SPORTS
12
WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
BY MICHAEL CASWELL
Staff Writer
"It was a tremendous honor to play in the Patriot All-
America Invitational/' said senior Noah Ratner, golf
team captain. "Not just for the golf but because the fact
I was playing for a fallen soldier who died defending our
freedom. (The tournament was) an experience I will never
forget."
The Patriot All-America Invitational is a holiday
tournament that features the top golfers from all NCAA
divisions. Ratner finished 21st, which was the highest
among Division III participants.
"It is no easy task reaching this invitational," said
Ratner's swing coach Brian Creghan. "Noah works
extremely hard, which should come as no surprise.
Success in golf does not come without hard work."
This is not the first time Ratner has participated in a
big-time tournament. Nearly four years ago, Ratner won
the Maccabiah Golf Games, an international Jewish event
held in Israel every four years. He will be traveling back to'
Israel this summer, competing for the U.S.
Even though Ratner has achieved so much as an
individual, his proudest moments were the two Old
Dominion Athletic Conference tournaments his team won.
"Noah is driven to work on his game every day," said
Bob Ratner, Noah's father, in an email interview. "What
a work ethic! He is his own harshest critic because he is
always trying to get better.
"In tournament play, he never gives up, always tries his
hardest to the very last shot, and is always trying to learn
from each round so he can improve. He is humble about
his accomplishments."
Last year, Noah was awarded the Jack Nicklaus Award,
which is given to the top golfers in all three NCAA
divisions. He believes a lot of his success is owed to
Guilford.
"I wanted to play college golf, and (former) Coach
(Jack) Jensen was the only coach who gave me a chance,"
said Noah. "I am truly grateful to him, and he will always
have a special place in my heart.
"Guilford gave me a place to get a great education,
play golf and create a group of friends I will be close with
the rest of my life. So I would like to close this by saying,
thank you to Guilford."
ID
i
NSIDE SPORTS
NCAA change-ups
BY CHARLOTTE HUDSON
Staff Writhi
Nigeria wins Africa Cup
BY JOSH BARKER
STAffWlUTBl
Running towards victory: track and field team on path to championship
BY KEVIN ENGLE
Staff Writbi
As the arrival of spring nears
and with it, the transition into
spring sports, and the winter sports
teams will soon begin wrapping up
their seasons.
For the indoor track and field
team, Feb. 22 marks the event they
have been training for all season:
conference championships.
"I think our team will perform
great as a whole," said junior
runner Jasmine O'Neill in an email
interview. "We will be racing
against people in our conference,
so our confidence should be well
above normal."
It will be the first and last
chance of the season for Guilford
to compete against Old Dominion
Athletic Conference teams. It will
also be the last major opportunity
for athletes to qualify for the
Division III Indoor Track and Field
National Championships.
"I believe there are multiple
athletes poised to qualify for
Nationals," said Head Men's and
Women's Track and Field Coach
Danny Cash in an interview.
Taking place at Liberty
University, the conference
championships will be the first
non-invitational meet of the year.
Since the majority of the ODAC is
in Virginia, Guilford has competed
against Division I and II schools
within North Carolina.
"We have been working
extremely hard in practice," said
O'Neill. "There's a lot of positive
energy and support ^at is
constantly circulating in practice
and at track meets from our
amazing coaches."
The results are definitely
beginning to show.
On Saturday, Feb. 16, at the
Kent Taylor Invitational hosted by
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, Guilford athletes set
school records left and right.
Junior Chad Norton set the
school record in the one mile
by 2.65 seconds with a time of
4:22.42. Junior Andris Goncarovs,
at 4:22.51, was neck and neck with
Norton, while Junior David Cason
was close behind with a time of
4:27.76.
The women's 4x400m relay
team, composed of junior Rachel
Flint and sophomores Emily
Cash, Pasangi Perera and Jasmine
O'Neill, bested the school record
by over three seconds with a time
of 4:40.59.
In addition, there were a number
of season and personal records
broken among the multiple school
records
"I am so proud of the athletes
for the team's accomplishments,"
said Assistant Men's and Women's
Track and Field Coach Kimberly
Cash. "I am incredibly confident
that the team will continue to
show progress through the end of
the indoor season and on into the
outdoor season."
Junior football player Alex Smith
jumps for the track team during the
off-season.
"It's weird going from having
multiple coaches encouraging you
all at once to two talking to you one
at a time," said Smith in an email
interview.
When asked about his transition
from the field to the track. Smith
said that he was surprised by the
"comfortable camaraderie" of the
team that differs so vastly from his
football family.
With an individualized sport like
track and field, no one can make
the team feel more like a family
than "Momma and Daddy Cash."