Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Oct. 21, 2000, edition 1 / Page 10
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10 Saturday, October 21, 2000 Upbeat Fryer Proves Steal For UNC ' ”■ -V / I jP" DTH/RYAN VASAN Defensive specialist Lisa Fryer ranks third on the Tar Heels with 204 digs. Cross Country Prepares for Postseason Feast By Kelly Lusk Staff Writer The regular season is not much more than a really long practice for North Carolina men and women’s cross country teams. Our Tar Heel Santa DELIVERS A CAROLINA BLUE CHRISTMAS YEAR AFTER YEAR. 7-1/2" TALL. $29.95 A Southern Reason- Eastgate • Chapel Hill, NC • 919-929-7133 • 800-253-3663 www.SouthernSeason.com Practice is finally over on Oct 28 at the ACC Championship race. “Ilook at the regular meets as workouts and confidence builders,” freshman standout Shalane Flanagan said. “Our main goal is just to peak at the right time, which is the end of the UNC Athletics By Gavin Off Staff Writer Duke must be kicking itself. When North Carolina’s Lisa Fryer was a junior in high school, she was all set to attend a volleyball camp at UNC’s archival, one of the schools recruiting her. But when that camp was canceled, Fryer came to one at UNC instead. She fell in love with the University, and the rest is history. “We were fortunate,” UNC coach Joe Sagula said. “She came in with a lot of energy - something we were looking for at that time.” Fryer, a senior captain, is part of the Tar Heel defense that helped UNC to an ACC championship last year and has carried it to a 17-4 record this year. She ranks third on the team in both digs per game and total digs with 204. Fryer’s consistent play is one of the aspects of her game that has gained her the confidence of her coach. “She’s gotten better every year Nick lauco season.” Most of Flanagan’s team mates agreed that regular season races are used not so much for results, but as preparation for postseason com petition. “You mainly want to use regular season for train ing,” senior captain Nick lauco said. “You want to do well because you want to intimidate other teams and get your name out there, but at the same time you don’t want to show all your cards until postseason.” lauco stepped up his training for his senior season and does not plan on tapering his mileage during prac tice before any championship races. He said he runs better when he keeps his training consistent. Most of the team will decrease their practice intensity starting next week. “Iff you're looking for authentic Mexican... it s the real enchilada, -urt*otysth Mexican Buffet, II mi until 10 pm every day. Lite niyht menu Friday G Saturday until midniqht LATIN DANCING EVERY FRIDAY, 9 PH UNTIL.. 50i Tones ferry toad, (antao 1/2 mile north uf5G bypass. 0(0-0171 she’s played,” Sagula said. “I couldn’t be hap pier to see how well she’s doing. Last year-and-a half, things have really fallen into place for her.” But consistent play isn’t the only thing Fryer, a Lisa Fryer defensive specialist, brings to the court Her teammates describe her as the team mother, the one who goes out of her way to help them. “I’m just always upbeat,” Fryer said. “I’m positive out there. I think that’s important.” She played an important role in junior middle hitter Krista Buchholtz’s decision to attend UNC. Fryer hails from Washington while Buchholtz comes from Wisconsin, and Fryer understood what moving across the country to North Carolina entailed. “She said, ‘You know when you The Tar Heels will not train in the weight room for the duration of the postseason, and they will decrease their training mileage as well. This will seem like a vacation for UNC’s runners after their regular sea son training schedule. The team held intense practices two or three times a week during the regular season, even if the Tar Heels were racing that weekend. Coach Michael Whittlesey calk this practice tech nique training through the meets. Whittlesey has proven that his training style cre ates positive results. “The mindset of the athlete becomes much tighter during the postseason. They realize this is what they’ve been training for. ” Michael Whittlesey UNC cross country coach Last year, the women’s team shaved between 20 to 24 seconds off its times after a month of the less intense practices. But while the physical pressure on DTH Sport Saturday come down here you have 12 sisters right away,’” Buchholtz said Fryer told her during her recruiting trip. “She takes care of us.” Asa self-proclaimed people person, that’s just a part of Fryer’s personality. In situations where some players might get down on their teammates, Fryer remains up-beat and determined. “I think it would be cool to play with five people like her,” sophomore outside hitter Laura Greene said. She added that the Tar Heels feed off the energy Fryer brings to the court. Playing collegiate sports was a no brainer for Fryer. One of her uncles played in the NBA, another was a pro fessional golfer, and the Expos drafted her father out of high school. Naturally, Fryer followed in their footsteps. But UNC has Duke to thank for Fryer finally ending up at Chapel Hill. “I cannot even imagine my life without (athletics),” Fryer said. “I was always competitive and always involved. I really like the sports world, and I feel really at home here.” UNC runners might decrease, the mental pressure mounts as the stakes go up. “There k definitely more emphasis and pressure on conference and dis tricts because that’s what counts,” sophomore Matt Weiss said. “That’s what everyone remembers. If you run well in those races, nothing else mat ters. And if you run badly in those races, nothing eke matters either.” To keep the team focused, Whittlesey dis cusses strategy with the Tar Heels in the week prior to any big race. “The mindset of the athlete becomes much tighter during the postseason,” Whittlesey said. “They realize that this is what we’ve been training for all year.” The Tar Heels agree that it all comes down to the postseason com petition. “I think that it doesn’t really matter what you do during regular season,” lauco said. “We don’t have to worry about things like qualifying for a bowl, like football.” The Tar Heels have one race, the ACC Championships, to earn recog nition in their conference. Beyond that, the Tar Heels will focus on plac ing high enough at the District 111 Championships in order to qualify for the NCAA Championships in November. Now is crunch time for North Carolina. “The regular season is just the appetizer,” Weiss said. “You want the main course to be good.”
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 21, 2000, edition 1
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