The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 14, 1986, Image 12

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    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 &
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Only $ 3.89
Come on in to Long John Silver’s
for a real down-home treat. You
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with fresh cole slaw, golden fryes
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Good at: 1808 Texas Ave.
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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
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presents
10 am Saturday, February 15
Closing Address
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Dr. William Quandt
The Brookings Institution
Rudder Theatre - open to the Public
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