Ask any student-athlete and they’ll tell you that a major component of the collegiate athletic
experience is the transportation situation for away games. It’s important that athletes ride in
comfort, and it doesn’t hurt if they get to look stylish, too. Thanks to a new partnership with
Sandollar Limousine, Asbury’s athletic teams will get the best of both worlds.
On Feb. 12 Asbury athletics agreed to a multi-year deal with Sandollar Limousine, making the
Louisville-based company its official transportation provider. From here on out, athletic teams
will exclusively use Sandollar for all charter motor coach trips.
You can catch them rolling around in a customized 49-passenger motor coach branded
exclusively for Asbury and equipped with reclining seats, a restroom, AC outlets and USB plugs.
“When I got here, every team was handling travel a little differently,” said second-year Vice
President of Intercollegiate Athletics Mark Whitworth. “My thought was to find a vendor that if
we did a higher volume of business with we could get better pricing and other ways of support.”
Not only is the partnership beneficial from a financial aspect, it also gives the athletic teams a
sense of uniformity.
“It shows not only our brand of Asbury athletics,” said junior and swimmer Rosie Gary, “but it
also shows that we take care of our athletes and have school pride and spirit.”
The swim team took the bus on its inaugural trip when they traveled to Kingsport, Tennessee, for
the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament. According to Gary, the difference in travel
style was palpable.
“It was way more comfy than just your average 12-15 passenger van,” said Gary, who placed
first in the Women 200 Yard Butterfly. “It gives us something to look forward to when taking
trips.”
When Whitworth took over in the spring of 2018, he wanted to transform the athletic
department. Ever since then, positive changes have abounded, and the partnership with Sandollar
is the latest example.
“It’s fun for [our players] to take pride in how they’re traveling and representing Asbury,” said
Whitworth. “We feel like we’ve elevated the standard and helped increase the awareness of our
program and how we want to be a first-class organization.”
photo by Carter Hammond
