Carrington's Dojo Richard Carrington

Coaches Vanessa Fyffe and Dionte Ferguson enter the Dojo to discuss the role of the assistant coach and how good assistant coaches can enhance a program.

2010 Tusculum graduate, Vanessa Fyffe, is the University's Associate Head Women's Soccer Coach. This is Fyffe's second stint on Tusculum's coaching staff. During her first coaching stint at Tusculum, Fyffe helped coach the Pioneers to the 2016 South Atlantic Conference regular-season championship and five SAC Championship tournament appearances, including two trips to the semifinals. She also coached 13 players who received postseason All-Conference honors, while also overseeing the junior varsity program. Two of her goalies, Marissa Williams and Miriah Martin, earned All-SAC honors. Fyffe also has experience coaching at the University of Louisiana Monroe (NCAA D1) and Moravian College (NCAA D3).

Dionte Ferguson serves as Tusculum's Assistant Men's Basketball Coach. Ferguson came to the TU campus after two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Morehead State University (NCAA D2). Ferguson also competed for Morehead State, where he was a part of the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Championship team. Ferguson graduated from South Alabama, where he served as team captain and was named to the 2015 All-Sun Belt Conference third team. After his collegiate career, Ferguson spent more than two years playing overseas in Spain and the Philippines. In 2016, he was named to the All-EBA League second team while playing for Fundacion Lucentum, Agustinos Eras in Spain and was named the 2017 recipient of the MCBL Best Import Award with FEU-NRMF in the Philippines.

In this episode, Coach Carrington speaks with Professor Tim Wilson regarding the relationship that exists between academics and athletics, and its importance to the student experience.

Tim Wilson was named the Faculty Athletic Representative at Tusculum University on July 1, 2019.

The faculty athletic representative (FAR) at Tusculum is a member of the faculty or administrative staff who is designated by the president to represent the institution and its faculty in the institution's relationships with the NCAA and the South Atlantic Conference. Wilson is also an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Tusculum.

Wilson, a product of Corryton, Tennessee, came to Tusculum in 2018 after serving 17 years as a Sport Management professor at Martin Methodist College. Wilson earned his Bachelor's degree in Speech and Theater with an emphasis in Speech Communication from Middle Tennessee State University, his M.S. degree in Human Performance and Sport Studies with a concentration in Sport Management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his M.B.A. from Northcentral University in Business and Technology Management with a concentration in Sports Management and Leadership. Currently, Wilson is finishing his Doctorate of Education with a specialization in Business from the University of the Cumberlands.

Coach Eddie Pennington enters the Dojo to discuss the challenges of starting a program from scratch. Pennington was named the first head coach in the history of the Tusculum University men’s volleyball program on Dec. 3, 2018. Men’s volleyball was introduced as Tusculum’s 22nd sport in the fall of 2018 and began competition during the Covid-shortened 2019-2020 academic year. 

Before coming to Tusculum, Pennington had coaching stints at both the NCAA Division I and II levels including the two years on the staff at D-I Butler University.  In his first season at the Indianapolis school, he helped the Bulldogs to a 23-8 record and advanced to the 2017 Big East Conference Tournament, Butler’s first postseason appearance since 2013.  He mentored three All-Big East performers including two that garnered AVCA All-Region honors.

The Denver, Colorado native also spent two years (2015 & 2016) on the staff at the University of Illinois Springfield and also served as the head coach of the Springfield Elite VBC.

Before coaching, Pennington graduated from Belmont Abbey College in 2015. While at Belmont Abbey, he was a two-year captain for the men's volleyball program and a student assistant for the women's program. He also served as head coach for Lake Norman Volleyball Club and assistant coach for the varsity program at South Point High School in Belmont, North Carolina.

Coach Brandon Steele enters the Dojo to discuss the culture that has fueled Tusculum Baseball's tradition of excellence. Brandon Steele was named the head coach of the Pioneers on June 5, 2018 after a long stint as an assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator.  

In his first season as the 25th baseball coach in program history in 2019, Steele guided Tusculum to a 30-21 overall record and a tie for third place in the South Atlantic Conference standings with a 17-7 record. The Pioneers reached the 30-win mark for the 16th time in the last 17 years, all with Steele on the staff, finishing the regular season by winning 29 of their final 41 games following a 1-7 start.

Steele served as an assistant coach for 15 successful campaigns where the Pioneers posted a remarkable 545-271-1 overall record which included five SAC championships, four SAC Tournament titles and six trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament. After arriving on the Tusculum campus in fall 2003, Steele and the Pioneers recorded 14 straight winning seasons while averaging 36 wins per year including five campaigns with 40 or more victories and five times ending the season with a national ranking.

Steele, a native of London, Ontario, Canada, is married to the former Mary Kay Benson of Monroe, Michigan and they are the parents of daughter, Samantha and son, Gunner.

Coach Julie Huebner enters the Dojo to share her thoughts on handling and overcoming adversity. Julie Huebner was named head softball coach at Tusculum on July 27, 2012 after serving as assistant coach for the previous two seasons.

Her 2021 team won the South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. This was Huebner's second conference tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. Her first came in 2013, when she also garnered South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honors. Huebner ranks second all-time in career wins at Tusculum, behind the legendary J.C. "Red" Edmonds, who had 460 victories in his 14 seasons.

Huebner earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2006, graduating with honors after majoring in Hospitality Management with a minor in Psychology. She was an outfielder and two-year captain on the softball team during her time at IUP, while earning All-PSAC West Second Team honors in 2005.

The Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate began her coaching career as an assistant at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pa., serving one year on the Knights’ coaching staff prior to her appointment at East Stroudsburg. Her coaching experience also includes three years at the NFCA Pennsbury Recruiting Camp, as well as four years as a lead instructor at the IUP summer camps. Huebner also served as the tournament site manager for the NSA World Series Qualifier held at IUP.

Along with working softball camps at her alma mater, Huebner has also served as an instructor at the University of Tennessee, Kutztown University and East Stroudsburg.

Huebner earned her Masters of Arts degree in human resource management from Tusculum in December 2016.

Tusculum University Head Athletic Trainer Chris Lenker enters the Dojo to share his thoughts on servant-leadership. Lenker is in his 16th year as Head Athletic Trainer and 20th overall at Tusculum University.

Lenker directs the overall operation and medical treatment of the student-athletes for the 26 intercollegiate sports offered by the University. In his two decades on the Greeneville campus, he has served as athletic trainer for football, men’s and women’s soccer, men and women’s basketball, baseball and men's lacrosse.  In 2017, Lenker was designated as Tusculum’s Health Care Administrator, overseeing compliance with NCAA health and safety-related legislation, policies and practices.

Lenker’s staff has been twice honored by the South Atlantic Conference as the league’s Athletic Training Staff of the Year during the 2008-2009 and 2016-2017 academic years.  During the 2016-2017 season, his accolades were adorned in glory again when he was the recipient of the Tusculum Sports Benefactor Award.

The Iowa native is certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification and is licensed through the Tennessee Board of Athletic Training Examiners. He is a certified lifeguard and holds instructor certifications from the American Red Cross in First Aid, and CPR for the Professional Rescuer. Lenker earned his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science at East Carolina in 1997, and later earned his Master’s in Health Education at ECU in 2000.

Lenker is married to the former Laura Sharp of Ocean City, New Jersey and they are the parents of son Addison Cade.