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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 1997)
PORTS Page 9 Thursday • January 30, 1997 o firw e " catc h' n 9 Howard makes splash onto scene r weel the Big 12 lampionshipstol” was recru, ' ed l :eks away, lheTes,B umcrous other mingand Diving I; ?' ll !ne svvimmin g up the dual-meet 11 gies have only three nd are beginning to e conference meet, ;ind in competition, nge the Aggie men is their youth and j ce in high-level coi n the men’s swimiq ggies boast four ref ricans — sophomc:] owever, the Aggies nnng those who also tried to lure o face this and othe Mrard to their programs, the season closes. Ihe six-foot standout from In High School said he chose ricans All-Aroiirpi because he saw potential in the large numbero: ie |Aggi es ’ ever-growing swim- g program. The main reason 1 chose A&M . „ -vcause 1 saw it as an upcoming tef°pforao**| 0 |,- Howard said. “The othei > etnn dr en,an Kois didn’t make me feel ascom- ur veteranshaKJ‘ b ' e A&M did. I am really well in recent ni«;i sedwllh my choice, dual meet with the Head Mari’s Swimming ifTexas, Mardem» c h Mel Nash wanted Howard ter breaststrokeu-lcompete for the Aggies because n the 50-meter l^as one of the best recruits in d placed secondin:iecountry. reestyle. The dual |Hewas definitely a young man we t associated with our program,” said. ‘‘He is really focused on By Nicki Smith The Battalion ften times, a high school ath lete has trouble attracting the attention of major col- programs. But for freshman mer Devin Howard, this could e further from the truth. [ot only did Howard earn gh accolades in school to he re ed by the Texas Men’s Swim- Team, but he ersity, the Uni ty of Texas, the ersity of Ten- ee, Southern odist Universi- ard the Universi- If Arizona were “We really want him representing A&M as a student athlete, in addi tion to his excep tional speed." Mel Nash A&M Head Coach ie last time theAgp look at the returnir. ampions before the onference champi- lere the LonghornstL ike first place. L/IERK.E.R F) are the favorite. | . “But the compel Continued from Page 7 ce) will be tough. ■ ■Starting pitcher Shane Reynolds said Pool Advanls’ fierker’s experiences as a player will make will the Big Him a solid manager. hips take pis: “He knows how the season goes,” Reynolds t the Student said. “He’s been here and been successful on il Center Nataa this level. He knows how the game works. It \A Zone D Divin[vi]ljust take a little experience to learn the rips also will be/iiiel of when to make the moves.” ’gies are excited iDierker’s baseball philosophy revolves they feel is a “hoirMnind the idea that players will play— if the tage.” I >ing to have a lot of lampionships," “This will be a low everyone iito can do in the pool.’ -day meet willpcW February. us( trying to gel re:' fastest,’’ senior i oiler Guillory saii ike each meet one!' ^e get to conference. both swimming and school and has the ability to do really well here. We re ally want him representing A&M as a student-athlete, in addition to his ex ceptional speed.” Nash also said Howard could help push the A&M team to the next level of college swimming. “Devin was interested in our program because he has family ties here at A&M,” Nash said. “Aside from that, there are significant changes going on here, and it is ex citing for guys to come in and take a team that was in the top 25 in the nation and make it one of the top 15 best teams in the nation.” Among Howard’s many events are the 200-meter individual medley, the 50- , 100-, 200- and 500-meter freestyle events, the 100-meter butterfly and the 100-meter breaststroke. In addition to his numerous individual events, Howard also swims on many of the relay teams, including the 200-meter medley relay and the 200- and 400-meter freestyle relays. With that long of a list, one would think Howard would have a har d time choosing an event he felt was his best. However, Howard was able to narrow his choices to three events. “I think I swim the strongest in the 200-meter butterfly, freestyle and the individual medley,” Howard said. “I still need to improve my times and fine-tune my strokes, but overall I feel most comfortable with these.” Stew Milne, Thf Battalion Freshman swimmer Devin Howard has overcome a shoulder injury and post three of his lifetime best times in meets this season. In his four-year varsity high school career, Howard received 22 high school All-American certificates. He also received the 1994 Male Swimmer of the Year award at Klein High School and was the 1996 Distr ict 21-5A Male Swimmer of the Year. Howard held seven school records at his high school as well, was a member of the 1995 Junior National Team that competed in France and competed in several na tional meets, including the 1996 Olympic Trials, the 1994 Olympic Festival and the Phillips 66 Senior National Championships. Despite his strong background, Howard has had little time to dis play his talents for the Aggies be cause of a shoulder injury. “So far my best meets have been at Louisiana State University and the U.S. Open, but I still feel that I can improve my times,” Howard said. “One of my strong points is my ability to focus and block out dis tractions, so hopefully it will show in my times.” Howard has been able to clock three of his lifetime best times in na tionwide meets. These include a 2:1.68 stint in the 200-meter butterfly, a 56.03- second time in the 100-meter butterfly and a 1:54.45 best in the 200- meter freestyle. Nash said Howard will keep getting faster now that he has re covered from his shoulder injury. “Once we got past that, his swimming technique has pro gressed very well,” Nash said. “With his genetic ability, hard work and a little time, he has the tools to be successful in swim ming. With that, and having gone to the Olympic trials and other big meets, he should be able to surprise some people.” manager can motivate them. “The relationship a manager establishes with his players is the most important thing,” he said. “You have to get them to believe in what you’re trying to do. “I don’t really care what people think. They can speculate all they want about my success or failure, but we’ll still play the games.” What most fans across the country may not realize is Dierker is not the first manager to jump into the fire with no previous experi ence. The New York Yankees’ Joe Torre heads a list of big league managers who took their jobs before coaching in the minor leagues. “I don’t feel like I’ll be overmatched by oth er managers,” Dierker said. “There are so many decisions a manager makes during the course of a game, you really can’t pin the game on one decision. Every situation can go either way, no matter what you do; there’s no real right or wrong. Obviously, the guys who do the moves well enough end up staying.” But Dierker emphasizes his belief that handling the players is the key to a manager’s success. “The guys who do it best keep the team going,” he said. “They keep the mood right, the atmosphere right and keep everybody motivated.” * Resurrection lie A&M diving pro- suscitated whenHei Wright took overt! ice then, the Aggie tdded strength to nd are now compe' level. With several! lali lying for this ye! Meet, including Mark Naftanel, ennifer Spychalski >di Janssen, W s to bring the team level of competitiot against some oftlif i the country. jw moving in tha s/ard the national t said. “Each meet is with the opportun® lete on that level.' TAKE US THERE n \BW DM OLLEOE »r*TI0*J Bypass O Hwy30 7WJ (R> ; WIFE (PG) -13) BAD DO (PG-13) .ISSIPPl (PG-13) LARRY FLYNT (R) 0:05 rES (PG-13) TO <3-13) 00 R (PG-13) 0 Find out about employment opportunities and possibly set up an interview. All students and disciplines welcome. 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Pictures being taken ON CAMPUS in MSC basement across from University PLUS - Vocal 1 Music aqPLUsJ d ■ G^ieraTBarber Class Portraits by A R Photography Call 693-8183 for more details The TAMU Buck Weirus Spirit Award 1996-97 Buck Weirus Spirit Award Applications are now available for undergraduate and graduate students in the following locations: President’s Office 8th floor Rudder The Association of Former Students Reception Desk Vice President for Student Affairs 10th Floor Rudder Office of the Dean of each College Office of Graduate Studies Student Activities Office Suite 125 Koldus Building Multicultural Services Department Suite 137 MSC Commandant’s Office Suitel02 Military Sciences MSC Student Programs Office 216 & 223 MSC This Award recognizes students for outstanding contributions to the student quality of life program at A&M and honors Richard “Buck” Weirus ‘42 Industrial Education. 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