The Guilfordian
April 10,2015 | 11
SPORTS
WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM/SPORTS
GUILFORDIAN@GUILFORD.EDU
What it means to be a Guilford Quaker
BY CORBIN BARWICK
Staff Writer
Here at Guilford College, athletics is
something student-athletes are deeply
passionate about. Here we value being
able to represent the name Quakers on
the front of our jerseys. But it is more
than just a representation of the name —
it is the meaning behind the name and
our determination and passion for our
respective sport and the school.
Just ask any of our athletes.
“Being a Guilford College Quaker to me
is something very special,” said sophomore
soccer forward Christian Torres. “It isn’t
something that you can just say. You have
to be able to feel it to express it.”
I am a sophomore offensive lineman
for the Guilford football team, and when I
came to Guilford, I never knew that being
a Guilford Quaker would mean as much
to me as it does now. I came to Guilford
to play football but also because of the
academic prestige of the school.
I wanted to come to a school where
academics were just as important as the
sport I play. And Guilford is exactly what
I was seeking. The respect and admiration
from the outside community I have received
is remarkable when I say I attend Guilford
College. The same effort we put into our
sport is what we put into our schoolwork
because making the grade is what allows us
to play.
It is not just the wins and losses that are
important to me. I play this game to change
the way other schools look at Guilford’s
football program. I play to gain respect for*
our school and program. Guilford football
is something I hold dear to my heart, and
the teammates I have been able to play with
have made me love this game so much more.
Being on the football team has allowed
me to gain a great deal of new friends who
will have my back until the end. Of course,
I am not the only Guilford athlete who feels
this way.
“Being on the Guilford softball team
has made me realize how a group of girls
can become so close, how we can rely on
each other and know that we will have each
other’s back,” said junior softball pitcher
Casey Snead. “It has made me a better
person by becoming more responsible,
respectful and it has showed me how to
work together with a group of girls that I
have never met before.
“It’s crazy to think that you come to
school not knowing anyone and how you
leave having friends that you couldn’t
imagine ever having.”
The same goes for any sport. For me,
being with my teammates has greatly
improved my character and maturity as a
person. Being a Quaker is a way to improve
one’s character. We become better people
and athletes.
“Above all else, I believe that we do all
we can for the sports we love to give our
fans and community something to be proud
of,” said senior lacrosse attacker Chandler
Zirkle. “When we go out on that field, we
give our absolute best in promoting our
school’s core values in stewardship, equality,
excellence, justice, diversity, community
and integrity.”
As a Quaker athlete, promoting our
school’s core values with our passion and
devotion to our sports is something that
comes from the heart. It is a part of each
of us and something we will cherish for the
rest of our lives. We give our all for the
sport we play and the school we represent.
For athletes, our seasons go by quickly.
As a football player, my offseason begins
two weeks after the season is over. That’s
when I begin training for the next season.
As athletes, members from different teams feel they promote Guilford's core values during games.
From December until August, we train for And after being here and experiencing
eight long months in order to prepare for Guilford, being a Quaker isn’t just wearing
three months. Off seasons are long and a jersey with the name Quakers on it. It’s
strenuous, but the reward for all our hard about being what a Quaker represents,
work and dedication is a great payoff. That is what it means to be a Quaker.
Blue Devils seize victory in NCAA tournament
WELCOME HOME NCAA CHAMPS!!!
Duke's Blue Devils were welcomed back to Durham after their victory of 68-63 against the University of Wisconsin's Badgers. Winning the game on April 6 made Duke the 2015 NCAA Champions.
BY REESE SETZER
Sports Editor
“And the Blue Devils are the National Champions of 2015,”
CBS play-by-play broadcaster Jim Nantz said as the clock wound
down in Indianapolis on Monday night April 6.
28.3 million viewers witnessed the Duke University Blue
Devils triumph over the University of Wisconsin Badgers 68-63.
The win gave coach Mike Krzyzewski and Duke their
fifth total national title, and their first since defeating Butler
University in the same venue in 2010.
The two number one seeds played a physical 40 minute game,
which was the formula that got both teams to the national
championship game.
In Duke’s Final Four matchup with Michigan State University,
the Blue Devils cruised their way into the title game with a
dominating 20 point win over coach Izzo in their Final Four
semifinal game to punch their ticket to the Monday finale.
On the other side of the bracket, Wisconsin had to go
through the undefeated 38-0 University of Kentucky Wildcats
to enter the national championship.
It was a redemption game for the Badgers, who lost by one
point after a last-second three-point shot sealed a Wildcats
victory the year before.
So what better way to get redemption than to end Kentucky’s
pursuit of perfection a game early?
That is exactly what the Badgers did to solidify their spot in
Monday’s title game, hitting some clutch free throws down the
stretch to come away with the 71-64 victory.
The championship game was a rematch from an early
December meeting between the Blue Devils and the Badgers,
which saw Duke take the 80-70 win on the road.
A lot has changed since then.
Other than the fact this game had much more magnitude,
former junior Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon was still on the
team. He was dismissed Just a few weeks after for “repeatedly
struggling to meet team obligations,” which according to The
Chronicle, was alleged sexual assault. Fie scored 14 points in
that Dec. 3 win over the Badgers.
Wisconsin junior forward standout Sam Dekker had a poor
shooting night in that early matchup, so odds that his poor
performance would repeat were slim after the way he had played
throughout the tournament.
Everything was set up for this game to be one for the ages. In
the end, it was an exciting game but more of a showing in how
coach Krzyzewski is the greatest coach of this era.
After a back and forth first half, the game was notched up at
31a piece going into halftime.
Duke had gotten into some early first half foul trouble,
which included star freshman center J^lil Okafor, who got out
to a slow start.
Things did not get much better for the Blue Devils early in
the second half when they found themselves in a nine-point
hole.
While freshman guard Tyus Jones was playing at his usual
level — exceptional — someone else had to step up for Duke if
they wanted to get back into the game.
Freshman guard Grayson Allen answered the call.
Allen finished with an unexpected 16 points that propelled
the Blue Devils back into the game. Jones added a team high
23 points, and Okafor made possibly his two biggest baskets of
the year to help extend the Duke lead to five with just a few
minutes remaining.
When it was all over, the Duke freshman Okafor, Allen, Jones
and forward Justice Winslow had combined for 60 of Duke’s
68 points.
Jones was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player
for his performance, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot all
tournament.
For the Badgers, player of the year senior forward Frank
Kaminsky tallied a double-double with 21 points and 12
rebounds. Dekker added 12 points, but went cold behind the
arch shooting 0 for 6.
It was simply not enough.
While the freshman shined for the Blue Devils on the biggest
stage, and watching them cut the nets left one contemplating
such an achievement at 19 years old, one of the best moments
of the night was seeing senior guard Quinn Cook embrace
coach K in tears as the annual post-tournament “One Shining
Moment” video played.
So we once again close a chapter of college basketball history
as the season comes to a close, this one ending with the Blue
Devils atop the basketball world once again.
Now the wait begins until November so it all can begin again.