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.'
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It ; s not too late to get in the '97 Aggieland
Don't miss out on this final Class pictures will be taken 9
opportunity to be in Texas a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through
A&M's Aggieland yearbook. Friday until Feb. 21.
Pictures being taken
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across from University PLUS -
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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.
Highlight accomplishments of Mr. Weirus, Executive Director Emeritus of the Asso
ciation of Former Students: Served ad Executive Director of AES from 1964-80, es
tablished the first computerized alumni association in the country, established the
Century Club, the initiation of the President’s Endowed Scholarship program and the
Visitor Information Center, was an active member and past president of the San An
tonio A&M Club.
Applications Due by 5:00 p.m. February 3, 1997 at the Clayton Williams Alum
ni Association Reception Desk. Good Luck!!
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