NCAA tournament: Into the great wide open
By Tony Hokayem
Cento Sportswriter
This past weekend was a growing experience for our young track team.
Despite the constant rain and bitter cold, the senior leadership of the track team held the crew together to place some good season starting times.
First off, the men’s leadership in Kevin Chapman ‘00 and Jason Engel ‘00 led the charge.
Chapman won the 100-meter dash outright and placed second in the 200-meter dash (only .02 seconds behind first place Brett Gerhart from Grace College).
Engel placed fourth in the triple jump and long jump.
As for the remainder of the sprinters, Blayne Gower ’02 placed seventh in the 400-meter dash while Joe Guthrie ’02 swept the 110-meter high hurdles and 400-meter intermediate hurdles.
The two first place finishes by Guthrie were good complements to Myles Holbrook’s ‘01 first place finish in the 800-meter.
The next integral part of the men’s successful day on the track was the unexpected performance of Thomas Manco ’03 in the 3000-meter Steeple Chase.
This was the first time Manco had ever run the Steeple, and he performed quite well considering the weather conditions.
Centre also earned first and third place finishes in the 400-meter relay and 1600-meter relay.
The field events were an important factor. Michael Ingram ’02 won first in the shot put and third in discus while Aaron Skinner ‘02 took 3rd in the shot put.
Andrew Smith also added a fifth place discus and Spencer McKinnes ’02 took 5th in the shot put.
Overall, the men performed well but Berea edged them by 2.5 points. Berea scored 126.5 to Centre’s 124.
As for the women, they also preformed well considering the conditions.
Similar to the men, the senior leadership was key in the women performance.
Julie Wheeler ‘00 placed fifth in the 110-meter high hurdles, 4th in the javelin and 8th in the long jump.
Amanda McCracken ‘00 placed eighth in the 800-meter and 1500-meter run.
Needless to say, the seniors were busy on that day.
Following the seniors, juniors Rachel Myer and Liz Leming placed third and 7th respectively in the 10,000-meter (6.2 miles).
This event is 25 grueling laps around the track, which is tough, but when you add the weather experienced on Saturday, it makes the event even more difficult.
The remainder of the women’s score came from the freshmen.
The freshmen class followed the tone set by the seniors and ran some competitive times.
Rachel Jones ran in numerous events including the 200-meter, 400-meter, 100-meter hurdles as well as the relay teams. She placed fourth, 5th, and 7th respectively in these events. She was also a member of the 1600-meter team, which placed seventh overall.
The other freshmen standout was Meredith Holbrook. She ran to a fourth place finish in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles and bolstered the field events crew with a 4th place finish in the high jump.
Eva Bookjans, another freshman, earned seventh place in the javelin.
Overall, the short-handed women’s team scored eighth overall with 45 points.
This weekend the running Colonels face the bitter cold once more and travel to regional rival Hanover. The women and men hope to improve on what has started out as a good season. Back to top...
NCAA tournament: Into the great wide open
By Jed Hilbert
Special to the Cento
After a hectic conference championship week, the seedings have been set, and now we all will wait and see who can put together the most important six-game winning streak of the season.
Cincinnati feels slighted with a lower seed after losing the best player in the nation, Kenyon Martin, to a broken tibia, and they should.
They finished with a record of 28-3, and they were first in the ever important RPI poll.
Still, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament Committee felt that they should punish the Bearcats for something that was beyond their control.
Another team that lost a key player earlier this week was Kentucky. Desmond Allison’s DUI and possession of marijuana charges will leave Kentucky with seven players (not including Todd Tackett and Steve Masiello), and no one expect them to get past the Sweet Sixteen.
The actual tournament will be full of its first round upsets like it always is, and here are a few teams to watch:
West
–The Wisconsin-Fresno State game pits a talented Fresno team against a Wisconsin team that should not have made the tournament. Still, I feel that Wisconsin, who is fourth in the nation in scoring defense, will prevail because of the mettle they earned playing in the Big Ten.
–Gonzaga should give the University of Louisville all they can handle when they meet in Tucson. The Cardinals are the type of team that could lose by 15 to Gonzaga or who could go on to play in the Elite Eight. Still, I feel Gonzaga’s steady guard play will carry them past U of L.
Midwest
–Saint Louis and Utah both struggled as of late, but I believe Rick Majerus has the tournament experience to take the Utes to the second round where they will be dismantled by Michigan State.
–In a big upset, I’m going to pick Samford over Syracuse. The Orangemen started the season on a hot streak, but they were 5-5 in their last ten games. Samford is similar to Princeton’s offense, and they shoot well from behind the arc.
East
–Depaul will hand Kansas a first round exit because of Kansas’ pitiful conference record, and Quentin Richardson is worth at least one win for Depaul.
–Pepperdine will give Indiana all they can handle, but this is A.J. Guyton’s senior year, and he can take over a game. I think IU will slip past Pepperdine, but I wouldn’t expect much out of them past that.
South
–Although many people don’t think UNC deserved to be in the tournament, I still feel that Ed Cota can help the Tarheels beat a soft Missouri team that lives and dies with the three-pointer.
–Arkansas is playing better than anyone in the nation right now, and I don’t see them having any trouble with Miami Nashville. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Hogs slip into the Elite Eight.
As far as the Final Four goes, Duke and Michigan State shouldn’t have any trouble and Arizona should make it in the West. In the South, I’m gonna pick Cincinnati.
Five players to watch in the tournament are: Marcus Fizer (Iowa State); Matt Santangelo (Gonzaga); Lamont Barnes (Temple); Harold Dean (Arkansas) and Courtney Alexander (Fresno State).
Finally, the most outstanding player of the tournament will be Kentucky’s Steve Masiello or Shane Battier of Duke–take your pick. Back to top...
Dan Marino steps out of the spotlight
By Steven Wine
AP Sports Writer
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) –For more than an hour, Dan Marino answered questions about his retirement, his career and his future. Then he stepped off a stage at the front of the room and out of the spotlight.
Friends and family were waiting, and former teammate Mark Clayton greeted him with a hug.
“Welcome to retirement,” Clayton said.
“It's not bad, is it?” asked Marino's wife, Claire.
Marino didn't respond. He probably won't know the answer for a while.
With both relief and reluctance, Marino announced his retirement Monday at age 38, confirming a decision he made last Thursday.
During an emotional news conference, Marino struggled successfully to keep his composure, but the perception that the Dolphins pushed Marino into retirement made the occasion awkward.
Former coach Jimmy Johnson, whose feud with Marino turned last season into a soap opera, didn't attend the news conference. New coach Dave Wannstedt was there but didn't speak.
Marino described the weeks leading up to retirement as the toughest of his life.
“Boy, I really struggled with this decision,” he said.
Marino rejected an offer last week to play for the Minnesota Vikings and said he decided to quit mostly because of the toll 17 NFL seasons took on his body, not because of the way the Dolphins treated him.
“The Dolphins could have done things better,” said his agent, Marvin Demoff. “But I don't think it would have changed his decision. There are some hurts, but with Dan, I don't think they'll be hard to heal. He's a forgiving person.”
Team owner Wayne Huizenga took immediate steps to mend fences. He announced that the Dolphins will retire number 13, erect a statue to Marino and name a street after him near their stadium.
Dolphins officials spent three days preparing the team meeting room for 20 TV cameras, 150 members of the media and guests of Marino. Among those on hand were his mother and father, his five children and Don Shula, his coach for 13 years.
Marino's final season ended disastrously in January with a 62-7 playoff loss at Jacksonville, and Johnson quit the next day.
Marino said he went into the offseason thinking he would probably retire too, but he wavered when Vikings coach Dennis Green promised a starting job.
Marino said his family wanted him to keep playing. But he kept thinking about the six knee operations that left him immobile and a neck injury last year that left him temporarily unable to throw.
“It became so clear to him physically that he shouldn't be out there getting hit by people,” Demoff said.
Marino said he hated to give up trying for a championship. He never came close to a ring after 1984, when he and the Dolphins lost to San Francisco in the Super Bowl, 38-16.
Shula disclosed for the first time Monday that he retired four years ago in part because Marino hadn't won a title.
“That helped lead to my decision that maybe somebody else could come in here and get enough people around him to get him back to have an opportunity to win that Super Bowl ring,” Shula said. “That was his frustration and my frustration – that we only went to the one Super Bowl with Dan. But that doesn't diminish from his career.”
Others might disagree. Marino holds most of the major NFL one-season and career passing records, but his failure to win a championship is sure to surface forevermore in debates about the game's great quarterbacks.
Marino said his future will include lots of golf and family time.
He might be interested in a job as a network TV analyst, and down the road he might consider becoming an NFL part-owner or working in the front office. He ruled out coaching.
“No way I can coach the guys that play today,” he said with a laugh. Back to top...
By Chris Mazzocco
Cento Sportswriter
While the golf team only started practice last Monday, some solid play has already been exhibited.
Coming off a fairly solid fall season, the golf team looks forward to improving in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) rankings.
Tom Hobbs and Matt Sander, both returning sophomores, have started the spring season with superb play.
There are ten players on the men’s teams, with seven players on the women’s.
Herb McGuire ‘53, a veteran golfer active in the Kentucky Golf Association, coaches both teams.
A Centre graduate, McGuire also teaches physical education at the college and has previously coached football and track and field.
When he is not busy here at Centre, Coach McGuire also plays and officiates at many amateur and professional golf tournaments around the state.
For the most part, the team members practice on their own, but they attend a team practice once a week to hit balls and work on other shots.
The team practices at the 6,570 yard, par-72 Danville Country Club, which hosts all home matches as well.
The best part about golf, according to first year player Annie Reed ‘02, is that it is fun and a good stress reliever.
“I have to clear my mind to play well and concentrate on the ball, which puts me in a good mood to do homework and focus on work.”
The Centre golf team is ready to exceed last year’s successful performance in the SCAC.
The first women’s match will takeplace on March 20 at the Danville Country Club, while the Centre College Men’s Invitational occurs March 30. Back to top...
High goals, experience fuel Baseball Team
By Brian Murphy
Cento Sportswriter
The weather is getting warmer. The grass is getting greener.
People are going to the tanning beds. What does this all mean? Spring has sprung and it is time for Centre Baseball.
I think we all feel the excitement and there is good reason for it. This could be the best baseball season that Centre has seen in a long time. How do I know? I went to the game. It’s not that hard.
I know that not everyone has classes after lunch, so when there are home games during the week in the future, I expect to see more people out there.
On Tuesday, I went ot the games against Asbury to see the team annihilate their opponent in the first game 10-5 and tie in the second game 3-3, because the game was ended prematurely on account of darkness.
In the first game, I saw more fantastic things being done by our team to push them ahead of thier opponents.
One player in particular that had an impressive perfomance was J.T Kirkland ‘01. Kirkland not only pitched an excellent game, he also hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to carry the team ahead to a 6-2 lead. Kirkland’s performance shows why our pitching is the best in the conference.
I could go on and on about the spectacular plays our team made in that rout, but I am more impressed by the team’s overall goals for the year.
After the game, I talked to sophomore infielder Travis Kern. The Virginia native brought me up to speed on the team’s attitude about this season.
“Last year we were excited to make it to the conference tournament, but this year it is our goal to win it all and I think we can do it. Our intensity is up from last year.”
This year’s team has high expectations and they have a very good reason. With the loss of only two seniors from a year ago, the Colonels have a closer, more experienced team.
This was also the first year that the team played a fall season and it was a tremendous help. Getting the opportunity to have some game experience in the fall incorporated the freshmen into the team before the actual season started and kept the other players in good shape.
Coach Rick Fox also deserves a tip of the team’s hats for keeping the players on a strength and conditioning program.
The team has been hampered by some injuries this year but as long as the team stays reasonably healthy and focused, we should be able to expect big things out of Centre Baseball.
Hopefully by the end of the year, the team will have enought team support for a large crowd to follow them down to Memphis to cheer them on at the conference championship at Rhodes College. Back to top...