SPORTS
- Inside the Huddle
- Athletics hopes the green will bring out the blue and grey Kaelena Incinelli
- Strong individual performances lead team to 4th-place finish Lori Bero
- Team outshot by Buccaneers, national champion Gators Ryan Clarke
- Ospreys celebrate Thanksgiving with two wins John Weidner
- Fall sports' seniors retire reluctantly with fond memories Sarah Diener
Inside the Huddle
 Kaelena Incinelli Sports Editor |
 Ross Brooks Features Editor |
 Matt Coleman Editor in Chief |
 Pigskin Potanken Extreme Jaguars Fan |
| Question 1: The Orlando Magic have opened their season with a strong start. How will management find a way to screw this season up? | |||
| This year is different. Trading Ariza seemed like a mistake, but Evans and Cook have fit nicely into our style of play. The Magic are so good, not even the Miami Dolphins' management couldn't screw this season up. | Management will announce a moment of silence for the Turkish genocide of Armenians, and Turkoglu will refuse to play. | Fire head coach Stan Van Gundy for looking too much like porn star Ron Jeremy. | It doesn't matter what they do, the only magical team in Florida is Jack Del Rio's Jacksonville Jaguars. |
| Question 2: With another blackout last Sunday, the Jacksonville fans continue to not show up to support the 8-3 Jaguars. What do you think they do with their time instead? | |||
| The Jags are having a great season, and a win next week will put them in first, but I think that the fans in Jacksonville use up all their energy on Saturday lifting Tebow up on a pedestal and they're just too tired to get out to the field on Sunday. | I asked Tony Kornheiser and he said they were all eating hashbrowns at Waffle House. | Watch the Orlando Magic. Nevermind, those games are blacked out as well. I give up. | Who cares? More leg room for me! |
| Question 3: Which matchup would you most like to see in the NCAA Division I national championship game and why? | |||
| I hope to see App. State and UMass play for the title. The real way to determine a champion is to have a playoff, maybe with the every No. 1 and 2 losing this season they'll finally get rid of the bowls. Get ready to see Notre Dame play in the Lysol Toilet Bowl. | Michigan and Appalachian State. I would derive endless satisfaction from watching a D-II school win the National Championship against Big Blue. | As long as it doesn't involve THE Ohio State University, I'll be happy. There's nothing more pretentious than putting "The" before the name of your school. | I don't usually get into that sissy stuff, but since you asked, Del Rio's 1985 USC Trojans versus the 1999 East Carolina Pirates led by David Garrard. |
| Question 4: With their halftime show performances, the Goo Goo Dolls and Kelly Clarkson did their best to ruin two perfectly good football games on Thanksgiving Day. What is your ideal holiday halftime show? | |||
| I'd love to see every overpaid NFL superstar get on the speaker and explain why they are thankful for holding out the first week of training camp for an extra $2 million in their contract so they can fill the garage in their second mansion full of Escalades. | Anything that deals with football. Bring out a PAL league and let them play a powderpuff game, hell, I could even watch the women's national football league. Just please, no more seven-minute choreographed crap fests. | Sean Kingston, Shop Boyz and Fabolous. With a lineup like that, you can't miss. Oh wait ... | Sometimes I have this dream where 100 Del Rios are resting gently on a cloud singing "Let's Get Physical." That might make a good halftime show, I mean, if you're into that sort of thing. |
Athletics hopes the green will bring out the blue and grey
In response to a new promotion to encourage attendance at basketball games, groups of Ospreys are flocking to the UNF Arena to support the teams - and win cash.
The Athletics Department chose several men's and women's games to be "Spirit Cash Award" games. At these games, on-campus groups can come to show school spirit and compete to win money. The group which Athletics
determines has the most school spirit at each game wins between $100 and $250, depending on the game.
"We tried giving away a car and food, but cash is usually the best incentive," said UNF Athletics Marketing Director Elliot Darkatsh. "We want to fuel the fire for student athletes on the court to get more pumped up by playing in a filled arena."
Groups can be comprised of Greeks, student clubs, housing units, other athletic teams, majors, classes and more.
"Athletics is not limiting who can win," Darkatsh said. "Any group that is recognized by the university is eligible."
Painting faces and bodies, bringing signs, having a lot of people and cheering together are good ways to win the prize, Darkatsh said.
Delta Gamma, the Rugby Club, Building W and Residence Life have each won the "Spirit Cash Award" already this season.
Each selected game will also include an opportunity for three UNF students to attempt a half-court shot to win cash.
Each time a student is unsuccessful in making the half-court shot, the prize amount increases by $10. The prize, which began at $100, has risen to $130 after three missed attempts.
Spirit Cash
award dates
Women's Basketball
vs. Jacksonville University
Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m.
vs. Campbell University
Saturday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.
vs. Gardner-Webb University
Monday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m.
Men's Basketball
vs. The College of William
and Mary
Friday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.
vs. Jacksonville University
Saturday, Jan. 19 at 4 p.m.
vs. University of South
Carolina Upstate
Friday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.
Contact Kaelena Incinelli at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Strong individual performances lead team to 4th-place finish
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Junior Caroline Poling swims the butterfly stroke in practice to prepare for the Davidson Invitational Nov. 16-18. |
Freshman freestyle swimmer LynAnn Nelson, senior breaststroke swimmer Krysten Nemecek, and sophomore backstroke swimmer Emily Shaw all recorded season-bests during the Davidson Invitational Nov. 16-18.
Despite the records, UNF swimming and diving took fourth place out of the eight teams present. Gardner-Webb University took first place.
"It was great to swim against some of our
conference rivals in an invitational setting," said head coach Beth Harrell. "We can visualize our conference meet a little better, and that will help us train for greater success."
Nelson's season-best time of 1:55.21 in the 200-free gave her a second-place finish, while Nemecek recorded her season best in the 100-breast with a time of 1:09.39.
Shaw recorded a season best with a 2:11.20 in the 200-back.
Shaw, along with Nelson, sophomore backstroke/individual medley swimmer Maria Bianchi, and freshman freestyle swimmer Megan Boudreau, clocked in with a 1:40.92 in the 200-free relay to earn another season best.
"I was pleased with most of our performances," Harrell said. "I can see where we need to make
adjustments and what we need to focus on for 100 percent success."
Junior diver Debbie Rapoza picked up her first top-place finish this season with a score of 227.70 in 1-meter diving.
Junior diver Emily Eisenhower finished first place with a score of 246.25 in 3-meter diving, while Rapoza finished second with 241.35.
Shaw, Nemecek, Nelson, and backstroke/butterfly swimmer Caroline Poling finished third in the 400-medley relay with a time of 4:05.28.
"Over the next few months, we will be spending our time helping our athletes build confidence, grow in strength, and fine-tune technique," Harrell said.
As a part of UNF Athletics' 25th anniversary
celebration, all-time program greats will be honored before the next meet against New Orleans 4 p.m.
Dec. 1.
Contact Lori Bero at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Team outshot by Buccaneers, national champion Gators
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Freshman forward Justin Cecil takes a shot against Concordia University Nov. 16. He competed in losses to Gators and Buccaneers Nov. 20 and 23. |
After losing the five starters that led them to back-to-back national championships, some thought the Florida Gators wouldn't be nearly as good in 2007.
After a Nov. 20 102-51 shellacking of the UNF Ospreys, coach Matt Kilcullen took a different view.
"I didn't see any difference," he said.
The Ospreys quickly learned to appreciate the skill level of the newest permutation of Gator basketball. After taking a 2-0 lead, the Gators responded with a barrage of field goals and 3-pointers, going on a 24-3 run that lasted through the first six and a half minutes in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 Gators.
UNF committed 19 turnovers during the game against the Gators.
Freshman forward Devon Jones led the team in scoring with 12 points.
The Ospreys had three players in double figures, but the team shot 31 percent from the field - their second-lowest percentage of the season. Only Brent Wood had more than six rebounds, and the team was out-rebounded 48-31, tying the season low for
rebound margin.
"There weren't a lot of positives for us tonight," Kilcullen said. "They kept taking it to us and we didn't respond at all."
In two games against major conference opponents, the Ospreys have totaled 101 points, and their overall scoring average is one point higher than a year ago at 56 points per game.
Three days and a Thanksgiving holiday later, the Ospreys dropped an 11-point decision to the visiting Charleston Southern Buccaneers 72-61.
Three Ospreys recorded double digits in the points column, including senior center James Grimball, who scored the first seven points for UNF. He finished with 15 total points, 13 coming in the first half en route to his first double-double of the season. Kilcullen described the game plan that he had drawn up for Grimball.
"We tried to get him the ball as much as possible," he said. "They were a lot more physical with him [in the second half] ... they really clogged the lane on him and didn't let him get going."
But for the second consecutive game, the Ospreys shot less than 40 percent from the field, and they couldn't shut down the Buccaneers' Chris Moore, who scored 27 points.
Most troubling to Kilcullen, however, was the team's lack of dexterity at the free throw line, where his players shot 46 percent.
"We've got to be able to make plays from the free throw line," he said. "We didn't do enough of that."
Five games into the 2007 season and five newcomers later, the Osprey offense is averaging five points better than last year.
"I think a lot of it is because we're just not hitting shots," point guard Chris Timberlake said. "We're going to keep taking them, and we'll start hitting them again."
The offensive leaders of the 2006-2007 season, Timberlake and Grimball, have each averaged 11 points per game over the last three contests.
The Ospreys return home Dec. 7 when they take on the College of William and Mary.
Contact Ryan Clarke at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Ospreys celebrate Thanksgiving with two wins
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The Ospreys prepare to rebound at the net in a victory against Bethune-Cookman Nov. 20. |
The UNF women's basketball team celebrated Thanksgiving week by winning two out of its three scheduled games.
The Ospreys out-rebounded the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 40-25 in a 62-43 win at UNF Arena Nov. 20. The victory was the first of the season for the Ospreys.
Coach Mary Tappmeyer said the team's strengths over the week were "rebounding and taking care of the basketball."
"At halftime, we addressed the fact that we needed to take care of the ball, and we did that," she said.
Four Osprey players grabbed at least four rebounds and 10
players put points on the board.
Freshman point guard JulieMay Syquio and sophomore forward/center Willonda Windham came off the bench to score 10 points a piece for the Ospreys, while junior forward Jennifer Guldager led the starters with eight points and a team-high seven rebounds. Syquio gave UNF an early spark after the team fell behind 6-0 and did not score a basket in the first four minutes and 16 seconds of play.
"I know that we have gone through scoring slumps this year, and we needed to start executing on the defensive end and start making critical shots," Syquio said. "Being a point guard, you have the ability to help change the game."
The Wildcats pulled to within five points in the second half, but UNF quickly took over with a 9-0 run that Jennifer Bowen topped off with a 3-pointer.
The Ospreys dropped their first of two games in the Lady Eagle Classic Nov. 23, falling to the Southern Mississippi Eagles 80-44.
Sophomore point guard Shandrea Moore led the Osprey offensive effort with nine points, hitting four of eight shots from the field. Willonda Windham followed her with eight points, while junior guard Jennifer Bowen had seven and tied freshman forward/center Antoinette Reames with a team-high five rebounds.
UNF put up its biggest fight out of the gates in the second half, hitting three shots beyond the 3-point arc to begin the frame. Junior forward Jennifer Guldager hit one of those, while Bowen and Moore sank the others.
Southern Miss eventually took over and outscored UNF 40-29 in the half.
In the consolation game of the Lady Eagle Classic Nov. 24, the Ospreys defeated the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University Corpus Christi Islanders 51-43.
"We really came out and made a strong effort in the second half," Tappmeyer said. "We controlled the boards, and that helped us play our game and led to points on the offensive end."
Guldager, who made the Lady Eagle Classic all-tournament team, with a team-high 11 points, led the Ospreys in scoring. Reames added 10 points for the Ospreys, while Windham added seven rebounds in her first start of the season.
Eight different players contributed on the offensive end for UNF with sophomore guard Tiffany Williams and Windham each scoring four points.
The Ospreys will return home Nov. 29 to host Lehigh University at 7 p.m.
Contact Josh Weldner at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Fall sports' seniors retire reluctantly with fond memories
The fall 2007 sports season is coming to a close, and senior
athletes are wrapping up their athletic careers as UNF Ospreys.
Volleyball, soccer and cross country are losing players to graduate school, tours and the job market. But the players have fond memories of their time and will carry the experience they gained to their future ventures.
Women's soccer's Lisa Potoka is ending a five-year run as a defender but will still be around campus as a graduate student. Some of her best memories of the team include beating cross-town rival Jacksonville University and the "pump-up parties" that got them ramped up for games, she said. Although some might welcome a respite from daily exercise, Potoka said she will miss practices.
"I think I'll actually miss practice and even running suicides," Potoka said. "I'm going to have to keep up the exercise on my own now."
Potoka said the best advice she could give to new players is to listen to the coaches, get involved on campus, and just have fun.
"My career was just perfect, and I would do it all over again," she said.
Cross country senior Kelly Marshall said she will miss her teammates the most after her May 2008 graduation.
"We are a really close team, and I am going to miss seeing my friends every day at the same time," she said.
After four years on the team, Marshall said she learned a lot - most importantly, not to take the meets too seriously.
"Don't get too serious, or you'll get worn out - and remember to do your summer training,"
she said.
Currently applying to law schools, English major Marshall said she would still run with the team in the morning to stay in shape and keep up her friendships.
Men's soccer is losing senior Martin Schuhte this summer. After three years of playing
various positions, he ended at midfield. Traveling to Los Angeles his freshman year and playing Duke University were just some of Schuhte's favorite times with the team, he said.
Although he is sad to be leaving, he said he is ready to start pursuing a master's degree at a college in London or elsewhere
in Europe.
Volleyball's Maegan Weisert is embarking on a 10-day European exposure tour, playing for teams in five different countries to solicit offers to join their teams.
"It depends on the team and the city, but if I find something I really like, I think I'll stay and play," Weisert said.
After four years on the team as an outside hitter and libero, beating Tampa was one of her favorite wins.
"Maegan and Claire [Yonutas] were the heart of the team, and they worked really hard," volleyball head coach Kevin Campbell said. "I'm going to have to do some severe recruiting to replace them."
Weisert said she will continue to watch the games on the A-Sun Web site after her graduation in December 2007.
"I think I'll really miss just playing volleyball," she said.
Contact Sarah Diener at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE