By James Bartolo

Following a heartbreaking 55-54 double overtime loss to Pueblo West, the Pueblo South Colts mended their wounds Friday night by collecting a 49-7 victory over the Coronado Cougars.

The Colts took charge immediately following the opening kickoff as senior kick returner Thomas Pannunzio dashed 92-yards along the left sideline for the first of many touchdowns from South.

“When I scored that first touchdown I was first thinking that this was just what we needed as a team.” Pannunzio said.

“We needed more energy than what we had and that play gave us the spark we needed for the rest of the game.”
On offense, the Colts confused the Cougar defense early on by balancing quality rushes from senior running back Steve Brock with a pair of receptions from wide receiver Marcell Barbee, the second of which gave the Colts their second touchdown of the game, making the score 14-0.

Following a forced fumble and recovery by senior defensive tackle Parker Stephens, the South Colts offense found themselves in the red zone once again.

Rolling out to his right, South quarterback Zach Cozzolino was able set his feet and released a 23-yard dagger to Pannunzio who barely managed to keep himself in bounds, giving the Colts a 21-0 lead.

Coronado senior quarterback Toby Smith struggled for the majority of the first half and threw an interception that was returned 55 yards for a touchdown by the 6-foot-3 Marcell Barbee.

Thomas Pannunzio scored his third touchdown of the game with 4:29 left in the by receiving a 26-yard pass from Cozzolino. Pannunzio recorded a total of 86 all-purpose yards for the night, 53 of them being receiving yards.

Trailing 35-0 in the final minutes of the first half, the Coronado Cougars scored their first and only touchdown with 4-yard rush by junior running back Troy Renner.

With just 47 seconds left in the first half, Colts tight end Jeremy Cody bobbled a 14-yard toss from Cozzolino before reeling it in to give the Colts their sixth touchdown of the game.

The Colts’ final score came with 6:45 left in the third quarter as Cozzolino’s lob slipped through the arms of Cougar defender Tyler Clark and into the hands of Colts wide receiver Jesse Anzar.

South used their fourth quarter lead to get their younger players some reps including sophomore quarterback Logan Petit and running back Connor Huth, who rushed for 57 yards on 9 carries for the night.

“It’s always a benefit to play a lot of guys and hopefully get everyone valuable experience. A lot of guys played well and we are excited about all the children we have in our program.” said South Head Coach Ryan Goddard.

The 3-1 Colts have gotten off to a hot start as they have scored at least 35 points in each of their opening four games.
This early success is something that Pannunzio attributes to excellent team leadership.

“Everywhere you look there is someone who gets looked up to and that helps a lot more than just having one or two main leaders.”

Next week the Colts will face their crosstown rivals, the 0-4 Pueblo East Eagles in the 58th annual Cannon Game.
In their last meeting, the Colts fell to the Eagles 24-14 and are looking to redeem themselves.

“This upcoming week, we just have to focus on our improvement and keep working to get better.” Goddard said.

By Chris Graham

The Colorado State University – Pueblo volleyball team falls to Colorado Christian 3-0 on Friday and Colorado Mines 3-0 on Saturday at the Massari Arena.

CSU-Pueblo lost the first game 25-17, 25-18, 26-24 to Colorado Christian.

The first set was kept close as the game was tied 12 after the Pack was keeping pace with the Cougars. The ThunderWolves could not keep that pace and the Cougars would go on a 13-5 run that would result in a first set loss.

The second set was close early as it was tied 4-4. The Cougars would then go on an 8-2 run to make the lead to 12-6. The Cougars would extend their lead to nine later in the set with the score being 18-9. The ThunderWolves would close the lead to 7 by going on a 9-7 run but would still result in a loss for set two.

In the third set the pack would get out to a quick 6-3 lead but the lead would not last and the two teams would battle down to the final points when the Cougars would get the final two points to win 26-24.

Senior Misha McDowell and freshman Brooke Schilling led the team with six kills each while, Schilling added a team best 12 digs. Senior Elena Michalski finished with 24 assists and six digs.

Each set in the 3-0 loss to Colorado Mines was close as the score were 25-22, 25-19 and 25-23.

The game against Colorado Mines was tied 3-3 early in the first set but the Orediggers would then go on a 7-2 run to make the score 10-5. The ThunderWolves would battle back to tie the set at 15 all. Bothe teams battled but the Orediggers would come out on top 25-22.

In set two the Orediggers got out to a 10-3 lead but the pack would fight back throughout the set to come within two with the score 19-17. The ThunderWolves would not be able to get the lead and lose the set 25-19.
In the third set the pack got a big 15-8 lead and would keep the lead until the very end. The pack was up 23-19 when the Orediggers would score six straight points to win the set.

Caitlin Broadwell led all players with a match-high 16 kills. Broadwell hit a season-high .359. She finished with seven digs. Freshman Mallorie Post came off the bench with an impressive four kills and two blocks in only one set. Post hit a team-high .429 for the match. Michalski dished out 30 assists, she accumulated four digs in the loss. Melissa Nichols totaled eight kills and hit. 312. Junior PuaLehua Keola led the Pack with nine digs. Page Heller picked up eight digs. McDowell and Schilling each knocked down five kills. McDowell hit .364 for the match.

The pack record drops to 1-9 and 0-2 in conference. The ThunderWolves will be on the road next week against Black Hills State on Friday and South Dakota Mines on Saturday.

By Wade Walker

There are not enough recycling bins around campus to accommodate the volume of recyclable waste being generated by students. Despite best efforts from enterprising undergrads, the need is greater than their ability to provide satisfactory methods of recycling management. It ultimately falls on the students to take responsibility for their future.

Before 2016 there were no recycling bins at Colorado State University-Pueblo. With roughly 4500 students producing almost 2 pounds of solid waste each day, the landfills are literally filling up.

One group decided to act. CSU-Pueblo Enactus is a group of 20 students who seek to improve the world through action and entrepreneurship. In 2016, they began placing recycling bins throughout the school in an effort to reduce CSU-Pueblo’s ecological footprint.

“We are all still in the beginning stages but there are definite strides being made to get us there” said Annica Roberts, President of CSU-Pueblo Enactus.

The group claims that there are more bins being added but only in the main areas. There are plans to put bins near or inside the classrooms but the teachers would be responsible for providing small totes which would need to be emptied into the larger receptacles after their class.

Roberts says they have received many emails requesting bins from both students and faculty. According to Roberts, they saw a 59 percent increase in recycled goods in the LARC after the bins were placed. Considering there were no bins before they put them there, any increase could appear immense.

Despite their efforts, the current situation is still substandard. The colors change throughout campus and the inconsistency is unnecessarily confusing. There is still a large percentage of recyclable products being thrown into the regular trash bins. Furthermore, some bins are paper only while others include all recyclables. For example, there is a paper only bin in the Administration building but no option to recycle other materials.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, students produce about 640 pounds of waste each year, including paper and disposable cups. They estimate that “75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.”.

It’s easy to see why the responsibility lies on the students. In the same way that the cleanup was left to the millennials from the baby boomers, so too will the millennial’s grandchildren be left with the cleanup if they decide it wasn’t worth their time to take their plastic bottles to the properly marked bin.

Enactus has gotten the proverbial ball rolling but there is much more to be done. Otherwise, it is the students who will be paying the price when trash island becomes the esteemed nation of Trashylvania, population 10 billion.

The university needs to pay a group of students to handle the recycling responsibilities and make sure the bins in the classrooms get emptied every day. The bins can be donated by alumni, faculty and students.

By Alexandra Purcell

CSU-Pueblo Today Photo/ Jon Doose
The rock, located between the Admin and LARC buildings was painted at the begin of this month by SVA to help draw attention to the march on Oct. 7.

Coming up on Oct. 7, 2017, Colorado State University-Pueblo’s chapter of Student Veterans of America will host the inaugural Bataan Memorial March.

The event is set to start at precisely 9:04 a.m. in front of the fountain at the center of campus. The gates will open at 7 a.m. Entrants are asked to pay $25 for a single person or $100 for a team of five. All proceeds will benefit the CSU-Pueblo SVA Scholarship Fund.

“We’re inviting the entire United States,” said Greg York, board member for SVA.

Entrants will receive incentives for participation, York said. This includes free football tickets to the upcoming Homecoming game, a free mug and other freebies.

EJ Snyder, a highly decorated Army combat veteran known for his three appearances on the TV show “Naked and Afraid,” will serve as the event’s grand marshal. “He told me the other night on the phone he’s actually going to march in the event with a team,” York said.

Snyder is scheduled to give a talk at Hoag Hall the day before the march, Oct. 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Topics covered will be leadership and a question and answer session with the audience. Entrance to this event is free for CSU-Pueblo students. Other guests will be charged $10 at the door.

Brue’s Alehouse in downtown Pueblo will be hosting a brunch with Snyder, York said. The fee will be $50 for all participants and must be turned in by Oct. 4.

Aside from raising money for the SVA scholarship fund, the purpose of the march is to commemorate the US surrender of the Bataan Peninsula of the Philippines. On April 9, 1942, approximately 75,000 US and Filipino troops were captured by Japanese forces. They were forced to walk 65 miles to prison camps in harsh conditions according to the History Channel.

The original plan for CSU-Pueblo’s Memorial March was to begin at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and walk to Pueblo. This would honor the actual distance American prisoners of war were forced to march during WWII in the Philippines, but York said recent flooding “wrecked” most of the trails that would have made it possible.

The SVA decided to hold the march on the CSU-Pueblo campus. Instead of marching approximately 65 miles, it will cover 5 kilometers, or 13.1 miles.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to see our campus for what it really is,” York said.

James Edwards, president of the SVA, said he wants to encourage student organizations on campus to consider entering teams in the march.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) is hosting the annual CHASS barbecue outside the courtyard between the General Classroom Building (GCB) and the Library and Academic Resource Center (LARC) Thursday beginning at 11 a.m.. REV 89, the campus radio station, The CSU-Pueblo Today Organization and other various CHASS departments and organizations will be present. The major disciplines within the department will be present to answer any questions that current CHASS students or possible students may have. If you have any questions about this event contact Trisha Pocius at 719.549.2863.

By Alexandra Purcell

Students from all walks of life at Colorado State University-Pueblo gathered together in front of the dorms for the Campus-Wide Worship event Aug. 27, 2017.

The event featured two major attractions: a worship band provided by Praise Assembly, a Christian church in Pueblo, Colorado, and a sermon given by Tim Brotherton, director of the Pueblo chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

While Praise Assembly has helped put on Campus-Wide Worship in the past, this year marked the first year “in a few” the church had such a major role, according to young adult pastor Jonathan Lewis.

“We’ve been involved for a number of years,” Lewis said. “This is the first time we’ve really gotten back into it.”

“We’re just [located] so close to campus, we want to reach out to students [at CSU-Pueblo] as best we can,” Lewis said. “[We want] to help people in discovering faith.”

Lewis and the worship team from Praise Assembly performed a selection of four popular praise songs, including “Great Are You Lord,” and invited the audience to sing with them.

After the worship songs were done, Brotherton of FCA took the microphone to speak to the audience. He cautioned students to “avoid getting wrapped up in things” and getting distracted from their faith.

“Sin trips us up,” he said in his sermon. “It’s like a spider web … but Jesus is telling us he wants to unwrap you.”

He challenged students of Christian and Catholic faith to make a difference at CSU-Pueblo by “[changing] the campus through the love of Jesus Christ.”

“Thanks for letting this old man come and tell you about the person I love [Jesus],” he said at the end of his speech.

Praise Assembly and FCA were not the only groups with a presence at the event. A few tables were set up by local churches to encourage attendance by CSU-Pueblo students. Several of the organizations were handing out snacks to students as they passed by. Churches represented included Majestic Baptist Church, oasis Church, Aberdeen Baptist, Fellowship of the Rockies and Frist Presbyterian Church of Pueblo.

Other on-campus ministries were also involved with the event. FCA student leader Makayla Miller said her organization was part of the planning for the event. “We contributed by volunteering for different things, like bringing games. We’re here because we’d really like to get to know the students interested in ministries and worship,” she said.

Pack Catholic, CSU-Pueblo’s resident Catholic organization, had a table handing out popcorn to help promote themselves while leaders of Christian Challenge and Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) mingled with the students in attendance.

“We want people to know about Jesus,” said Ruth Bailey, a leader for Cru. “Even if we only get one student involved in a ministry, that’s a huge success.”

By Chris Graham

The Colorado State University – Pueblo women’s volleyball team were only able to get one win out of four games at the BritKare Lady Buff Classic in Canyon, Texas.

The ThunderWolves won their first game Friday by sweeping St. Mary’s 3-0. Later in the night game the Pack found themselves on the other side of the 3-0 sweep losing to West Texas A&M.

On Saturday the ThunderWolves won their first two sets against Southwestern Oklahoma State but would then go on to lose the next three sets. CSU – Pueblo would not be able to win another set as they got swept by Texas-Permian Basin 3-0.

In the first game against St. Mary’s, the Pack would get out to an early lead in the first set scoring eight straight points after St. Mary’s scored the first point of the set. St. Mary’s would fight back scoring four points following CSU – Pueblos scoring streak and later in the set St. Mary would score five straight points to take the lead at 18-17.

The pack responded and outscored St. Mary’s 8-3 to take the first set.

The second set was an evenly matched contest in the beginning stage as the lead changed four times before a team hit 10 points. When the score was 9-8 with CSU-Pueblo in the lead the Pack decided to extend their lead by scoring eight straight points.

St. Mary’s would fight back out scoring the Pack 10-3 following that eight point scoring streak. The ThunderWolves would battle to finish the second set with a 25-22 win.

The ThunderWolves would again start with a quick eight points to start the third set after St. Marys scored the first point. St. Mary’s would eventually crawl back into the game by tying it at 17. The ThunderWolves would go on to outscore St. Mary’s 8-4 to complete the 3-0 sweep.

In this game the ThunderWolves out hit St. Mary’s 0.21 to 0.13. Junior Melissa Nichols led the Pack in hitting percentage with 0.37. Nichols along with Nisha McDowell would each finish with six kills and two blocks. Senior Elena Michalski facilitated the Packs offense with 29 assists and also added nine digs in the game.

In the second game the against West Texas A&M the Pack had trouble in the first and third sets. The ThunderWolves lost the first set 16-25 and the third set 14-25. The Pack never had a lead in either set.

In the second set the Pack got an early 7-4 lead but was unable to hold on to that lead as West Texas took the lead back late in the game 18-17. The ThunderWolves were unable to retake the lead and ended up losing the set 22-25.

The Pack was out hit by West Texas A&M 0.33 to 0.13. Nichols again led the teams hitting percentage with 0.41 and had six kills while also getting three blocks. McDowell added seven more kills to her total.

In the first game Saturday against Southwest Oklahoma State the ThunderWolves cruised to a 25-14 win in the first set. The second set was a battle as the TunderWolves edged out SWOS 25-23. Set three started out close but SWOS finished the game by outscoring the Pack 9-2 to end the set 25-17.

SWOS again edged out the ThunderWolves 25-22 in the fourth set and won the fifth set 15-8.

Michalski played a big role for the Pack in this game as she had a career high in assists with 44 while also notching 16 digs. Nichols also had a career high in kills with 10 and adding two blocks while hitting 0.30.

In the Pack’s fourth game they found themselves on the wrong side of a 3-0 sweep of the University Texas – Permian Basin. The Pack lost the first set 21-25, the second set 13-25 and the third set 18-25.

In that game UT – PB out hit the Pack 0.34 to 0.16 while also having 12 service aces. Senior Caitlin Broadwell had a match high 13 kills and Michalski added 18 more assists to bring her total to 121 over the weekend.

The Pack will return home to host the Steel & Silver Classic Friday Sept.8 and Saturday, Sept. 9,. CSU – Pueblo’s first opponent will be Wayne State College Friday at 11 a.m.

By Chianna Schoenthaler

On Aug. 23, Wolf Pack Welcome week continued here at Colorado State University with Student Engagement and Leadership hosted the 10th annual student employment and involvement festival.

A variety of different student organizations and community organizations joined the festival to welcome back the students during Wolf Pack Welcome Week. As students wondered through fountain plaza, they were greeted by a variety of different organizations handing out flyers and other give away items.

“I thought it was a great experience. Great for new or previously uninvolved students to find a new outlet on campus or community. It seemed very successful,” said Jason Falsetto, a junior civil engineering technology major and leadership studies minor.

The first 500 students who signed up for SEAL’s Pack Perks were able to receive a free T-shirt. This years T-shirt was light blue and had a logo incorporated to look similar the Colorado state flag.

Cameron Collins, a sophomore biology major and chemistry minor, said, “I spent the majority of my time at the SEAL booth promoting Packfest taking place this Friday to students. A lot of students seemed very interested about coming out and having fun on campus. I did walk around for a bit and talked to the Marine booth for a while and felt like the whole event was very informative about clubs, things to do on campus, and event talking to others about plans for the future.”

The barbecue also took place during this time. Students were able to receive free food by writing down their student identification number (PID), and name in exchange for a ticket for the meal.

“I enjoyed that we were all fed at the student employment and involvement festival,” said Kristina Hillard, a junior wildlife and natural resource major.

A variety students were able to mix and mingle, which allowed them to branch out to new networks of people. Many of these organizations were recruiting new members for their club, while some community partners were looking at hiring students or letting students know about different opportunities that are available in the local community.

Jake Harmon, a senior English major and psychology minor, who is currently the student body president said, “I think that the student involvement fair is a great opportunity for students to be introduced to the resources on their campus while also having the opportunity to network with: campus organizations, work study employment opportunities, internship opportunities and career opportunities.”

As students wondered throughout fountain plaza, organizations such as I AM THAT GIRL, Rev89, Outdoor Pursuits, Student Ambassadors, SEAL, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Associated Student Government, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Rotaract Club and many more were present to talk to student during the festival.

Griffin Burgos, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, sophomore business major said, “The student employment and involvement festival is the best way to get students active on campus by providing all students with an opportunity to explore their options. I would not be in the organizations I am today without this festival.”

By Tiffany Underwood

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Christian Challenge hosted glow in the dark capture the flag from 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. meeting at the fountain in the front of Colorado State University- Pueblo.

The game of capture the flag was played at the center of the campus, between the math building and the OUC, where the two teams hid their flags. “I enjoyed meeting students from different areas of the school, they just came out to play it didn’t matter what class or club they were in we were able to come together and play a fun game.” Mark Pierce, community volunteer said.

Instead of a flag to capture the teams were given a light up Frisbee disks, giving them the opportunity to throw the flag to another teammate if about to be tagged out. When players enter on the opposing side of the field and tagged by an opposing player they were considered out. Players would then be sent to jail and remain there until released by another teammate. To win the game the team must return to their own flag while having control of the opponents’ flag as well.

Before the game, players were separated into two teams, receiving either a green or blue glow stick to signify their side. The game began at the neutral zone in front of the Psychology building. From there they would either protect their own teams flag or try to find the other teams flag to capture it.

Marcelo Rodriguez, Senior at CSU-Pueblo said, “It’s really cool to see a group set up an event like tonight because it’s something fun to do that is free and has an open social environment that includes everyone.”

The first round was played with two teams of 13 players. After almost an hour of students competing, majority of the blue team had been tagged and stuck in the green teams’ jail, leading to the victory of the green team shortly after.

Many student athlete players decided to leave after the first-round due to possibly dangerous situation, such as wet grass and poorly lit areas of the campus that could affect their season’s performance.

The second round consisted of teams of 8, because of the lack of player the teams could not be within 30 feet of their own flag or jail. Despite the rule change the green team was still victorious.

John Lancaster, Senior at CSU-Pueblo said, “After enjoying a lazy summer it felt really good to get active again with some of my fellow students in a fun game.”

By Chris Graham

ThunderWolves snuck a 2-1 win against the Colorado College Tigers at Art and Lorraine Gonzales stadium Tuesday.

Photo by Wesley Padgett

The ThunderWolves were down early in the first period as the Tigers scored a goal after six minutes. Later in the third period with a little less than two minutes left, senior Connor Marth setup redshirt sophomore Mark Ocampo for the game tying goal.

As time expired in the same period, sophomore Cameron Campbell assisted sophomore Joe McKee in scoring to put the ThunderWolves in the lead 2-1.

“I thought in the first 15 minutes that they outplayed us,” said ThunderWolves head coach Roy Stanley, “after the first 15 at least defensively we did a better job.”
Neither team scored another shot the rest of the game and the final would be 2-1.

“Offensively I think we have more firepower and more awareness and more things to offer,” said Stanley, “but overall I am pleased.”

The game was played in three 30 minute periods with 10 minutes in between each period This game was also an exhibition match so the game does not count toward the team’s overall record.

What the game did allow was for many of the team’s younger players to get some minutes against quality competition.

“We played a lot of new and younger guys that really stepped up,” said Marth, “Being a senior I know these preseason games are important to get the nerves out and build confidence which is what we did against Colorado College.”

CC is a division three school but is a “respectable division three team” said Stanley. CC went 16-3-1 last year and made it to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship.

This was the ThunderWolves second exhibition game. The first game was against Air Force at Air Force were the Pack lost 3-0.

“It was a learning experience especially for the new guys in that game, the faster pace of college soccer is something that is not easy to adjust to,” said Marth.

Air Force is a division one school that went 14-7-1 last season and made it the Western Athletic Conference championship.

“Air Force is a great opponent,” said Marth, “we have learned and are better having that experience.”

These exhibition games prove useful for the record number of freshmen the entered the ThunderWolf soccer program. 12 freshmen were recruited out of high school to help the Thunderwolves.

“We still have work to do but I can see the culture and mentality changing for the better here for Pack soccer,” said Marth.

The Thunderwolves have one more exhibition game before starting the regular season. They will play Metropolitan State University Denver Friday at 7:30 p.m. MSU Denver is a team that is in the ThunderWolves conference to the two teams will play again in the regular season.

“We are still in that phase where we are learning our team,” said Stanley.

The first regular season game for the ThunderWolves is on Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

“I really want the wins in the regular year,” Stanley said.