The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 29, Ed. 1, Wednesday, January 20, 1999 Page: 4 of 8
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Sports
JLm January 20 1999 Wdnaday
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Wdnady Page A
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jpVIen's basketball wins consecutively
KobertBentley
Sports Editor
The men's basketball team is
'Jrjlding a "new kind of momen-
tum'' following consecutive Lone
.pStar Confcicncc wins against
IjJTexas A&M Unlvcrslty-
' -jKlngsvllle 87-80 and Texas
A&M University-Commerce 92-
. 73 Thursday and Saturday.
! The Wildcats had lost two of
' their first three conference
games going into Thursday's
.tTAMK game and looked as if
' ;thcy would make it three of four
vafter trailing by H points at the
t;half but the team regrouped in
! Jthe second half to win.
; Forward Samuel Maroney said
the team was initially thrown off
fcjby thejavalinas' physical style of
' Jplay but the tide turned in ACU's
favor once the team returned to
Women's team tests endurance
Jared Schroeder
Sports Writer
Three road games in as many
days will constitute the women's
. basketball team's next challenge.
J; The trip which begins with a
game against Tarleton State Uni-
Versity Thursday In Stcphenville
'at 6 p.m. will test the Wildcats'
endurance coach Wayne
.Williams said.
! "You have to have your top
f game on the road" he said. "Any-
. .body can beat you on the road in
l-jhis conference."
f The Wildcats' only consolation
f is that two of the three teams are
rjimong the worst in the Lone Star
rJConfercnce.
f? ACU 12-4 4-1 in the Lone
otar i-omerence soutn. umston
rtook care ol JTe.-A&rM;Com-
rivmitvl'OaaRrd-
LJ-r W1 i . L 7 .
as AM - KlngsvilleTJhlvefsUy
89-70 at Moody Coliseum last
J week.
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i ttkfalgBa AHBBBMH
BfiMlffltPiWfBWfMTWgiTMTO
HBHHBRBHHrsw6HIBvvHKrBlHHHDHHHI
POLE curve: Jane McNeill practices at Elmer Gray stadium Mon-
day afternoon. McNeill placed second in the pole vault with a 10-
05.50 at the Lubbock meet on Saturday.
m
Scores:
Jan. 15 Win 4-1 v$. Corpus Chrlstl
Jan. 16 Lose 1-7 vj. Central Texas
Jan. 17 Loie 1-5 vs. Waco
Nxt game:
Thursday vs. Central Texas 7 p.m.
Hem games for January:
Saturday vs. Amarillo 7 p.m.
Sunday vs. Monroe La. 2 p.m.
Tuesday vs. Austin 7 p.m.
the dominant post play that has
its four centers Jarcd Moslcy
Peter Kiganya Michael Obudho
and Alex Aluga averaging a total
of 38.6 points per game.
"In the second half we really
focused on getting the ball to
Jarcd Michael Peter and Alex"
Maroney said. "Once we did that
they started crashing."
The Wildcats' next challenge
will be Thursday against Tar-
lcton State University whose 2-3
LSC record is somewhat mislead-
ing said Maroney.
"You can't really judge a team
by its record in this conference''
said Maroney. "This conference
Is really good top to bottom."
TSU has played opponents
closely averaging .a scant 6ne-
poirit margin of difference in
scoring per game with its oppo-
nents in conference play.
TSU 4-12 0-6 lost 53-51
against LSC South Division leader
Eastern New Mexico University
last week and has a defense that
has kept their opponents to less
than 60 points in seven of their
16 games this season.
"They have a great defense and
home court crowd" Williams
said. "If you can play great
defense you're in almost every
game."
However the TexAnns offense
is does not have an offensive play-
er that averages more than nine
points per game Nosha Gamble
8.6 points per game.
The Wildcats have three scor-
ers averaging 10 or more points
per game Jackie Bucher 16.1;
Amber Tate 13.6; and Emily
Berry 12.2.
!. 1
it tne wnacats canjsucceea in
these foad' amesT1HcirIay
- schedule will nearly be finished
with ACU playing six of its final
eight games at home.
Golf team prepare
Robert Bentley
III ! H I ill I ! I Ml
Sports Editor
The golf team will begin qualifying for
tournament play next week In preparation
"for a busy spring even by Its standards.
The team will be playing In seven tour-
naments provided that it qualifies for the
national tournament with the first one the
Southwest Texas State tournamentt sched-
uled for Feb. 13.
The Wildcats improved their national
standing significantly last fall going from
being ranked 19th to ninth over the course
of the season. Several other Lone Star Con-
ference teams will enter the spring enjoy-
ing similar national recognition with six
LSC teams ranked in the national top 25
Saturday the Wildcats will face
LSC-leading Midwestern State
University whose- vaunted
offense has averaged a formida-
ble 93.2 points per game In LSC
play
One challenge that lies ahead
for the Wildcats is the fact that
Thursday and Saturday's games
will be on the road where ACU's
two conference losses occurred
snapping the team's season-
opening 11-game win streak.
Maroney said the recent wins at
home however could have
cured the team's road ills as well.
"It's a new kind of momentum
than we opened the season
with" Maroney said. "At the
beginning of the seasonf wc won
but we didn't play as well as we
could have. In the second halves
of both games last week we real-
ly started clicking as a team."
The Wildcats' depth is one
thing that may help them on the
three-game road trip Williams
said.
The Wildcats' depth was hurt
last Saturday because a pulled
back rnuscle kept freshman Krlsti
Taylor who is averaging 7.5
points per game off the bench
from playing this week.
"That's not good" Williams
said. "But Darcey Ewing gave us
some good minutes at guard"
against Commerce.
Taylor is expected to play
Thursday
Jill Kurschncr who has missed
almost half the teams games this
season recovering from knee
surgery had 17 points against
TAMC Saturday and is regaining
"her timing and confidence" 3
Williams said. 6
' ' The Wildcats will meet Texas 4
Woman's University in Denton
Friday and Midwestern State Uni-
versity in Wichita Falls Saturday.
Track teams begins indoor
Mtn and yvomtn
teams start with
first plact finish
qualify runntrs for
provisionals
Chris Smith
Sports Writer
The defending NCAA Division II
national indoor champion ACU
men and women track teams started
the indoor season on a positive note
with first place finishes by both
teams at the Red Raider Indoor
Open at Texas Tech University last
Saturday in Lubbock.
Due to the limited amount of
indoor meets head coach Wes Kit-
tley and the Wildcats who placed
In almost every event accom-
plished its main goal of qualifying
runners for the national meet and
provisionals. The field included
Divbion I and II schools as well as
junior colleges.
"Indoors it's a shorter track and
I feel you are more competing
against yourself" Kittley said.
"Outdoors I think it is important to
have great competition."
The Wildcats which feature a
veteran women's squad and a
youthful men's team had four
Junior Kade Burns said several golfers left off in the fall" Burns sal'dj ? ' '
have put in the work necessary for the The team will also receive InstrUcilbn '
team to continue Its Improvements. from a friend in a nigh place. PGA Tour
A lot of the guys played over the.break so t
we're looking to pick up right where we
left off in the fall
- Kade Eiurns
j -y-f-
"A lot of the guys played over the break golfer Mike Stanley who was a teammate of
so we're looking to pick up right where we ACU coach Vlnce Jamais In college will
Hi'iiiBrat iiiFMlBMBiWlffffl Elfttf;
f JHf v A f m
DfPENOlNG THE ball: During the first quarter Jared Mosley fights off a player from TA&M Com
merce Saturday aftecnoon at Moody Coliseum.
automatic women qualifiers for the
national meet March 5-6 in Indi-
anapolis Indiana. The womets
mile relay ran a 3:44.21 to outdis-
tance UT San Antonio by 12 sec-
onds to qualify for nationals. Indi-
vidual qualifiers were Dcllor.een
Ennls-London in the SS meter
dash and 55 ldw hurdles Selina
Ileitis in the weight throw with a
54-08 and Geraldine Jordan in the
shot put with a 46- 07.50. The
MM
Outdoors I think
I have great
Wildcats also had numerous quali-
fiers in the provisionals which
gives them a chance to also make
nationals.
The women and men teams also
had strong performances from
non-qualifiers in the field and run-
ning events.
Tamlra Holland finished second
in section one of the 55 meter
dash with a 7.23. Jaime Hallmark
placed third in section one of the
55 meter low hurdles with a 8.46
for national tournament
second in the high jump with a' 5-
06.50 and third in the pole vault
with a 8-11.75. Juanlta Robertson
and Louise Ayotccho finished first
and second In the quarter mile
with times of 56.04 and 56.06
respectively.
Reggk Hill finished second in
the 55 -meter dash at 6.28. Oscar
Mcneses finished fourth in the 55
meter dash at 6.33 and clocked In
at 21.73 to finish third in the 200
it is important to
competition.
. - Wes Kittley
WJL
meters. Shaka Hugglns finished
second in the 55 meter high hur-
dles at 7-52.
The men had a impressive per-
formance in the 400 meter dash
with second third fourth and five
place finishes from Lincoln Lon-
don Jason Prann Jason Roller. and
Juleon Racburn.
In the long distance events
Freda Valdez finished second in the
3000 meters at 10:57.01. On the
men side Daranbus Menjo fin
season
ished with a 9:11.32 in the same
event. Alfred Rugema and Gilbert
Tuhabonye finished first and third
respectively in the mile run with
times of 4:11.56 and 4:1339.
The men also placed second in
the distance relay with 10-2132.
The field events had numerous
winners as well. Tracey Garrick
high jumped a 5-07.25 to finish
first. Stephen Moore took the mens
event with a 6-09.75.
Former ACU standout Kevin
Dllworth won the long jump with a
leap of 25-09.50.
Jane McNeil placed second In the
pole vaul t with a 10-0530 Dawnyel
Ncwhouse and Renna Toniste fin-
ished second and third in the long
jump with jumps of 19-00.75.
Hillary Shclton finished fourth (n
the triple Jump with a 40-04.25.
Coach Kittley was surprised at
the teams' strong performance
based on the fact that he had not
seen them Tor a whole month.
Many of the women and men par-
ticipants out performed Klttleys
expectations and seemed fresh
since they hadn't worked out but
he expects them to break down a
little bit as the season progresses.
"I am expecting us to level off
for a week or two and 1 think we'll
come back real good in February"
Kittley said.
tutor the (earn on making yardage books In
the coming weeks Bums said.
f The team will be looking to vindicate its
not having qualified for nationals .last
spring.
It was the first time In 11 years that tke
team did not. make the nationals cut but
the Wildcats led primarily by sophomores
in 1997-98 are a year older and Bums
said a year hungrier.
Four of ACUfc most consistent qualifiers
In the fall Burns Luke Alverson trey
Barnes and Carey Gentry are juniors this
season. Captain Brandon Johnson is the
tcamt lone senior.
The team lost one player last fall juniot
Avnish Bhandari who left ACU In Decem-
ber to return to his native Kenya.
A
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 29, Ed. 1, Wednesday, January 20, 1999, newspaper, January 20, 1999; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth99826/m1/4/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.