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The Eastern Echo Thursday, July 2, 2026 | Print Archive
The Eastern Echo

Sports

EMU vs Kent State 2nd quarter

Football team on track for better season in fall

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When you’re at rock bottom, there’s only one place to go. Second-year coach Ron English and his staff will look to an influx of junior college players and the benefit of his returning players to improve a team that went winless in 2009.


The Eastern Echo

Winter semester grades highest for athletes

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Who says jocks are dumb? At Eastern Michigan University, just like at many universities across the country, student-athletes get a bad reputation for not taking academics seriously. The student athletes at EMU, however, are diminishing that stereotype one grade-point average at a time.


The Eastern Echo

U.S. plays Algeria after bad call

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The big story from the tied 2-2 U.S. vs. Slovenia game Friday wasn’t the easy goals Slovenia got on keeper Tim Howard. It wasn’t the amazing comeback in the second half that brought the United States from zero to tied at two. It was a single call.


	Ashley Rodrigues, a former EMU soccer player, is now captain of the Guyana national team, which is vying for a spot in the Women’s Gold Cup. The Gold Cup is the predecessor to the Women’s World Cup.

Ex-Eagle leads Guyana national team

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If you get the chance to play soccer in college, you must be good. To be able to get playing time for all four years is even better, but if you get to represent the country of your parents’ origin it must be something pretty special, which is exactly what former Eastern Michigan University forward Ashley Rodrigues has been given.

20100416 WC Big 3

Americans stay strong in World Cup match

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What began as a match England thought an easy start to the World Cup ended with an American upset. In the England vs. U.S. match last Saturday, England took an early lead, scoring its first goal less than five minutes into the cup opener.




BIZ AUTO-SUPERCAR-2 3 KRT

Dingell will ask MLB to overturn bad call

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One could assume after Jim Joyce’s botched call at first robbed Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga of a perfect game, all the columnists and talking heads would weigh in on the controversy.


	John Donegan, chief of operations at EMU, poses in Eastern’s new indoor practice facility, which will officially open June 15. The inflatable dome will be used by the women’s soccer team, baseball and softball teams and golf teams.

Indoor sports facility opens June 15

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The grand opening of Eastern Michigan University’s new inflatable sports facility is at 10 a.m. June 15 on the corner of Huron River Drive and Westview Drive by Rynearson Stadium


	Goodrich helps coach his team to the outdoor championship, which they won May 15.

Track team winners indoors and out

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Winning a conference title in any college sport is no easy task. Winning two conference titles in one season is something no team in the Mid-American Conference has done since 2007, when Eastern Michigan University did it, winning both indoor and outdoor conference championships.



Kinder

EMU drops all three in last home series

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On a day that was supposed to be all about the seniors in their last home game, it seemed all about inconsistency for Eastern Michigan University baseball, losing 7-3 to the Toledo Rockets on Sunday.


The Eastern Echo

Roundup: Baseball rally pays off

The Eastern Michigan University baseball wrapped up a three-game set with Northern Illinois University, scoring eight runs in the ninth inning en route to a 13-11 victory on Sunday.


Celebration

Eagles end season with NIU win

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The Eastern Michigan University softball team beat Northern Illinois University 7-3 Sunday afternoon on Senior Day in the final game of the season at Varsity field, but the win alone wasn’t enough to capture a spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament starting next week. In order to receive a MAC Tournament berth, the Eagles needed Bowling Green University and Buffalo University to lose Sunday.



	Corey Chaffins, a junior right-hand pitcher, underwent elbow surgery in 2008 and has a 3-4 record in 2010.

Ace pitcher improves after surgery

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After coming off of Tommy John elbow surgery in the 2008 season, Eastern Michigan pitcher Corey Chaffins struggled in 2009, finishing with a 7.83 ERA while walking 33 in 66 2/3 innings.



	Jeppensen

Roundup: Golf wins in Ohio

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The Eastern Michigan University men’s golf team hadn’t won an invitational title since it won the Mid-American Conference Championship in 2008, but that changed Sunday when the team shot a 296 in the final round to win the 41st annual Robert Kepler Intercollegiate championship in Columbus, Ohio. EMU’s victory came against competition from the likes of Penn State, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Kent State, Charlotte, Ohio State, Wisconsin, North Texas, Houston and Xavier. Cam Burke (a 70 on Sunday) led the Eagles, ending the three-day competition with a score of 210.


baaseball

Eagles lose to Kent, then do wind sprints

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After a 5-0 loss to Kent State on Sunday, the Eastern Michigan Eagles lined up on the far corner of Oestrike Stadium and began sprinting back-and-forth, a clear indicator the defeat wasn’t exactly an ordinary loss.


Viltz

Two gymnasts continue to regionals

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After the Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team took third place at the Mid-American Conference Championships at Bowling Green on March 27, it looked like the season was over.

Eastern Michigan University’s “Enlighten U” has been ranked the top mental health podcast in Michigan by FeedSpot, a platform that compiles blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, newsletters and other sites in one location.

“Enlighten U” is a podcast geared toward students who are experiencing mental health challenges. Melissa Thrasher, EMU's executive director of media relations and social media, and Lolita Cummings, an EMU public relations professor, serve as the co-hosts. Each episode is released around the 15th of every month and features a student or alum and a subject-matter professional.

Lolita Cummings in an interview with The Echo said that this is not the first time the No. 1 mental health podcast in Michigan has been awarded to "Enlighten U."

"We've been the No. 1 mental health podcast in Michigan from the very beginning," Cummings said. "I think it's an indicator of the fact that what we are trying to do, we are doing well, and that is important."

At the start of each "Enlighten U" episode, Cummings and Thrasher state that the "Enlighten U" podcast is an award-winning show.

"A couple of years ago, I won the best in PR for good campaign from Public Relations Society of America for the marketing and promotions program, because it's important that we get this, the word, out to everyone and about the podcast," Cummings said.

Thrasher and Cummings are both extremely proud of their podcast, but these awards and recognitions are not why they continue with it.

It is important to Cummings that she serves all of her students' needs. She noticed that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of many of her students was declining. When the students came back after the pandemic, Cummings noticed that her students' mental health was even worse. Due to this, she began brainstorming with one of her students about how she could help.

"She [the student] said to me, 'We watched a lot of podcasts while we were off.' So I said, 'Okay, I don't know anything about podcasts, but I will meet you all where you are.' So that's where the idea came from," Cummings said. "I am able to not just serve their academic needs, but I'm also able to serve their mental health needs. And to get the feedback from them, that is really helping, and is everything to me because the students are the ones who tell us what issues are impacting the most. Those are the issues that we bring to the table at 'Enlighten U.'"

Cummings encourages students to not only watch and listen to "Enlighten U" but to also spread the word about the podcast.

"One of the things we want to do is get the word out about this podcast to as many people as possible, across the nation, across the world," she said. "The need is not limited to our campus — the need is universal; it is worldwide. My goal at this point is obviously to continue to produce quality shows that reflect the mental health challenges that students are facing, but also get it out to wider audiences so we can help more people."

For those who are interested in engaging with "Enlighten U," the podcast can be found on YouTube and Spotify.