SPORTS
SO
ECSU may lose rival , ^
NSU moving to Div 1?
Photo by David Joyner
Lady Viking Karen Pope seems confident that her shot against Bowie State Contenders would push Elizabeth City ahead, and it did.
ECSU’s volleyball team won their October 8th match 15-13, 15-7.
ECSU Lady Volleyballers
set to host ’88 CIAA Tourney
By Mark Morris
When Norfolk State Univer
sity officials announced plans to
move up to Division I athletics,
ECSU officials began to exani-
ine what changes might be in
store for ECSU and the CIAA.
Their conclusion: Norfolk
State’s bid for Division I status
could have far-reaching impli
cations for ECSU’s athletic pro
gram.
If Norfolk State’s bid is suc
cessful, ECSU will lose its big
gest rival, thereby depriving the
school of the revenue that
ECSU-Norfolk State games have
traditionally generated. ECSU
will also lose the opportunity to
participate in the annual Fish
Bowl game, a game that nets
ECSU’s program a guaranteed
$22,000 each year.
Despite these potential losses,
ECSU athletic officials have ex
pressed guarded optimism
about Norfolk State’s move.
“Many teams have moved out
of the CIAA, and into other con
ferences, and the CIAA is still
strong,” said ECSU Athletic Di
rector, Curtis Williams.
Head Basketball Coach Clau-
die Mackey agreed.
“It would be a loss but it will
not kill the conference,” Mackey
said.“When A & T, NCCU, and
Morgan State, and all of those
schools broke away, everyone
thought we were going to fall on
our faces as a conference.
“We’re still standing tall. The
CIAA is bigger than Norfolk
State or any other school in the
conference. The CIAA has its
own identity.”
Both Mackey and Williams ad
mitted ECSU may lose the big-
time, income- generating
games, like the Fish Bowl, if
Norfolk State’s bid is successful.
“It would hurt Elizabeth State
University tremendously,” said
Mackey. “Norfolk would proba
bly not want to play Elizabeth
City in the Fish Bowl or at home.
Norfolk is our biggest game, in
basketball and football. That s
our biggest draw. ECSU would
suffer a financial loss.”
Both Mackey and Williams
predicted that the Port City
Classic could become “the big
game of the future,” if Norfolk
State leaves the CIAA. Pointing
out that the Port City Classic is
still just two years old, Williams
says ECSU collects a guar
anteed $8,000 from the event.
“The loss of Norfolk State
would be a temporary setback,”
said Williams. “We’ll just create
a new rivalry and keep going.”
Williams said new rivalries
could develop between ECSU
and other CIAA schools, or pos
sibly with other N.C. schools.
NSU’s president. Dr. Harrison
B. Wilson, has been the driving
force behind the effort to make
the Spartans a Division I-AA
competitor. An ardent supporter
of Norfolk State’s bid, Wilson
f
has said he hopes to accomplish
the change by the 1989-90 school
The NCAA has an established,
eight-year probationary periotl
before it will accept a school as j
full-fledged member in a Divi
sion I conference; howeva,
schools admitted on a provi
sional status can still participate
in conference games. ;
Should Norfolk State be ac
cepted as a provisional member
of the NCAA, the school will
have to spend more money oh
travelling to games. Norftri];
State lacks a football field, and
must play all of its home games
on Old Dominion University’s
field.
Mackey said he thinks Norfolk
State may not have considers
all the ramifications of a change
to Divison I status. He pointed
out the school would be taking on
three sports-soccer, fieli
hockey, and gymnastics-all re
quired sports for a Division
school. ;
“Maybe the grass is lookini
greener on the other side f
Norfolk State,” Mackey said.
If the NCAA accepted Norfol|
State as a provisional memba
the conference would not be abl|
to send a team to the NC^
Champsionship, because in otl
der for the conference to con
pete in the championship,
member teams must be fu
fledged members.
lii
By Mike Stone
With just two weeks remain
ing in the regular season, EC
SU’s Lady Viking Volleyball
team has an overall record of 9-
11 and is looking towards the
post-season tournament.
“I feel the team’s chances of
making the tournament are ex
cellent,” Coach Debbie Lynch
said.
ECSU will host the CIAA tour
nament in Vaughan Center Octo
ber 31—November 1. Only the
top four teams in the Northern
and Southern Divisions of the
CIAA are invited to the tourna
ment. Lynch, however, feels her
team should be among the qual
ifiers. “As it stands now, we
should make the tournament,”
said Lynch late Wednesday.
‘We started out with two wins
against Bowie State and St.
Paul’s College,” Lynch said.
Coupled with a forfeit, ECSU be
gan the season with a 3-0 record.
The Lady Vikings dropped
three losses to N.C. Central,
Winston-Salem St. and Shaw
University before picking up
their fourth and fifth wins
against Christopher Newport
and Virginia State.
ECSU went on its longest los
ing streak September 26 when
the Lady Vikings dropped a
home match to St. Augustine,
then lost on the road four times
to Norfolk St., N.C. Central, and
two matches to Fayetteville St.
ECSU is 4-4 in its last eight
matches with wins against Vir
ginia Union, St. Paul’s College,
Bowie State, and Virginia
Union, and losses to Hampton
University, Winston-Salem
State, Virginia State, and St. Au
gustine.
While the ECSU’s record now
stands at 9-12 Lynch hopes her
Lady Vikings can do well in the
tournament.
“We’re really young and inex
perienced,” Lynch said.
“I keep telling everyone we’ve
got to have failure before we
have success,” she added, “but
a lot depends on how much we
mature between now and tour
nament time.
Regarding the tournament
Lynch said, “I hope a lot of peo
ple will come out and watch the
tournament. We need to show
our support for the tournament
so the rest of the conference will
see that we can host a major
event like this.”
%
r
Photo courtly of Holly-Fonviiie Phoiographyj
The lovely vibrant Viking Cheerleaders prance across the astroturf in the Fish Bowl.
Squad plans ‘banner year
By Alisa Robinson
After long hours of sweat and
practice, the 1988-89 Cheering
Squad is ready for a banner
year.
So declared the squad’s five-
year advisor, Mrs. Addie Grif-
fen.
“Not only does the squad have
more members,” said Griffen,
’’but this is also the first year we
have had a JV squad. We were
fortunate to have six young la
dies returning, and we gained
ten additional ladies, none of
whom are freshmen.”
Griffen said the large number
of women who qualified for the
cheerleading team enabled her
to form a JV squad ot six mem
bers. There are 12 members on
the varsity squad.
JV squad members say they
will probably make their grand
ARMKETOBE.
RKKOICDWmL
The Nike Air Force III High.
338-5091
Southgate mall-^
THE
GALLEY
"A WATERFRONT DELI"
IS NOW
OPEN I
SI LOCATED IN THE WATERFRONT SHOPPES S
jSS 400 S. WATER STREET ^
338-1100 OPEN
NEXT TO MARINERS WHARF
itWiS
appearance at the first confei i
ence basketball game, cheeriii i
for the Lady Vikings.
At away games, the travellii !i
squad will consist of ten men
bers. So far this year at
three JV girls have cheered
every away game, except
Fish Bowl.
“This simply proves that t
JV girls are just as dedicated j
being on top as the varsik
girls,” said Donna Langst(|
captain.
“The new faces are definite s
part of the plan,” said P*
Brite, ECSU’s “Miss Chei
leader,” this year. “But coop
nation, spirit, teamwork and?:
are all areas in which we plaj it
excel.”
Added Brite, “I think we-
a good squad this year, withal
of good ideas.”
Stephanie Price, a junij
member of the squad, said®
feels the squad’s morale wa* ‘
high gear as the squad cheerj
the team on the first game of “
season in Charlotte. “Tl*
cheered the guys on in the ra ^
and kept them pumped up a"'
way to their victory over
Smith.” .
“Not only did it rain the W
game,” said Angela Hagefj
freshman, ’’but it rained at
first three.”
Both squad’s ultimate
this year are to keep the cro«
support and to be “number ow
in every aspect.