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Men's soccer's drops both matches to Ivy Leaguers at Yale Classic
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Men's soccer's drops both matches to Ivy Leaguers at Yale Classic
Volleyball set back at Pitt Volleyball Classic
Looking to continue its success from last season, the AU Women's field hockey team (2-0) jumped off to a quick start with wins over Old Dominion and Richmond University.
After a roller-coaster ride that was its season, the end has finally come for the AU Men's Golf team.
By now everyone has seen the tape. New York Yankee Gary Sheffield goes to get the ball from in front of the bleachers and is "interfered with" by a fan at Boston's Fenway Park. Sheffield semi-retaliates, but the incident is thwarted before it escalates.
The AU Men's Golf team finished its weekend of play with a second-place finish at the Bethany Beach Invitational in Bethany Beach, De.
By now the entire sports world has seen the tape. Gary Sheffield goes to get the ball from in front of the bleachers and is "interfered with" by a fan. Sheffield semi-retaliates but the incident is thwarted before it escalates into violence. Major League Baseball has said it will probably not take action against Sheffield and the fan also will not be punished. This raises an interesting question, where is the line between player and fan drawn? Earlier this year the NBA witnessed one of its most embarrassing moments when a fight broke out between players and fans at a Pistons-Pacers game. At the time I wrote that the blame was to fall entirely on Ron Artest who at the time seemed like the villain. In fact, at the time it seemed like athletes were entirely to blame as it was up to them to keep their temper because of their high salaries. Now that theory is in question. Each of the major sports has witnessed an inappropriate player-fan interaction in the past few years and each has dealt with it differently. While the situations may vary from case to case the underlying question remains. As sports attempt to incorporate fans into the game more and more the line becomes more and more blurred. With that in mind however, here is one solution that may suit both sides. Every single one of the incidents over the past few years have occurred during the late stages of the contest. In every single instance, the fan involved had had something to drink during the later stages of the game. Now I'm all for drinking at sporting events but a line must be drawn. Just as a flight attendant is allowed to refuse alcohol service to an unruly passenger so to should a vendor be allowed to refuse service to an unruly customer. Serving alcohol in the late stages of sporting events, particularly blowouts, can only lead to problems. Fans that wish to drink should be allowed to do but only at the beginning of games. This solution should go some of the way to stemming the problem but one other system should also be implemented. In addition to alcohol being involved in each of the events so too was a controversial on-field player. Ron Artest had been booed for appearing selfish, Gary Sheffield has had his name linked to steroids, and even Frank Francisico, the pitcher who tossed a chair into the seats during a baseball game last year has had his own legal problems. This is not to say that some players are more prone to violence than others rather it is shown to argue that players should be taught what to do in specific situations so that if the situation does arise, the player can consult his memory, not his intuition. There is no doubt that these incidents are the exception, not the rule. For every one violent outburst that occurs on the field, uncounted hundreds do not. While it may not seem fair to criticize every single player and every single fan for the actions of a select few it is completely necessary to do so. One incident is too many and as has become clear over the past two years, this is merely the beginning of a trend, not a burst of random activity. In the end it will be up to the heads of each of the sports to make a decision on how they want to act when something like this happens and what they want to do to prevent it from happening again. In most cases the leaders will hope that the public forgets about the incident and take minor steps to control the problem at the time. This is not a proper solution. Professional sports need to act appropriately and they need to act now. American society has obviously progressed to an undesirable point and it is time to stem the tide. This is not the end of a hiccup it is the beginning of a problem and a solution must be found.
It has been a season full of drama, turmoil, and emotion but on Saturday the AU Men's Golf team made a resounding statement with a commanding victory. Playing in their fifth tournament in six weeks the team dominated Lafayette Invitational, earning their first win of the season by six strokes with a team score of 595. The Eagles were the only squad in the 21-team field to shoot a team score under 600 and placed three golfers in the top 15 in the individual standings. Freshman Kevin Horan led the way for the team, firing a three-over 144 (72-72) en route to a second place overall individual finish. Horan, who had not competed for the Eagles yet this spring due to academic ineligibility, was granted temporary eligibility for this and the next tournament while the school weighs their decision concerning his overall eligibility After the tournament Horan said that it was his ability to practice with the team that allowed him to maintain his competitiveness while inactive. "I was able to play as an individual at the Diablo Grande tournament which helped me get the rust off," Horan said. "I know I'm playing well and I know I'm peaking at the right time so I used that inner-confidence to play well this week." Horan paced an Eagle team that carded team rounds of 297 and 298 over the two-day tournament, both the low rounds for any team in competition. In addition to Horan, freshman Alex Wenzel also played well as he held the lead at the end of the first day. Wenzel finished with a 146 (71-75, +5) which earned him fourth place in the overall standings. Sophomore Adam Kolloff who has played well for the team all season carded rounds of 77 and 73 to record a 150 (+9) and a 15th place individual finish. Sophomore Todd Shagin who carded a 156 (77-79, +15) and finished in a tie for 37th place said afterwards that the win was definitely a confidence builder. "We knew going in that we were the most talented team there," said Shagin. "All the freshman are playing well, Kevin and Alex played well at Lafayette and myself and Adam are trying to keep everybody focused and keep the intensity we have left." Freshman Billy Lacey rounded out the scoring for the team, carding a 165 (87-78, +24) to finish in a tie for 81st place. After the win, Head Coach Josh Cupp discussed what the win means to a team that has been through so much this season. "I think it's a confidence thing, we were out there in the practice round and the kids played great, not a super-hard course, a big thing is that they know they can win now," Cupp said. "That's huge, probably bigger in golf than any other sport, to win a tournament with 21 teams it means a lot for your confidence and that you can know you can beat those teams." Cupp added that he felt that the win meant a lot because the team saw it as a Patriot League tournament preview and played extremely well. The tournament's individual winner was Siena College's Bryan Bigley who shot a 142 (72-70, +1) to pick up the victory. Next up for the Eagles is the Bethany Beach Inviational which is played today. With such a short layover from one tournament to another, Cupp said that the team should be able to carry it's strong play to another strong showing. "The fact that our confidence is high right now is a huge thing," Cupp said. "We just beat a Bucknell team that was picked to win the PL in the pre-season and we beat them by 21 strokes so right now we've got good stuff." The Bethany Beach tournament is a warm-up for the Patriot League tournament which begins April 23 at the Bucknell University golf course. Last year the men finished in fifth place at the PL Tournament, losing to Army by 22 strokes. However, with different players and a new incentive, Cupp said that this year's team is ready to finally win that crown. "If we win the PL tournament we have a good chance of being put in the West regional of the NCAA tournament which is at Stanford this year and the guys would love to go there," said Cupp. "Running the table is possible and the other PL teams aren't that great, we make birdies and we have some pretty good players so I think we're in good shape"
It has been a season full of drama, turmoil and emotion, but on Saturday, the AU Men's Golf team made a resounding statement with a commanding victory.
After a tumultuous winter filled with steroid allegations, trades and way too much Barry Bonds, the baseball season has finally arrived. The big-money teams have loaded their rosters with more superstars than ever, and the game looks set to enter a new, no-steroid era.
Kollof's top-10 finish leads way for AU golf at Diablo Grande invite
March has truly gone mad, and brackets that looked so good a week ago have more holes in them than Blackburn, Lancashire. With that in mind, it is time to move forward and analyze each of the eight match-ups that begin tonight. We begin in Albuquerque, N.M., where Bob Knight will make his first appearance since 1993.
Playing in the fourth tournament in as many weeks, the AU Men's Golf team placed 12th at the Diablo Grande Invitational in Patterson, Calif. The team finished with a combined score of 968, 64 strokes off the lead. However, only 32 strokes separated fourth through twelfth place with AU being kept out of the top ten by a mere 13 strokes. The team was led once again by sophomore Adam Kolloff who carded a 230 (79-77-74, +14) en route to a tie for tenth place with two other golfers. The tournament was won by The University of California at Davis which posted a team score of 904 and rounds of 301, 299, and 304 to lead the win. Host Drake University's Mike Schnegelberger and Cal-Davis' Jay Westerlund tied for individual honors with scores of 221. Schnegelberger carded rounds of 73,77, and 71 while Westerlund finished with rounds of 74, 72 and 75. The Eagles hit the links again April 8-9 in Easton, PA for the Lafayette Inviational at the Center Valley Country Club.
After a tumultuous winter filled with steroid allegations, trades, and way to much Barry Bonds the baseball season has finally arrived. The big-money teams have loaded their rosters with more superstars than ever and the game looks set to enter a new, no-steroid era. While the teams at the top should and probably will continue to perform, it's the little guys that inspire the baseball world year after year. With that in mind, we examine five teams that are under the radar but could make a significant splash this year. First off is the upstart, red-hot Cleveland Indians. Playing in the AL Central makes things a little easier for this team but there is no question that it is full of young talent. C.C. Sabathia anchors a rotation that now includes Kevin Millwood, Arthur Rhodes, and Cliff Lee. Lee should be the X-factor for this group and if he's able to perform they should have no problem winning the division. On the field the Tribe will rally behind centerfielder Coco Crisp. Crisp, who has one of the best names in baseball, hit .297 last year but in the all-important on-base + slugging category he posted an impressive .790. Look for Crisp and the Tribe to dominate a division that has no clear powerhouse. The second club that should make an impact this season under the radar is the Texas Rangers. Last year the Rangers were in the playoff hunt until the final weekend and this year should be no exception. The key for this team is pitching and whether or not it can keep it's guys healthy. Kenny Rogers needs to remain steady but if the team can pick up the 18 wins that it did from him last season it should have no problem winning again. The problem for this team is the division that it competes in. The AL West is one of the toughest in baseball and once again Anaheim has a great squad. However, if the Rangers can get hot early and Michael Young, Alfonso Soriano, and Mark Teixiera can produce like they did last year, the Rangers have a great shot at the division crown. The third team looking to make waves this year will be the San Diego Padres. Khalil Greene is fresh off his freshman season at shortstop and there's no way he will hit the sophomore slump. The team is backed by a great pitching core that includes Woody Williams who came over from St. Louis. The key to the success for this team will be the play of the other teams in the NL West. The Dodgers traded key players like Adrian Beltre and Shawn Green and it should be a rebuilding year for them. If the Dodgers and Arizona stay cold and Barry Bonds remains out of the Giants lineup, the Padres should march to a division championship. The penultimate team to watch this year will be Baltimore Orioles. Most experts predict that the Orioles won't have a chance in the uber-top heavy AL East but the facts may prove otherwise. Sammy Sosa was unhappy in Chicago and a change of venue may be exactly what the slugger needs to get his game back on top. The team finished strong last season and pitchers Jorge Julio and Sidney Ponson both looked good. The deciding factor in this situation will once again be the team's play against the powerhouse Yankees and Red Sox. The Orioles road trip is to the Bronx on April 8th and this should prove interesting. If the team can get off to a good start against it's rival Bombers then the confidence should carry throughout the season and the team should win. The last team to watch is one that doesn't seem to have much of a chance at all, a team that for a while did not have a home; that's right, the Washington Nationals. Your hometown team actually looks decent this season and should surprise a lot of analysts. Now no one is suggesting that the team will make the playoffs or that it will even have a winning record but 500 baseball is not out of the question. Tony Armas Jr. will start the season on the DL but when he comes back he has the ability to be a dominant pitcher. Jose Vidro and Cristian Guzman should and will star in the field and at the plate and this should be a fun season to watch baseball in the District. So there it is, your five surprises for '05, catch them now or you might just be watching as they beat your team for the win.
Bucknell's NCAA trip ends vs. Wisconsin
Fresh off the news that its program will be cut at the end of next season, the AU Men's Golf team stumbled through its first two spring events.
After the Athletics Department cut the golf and tennis teams last week, the teams' freshman athletes say they are feeling particularly affected.
With tempers flaring from all sides following last week's Athletic Department decision, one group feels that it has been lost in the shuffle despite having the most to lose; the freshmen. After committing to the University for four years less than one year ago, some freshman feel now that they have been placed in an almost impossible situation. "I am in no way shape or form ready to make this big of a decision right now, especially with midterms coming up, the timing was awful," said freshman golfer Billy Lacey. "At this point I have no idea what I'm going to do, and where I'm going to go. It's a traumatizing experience." Lacey added that he felt that the school had not given the freshman the special treatment they deserved, especially considering the magnitude of the decision. He said that transferring would be difficult on a number of levels. "College in general is tough - having to meet new people, having to get used to a new environment is difficult in and of itself," he said. "But when the school turns around and pulls the rug out from under us, it's ridiculous." Many freshman find themselves scrambling to meet transfer deadlines for other schools which can be as early as March 1st. AU's deadline for transfer application is July 1st but the priority deadline for financial aid and scholarship consideration is March 1st. Athletes are given special consideration when transferring and while it's true that not all deadlines apply for them, the process can actually be more difficult in some ways. Athletes must find a school that is compatible with their academic needs, has room on it's roster, and has a likeable coach. "Transferring will be like starting as a freshman at a new school and it was tough to adjust to a new school the first time," said freshman tennis player Emily Anderson. "I made all these friends here and I expected it to be so much better." Anderson, who is from Florida, said that she was considering a number of schools all over the country. She added that transferring would be tough after the experience she had gone through at AU. "I signed a contract and I was expecting to have lifelong friendships with these people and play for four years," said Anderson. "I'm really disappointed, I don't really want to leave next year." While the transfer deadlines and compatibility issues are certainly things that give them problems, for some freshman it is the only choice after what happened. "I never felt I was treated in the right way by the University," said Lacey. "Regardless of what their ideas behind the decision were, they definitely should have told us much earlier and now I have absolutely no desire to be here." Others disagreed. "I love it here," said Anderson. "Now I have to go start over at a new school"
The Men's and Women's Tennis and Men's Golf teams will be eliminated after this season, AU Athletic Director Joni Comstock announced Thursday.
After a difficult fall season wrought with disappointing finishes, the AU Men's Golf team is looking to rebound with a trip to California and a promising spring season.