Texas A&M
Battalion Sports
Thursday, April 28, 1983/The Battalion/Page 9
Disappointed
Alkio says team just ‘couldn’t get it together’
by Scott Griffin
Battalion Staff
The Texas A&M mens’ tennis
team wrapped up this season
ranked fifth in the Southwest
Conference, and while many
considered the performance a
good showing, others thought it
was a disappointing year.
Among those who thought
Texas A&M could have done
better is Van Barry and Kimmo
Alkio, the pair who won the No.
3 conference doubles bracket.
Both expressed displeasure in
their team’s performance this
past season.
“It was a disappointing year,
overall,” Barry says. “We lost
some conference matches that
really hurt. Our losses to Hous
ton and TCU were crucial.”
While the TCU matches we
ren’t close, Barry said the Hous
ton losses were heartbreakers:
“We should’ve beaten Houston.
Even though we lost 7-2, all of
the matches were close and it
could have gone 7-2 the other
way.”
Barry pointed out, however,
that even though the losses to
Houston hurt, the team still had
a good chance to better their
fifth-place finish. “We were tied
for fifth with Houston going in,
and that’s the way we finished,
but we could’ve easily gotten
third — we just didn’t play well
enough.”
“We were capable,” Alkio
says, “of doing a lot better than
we did this year. We just couldn’t
get it together for the big match
es. Coach has done his best to try
to get the players ready, and
that’s all you can ask from him.
It was just us — we didn’t come
up win the big wins.”
Still, Alkio was impressive this
year, finishing with a singles re
cord of 25-5. The Finnish na
tive’s only losses were to SMU,
Trinity, TCU, Clemson and
Arkansas — all teams that were
ranked in the top twenty at some
point in the year. Playing in the
No. 2 position in this year’s
men’s singles bracket for Texas
A&M, Alkio says he suprised a
few people who hadn’t heard of
him before.
“I beat a lot of players I wasn’t
supposed to,” he says.
Despite the fifth place finish,
one must keep in mind that two
top-ten teams are in the confer
ence. Top-ranked SMU narrow
ly edged fourth-ranked Arkan
sas for the conference title.
As far as NCAA competition
is concerned, Barry hinted that
there could be an upset: “Arkan
sas finished only four points
down in the tournament, so they
could do really well.”
As far as the Aggies are con
cerned, they will have to wait un
til next year, which doesn’t
appear to bright at this point.
The team will lose their top
doubles team in Brian Joelson
and Tom Judson. The Aggies
will also lose their team leader,
Ron Kowal, and Alkio.
Although he is only a sopho
more, Alkio will return to Fin
land at the end of the semester
for nine months of mandatory
military service.
The good part about Alkio’s
departure is that he will not lose
his two remaining years of eligi
bility. And he’ll continue to work
out during his service. “I’ll get to
play about four hours a day, and
I’ll also get to play some tourna
ments, so it won’t hurt me.”
The one bright spot of next
year is the recruits who have
signed with Texas A&M.
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Women golfers second in SWC
tourney; Lady Frogs finish first
Last Day
staff photo by David Fisher
finish spring practice today with the
Maroon and White game at Kyle Field.
Kickoff for the game will be at 4 p.m.
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The TCU women’s golf team
just got better each day and ran
away from the field to capture
the first-ever Southwest Confer
ence women’s golf champion
ship.
The Lady Frogs, led by fresh
man Rita Moore and senior
Anne Kelly, finished with a team
score of 889, 17 strokes ahead of
second place finisher Texas
A&M.
Moore captured the indi
vidual title with a three-day total
of 220, one stroke ahead of
SMU’s Cathy Hanlon. Texas
A&M’s Shirley Furlong finished
third with a 222.
Kelly helped the TCU effort
with a 3-under-par 69 Wednes
day, the best round of the tour
nament.
TCU and Texas A&M were
tied at 302 after the first round
Monday, but the Lady Frogs
fired a team score of 296 Tues
day to A&M’s 304 to take the
lead. TCU increased its lead
Wednesday, shooting a 291,
The Aggies had their best round
Wednesday also — a 300 — but
it was not enough to catch TCU.
SMU finished third with a
912, Texas was fourth at 913
and Texas Tech was fifth with a
976.
SMU’s Amy Benz, one of the
favorites to win the individual
title at the Ridglea Country
Club, finished tied for eighth
with a three-day total of 227. A
second round score of 78 pre
vented her from finishing
higher.
Texas A&M coach Kitty Holly
was pleased with her team’s play.
“We played very consistent
golf,” she said. “I wish we could
have played this well all year.”
Both Furlong and Holly
agreed the Aggies were up for
the tourney because it was the
first-ever for women in the
SWC.
The Aggies, currently ranked
No. 19 in the country, are await
ing the last computer printout
from the NCAA to determine if
they will advance in the rank
ings. The top 17 teams in the
country will advance to the
NCAA championships in
Athens, Ga. The new rankings
are scheduled to be released
May 4.
Other Texas A&M scores:
Jackie Bertram: sixth place with
a 224
Susan Yantis: tied for twelfth
place with a 231
Patricia Gonzalez: tied for
fourteenth place with a 232
Angela Atkins: tied for four
teenth place with a 232
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Room #216 Reed McDonald
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.