The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 14, 1986, Image 12
Page 12/The Battalion/Friday, February 14, 1986 A&M 'fish' making splash on women's swim team tank By KEN SURY Assistant Sports Editor Swimming for a nationally-ranked women’s team can put a lot of pressure on anyone, but two Texas A&M freshmen nave begun their collegiate careers smashingly. As in, record-smashing. Rachel Benzel and Suzanne Fiori, freshman room mates, already have set A&M records in freestyle dis tance events on the depth-thin Aggie women’s squad. Much of last semester the pair took turns breaking the 500-, 1,000- and 1,650-yard (considered the mile) freestyle marks. Benzel currently holds A&M records in each of those events, while Fiori is just a few sec onds behind. Although Benzel comes from the nearby Wood lands and Fiori is from Clearwater, Fla., both said they chose A&M because it offered what they were looking for. “I really liked the (swimming) program a lot,” Fiori, a bioengineering major, said. “(A&M’s) a combination of good academics and good athletics. I didn’t want to go to a school where I swam all the time." “I think it’s really helped to bring moreoutofs erybody,” Benzel said. “If you’ve got a lot oft on the team, you can just kind of hide behind people. This situation makes you want to doyot best, but it’s not a pressure situation just becausetlifJ are less swimmers. “With only five girls, we get a lot of attention(l the coaches). With the student assistant coaches * Coach (Mel) Nash and (assistant coach Ttt| Johnston, it’s about (a ratio of) one-to-one. Thaii real big change for us because we both camefromlij teams (in high school).” Fiori added, "It is a little disappointing knov:: you can’t win a meet as a team, but I think everyoi understands and we work on individual performl ces.” Saturday, top performances will be required it t| women hope to defeat an always-tough Texaslet| Both the men and women will compete in thei meet scheduled for 2 p.m. at the P.L. Downs Nat rium. mim, Benzel, a marketing major, said, “I just got along with the people here. I really felt comfortable here, and I felt like I could swim fast with the type of train ing at A&M. And like Suzanne said, it’s a perfect com bination of athletics and academics.” A&M swimmers Rachel Benzel (left) and Suz anne Fiori smile during a break in practice at the Photo by MIKE SANCHEZ P.L. Downs Natatorium. The A&M men’s and women’s teams host Texas at 2 p.m. Saturday. The A&M women’s team began the year ranked No. 15 in the country, but has fallen on lean times due to injuries and swimmers leaving the program. A&M has only five women swimmers and one diver, too few to win a meet as a team. But Benzel said she feels the Aggie swimmers actu- lalle ally have benefitted from the smaller group. “Texas is the best — they’re No. 1 (in thenatiosi Benzel said. “I’m not expecting to beat anyone,kij all depends who they put up in their eventi," Fiori said, "Whoever we swim against, it’ll be a j meet before conference.” The women's Souttot Conference Championships will be heldatthell swimming center in Austin Feb. 27-Mar. 1. Although Benzel and Fiori are merely fresh this year, next year they, along with sophomoren shirt Kelley Johnston, will be the veterans of thete:| The other three A&M swimmers, Edlyn Bell,\si Moir and Jody Tanner are seniors. “It won’t be more pressure on us,” Benzels "just more responsibility.” Fiori quickly added, “It’ll probably keepusinli too.” A&M track teams try to play spoiler in SWC meet • » i i »-**■» r-J 1 « Ir Ac* #■ 1 Ir V c V f il 1C V7 d Y* 11 \_7 C cold *1 fklT By TOM TAGLIABUE Sports Writer Arkansas, Southern Methodist and Houston are the heavy favorites to win the Southwest Conference men’s indoor track and field cham pionships Saturday in Fort Worth. The top contender for Texas A&M is freshmen shot putter Randy Barnes, who is trying to unseat de fending champion Marty Kobza of Arkansas. Kobza has the best put (65 feet, 4 inches) so far in the SWC, followed by SMU’s Lars Nilsson and Barnes, who has put the shot 63-3%. Barnes beat Kobza last week in Oklahoma City, although neither had their sea son’s best puts. One of the better events of the meet, to be held in the Tarrant County Convention Center, should be the 60-yard dash. SMU’s “Robot” Roy Martin was the most heavily recruited track ath lete in Texas last year, but he has only the second fastest 60 in the SWC. LeRoy Burrell of Houston has the fastest time of 6.17 seconds. A&M’s Floyd Heard has the SWC’s third best time in the 60-yard dash at 6.24 seconds. Aggie Stanley Kerr has the fifth best time and Law rence Felton the ninth. Felton also has the fourth best time in the 60- yard hurdles. “I try to make a mental picture of the race. The (key to the) whole race is getting off to a great start. If you get out real slowly, you’re in the back of the pack and it’s really hard to make up ground. ” — A&M runner Matt Dunn Aggie high jumper Ernie Mendez thii is ranked third in the SWC with a jump of 7 feet, just S'/a inches less than the leading jumper in the con ference, Bill Jasinski of Arkansas. Two Aggie long jumpers have a chance for points — Ian James and Chris Walker. James, who qualified for the NCAA nationals two weeks ago, has the fourth best jump in the SWC (26-2 3 /4) and Walker the sev enth best. The Aggies’ mile relay team of Kendrick Wesley, Gary Purvis, Mau rice Holt and Heard have the fourth fastest mark in the SWC, trailing SMU, Baylor and TCU. The Aggies, who ran 3:14.55, are less than two seconds off the second best time. However, A&M Assistant Track Coach Steve Silvey said the Aggies tnis will not use Holt this weekend. Holt has been bothered by a nagging in jury and will be replaced by fresh man Matt Dunn. Dunn will also compete in the 1,000-yard run for the Aggies. He has the SWC’s 10th fastest 1,000 this season. Silvey said Dunn also could compete in the two-mile relay if he does not qualify in the 1,000. Dunn said he has to picture the race and likes to talk to someone to relieve the tension before a race. “I try to make a mental picture of the race,” Dunn said. “The (key to the) whole race is getting off to a great start. If you get out real slowly, you’re in the back of the pack and it’s really hard to make up ground.” While Dunn is competing in his first SWC meet, senior Fransisco Oli vares wall be competing in his second and final SWC track meet. Olivares, an All-American triple jumper from Mexico, will compete in the long jump as well as the triple jump, where he ranks sixth in the SWC’. with a jump of 50 feet, 10 inches. Olivares said his goal for his last SWC meet is to jump 54 feet and help the team win the championship. “I think (the team) is pretty good this year,” Olivares said erybody will try to do their best pretty sure the team thinks« win the (SWC) championship. Olivares’ triple-jumping pai Terrence Strong, will notcompeii the meet. A&M Head Track' Charlie T homas said Strong^ injured foot and the Ags’willtni get Strong redshirted as a case. The A&M women’s teamrfB looking to place and scorepoinuff^ 1 0 the first time in two years fcft xas ^ Saturday’s SWC meet Brted it B Catfish Dinner & Medium Drink Only $ 3.89 Come on in to Long John Silver’s for a real down-home treat. You get tender, farm-raised catfish fillets rolled in cornmeal. Served with fresh cole slaw, golden fryes and crunchy hushpuppies. LIMITED TIME ONLY LongJohn Silvers. [ SEAFOOD SHOPPES 1 " - ^ M Good at: 1808 Texas Ave. & 3224 S. Texas Ave., College Station The Aggies’ top contenderis®^ 1 a jumper Brandy Stubblefield.$aP na S taI hlefield has recorded the thirdif-The A est jump in the SWC at B-G'/z. Bason n Silvey also mentioned Vffijswcjit all Dunn, Kathy Craig and Bethft® Tiger as possible point producers foiftltv Aggies. ■“The i »lent-w id A& IDDLE EAS M S S O N ~ presents 10 am Saturday, February 15 Closing Address ■ SAN , iked 2 911; InioSp l e Ho Kht. J Alvin ■es M; Burs, w .Ig site faery i tts this y Akeet <jause o fiarter, )ints, : ^wis L losing el The 1 With 10 rough b y a Gil 19-98 1 Kpreless during t I Hous B2 on i if' that Insive urs t Ictory. Dr. William Quandt The Brookings Institution Rudder Theatre - open to the Public c