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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2004)
SPORTS IN BRIEF kggie baseball Lns two of three ragainst Kansas The No. 15 Texas A&M base- )alj team dropped the final tame of a three-game series Igainst the University of Kansas, p-7, Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark [Lawrence, Kan., after winning Ihe first two games of the series, 144 and 4-0. j Kansas (24-16-1, 2-7 Big 12) lised a four-run sixth inning to lain the lead for good. A&M lenior pitcher Justin Moore, who took over for sophomore Itarter Dan Donaldson in the second inning, began the jnning on the mound. By the end of the inning Kansas had marched through lour Aggie pitchers. Juniors Kyle ilarlatt and Blake Rampy could- rt record an out through four latters, as Marlatt was credited l/ith allowing two runs. Freshman Austin Creps finally got the last Iwo outs to end the inning with |he Jayhawks leading 7-6. Kansas added two more runs in he eighth inning, giving the llayhawks the insurance they would need after A&M would |core a run in the top of the ninth. A&M sophomore first base- iian Goby Mavroulis led the JAggies (29-9, 6-6) at the plate going three-for-five with a Idouble and two RBIs. The Aggies will return to ■College Station to face the llniversity of Houston at Olsen ■Field at 7 p.m. Tuesday. A&M softball sweeps Kansas in doubleheader I The Texas A&M softball team ■took both games of a double- I header Saturday over the tUniverstty of Kansas, 8-0 and 7- |3,atthe Aggie Softball Complex. I A&M senior Jessica ■Kapchinski threw a six-inning jno-hitter as the Aggies (25-16, |7-1 Big 12) run-ruled the llayhawks (23-19-1, 2-6) in the learly game. Kapchinski also jcame on in relief for senior pitcher Lindsey Wilhelmson in ! second game, pitching four |nore no-hit innings. Kapchinski struck out nine Matters in the first game and ■three more in the second as Ihe increased her streak of Innings without allowing an learned run to 39.2 innings. The Aggies used a five-run hird inning in the first game fcparked by junior shortstop [Adrian Gregory’s bases loaded single to left field that scored sophomore outfielder Rockey fcpencer and freshman center fielder Sharonda McDonald. Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ifth inning of the second game, t&M junior catcher Nicole lobertson put the Aggies up for Rood with a three-run home run, giving A&M a 6-3 lead. I A&M will host No. 20 Baylor ft 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the {Aggie Softball Complex. Sports The Battalion Page IB • Monday, April 12, 2004 Freshman swimmer has standout year By Jordan Meserole THE BATTALION Rebecca Sturdy is the average 19- year-old college freshman. She likes to watch movies, has posters of Tom Cruise on her dorm room wall, would rather do anything but wash her ever-growing pile of laundry and couldn’t live a day with out instant messaging. When it comes to swimming, howev er, Sturdy isn’t so average. In her first year on the Texas A&M women’s swimming team, Sturdy has already broken seven individual school records and has been a member on a relay team that has broken 10 relay school records. She has been named Big 12 Swimmer of the Month twice and earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors. Sturdy also helped the Aggies achieve a 16th place finish at the NCAA swimming and diving championships this year, A&M’s second highest finish ever at the championships. “We’ve had a number of girls who have had a good year that has gotten the team to where it is,” said A&M head coach Steve Bultman. “You throw Rebecca in that mix, and it makes the team’s success that much easier to come by.” Sturdy’s fondness for swimming began at an early age. Entered in a swimming class for young children by her parents, Sturdy immediately took to the water as compared to many of the other children who were reluctant to jump in. As instructors led activities to acclimate the children to the water. Sturdy would wander off to the far end of the pool, jumping in repeatedly without any guidance. “I’m surprised she wanted to stick with it,” said Rebecca’s mother, Karen Sturdy. “She would always shiver so much after getting out of the pool, but I guess she wasn’t miserable.” Sturdy pro gressed in her early teenage years under the guidance of her father Gary Sturdy, who served as her coach for many years and still provides the occasional words of wisdom. “My dad was very nit-picky,” Sturdy said. “But I guess it turned out to be good that he was.” Around the small island town of Anacortes, Wash., Sturdy is well- known. Mention the words Texas A&M and swimming, and most residents know who is being Texas A&M freshman Rebecca Sturdy celebrates after winning the consolation heat of the 100-meter backstroke, plac- talked about. In her ing ninth overall, at the NCAA Championships at the Texas A&M Student Recreation Center Natatorium March 19. four years at C.OURTESY OF A6tM SWIMMING ASSISTANT COACH KRISTIN HILL Anacortes High School, Sturdy set or broke every school swimming record. Occasionally, Sturdy is teased by friends and relatives that she doesn't own the div ing records as well. Although Sturdy made many accom plishments during her high school years, Anacortes High head coach Leslie Mix isn’t so quick to accept any accolades. “I take no credit for how well and how fast she swims,” Mix said. “She always wants to be perfect in what she does, so that’s what makes her so good.” Sturdy was highly recruited by many colleges including A&M( which gave her the first recruiting call. She visited many of the colleges that showed interest in her, but it was a visit to College Station that helped her make a decision. “At first, I didn’t really think I was even remotely going to come here, but my dad insisted that I still go see it,” Sturdy said. “1 just instantly bonded with the coaches and the team. It was the overall package that got me here.” Gary Sturdy said he didn’t try to influence his daughter’s decision in choosing a school, but was also the most impressed by A&M. “You’ve got a lot of good athletes at this level,” he said. “There’s a lot of peo ple who try to be the top dog on the team and only care about themselves, but I really didn’t sense any of that here.” And apparently, that team unity that Gary Sturdy sensed has rubbed off on Rebecca. When asked what she hopes See Sturdy on page SB Mickelson wins Masters By Doug Ferguson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUGUSTA, Ga. — Finally! Phil Mickelson’s agonizing pursuit of a major ended Sunday at the Masters when he made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole, a spectacular conclusion to a back-nine duel with Ernie Els. Gone is that ugly streak of being 0-for-42 in golf’s biggest events. Gone are questions about Mickelson’s game and whether it could stand up to the scrutiny of a major championship. He delivered a command per formance to the very end, with two birdies on the final three holes for a 3-under 69 that gave him a one-stroke victory over Els. The putt curled into the back of the hole, setting off an enormous cheer. Mickelson jumped and thrust his fists, then kissed his ball when he plucked it from the cup. “Oh my God!” he said as he walked off the green and into the arms of his wife and three children. Until Sunday, he was known as the best player to have never won a major. Now, he’s simply one of the best in the game. Weather shortens A&M Invitational Erik Campos • KRT CAMPUS Phil Mickelson saves par with a putt from off the 18th green during the third round of the Master at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. The Masters win was Mickelson’s first major win in 43 tries. His awesome skills were on full display along the back nine at Augusta National, and they had to be. Els was flawless, making two eagles in his round of 67 that looked as though it would be enough to get the green jacket he covets, and the third leg of the Grand Slam. But Mickelson was more determined than ever. He rattled off three straight See Masters on page SB By Craig Martin THE BATTALION Weather cooperated for most of Saturday in College Station, but in the end the light ning proved to be too much. Officials were forced to cancel this weekend’s Texas A&M Invitational track and field meet at around 5 p.m., two hours before it was scheduled to end. “I knew that once we called it, the weather would clear up,” said head coach Ted Nelson. The Aggies played host to 20 schools this weekend, including Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas. The University of Oklahoma was scheduled to have a meet this weekend, but because of construction, moved its meet to College Station to coincide with the Texas A&M Invitational. The Aggies had an “up and down day,” according to Nelson. Nelson said the weath er contributed negatively to much of the athletic perform ances, hampering the field of competitors. The windy and humid conditions caused slow er track times and shorter throws in the field events. Although Saturday’s weath er conditions proved difficult, a few Aggies were able to finish with excellent results, includ ing two who took home gold. A&M senior Melissa Gulli took first place in the women's 1,500-meter race with a time of 4:28.79, qualifying her for the regional meet later this season. Also finishing first was sophomore javelin thrower Rachel Walker. Her throw of 147.6 feet not only won her gold but, like Gulli, also quali fied her for the regional meet. The men’s 4x100-meter relay team ended the day with a close second-place finish with a time of 40.52 seconds, just .27 seconds behind Houston. The final baton See Track on page 3B