Athlete Spotlights

This archived article was written by: Jennifer Jarrett

Tyrone Shepard
Tyrone Shepard or “T-Shep” as his teammates and friends call him, came to CEU from Seattle, Wash. He is the third of six children with only one other sibling playing basketball. His basketball career got started as soon as he began walking. He has always wanted to be like Shaq and watched him as he grew up, “He’s cool, because he’s good,” Shepard stated.
He started playing basketball one day and enjoyed it. He practiced, and his hard work and talent shined through as he helped lead his high school, Ranier Beach, to win their championship.
He heard about CEU from a friend, after looking at his other options and then recieving a scholarship Tyrone decided that he would come to CEU. Head Coach Bryan Zollinger has Shepard playing all of the positions this year. “Tyrone has a lot of talent and skill for this game. He is good all around and we know he will be excellent wherever he is put.” Although Shepard does play all over the court, his favorite position is the wing. He has been playing that position “all his life.”
Shepard is looking forword to playing Dixie and CSI later on this season. “They are supposed to be good but are weak. I want to show them and prove it when we play them,” Shepard said. He has the faith that CEU will be able to take whatever school they want as long as they play their hardest and do their best.
His favorite game so far in the season was their first game against Dixie. “It was a close game. We beat them, but it was hard work,” Shepard stated. His back was injured and he was in a lot of pain that game. He kept playing and doing his best and ended up being a key part of winning that game.
Shepard is not only a great player but a genuinly nice guy and good student. He enjoys CEU mainly because of the students he has met. He said his favorite part of playing for CEU is the student support the team receives at the games. “It’s cool the way the fans get into our games. The cheering is great and helps when it is a close game.”
“Tyrone is a great guy; super nice,” Shelly Gledhill commented about the player. “He is a great basketball player, has talent, and also is really nice when you see him on campus.”
Shepard is undecided on a major, but is working on getting his generals finished up and out of the way. He is still looking at options of where he would like to go after CEU but definitely plans to play basketball.
Shepard believes that the team will make the playoffs. He commented that the most important thing that coach taught him is to “always play your hardest.” With that mindset he believes that the team will be able to go all the way.

Kae Benally
CEU was able to capture Snow College’s volleyball player, Kae Benally and bring her to Price thanks to CEU’s head volleyball Coach Brent Martindale. Benally transferred to CEU this year after being offered a scholarship to play on the Golden Eagles volleyball team.
Benally said that at the beginning of the season she was looking forward to the upcoming season and coaching. She had gotten a feel of how Martindale would be and by the end of the season, although the Eagles fell to the Badgers, Benally couldn’t have been happier.
“Coach is always complimenting us and making us feel good about our talent and our playing. That never happened last year [at Snow]. I was really excited to play the Snow team this year, I knew we could take them. We beat them in the first game, played really well, and just let go at the end.”
Benally attended Provo High School and is the daughter of Jimmy and Anna. She has four sisters in her family and is the second youngest. She got started playing volleyball when she was younger. Every girl in her family ended up playing.
Benally enjoyed watching her sisters play but loved being in the game even more. Her biggest inspiration in the game is her older sister Lanna. “She is always herself and does whatever makes her happy. She doesn’t care what others think.”
Each girl on the CEU team definitely made the transfer easier on Benally. “Each one on the team has been so great to me this year. They really helped me fit in and feel at home. They made the season so much fun and such a better experience than it could have been. They have amazing personalities, everyone is always laughing and having fun.”
Benally played CEU’s defensive specialist and outside hitter positions this year. She hopes to continue her education anywhere in California and hopefully play volleyball while she is there.
She is finishing up her generals but would like to become a marine biologist and study marine biology at a university in California.

Lindsey Arnoldus
If you have ever felt the ambition to wake yourself up and work out at 5 a.m. you have probably seen Lindsey Arnoldus, training herself for the season.
Arnoldus began playing basketball at a very young age, “I have played ever since I can remember,” she stated, “everyone in my family plays and it has just been something that we all do.”
Arnoldus is from Murray, UT from a family of three kids. “When I was younger I always went to watch my sister play, my dad coached her in a boy’s league and as soon as I was able to play I began. They had a girl’s league by the time I started and I have been playing ever since.”
Arnoldus played for Murray High School where she received the honor of being chosen for the ‘All State first team’ in both the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune.
She has known about Price and CEU all her life. “My family and I have been going to Lake Powell ever since I can remember. All I knew is that to get to Lake Powell you had to drive through a little town called Price. I love Price though and am so glad that I came here,” Arnoldus said.
She decided to come to CEU after talking to Coach Dave Paur and getting to know his views on the game and coaching style. She said, “If you know Coach Paur, then you’ll know why I came. He is an awesome guy. He and Coach Allen make a great team.” Arnoldus plays point guard and has been playing that position since she began her career in basketball.
Her favorite part of playing for CEU is the girls that she plays with. “We all get along so well, which is good, because we spend so much time together. The girls are amazing athletes and people.”
Teammates and friends all commented that Arnoldus is an amazing athlete with lots of wit.
“She is always so nice to everyone and keeps everyone laughing with her quick witty remarks,” friends stated.
Arnoldus showed this side of herself in the interview as she finished each remark with a laugh.
Her favorite experiences on the team take place before the game even starts. “I love warm ups, it’s guaranteed that someone will biff it before the game even starts,” she laughed.
She will be the first to laugh at herself when she goofs yet is also a vital part of the team. She has the ability to influence others and help them pick up their game.
She is looking forward to playing “Dixie, SLCC, and CSI.” “We have played them all once and they were great games so I am exited to play them again and see how we do. I really want to beat Dixie because I’ve never beat them before.”
Arnoldus isn’t sure yet what she wants to be or where she wants to go, but wherever she goes next she is ready and willing to play ball.