SPORTS
- Ospreys finish season fifth in conference Natalie Nguyen
- Ospreys swing, miss in season opener
- Teams bring losing end to homecoming week Joshua Woods
- Americans' interest toward NASCAR speeding away Ryan Clarke
- Team captures match, set, Rumble point Mike Matthew
- Junior leads team with top-10 finish
- Arena undergoes new look with athletic celebration Natalie Nguyen
- Cupid's Challenge: How to balance sports and sweethearts Holli Welch
Ospreys finish season fifth in conference
The University of North Florida Ospreys swimming and diving team finished its season in fifth place at the Pacific
Coast Collegiate Swimming Conference Championship.
Osprey diver Emily Eisen-hower led the Ospreys with a win in the 3-yard diving competition during the opening day of competition. Eisenhower finished with 451 points, beating 17 competitors.
The 200-yard medley relay team of seniors Jenn Shields and Monique Salles-Cunha, sophomore Caroline Poling and freshman Maria Bianchi also finished in fourth place at 1 minute,
47 seconds.
A seventh-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay finished out the opening day for the Ospreys, landing the team in third - above 11 other teams - with
163 points.
The Ospreys dropped to seventh place during the second day of competition however, with a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Freshman Emily Shaw, senior Chelsea Lewis, Shields and junior Lindsey McKelvey finished the 200 freestyle relay at 1:37.64.
Shields led the Ospreys, finishing 11th in the 50-yard freestyle
with 24.55 seconds.
Bianchi also finished in 11th place in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:11.56.
The final day of the Conference meet ended with five top-10 finishes, earning the Ospreys 815 points fifth place overall.
Junior Krysten Nemecek finished fourth in the 200-yard breas
troke with a time of 2:24.39, followed by Salles-Cunha who finished seventh at 2:25.93.
Other top-10 finishes included Lewis' ninth place win in the 100-yard freestyle at 52.87 seconds and Shaw's fifth place win in the 200-yard backstroke with a time
of 2:06.79.
A repeat performance of the medley team (Shaw, McKelvey, Shields and Lewis) in the 400-
yard freestyle, earned a fifth-place
finish.
University of California-San
Diego placed first in the meet with 1,159 points. Loyola Marymount University finished in second place with 1,049.5 points, followed by the University of Northern Colorado with 994 points and Pepperdine University with 873.
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Ospreys swing, miss in season opener
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Teams bring losing end to homecoming week
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Sophomore guard Ian Gibson scored two points against East Tennessee State University. The Ospreys lost by five points to the conference leaders. |
The University of North Florida's homecoming week came to an end Feb. 11 as both
the men's and women's basketball teams lost back-to-back
games against Atlantic Sun Conference foes.
The women kicked off the competition against cross-town rival Jacksonville University, and the men then faced the A-Sun Conference leader East Tennessee State University in the UNF arena.
Poor shooting in the first half by the Ospreys helped give the Dolphins a 67-52 win. The men lost 56-51 to ETSU.
Against JU, the women's team picked up the tempo from a 31-16 game at half time by shooting 50 percent from the field in the second half.
Freshman guard Shandrea Moore led the Ospreys with 16 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore guard Jennifer Bowen added 12 points to narrow the Dolphins lead to under 10 points.
The Ospreys' 17 turnovers, however, which lead to 24 points for Jacksonville, turned out to be too much to overcome.
The men's team played a close game against the conference leaders, leading the game from
the beginning.
The Ospreys started sharp, connecting four of nine 3-pointers in the first half. North Florida had a seven-point lead midway through the first half.
Turnovers and fouls, however, led to easy baskets and free throw attempts for East Tennessee, which took advantage of these opportunities and took a one-point lead 20-19 at the half.
The second half produced four lead changes and two ties, but the Ospreys fell behind by nine with 3 minutes, 28 seconds remaining in the game.
A late surge closed the lead to four points with under two minutes remaining.
Junior center James Grimball, who led the Ospreys with 15 points and 14 rebounds, hit clutch free throws down the stretch. This was Grimball's eighth double-double performance of the season. Junior guard Chris Timberlake scored 14 points.
The one thing working against the Ospreys was time, which stunted a late comeback.
"I thought that we played well," Kilcullen said. "In sports, the team that makes the most plays at the end of the game
will win and that's what happened. A few plays here and there and it may have been a different
outcome."
Though the Ospreys dropped their 23rd game of the season, the team is not losing heart.
"I'm proud of the way our guys responded from a heartbreaker Thursday [against Kennesaw State University] to come and challenge the No. 1 team in the conference and bring the game down to the wire," said head men's basketball coach Matt Kilcullen said. "We're still working hard and that's what I
ask for."
The men's team will head to Stetson University Feb. 15 when the women take on Kennesaw State University at the
UNF Arena.
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Americans' interest toward NASCAR speeding away
From the Cheap Seats
I have not followed NASCAR much in recent years.
I am focused on a little thing called "March Madness" and after that, it's time for the NBA playoffs.
Then I'm tracking baseball and yes, prepping for the football season. When that arrives, I'm sucked in till January, and then I'm back to basketball.
This describes the yearly cycle that most sports fans
go through.
While we tune into the Daytona 500, we don't watch the sport religiously.
Though I used to.
There was a time when I would pass up a Jags game to tune into the Jiffy Lube-Channel Lock-Pizza Hut-500 presented by Kroger's.
I would sit, eyes glued to the TV screen, watching Jeff Gordon duke it out with the Burton brothers and
Dale Earnhardt.
Those four, five and sometimes six-hour marathons enticed me, and I had no interest in anything else.
Maybe it is because the Jaguars were just plain awful, or I did not have a clue as to what was going on in the world of college football. But in 2002 my attraction to college football was born and I was off to another type of race.
Maybe that is why I left as a NASCAR fan, and why many more are leaving now.
NASCAR, after experiencing a sudden sonic boom at the beginning of the decade, is now coming to a screeching halt with the force that only Raybestos Breaks can deliver.
Fan support is waning. Numerous tracks have seen empty seats during race weekends. A number of track expansion projects that surfaced in 2002 are now on the verge of being grave dust.
Even NBC Sports Chairmen Dick Ebersol had enough, opting to send the sport back to its television roots at ESPN because the ratings continued to decline.
Jimmy Johnson may have won his first Nextel Cup Championship three months ago, but only 4.7 percent of the country witnessed it, 20 percent less than in 2005.
Maybe it is because the public is tired of watching men run around in circles for hours on end - prompting many people to wonder if they are suffering from a boredom complex.
Or the fact that the amount of money a family has to spend for the weekend, much less just for the day, has been inflated more than the 60 psi in a Goodyear tire.
NASCAR may be ready to stage a come back, or it could continue to fall, but one thing will remain the same.
No one will care.
And neither will I.
Contact Ryan Clarke at uspinnak@unf.edu PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Team captures match, set, Rumble point
Tennis teams victorious in A-Sun play
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The University of North Florida women's tennis team defeated Stetson University as Robin Rogers (back) won the No. 6 spot against Natalie Gorham. Vanessa Sanchez (front) lost the No. 1 spot against Valentina Galbarina. |
The University of North Florida men's and women's tennis teams captured Atlantic
Sun Conference wins during
a busy weekend at the UNF tennis complex.
The women continued their early reign atop the A-Sun Conference standings Feb. 8 with a 5-2 win over Stetson, while the men won a 4-3 victory
over Jacksonville University
in the SunTrust River City Rumble Feb. 9.
The win was the first conference victory for the men this season. The women's match continued an undefeated season for the Ospreys, who now have their first 6-0 start since 1998.
"Our goal this year is to remain undefeated in the conference," said head coach Igal Buberman. "A tough schedule at the beginning has prepared this team for matches ahead."
Singles victories by Natalia Sanchez, Florencia Torres, Ina Durcakova, and Robin Rogers, combined with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles spots, brought Buberman one match closer to his goal.
Eduardo Pereira (No. 2), Ben Smith (No. 5) and Leonardo Gomes (No. 6), helped solidify the men's victory, after
the team swept the Dolphins in doubles play.
"When you prepare and play hard like we continue to do, the results will come," freshman Daniel Desmarais said. "Everybody cheers for and supports each other. We're all in it together, and we all want to continue winning."
Before defeating Jacksonville University, the men faced a doubleheader Feb. 10 against Georgia Southern University and Florida A&M University.
The men won 4-1 against Georgia Southern despite
the absence of team captain Matias Sigal and Elad Gabay (No. 4).
Leadership came from both Gomes and Smith, who scored victories in singles play to win the match.
The Ospreys lost 4-2 to
the Florida A&M Rattlers,
however, with trouble in the doubles matches.
The women have a 12-day break before returning to action Feb. 20 against the University of Central Florida at the UNF
Tennis Complex.
The men continue conference play as they travel to Tennessee to face Lipscomb University Feb. 16 and Belmont University
Feb. 17.
Contact Mike Matthews at uspinnak@unf.edu PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Junior leads team with top-10 finish
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Arena undergoes new look with athletic celebration
Standing at the podium, his voice cracked and tears welled up in his eyes as he gazed out toward his family, friends and former coach, while reflecting on his athletic career at the University of North Florida Feb. 7.
Sid Roberson, one of several inaugural inductees into the UNF Athletics Hall of Fame, participated alongside President John Delaney, Director of Athletics Dr. Richard Gropper and several other inductees in the first-time ceremony inside the UNF Arena.
Inductees included former members of the cross country and track teams, a baseball pitcher, a two-sport athlete in tennis and soccer, two significant contributors to the athletics department, and an entire golf team and golf coach.
"It looks really neat!" said Dottie Dorion, a major contributor to the UNF athletics department and former president of the Varsity Club. "We talked about this for nine years. Eventually we want to move this to the stadium. It's a really good beginning and it's really overdue."
The university also inducted Dorion into the hall of fame. She spoke comically about the beginning of UNF athletics department and the Varsity Club, now known as the Osprey Club, as she accepted her plaque.
"We sometimes ran the athletic programs when we didn't have an athletic director," she said. "We would add one sport at a
time until everything was
running smooth."
Memorabilia, pictures and jerseys now adorn the old trophy cases - both at the entrance and underneath the main stairwell at UNF Arena - as part of the new hall of fame.
The design also includes large bold letters and the Osprey logo on the overhead beam facing the entrance of the arena while
the second floor holds displays
of notable years and athletes.
The hall of fame aligns with the second floor entrance to the basketball court.
"The design and creation of the hall of fame facilities that you'll see on the first floor and on the second floor reflect the initial phase of what we envision as a multiple-phase process in creating a physical facility that recognizes competitive achievement, academic achievement and community involvement associated with the UNF athletic program,"
Gropper said.
During the event, speakers reflected on the long progress
and journey UNF has undergone. Starting with only a few
athletic teams in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, through Division II and onto Division I, the hall of fame induction was a culmination
of memories.
"I transferred here from a junior college program that had a nice indoor track," said Curt Castetter, a former cross-country and
track All-American who was inducted into the hall of fame. "We
[UNF] had to drive to different
golf courses in order to
find places to run. I ran with Mark [VanAlstyne, the current UNF head coach] back in the '80s. I think the campus looks phenomenal now compared to what
back then."
Castetter won the first national championship at UNF, winning
the 3,000-meter steeplechase
in 1987.
Accepting the induction award for Doug Harmon was his
wife Linda Harmon and son Cheshire. Members of the university athletics department celebrated the Harmon family for their generous support and leadership in the early years of the UNF athletics program.
"We promised Doug that we would get this for him," Dorion said. "And I know he's really with us in spirit."
Also inducted during the ceremony was the 1991 men's golf team, which won the NAIA national championship. Head coach John Brooks joined the team into the hall of fame after coaching the team in 1991 and in 1993 to national championships.
The inaugural class was selected from a vast list of nominees. Those chosen were exceptionally responsible for the face of
UNF athletics from the beginning,
said Rick Granger, the assistant athletic director of external affairs.
The athletics department is currently accepting nominations for the 2008 class. Forms are online at www.unfospreys.com and in the athletics department. For more information, contact Granger at 620-1506.
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Cupid's Challenge: How to balance sports and sweethearts
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Athletes at the University
of North Florida have found the equation to balance classes,
tests, games, practices, long weekend road trips, and boyfriends
or girlfriends successfully - a
skill they have had to master especially since both people in
the relationship are athletes.
Junior swimmer Lindsey McKelvey knows the situation well. A member of the UNF swim team for the past three years, McKelvey has also been in a three-year relationship with Brandon Diaz - a senior catcher for the Ospreys. The two have had to learn where their relationship fits in their everyday schedules.
"Even during off season it is hard to see each other during the week because of practices," McKelvey said. "When the season begins we just take whatever time we can get."
Some athletes, who date outside of the NCAA realm, including McKelvey's roommate and teammate Jenn Shields, find
that schedules are a little more flexible.
"I still see him [Troy Ferguson, a senior business management administration major] quite a bit during the season," Shields said. "He is able to work around my schedule more."
Though the commitment to sports and the lack of abundant time for each other might frustrate some couples on campus, athletes can relate to the time commitment, McKelvey said.
"I think it works out better," she said. "He understands that we both have to get up early for practice, and that when I'm tired
and want to go to bed, I am going
to go to bed. We both know
what practice and games and
meets entail."
Junior softball player Tori Ahern agrees.
"It is easier to date an athlete," she said. "My boyfriend knows that my sport comes first, that's why I am here."
Ahern and her boyfriend John Frawley, a sophomore pitcher for the Ospreys, have been dating for 10 months and have already seen the results of their sports' seasons on their relationship.
"He'll be gone for the weekend and have a 10-hour bus ride back, which will pull in as we pull out for our game, so I won't see him for many days during season," Ahern said. "It's hard but it's made me really patient."
For both McKelvey and Ahern, a simple occasion like Valentine's Day must find its spot in the equation - behind baseball - with the Ospreys playing against Georgia Southern Feb. 14 at 4 p.m.
"I think we are celebrating a day early," McKelvey said. "Though I'll just be getting in from California for our conference meet, and he'll be leaving the next day for another tournament."
Ahern hopes the Valentine's Day baseball game will be a success, because it is hard to find the right words to say if the game goes bad.
"I know what it feels like to not pitch your best and so I never know what to say if that happens," she said. "He has a great care-free attitude but it is still hard."
Contact Holli Welch at sports@unfspinnaker.com PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE