^ rP
a
ly • January 21
For more informatif
apati at 847-0917,
The Battalion
ORT
Page 7
Tuesday • January 21, 1 997
■nity: There will be;
eeting for Engineei
Scientists at 7
i. For more inforrc
3urns at 696-547
is at 693-7847,
Men's swimming and diving head towards crunch time
ednesday
fhere will be age-
ew internations
ite rested Aggies
y’s. For moreinft
le at 776-8652.
There will be a gei
3 p.m. in 1271%!
i Club: There willle
neral meeting a::
oldus. For more
on Jink at 268-20'i
cal Society: The
g of the semester
100 Butler, Free pi
For more inform:
>n at 696-2259.
Aggieland: Sign
rs Country Wes-
j Lessons are fr
n the MSC
nation call Eric Bi
5379.
a Battalion servii
■profit student a:
s and activity
ie submitted no la
days in advance
i date. Appficai
I notices are ml
nil not be
you have anyqiies-
ill the newsroom)!
a complete li
ee The Batt 0
veb.tamu.edu,
Naftanel turns
injury-plagued
freshman year
into successful
sophomore year
0
By Courtney Lyons
The Battalion
n the heels of a turbulent
freshman year, Texas A&M
diver Mark Naftanel has had
to put a lot behind him to prepare
for this season.
After hitting his head on the div
ing board in November of last sea
son, the sophomore spent the off
season strengthening both his
body and his mind.
A&M Head Diving Coach Kevin
Wright said the new strength-train
ing program Naftanel has been
working with has helped him pre
pare better for the season.
"This has been a year of growth for
him,” Wright said. “He is staying with
in his own realm of comfort in meets.”
Despite the scare of hitting his
head, Naftanel was able to come
back to win the Southwest Confer
ence 10-meter championship last
February by over 115 points, be
coming the first Aggie diver to win
a conference title in 50 years.
At the NCAA Zone meet in
Arkansas, he again hit the diving
Stew Milne, The Battaijon
Sophomore Mark Naftanel performs an inward one and a half with a two and a half twist dive against
Tennessee Jan. 1 6 at the Student Recreation Center. Naftanel won the event.
board and was taken to the hos
pital. Add that to an injury which
left his foot in a cast, and one may
wonder why he returned to the
pool at all.
However, Wright said Naftanel
enjoys being a part of the team and
loves the sport too much to not
compete.
“His desire (to compete) out
weighs any fears he might have,”
Wright said.
During the off-season, the Ag
gie divers began training with a
new weight program, enabling
Naftanel to perform a new list of
dives with a higher degree of dif
ficulty than those he performed
last year.
Last week in a dual meet with
Tennessee, Naftanel went head-
to-head on the one-meter spring
board with 1994 World Champi
on Evan Stewart — and won.
See Naftanel, Page 9
By Courtney Lyons
The Battalion
Texas A&M University has not
been known, in recent times, for its
prowess in the pool. The Texas
A&M Men’s Swimming and Diving
Teams, however, are beginning to
turn some heads at both the con
ference and national levels.
The Aggies have improved this
season over last year’s efforts, and
are now ranked 18th in the nation.
The Aggies have had a challenging
season so far, competing against
four of last year’s top-10 teams.
A&M Men’s Head Swimming
Coach Mel Nash said swimming
against top-level programs makes
the Aggies stronger.
“These dual meets against
strong programs raise our compe
tition level,” Nash said.
The Aggies have come on strong
this season, beating Kansas on the
road, and setting a new record in the
freestyle relay at the U.S. Open at the
beginning of December, where A&M
beat the powerhouse University of
Southern California in head-to-
head competition.
Senior backstroker Robb Pan-
tano said dual meets with top
teams have given the Aggies com
petitive experience against some of
the fastest swimmers in the nation.
“We have learned not to back
down, not to be intimidated,”
Pantano said.
These wins, coupled with a
tough loss in a dual meet against
Louisiana State University have
prepared the Aggies for their up
coming competitions in their
dual meet with the defending na
tional champions, the University
of Texas, the Big 12 Conference
meet (which will be held in Col
lege Station), and the NCAA Zone
competition, for which several
Aggies have already qualified.
“Even though we lost the dual
meet to LSU,
it was our best
dual meet
ever,” Nash
said. “The
Nash
team swam
well and im
proved their
times and
mental tough
ness consid
erably.”
Nash said after the tough
meets this season, his team
knows they can compete on the
national level.
Pantano said if the new mem
bers of the team can mentally fo
cus on their races and swim the
Big 12 Championships like a
normal meet, the team will do
well, both in conference and
NCAA action.
“We need to get over the ‘big
meet’ feeling, and concentrate on
swimming the way we know we
can,” Pantano said.
See Aggies, Page 8
Looks can be deceiving
idents
iting.
ott
Jerwood
>
oozen
sau
ureal
Junior swimmer Danee Mastagni seems serious on the blocks / but she always has a song running through her head
By Sara Duesing
j The Battalion
( T T er hands fidget with her gog-
) ■ I—I gles, twisting them over and
X -Lover again. An intimidating
look encompasses her face as she
stands before the water, ready to race.
The whistle blows, and Danee
Mastagni of the Texas A&M Women’s
Swimming Team appears focused
and determined.
“it's funny, my friends in the stands
say 1 look so serious," Mastagni said.
“But usually, something ridiculous is
running through my mind, like the
words to a song.”
Though Mastagni may not be the
most serious of athletes, she is tough,
find her teammates praise her for
contributing a light-hearted and pos
itive attitude to the group.
Sophomore teammate Lauren
Buckalo said Mastagni is constantly
making someone laugh.
“She is always in a
happy mood,” Buckalo
said. “She is real positive
and sincerely wants
everyone to do well.”
The junior from New
Orleans, La., has not
only made an impres
sion on her teammates
but on her competition
as well. Specializing in
the breaststroke and in
dividual medley,
Mastagni has posted
some noteworthy times
in races this season.
Against Louisiana State University
last November, Mastagni finished the
200-meter breaststroke with a time of
2:17.54. At the same meet, she posted
a 2:07.91 finish in the 200-meter indi
vidual medley.
Head Women’s
Swimming Coach Don
Wagner said the reasons
why Mastagni’s team
mates chose her to be
team captain are obvi
ous. In addition to her
experience and success,
he said, she is complete
ly supportive of the oth
er swimmers.
Mastagni, who was
a consolation finalist
at the Olympic Trials
last year, has found some tough com
petition within her own team in ath-
“She is always in
a happy mood.
She is real posi
tive and sincerely
wants to do well.”
Lauren Buckalo
Sophomore teammate
letes such as Buckalo, but has main
tained her positive spirit.
“Lauren has beat her a couple of
times, but (Danee) is never one to be
upset,” Wagner said. “She is always the
first to congratulate her.”
With ambitions to attend law school,
Mastagni said that although she loves
swimming, she is sure this is the only
time in her life she will participate in
such rigorous training. But for now, she
is enjoying herself and the rewards that
come with such hard work.
“After a really hard workout and
you’ve done this amazing thing in the
water, you get this sense of accom
plishment,” Mastagni said. “(Swim
ming) has brought me closer to my
teammates, too.”
See Mastagni, Page 8
Stew Milne, The Battalion
Junior Danee Mastagni was a consolation finalist at the
Olympic Trials last year.
ren
?n
r iner
i/er
^ener
h
The Race and Ethnic Studies Institute and the Music Program (Col
lege of Liberal Arts) at Texas A&M University present:
Free Concert
in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday
cecarver
Thursdaij, JanuarLj 23,1997
more
^ht
'COff
anek
?r
7:30 p.m.
Rudd er Theaf er on the Texas /X&Kd C am
pus
For more information about
this program, please contact
the Race and Ethnic Studies
Institute at 409-845-0966.
"It’s a small victory, but this is what
the members of New Arts Six do:
teach Spirituals, preserve Spirituals,
and, most of all, perform Spirituals
for adults as well as children. ”
Dallas Morning News (Feb. 6, 1994)
New Arts Six was founded in 1986 by six Dallas-based African American women
who saw a need to revitalize the musical legacy of African Americans. They will
present “A Joyful Noise”, a production set at the turn of the century, with six women
recounting their joys and sorrows through songs, Spirituals, and poetry.
Partial funding for this program is provided by a grant from the Texas Commission
on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Aits.
Additional support for the program has been provided by the B/CS Eagle, the Texas
A&M Department of Multicultural Services, and the Texas A&M Chapter of Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
DELTA SIGMA PI
SPRING RUSH 1997
INFORMATIONAL RUDDER 308
JANUARY 21 8:30-10:00 P.M.
SOCIAL FOX & HOUND
JANUARY 22 7:00 - 9:00 P.M.
♦PROFESSIONAL 110 KOLDUS
JANUARY 23 7:00 - 8:15 P.M.
SOCIAL FUDDRUCKER'S
JANUARY 23 8:30 P.M.
SOCIAL KYLE FIELD PRESS BOX
JANUARY 29 8:00 - 10:00 P.M.
Invitation Only
♦INTERVIEWS MSC 230, 231
JANUARY 30 7:00 - 11:00 P.M.
Invitation Only
* PROFESSIONAL ATTIRE REQUIRED
OPEN TO ALL
BUSINESS MAJORS
“THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
MELISSA CARTUSCIELLO - 696-4190
TASP Students
Mandatory Meeting Rescheduled to:
lues. Jan. 21 or Wed. Jan. 22
o
6 - 8:00 p.m.
Room 165 Blocker
0
Bring: Scantron 882-E, pencil,
copy of schedule and letter
If you have any questions, contact:
Center for Academic Enhancement
529 Blocker • 845-2724
Intro to Library Full-Text Databases and
Electronic Journals
The library offers a variety of databases which include the
full-text of many journal articles and reports.
Learn about these time saving databases, as well as tech
niques to refine your search to return more accurate re
sults. Accessing databases from the library's Web page,
the availability of full-text electronic journals, and citing
electronic information will also be discussed.
Wednesday, January 22 .... 1 2:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Monday, January 27 ... . 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 28 ... . 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
All classes will be held in Evans Library, room 204B
For more information, call 862-1060