THE PENDULUM
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY. MAY 11. 2011 - PAGE 13
SPORTS BRIEFS
Eton’s equestrian team proves
successful despite underfunding
Christine Williams
Muttimedia Intern
Club sports are often overshadowed by
varsity Division I sports. While this has
been the case with the Elon equestrian
club, it has not deterred the riders from
doing what they love.
The equestrian club is broken into
two different competitive categories
— dressage, which trains horses in
obedience and precision of movement,
and hunter jumper, where the horses are
trained to jump 3-foot fences flawlessly.
Founded in 2001 with only a few
riders, the club has grown tremendously
since its inception.
For both team divisions, competitions
bring uncertainty. Judges make
assessments on equitation - how the rider
looks on the horse and how skilled he or
she is as a rider. When riders arrive at a
show, the horse they are to compete on is
determined by drawing a name out of a
hat. Riders do not bring their own horses,
and they are not allowed to practice with
the horse they are assigned.
“We have to ride all different types of
horses and practice on every different
type of horse because you never know
what you’re going to get to ride,” said Sian
Rucker, junior co-captain of the hunter
jumper division. “The belief is that any
good rider can ride any type of horse and
do well on it.”
The club competes in four shows a
semester, with mandatory attendance in
order to move on in hopes of making it
to Nationals.
Elon’s team competes against schools
in the Southern Conference, as well as
larger schools such as Virginia Tech,
who receives more funding, because it is
officially a Division I varsity program.
Despite being one of the smaller
programs competing, the Elon team had
a third place finish in the region behind
Virginia Intermont College and Virginia
Tech this year.
The equestrian team is considered a
club sport, which can be difficult when
competing against the Division 1 schools.
“A lot of money is coming out
of everyone’s pockets to be able (to
compete)...! don’t think (Elon) realizes
how much money other schools get and
how much more of an advantage they
have because of that,” Rucker said.
Even though it is only a club sport,
the equestrian club at Elon provides any
opportunity for those who want to ride.
“For people like us, riding is such a big
part of our lives that we are going to go
to school where we can do that," Rucker
said. “For Elon to provide the equestrian
team is Important because many more
student will want to come here for it.”
MORE ONLINE: SPORTS
Jump fences and
experience the
equestrian team
first-hand in this
exclusive video.
http;//bit.ly/TPOhorses
CHRfSTtNE WILLIAMS i
SPORTS
Reactions to surprising
starts in the MLB
Conor O’Neill and Christian Binder
Sports Commentators
As the baseball season moves past the
opening month and into the dog days
of summer, some teams have emerged
as exceeding expectations while others
flirt with disaster. Which teams are you
most surprised by so far this season?
Conor O’Neill
I’ll start on the positive side by saying
“How ‘bout those Indians!” If you had
told me before the season that Cleveland
would be the second best team in the
league by early May, I would have asked
if you were still living in 1998. But the
Tribe is on a roll, thanks to some pitching
that I don't think can hold up. I’m not
a big fan of the "quality start” statistic,
but for the Indians’ it is a number that I
seriously doubt can hold up. Cleveland
starting pitchers have recorded quality
starts in 25 of 33 games. If this were
a collection of veterans, of even half
of the Phillies’ rotation, 1 would say
those are normal stats. But for a staff
that features Justin Masterson, Fausto
Carmona, Josh Tomlin and Alex White,
I’m not buying the hot start.
Christian Binder
I think there’s something to tje said
about teams that aren’t contending
at the moment, but have made vast
improvements during last season,
namely the Kansas City Royals and
the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Royals rank
in the top five of four major offensive
statistics, led by an emerging Alex
Gordon and a resurgent Jeff Francoeur.
If Luke Hochevar could ever live up
to his No. 1 overall billing, the Royals
could be dangerous. The Pirates, on the
other hand, find themselves hovering
around .500, but their host of young
stars such as Neil Walker, Jose Tabata.
Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen
will prove to be the core of a solid
team in the next few years. Now, the
Minnesota Twins have been extremely
disappointing, but the real cause for
concern is how long Joe Mauer will
be out and if he will be able to catch
again.
Conor
The Mauer injury is a huge blow, and
you have to wonder about how long
he can be a catcher and compete for
batting titles. Soon, the Twins will have
to determine if his offensive production
or defensive prowess is more valuable.
For disappointing teams, I want to
stay away from the Red Sox, and talk
about another team whose winter
moves had fans gushing. The Brewers
are floundering in the depths of the NL
Central, and this is a team that has a
few superstars. While Ryan Braun,
Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks are
producing runs, nobody else in the
lineup - Casey MoGehee, Carlos
Gomez, Yuniesky Betancourt - can get
it together. Combine that with lackluster
pitching from starters, an injury to Zach
Greinke and a shoddy bullpen, you have
a recipe for the most disappointing
team in the league and the beginnings
of a firesale in July.
Christian
I think the Wilson Ramos deal is
something that the Twins wish they could
undo. Joe Mauer would fit in fine in that
Twins outfield, but they no longer have
exceptional catching depth as they did
before they dealt Ramos. The Red Sox
started the season off horrendously, but
they have found their groove. 1 agree
with you that the Brewers are by far the
most disappointing team. They have all
the pieces in place to contend, but they
can’t seem to click as a team. Yovani
Gallardo has been awful and John
Axford, a rookie sensation last year, has
hit the sophomore slump in the biggest
way. Prince Fielder has cooled off since
his torrid start, but this team needs to
turn it around fast before their window
closes.
Athletic Department announces
2010-2011 award winners
A slew of awards were handed out
May 9 in Alumni Gym, recognizing
outstanding athletic, scholastic and
leadership.
Presented since 1958, the Stein
H. Basnight Outstanding Athlete
Award goes to the most outstanding
Phoenix male and female athletes of
the year, according to the Department
of Athletics’ administrative staff.
Senior quarterback Scott Riddle
and track and field standout senior
Veronica Day were presented with
the 2010-2011 Basnight Outstanding
Athlete Award.
In his senior year, Riddle threw
for 3,231 yards and 28 touchdowns
to lead the Southern Conference. In
his career, Riddle became the first
quarterback in SoCon history to
lead the league in passing for four
consecutive seasons.
Senior Veronica Day ends her
storied Elon career as a three-time
SoCon champion and a nine-time all
conference honoree. Day holds Elon
records in the long jump and triple
jump. This past season. Day was
honored as the SoCon Field performer
of the year.
Senior guard Chris Long and
senior second baseman Jackie
Gonzalez were honored as recipients
of the Robert C. Browne Memorial
Sportsmanship Award, presented
annually to a male and female athlete
who have best displayed qualities of
sportsmanship.
Long averaged a team-high 14,7
points per game in his senior year,
and led the SoCon with 6,0 assists
per game,
Gonzalez finished her Elon career,
ranked third all time in Elon history
with 206 career hits, and a ,347 career
average, fourth in school history.
Women's track standout sets Elon
record
Freshman Julie Hart set a new
school record in the 800-meter run
at the Dick Taylor Tar Hells Relays at
UNC-Chapel Hill, Hart finished fifth
after posting a time of 2:11.81,
Phoenix softball players take home
All-SoCon honors
Sophomore outfielder Tomeka
Watson, freshman outfielder Carleigh
Nester, and junior catcher Kaitlyn
Piazzolla were named second-team
All-Southern Conference performers.
Additionally, Nester was one of 10
softball players from around the SoCon
named to the All-Freshman squad.
As a freshman, Nester led the
Phoenix with a .376 batting average
and 15 doubles. In 164 plate
appearances, Nester has struck out
only six times in the 2011 season.
Watson heads into the SoCon
tournament batting .356 with 12
doubles, one tiple and four home runs.
As an outfielder, Watson leads the
SoCon with a perfect 1,000 fielding
percentage,
Piazzolla has caught 10 out of
15 runners attempting to steal, tied
for the third most in the conference.
Additionally, Piazzolla is batting ,319
with six doubles and two home runs in
the 2011 season,
Taylor picks up another Pitcher of
the Week honor
Senior lefthander Lauren Taylor
picked up her fourth SoCon Pitcher
of the Week honor, Taylor went 1 -0 in
two appearances and finished with a
0,00 ERA,
Taylor previously captured pitcher
of the week honors on March 7 and 14
and February 21.
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