Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2000)
Tuesday. September 19. 2000 Sports Page 1 B THE BATTALION i-lot unt. ti-9 p.m.), 30 p.m.) > Cash 17 arlv. c jGIES tem >-3433 S • 696-1448 Aon-Sat prices ig 12 races could be ]tighter than expected Kansas State K-State has jumped to No. 4 in the rankings and won all of its games. But could it have been against an easier preseason sched ule? It may have won Saturday with a score of 72-0, but it was to Ball State. The Wildcat defense could be in for a shock when it faces teams like Texas A&M at Kyle Field and Nebraska in a game that will likely decide the Big 12 North. Season af ter season, KSU coach Bill Snyder makes up one of the easiest pre con ference schedules in the nation; but each season the teams of the Big 12 more often than not fail when they test the Wildcats. Regardless of the score, the Big 12 season will be a » wake-up call to Kansas State: now it is time to play real football. Texas One of the most heralded groups of offensive weapons in college football history came up short on Saturday at Stanford, another un ranked team. The Longhorns took a 10-spot plunge in the polls after be ing upset in California. The quarterback controversy that coach Mack Brown denies is obvi ous with the ’Horns’ inability to stick to either Applewhite or Simms. It will be seen whether Texas can recover, like last season after an early loss, to run through the con ference and win another Big 12 South title. But Oklahoma and A&M appear in position to provide even more bad news for Simms and Applewhite. Oklahoma is the only other team left in the polls headed into conference ac tion. Meanwhile, Texas A&M and Colorado search for a way back into the rankings while Texas Tech and Oklahoma State look to break in for the first time this season. But 25 teams., including four Big 12 schools, are still ahead of all of them. The Big 12 sea- CHAD adams/The Battalion son is going tO be a lot less Freshman running back Richard Whitaker clear-cut than it originally looks to lead the Aggies into Big 12 play, appeared. The Big 12 entered this season h the verge of becoming a football > superconference. Now, with inter inference play only two weeks Ivay, the schools of the Big 12 are st uggling to maintain their status. Sure, Nebraska and Kansas State i| e 3-0, but Colorado and Texas ; 4&M are off the list. Meanwhile, the ic-10 has three teams in the Top 10. The non-conference schedule is season showed weakness in ei en the Big 12's top team, Nebras- k. . Even though fewer teams are in He rankings, some of the best con- ‘ fe rence games should happen on S : t. 30. If for no other reason, the Hmcs will be good because they w ill be unpredictable. I Before last week, there was a trio o! Big 12 teams in the Top 10. Here's where they are now; I Nebraska I Sitting on top of the college ^football scene is Nebraska. Just two ieeks ago, Notre Dame, which be gan the season unranked, came within one overtime stop of unseat ing Big Red. The Cornhuskers are [ still No. 1, but Notre Dame’s near E set gave the rest of the Big 12 me insight into the weaknesses of College football’s top team. Cross country nationals in sight for Gulli, A&M Junior harrier places sixth at Aztec Invitational By Cayla Carr The Battalion The Texas A&M cross coun try runner junior Melissa Gulli placed sixth Saturday in the Aztec Invitational held in San Diego, Calif. Gulli and her teammates are prepared for a promising season. or 66 She hates to lose, and she has always wanted to compete with the best.” — Dave Hartman women's cross country coach Junior cross country All- American Melissa Gulli leads the school with two school records. She is one of the top distance run ners in the Big 12. After a successful track season last spring, Gulli is detennined to help take the team to nationals. She is prepared to achieve her personal best as she heads into the regional meet. She is not over whelmed by the altitude in Col orado, where the Big 12 champi onships will be held this year. Instead, she is excited about the challenge and has confidence that her team will not be affected. Gulli began running cross country her sophomore year at Klein High School in Houston, after she was forced to give up soccer due to a severe leg injury. Before she started, she thought of it as a crazy sport, but after she began running, success came quickly for her. She had always wanted to go to A&M and was quick to make her decision when deciding what college she would attend. Gulli said she feels like her biggest influence has been coach Dave Hartman. She said he has made cross country fun and rewarding. Hartman describes Gulli as very competitive. “She is one of the hardest- working girls on the team. She hates to lose, and she has al ways wanted to compete with the best,” he said. She has been running steadi ly since her freshman year and has shown improvement as she begins her third season. Her freshman year she was the team’s top finisher three times and posted her season best by placing fourth at the Mi ami Invitational. Her accom plishments continued her sophomore year as she finished in the Aggie women’s top five four times, placed eighth at the Texas A&M Invitational and made All-Region, where she finished 22nd. Last spring Gulli broke out as one of the top distance run ners in the conference. She set two new school records in the 5,000 meters and the 3,000 me ters at the Big 12 Outdoor Meet, placing fourth and fifth. Gulli’s ultimate goal this sea son is to qualify for nationals with her team and make All- American by finishing in the top 15. She said she is grateful for her cross country experiences and is confident that, with hard work, she can accomplish many things. She said cross country has taught her how to excel in life. Gulli and her teammates an ticipate their next big meet in New York on Sept. 30. She said this meet will show them where they stand because they will face stiff competition from na tionally ranked opponents. Gul li says she will continue run ning after graduation and will always remember what cross country has taught her. “Cross country helps you to learn to work with other people and it makes you stronger in other aspects of life.” Sports in Brief Texas A&M women’s cross country team jumps from No. 23 to No. 20 in polls The Texas A&M women’s cross country team moved up to No. 20 in this week’s edi : tion of the FinishLynx/NCAA Division 1 Women’s Cross Cpuntry National Poll released Monday. Fueled by their season-opening victory at the Aztec Invitational this weekend, the Aggie women jumped three spots in the poll from their No. 23 preseason ranking. Texas A&M is one of four Big 12 teams ranked in the poll. Kansas State came in at No. 3, followed .by de fending conference champion Colorado at No. 4. Missouri is right behind A&M at No. 21. Nebras ka is receiving votes after falling from the No. 22 spot. The Aggies are also the highest-ranked team from Texas and the second-highest from the South Ceptral Region behind No. 9 Arkansas. Texas A&M will send a partial squad to Waco to compete in the Baylor Invitational this Saturday. u • Freeh Manicure ■ • American Manfe ! ■ • Air Brush DesiC 1 ire than 10 purchase . : tires aged skin ake-up artist cpires: May 31, ///fljpss Schedule iFlying Dutchman: Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband knocked off heavy favorite, Australia’s Ian Thorpe, in the 200-meter freestyle Monday. In the process f'of winning gold, Hoogenband tied his own world record of 1 minute, 45.35 seconds. China strikes gold in men’s gymnastics: After two Olypmics of underachieving, the Chinese finally took home gold Monday night in a landslide at the Sydney Superdome. The Americans finished fifth in finals com petition. TV Schedule: Tuesday, September 19, 2000 NBC: • 10 a.m. to Noon — Swimming; Equestrian; Rowing • 7 p.m. to Midnight — Gymnastics (Women’s final); Swim ming; Volleyball • 12:41 to 2:11 a.m. — Basketball; Canoeing; Water Polo MSNBC: • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Softball; Soccer; Tennis; Archery CNBC: • 5-9 p.m. — Boxing; Tennis; Cycling; Sailing ecord Book Setting the Standard: Weightlifting: China’s Yang Xia broke world records in the snatch, clean & jerk and total lift on Monday. Swimming: American Tom Mol- chow set a new Olympic record in the 200-meter butterfly on Monday. m edal Watch Gold Silver Bronze USA Fra Chn Aus Ita FILE GRAPHIC/THE BATTALION e experiment Balance totation I alignment 693-85751 Round Cut Color Clarity K SI2 J VS1 F VS2 E SI2 H VS2 ] SI2 1 SI2 I SI3 J SI1 I SIl G S12 Marquise Cut Price $9450“ $11000“ $7950“ EGLCert. $6100“ EGLCert $5600“ ec GL Cert. $2175” $2375°° $1500” $1990" $2190" $1350" Emerald Cut Carat Color Clarity Price 1.53 J SIl $6500“ 1.02 K VS1 $3500 00 EGL Cert. Princess Cut Carat Color Clarity Price 1.27 J VS1 $4150“ .86 F VVS2 $3400” .72 E VS2 $3700” EGL Cert .70 J VS2 $1850“ r Cn rat Color Clarity Price 1139 F SI2 $4500 1121 J SI2 $4200 .94 K SI2 $3400 30 Day Money Back Guarantee A PARTIAL INVENTORY ople.. Installatio 11 .94 in TOWN! : your PAR' 4 Harvey W FULL TIME JEWELRY REPAIR ON PREMISES SAME DAY - 24 HOUR REPAIR Citizen Watches with Official A&M Seal Gold-Tone s 179.95 Two-Tone *159.95 CLohn czM'unttzi] fJnc. ^ Class of '79 ^ "Very Personal Investments" Rare Coins, Loose Diamonds, Precious Metal, Fine Jewelry, Watches, Tennis Bracelets, Cocktail Rings & Colored Gemstones 313B South College Ave. (Albertson's Center) • 846-8916