Sports
Sideline Scholars: WNBA has got game
By Jesse Epstein | 06/23/2003Sports columnist Jesse Epstein writes on WNBA excitement.
Delivering American University's news and views since 1925 | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Sports columnist Jesse Epstein writes on WNBA excitement.
The Men's Golf team placed sixth overall in the Patriot League Golf Championship on the weekend of April 26-27. After three rounds of play, the Eagles finished with a team score of 941 with sophomore Chris Schieffer leading the way. Schieffer placed 16th and ended the tournament with a final score of 234, shooting a 75 in the first round.
On the weekend of April 26-27, the AU Women's Lacrosse team celebrated a series of "first-evers." The team hosted their first-ever Patriot League Tournament, won their first-ever Patriot League Championship title and earned its first-ever berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The AU Men's Tennis Team finished their season with a record of 15-4, and their second advancement into the NCAA tournament. This season also marks the team's second consecutive Patriot League Championship. Although the Eagles lost in the NCAA first round to No.
The AU Men's Basketball team suffered an overtime loss to the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday, falling 74-64 at Bender Arena. The Eagles clawed back from a slim halftime deficit with tough defense and the leadership of junior star Patrick Doctor, but the team was grounded in overtime, scoring just four points in the five minute period.
The Eagles (3-13, 1-4) played straight through the AU's winter break, while most of the student body relaxed. The team eventually broke their eight-game losing streak half way through January. In their first game after the break, the Eagles dropped a road game against James Madison 71-60.
Marc Hoffer took off last season to train and wrestle internationally. This season red-shirt junior has returned with a vengeance by amassing a 20-1 record two months into the season. His performance this year makes him a top-contender to become AU's first national wrestling All-American, according to wrestling head coach Rob Puzio.
Despite being overlooked by the NCAA tournament selection committee and being denied by the Colonial Athletic Association to play for a conference title, AU Women's Volleyball team will be recognized Wednesday night during halftime of the Men's Basketball game against Richmond University at 7 p.m.
While President George W. Bush continues to work at filling his presidential cabinet, AU athletic director Dan Radakovich has nearly filled his cabinet of assistant athletic directors. AU hired Radakovich in September as the University's athletic director after former athletic director Lee McElroy left for a similar position at the State University of New York-Albany.
The Eagles continued their undefeated season on Saturday with a 125.5-111.5 victory over East Carolina during Senior Day at Reeves Athletic Complex. Saturday was the Eagles final home match as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Ethan Bassett led the Eagles with two victories in the 1,000m and the 500m freestyle events.
A new coach and a new athletic director have done little so far to draw more students to Men's Basketball games at Bender Arena. The Eagles are 17 games into their regular season and rank last in the Colonial Athletic Association in home attendance with an average of 743 fans per game.
Competing in the Olympics is considered by some athletes to be the greatest achievement attainable in their area of sports ability. The Olympics begins this week in Sydney, Australia and nine members of the AU swim team answered the call over the summer and tried out for the Olympic teams of their respective home countries.
Men's basketball coach Jeff Jones and the Student Confederation have revamped the schedule for this year's Midnight Madness rally, citing concerns regarding the event's late hour. Jones, who became head coach of the team this spring said while he recognizes the value of school spirit and appreciates the enthusiasm shown by students for the team during Midnight Madness, the late-night event could affect players' abilities the following morning at their first full practice.
The AU men's soccer team had a superb outing against U. Penn yesterday, posting a decisive 4-1 victory at home. The Eagles' midfielders and forwards were a commanding presence throughout the game, and defenders Larry McDonald, a sophomore, and Brett Colton, a junior, anchored the back line.
Shann Hart, AU's new women's basketball coach, begins most of her sentences with the words, "I'll be honest with you." It's almost as if she is telling you that she does not have time to make up stories and make everything seem to be something it is not. She was hired late, she knows that those extra months were precious and now she does not want to kid around.
And now for something completely irrelevant: I recently ordered one of those cable sports packages. You know the ones where you pay more money to stretch your cable dollar and see more of a sport that you really like. Those of you who have ordered a sports package know that from time to time you will find a game like Northern Rhode Island School of Veterinary Sciences against Eastern Illinois Teachers' College in the FurnitureMovers.
Women's Volleyball won the Wildcat Classic at Villanova University in Philadelphia, Pa. over the weekend. The Eagles defeated Akron University, Rider University and Villanova to claim first place. The Eagles never lost a game throughout the entire tournament.
AU filed suit Monday against the Colonial Athletic Association in Federal District Court, alleging the CAA unfairly penalized student-athletes by prohibiting AU from post-season CAA competition after AU announced its intention to leave the CAA in the 2001-2002 school year.
Men's Soccer lost its home opener against cross-city rival Georgetown University Hoyas in the opening game of the D.C. Challenge tournament on Saturday 1-0, despite dominating most of the game. The Hoyas took revenge for last year's 2-1 loss against American on a header from senior Charles Beyer in the 38th minute.
The women's soccer team opened its season last week with a loss and a tie in two soggy non-conference games. The Eagles (0-1-1), which added just two freshmen to their squad this year, played two rain-soaked games at Reeves Field. In the Eagles' first match with Rutgers on Sept.
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