photo courtesy of AUM Athletics
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Auburn University at Montgomery is once again the venue for sport competitions with the start of the 2026 spring NCAA Division II season that includes basketball, baseball, softball, tennis and the new women’s golf team; and the energy of the players is at an all-time high.
Freshman Anderson Harris shared his excitement for his first college sports season, “I’m just excited for my first college season. My teammates and I, we’ve got a really good brotherhood over the fall,” said Harris. “So I’m just really excited for the season coming up, and I feel we’re going to be really successful,” said Anderson.
Softball and baseball are ready to kick off with their first game away on Jan. 30. The women’s team will take part in the Gulf Shores Invitational, facing Florida Tech and Saint Leo on the first day of the tournament at Gulf Shores Sportsplex. On the same day, the baseball team will face Young Harris University in Georgia at Zell B. Miller Field.
AUM Athletics introduced a new feature this year with the inaugural women’s golf program, the only team to participate in both the fall and spring seasons. They will compete in South Carolina on Feb. 23 at the Dunes West Golf and River Club against Lenoir-Rhyne University. The team, coached by Haley Minor, is composed of Georgia Carter, Kyleigh Gibson, Aubrie Medford, Ashley Nelson and Hailey Westmoreland.
Meanwhile, the men’s and women’s basketball teams continue their journey, both coming off a difficult start to the season. Both teams are coming off a difficult period, with six consecutive losses in their last games for the women’s team and seven for the men’s team. This past weekend saw a change in schedule for the men’s team, facing Trojans Trevecca Nazarene on Feb. 11. The women’s team lost to the Nashville school 65-92. With many games still ahead, there are several cards left to play to finish the season on a high note.
Both teams are coming off a difficult 2024-25 season, with the men’s team finishing the season with a 9-18 record, while the women’s team finished the season 12-16, losing in the first round of the conference finals.
At the start of November, right before the season kicked off, Michael Cheaney resigned, ending his 11-year tenure as head coach of the men’s basketball team. He was replaced by Joe Brooks, who took over as interim head coach from his role as assistant coach, leading the Warhawks this season.
Sofia Neri, a senior tennis player from Italy and graduating in psychology, is approaching her season finale with enthusiasm. “For this spring, I look forward to having a great final season and achieving all my goals to end my tennis career in the best way,” Neri said.
As the spring season gets underway, there are no home sporting events scheduled for this week. In addition to the start of baseball and softball, both tennis teams will play exhibition matches at Alabama State on Jan. 30. On the 29th, basketball teams will travel to Mississippi to face Delta State University.
Statistics, schedules, and results can be found on the athletic department’s new app, the WARHAWK APP. Looking ahead to the spring season, tennis head coach Michael O’Brien said, “I’m really excited to see our athletes compete. They have worked hard this fall, and it will be great to see them put all that training into practice, support each other, and compete together this spring.”
