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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1999)
le Battalion Sports Page 7 • Wednesday, April 28, 1999 ^Equality in athletics Equestrian, lacrosse among possible its to help kill problen 1 students t es, have do:.; i kind ofpffi-i Itout seeing;;! :hological 4 nt of the cm s with DisarJ cases of leatil esot Atte sports being considered \DHl for Level I competition at i5tions lf Texas A&M this fall: lities suffer h i idSi Rifle TBI) or Athletic additions depart] ttton, a\ ;hologtc n see.' nselors c Bowling Archery E|uestrian events Lacrosse Rowing (crew) 1: Gymnastics “Aii emerging sport is a tort recognized by the CAA that is intended mmovide additional tics opportunities to male student athletes. it fi)V : ^ nst ^ u ^ ons are allowed i I use emerging sports jlMllW he, p mt ‘ et the NCAA i Minimum sports-sponsor- $145 Up requirements and to meet the NCAA's mum financial aid — NCAA Gender Equity Guide BY JASON LINCOLN The Battalion Three months from the start of the fall sea son, the hunt for a new women’s sport in Ag- gieland is nearing a conclusion. The search has been narrowed to seven possible sports. Currently, Texas A&M offers 10 of the 11 Big 12 Conference women’s sports. The next sport added will be decided by the athletic depart ment in early June. “The whole idea [of the addition] is to give women an opportunity to compete,” senior as sociate athletic director Lynn Hickey said, “and then support it well so they have the opportu nity to get as good as they can.” The athletic department’s strategy to com ply with the Title IX requirements by adding more women to the varsity program has sever al steps, Hickey said. Not only will the Univer sity add one or two new teams, but it also will feature other adjustments to help the numbers of athletes in the women’s programs match the number in men’s sports Among the changes under consideration is increasing the number of women’s walk-ons, the number of scholarships and placing a cap on the number of men’s walk-ons. The Big 12 Conference currently sponsors gymnastics in addition to A&M’s ten women’s sports. Big 12 representative Bo Carter lists sev eral factors that come into play in making a suc cessful varsity team. He said a successful team requires “good funding and recruiting of student-athletes and then translating that into on the field success.” Several considerations will be weighed by the A&M athletic department in deciding the team or teams to be added. Among the criteria to be looked at is whether the sport is needed on campus and whether the campus has the facilities to ac commodate the needs of the team. Also, the number of athletes the sport will accommodate is a key factor, as large squads are the best and most efficient way for A&M to meet NCAA proportionality requirements. Cost value also is vital for the athletic de partment in finding a sport that brings benefits to the women’s program. Finally, the ability to compete is a consider ation. The sport must be able to recruit and compete regionally, and other conference schools with similar programs is a benefit. “It’s going to be a fun, tough decision for us,” Hickey said. “It is a real exciting time for us to find a sport that is good for A&M. The most important concept is what is the best sport for A&M and what can excel towards a nation al championship.” new women’s sports The seven programs currently being con sidered by the A&M athletic office for the 1999- 2000 season, the 25th anniversary of women’s sports at A&M are as follows; Archery The archery team at A&M has a history as of the most successful club sports on campus. With the recent indoor national championship, A&M has captured four consecutive national indoor wins and three outdoor wins with 1999’s competition yet to come. A varsity-level team would consist of four women archers on the compound bow and four on the recurve bow with a total squad of 14 to 20 members. The team cur rently has the premiere indoor facility in the nation with an 18-meter setup and an out door range currently is being constructed by Penberthy Intramural Sports Fields. “Archery is a mentally challenging sport that allows an individual to compete in a team set ting and still set their own success marks,” archery club president Jenifer Comedy said. “It is very evident with the club’s past perfor mances that the talent and ability is there to make it a successful varsity sport. Bowling Despite West Texas A&M University’s rank as one of the top bowling programs in the na tion, College Station has had trouble attracting large numbers of bowlers. Currently, the A&M club team has six women, led by Dawn Nichols, who is a 195-205 bowler. There are three bowling houses in the A&M vicinity, in cluding the basement of the MSC. Bowling is considered an emerging sport by the NCAA. “Bowling gives an opportunity to individu als who may not be of physical stature to com pete in Aggie sports,” club coach James Thorn ton said. “All it takes is desire and determination. ” Gymnastics Another national-championship club sport, gymnastics offers the benefits of re cent success and Big 12 sponsorship. In 1996, the Aggies won the national cham pionship. In 1997, they took second, and the following year Jennifer Lim won the in dividual championship. Five women compete on the team with an average of 15 members. Facilities are located in the Reed Building, which houses a complete gymnastics facility. Four Big 12 schools cur rently compete in the sport. “We definitely have the talent to be a great varsity sport at A&M,” gymnastics club presi dent Abby Lindemann said. FILE PHOTO/The Battalion Soccer, the last sport A&M promoted to varsity status, resulted in the school’s first-ever Big 12 title. 1998 team leader Nicky Thrasher (above) led the team last season to the second round of the NCAA tournament and a top-25 ranking. Equestrian events The equestrian team adds large numbers at an event with substantial popular interest at A&M. The team currently numbers close to 100 riders, the majority of whom are women. The sport also is under consideration by Big 12 of ficials and by individual Big 12 schools. Lacrosse A newer club sport, the lacrosse team has emerged as a Texas powerhouse with two consecutive state championships and a fourth-place finish nationally in 1998. A&M competes against eight other schools in Texas, including three Big 12 schools. This season, the team ran off to a 17-0 record. The team fields 12 players with a total squad of about 30. “There’s a reason lacrosse has been called the fastest game on two feet,” club president Sarah Patton said. “It’s an exciting sport that is fun to watch. We would be excited to have the opportunity to play better schools with the var sity status.” Rifle Currently, the two women on the A&M varsity (Level II) rifle team compete on the men’s team, which finished 21st in the nation. A&M is coached by Michael Eubanks, the 1998 National Rifle Association’s Outstanding Service Award to Collegiate Shooting Sports winner. A&M joins the University of Nebraska as the only Big 12 schools with rifle teams. Four women would compete on a competition team. The current facility is housed in the basement of the Trigon, with six firing points. “Being able to offer a competitive environ ment and the collegiate experience for all types of sports is vital for A&M, ” freshman shooter Jamie Hacked said. “It is a valuable interest because the rifle team would add a new dimension to Aggie sports,” teammate Lynsie Lusby said. Rowing (crew) Another of the NCAA’s emerging sports, rowing offers the opportunity for large numbers and national competition. Facilities vary from the Brazos River to Lake Somerville. Crew, which is not represented by a club sport at A&M, is being considered by three other Big 12 schools . jre at st^ he White Hi’ trofted X the W , and to He vhen thet crimes, ate Majonif had agiee s ' tunityfori proposals < Durbin a lecision ( sage oiler' es of tofj hi the) ^ ggies hit 4 Rs to tie team record BY DOUG SCHILLING The Battalion ; nor Hons ( ! ;ntionedf| I itlyforC i th and Ci>l i ;|i iQuIdeS iFans at oisen Field last night were treated to more than Audens ■KS-cent sausage dogs that were being offered, they were games. ‘S o witness to a little bit of Aggie Baseball history. ■■ n secon d baseman Sean Heaney’s lead-off home run l0 «ir 10tt0m 0 f the eighth tied the Aggie team record for III., sat Kf rims in a season with 88 as the second-ranked Texas M Baseball Team defeated the Sam Houston State Uni- ir Lob,' ersity Bearkats 14-10. ihddlejBleaney, who was 3-for-5 on the night with two home ]y p a $|t> ps, live RBIs and three runs scored, tied the mark shared I detaib jy the 1988 and 1995 Aggie Baseball teams. ^Bf 10 said that while tying the home run record was nice, the am getting their 40th win was a more important accom- Biment. 11 s nice for our team to tie the record,” Heaney said, “but Bull out the win and get that magical 40th win, which in s years has been the key to hosting a regional, it’s a good vay to start the week.” & & > s rallld,^ 1 ^ coac h Mark Johnson also said the record was nice r-u'oi 16 ne ed to not rely on home runs to win , t 574-jifafies. ^ f y° u keep breaking or tying home run records, you’re ..ESSP : L r !'' M ’ methin g good,” Johnson said. “I’m just really con- 3/1 rnJ e * C f use We h see good pitching and the mistakes we °' H 0day , W0re on the end of the bat. Eventually we’ll aHc- ° W0 1 r m iddle and opposite sides of the plate which SCWl las won a tot of games for ^ ^ past „ -me aofni.i T second straight start, freshman pitcher Khalid Bal- / ' ■firsUmring^ Start U P three runs on three hits in Bearkat second baseman Casey Landers started off the ..Jf ^ting out an infield hit. Shortstop Kelly Eddlemon 6 ntn i da tters later and smashed a Ballouli pitch deep parents! iP e held for a two-run homer. The Bearkats added their 4aV. °!, e trming when Harrison scored off an error by y iggic third baseman Dell Lindsey. e struck right back in the bottom of the first scor- | two runs to cut the Bearkat lead to 3-2. IS i p) ’ (httgle hy Schumacher and walks to sophomore right jiaer Daylan Holt and senior first baseman John Scheschuk ■ded the bases with one out in the inning. MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion Junior second baseman Sean Heaney hits the grand slam in second-inning action of the Aggies’ game against the Sam Houston State University Tuesday. The Aggies reached a team total of 88 home runs on the season, tying the A&M sin gle-season record. Lindsey then stepped to the plate and lined a shot up the middle, scoring Schumacher and Holt. Sam Houston got a run back in the top of the second when another error by Lindsey allowed Landers to come around to score and make it a 4-2 game. The damage could have been worse as the Bearkats had runners at first and second with one out but Ballouli got designated hitter Tommy Cliffe to ground into an inning-ending double play. The lead was short lived as the Aggies made up the lead and a lot more in the bottom of the inning, scoring eight runs to take the lead 10-4. All eight runs scored by the Aggies were recorded before the first out of the inning. Junior centerfielder Stephen TVuitt lead off the inning with his 12th home run of the year to left field. Freshman left field er Blake Whealy, junior shortstop Steve Scarborough and Schumacher all had singles up the middle to load the bases for Holt. Holt then sent another pitch by Bearkat pitcher Nathan Boyd up the middle to score Whealy and Scarborough. A single by Scheschuk that scored Schumacher and a walk to Lindsey loaded the bases once again for Heaney. Heaney then sent the payoff pitch from Bearkat reliever Wes Fritz, who had just entered the game, over the left field wall for a grand slam. The Bearkats trimmed the Aggie lead in the top of the fifth when Jason Harrison hit a two-run home run to left field to make it a 10-6 game. The Aggies made it up in the bottom of the inning, how ever, as Schumacher hit a two-run shot of his own over the right field wall to stretch the lead back to six at 12-6. Sam Houston came right back in the top of the sixth as the Aggies gave up four runs and used three pitchers to get out of the inning as the Bearkats trimmed the lead to 12-10. The Aggies got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Scarborough singled home Heaney to increase the lead to 13-10. Heaney’s record-tying homer in the eighth provided the winning margin of 14-10. Ballouli (6-1) went five innings for the win for the Aggies. He gave up six runs, five of which were earned on nine hits. Boyd (2-4) took the loss for the Bearkats. In one inning of work, Boyd gave up nine runs on seven hits along with three walks. Men place 7th at golf Big 12 final BY TRAVIS HARSCH The Battalion Despite placing three golfers in the individual top 20, the Texas A&M Men’s Golf Team finished seventh at the Big 12 Tournament after shooting a final-round 296 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan. The Aggies, who stood in sixth after two rounds, finished with a score of 296-291-296 = 883. The University of Kansas won the team title, going wire-to-wire to finish two shots ahead of run ner-up University of Nebraska with an 857. Eighth-ranked Uni versity of Texas made a charge on the final day to take third, and the two-time defending champions Oklahoma State University, fin ished fourth. The Longhorns’ David Gossett took the individual trophy with a one-under par score of 71-70- 68 = 209. Junior Lee Reed posted the best individual score for A&M with a 68-74-74 = 217 to tie for ninth. The tournament marked Reed’s highest finish and best 54- hole score of the year. With senior Ryan Palmer and sophomore Casey Cronin tying for 20th place, A&M was one of five schools to place three or more players in the top 20. Although Palmer posted a two-over-par 72 Tuesday, he did hit what was perhaps the shot of the day on the par-five 17th hole. After a mediocre drive. Palmer hit a four iron 220 yards to the front edge of the green, where it hopped onto the green and just missed the hole for a double-ea gle two. Palmer hit the putt for an eagle and then parted the 18th.
