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Dr. Teddy Bitner is passionate about campus community

Dr. Teddy Bitner is passionate about campus community

by | Sep 12, 2021

“When you choose to focus on God, no matter what’s going on around you, everything comes into perspective.”

Dr. Teddy Bitner began at Calvary University during the 1999-2000 school year as a history teacher. During his first semester, Bitner was still working for the United States Army. Because of this, he commuted to Washington D.C. every week and spent Tuesday to Thursday there. Bitner described his challenging schedule, which meant teaching class at Calvary on Monday nights, and then getting up at four the next morning to leave for the airport.

Throughout the years, Bitner went from being a Part-Time Adjunct Professor to being the Chief Academic Officer and the Vice President of Academics, as well as continuing to teach history classes. “Teaching is my favorite part of my job, especially when I can do it with students in the classroom. This year has been really hard. I’m about to start a Military History class and I will have no in-person students— so that will be a real challenge for me.”

Alongside teaching, Bitner has also been involved in many different student activities. Two of his daughters attended Calvary and have been involved in the theatre department’s productions ever since. Because of this, Bitner has gotten “sucked in” for many years. Bitner also used to travel often with Calvary’s music ensemble on campus.

When thinking over the time Bitner has spent at Calvary, one memory stood out to him. Bitner recounted a time where the campus family mourned the sudden passing of a student. He gathered with students who had paired up in small groups to pray. “His memorial service was held in the chapel. His family wanted to do it down here because this was home for him. His dad, a pastor, spoke at the memorial and it was incredible.” For Bitner, the situation was was both challenging and inspiring at the same time. “It was really amazing to see God work through this situation.”

Keeping his eyes fixed on God is central for Bitner. “That’s what has gotten me through life.” To the students, Bitner encourages them to stay focused on God, no matter what else is going on. “Everything comes into perspective when you do that. And you don’t get bogged down in the minutia of things you have to deal with everyday.”

Calvary Soccer Wins Two in a Row

Calvary Soccer Wins Two in a Row

by | Sep 11, 2021

The Warrior men’s soccer team improved to 2-1 in conference play on Saturday afternoon as the team scored a pair of goals in the second half to tie the game.  They went on to get the golden goal about five minutes into OT to defeat Emmaus Bible College 3-2 in Ankeny, IA.  With the win, the Warriors have now won two in a row.  

“This was a good game to test our resolve and focus,” Warrior Head Coach Jayke Maples said. “We left campus very early this morning, but I was proud of the way the team traveled and prepared to play.  Emmaus played well defensively, and we found it difficult to find goals. Our ball movement improved in the second half, and the game opened up for us.” 

In the opening minutes, the Warriors possessed the ball ok, but they were challenged.  It was a great test for the Warrior midfield as the CU offense was forced wider and they experienced a lot of ball pressure.  CU had to make some adjustments to the great defense EBC was playing.  The adjustments helped offensively as several players each had chances on frame early on, but the Emmaus defense held strong. The Warriors were able to keep the Eagle’s offense at bay and kept pressuring the EBC net with shots. Still, the team couldn’t find the back of the net as the first half ended as it began tied 0-0. 

In the second half, the Warriors and Eagles came out looking for the game’s first goal. Less than eight minutes into the half, the Eagles finally broke through and scored to put EBC up 1-0. The Eagles tried to come right back for more, but the Warriors did a good job of consistently dispossessing the Eagles and turning possessions into quick counterattacks to look for the tie.  

Twelve minutes into the second half Jeovany Castillo flipped the ball into space to Cobi Keel that allowed Keel to score a nice goal to tie the game 1-1.  After Emmaus went up 1-2, Kobe Borden was able to score CU’s second goal off a penalty kick as the second half was in the closing minutes.

As the second-half whistle blew, both teams were struggling with heat cramps and CU started the OT period looking for the golden goal.  With five minutes remaining in the first OT, Keel found a breakaway that led to a disappointing tackle, and then a corner kick.  Keel executed a terrific corner kick to Castillo who rifled a shot past the goalie for the win.


Next up, the Warriors will be at home again on Tuesday afternoon as they face Kansas Christian College at home.  


    

Warriors Top Bears

Warriors Top Bears

by | Sep 10, 2021

Another win is in the books as The Warriors defeated rival Barclay College 3-1 on Friday afternoon.  The Warriors gave the fans their money’s worth today.  The Pyramid was full of fans that were wanting to be there to support their Lady Warriors.

The first set didn’t fare so well for the Warriors. Calvary struggled with a few of their serves and started out with multiple errors in the net or out of bounds. Still, the Warriors had the lead or remained within striking distance throughout.  In the end, the Warriors couldn’t overcome the Bear’s momentum at the end of the set losing 27-25 going down 0-1 in the match.

In the second set, the Warriors started with the service and gained momentum with some big swings from Leah Grady.  Hannah Davidson and Haley Arneson both helped Grady control the front line.  An uncontested kill from Grady set the Warriors on fire. The Warriors continued their run before forcing Barclay to call a timeout.  The timeout couldn’t slow CU as they were in a huge battle that eventually led to a thrilling Calvary win. 

The third set was another tough one as points went back and forth. Hannah Davidson and Leah Grady kept the Warriors in the lead with powerful kills as CU held the upper hand in a tight set. Serving was a big boost in this set with Haley Arneson causing three important out-of-system passes during important times to preserve momentum.  The Warriors got a huge win off of great attacks and aggressive serving. 

The Warriors came out fighting in the fourth set as they built a large lead.  Lindee Wentworth started CU off strong in serving.  Grady, Davidson, and Arneson did a great job on the attack in the final set.  The Warriors went on to win the set easily for a 3-1 victory.

Warriors Win at Home

Warriors Win at Home

by | Sep 8, 2021

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – The Warrior Volleyball Team managed to win Saturday’s matchup against Ozark Christian College. Both teams served inconsistently with too many unforced errors. Calvary was able to separate themselves because of a stronger front-line performance.  Their hitters, led by Leah Grady, Elle Davis, and Haley Arneson outplayed the Ozark front line.  Ozark had a lot of unforced errors from their hitters which let Calvary take advantage and go on to win the match.   Haley Arneson had a terrific all-around match with ten digs, three ace serves and a strong serve that won twenty points on the day for CU.  The teams started out each taking a set.  As they entered set three, Calvary took over and wasn’t going to lose again.  The Warriors won in four sets 3-1.   

INSIDE THE LINES

  • Elle Davis and Haley Arneson both had six kills.
  • Leah Grady led the offense with a total of 16 kills.
  • Haley Arneson was a strong defense with 21 total serves and three aces.                       
  • Basia Nesbett-Tucker led the setting effort with 28 assists for the entire match.
  • Elle Davis led the team in blocking with three big blocks.

NEXT UP

The Warriors will stay home when they go up against Cottey College at 6:00 p.m. September 7.

Warriors Win First Game for Maples

Warriors Win First Game for Maples

by | Sep 8, 2021

KANSAS CITY, MO – The Warrior Soccer Team had a historic day Saturday. It was the team’s first win with Jayke Maples as the head coach.  Calvary ended the day with an outstanding 4-1 victory against Barclay College. During the first half of the game, the Warriors were absolutely on top of things. Cobi Keel connected to score the first goal with a beautiful volley and was assisted by Ethan Zeeryp.  Jeovany Castillo managed a breakaway and found the net for the second goal with an assist from Keel. Next up, Clay Williams scored his first goal of the season with an assist from Castillo. The final goal was scored by Noah Mccubbin and assisted by Bayron Mendez.  “The team had incredible organization and defense which made any through play extremely difficult”, said Head Coach Jayke Maples.   “Cooperation is king and the boys did a fantastic job on offense. Warriors are tough and we certainly acted tough!  The boys played great! They still have some chemistry, and timing to work on together and I think that if we can see that kind of chemistry develop, you will see a similar scoreline for many games to come!” The next game for the Calvary Warriors will be on Saturday, September 11 against Emmaus Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa.

Soccer Team Performs Well in OT Loss

Soccer Team Performs Well in OT Loss

by | Sep 1, 2021

Belton, MO  – Despite a strong first-time performance for the 2021 Warriors, the Ozark Christian Ambassadors still managed to come out on top.  Ozark secured a dramatic score during overtime to get the golden goal that gave them the game. Jeovany Castillo found Bayron Mendez for his first collegiate goal to put Calvary on the board.   This goal gave the team some much needed momentum after Ozark had taken an early 0-1 lead. There were many shots on goal that did not find the back of the net and the teams went into the half tied at 1-1. Early in the second half, Cobi Keel received the ball outside the 18 yard box, and found the back of the net on the far post for Calvary to go up 2-1.   Keel secured his brace when Kobe Borden found Keel on the outside as he went one on one with the keeper to score.   Ozark scored off a cross as the game was winding down to tie it at 3-3.   Ozark scored early in the overtime period to seal the win.   The Warriors as already mentioned, performed well as a new team and showed a significant amount of class. They did struggle with impatience when attempting attacks and playing the ball through. The team hopes to improve in this area as they continue to prepare for the rest of the season. The Warrior’s next match will be a home game on September 4 against Barclay College.