SPORTS
11
APRIL 23, 2010
The truth about Guilford's drug testing policy
By Crosby Blair and Will Cloyd
Staff Writers
At Guilford, student-athletes and
cheerleaders must submit to random drug
testing according to National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) rules if they
wish to compete at the Division III level.
Once every semester five percent of every
team must undergo random drug testing.
The five percent rule means that players
competing on a smaller team, like the tennis
or golf teams, have a greater chance of being
chosen.
The student-athlete does not have to be
tested if he does not want to and the school
must have the student sign a waiver in order
to test him. The catch, of course, is that in
order to participate in the sport, the student
must sign this waiver. Failure to agree to
testing means not playing.
Furthermore, refusal to take a test after
being chosen counts as a positive result and
leads to a 30-day, in-season suspension as
well as eventual urinalysis.
A company called Medscreen tests the
selected athletes and gives the results back to
the school.
If the tests come up negative, then there
are no consequences. If the test is positive,
however, then there are repercussions.
If the student openly admits to drug use,
then he or she will be placed in counseling
at the least after the extent of drug use and
what types of drugs were being used is
ascertained.
A first positive test also leads to counseling
and random testing during the period of
counseling. In this case, the student will be
allowed to continue to participate in his sport
as long as the drug involved is not cocaine,
heroine, or hallucinogens, including ecstasy.
If the athlete tests positive again, it leads to
an in-season, 30-day suspension along with
counseling and random testing.
The third time an athlete tests positive
results in a one-year suspension along with
treatment. After one year, the student may
apply for reinstatement, which may or may
not be granted.
These rules and regulations are clearly laid
out on the school's Web site.
Despite the clarity and transparency of
these rules, some students still find contention
with the drug testing policy.
"I've been chosen twice for drug testing,
along with several other athletes," said senior
tennis player William Mason-Dees. "I feel
the odds of this happening randomly are
very slim and that the trainers are targeting
athletes who they think might use drugs."
"I find it hard to believe that ifis random,"
agreed junior tennis player Mary Simpson. "I
was chosen twice for the drug test."
Head Athletic Trainer Gary Rizza could
not disagree more.
"The process is totally random," said Rizza,
who explained that the training staff uses a
bingo machine to choose athletes' names.
Each athlete is assigned a number
corresponding to a number on a ball, and
then the balls are shuffled around and picked
out at random.
"We might as well draw names from a
hat," said Rizza.
"It's totally random," agreed Athletic
Director Tom Palombo.
Palombo also discussed the reasons for
testing, besides the fact that the NCAA
mandates testing.
"It's not a punishment," said Palombo.
"It's about education and prevention."
Furthermore, Palombo discussed that
the testing helps keep athletes safe in the
physically demanding world of college
sports. He explained that college sports are
strenuous and that Guilford does not want
any athlete putting himself at risk if he or she
is using drugs.
"We care about the safety of the athlete, "
said Rizza. "We want them to be aware and
educated."
REVIEW
Guilford athletics: Spring sports put on a show
Continued from page I made in a single game on Feb. 2, on
Dec. 2, sophomore transfer Jazlyn
by sophomore transfer Bri Eilman, Gibbs took a three-point shot with
which gave the Quakers a 1-0 win. six seconds left in a deadlock 52-
More new faces on the men's soccer 52 tie against Washington and Lee
team found spotlight, early.. Firsb'* University. As .the ball left .Gibbs'
years Ronnie Castellanos and Freddy fingertips, spinning backwards
Gomez combined for 15 goals in the perfectly, all 150 fans in Ragan-
team's first 11 games. Whenever one
of the two scored a goal in Armfield
he would greet the fan base at the
midfield sideline with a celebratory
dance.
Guilford football fans saw an
unfamiliar face behind center this
season. In an upset victory over
Randolph-Macon on Halloween,
junior quarterback Billy Watkins
threw for a378 yards, two touchdowns
and zero interceptions.
The women's
volleyball team outdid
their predecessors by
earning the best record
(12-15) since the 199714-
16 team. There were an
average of 113 fans per
home game this season, ———
who witnessed the team
reach the Old Dominion Athletic
Conference (ODAC) tournament.
As winter arrived, so did the
goosebumps in what Guilford men's
basketball fans will remember as one
of the greatest seasons to date. As fans
watched from the bleachers inside
Ragan-Brown Field House, and
from their computer chairs at home,
Quaker nation followed seniors Tyler
Sanborn, Clay Henson, Rhett Bonner
and the Quakers to the top of Division
III basketball's world with an ODAC
championship banner wrapped
around their shoulders and a second
consecutive Final Four appearance to
their name.
Women's basketball had their
share of glory in a season that will be
remembered for the 3-point shot. A
month before the Quakers broke the
school record for the most 3-pointers
shot would
was reassuring.
fall.
The
Brown new the
The "swoosh
Quakers won by three
In their first year outside of Ragan-
Brown, the swim team collected a 3-4
record, 2-2 in the ODAC with the help
of their leading senior Justine Merritt.
The senior finished writing Guilford's
record book for the 100 breast, 200
breast and 200 individual medley in
2010, as she earned record times at the
ODAC/Atlantic States on Feb. 13-14.
The seniors, the fans, and legendary golf
coach Jack Jensen will be missed in 2010-11.
As the spring arrived, so did the
first-year class on the men's and
women's tennis teams, who helped
the Quakers overcome Greensboro
College in their opening match 9-0
(men) and 7-2 (women).
The baseball team also swept the
Greensboro Pride in 2010, thanks to
lights-out pitching performance
by junior Zach Daw in game two
on March 30. In a game where Daw
felt "invincible," the starter recorded
seven strikeouts in seven shutout
innings for a 2-0 Quaker win.
Guilford's track and field teams'
inaugural seasons introduced
sophomore transfer Derick Kosgei,
The Flash. Many Guilford fans
blinked and missed the middle-
distance runner run a first place,
15-minute, 21-second 5000-meter run
at the Charlotte Invitational on April
17. Kosgei's times in 2009-10 will be
cemented in Guilford's record books
for years to come.
Guilford's softball team broke
several records in 2009-10 and in the
doubleheader on April 16 against
Emory & Henry College. Witih the
10-0, 16-3 sweep of the Wasps, the
Quakers broke the single-season
win record of 26. Record-breaking
performances by senior Charissa
Duncan lifted the Quakers. Duncan
had a hat trick of homers in game one
and reached safe on 12 total bases.
Senior golfer Peter Latimer also
capped his legendary Guilford career
in style as he finished first at the Camp
Lejeune Intercollegiate on March 26-
28 with 66-70-71 scores.
Women's lacrosse enjoyed
leadership and
productivity from
seniors this season.
Elbe Merritt, Shelly
Nogueira, Carrie Eamst
and Bree Vohs have
combined for 81 goals
and 118 points while
Alyzza-May Callahan,
the goalie, leads the ODAC in saves
per game with 11.
Junior men's lacrosse goalie Mark
Guillen averaged 13.53 saves per
game this season, and had 13 saves in
an overtime win over Oberlin College
on April 4. A fancy no-look pass
from sophomore Daniel Dowd and
a quick catch-and-shoot goal from
sophomore Greg Nash clinched the
12-11 win for the Quakers.
As Guilford's tennis teams, lacrosse
teams and softball team finish their
respective seasons, the spring teams'
seniors become anxious for one last
chance at an ODAC crown.
The seniors, the fans, and legendary
golf coach Jack Jensen will be missed
in 2010-11. But next year will give
young Guilford athletes a chance to
shine, and more fans an opportunity
to witness the unimaginable.
What You Missed in liuiHord Sports:
LAST WEEK’S GAMES AND MATCHES
Lacrosse 4/11
‘4/14
Softball
Tennis
4/8
4/10
4/11
4/14
4/10
4/11
4/12
WOMEN'S SPORTS
GUILFORD 17 Sewanee 23 $
GUILFORD 14 Sweet Briar 5*
GUILFORD 0/2 Meredith 7/0 DH
SWEET BRIAR 0/0 Guilford 8 (6 inn.)/16 DH
RANDOLPH-MACON 4/8 Guilford 3*/7* DH
GUILFORD 12/4 Randolph 9*#/8*# DH
Guilford 6 LYNCHBURG 3*
GUILFORD 6 Randolph 3*
GUILFORD 3 Roanoke 6
What You Doni Want to Miss In Guilfom Sports:
UPCOMING GAMES AND MATCHES
WOMEN'S SPORTS
Lacrosse
4/17
Guilford v. ROANOKE 12 noon*
4/21
Guilford v.WASHINGTON AND LEE 5:00 p.m.
4/24
ODAC Quarterfinals TBA
4/28
ODAC Semifinals TBA
5/1
ODAC Finals
Softball
4/16
Guilford v. EMORY & HENRY 3 p.m.*
4/18
Guilford V. LYNCHBURG 1:30 p.m.*
4/ 23-25
ODAC Tournament TBA
Tennis
4/17
GUILFORD V. Emory & Henry 1:00 p.m.*
4/18
Guilford V. RANDOLPH-MACON 2:00 p.m.*
4/23-25
ODAC Tournament TBA
HOME TEAM IN CAPS Stone mountain Golf Course in Stone Mountain, GA.
*- Old Dominion Athletic Conference Match #-Score for the Cure Game
Bay Creek Resort Cape Charles,VA $- Senior Day DH- Double Header