kentucky was taking on McKendree in a pair of games of Midnight Madness games.

Kentucky took both games, 6-4 Friday night, 4-1 Saturday night.

Jake Laube had the first hat trick of the M1 season in Game 1.