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COMM201 News Stories

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Lynchburg Rebrands Health and Counseling Services as 'HornetCare'

The University of Lynchburg rebrands its Health and Counseling services to provide integrated care, and continues to increase student outreach by intern-led social media presence.

Within the past few years, Lynchburg’s Health and Counseling centers have combined their services under the title “HornetCare.” This rebranding was a collaborative effort between both service centers to create a space of integrated care better serving students. Dr. Courtney Zongrone, the Director of Counseling, was one of the biggest collaborators in this project, and interns Logan Curtis and Kailey Dorcis continuously make a large impact on the center through their role in social media outreach.

“When we think about HornetCare now that we've turned it into an integrated kind of care center, that is what is becoming the standard of care now across the United States,” says Zongrone.

Zongrone highlights the reasoning behind this new standard of integrated care because of how physical and mental health impact each other. Curtis, the former intern, explains how her role adds to the overall effort.

“At the beginning of my internship, we sent out surveys asking where people are going to best receive information, and we got a lot of feedback saying it was going to be social media. So that's what we honed in on and that's when we created the Instagram and made all those informational posts with interactive quotes,” says Curtis.

Much like Curtis, current intern Dorcis intends to continue spreading awareness of HornetCare as a resource through her role.

“It is so cool that you get to get all these people’s perspectives through social media. Like, I really haven’t gotten any bad feedback,” Dorcis says.

Dorcis concludes that through the positive responses she continuously receives from Lynchburg students in-person and through Instagram, that the addition of the intern role as social media curators has improved the outreach of HornetCare.

To learn more about HornetCare and the resources it provides visit https://www.lynchburg.edu/student-life/student-support/hornetcare/ .

Sources:

Dr. Courtney Zongrone: zongrone_c1@lynchburg.edu

Logan Curtis: curtisl959@lynchburg.edu

Kailey Dorcis: dorcsik266@lynchburg.edu

COB a More Personal Sorority Recruitment Process

The continuous opening bidding process allows sororities at the University of Lynchburg to give potential new members opportunities to connect on a more personal level with sister’s of each chapter.

Lynchburg’s Panhellenic Council is made up of four sororities that all participate in this process.

The “continuous open bidding” process, also known as COB, is a popular outlet for sorority recruitment on small college campuses. This process allows girls to meet with chapter members through small events and one-on-one dates, which is perfect for smaller sorority chapters seeking deeper connections. With a smaller-sized Greek life community, COB provides an outlet for chapters to maintain membership as well because formal recruitment only lands them around 3 to 5 new members each year.

“We really like going into COB with kind of a more personal mindset, being that the COB process is more of a one- on-one individual process for both us and the potential new member,” says Kylie Kronewitter, president of Alpha Chi Omega.

As a three year member of Alpha Chi Omega, Kronewitter noted that her role as president allows her to oversee some of the COB recruitment process which is much more intimate than formal recruitment.

“We normally reach out through Instagram because they see ASA Lynchburg pop up on their phone and they’re like ‘oh this is exciting,’” says Lily Dobbs, vice president of recruitment for Alpha Sigma Alpha.

Instagram is ASA’s main recruitment tool for encouraging prospective members to join the COB process. Social media is a way for sororities to give girls insight on the chapter before even starting the process, says Dobbs.

Olivia Lyszaz, a member of Alpha Chi Omega who was recruited through COB, explains that the informal recruitment process opens doors to girls who, for many reasons, choose not to go through the formal recruitment process. After having an intense hip surgery her freshman year Lyszaz felt that she could not go through formal recruitment, requiring her to go through the COB process.

“I just knew that formal recruitment was going to be a lot to kind of handle and like a lot to be hyper focused on when I had bigger things happening in my life. And I knew COB would be a much more laid back system and a way for me to get to actually know the girls better,” says Lyszaz.

While the University of Lynchburg continues to promote its small campus environment, sororities are finding ways to maintain and increase their quality and presence on campus.

Visit Lynchburg Panhellenic Council’s Instagram for more information about the COB process.

Sources:

Lynchburg Panhellenic Council: panhelleniccouncil@lynchburg.edu

Olivia Lyszaz: lyszazo965@lynchburg.edu

Lily Dobbs: dobbsl692@lynchburg.edu

Kylie Kronewitter: leonark394@lynchburg.edu

Press Release

Lynchburg Women’s Lacrosse is Ready for an ODAC Run

Shellenberger Field, photo by Georgia Thompson

After achieving a winning record in regular-season, Lynchburg women’s lacrosse is headed to the first round of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament with confidence and drive.

Ending the regular season with a record of 11-5 and a conference record of 5-4, Lynchburg heads into the tournament as the No. 5 seed, ready to take on the No. 8, Ferrum College on their home turf, Shellenberger Field on Saturday, April 26 at 12 p.m. In the regular season the Hornets defeated the Panthers in an 18-2 win. After suffering a loss against Randolph-Macon in the quarterfinals two years in a row, Lynchburg is ready to take on their new opponent in 2025.

Head coach McKenzie Rafferty highlights some of the strengths the Panthers bring and how Lynchburg plans to respond.

“They’re a gritty team. They play fast and aggressive on both ends—similar to our style—so controlling the tempo and making smart decisions will be key. We know it’s going to be a physical game, and we’re preparing to match that intensity while limiting second-chance opportunities and staying composed under pressure,” says Rafferty.

The team is lucky to have played the Panthers earlier in the season in order to make the proper adjustments to clench the win, says Rafferty. Team Captain and defensive specialist Meredith Bornholdt says from her perspective how the team has been preparing for tournament play with a growth mindset.

“I think the team has been preparing for the tournament just by playing our game and taking each game as a learning opportunity,” Bornholdt says. “No matter what the end score is, we take each game as an opportunity to improve for the next.”

The Hornets have developed a team chemistry that Captain Carson Quigley says has brought them this far and will continue to carry them through postseason. Quigley adds that the team has been preparing for tournament play through film study, allowing them to analyze their opponents style of play.

Come support Lynchburg Women’s Lacrosse as they implement their training and hard work to take on the Ferrum Panthers on Shellenberger Field.

The University of Lynchburg competes at the NCAA Division III level. A part of the ODAC, a well respected athletic conference, Lynchburg fosters a campus environment filled with student-athletes that are pushed towards academic excellence and heavily supported in their athletic achievements.

Contact: Georgia Thompson (757) 793-5752

Sources- Meredith Bornholdt: bornhom574@lynchburg.edu

Carson Quigley: quiglec685@lynchburg.edu

Head Coach Mackenzie Rafferty: rafferty_m@lynchburg

A Breakout Year for the Hornet’s Beach Volleyball Team

In just three short seasons, Lynchburg Women’s Beach Volleyball surmounted major milestones that include improving overall records and defeating a division 1 program.

Since its first recruiting class in 2022, Lynchburg beach volleyball continues to defy odds and make a name for themselves at the university. With multiple coaching changes and the inability to participate in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) like many Lynchburg sports, the team continues to adapt and overcome within each season. The 2025 beach volleyball season came with many highlights and a lot of recognition towards the team.

Click here to see video interviews with Parker Lynch and Amanda Trapp as they discuss their experiences with the beginnings of the program.

Assistant Coach Nathan Jensen emphasizes some feats that the team has had in this past season.

“We beat Liberty this year, which was a huge milestone,” Jensen says. “We consistently beat Stevenson this year, which was also a massive milestone. I think we really upped our game as far as learning the skills of beach and how different they are than indoor.”

The Hornets were able to pick up their first win against the Mustangs of Stevenson and Flames of Liberty University for the first time in program history. The beach volleyball team improved to a 13-13 record this year in comparison to their season in 2023 when they held a record of 13-22.

Original member of the first recruiting class for the beach team, Parker Lynch explains how the win impacted the team.

“Beating those higher level teams like Liberty gave us a lot of momentum,” says Lynch. “We were able to come together even more as a team, and I think a lot of us would agree that’s our favorite memory this year.”

Amanda Trapp, another junior blocker and founding member of the team, highlights how far the program has come in regards to their team dynamic and culture.

“Our culture is definitely something that has grown and made us better. We kind of went from just trying to figure each other out to really knowing our teammates and how they play,” says Trapp. “I think this kind of growth is something we need to continue as we continue to recruit so that we can continue to get better.”

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The team has continued to bond as they face each challenge that is brought before them, and some of their best memories were made in those moments, Trapp says.

The Lynchburg beach volleyball teams and re-invented coaching staff strives to continue their success and foster their culture as the program continues its growth and development. They are striving to continue to make a name for themselves on campus despite some early setbacks.

To learn more about Lynchburg beach volleyball visit lynchburgsports.com.

Sources:

Parker Lynch- lynchp972@lynchburg.edu

Amanda Trapp- trappa789@lynchburg.edu

Nathan Jensen- jensen_n2@lynchburg.edu

https://soundcloud.com/georgia-thompson-177981839/interview-and-insight-with-assistant-coach-nathan-jensen

Click here to listen to an interview with Assistant Coach Nathan Jensen about his role within Lynchburg beach volleyball.

The Beach Courts photo by Georgia Thompson