The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 52, Ed. 1, Friday, April 25, 2003 Page: 10 of 10
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Page 10
LSC South Standings
BattoaM
Team Conf. Tot.
1. Tarleton State 17-7 29-24
2. ACU 1H 35-16
3. A&M-KlngsvWe 13-10 29-21
4. W. Texas A&M 10-14 20-30
5. Eastern N.M. 4-20 12-39
Softball
Team Conf. Tot.
1. Angelo State 12 4 404
1. Tarleton State 12-4 33-16
3. Texas Woman's 106 34-17
4. ACU 7-9 24-27
5. A&M-Kingsville 4-12 27-18
6. Eastern N.M. 3-13 23-26
MtkH
Wildcat golf team finishes
second at LSC competition
Central Oklahoma fired a
final-round 2(16 Tuesday to
hold off ACU and win the Lone
Star Conference men's golf
championship at the Trophy
Club.
The Hronchos who held a
six-stroke lead over ACU after
Monday's first 36 holes were
able to stretch out the lead to a
final 12 strokes behind the play
of individual medalist runner-
up Chance Cruson. The
Bronchos who won last year's
tournament championship
and hac now won three LSC
golf titles finished with a
seen-ovcr-par total of 871
while the Wildcats finished at
19-over-parHB3.
ACU finished 10 strokes bet-
ter than it did last year when it
shot (193 and finished sixth at
the conference tournament.
The second-place finish repre-
sents the Wildcats' best finish
at the tournament since 1999
when they finished third.
ACU which entered this
ear's tournament as one of the
favorites along with UCO
Cameron and Northeastern
State last won the I.SC golf
title in 1995.
Hast Central finished third at
8(16 followed by Cameron and
Northeastern State at 893
Southwestern Oklahoma State
in sixth at 899 West lexas A&M
in seventh at 900 and Texas
A&M-Commcrcc in ninth at
324.
The individual medalist title
went to Cameron's Ryan King
who fired an e en-par 216 over
the two days. He shot 2-ovcr-par
74 on 'Iucsday but still
managed to hang on and win
the title by one stroke over
Cruson who shot a 68 Tuesday
for a l-oer-par217.
ACU was led by seniors
Hrian O'lx'ary and Gary Pike
who finished fourth and sev-
enth respectively. O'Leary
shot 75-73-70 for a three-round
total of 2-over-par 218 while
Pike shot 73-73-73 for a 3-over-par
total of 219.
The Wildcats who arc
ranked 16th in the country and
have won two tournaments
and finished second in two
others this spring will likely
see their season continue at the
NCAA Division II South Central
Region tournament. That
tournament will be played May
5-7 at the Turtle Point Country
cum in 1 lorence Ala.
ACU sports Information
ACU totals 296-295-292-883
(19) 1 4. Brian O'Leary 75-73-70-218
(2); t-7. Gary Pike
73-73-73-219 (3); t-13. Pierre
Goethals 75 73 74-222 (6); t-
21. Todd Mack 73-78-75-226
(10); t-38. David Van Rycke
81-76-81-238 (22).
ACU medalists 1-4. Brian
O'Leary 75-73 70-218 (2); t-
7. Gary Pike 73-73-73-219
(3)
Scores
Tuesday
Baseball
Texas San Antonio 4 ACU 1
This week's schedule
(homtgtmtln KmHc$)
Friday April 25
Men's and women's track and
field Penn Relays Carnival 10
a.m.
Baseball & Lincoln (Mo.) 4
p.m. (2)
Softball vs. Angelo State 5
p.m. (2)
Saturday April 26
Baseball Lincoln (Mo.)
noon
Softball vs. Angelo State 1
p.m. (2)
Men's and women's track and
field 8 Penn Relays Carnival 10
a.m.
ACU to
Wildcat relays
stars compete in
Penn Relays
Smi Hoit
Copy editor
A handful of Wildcat track
and field athletes are compet-
ing at one of the nation's oldest
and most prestigious meets
the Penn Relays Carnival
Thursday through Saturday In
Philadelphia.
The ACU men's team has
won eight relay events In its
history at the 108-year-old
meet which has grown from
5000 spectators in 1895 to
100000 In 2002. lite meet will
feature the nation's best ath-
letes from the nation's best
teams.
I lead coach Jon Murray said
it is just a privilege to partici-
pate in such a meet and one
reason exists why he takes ath-
letes to it every year: competi-
tion. "It is great going up there
ACU national
Men
Christle Van Wyk 100m
Yevgen Pashchenko triple Jump
Shai Shatev shot put
Nic Alexander 100m
Delt Cockrell 400m
Nick Branen 3000m steeplechase
Martin O'Kello 1500m 800m
Jean-Marie Ndikumana 1500m 800m
Bernard Maniraklza 800m
Cory Aguilar pole vault
Tarrant Fuller long Jump
Arthemon Sindayigaya 5000m 10000m
Ben Washington triple Jump
4xlOO-meter relay
denotes automatic qualifier '
Wildcats
TMm iw.ru: fnr
playoffs with four
against Lincoln
losmuPActon
Sport Writer
Hitting two home runs and
collecting seven Hills would
make a pretty memorable
weekend for almost any base-
ball player.
ACU junior First baseman
Arnle Gome? had another rea-
son for last weekend's three-
game series at I'astern New
Mexico being so memorable:
i mcmoraDie:
I
family.
"My dad
younger brother
and sister
grandmother
and two cousins
were able to go
out to Portalcs
N.M from Gomez
California and
see me play" said Gome
whose father saw him play for
the first time tills season. "It was
a big thing for me personally.
Anytime I can play well when
my dad is watching is great."
Gomez who is tied for the
team lead with eight home
runs was unable to carry the
Wildcats in Tuesday's 4-1 road
loss against Division I
University of Texas-San
For pitcher Cochran war hit closest
Week's World
Joel Wecfccrfy
For her first
collegiate sea-
son freshman
Softball player
Heather
Cochran has put up some
rather impressive numbers.
The right-handed pitcher from
Seattle Wash. has picked up
eight wins nine losses a 5.48
ERA and 37 strikeouts as well
as a .326 average at the plate.
Dut It's the number she's put up
with that's been the highlight
of this season: two brothers'
lives to worry about.
For the past nine months
Heather's brothers Dan 27
and Chris 29 of the U.S. Navy
have been stationed in Iraq.
For the past month they've
been at war flying FA-18 fight-
er jet missions off their respec-
tive aircraft carriers the U.S.S.
Kitty Hawk and the U.S.S.
Lincoln.
Those four weeks were hard
H
SportsFriday
The Optimist
pass batons in
i-.?i!f;lililitgril
and competing on that stage"
Murray said. "It's a great
opportunity to compete
against the best."
Junior Christie VanWyk
who has the fastest 100-mctcr
dasli time in Division II will
compete in the event at Penn.
One woman from ACU is
competing at the relays.
Freshman standout Yuliya
Stashklv participated
Thursday in the 3000-mctcr
run her favorite event.
Stashkiv ran a high school time
in the event that is better than
the school record and the
Penn Relays arc the perfect
stage for her to break Rachida
Asname's event record of
9:26 82.
"I think sub-9:30s arc an
accurate prediction" Murray
said. "It depends on the weath-
er." On the men's side the
4x100- 4x400-mctcr 4xmile
and distance medley relays will
participate among fast compe
qualifiers heading into the
Yuliya Stashklv 1500m
Angle Waters 800m
Olessya Belyayeva long jump
Alice Bergstrom heptathlon
Shauna-Gaye Stephens 100m hurdles
Althea Johnson 100m 200m
Marichea Austin 400m
Sofi Hildenborg 200m 400m
Katie Eckley pole vault
Val Gorter pole vault
Angela Campbell long Jump
Lakeshla Finch triple Jump
MxlOO-moter relay
4xlOOmeter relay "B"
4x400-meter relay
denotes provisional qualifier
wrap up regular
Antonio which featured former
Kansas City Royals' draft pick
Shane Menn. ACU scattered
nine hits to the Hoadrunncrs'
eight but stranded 10 runners
on base.
Senior left-hander Brandon
Shaw picked up his first loss of
the season against the
Hoadrunncrs despite giving up
only six hits and two runs over
seven Innings. Senior third
baseman Brad Massey went 3-for-4
with a run scored giving
him 52 for the season (second
in Lone Star Conference play).
The Wildcats now 35-16
overall welcome Lincoln (Mo.)
University to Crutchcr Scott
Held friday and Saturday for a
four-game series to close out
regular-season play. The series
will keep ACU fresh for the LSC
Post-Season Tournament May
1-4. The Wildcats will likely play
LSC leader Central Oklahoma
in L'dmond Okla. to open the
tournament.
Gomez said this weekend's
series against Lincoln is key to
die Wildcats making a strong
post-season run.
"lUncoln'sl not a very strong
team" said Gomez of the 9-29
HlucTigers. "It will give the play-
ers that are struggling with their
confidence a chance to get out
of it. We should get to 39 wins
for the season after this week-
end." for the 19-year-old Heather
who on March 20 should've
been getting primed for the
next day's conference opener
at Tarleton State. Instead she
couldn't stop thinking about
what the president had said
that day: her brothers were
going to fight for their country.
"Those first few days when
it just began" Heather remem-
bered "that was so hard."
Suddenly the routine pre-
game national anthem had a
little more meaning for
Heather. Before an April 4
game at I'astern New Mexico
the announcer called for a
moment of silence for the
troops. Tor Heather it was for
Dan and Chris.
"It was hard for me to focus
then" she said. "I'm not think-
ing about what pitch I'm going
to throw I'm thinking about
my brothers."
Heather tried not to let
these thoughts consume her
tried not to worry about her
brothers each of who has been
tition. Murray said Penn Is
unique from the other national
relay meets.
"Penn is the only meet
where everyone competes
together" he said of the meet
which makes no distinction
between university divisions.
More than 22000 athletes
half of whom will be from high
schools arc expected to partic-
ipate in this year's relays.
After this weekend ACU
will play host to two consecu-
tive home meets. The Lone
Star Conference
Championships will take place
May 2-3 and the ACU Open
will occur May 8 at Elmer Gray
Stadium. Murray said these
two meets will be important to
qualify more athletes for the
NCAA Division II
Championships In
Edwardsville III; May 22-24.
"We still have a few holes we
want to fill" Murray said "but
wc arc in a comfortable posi-
tion. Conference is our next
big weekend wc just need
good weather."
Penn Relays
igrEgiTnii
Shaw who is 4-1 with a 3.22
ERA this season said this sea-
son's pitching staff is so success-
ful because of each pitcher's
tremendous confidence.
"Everybody wants the ball"
said Shaw who transferred to
ACU after pitching sparingly
last season at Texas Tech. "The
pitchers do their job and do
what they've been blessed to
VviM I )LHIA
LmLmWLmmLmLmLmLmmMtKwlLmLmiA
Junior catcher Chris Ladue takes batting practice at Crutchcr Scott Field earlier this week. ACU
closes out Its regular season this weekend with a four-game home scries against Lincoln (Mo.).
married for less than two years.
She kept in touch with them
through e-mail and if several
days passed without word from
them she got scared.
It got worse a couple weeks
ago when she was watching TV
and the headline flashed on the
news channel:
"FA-18 FROM ' am
U.S.S
HAWK
KITTY
SHOT
Suddenly the
routine pre-game
national anthem
had a little more
meaning for
Heather.
DOWN."
"I went
berserk" she
said. "1 couldn't
get ahold of my
parents... I was
afraid it was
Dan."'
But it wasn't. sbbbb
It was Dan's
friend and bunkmate Nate
White an Abilene native whose
parents attend church with
Heather "President White and
Sister Warren" as Heather calls
them rode an emotional
rollercoaster while their son
was missing in action. Back in
Keystone State
1 !
LiiiiiVbidHtfLiVEPIiiiiiiiiVeiiiiiiiiiiiiiH
WrgmWtmWMmmmmmmmmmmmm
iillliiillllllEillBiillllll
bbbLHbW ' JH0ead9Ha!LalllllllllVLlV
Mr phi 1 1 by GAM RHOnrSN.II rht'logtaphn
Junior Christie Van Wyk (left) takes the baton from Junior
David Jones during practice this week. The two members of
ACL s 4x1 00-meter relay team have already qualified provi-
sionally for nationals with a time of 40.33 seconds and hope to
Improve upon that this weekend at the Penn Relays Carnival.
season at home
do."
Senior left-hander Robert
Ncwland and junior right-hander
Aaron Lawler arc prime
examples of pitchers doing
their job: Newland is fourth in
the LSC with a 2.66 ERA and
Lawler has nine wins.
Freshman right-hander Kristian
Bell junior right-hander Kadc
Simmons and junior left-hander
Sam Hall all have five wins
apiece for the Wildcats whose
Iraq Dan was having a hard
time concentrating on his mis-
sions with the thought of an
empty bunk above him
Nate's body was found two
Saturdays ago. The Cooper
High School graduate left
behind a wife and three kids.
That inci-
bbbbi dent hit almost
too close to
home for
Heather who
found comfort
in the Mormon
belief that she
and her family
will live togeth-
er for eternity.
"I didn't stop
aa praying for
them" she said.
"Families at church would tell
mc they were praying and that
was comforting. I knew the
Lord would have a plan."
He did. Last week Chris and
his crew on the Lincoln were
relieved In the Persian Gulf by
the U.S.S. Nimitz while the
AprilOM
pitching staff sports a 3.86 ERA.
Shaw said he transferred to
ACU for one huge reason: to
win.
"I came here to win a cham-
pionship" said Shaw who won
a national title as a freshman at
Grayson County College. "Once
you win a ring you want more
and more. That's definitely a
possibility here. I'm just happy
I'm able to contribute the way I
have."!
to home
Kitty Hawk too was scheduled
for immediate return to the
States.
"It's a total sense of relief"
says Heather.
Chris and his wife Maggie
reunite a week from Saturday
when die Kitty Hawk ports in
California. They plan on visit-
ing Heather in Seattle this sum-
mer. Dan his wife Kelly and his
bunkmate's family arc current-
ly in Arlington Va. for the
funeral of Nate White. Dan's
stationed in Japan so Heather
isn't sure when she'll see him
next. But that's O.K. her
brothers arc safe.
"It's been hard" she says
now "but it helped mc realize
that everything is in the Lord's
hands."
Heather and the Wildcats
probably won't make the play-
offs this year but I'd put my
money on them next season.
Rumor has it they've got a
pitcher coming back who's
great at getting out of big jams.
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 52, Ed. 1, Friday, April 25, 2003, newspaper, April 25, 2003; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101825/m1/10/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.