Conference USA announced on Monday afternoon that Louisiana Tech and the conference have reached an agreement for the Bulldogs to leave and join the Sun Belt Conference for the 2026 season. The announcement comes after a disagreement where both C-USA and the Sun Belt included the school in their football schedules for the 2026 season. Following the swift exit of Texas State for the new PAC-12 last July, the Sun Belt made a safe and calculated move to formally invite the Bulld

Sometimes, the things people grow to love do not start with a plan, but with influence from the people they look up to. For Kiley Huffman, a sophomore outfielder for Troy softball, that influence came from her older cousin, whose love for the game sparked Huffman’s own journey. “She just inspired me to play, and I thought it looked fun,” Huffman said. “I actually did not like it at first, but I kept playing and fell in love with it, and I’m so glad I did.” Huffman attended Al

Troy baseball secured the win in its road series against the Marshall Thundering Herd, with the cherry on top being a shutout in the series finale. The Trojans dropped the series opener 7-4 before storming back with 8-2 and 1-0 wins. Trojans Hayden Smith and Cooper Ellingworth were the magic in the finale, with nine scoreless innings, six to Smith and three to Ellingworth. After holding Jacksonville State scoreless for five frames on Tuesday, Smith finished the week with 11 s

A Troy mathematics professor participated in academic research expansion projects in Vietnam and South Korea, last December. Associate Professor of Mathematics, Dr. Hoa Dinh, began this outreach on Dec. 3, 2025,, with a research seminar at Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, South Korea, of which he was the host. He spent the next few days at the International Workshop on Operator Means held in Jeju, South Korea, where he gave a presentation on some of his research in q

Troy’s Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) program has five seniors graduating this spring. The five reflected on their time in the program and the original reason they joined. “The reason that I joined Air Force ROTC is that I've always known that I wanted to serve in the military in some form or fashion,” said Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Smith, the A3A5 Directorate, and a criminal justice major from Greenville, Alabama. “I wanted to follow the footsteps of both my grandfathers, who were

The sounds of excited voices and fluttering wings filled the Troy University Arboretum as students, faculty, staff and community members gathered to learn about one of Alabama’s most misunderstood animals – bats. Attendees were given a brief presentation by Auburn University’s Dr. Matthew Grillot on bats before they were shown one live, after which it was released. The event, held in partnership with the Troy Naturalist Club and guest speaker Dr. Grilliot, aimed to educat

Incoming Trojans will now be celebrating their commitment to Troy University with new gift boxes mailed to them.  Dr. Blake Bedsole, associate vice chancellor of enrollment management, said these boxes will serve as a touch point with committed students who have registered for IMPACT before they attend their session over the summer.  “We thought a nice package in the mail could help keep that excitement and interest up regarding starting their college career with us here at

A Troy University professor will soon be presented with an award from the American Advertising Foundation (AAF), beating out the rest of the Southeast United States. On May 16, Professor Chris Stagl will be awarded the AAF’s Donald G. Hileman Award, which recognizes a college educator as the best in their service andteaching of creative advertising. The nominees were for AAF District 7, which includes Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi, with the AAF placi

Troy’s John M. Long School of Music collaborated with Ilium Records to hold the Business, Production and Music Expo, better known as “BPM” last Thursday and Friday. Troy students and Pike County high school students joined forces for the two-day expo working toward one shared goal: creating and performing an original song. By the end of the clinic, that goal became a reality with “On My Own,” performed live Friday night. “We started this song from scratch,” said Chase Dawso

From the sound of spinning wheels to kids laughing on the quad, Troy University was full of energy for the fourth annual O’s Cool Bike Ride – an event centered on joy, connection and remembrance. The ride honors Owen Lewis, the 2½-year-old son of Professors Heather Lewis and Onick Lewis, who died unexpectedly from lymphocytic myocarditis in 2022. What began as a way to celebrate Owen’s life has grown into a community-wide event that continues to expand each year. “This is

Workshop Wednesdays are saying farewell until next year. The Troy University Office of Career Services held its final Workshop Wednesday on April 22 with its biggest turnout yet. The workshop titled “Grad School Prep” showed students where to begin their graduate school application process and how to successfully apply to the school of their dreams. “It was an amazing presentation that was really informative and helpful for sophomores and freshmen who want to understand m

The Troy Police Department (TPD) continued its citizens’ police academy Thursday evening, offering participants a behind-the-scenes look at the technology officers use to investigate and solve crimes. During the academy’s fifth session, officers demonstrated how tools like drones and cameras are used in real-world investigations. TPD Detective Colton Johnson demonstrated how drones assist officers in the field, particularly in situations involving missing persons or fleeing

The semester has come to an end for Troy’s Symphony Band, after the band’s last concert took place on Tuesday. Conducted mostly by Director of Bands Dr. Mark Walker, the concert also featured three graduate assistant guest conductors, who each got to choose any piece they wanted to conduct. One of the guest conductors said he appreciated the opportunity to create a special moment for both him and the students. “It's incredibly moving to share that opportunity with them,” sa

Students and faculty gathered in the Trojan Center Ballrooms Friday morning to hear from award-winning authors Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly, the 2026 Hall-Waters Prize recipients. The Hall-Waters Prize honors distinguished writers whose work contributes to Southern literature. Franklin and Fennelly are the first duo to receive the award. The husband-and-wife authors previously collaborated on their 2013 historical novel “The Tilted World,” set in Mississippi during Pr

Resumes in hand and confidence on display, students packed the Trojan Center ready to make an impression last Wednesday. The Hall School of Journalism and Communication Career Fair is not just about finding a job, it’s about starting conversations that could lead students to lifelong careers. The event brought students together across all classification levels, offering them a chance to connect directly with industry professionals. Faculty members encouraged attendance to bu

The Troy softball team achieved their first road sweep of a Sun Belt Conference opponent since 2023 when it swept Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Georgia, over the weekend. The Trojans toppled the Eagles 5-1, 6-3 and 4-2 to take the sweep. In game one, the Trojans started Esmee Ames to take care of the Eagles, and she did, holding them to one run in her outing. Abby Lovell earned the win, striking out seven batters in 3.1 innings after relieving Ames. Mia Tidmore and Ella C

Students gathered in Claudia Crosby Theater to receive awards and recognition for participation in honor societies last Wednesday. Troy University’s Honors Convocation is an annual ceremony to recognize the success and academic achievements of students and faculty throughout the year. A few weeks before the spring semester ends, the convocation allows students to celebrate their successes with their friends and family. “We’re paying tributes to those students, whether

Troy football’s T-Day featured plenty of familiar faces, including multiple former players at the athletic department’s “Brunch with Legends” event. Preceding on-field action, the gathering inside the Stadium Club featured Carlton Martial, BJ Smith, Jeremy Rowell and Eric Thomas. Martial holds the FBS record as the all-time leading tackler. He was a four-time All-Sun Belt First Team selection over his five seasons with Troy. Martial was named Defensive Player of the Year du

While we can all agree that the days of the wild west are long gone, this reviewer truly believes that deep down, everyone would like to be a cowboy, at least for a day. Recent media has encouraged this reception of the idealized West primarily through television, film and music. John Grady, the main character of Cormac McCarthy’s “All the Pretty Horses” (1992), follows that yearning for the great frontier, even when circumstances change the landscape he must work with. Yo

Troy football wrapped up its spring practice schedule with T-Day on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium. In an offense vs. defense scrimmage, the Trojans’ offense won the scrimmage, 38-19. While the scrimmage was not the first of the spring period, it was the only one open to the public. “It was good for us to get out and simulate a game as much as we can without going too far,” said head coach Gerad Parker. "This is the only opportunity we'll have this spring to play in

Troy University gymnastics found success at the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC) competition, placing second overall. Troy’s Kayla Burrell placed second on vault and Amy Treloar placed first on bars with a perfect 10.0 score. The team is coached by Maren Settle, a senior sport management major from Acworth, Georgia, who also serves as club president. She said she started the program three years ago because she wanted to create a space where at

Coachella 2026 returned to the desert with a lineup and energy that reinforced its status as one of the most influential music festivals in the world. Held the weekends of Apr. 10 through 12 and Apr. 17 through 19 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, the 25th edition of Coachella sold out within a week of its announcement, showing just how much anticipation surrounded the event. Even for those who could not attend, widespread media coverage, social media clips and a

The Beach Boys are a band I have been listening to my entire life. There was a time in high school where I was listening to them religiously, and I can easily point to a few albums in their career I thought they were at their best. I still have the same opinion today. One of those albums is “Sunflower,” released in 1970, after Brian Wilson’s perfectionism and mental decline during the making of “Smile” but before their descent into baiting nostalgia in the late 1970s. “Sunfl

Troy freshman Stephan Tavares Noale impressed in his first season on the Troy men’s tennis team. He punctuated his strong season with two Sun Belt Tournament singles wins, clinching quarterfinal and semifinal wins for the Trojans. The freshman from Sao Paulo, Brazil, burst onto the scene in the spring season, compiling a 16-3 record in his first collegiate season. Only two of the losses came in the regular season, with the other one coming to eventual conference champions Ol