Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Feb. 26, 1987, edition 1 / Page 5
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The Daily Tar Heel Thursday, February 26, 19875 Sports j'j . -N?x vs.-.--- ' -7 -'ii i " :' " i 1 1 il itMl 1 I i liril lUl II 111 riiriai&s t DTH Charlotte Cannon UNC's third-ranked Chip McArdle takes advantage of yet another ACC foe, N.C. State's Marc Sodano eniors ready for cuirtaie call By JAMES SUROWIECKI Sports Editor For live I'NC Tar Heels. Thurs day will mark the end of a long road. Kenn Smith. Joe Wolf. Dave Popson. Curtis Hunter and yes. Michael Norwood will play the final home game of their college careers tonight. It seems only fitting that the opponent should be Duke. As is customary, the quintet will start, which means that the Tar Heels will field an all-senior lineup. And UNC will have tradition on its side. The Tar Heels have not lost on Senior Day since 1973. when they were defeated by N.C. State. If there is ever a time for reflection, this would certainly seem. to be it. The current senior class has done marvelously well, compiling a 108 0 record overall and a phenomenal r 45-9 ACC mark. Should the Tar Heels, as expected, defeat Duke and Georgia Tech. Wolf. Smith and Popson will have been a part of two teams which went undefeated in the conlerence. (Hunter is a fifth-year senior, and Norwood has played varsity for just two years.) 11 you want to feel old, consider that Thursday will be the last time anyone who has played with Michael Jordan will play at home for UNC. Is that Streisand crooning "The Way We Were" in the background? Individually. Smith and Wolf stand out. The former has played an integral role in each of his four years. Sometime early tn the first half, he will break the 1.500-point mark for his career, and he needs just three assists for 700. The passage of time has built the legend of his first two years, but after a slump last season he has rounded into true senior form. If he doesn't get one breakaway jam Thursday, the Dome will shake from sadness in place of excitement. As for Wolf, just call him steady. Reid gets the cover of Sports Illus trated. Wolf the other teams tough est defender. He. in turn, is UNCs best on the defensive end. and the last time his baseline jumper rimmed out. Fawn Hall was still in braids and braces. For Popson and Hunter, the story will always be one of expectations unfulfilled and hopes died a 'horning. Popson was one of the top- five players in the nation coming out of high school, and Hunter was tagged w ith the burden of the "next Michael Jordan" label. Neither has lived up to the press clippings At the same time, though, both have adjusted, both have learned new roles and seem to have made the most of them. Popson is aver aging 10. 1 points and 5.2 boards a game, and Hunter has found solace in his defensive work. And maybe, just maybe, that has been enough. Duke, of course, went through the same scene last year, losing a horde of seniors. The Blue Devils have stayed strong, though, and are presently 21-6 Their 79-72 loss to Georgia lech at Cameron Indoor Stadium was something of a shock, and the loss of Billy King to a broken wrist has clearly had an impact. The bigger impact has come courtesy of Tommy Amaker. The distinguished point guard has had a mediocre season, dishing out just 3.9 assists a game and struggling from the; field. . Danny Ferry, though, has helped offset that. He leads the Blue Devils in points, rebounds and assists. If Duke is to have a chance, he must have a great game. Then again, UNC has emotion, sie and speed on its side. Conditions seem right for a blowout. Or a stunning upset. VSOCLsTY mm American Heart Association WE'RE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE Folding, too Eiinlurs copies 114W. Franklin St. NO Soap Radio 1 10 North Columbia Street Chapel Hill 933-5 100 covdinlly invites Seniors In Curol inn Inn (Hi Monday. .March 2nd at 7:00 P.M. Meet our executives and enjoy refreshments. Tell us about your career goals and hear about the exciting Executive Development Program at Lord & Taylor, America's leading fashion specialty store. Even if you have not previously - thought of retailing as a career, you may want to know about the many interesting opportuniies; t at Lord & Taylor. If you have proven abilities and ' ' ' a record of achievement and look forward to the challenge of managing a profitable business, Lord & Taylor looks forward to meeting you. TV r McArdle born to wrestle5 By JILL SHAW Staff Writer , One wouldn't think that a high school senior from Springfield, Va., would pass up several full scholarships to pay tuition. But when 5-foot-5 wrestler Chip McArdle realized the caliber of North Carolina's wrestling program, he did just that. Intent on polishing the skills that had him crowned state champion and Ail-American, McArdle. a Bruce Springsteen fanatic, laid down his money and played his part. "When I first came (to UNC) I wanted to make the team and contribute as much as I could," reflected the fifth-year student. More specifically, McArdle set his sights on an ACC championship. Under Bill Lam's coaching, he combined new techniques with basic moves he had developed during three years of participation in Olympic 200, a summer training camp in Colorado. Obviously, the combination worked. In I984, McArdle won the ACC championship while weighing Il8. and a year later he repeated the performance at 1 26. After a shoulder injury in October 5 exempted him from competition until January, McArdle stub bornly adopted Springsteen's slogan, "No Surrender." Now, with 1 5 years of wrestling experience, McArdle wears a No. 3 national label and enjoys the full athletic scholarship previously denied to him. Another conference championship, available when the ACC meet is held at Duke in two weeks, seems like a mere stepping stone to the nationals held in College Park, Md., March 19-21. But McArdle humbly believes in focusing on one competition at a time. In preparing for his conference matches, he is tuning the mental toughness that has made him successful in the past. "You've got to be very tough mentally. Wrestling is 95 percent mental." asserts McArdle. According to the stocky wrestler, in order to beat opponents who possess similar physical characteristics, he must rely on a hungry heart. "When you go out there on the mat, there's nothing but what's in your head. If you're prepared and you think you can win, you can win," he insists. But McArdle did n't just form this opinion on his own. He greatly respects Coach Lam, who emphasizes the importance, of mental toughness on the mat. And according to I . am. McArdle is tough now and just getting tougher. "He's got unbelievable tenacity." proclaims his coach. ji Not only does the wrestler's attitude lift him above others in the same weight class, but McArdle's physical intensity is also an asset. Lam offers evidence. "Chip is probably one of our hardest workers. He's had a lot of success from his hard work and dedication." This commitment, accompanied with the realization that this is his last wrestling season at North Carolina, is driving him to sweat it out in the gym of a not-so-runaway dream two or three times a week in addition to practicing twice each day with the team. "I just want to do as well as I can," said McArdle, displaying consistant modesty as he referred to upcoming conference arid national competition. Even at an early age the Virginian's aptitude for the mat was apparent. He remembers, "When I was young, I was hyperactive, and my parents put me in wrestling to try to get some energy out of me." Since junior high, McArdle has chosen to concentrate on wrestling, although golf, swimming, and soccer also constitute his participation in organized sports. Because college wrestling monopolizes seven months, such a decision has rendered the athlete an almost non existent social life as well as the need to budget his time. "We (the team) are gone most weekends. So we go out once every two or three weeks." he explained, disproving any claim that he ain't here for business, that he's only here for fun. Packing academics into his crowded schedule has become a habit. "I've been doing it for 1 5 years and I'm used to it," the senior relates. When the season is over, the athlete "takes time off." If so, McArdle has brought new meaning to the phrase. Organizing his own wrestling camp and weightlifting and running to remain in mint condition concede little time away from the sport. Perhaps McArdle prefers it this way. Majoring in both Industrial Relations and Psychology, he hopes to coach until he's completed graduate school and can counsel in his hometown. Through his summer camp involve ment he has gained the experience necessary to execute this plan. But regardless of what lies in his promising future, one thing remains the same. At least for now. Chip McArdle was born to wrestle. Royster named to All-ACC squad From staff reports North Carolina senior center Dawn Rovster was named Tues da to the 1987 All-ACC First Team.' The Nyack. N.Y., native is presently second in the confer ence in scoring ( 1 9.0 ppg). fourth in rebounding (9.9 rpg) and first in blocked shots (2.96 bpg). She leads the Tar Heels in each of those categories. Joining Royster on the first team were Donna Holt and Nancy Mayer of conference led ing Virginia. Trena Trice of N.C. State and Chris Moreland of Duke. Moreland, who leads the league in scoring (2I.0 ppg). was named the ACC Player of the Year. ' I he 6-0 Royster. a candidate for the Naismith Award, has scored 1, 73 1 points in her UNC career, good for fourth on the all time list. In the rebounding department. Royster's total of 1. 077 gives her the second-highest total in Tar Heel history. Those totals also make her the 10th leading scorer and fourth-leading rebounder in conference history. ' This honor comes one season alter Royster suffered a serious knee injury. In prev ious years, she was named ACC Rookie of the Year (l 984) and ACC Tourna ment MVP(l985), She also made the all-conference team in I985. vWflns SDncTDimflcdl YOU L5vb Att GiraiimnDIle T weirs? Twenty-four hour front desk coverage and an all-night patrol outside are a couple of things we do. Providing a large study lounge and computer facilities to cut down on those late night trips accross campus are two others. FALL ACCOMMODATIONS AVAILABLE Granville Towers n TM The Place to be at UNC GRANVILLE TOWERS University Square 929-7143 I :; 'A ii s! ) rl it
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 26, 1987, edition 1
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