Written by Abigail Jeyakaran and Eli DiRuzza, photos by Nakiya Melroy
From last Thursday to Saturday, the larger AU community gathered to celebrate Homecoming, a weekend packed with a great number of events. From the coronation of the Homecoming court and the 2026 Alumni Awards to Western Encore by Avanti Boosters and Orangehaus, there was an endless supply of learning, reflection and entertainment thanks to the hard work of AU’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
This year, AU alumni began their weekend with the 2026 Alumni Awards during the Thursday Homecoming Chapel in York Performance Hall. The winners were announced alongside this year’s Homecoming Court, with senior Thinh Tran as Homecoming King and senior Lulia Yonas as Homecoming Queen. On Friday, AU held an Alumni Panel “Life, Career, and Faith” at Hartung Hall and featured many AU alumni including young adult pastor Jeff Whye (‘21), senior applications scientist Kelly Parliament (‘06), professor and director Josh Campbell (‘06), Madison County Community Foundation president Ben Davis, and Guy Perry (‘66).
The annual Helios Reception in the Valley with Luminaries kicked off in the evening along with the Wind Ensemble Concert which featured the world premiere of “White River”, an original piece by AU Director of Bands Adam Waller based on the recent Anderson floods. This concert was followed by another music event, the AU Movement Release Party, celebrating the debut EP ‘Foundations’ by student worship band AU Movement as they performed each of their original songs along with some additional worship covers.
Saturday saw the AU Street Fair on University Boulevard, featuring various student organizations, performances, alumni reunion tents, and tons of games and activities for people of all ages. It was followed by two performances of A Doll’s House in Byrum Theater and several sporting events, before Homecoming closed with two shows of Western Encore in Reardon Auditorium.
Meanwhile, a busy Homecoming slate of games took place on campus Friday and Saturday.
On Friday afternoon, the Ravens cross country team traveled to Wilmington, Ohio for the JennaStrong Classic. Seven personal records (PR) were set, on the men’s side, all of the PRs were in the 8K run. Johnnie Behrends finished 27th, while Kyle Corbin, Sam Crum and Jacob Grimes all had great runs. For the women’s team, the 5K run saw PRs set by Hattie Harlow, Anna Walpole, Jade Witt and Madi Aaron.
The next meet for the cross country teams is the biggest one, the HCAC Championships on Oct. 31st in North Manchester.
On the volleyball court, a back-and-forth matchup with Mount St. Joseph (MSJ) resulted in a 3-1 win for the Ravens. The scores for the four sets were: 25-22, 25-23, 24-26, 27-25.
Jayda Lanham continued her great season with 14 kills and 13 digs. Ellie Wilson led the team with five blocks; she also had seven kills on the offensive end. Blythe Young delivered 31 assists and also had three aces. Lacy Rathbun also had a good day with 11 digs and seven kills.
The Ravens picked up their first conference win this season and improved to 11-9 overall, 1-2 in conference play. The Ravens will host Rose-Hulman (5-14) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. It will be Dig for the Cure night honoring Breast Cancer Awareness.
On the gridiron, it was a tough outcome for the AU football team Saturday against the defending conference champions Hanover College, losing 44-7, at Macholtz Stadium. Pre-game, the Ravens honored former football player Jeff Evrard, and his wife Liita, by naming the new Evrard Field at Macholtz Stadium.
The lone touchdown for the Ravens came on a trick-play pass from Preston Yoder to Eli DiRuzza for 10 yards. Jaylen Hayes had a stellar game with 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.
The Ravens fall to 1-5 on the season and 0-3 in conference play. They look to rebound against Capital University (3-3) in Columbus, Ohio.
To close out Homecoming weekend, the men’s and women’s soccer teams hosted a double-header at Fridley Field.
The women’s team shut out Berea, 4-0. Mailee Cornette produced the ninth hat trick in AU history. Izzy Cameron assisted on all three goals, marking the fifth three-assist game in AU history. The fourth goal came late from senior Kennedy Hurst.
It was also Senior Day for the Ravens, honoring Andrea Diaz, Maeve Hanley, Kennedy Hurst, Caitlin Knepp, Grace Mangino, Jess Rogozinski, and Jada Van Steenvoort.
The Ravens are 8-4-1 and 4-2 in conference play, they look to continue the momentum on Wednesday, Oct 21st against Bluffton (9-6).
The men’s soccer team faced Berea and tied 1-1. Emmett Kindler recorded the lone goal with an assist by Andon Colclazier. Goalie Braydon Kennedy had six saves for the Ravens.
The Ravens are now 5-6-2 and 3-1-2 in conference play. They travel to Bluffton on Wednesday to face the 4-8-1 Beavers.
Additionally, multiple teams also hosted events this weekend. The swim team had its Orange, Black and Back meet and the baseball team had its Orange and Black game.
Overall, it was a fun and active Homecoming weekend for AU’s student-athletes.