ry 26,
hursday • February 26, 1998
The Battalion
wt^wit I 9
omen’s team leaves G. Rollie with a bang
lexandeTs 33 points, Tarkington’s 11 rebounds, 14 assists lead A&M past Kansas St., 81-76
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MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion
lomore Prissy Sharpe drives to the basket against Kansas St. last night.
By Michael Taglienti
Staff writer
It was said that Alexander the
Great cried when he realized he
couldn’t conquer the world. Wednes
day night a different Alexander was
doing the conquering, and it was the
Kansas State Wildcats who were do
ing the crying. Sophomore forward
Kera Alexander scored a career high
33 points to lead the Texas A&M
Women’s Basketball Team to a 81 to
76 victory over the KSU Wildcats at
G. Rollie White Coliseum.
On a night when the last women’s
basketball game would ever be played
in G. Rollie, Alexander turned in a per
formance for the ages. Alexander’s 33
points was the second highest scoring
performance ever by a Aggie female
basketball player in G. Rollie White’s
history (Evelyn Sanders scored 35
points against SMU in 1987).
The last game in G. Rollie was an
exciting one, as KSU rushed out to a
9-0 lead, only to see that Aggies fight
back and cut KSU’s lead to 39-38 at
the half. A&M’s pressure defense
forced two turnovers to start the
first half, resulting in two Prissy
Sharpe layups and a three point
lead. A&M would never trail again
in the game. With 1:32 left in the
game, Sharpe hit a free throw to
complete a three-point play and
put the Aggies up by six at 77-71.
KSU was able to close the gap to
one with a three-pointer by Wild
cat guard Kim Woodlee, and a
layup by Angie Finkes. Alexander
was fouled and hit two free throws
to extend the lead back to three
with 20 seconds left in the game.
KSU was unable to connect on two
three-point shots, and Sharpe was
fouled when she grabbed the re
bound. Sharpe sank both of her
free throws to complete the scoring
and give the Aggies a win.
Texas A&M Coach Candi Har
vey said G. Rollie might have had
something to do with the two
three pint shots that KSU missed
down the stretch.
“I think G. Rollie took over at that
point, and maybe the Gods of bas
ketball went to our side right there,”
Harvey said.
Harvey said she was happy with
the way the Aggies fought back after
getting down early.
“We showed good poise in the first
half to keep it close, and give us a
chance to get our transition game go
ing in the second half which was very
effective against them,” Harvey said.
Harvey said she was impressed
with KSU’s team.
“They are very very scrappy and
hard nosed, and we were very for
tunate to get out of this with a win.
Kansas State did a great job on of
fense of executing, probably as
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“I think G. Rollie took
over at that point, and
maybe the Gods of
basketball went to our
side right there.”
Candi Harvey
Women's Basketball Coach
long,” Harvey said.
KSU Coach Deb Patterson said
she was impressed with Alexander.
“It’s not necessarily pretty, but
she competes hard and she’s smart
enough to take advantage of every
opportunity she has,” Patterson
said. “I thought she had a good all
around game defensively and cer
tainly on the offensive end. She was
just phenomenal.”
Alexander said that she has been
trying to be more aggressive, but the
credit for her performance belongs
to her teammates.
“I’ve been trying to be more ag
gressive all year, but in some games
different things are open. In this
game the post game was open; that
was just what they were leaving
open so I was more aggressive be
cause that was my responsibility.
I’m the one who scored 33 points,
but look at all the good passes I got.
I just happened to be the one who
put the ball in the hole.”
Alexander’s career night almost
overshadowed a great performance
by junior point guard Kim Tarking-
ton. Tarkington had four points, 14
assists, 11 rebounds, and two steals
on the night.
Besides Alexander, two other Ag
gies scored in double figures as
Sharpe had 15 points, and Amy
Yates had 13 points.
KSU was led by Finkes with 25
points and 12 rebounds. Three oth
er Wildcats scored in double figures
as Brit Jaconson had 13 points, and
Nicky Ramage and Jenny Coalson
each scored 10.
The Aggies next game is Satur
day in Waco against Baylor at 7 p.m.
/omen’s swimming and diving team in
wn for Aggie Invitational meet
1%
By Michael Taglienti
Staff writer
The Texas A&M Women’s Swim-
ngand Diving Team will host the
1 gieInvitational today at the Student
creation Center Natatorium. The
gies are coming off a Big 12 meet
lere they placed third overall he
ld Nebraska and Texas.
As the swimming season comes to
end, swimmers start to focus all their
ergy on qualifying for the NCAA
ampionships. In order to qualify, a
immer ■win-rr-Tnmi-
ist meet
prede-
mined
lesetby
e NCAA,
immers
n make
consid-
ition
mne, or
ey can
im a
pie that
Wagner
11 automatically qualify them for the
eel If they swim a consideration time,
eswimmer has to rely on other swim-
ers not meeting the qualifying time in
rto get into the NCAA meet.
The Aggie Invitational is a last-
lance meet for swimmers to meet
CAA qualifying times. A&M Swim-
ing Coach Don Wagner said that
une swimmers did not hit their
akat the Big 12 meet and are look-
to lower their times in order to
aalify for the upcoming NCAA
bmpionship meet.
“We had some good swims last
weekend, but some people are kind of
on the bubble as far as making the
cut,” Wagner said.
Coach Wagner said he felt that the
team’s taper was a little off last week,
causing some of the swimmers to be
tired. He said that the extra week of ta
per training will help the swimmers
achieve faster times this weekend.
“I felt that as a team, we weren’t
rested enough, and more rest will only
help us,” Wagner said.
Sophomore Monica Stroman said
mmmmmmmmmammmmmmmmmmmm the extra
rest could
not hurt.
“More
rest can’t
do us any
harm,
and I
think this
meet will
be more
relaxed
than the
last one,”
“We had some good
swims last weekend,
but some people are
on the bubble as far
as making the cut.”
said Stroman.
Right now A&M has a few swim
mers who have consideration times,
but do not have automatic qualifying
times. One such swimmer is senior
All-American Stacie Karnes. Karnes
said she is looking to qualify for the
NCAAs at the Aggie Invitational.
“I’m kind of on the bubble
whether I’m going to go or not, so I
just need to swim faster this week
end,” Karnes said.
The Aggie Invitational starts Thurs
day and runs through Saturday.
Aggies host Big 12 Championships
By Philip W. Peter
Staff writer
The defining characteristic of a team is its work ethic. And although the
Texas A&M Men’s Swimming and Diving Team is 5-6 headed into the Big
12 Conference Championship at the Student Recreation Center this week
end, Coach Mel Nash said their work ethic has been their strength this year.
“Normally, in any group of athletes, you’ll have a bell-curve work
ethic,” Nash said. “You’ll have some that try to get away with doing the
least they can. Even if it’s just one or two that slack off, you always seem
to have them. But we didn’t have a single one this year. Even guys who
in the past might have fallen into that category have gone to being the
hardest workers in the world.
“Our bell curve just kind of dropped off in the middle. Nobody
was backing off at all,” Nash said. "For my assistant Jay Holmes and
I, it has just been a joy to coach this crew all year.”
That work ethic has made sophomore Devin Howard confident his
team will perform well this weekend.
“I think with the way everyone is swimming right now we’re going
to do really well,” Howard said. “Everyone has been looking great in the
water and Mel has been pumping us up really well. This weekend, if
we stay focused on how we’re supposed to do as a team and as indi
viduals, I think we’ll come together and swim well.”
According to junior captain Jerrod Kappler, staying focused on in
dividual performance is the key to maintaining team focus.
“We’re not focusing on placement,” Kappler said. “Although that’s
something that’s in the back of our minds, that’s just the wrong way to
approach a meet.
“We’re just expecting everyone to focus on himself and do what
he has to do to swim his best. We’re just going to concentrate on
swimming our races and if we do what’s right, then the place will
come and so will the times.”
Nash said the team seems focused and looks good in the water.
“I think we’re ready to swim well,” Nash said. “We’ll fight, claw and
scratch for every thing we get, but we’re going to let the chips fall
where they may as far as placement goes. The biggest thing we’re go
ing for is getting guys to the NCAA (Championships in Auburn, Ala.) ”
Nash said there is no true home-pool advantage, but being at home
in the Rec Center helps swimmers stay focused.
“This is one of the top facilities in the nation,” Nash said, “and
most schools get excited to come in and swim in a facility of this cal
iber. Having guys sleeping in their own beds helps to keep them in
their comfort zone. And I think the home crowd can help us a lot.”
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RYAN ROGERS/The Battalion
Junior Mark Naftanel and the rest of the Texas A&M Men’s Swimming
and Diving team will have the advantage of competing at their home pool.
Kappler said swimming at home makes the meet seem like a
regular day.
“We swim here every day for five hours so it’s real nice,” Kappler
said. “Plus, most of the guys on the team have already had two con
ference meets here so it’s just a run-of-the-mill kind of thing.”
The meet begins this morning and ends Saturday. Events will
be all day each day.
:;§h : .S
Senior Adrien Sawyer steps into new role for Texas A&M Women’s Track and Field
■
■ /
RYAN ROGERS/The Battalion
Adrien Sawyer has broken three A&M records and qualified
four times for the NCAA Indoor Championships this season.
By Michael Ferguson
Staff writer
At the end of last year’s track and
field season, Texas A&M lost three
key members of its women’s team.
This left the team without an estab
lished leader and in somewhat of a
state of disarray.
Enter Adrien Sawyer.
The senior stepped up and as
sumed the role of team leader and
hasn’t looked back since.
“I knew I would have a greater re
sponsibility being the only senior
runner,” Sawyer said. “I just had to
prepare my mind for it.”
Sawyer, from Lubbock, is having
by far the best season of her career,
and the outdoor season has not yet
begun. She has already amassed
three school records, three NCAA au
tomatic qualifications and one provi
sional qualification heading into the
Big 12 Indoor Conference Champi
onships this weekend.
Sawyer became familiar with suc
cess in track and field at an early age,
and even then had aspirations of
reaching her current level of success.
“I’ve always wanted to continue
doing it (competing in track) because
I knew I had a talent for it early,”
Sawyer said. “I had a dream of com
peting through college and beyond.”
And compete she did.
While at Frenship High School in
Lubbock, Sawyer earned prep All-
American honors and was a state
qualifier in the long jump and triple
jump. She then went on to compete
at Odessa Junior College where she
earned JUCO All-American honors in
both the long jump and triple jump
on her way to a second-place finish
in the long jump at the national in
door and outdoor meets.
Fortunately for Texas A&M,
Sawyer chose to continue her career
as an Aggie. While under the guid
ance of Coach Ted Nelson, Sawyer
finely tuned her skills in the jumps
and developed into one of the best
hurdlers in the storied history of
Texas A&M track and field.
In only two seasons at Texas
A&M, she has earned All-American
honors five times, and with her per
formance this indoor season, should
add to that total.
Sophomore Chimika Carter cer
tainly appreciates the benefits of
Adrien’s presence on the team.
“She’s been a big influence be
cause she’s one of our upperclassmen
now, so she helps us out a lot, espe
cially the young hurdlers like me, Kel
ly (Turner) and the other freshmen
that we’ve had come in,” Carter said.
The transition to a leadership role
is not always a smooth one. It re-
“I knew I would have
a greater responsibility
being the only senior
runner.
55
Adrien Sawyer
quires adjustments in mentality and
attitude. Nelson said Sawyer re
sponded to her enhanced role on the
team with ease.
“She really has stepped up her
leadership role a lot and become a lot
more mature as a leader,” Nelson
said. “She’s not one of those vocal
leaders that’s a hollerer or screamer.
She just goes about her business and
kind of leads by deeds.”
However, according to Carter,
Sawyer sometimes leads by more
than just deeds.
“She keeps me in check a lot be
cause a lot of times I want to slack off
and she won’t let me,” Carter said.
“She’s like, ‘You can do more than that.’
Especially when we’re in the weight
room. She really stays after me.”
Nelson said Sawyer realized the
team’s need for a leader and took the
responsibility without any hesitation.
“She’s the kind of athlete that
takes on the role on her own rather
than you suggesting that she does
that,” Nelson said.
Sawyer’s future looks much the
same as her present — extremely
bright. Sawyer, speaking about her
future goals, said she would like to
continue her track and field career af
ter graduation.
“I see myself as the next Jackie
Joyner-Kersey,” Sawyer said. “I look
up to her a lot.”
With t he accolades and accom
plishments already achieved by
Adrien Sawyer, that certainly appears
to be a reachable goal.