When the men’s basketball team took on Midway last week, Asbury students filled the stands on “Pack the Luce” night.
What started as a social media account post turned into a campus wide goal with posters all around. Many students said they were excited about the event.
Tommy Wegmann led the effort for pack the Luce and wanted it to be a chance for all the students to rally together to support their athletes.
“We’ve been through so much as a student body, we’ve been through COVID and have just been through so much, so to be able to come here and to enjoy the community and to cheer on our athletes, that’s so much, that means everything,” Wegmann said.
The event turned out to be a big success with an exciting win for the men and a student section full of supporters.
“Honestly, I think it turned out fantastic,” said Wegmann. “Just an awesome team effort. They played really well.”
Even the players got involved with the crowd, heightening the atmosphere in the Luce.
“I’m really pleased with how it turned out,” said Wegmann. “You know, just watching Nick Fort come over, the man is an absolute beast, he’s probably one of the best DIII players in the nation, but having him come over and hype up the student body, that’s what makes it all worthwhile.”
The process of getting “pack the Luce” organized did manage to have a few complications that Wegmann and the rest of the team involved had to deal with. He had an initial vision for the vent and did a lot of prep work, only to pitch it and find out there were complications.
“You know, after a hundred emails and fifteen different sit-down meetings, after being rejected and after figuring out you’re going to have to do it yourself, that’s exactly what we did, and we really did a great job,” Wegmann said.
However, Wegmann continued to work on it.
“Initially, it didn’t really work out the way that I wanted it to. You know, we had a Plan A. I grew up in rural Indiana, and one of the first things I learned is if you can’t figure something out with the people around you or above you, you got to revert to Plan B, and you got just to toss some elbow grease and make it work,” Wegmann said.
As for the game, the players showed appreciation for everyone raising support. Junior guard Eric Powell commented it was a “sight to see.”
“I’m proud of these guys and of the way we pulled it out,” Powell said. “I’m looking forward to keeping this streak going!”
The men’s basketball team will face Brescia University tomorrow, Feb. 12, at 3 pm.
