The Battalion
Page 7
Monday • February 24, 1997
Waltman brought prominence to A&M track
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Derek Demere, The Battalion
|Linda Cornelius Waltman was the first woman to receive a full athletic scholarship
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By Lara L. Zuehlke
The Battalion
s the first female athlete at Texas
A&M University to receive a full
.scholarship, Linda Cornelius Walt
man left her footprints on the track and her
name in the history books. She not only col
lected 10 school records, but also qualified
for the 1980 Olympics.
Luckily for the Lady Aggie track team, Walt
man decided to transfer to A&M as a sopho
more, after becoming homesick at the Univer
sity of Nevada-Las Vegas. The Fort Worth native
wanted to return to her roots, so she appealed
to have her track scholarship transferred from
UNLV to A&M for her remaining three years.
Waltman, a two-time All-American in
the pentathlon, said she challenged her
self as a child to excel in sports.
“1 had two goals from the time I was a young
girl when I started running club track,” Walt
man said. “One was to get a scholarship be
cause my parents didn’t have a lot of money,
and I knew that if I went to a college or a uni
versity, it would have to be on a scholarship ba
sis. The other goal was to go to the Olympics.
Those were things I always wanted to do.”
Although Waltman’s scholarship ended in
1979, she continued working with the Aggie
track team as an assistant coach so she could
practice with the team. She trained under
the supervision of her husband, who was still
working on his degree.
Waltman also sought help from A&M
men’s track coach Ted Nelson, who now
coaches the men and women’s teams.
“I wish I had her on my team right now,
because she was so talented,” Nelson said.
“She could easily compete with them today.”
Nelson said Waltman brought national
publicity to the women’s track team, proving
that Aggies could hold their own on the track.
“She had the first real impact on the A&M
women’s track team and on the women’s
program,” Nelson said. “When she made the
Olympic Team, she showed that A&M’s track
program was for real.”
Waltman said many of the top track and
field female athletes came from the West
Coast track clubs, but that she stayed in Col
lege Station to support her husband.
“Most girls would go to the West Coast to
compete, and I had the opportunities to do
that, but I chose to stay here,” Waltman said.
“Sometimes I think back on that and won
der if that was a mistake, not to go to the West
Coast to train. They had extensive training,
rather than here where I had to squeeze in a
workout between work and class.”
Waltman said she represented A&M at the
1980 Olympic Trials as a member of the Texas
A&M track club.
“I was glad that I stayed (in College Station)
because it made me feel good to represent
A&M,” Waltman said. “They (Texas A&M) had
always been really supportive of me.”
However, Waltman could not show off her
talents in the 1980 Olympics, because the
United States boycotted the Games.
A&M teammate Sandra (Brown) Taylor
said the team was upset when the games
were boycotted because Waltman had
worked so hard to qualify.
“We were all so excited for her that she
qualified, but then we were disappointed
when she wasn’t able to go,” Taylor said.
After the letdown of the 1980 Olympics,
Waltman said she began training again, but
she had lost the desire she once had.
See Waltman, Page 1 0
be:
Matt 'Blanks' WSU Coogars, 3-1, to sweep series
By Chris Ferrell
The Batealion
The seventh-ranked Texas A&M
Baseball Team used clutch hitting
and got three strong outings from
their starting pitchers, to complete
a weekend sweep
of the Washington
State Cougars.
The Aggies had
a field day with
Washington State
University pitch
ers, scoring 27 runs
and collecting 36
hits in the series,
with 13-2, 11-9,
and 3-1 victories.
A&M batters
came out of their
shell and gained
confidence for the upcoming Big
12 season.
“This is definitely a big boost
for the team going into confer
ence play next week against Bay
lor,” junior second baseman Brian
Benefield said. “Right now our
confidence is high. Our hitters are
going good now and if our pitch-
“Our hitters are
going good now
and if our pitch
ing stays good, we
should do well in
conference.”
Brian Benefield
Junior second baseman
ing stays good, we should do well
in conference.”
In Friday’s opener, A&M took
advantage of nine Cougar errors
and 12 strikeouts from freshman
pitcher Casey Possum to cruise to
an easy victory. Possum picked up
his first victory in an
Aggie uniform.
A&M also used a
four-run second in
ning as a spring
board for their 13 run
performance. Fresh
man designated hit
ter Sean Heaney lead
the Aggie assault, go
ing three-for-five
with an RBI and
three runs scored.
Benefield was the
star of Game two, go
ing three-for-three with a RBI and
two runs scored. The Aggies also
got three hits piece from sopho
more outfielders Jason Tyner and
Steve Leonard.
Junior catcher Matt Garrick
went deep for the second time this
season as A&M jumped out to an
11-2 lead and held on as the
Cougars rallied for seven runs in
the eighth inning.
Junior pitcher Ryan Rupe
gave up two runs and four hits
over six innings.
“Rupe cold have gone longer, but
we limited him to 100 pitches,”
Head Coach Mark Johnson said.
Benefield was the man for the
Aggies again in Game three. He
went two-for-three and hit a two-
run double in the fifth which scored
Tyner and Garrick.
It proved to be all the offense start
ing pitcher Matt Blank would need.
We made some great defensive
plays and scored a couple of runs,”
Blank said. “I just wanted to go out
and pitch good. It’s big anytime you
can sweep a series.”
Blank turned in the Aggies first
complete game of the season.
“When Matt’s got his two best
pitches working, which are his
fastball and change up, he’s really
effective, Benefield said. I’ve seen
his pattern, once he gets it going,
its tough for those other hitters.”
Bank’s performance was the icing
on the cake for a weekend that saw Ag
gie pitchers at their best.
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Pat James, The Battalion
Sophomore Steve Leonard scores a run against Washington State in Saturday's game. The Aggies won 11 -9.
Starters Fossum, Rupe, Blank go the distance, keep relievers in bullpen in weekend series
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
Close the bullpen door and leave it shut.
The Texas A&M Baseball Team (11-4) had lit
tle need for relief this weekend as the starting
rotation pitched three impressive outings
against Washington State University (1-10).
After failing to get a starter out of the
second inning against the University of
Nevada-Reno Feb. 17, the Aggie arms re
bounded to post some impressive num
bers. In the three-game series, the starters
pitched a combined 22 innings, allowing
four runs on 14 hits.
On Friday, left-hander Casey Fossum (1 -
1,1.44 ERA) used his fastball, slider combi
nation to hold the Cougar bats at bay. In sev
en innings, the freshman phenom allowed
just one run on seven
hits. Fossum struck out
12 batters and issued
just two walks.
Junior infielder Bri
an Benefield said the
Aggies will have to de
pend on strong per
formances from the
front three through
out play in the Big 12. Fossum
“Starting pitching is
going to be huge going into conference,”
Benefield said. “If we can get each guy to
go five, six innings or more, like we did
this weekend, I think we’ll be fine.
“We’ve got hitters. We’re starting to
come around and our starting pitching has
been doing great. ”
Junior right-hander Ryan Rupe (2-0,
2.64 ERA), in just his third outing since
his elbow surgery last season, pitched six
strong innings, giving up two runs on
four hits. Showcasing his accuracy, the
right-hander struck out five batters with
out issuing any free passes.
Head Coach Mark Johnson said Rupe
could have gone longer had he not been
limited to a 100-pitch count.
Junior left-hander Matt Blank (3-0,
3.18 ERA) closed out the series in similar
fashion. Attempting to capture the final
spot in the rotation, Blank threw the Ag
gies first complete game of the season. In
the Sunday matinee, the southpaw sur
rendered one run on three hits, striking
out 10 and walking two. Aside from a solo
home run by Washington State Universi
ty’s designated hitter Jason Hairston,
Blank allowed just one runner past first
base on the afternoon.
Blank said it is important for the starters
to go as long as possible.
“Anytime the starters make it past the
sixth or seventh inning, they’re doing
their job,” Blank said. “But, it hurts when
they have to leave in the second because
you have to use up all your pitching early.
“In a three-game series, you want to
get your first two guys to go a long time
so you can have the (bull)pen fresh in
the final game.”
Johnson said the pitchers’ success this
weekend helps to build the entire pitching
staff’s confidence.
“It’s a breath of fresh air for them not
to have to struggle,” Johnson said. “If we
get a lead they can go ahead and pitch. I
think they felt good about themselves
this weekend.
“I’m not ready to say Washington
State’s a good offensive ball club, but bot
tom line, they threw pretty good pitches
regardless of who we’re facing. We didn’t
see many base on balls. All in all, the
pitchers did a pretty good job.”
Aggies finish up strong in final home game
Junior center Larry Thompson leads AScM to a 62-57 win over Baylor Bears
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K
Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion
Junior center Larry Thompson slams one down
against Baylor Saturday at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
By Chris Ferrell
The Battalion
The Enforcer came to play.
In his second start of the season, junior
center Larry Thompson provided an in
side force the Texas A&M Men’s Basketball
Team had been looking for all season. This
proved to be the difference as the Aggies
(9-15,3-11) won their final home game of
the season, 62-57 over Baylor.
After coming up short in close home
games all season long, the Aggies saved
their best for last, scoring the final six
points of the game to bring home the win.
“Its not that much of a difference,”
Head Coach Tony Barone said. “Except
that tonight, I can go home and relax,
watch Sportscenter and see us on the right
side of the column. I’m more happy for
the kids. For me, its part of my job, but for
the kids its been tough. So I’m happy for
them, and they deserved to win.”
Baylor had an eight-point lead with
five and half minutes left and then
watched as the Aggies closed out the
game on 17-4 run.
A&M took the lead on a layup by se
nior guardTracey Anderson with 2:34 left
in the game.
Baylor answered by reclaiming a one-
point lead on a dunk by junior center Bri
an Skinner. Skinner then fouled sopho
more forward Calvin Davis, who hit two
free throws to give the Ag-
gies the lead for good.
After a steal by Thomp
son, Anderson hit a basket
which sealed the game.
“I knew he was going
to pull up before he got
the basket, and that’s
exactly what he did,”
Skinner said. “I couldn’t
do any thing about it. It
was either hope he went
to the basket, or reposi
tion my feet, and I did
n’t have time to reposi
tion my feet. He just
pulled up [and] he fin
ger rolled it in.”
A steal by Thompson to set up An
derson’s basket was one of several key
defensive plays the 6-foot-9 junior
came up with.
“He’s got wonderful athleticism - and
you saw that tonight,” Barone said. “He
rebounded well, he scored also, got a cou
ple of key buckets on Skinner late in the
“I thought he
.(Thompson) was
the difference in
the game tonight
from our stand
point, in terms
of defense.”
Tony Barone
A&M head coach
game. I thought he was the difference in
the game tonight from our standpoint, in
terms of his defense.”
Thompson’s defense helped limit
Skinner, the Big 12’s fourth
leading rebounder, to a
career-low one board.
Despite scoring a
team-high 13 points and
pulling down a game-high
nine rebounds, it was
Thompson’s physical play
that gave Skinner the
most trouble.
“They were playing
physical,” Skinner said.
“They were, and the refer
ees, I guess were trying to
gain a little bit more con
trol of the ball game. In the
second half, they let us
play a little more physical
and they basically let us play.”
The victory gives the Aggies some con
fidence as they finish the season with two
big games.
“I think it means a lot for us,” Davis
said. “For one thing, being his (Ander
son) last home game and also giving us
some momentum going into our last
couple of games on the road at Texas
and Texas Tech.”
Anderson, who was recognized prior
to the game during Senior Night festivi
ties, said he closed out his career at G.
Rollie White on a high note.
“If I had to end it all,” Anderson said,
“I’d end it that way on a win. I was in
warm-ups and I noticed things I’ve nev
er noticed before. Coach told me [to] try
to soak it all up.”
The basket also helped ease the pain
of the Aggies’ loss in Waco, a game in
which Anderson had a chance to win and
could not come through.
“It’s pretty sweet just to get this win,”
Anderson said. “Especially on my last
home game, and then the fact that I kind
of blew the game up there.”
Barone said the Aggies will miss Ander
son both on and off the basketball court.
“Tracey comes up big every game for
us,” he said. “We’ll miss Tracey, whether
he’s a basketball player or not. He’s just
a human being that touches everyone’s
life. And I was happy that he made the
shot. He was crushed by the play that
he made in Waco, and I guess this is a
little vindication for him.”