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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1998)
April 17, 1998 en’s team travels to fc'aco to wrestle Bears Cass By Al Lazarus Staff writer The No. 17 Texas A&M Men’s tennis Team (12-4, 5-2) will take tthe No. 25 Baylor Bears at 1:30 p.m. today in Waco and will return home to the Omar Smith Tennis Center on Sat urday for a 6 p.m. match against the No. 39 Kansas Jay- hawks. The Aggies iated Baylor last year, 5-2, when llears visited College Station. ■&M Coach Tim Cass is quick point out this year’s Baylor i is a much improved one ilast season. laylor’s coach has done a real job this year as far as being in ontention for the Big 12 Champi- nship,” Cass said. “They are go- Eto be a good rivalry for us now ndin the future.” Baylor is the only Big 12 team lathas defeated the University of fexa^ this season, no small feat onsidering the Longhorns are mtly ranked No. 7 and have been in the top-ten all season. Carlos Tori, senior and team co captain for the Aggies, stressed the importance of today’s match against the Bears. “This is a very big match for us,” Tori said. “After losing to Colorado, we know we probably can’t win (the Big 12 regular season champi onship), but this match is for us. We want to go in there and win every single match.” A&M’s match against the Jay- hawks on Saturday will mark the last Aggie tennis match at the Omar Smith Tennis Center, as the new Texas A&M Varsity Tennis Center is set to open in June. The Aggies traveled to Kansas last year to take on the Jayhawks and were defeated, 4-3. “Kansas is a great team,” Tori said. “They were ranked very high in the nation last year and have returned almost the same team this year.” Tori said emotions will be run ning high for him on Saturday, as the match will mark his last home match as an Aggie. “I know the Kansas guys very well, and if I could pick any team to play against in my last home match, it would be them,” Tori said. “I will be ready to play.” ch reports another CAA rules violation n.-W| ikeetti JjBBOCK (AP) — sTech improper- laid 66 current etes’ fees to take jTexas Academic ills Program test ■has reported the Ski ion to the which was al ly considering ther to punisl chool, an officit /Ve (reported) it to the NCAA in rd to the university paying fees for student-athletes and [for students, so it was an extra jefit,” Tech compliance director ib Burton said. he fees, ranging from $18 and , have been reimbursed by the Jetes who received them. The er- tfvas discovered as part of a joint stigation with the NCAA en- ement staff, according to an in- 1 said. ternal memo ob tained by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. The violation prob ably would not be so bad ifTech were not al ready in trouble, Bru ton said. The school on Tuesday announced massive scholarship cuts in six sports and a three-year probation wliile admit t ing to varied NCAA violations. The NCAA could further sanc tion the university within the next two months. “I think it was an issue lingering when I got here,” said Burton, who arrived at the athletic department last summer to repair Tech’s inef fectual academic compliance pro gram. “It was an issue that had been raised, and it probably came up during our audit.” Attention Graduating in August or December English 210 & 301 (Tech Writing) Force Dates Summer l Wednesday, May 6 Thursday, May 7 Friday, May 29 Summer II Wednesday, May 6 Thursday, May 7 Monday, July 6 Fall Wednesday, May 6 Thursday, May 7 Monday, August 28 Forcing Hours for all dates 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. 1- Make sure you have the correct prerequisite (English 104 or equivalent). 2. Come to Blocker 224 during the force dates and times listed above. 3. Bring a letter on department stationery from your academic advisor stating that you are graduating in the semester for which you are registering. No forces will be done during pre-registration. You must come in during these dates to get a seat. If you can't make these dates, send a representative with your letter and a list of preferred times. Forcing Information line: 862-7724 Web site: http://engserve.tamu.edu/files/writingprograms/rulesforforcing.html Aggies prepare for last match at Omar Smith Texas A&M Women’s Tennis Team closes out era against Big 12 rival Kansas GREG MCREYNOLDS/The Battalion Freshman Eva Marcial was the only Aggie victor against Texas and will face Kansas on Saturday. By Katie Mish Staff writer The Texas A&M Women’s Tennis Team plays their last match at Omar Smith Tennis Center against Big 12 opponent Kansas, Saturday at 1:30 pm. The match is also the last of the season for the Aggies. Coach Bob Kleinecke said it will be a hard day, because they are leaving a complex with a lot of history, and Senior IIMIMNRHHMRMMMINMMIMMMilMMMMi players Vanessa Rooks and Monica Rebolledo are playing for the last time in College Station. “It’s sad, but we’re excited about H the new facility,” Kleinecke said. “We’re closing down Omar Smith, but I we’re getting ready to start a new era over at a new court, so it’s exciting too.” Rebolledo said she just wants to play well in her last match and come up with a win. Re bolledo is one win away from beating the Texas A&M record for career wins. “I’m looking forward to the match,” Rebolle do said. “I’m excited to play well, and I want to remember my last match.” Kleinecke said Kansas will be a tough match, Kleinecke and that they have an even better team than the Aggies faced last year. “We had a dog fight with them last year,” he said. “We should have won the match last year. This year, they got their number one player back, but if we come in and we’re as psyched to play as we were against Texas, I feel good about our chances.” Freshman Eva Marcial said she thinks the team wants to beat Kansas even more than they wanted to beat Texas, and she thinks they will mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm pl^Y hard. Marcial said it should be as “We’re closing ™ uch of a battle as *-* last year. « * 1 Rebolledo said down Omar Smith, the team has been |!| looking forward to playing Kansas this year, and that everyone is pre pared to give 100 percent. “This year, we’re I giving it everything we have,” she said. “We lost to them last year, but I think we can beat them this year." Kleinecke said the Aggies need to play strong against Kansas and slow down the pace of the match. “The key thing is just some errors, and taking our time on the key points, making sure we’re there and concentrating,” Kleinecke said. “It’s something that we need to address.” but we’re getting ready to start a new era. Manning vs. Leaf Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard cannot lose with No. 2 draft pick SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fifteen min utes. That’s all it will take for the San Diego Chargers to learn the identi ty of their franchise quarterback. The Indianapolis Colts will open Saturday’s NFL draft by tak ing Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf. Choosing second, the Chargers get whoever’s left. They hope it’s Leaf, with his strong arm and emotional leadership. Leaf hopes to go to the Chargers, too. “It would probably be the ideal sitliatioh,” said Leaf, a 6-foot-5,244- . pounder who has relatives in the Satl DiegO area and has let it be known for months he wants to wear the Chargers’ lightning bolts. General manager Bobby Beat- hard, who generally loathes first- round picks, is glad he has one this year. Whether their new quarterback starts right away or needs more time to learn the offense, the Chargers begin a new era. Stan Humphries, the only quarterback to take San Diego to the Super Bowl, retired rather than risk an other concussion. And the Chargers paid a king’s ransom to Arizona just to move up one spot in the pecking order. Knowing the likes of Leaf and Manning don’t come around of ten, Beathard sent this year’s sec ond-round pick and next year’s No. 1, plus star punt returner Eric Metcalf and linebacker Patrick Sapp to the Cardinals. Only time will tell whether the Chargers are getting another Dan Fonts, who guided the Chargers during the Air Coryell years and landed in the Hall of Fame. “I can’t compare anyone to Dan because he’s a Hall of Famer,” Beat- hard said. “But you hope and expect that either one of these guys can be the kind of quarterback who’s rec ognized as that special, in that elite group. Barring injury and having a good supporting cast, that’s how we evaluate these guys.” Beathard said the Chargers will be happy with Leaf or Manning, but it’s believed they favor Leaf, a junior who left Washington State after leading the Cougars to their first Rose Bowl in 67 years. Leaf and Manning are both big and come from successful pro grams. Leaf is a little bigger and the Chargers like his arm strength. “There just aren’t many guys who come along with any stronger arm than a Ryan Leaf,” Beathard said. When asked which of his attrib utes means the most to him, Leaf said: “I just think I’m an emotion al leader. The players around me feed off it.” Leaf, who grew up in Great Falls, Mont., says he plays for the love of the game, but now he and Manning will get a lot of money. The two are expected to seek sign ing bonuses ranging between $7 million and $8 million. Leaf said if the Chargers draft him, he won’t expect to start, but rather earn the job. He said he’s told his agent, Leigh Steinberg, he wants to be in camp on time, with no holdout. A key decision for the Chargers will be when the rookie, be it Leaf or Manning, is ready to start. “These two guys probably can handle it, going in there,” Beathard said. “If by the time we play our first regular-season game, if the decision is that this guy’s going to play, I think that’ll be part of it, that they’re going to be able to handle the bad things that happen,” Beathard said. For the Chargers, lots of bad things happened last year as they lost their final eight games to finish 4-12. The team has rebuilt its offen sive line and brought back running back Natrone Means to help ease the pressure on a rookie quarterback. “I think there will be lots of pres sure,” coach Kevin Gilbride said. “I think probably we ourselves would love to see what he could do and we’ll be tempted to put him in right away. I think what we have to do is be very smart about our decision, when to do that.” Bring your family to Dr. Southerland’s House Dr. Southerland, the Vice President for Student Affairs, invites you and your family to visit his home on Saturday, April 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for refreshments. The house is located at 100 Throckmorton St., across from the Sanders Corps of Cadets Center. For additional info: 845-4728 Spring ‘99 SH INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS in 154 Bizzell Flail West -Monday, April 20 1:00-1:30 PM -Friday, April 24 9:00-9:30 AM Pick up an application at the meeting or drop by the Study Abroad Program Office. Study Abroad Program Office, 161 Bizzell Hall West, 845-0544 Gig ‘em, Class of ‘98!! Do you graduate on Friday, Mav 15 or Saturday, Are you planning to have your Aggie diploma framed? Have you checked out the beautiful mahogany and cherry frames and wide variety of mat choices available to you in MSC University Plus in the lower level of the MSC? Beautiful work! Great prices! See our display!! If you order from us by May 4,1998, you can pick up your framed diploma Saturday afternoon, May 16, to take with you as leave Aggieland! Call 845-1631 TODAY!! Spring Art Market at Post Oak Mall April 17, 18, & 19 Regular Mall Hours Sponsored By: The Brazos Valley Art League Buy them something this time. a variety of parents t-shirts from $13.97 available at Post Oak Mall • 764-4444