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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2000)
Monday, Marcilujj Monday, March 6, 2(XM) SPORTS THE BATTALION ' ^ % m IP BEATO/The Battalion BA&M junior David Morrow swims in the Big 12 Championships. The Aggies finished the competition in fourth place. Ags place fourth at Big 12 Championships GUY ROGERS/TheBAmu rewer during Friday eason. ^ said the Aggies proi e to the lack of perfdn situations. 't play good baseball situations,” Warding JIORS :ements il November 30th i get you ready to n one week que design n't miss it - see then ?landprinting.com BY MATT LAGESSE AND JASON LINCOLN The Battalion The likelihood that two teams would finish the Big 12 Men’s Sw imming and Diving Championship separated by only ive to give Baylor crei a single point w as remote at best. Yet, came out and madepla; Texas A&M University would be edged rts of the game. Well out of the top three by such a margin by m, then they got itba|lo'Ya State University in the three-day. 2000-point competition. The Cyclones held the Aggies 564- 563 to claim third place behind Univer- sityofNebraska. Meanwhile, No. 1 Uni versity of Texas scored 1007 points to win its 21 st straight conference champi onship by 358 points, a Big 12 record. Closing out the bracket was the Uni versity of Kansas, finishing in fifth place with 336 points, while Missouri closed out the competition in sixth place with 301 points. With first place firmly in the hands of the Longhorns, and second place be longing to the Cornhuskers, a duel for third place between the Aggies and Cy- /nframural clones began to brew. Heading into the first event of the evening, 1SU was clinging to a nine- point advantage over the Aggies. A&M erased the deficit by the mid competition when sophomore Patrick Kennedy finished second in the 200-yard backstroke. Kennedy established a new A&M record of 1:44.81 and an NCAA C hampionships consideration time. “I laving Pat Kennedy do what he did in the 200-yard backstroke was a year earlier than we expected,” Texas A&M men’s swimming coach Mel Nash said. “We now have six going to the NCAAs and that is one more than we thought we would have.” The Aggies' lead would be short lived as ISU stormed back in the 200- yard butterfly with four swimmers scor ing points. A&M regained the lead with a pair of top-three perfonnances in platform div ing. Sophomore Jesse Even landed sec ond place with 562.20, while freshman See Big 12 on Page 8. Rec Fitness Aggies down ’Huskers in overtime BY JASON LINCOLN The Battalion Bernard King wasted no time closing out his stellar freshman season in style. Only one minute into the game, the Texas A&M guard hit his first three-pointer to open up scoring against Nebraska and all but seal the Big 12 Freshman of the Year crown. Before all was said and done. King held the Big 12 freshman titles for most points scored (468) and most points per game (17.3), and tied for most three-pointers (79). The first two records exceeded Iowa State forward Marcus Fizer’s 1997 marks of447 points and 14.7 points per game, while the 79 threes tie Kansas guard Jeff Bosehee’s 1998 standard. The A&M men’s basketball team rallied behind King's 30 points and 10 rebounds Saturday in Reed Are na to close the regular season with an 83-76 overtime win over the Cornhuskers and secure the tenth seed in the Big 12 Tournament. “It was a big game for the kids,” A&M men’s basket ball coach Melvin Watkins said. “Although it was a nail biter, for us to go out with a win on our home court says a lot for those young men.” King had other motives for the win than making a statement for the Big 12 title — the freshman was taking care of the Aggie seniors. The four A&M seniors com bined for 28 points, led by Jerald Brown with 11 points and Aaron Jack with nine. Jason Boeker and Paul Jacobs closed out the seniors' performance. “They’ve played hard for us for four years,” King said. “I just wanted to come out and get this game for them tonight, let them leave with a win.” Despite dominating the first 30 minutes of action Sat urday, the Aggies could not maintain the pace. After amassing a 13-point lead, A&M allowed Nebraska to come back and take a one-point lead into the final min utes. “It could have gone either way right there,” Jack said about Nebraksa’s comeback. “Its just the way the game goes.” Nebraska was led early by senior Larry Florence and junior Kimani Ffriend with 12 and 11 points respective ly. Yet sophomore Louis Tmscott and junior Steffon Brad ford would change the pace and bring the Cornhuskers right back into the mix. Truscott came off'the bench to score 14, while Bradford had 20. With Nebraska in the lead, freshman guard Jamaal Gilchrist sank a free throw for A&M to tie the game at 70 with one minute remaining. Nebraska would miss on their opportunity down the court, sacrificing the ball to A&M for the remainder of the game. With Gilchrist at the point, the Aggies looked for the winning shot to close the game. First, Gilchrist looked for King on the perimeter, then to the big guys inside, back out to King—still no openings. The freshman was forced to take things into his own hands, slashing inside yet falling short of the basket. The Aggies were in overtime. Gilchrist came through in overtime, converting the same slashing move inside to open up scoring and give the Aggies their final lead. The remainder of the team would step up in the overtime period, hitting 11 of 12 free throws to seal the win over Nebraska. “I thought A&M just did a stellar job of hanging in there. King is a great freshman and they did enough things right to win the basketball game,” Nebraska men's bas ketball coach Danny Nee said. "We just couldn’t get in sync ... but that’s my problem. A&M did a really nice job of keeping their heads, playing hard and found a way to win the game.” » SALLIE TURNER/I HE BATTALION A&M freshman guard Bernard King looks to pass the ball against the University of Nebraska. Softball team places 2nd at Aggie Invitational II BY BREE HOLZ The Battalion The Texas A&M softball team en tered its final game of the GTE Aggie In vitational II in second place behind the University of New Mexico Lobos Sun day. The Aggies not only had to defeat the Lobos, but defeat them by three or more runs. They fell one run short. The Aggies beat UNM 3-1 in their fi nal game but lost in their first game on Saturday, 4-1. A&M softball coach Jo Evans attrib uted the Aggies’ only loss of the tourna ment to poor offense. “1 didn't like our approach at the plate at all,” Evans said. “I didn’t think we were patient or aggressive.” The Aggies and Lobos finished the tournament with a 5-1 record, while the University of Minnesota and the Uni versity of Mississippi finished at 1-5. A&M (16-7) began the tournament on Friday with a 5-0 win over Ole Miss and a 3-1 victory over Minnesota. Junior pitcher Amy Vining threw a one-hitter against Ole Miss and freshman pitcher Kara Weikel gave up only two hits to Minnesota. “I was really pleased with our pitch ing,” Evans said. “Amy was in a groove, and our defense didn’t have to make any tough plays. “Kara got a good confidence boost in the second game,” she said. “The thing she did that she hasn’t done in the past was she threw her game.” The Aggies had no problem defeat ing Minnesota 4-0 in their second game on Saturday. Junior right fielder Tiffany Esters hit a two-run double in the fourth and A&M scored two more runs in the fifth to win. On Sunday, Vining took the mound for the Aggies once again against Ole Miss and led A&M to a 2-0 win. She gave up only four hits to move her record to 11-4. Esters singled to center field to score sophomore second baseman Lisa Klam in the bottom of the fourth inning to put the Aggies’ first point on the board. A&M struck again in the fifth when freshman catcher Selena Collins doubled to center field to score senior first base- man Angie Long. The Aggies jumped to an early lead See Second on Page 8. Aquatics Golf Course TAMU Outdoors Sport Clubs emembrance Displays I Graduate Notepads inting.com College Station -5:30 ideo series on 10MANCE. rried, tic relationships, -8:15 p.m.; ACA 3/20:402 Rudd* t, C.S. DESIGNERS ONISTS IC ARTISTS VRITERS IS hat matter to Intramurals Registration Handball Feb. 28-Mar. 7 Swim Meet Feb. 28-Mar. 9 • Intramual sports registration closes at 6:00pm . on closing date Aquatics Event Date Registration Adv. Competitive Diving Mar 20-23 Mar. 1-16 & Mar. 27- 30 Adv. Adult Learn to Swim Mar 20-23 Mar. 1-16 & Mar. 27- 30 Lifeguard Training Instructor Apri 1 3-8 Mar. 6-30 Basic SCUBA Apri 1 3-6 Mar. 6-30 & April 10- -13 Job Opportunities )pens. mrnalism field, lerience. Graphic Layout Assistant—Job Hunting after Spring Break? Start your search with Rec Sports. Applications available in Room 202. For more info, call Angela Stanton-Anderson at 845-1001 or visit our homepage. McDonald, on. SPORTS For Information call 845-7826 or Visit our Homepage recsports.tamu.edu Check out our flyers for more details on our pro grams. Rec Fitness • ON SALE! March 19—Unlimited Aerobics Passes for $25. • F.l.T. Fitness Instructor Training—March 21-April 27, Tue. & Thurs. from 7-8:30pm. Class size is limited to 30. There are only 4 spaces left. • FREE! Understanding Your Relationship Partner-Wed., Mar. 8 from 5:30-6:30pm. in room 281. Dr. James Robinson, Professor and Interim Head of Social and Behavioral Health, will explain why men and women are so mysterious to each other. Honest, funny and extremely informative, this lecture will appeal to everyone. Come early! • NSCA Exam Review (Session 1/-Sunday, March 26 from 7-9pm. Session I will cover client consultation and program planning. Contact DeAun Woosley at 862-3995 for more information. • Kung Fu—$25 for 5 weeks. March 29-May 1, 6-7pm. Mon. & Wed. Register from March 6-27. • Tai Chi—$25 for 5 weeks. March 28-April 27, 7:45-9:00pm. Tue. & Thurs. Register from March 6-27. • Swing—March 28-April 13, Tue. & Thurs., from 6:30-7:30pm. Register now until March 28 at 5pm. • Massage Therapy—$35 for Rec Members and $45 for non Rec Members. Appointments can be made at Member Services. For more information stop by the Member Service Desk in the Rec. TAMU Outdoors Event Date Registration Rafting Day Trip March 25 Feb. 28- Mar. 22 Weekend Canoeing Mar. 25-26 Feb. 28- Mar. 22 Intro to Rock Climbing Mar. 25 Mar. 1-22 Kayak Roll Clinic Mar. 28 Feb. 28- Mar. 27 Bouldering/Rock Climbing Trip Mar. 31-Apr. 2 Feb. 28- Mar. 28 Women's Fly Fishing Mar. 31-Apr. 2 Feb. 28- Mar. 28 Lead Climbing April 1 Mar. 6-29 Hiking Lost Pines Trail April 2 Feb. 28- • Mar. 28 Kayak Workshop April 1-2 Feb. 28- Mar. 28 Backpacking Lost Maples April 7-9 Mar. 6- April 4 AGGIE PUMPFEST April 8 Feb. 1 5- April 8 recsports.tamu.edu