Page A2
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The Pilot
Sports
Photo by Ashley Carter
Denaj Seymour swims the butterfly in tiie Gardner-Webb men’s swim team’s first
meet ever. Tfiey lost 184 -190 against Limestone.
Mermen do well in inaugural meet
By Lanny Newton
Special to The Pilot
The Gardner-Webb men’s
swim team participated in its
first meet ever Oct. 12 as it
traveled with the women’s
team to take on Limestone.
The men battled throughout
but lost in the last race of the
meet for a final score of 190-
184.
The team picked up its
first dual-meet win Friday
by defeating VMI 119-90 in
Radford, Va.
“[The men’s swim team]
really gained some experi
ence... the first part ofthe year
we concentrate on improve
ment, improving strength,
improving technique, and I
saw some really good signs
of that,” said Coach Mike
Simpson.
“Once you get into com
petitive experience you don’t
know what’s going to hap
pen, but they proved they had
a toughness to them, which is
great.”
The men’s program
sports 11 freshmen in the
13-man inaugural team. At
Limestone, the young team
was facing a 12-point deficit
with three events remaining,
but executed a fiirious come-
.back.
By the time the team
went into the final event the
score was tied at 168. It was
for naught, as GWU finished
second in the 400 fi-eestyle
relay.
The team won against
VMI 154-54 in Saturday’s
meet.
Bulldogs Top VMI for Key Big South Win
By Jacob Conley
Pilto sports editor
For Gardner-Webb foot
ball Coach Steve Patton,
beginning the conference
schedule is like the start of
a new season. If that is the
case, the Bulldogs began the
second season in style by
posting a 36-22 come-from-
behind win over VMI.
“Any time you can get a
conference win on the road,
that’s a big thing,” said Pat
ton, who garnered the 100th
victory of his career with the
win.
“And every time you win
it makes the next game even
bigger.”
The win seemed to be a
sure thing early in the game
as GWU (3-4,1-0 Big South)
scored two quick touchdowns
in the first quarter.
The first of these scores
came via the defense as Quan
Jackson picked off a pass and
returned it to the end zone
for the early 7-0 lead. The
’Dog defense bent but did
not break against the Keydet
option attack. This allowed
GWU to score its second
touchdown of the quarter on
David Montgomery’s 19-
yard run.
VMI (2-5, 0-1 Big South)
posted a furious comeback in
the second quarter, scoring
15 unanswered points.
“We’re going to have
to play better,” said Patton.
“But credit VMI with a good
effort.”
The first three came off
the foot of The VMI kicker.
Then Keydet quarterback
Kyle Hughes executed a
sneak fi'om a yard out.
However, the extra point
was missed, allowing GWU
to maintain a 14 -9 lead.
The final score of the quar
ter came on a 16-yard run by
Howard Abegesah.
The ensuing 2-point con
version failed, leaving GWU
trailing 15-14 at halftime.
The Bulldogs wasted
little time taking the lead in
second half as Devin Camp
bell connected with Dobson
Collins from 45 yards out to
give GWU a 6-point lead at
21-15. VMI then turned to
its ground attack into a 90-
yard drive.
The final play ofthe drive
came on another quarterback
option run, this time from 18
yards out, to give the Key-
dets the lead at 22-21 with
just under 12 minutes left in
the contest.
GWU’s offense could do
little on its next possession,
giving VMI the ball back
with a chance to run out the
clock. But a bad option pitch
on the GWU 16-yard line
gave the ’Dogs new life and
GWU’s air attack took ad
vantage of the turnover.
Stan Doolittle’s 61-yard
bomb to Duvaughn Flagler
gave GWU the lead for good
at 27-22 with five minutes
left in the game. The Bull
dogs then went for 2 and
converted it out of the power
I for a 7-point lead, 29-22.
With just under five min
uets left, the GWU defense
had to stop VMI to preserve
the victory, and the team did
so emphatically when na
tional Player of the Year can
didate Brian Johnston deliv
ered a bone-crushing hit on a
fake punt.
The Bulldog offense then
capped off the scoring on the
day with two minutes left on
Montgomery’s second touch
down of the day, providing
the final margin of 36-22.
With the win GWU sits
tied atop the Big South stand
ings with Liberty, and hopes
to claim the top spot outright
next week when the team
faces the Bucs of Charleston
Southern.
The game will be at 6:30
p.m. in order to accommodate
a national TV audience and
can be seen on Sports South
(channel 60 on campus).
Lady Bulldogs dine on Dolphins
Van Graham’s been there, done that
By Rebecca Clark
Pilot editor
Dr. Van Graham might appear to be unas
suming and ordinary, but a few minutes spent
talking with this professor in the Gardner-
Webb University School of Business will re
veal that he is anj'thing but ordinary.
Graham can explain an algebra equation,
the process of starting a school, all about law,
and also about intelligence work in the mili
tary.
His past has included a variety of jobs
whose locations spanned the United States.
Bom and raised in California, he joined
the United States Air Force, where he worked
in intelligence gathering for the National Se
curity Agency.
After leaving the military, he went to
Asbury College in Kentucky, a “little bitty
school in a little bitty town - kind of like
Gardner-Webb,” he described it.
At Asbury he earned his Bachelor of Arts
in Mathematics and began teaching high
school math.
“The first year I taught was in Indiana,”
he said.
Shortly afterwards he and his family
moved to Tyler, Texas.
Once in Texas, Graham helped a church
start a private school grades kindergarten
By Lanny Newton
Special to The Pilot
The Gardner-Webb University women’s
soccer team took on Jacksonville University
on Senior Day Saturday. On a day when sev
en players were honored for their tenure and
the field was dedicated, the Lady Bulldogs
defeated the Jacksonville Dolphins 1-0. Ap
propriately enough the lone goal of the match
was scored by a senior, Elicia Morris.
“You couldn’t ask for a better scenario as
far as the seniors stepping up and having a
game-winner in a big game we needed to help
us get into the conference [tournament],” said
Coach Kevin Mounce.
“The defense played well today, we’re
getting better each atid every game. Prob
ably one of the best forwards in the league
right now is Keri Zwikker from Jacksonville.
I thought our defense did a great job shutting
her down.”
GWU kept possession of the ball for most
of the first half as the team outshot Jackson
ville 12 to 3 and led in shots on goal 7 to 1.
Senior forwards Lindsay Gladhill and Britney
Woods had excellent chances in the first half,
but opposing keeper Rebecca Stott made two
amazing saves to keep the game scoreless at
“The defense played well
today, we ’re getting better
each and every game. ”
Coach Kevin Mounce
the half
In the 74th minute the home team was fi
nally able to get on the board as Sarah Key-
ser rifled a comer kick towards the far post,
where it was headed home by Morris. It was
the first goal of the season for Morris and
could not have come at a more opportune
time as it would prove the difference-maker.
The win it provided moved Gardner-Webb
to 4-4 in conference play and 6-9 overall. The
win moved Gardner-Webb into fourth place
in the league heading into the last 10 days of
the season. Only six teams make the league
tournament.
Gardner-Webb’s next game is on the road
at Mercer Thursday. The Bulldogs will retum
home for one final game on Oct. 31.
Mounce encourages all students to come
out and support their Lady Bulldogs as they
take on Campbell in their final regular-season
game.
Bulldog mermaids keep on winnmg
By Lanny Newton
Special to The Pilot
The Bulldog women’s
swim team continued its
winning ways in the opener
against Limestone Oct. 12,
carrying over from their
fourth straight conference
title, and taking home a 220-
136 victory, taking first in all
but one event.
Gardner-Webb moved
into the Coastal Collegiate
Swimming Association this
year and started conference
play at Radford and VMI
versus VMI, James Madison
and Radford Friday and Sat
urday. The new conference,
which includes such teams
as Florida Gulf Coast and
Davidson will provide new
challenges for the Lady Bull
dogs, who are trying to take a
fifth straight title.
They will have to rely on
their traditional strengths of
chemistry and teamwork to
prevail in this new year, as
they lost three key seniors,
including All-American
Terra Wilson, and gained 13
new freshmen this year.
“Limestone’s girls were
nowhere near as good as
their guys ... so our girls
quite honestly were, except
in one or two events, com
peting against themselves,”
said Coach Mike Simpson.
“[This year in the new con
ference] it’s going to be very
different. This conference
has a lot more depth. It’s got
to be a lot tougher to win,
so just like what we always
talked about in the past, our
main focus is being con
cerned about ourselves and
not really concemed about
other teams.”
The squad downed Rad
ford by a score of 167-30
, while edging JMU, 122-108.
Friday the team knocked
off the VMI Keydets by a
score of 171-4. There is only
one swimmer on that school’s
women’s swim team.
The team won Saturday
over Radford 155-47 over
WI 180-5
Warehouse Positions
Work Around YOUR Schedule!
Showtime Concession Supply
Shelby, NC
Part-time & Full-time Openings
$8-$10/hour
Flexible Schedule
Health Insurance »
Paid Vacation
401K
Bonuses
No Nights! No Weekends!
No Experience Required!
Background Check Required
To schedule an interview... Call (704) 471-9957
through 12. It ended up being a 10-year proj
ect, he said.
One of his grandsons graduated last year
from the school.
After that, he moved on once again, this
time to further his education. He went to law
school at Baylor University in Texas, and
practiced law in Wyoming after graduating.
In Wyoming he served as a deputy pros
ecutor for seven years.
It was in 1999 that Graham ended up at
GWU.
“I’d always intended to get back to teach
ing at some point,” he said, “and then I saw
this opening at GWU, which I had never
heard of before, and found out it was a Chris
tian university. I sent in my information and
was offered a job.”
Graham now teaches business law. He
said his favorite part about teaching is the in
teraction with students.
“I just love the contact with the students
and having the opportunity to not only teach,
but help people.”
He said it is rewarding to be able to work
in a Christian environment and to be free to
incorporate biblical principles.,
“In other places you can’t teach biblical
principles in something like ethics,” he said.
Van Graham lives in Boiling Springs with
his wife, Pat.
Study this summer in Wales!!
“Through a Welsh Window:
Discovering Britain”
(3 Credit hours- ENGL 392)
May 12-June 9, 2008
Trinity College, Carmarthen, Wales
Trip led by Dr. David Parker
Cost to students is only $1000, and includes airfare, room, tuition,
and ten meals a week. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity. Cur
rent sophomores and juniora.are eligible to apply. APPLICATIONS
MUST BE SUBMITTED BY NOV. 5! For information and applica
tions, phone Helen Tichenor at 3993 or David Parker at 4413.