Spencer Claypool begins his first year as head coach in Esports at Cumberland and will participate in his inaugural season in the fall of 2021.

Claypool will have the opportunity to start the program from the ground up. Cumberland will compete in a wide number of different game titles. The following represents some of the most popular game titles played at NACE institutions: League of Legends, Overwatch, Smite, Paladins, Hearthstone, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros, FIFA, NBA2k, and Madden. CU will choose exactly which games the Phoenix will participate in at a later date.

Cumberland plans to pave a path for the Middle Tennessee area in the Esports community. There are currently only four other universities that offer Esports, but none in the Middle Tennessee region: East Tennessee State University, King University, Bethel University, and Milligan University.

Claypool spent four years at Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Ky. where he held several positions around campus. He spent time as a Resident Assistant, Student Ambassador, Student Admissions Counselor, a member of the Football team, and an Athletic Trainer.

During his time at Cumberland as a Graduate assistant in the sports information office, Claypool handled the responsibilities of the day-to-day reporting on athletics teams including game notes and stories, game and season stats, and postgame information. He assisted in handling all of the department’s weekly and gameday social media graphics as well as managing social media accounts. Claypool also created web and advertising graphics for GoCumberlandAthletics.com and created gameday programs for several sports.

He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Biology degree from Kentucky Wesleyan College in April of 2019 and graduated from the master’s program for Exercise and Sports Science at Cumberland in 2021.

Scott Blum was hired as the women’s basketball head coach for the Phoenix on April 12, 2018, after spending the previous 14 years as head coach at Grace College in Indiana.

The Lancers posted a pair of 20-win seasons during Blum’s tenure at his alma mater, including 20-15 in 2011-12, the program’s first winning season since 1991-92 and the first 20-win campaign in school history. Grace finished 20-16 this past season. The program has averaged 17.0 wins over the last eight seasons, including an 18-17 mark in 2014-15 and 19-17 in 2012-13. He has compiled 216 career victories.

Blum brings a wealth of coaching experience, serving as men’s basketball head coach at Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Ind., from 1995-97, leading the program to the NCCAA national championship in 1995, and head men’s coach at Trinity International in Deerfield, Ill., from 1998-01.

He spent one year as the boys basketball coach at Lakewood Park Christian School in Auburn, Ind., and two seasons as an assistant men’s coach at Grace before becoming the women’s head coach for the 2004-05 campaign.

As a starting guard in the early 1990s, Blum earned NAIA All-America honors twice and was a major component in the men’s basketball team’s national championship in 1992 at Grace. He also garnered the Pete Maravich Award as the NCCAA Player of the Year in 1992.

Blum scored 1|576 career points at Oregon-Davis High School in Hamlet, Ind., and became the only player to have his number retired in school history. He then played two years at Valparaiso University before transferring to Grace for his final two seasons, helping the Lancers to a 59-11 record over that span.

Blum earned his bachelor’s in Physical Education from Grace in 1993 and received a master’s in Physical Education from Ball State in 2002. He is married to the former Michelle Hanna and the couple has three boys – Tanner, Connor and Asher.

Dr. Katie Arnold begins her 16th year at Cumberland University in 2023-24. Arnold is in her first year as the Assistant Athletic Director taking on a new role, in addition to the Director of Athletic Training and Senior Woman Leader. Dr. Arnold oversees the athletic side of the Athletic Training Department and has served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer, assistant athletic trainer, Interim Head Athletic Trainer/AT Program Director and AT Program Director for her alma mater.

Dr. Arnold will be responsible for managing all aspects of eligibility, compliance, and academics. This includes education, monitoring, and enforcing NAIA and Mid-South Conference Rules. She is also responsible for student eligibility and retention, as well as scheduling and monitoring class attendance for the more than 700 student-athletes in the Cumberland Athletic Department.

As the Director of Athletic Training, Dr. Arnold is responsible for making sure that there is appropriate athletic training staff to provide high-quality care for student-athletes. She oversees all administrative tasks required, organizes athletic department physicals, oversees the drug testing program for student-athletes, and assists the Head Athletic Trainer and staff Athletic Trainers in providing medical care to the athletic department.

Dr. Arnold has provided coverage at some point for all teams at CU. However, her primary coverage was with the wrestling program from 2016-13, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s soccer from 2009-13, the football and men’s and women’s golf programs in 2008-09.

The Jacksboro, Tennessee native, earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Cumberland University. She has a bachelor’s in Physical Education with an emphasis in Athletic Training (2006), and a master’s in Education (2008). She received her doctorate in Health Education from A.T. Still University, in Kirksville, Mo. (2017).

Mr. Kyle Allen is from Marietta, Georgia and graduated from Wheeler High School. He attended Cumberland and played baseball from 2014-2017. Mr. Allen was a member of the 2014 National Championship team. He graduated in 2017 with his Bachelors in Health and Human Performance. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree, Kyle worked as the CU Graduate Assistant for the Athletic Department from August 2017- May 2019. Allen got a Master of Arts- Sport Management degree in May 2019. Mr. Allen began working for the Nashville Sounds in February 2019 until July 2019. As the Sports Information Director, his responsibilities include:

Coordination of players, teams, and game statistics and results

Development and cultivation of productive relationships with local, regional, and national media

Develop media programs

Assist the involvement in athletic fundraising and corporate sponsors

Manage athletics webpage