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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1988)
Friday, March 25, 1988/The Battalion/Page 9 Sports yhert ation. opavn entofiij xemp> : | ed to were t idn't Ifj jcausei dp of d first 1 ■quati on “Seur ngton. ia V in it* | dch semi. 3 P.m.: 301 Ruj I a through I it 11 an Churdi. rnalionj t Cenira n Harvei and plan | aduaies II peop^ | > Socieii >■ in 1611 ie meei- '6 a Iree nainpa' n Impae I Joiner • I ns will x | from 111 DonalC pubhst I'sUpis aremr n. lip e$ !S jiirorii o ‘fish’ on the court Churchwell plays tennis like veteran for A&M By Anthony Wilson Sports Writer Ever wonder why freshman are Icalled fish? Perhaps it’s because the Imajority of first year students floun- Ider — academically, extracurricu- llarly and socially. Freshman athletes lare no exception. They are rarely successf ul because lof immaturity, undeveloped skills or |a combination of the two. But 1987-88 could be called the lYear of the Fish at A&M. Bucky jRichardson and Darren Lewis were ■major contributors to the football ■team’s Cotton Bowl championship. |Melanie Rother, Freddie Ricks and Steve Hughes all played well in their Initial seasons. But another, less acclaimed fresh man has quietly been racking up vic- lories on the tennis court. Competing in the No. 2 or 3 seed i singles competition, Cindy Shurchwell has compiled a 14-3 re cord this spring entering today’s 8 a.m. match with the University of peorgia. She is ranked No. 84 in the nation isingles play by the Intercollegiate ennis Coaches Association, jhurchwell also had a 10-5 record in tall competition. Not bad for an 18-year-old straight out of high school who was simply hoping to make the top six on |the team. “I figured I could play top six, but had no idea I’d be playing three,” Churchwell said Thursday. “When Coach (Bobby Kleinecke) first told ae I was playing three it was a sur- But now I’ve gotten use to it I feel comfortable there. I’ve een playing pretty well at three.” Cindy Churchwell Churchwell also believes that be ing a freshman has distinct advan tages. Since they are unproven, peo ple have no expectations of freshmen, so any success is consid ered great, she said. “There’s less pressure because when you come iti, just to be winning matches is good for a freshman,” Churchwell said. “I don’t feel any pressure because this is my First year and I know I’ve got three more years to go. “I can just go out there and play relaxed and just be happy with what ever I do. If I win that’s great for a freshman. Once I start establishing myself, I’ll probably get more ner vous because people will expect more from me. But when I first came out, I felt no pressure at all. 1 think that’s why I’ve been playing really well.” However, Churchwell has faced times when being a freshman was a big disadvantage because of her lack of experience. Against No. 12 Texas, Churchwell and her doubles partner, fellow freshman Susan Williams, played in the Final match which decided the outcome of the team results. Churchwell and Williams lost, giving UT the win 5-4. “We felt so bad,” Churchwell said. “We wanted to win that for the team. But it’s a team effort. We lose as a team and we win as a team. I can look back on it and say, ‘Well, the next time we’re in that situation, we won’t do it again.’ “We had not been in very many situations where the team match came down to our match. I’m not glad we lost it, but it helps because next time we’re in that situation, we’ll be a lot stronger and know what to do. It’s just a matter of experi ence.” The pressure of playing in matches does not usually effect the freshman, but she said knowing the team is counting on her to win can put her on the spot. “You just have this feeling that you want to win for the team,” she said. “That’s probably the most pres sure. I’m out there for the team more than for myself.” Although Churchwell thought she was good enough to be in the team’s top six, she had no idea she would be as successful as she has been. Even though she was the Texas 5A state runner-up and state champ in 1986 and 1987, she realized college tennis would be much tougher. “Most of the tennis was on your FRANKENSTEIN y '/( 1 \ adapted m Barbara field O THE ClTHRIE THEATER March 30, 19G8 Rudder Auditorium Tickets available at: 1*1 SC Box Office • 845-1234 • Dillards Ticketron MSC Opera and Performing Arts Society ctt;'lemorial Student tenter • lewis Att'l l rmersitv • Box II • tolleue station F\ 77B44 l JOH own,” Churchwell said. “It wasn’t high school related. “Most college coaches don’t go by your high school tennis. They go by how you’ve done in USTA (United States Tennis Association) and your rankings in the state of Texas. To play high school tennis is really for your own personal preference. But it’s a lot tougher in college. It doesn’t even compare to high school tennis. “I’d compare college tennis to a lot of the matches in national tour naments. That’s how hard all your matches are going to be, give or take a few matches.” Churchwell’s daily regimens with tennis coaches in Houston paid off in the juniors division when she was ranked No. I in the state and in the top 80 in the nation. She was also one of 32 junior players selected to play in the U.S. Olympic Festival this summer. But Churchwell has turned her focus exclusively to collegiate tennis and helping A&M battle UT and SMU for the conference championship. A&M has a 3-1 Southwest Conference record with four matches remaining. “We’re looking to finish in the top three and tie for conference cham pion,” Churchwell said. “It’ll be close because SMU and Texas are tough.” Although she has achieved great success early in her tennis career, Churchwell said the thought of play ing professionally doesn’t cross her mind. “I don’t feel I’m anywhere near good enough to be pro,” she said. “But with the next four years, I’ll just see what happens. When I’m a senior maybe then I’ll consider it. That’s not my first initial goal, but it’s a possibility.” A&M could face fine or Cotton Bowl ban over radio controversy By Loyd Brumfield Sports Editor Texas A&M could face some harsh penalties ranging from Fines to not being allowed to play in the Cotton Bowl as a result of violating the Southwest Confer ence’s radio agreement with Host Communications. However, SWC Commissioner Fred Jacoby said Thursday that no affirmative action had been taken against A&M and any pe nalties discussed were only of a speculative nature. “The conference has decided to come to a Final decision regard ing A&M on April 15,” Jacoby said in a telephone interview with The Battalion. SWC athletic directors met Wednesday in Dallas for a series of meetings in which the A&M ra dio situation was discussed. A&M recently signed a three- year contract with LearField Com munications, Inc. worth more than % I million. A&M Head Coach and Athletic Director Jackie Sherrill has said A&M abandoned the Host agreement because of prefer ential treatment for the Univer sity of Texas. Jacoby said the SWC is urging a spirit of cooperation between A&M and Host. “The conference has requested that A&M and Host work out their differences and come to an agreement that would be benefi cial to the whole conference,” he said. SWC President Bob Sweazy, in an interview with the Houston Post said Wednesday that 10 pe nalties were being considered, in cluding barring A&M from the Cotton Bowl, withholding reve nues and levying a Fine. Sweazy, who was unavailable for comment Thursday, said in the Post his main concern was getting A&M and Host to come to an agreement. “We’re looking at a number of options, but we want to work out a fair and equitable agreement,” he said. “The situation has un doubtedly become more clear.” Jacoby emphasized that all dis cussions about penalties were strictly informal. “They (athletic directors) are just tossing ideas around at this point,” he said. There was speculation that the University of Arkansas and UT could follow A&M’s lead and pull out of the Host agreement if A&M wasn’t penalized. “That again is nothing more than speculation,” Jacoby said. “I’d rather not comment on any thing of that nature.” Jacoby said no further action would take place until the April 15 meeting. Center for Retailing Studies INVITED LECTURE SERIES Tuesday, March 29 Stephani Cook Director of Retail Marketing Television Bureau of Advertising - New York and Senior Vice President, New Business William Esty Company - New York "Understanding the New Consumer” 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Room 102, John R. Blocker Building Students, Faculty and Members of Community Invited Ms. Cook will also be making an evening presentation “White Collar, New Consumer” Tuesday, March 28 Room 150, John R. Blocker Building Reception to follow Public Invited 7:30 p.m. mu Three Days Only: “ a ^ h 28 Anything else is just a sale! Everything in the Store at up to 50% off 3 Days Only Mark your Calendar FRIDAY, MARCH 25 10am-8pm SATURDAY, MARCH 26 10am-7pm MONDAY, MARCH 27 10am-5pm To make this event our biggest ever, we’re SLASHING prices to the bone! You’ll find deep discounts on first quality brand-name bicycles, clothing and accessor ies. Come in and take advantage of our multi-store buying pow er! Great buys under s 10! Everything from Avocetto Zephyr helmets Excluding ’88 bicycles T ■'■lIlKiil 809 S. Texas Ave. 696-9490 im™ AGGIELAND ) SCHWINN® Open 9:30-5:30 M-F 9:30-4:30 Sat.