Page 4
The Blue Banner
April 24,2003
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Opinions firom the
Sports page
Going Cup crazy
in the Carolinas
Terrence
Sports Columnist
Spring is finally here and with it
comes one of the greatest occur
rences in the sports world. No, I’m
not talking about baseball’s open
ing day or March Madness, though
those do have their merits. I’m talk
ing about the much-overlooked
slugfest that is the National Hockey
League (NHL) playoffs.
The first round is already over but
much of the general public has no
idea that the Mighty Ducks of Ana
heim swept the defending cham
pion Detroit Red Wings right out
of the tournament. March Mad
ness did its yearly job of over-shad
owing upsets like that.
It’s a shame that so many people
know Syracuse won the NCAA
tournament but only a handful of
hockey faithful can talk about the
trouble the Minnesota Wild’s game
seven overtime win against Colo
rado. People are missing out on a
great sport when they don’t pay
attention to hockey.
Turn on ESPN on any night this
week and watch the third period of
whatever game you stumble upon.
Chances are that those 20 minutes
will be more exciting than anything
you’re going to see on a baseball
diamond. The pauses between play
are short and usually few, the action
is nonstop and the goal tending per
formances are an art form.
Maybe you’ll even get lucky and
see a game that heads to overtime.
Basketball overtime is exciting, but
let’s be honest, it’s usually only the
last 60 seconds that matter. That’s
not the case in hockey. Nothing
else in sports compares to watching
a team try to save its season in
sudden death, which is a regular
occurrence in the NHL this time of
No championship is more diffi
cult to win either. Baseball has three
rounds, one of which is a best-of-
five series. March Madness has
single games. The same goes for the
NFL. To win the Stanley Cup a
team has to get through four rounds,
each a best-of-seven series.
All those games lead to intense
rivalries that add to the thrill. Take,
for instance, any recent series be
tween the Red Wings and the Colo
rado Avalanche. Aside from intense
play, there have been bench-clear-
ing brawls including a bout be
tween goalies and arguments be
tween coaches while still behind
the bench.
The fans get intensely into the
rivalries as well. I have seen some
wild fans at football and baseball
games, but they don’t compare to
hockey fans. The rivalry between
the New York Rangers and New
Jersey Devils, for instance, brings
fans into the game on a level un
matched by other sports. Friends
and families, mine included, will be
divided over the outcome of even
the most trivial of games between
the two teams.
If you’re still not convinced to
give hockey a try, consider that the
games usually last about two hours
and are usually a little longer dur
ing the playoife. This isn’t a four-
hour baseball event. If you can sit
through a football game or a little
basketball, then you won’t get bored
during a hockey game.
An even better way to get to know
the sport is to attend a game. It
doesn’t matter which team you see
as long as you go. The smell of the
ice, the enthusiasm of the fans and
Sports
UNCA tennis caps ofF season
/
, ~ fi
ALAN AMBROSE/ONLINE EDITOR ALAN AMBROSE/ONUNE EDITOR
UNCA sophomore Adam Branks (left) and senior Ashley Jones (right) played pivotal roles as the Bulldogs wound down their seasons. Jones
helped lead the women’s team triple their win total from last year. Branks was ranked as high as 111th in the nation.
Adam Brooks
Sports Reporter
The UNCA men and women’s
tennis teams brought home both
wins and losses after two recent
matches against Elon University
Apr. 11 at the Powell Tennis Cen
ter, and at UNC-Wilmington Apr.
13.
The men’s team scored a 4-3 vic
tory over Elon, but proved unable
to top UNC-Wilmington. The
games brought the men’s team to a
season-ending record of 14-5. The
women’s team proved unable to
win either match, although indi
vidual victories did come in for the
Bulldogs. The games brought the
women’s team to a season-ending
record of 7-10.
The women’s team did bring in
the doubles point for the Bulldogs.
The doubles team of sophomore
Natasha Lucki and junior Emily
Acker-Estes defeated their oppo
nents with a score of 8-6. Sopho
more Oksana Zaluzhna and senior
Ashley Jones also defeated their
doubles opponents with an 8-4 win.
Jones was the only player on the
women’s side to bring a singles vic
tory with a 6-3,6-0 victory over her
Phoenix opponent.
“They’ve got a good team on the
women’s side,” said Head Coach
Chase Hodges. “We played well
that match, they just had a few
more weapons than us, were a little
bit deeper with their line-up.
They’ve got some good players over
there. But all in all, I was happy
with their performance.”
Then
team brought in a 4-3
victory over the Elon Phoenix. Se
nior Alan Ambrose, freshman Paul
Ambrose, sophomore Damian
Mulhane, and junior Nick Neal all
brought in singles wins for the
‘Dogs.
“On the men’s side, we pulled out
a big win over them,” said Hodges.
“We beat them 4-3. They’re one of
the top teams in the conference.
They finished the regular season
tied for second place, so that was a
good win for us, gave us some con
fidence. Damian Mulhane clinched
the match for us in a three and a half
hour match. I was happy with his
performance, he played well.”
One doubles match win came in
for the team from duo Paul Ambrose
and Mulhane.
“It was the first match this season
where we lost the doubles point
and actually came back and won
the match with singles,” said
Hodges. “We won four of the six
singles matches to win the point.
That’s very difficult to do against a
good team, so we were happy to do
The UNC-Wilmington Seahawks
emerged victorious over both the
men’s and women’s teams.
Zaluzhna captured the only singles
victory for the Bulldogs for the
women’s side with a 6-3, 6-4 win.
Zaluzhna and doubles partner J ones
won their match with a score of 8-
5.
“The women lost the match but
played well. Oksana Zaluzhna
played extremely well for us and got
us a win against Wilmington.
(Wilmington), like Elon, were just
a little bit deeper than us in thdi
line-up,” said Hodges.
For the men’s team, Branks pullej
in the only singles victory with
score of 6-2, 6-4. Paul Ambrost
and Mulhane clinched a doubla
victory over their Seahawks oppo
nents with a score of 8-6.
“On the men’s side, really I think
the Elon match-up hurt us, playinj
the day before. It was such a lor
match, we really came out a littlt
flat and didn’t have our legs,” said
Hodges. “Wilmington had had two
weeks off coming into that match,
so they were a little more fresh. "Wt
did get a win against Wilmington
on the men’s side.with Adam
Branks, number three. He played
well, he’s been playing well all
Hodges is an alumnus from UNC-
Wilmington.
“I used to go to that school,
was good to play those guys. It w®
good to see my former coach. I wa
the assistant coach there for thra
years and played there,” said
Hodges. “I recruited three of tht
players there and I know they didn'i
want to lose to me, so that added:
little bit of motivation to UNC-
Wilmington, but they played well,
They came out of the gates strong.'
Several team members from bott
the men’s team and women’s teai
received all-conference accolades i
the Big South Conference Awardi
Banquet Apr. 16.
Zaluzhna received first
conference honors, as did .Alai
-Ambrose.
“It’s been a long til
male tennis player at UNCA hai
been selected for that. She certainlj
deserved it,” said Hodges. “She hai
a great season. Alan played numbci
one singles for us all season, just did
an excellent job all year for us ar'
certainly deserved it,” said Hodgf
Acker-Estes was selected to repre
sent UNCA on the All-Academic
team. Both Alan -Ambrose and Nicli
Neal were selected
Track and field performs well at Clemson
Two UNCA athletes qualijy for NCAA Regionals after performance at BSC Championship
Jeremy Shrader
Sports Reporter
Peaking at the right time is key to
collegiate track and field competi
tion. The UNCA track and field
team hopes their recent perfor
mance at the North Carolina-South
Carolina-All-Star meet in Clemson,
SC reached that peak.
The meet included two first-place
finishes and four second and third-
place results. The team hopes this
will be a sign of things to come in
the NC.AA Regional meets May
30-31.
“I thought the team did
very well at Clemson,” said
Head Coach Dean
Duncan. “I think we’re
peaking at the right time.”
The Bulldogs had several
outstanding performances
in all three team areas at
the competition that fea
tured Big South Confer
ence foe Winthrop Uni
versity and nearby rivals
Appalachian State and
Clemson University.
“The meet was small and
ve had an idea that the
competition might not be
as good, but actually it
turned out to be a pretty good meet
for us,” said Duncan. “Their
(Clemson) track is really fast and
Clemson has quality athletes to
compete against.”
-Although the meet was a total
team effort, some individuals stood
than others did. Fresh
man LaTanya Harris stole the show
as she took home first-lace in the
400-meter dash (57.56 seconds) and
third-place in the 200-meter dash
(25.66 seconds).
“The Clemson meet was the best
meet of the year as far as the team’s
performance goes,” said LaTanya
Harris, a freshman from West Palm
Beach, Fla. “Personally, the meet
was a confidence booster.”
Outside of the sprints, UNCA’s
track and field team had notewor
thy performances in both distance
and throws. Junior biology major
Nathan Hedgpeth continued his
good form as he took home two-
''The Clemson meet was
the best meet of the year as
far as the team's perfor
mance goes. Personallyy the
meet was a confidence
booster.
LaTanya Harris,
track and field sprint, mid-distance runner
second place finishes, including one
in the shot put (15.23) and the
other in the discus (46.76).
Capping off the team’s well-
rounded performance was junior
math and physics major Micki
Logue who placed first in the 1,500
with a time of 4:49.20.
For both the athletes and the
coaches, the Clemson meet served
as an indication of the team’s over
all progress level in all areas this
season.
“I feel that this is one of the most
rounded teams that I have been
on,” said Nathan Hedgpeth. “We
get better each year from new indi
viduals that contribute to the team. ”
The talented contributions from
each athlete were apparent at the
Clemson meet as the individual
results reflected an increased level
of confidence of the team.
“It’s (the results) just a good indi
cation that they’re mentally ready
to do well this weekend,”
said Duncan. “ It gives
you a little confidence
going into the end of the
outdoor season.”
“I think everyone is
pretty confident going
into the end of the sea
son,” said Harris. “We’ve
been competing pretty
well lately so we should
be able to perform well,
maybe even break some
“We should'have more
(all-conference selections
than in indoor) because
we have more events,”
said Duncan. “We try to give each
of our athletes a chance to succeed
individually in what they specialize
While some athletes will be vying
for all-conference honors, others
will be aiming for the top as they
compete for a birth in the NC-AA
East Regional competition in May.
“It’s (Big South Outdoor Confer
ence Championship) important
because if you win your event you
get a spot at regionals, ” said Duncan.
“The meet is going to be a higher
quality meet than in the past. I
think we have some athletes that
can qualify for regionals.”
Hedgpeth is just one of the ath
letes that has a chance at qualifying
for regionals.
“Everyone competing will be
pushing the others to their limits
for that seed (birth at regional com
petition),” said Hedgpeth. “I am
quite nervous for this reason and I
hope I will do well enough to make
regionals for the first time ever.”
The UNCA track and field
teams competed in the Big
South Conference Outdoor
Championships Apr. 17-19.
The women placed fifth out of
eight teams, while the men
finished seventh and last.
Nathan Hedgpeth and Phil
Latter became the first UNCA
track and field athletes to
qualify for the NC-AA
Regionals, held May 30-31.
UNCA Women's
Basketball Camps
Nike Girls Basketball
Camp
Jun. 15-19
Betsy Blose Basket
ball Camp
Jun. 30-Jul. 3
For more
informaton, contact
Coach Tammy
George at 251-6924
or email
tgeorge@unca.edu.
Games you can go to
Baseball:
Apr. 25-27
series vs. Birming-
ham-Southern
Friday, 3 p.m.
Saturday, 3 p.m.
Sunday, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Apr. 29
vs. Tennessee
7 p.m.
McCormick Field
Saturday, May 3
vs. East Tennessee
State
1 p.m.
See OPINION