The Battalion
Friday
August 25, 1995
15
Rec Center offers sneak peek this weekend
Texas team wins, moves
to Little League Final
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) —
Spring, Texas, is headed to the cham
pionship game of the Little League
World Series.
The team from the Houston suburb
beat Yorba Linda, Calif., 3-1 on Thurs
day behind the pitching of Michael
Cepeda, who threw a two-hitter and
struck out 1 3.
On Saturday, Spring will face Tai
wan, which beat the Dominican Re
public 1-0 in seven innings.
Kyle Foster, a 4-foot-9 shortstop,
went 2-for-3 with two doubles for the
Texans. He had an RBI and scored the
run that put the Spring ahead in the
bottom of the fifth.
“This is the opportunity I've
dreamed about my whole life," said
Foster, 12. "I can't wait."
Taiwan is the heavy favorite to win
its 16th Little League championship,
but that doesn't bother Foster.
"We've got a heart as big as Texas
and that wins ball games," he said.
Former star Higuera plans
return to major leagues
JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — Former
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Teddy
Higuera says he plans a return to the
major leagues next season, the gov
ernment news agency Notimex said
Sunday.
He said his fleeting stint with the
San Diego Padres did not make him
feel washed up.
He said his departure from that
team was because the Padres wanted
to give opportunities to younger
pitchers. Higuera has been playing
professional baseball for 18 years.
He will play winter baseball for
Los Mochis of Mexico's Pacific
League to get in shape for another
shot at the majors, he said.
His major league record is 93
wins, 54 losses with 1,043 strikeouts.
Higuera's finest season came in
1986 when he finished 20-8.
□ Students can use the new facility Sat
urday and Sunday before its grand
opening on Monday.
By Nick Georgandis
The Battalion
This fall, returning to school early not only gives A&M
students the chance to buy their books and get settled in,
but also to get a sneak preview into what all the hype on
West Campus is about.
The Student Recreational Center will open its doors to
the public for the first time Saturday at 6 p.m. to give stu
dents a chance to check out the new, state-of-the-art facil
ity. Students will have the opportunity to inspect the fa
cility and use all of the equipment it has to offer until
midnight Saturday, then again on Sunday from noon un
til 8 p.m.
Starting Monday the regular hours will be 6 a.m. to
midnight Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to mid
night on the weekends. Originally, the Recreational
Sports Department had plans to have the center be a 24-
hour facility, but Assistant Director Judy Reising said the
plan was not feasible for the employees.
“It will take between 1,000 and 1,100 workers to run
the facility,” Reising said. “With such a heavy workload it
A quarter-mile running / walking trial circles the perime
ter of the third floor of the Student Recreational Center.
Stew Milne The Battalion
The new Student Recreational Center, located across from Olsen Field on West Campus, will have a sneak preview
opening for all Texas A&M students Saturday and Sunday. The center opens on a regular basis beginning Aug. 28.
would be very difficult to keep it open 24 hours a day.”
A $50 per student fee is helping to pay for the cen
ter’s maintenance. The fee allows all students total ac
cess of the facility every day of the week. Equipment
rentals, aerobics classes and lockers cost extra, but
have been computerized to quicken the payment
processes.
The only part of the facility that is not completed is
the natatorium and the outside swimming pool. Reising
said a tentative date of Oct. 1 has been set for the open
ing of the aquatics facilities.
The natatorium will be used by the Texas A&M
Swimming and Diving Teams for practices and meets.
It has a seating capacity of 1,300, which can be expand
ed to 2,500 for bigger meets. Students are welcome to
watch practice and use the seating areas for studying or
relaxing during the day.
The outdoor pool includes “islands” in the pool for
sunbathing and a current for more strenuous swim
ming
One of the biggest attractions in the indoor part of
the facility is a 42-foot tall rock climbing wall. Reising
said the wall is expected to be one of the most popular
activities because of it is unique in this area.
“This is the only wall of this kind between Houston
and Dallas,” Reising said. “Students must complete a
training class in wall safety before they use the wall,
however.”
For the two days this weekend, students will have
free run of the 14,000 square foot weight and fitness
room, the quarter-mile indoor track, the four sand vol
leyball courts and eight multi-purpose gyms for basket
ball, volleyball, soccer and badminton.
For those who are not completely dedicated to physi
cal perfection, the center provides plenty of additional
distractions. There are lounges interspersed throughout
the workout areas, along with a snack bar that accepts
Aggiebucks and several snack and drink machines.
In addition to the dozens of physical activity areas
available to students, the center also houses a large
special events room that can seat 430 people for ban
quets, meetings dances or small concerts. There are two
classrooms in the natatorium area for kinesiology class
es, one with 40 seats, the other with 150.
Wagner named to
head swimming job
□ The former USC as
sistant has 17 years of
coaching experience.
Staff and Wire Reports
The Don Wagner World Tour
has arrived in College Station.
Wagner, who has already trav
eled to Colorado and Japan this
summer, was named Texas A&M’s
head women’s swimming coach
Tuesday by Senior Associate Ath
letic Director Lynn Hickey.
“There was a tremendous num
ber of great applicants, but I’m
confident that Coach Wagner is
the way to go,” Hickey said. “He
brings immediate high visibility to
the program. With his level of en
thusiasm and experience, I am
confident he can build the type of
women’s program that we want
here at Texas A&M.”
Wagner comes to A&M after a
3-year stint as an assistant coach
at the University of Southern Cali
fornia. He has 17 years experience
at the national, collegiate and club
levels.
Wagner said he was very
pleased to be coming to A&M.
“This is a chance to build an ex
cellent program,” Wagner said.
“The potential is unlimited, and
I’m really excited to work with the
athletes there. It’s an opportunity
to recruit some great athletes to a
great school.”
Wagner is coming to College
Station from Fukuoka, Japan,
where he served as the head coach
of the United States men’s swim
ming team at the 1995 World Uni
versity Games.
Earlier this summer, Wagner
coached the Eastern All-Star Team
at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival
in Boulder, Colo.
Before coaching for USC, Wagn
er served as head coach of the
Fullerton (California) Aquatics
Sports Team (FAST). During his 3
years as coach, his team won the
Junior Nationals title in 1989.
While at FAST, Wagner coached
Olympic Medalist Janet Evans,
who set the current world record in
the 800-meter freestyle.
The Aggie Swimming and Div
ing Teams were separated into
men’s and women’s teams in late
May. Both teams will move into
the new Student Recreational Cen
ter this season and will host the
first Big 12 Swimming and Diving
Championships next year.
Wagner said the new facility
sweetened the deal for him to
make the move to A&M.
“I think this is one of the great
est jobs in the country, with the
new facility and the strong com
mitment from the department,”
Wagner said. “For me, this is a
dream come true. I have high
hopes for the program and the
swimmers. I expect a lot of fun
for everyone.”
□ A judge dissolved the
team's restraining or
der Thursday.
HOUSTON (AP) — A federal
judge on Thursday dissolved the
Houston Oilers’ temporary re
straining order, clearing the way
for Houston and Harris County
to sue the team if it tries to move
to Nashville, Term.
But U.S. District Judge Lynn
Hughes warned lawyers for the
city, county and operator of the
Astrodome that to move in that
direction, they would have to
face him first, instructing them
not to try to file lawsuits in state
district courts.
“The judge said they can file
and the first thing they’re going
to have to do is come and explain
to him why it’s not something
that’s already in this case,” said
Oilers attorney Phil Sudan.
Hughes lifted the temporary
restraining order, but made no
move to dismiss the Oilers’ law
suit, which claims the city, coun
ty and Astrodome
USA, manager of the
county-owned As
trodome, are violat
ing the team’s civil
right to move across
state lines.
“I had high hopes
he (Hughes) would
say this case will be
mentioned no more
forever,” said Gerald Treece, an
attorney for Harris County and
the city of Houston. “I wanted to
take a silver bullet and put it
right in the heart of this case.
The judge also ordered attor
neys back to court on Sept. 6
when Hughes will decide
whether a preliminary injunc
tion against the three defen
dants will be imposed or a trial
will be scheduled to test the
merits of the Oilers lawsuit.
Despite the lifting
of the restraining or
der, Sudan appeared
pleased with the
judge’s actions.
“I think the
judge’s views were
pretty clear that if
the city and the
county can stop the
Houston Oilers from
moving to Tennessee than they
can stop the man who has the
laundromat down on the comer,
you can stop the hardware store
owner from moving his busi
ness,” Sudan said. “And that is
exactly the kind of parochial lo
cal governmental interference
that the interstate commerce
clause was designed to prevent.”
In Hughes’ courtroom Thurs
day, a lawyer for Astrodome
USA owner Drayton McLane,
said his client has made repeat
ed attempts to discuss the dis
pute with Adams, but the Oilers’
owner Bud Adams won’t return
his phone calls.
“He (McLane) has no inten
tion of suing the Oilers to keep
them in Houston,” said Wayne
Fisher, McLane’s attorney,
adding that McLane only wants
to Oilers to comply with their
contract and remain at the As
trodome through 1997.
Because McLane has reached
out to Adams and promised not
to sue, allowing the Oilers’ law
suit “seems to be unreasonable
and unfair,” Fisher said.
Injuries stack up as A&M approaches opener
SWC media tour ends with
A&M picked to dominate
LUBBOCK (AP) — Accord
ing to the 47th and final group
of Southwest Conference foot
ball media tour members,
Texas A&M is the clear-cut fa
vorite to take its fourth SWC
title in five seasons.
All 19 members of the me
dia who wrapped up the 1995
tour on Thursday in Lubbock
picked the Aggies to be the
conference’s final champion.
Texas A&M finished with
152 points, with 8 points for
each first-place vote, 7 for sec
ond place, 6 for third, etc.
Texas finished second in the
preseason poll with 115 points,
followed by Baylor with 109,
Texas Tech with 94.5, Texas
Christian with 79.5, Rice with
74,Southern Methodist with
37 and Houston with 21.
Last year, there was a five
way tie for first, with Texas
Tech going to the Cotton Bowl
by virtue of not having gone
since 1939.
Texas A&M finished 10-0-1
overall and 6-0-1 in the SWC,
but was ineligible for the title
because of NCAA sanctions.
The writers picked Leeland
McElroy as preseason Offen
sive Player of the Year for the
second straight year, and
Texas A&M defensive end
Brandon Mitchell as Defensive
Player of the Year. UT run
ning back Ricky Williams
headed balloting for Newcomer
of the Year.
□ Chris Sanders, Dat Nguyen
and Michael Jennings have all
missed time due to injuries.
Staff and Wire Reports
The Texas A&M football team has spent
its next-to-last week of preseason practice
nursing bumps and bruises while prepar
ing for the season opener Sept. 2 against
Louisiana State University at Kyle Field.
The Aggie offense received a major boost
Wednesday when senior wide receiver
Chris Sanders returned to practice for the
first time since injuring a hamstring last
week. Sanders is the Aggies’ leading re
turning receiver after grabbing 22 passes
for 422 yards and four touchdowns in 1994.
One player who was not as lucky as
Sanders is freshman running back Michael
Jennings. Jennings underwent an MRI x-
ray on Tuesday which revealed a small tear
in the patellar tendon. Jennings, who had
been mentioned as the Aggies’ starting
punt returner, will be out for two to three
weeks.
Another of the Aggies’ walking wounded
is redshirt freshman linebacker Dat
Nguyen, who suffered a concussion in Mon
day’s morning workout. After being held
out of Monday’s afternoon practice, Nguyen
returned in a limited capacity on Tuesday.
Wendesday, the team held its second in
trasquad scrimmage, and A&M Head
Coach R.C. Slocum said he saw definite
progress from the team.
“I thought we improved significantly
since our last scrimmage,” Slocum said.
“The lightning (a storm interrupted the
practice) chased us off the field for a while,
but when it stopped we got in some good
woyk. I was really pleased with the strides
Stew Milne, The Battalion
The Texas A&M offensive and defensive units meet at the line of scrimmage in a practice at
Kyle Field. The Aggies are entering their last week of practice before their home opener Sept. 2.
we made.”
Another Aggie player received another,
national honor on Tuesday when the
Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, Inc.
announced its preliminary list of candi
dates for this year’s Butkus Award, given
to the nation’s outstanding collegiate line
backer.
One of the 62 candidates is A&M senior
Reggie Brown, who comes back from a 67-
tackle season in 1994.
Other Southwest Conference players up
for the award are Southern Methodist’s
Chris Bordano, Rice’s Joe Davis, Baylor’s
LaCurtis Jones and Texas Tech’s presea
son All-American Zach Thomas.
Houston gains ground in race to stop Oilers’ move