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SPORTS
THE SAINT |FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012
Gymnast Phil Gifford defies gravity and pursues excellence
March Madness has arrived By Meghan Gray The Saint Reporter It is that time of year again: Shamrock Shakes, warmer weather and of course, March Madness. With Selection Sunday behind us, we can now all fill out our brackets and hope that we win those awesome cash prizes given out by ESPN and the liking. Kentucky might be the luckiest of the four, the way the rest of the South bracket turned out giving UK home court advantage for most of the tournament. The Wildcats will play their first game in Louisville and if they make it to the Sweet 16 they will have SEC support in Atlanta. There are a lot of Kentucky supporters no matter where you go, some even on the Aquinas campus, and they will all be cheering “Go Blue!” The East region gets a little tricky, especially in terms of competition for Syracuse. Vanderbilt and Wisconsin could easily give them trouble with the game both teams like to play. Wisconsin loves to slow down the offense to eat away time on the clock before they score, hoping that their opponents transition into a fast break or quicker offense to make up lost time defending the Badgers. The East better be careful with Wisconsin sitting as one of its sleepers. If Syracuse plays their game, they might be making a trip south to New Orleans.
Great coaches and parents have had a strong impact on sophomore Nik Artaev’s tennis career
COURTESY DOMINIC BARGE
Souring to the top: Freshmen Phil Gifford is a top-notch gymnast who will be competing at the national championships this summer. By Alyssa Frese Staff Writer For most boys, participating in sports such as baseball and football seemed like the cool thing to do growing up, but freshman Phil Gifford decided to defy the norm and give gymnastics a try. “I joined gymnastics about ten years ago, so I was around eight years old. I got interested because I went and saw a live band perform and the performers were doing flips and back handsprings and it made me want to be able to do those tricks as well. I found a trampoline gym near where I live and saw the team practicing and I got involved as soon as I could,” said Gifford. Gifford, a Colorado native, has had to dedicate a lot of time over the years to his passion for gymnastics. There are usually around two competitions per month during the season, with national meets being held once every couple of months. Gifford
trains at least four times a week at a gym in Kalamazoo that offers the necessary equipment for him to practice. “There are other gymnasts in Grand Rapids, so we carpool to practices. It is cool to see other people sharing the same passion as myself,” said Gifford. The most recent competition Gifford participated in was the Winter Classic, held in Tampa, Florida. He performed so well that he was one of two national qualifiers. He placed first in the trampoline and will go on to compete in the national competition this summer. With a full college load and staying dedicated to practices and becoming a better gymnast, Gifford needs to stay motivated all the time. There are many things that keep him motivated, a huge reason being the simple feeling of success. “The feeling of victory is incredible. When you compete and know you did well and you step up on the podium to receive that gold medal,
it’s really amazing and addicting,” said Gifford. Being involved with gymnastics has required a lot of hard work from Gifford but it has paid off in many ways. He has had the opportunity to compete all around the United States. He has even had the chance to compete in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has had many people to support him and has enjoyed the progress he has made every step of the way. “My family and friends have been so great. When I was back home in Colorado they came to every meet and they are still supportive of my involvement in gymnastics,” said Gifford. “I have also learned so much from other athletes. I consider everyone better than me to be a huge inspiration and I’ve met so many athletes from around the country who have influenced my career,” he said.
Shaky start to a challenging women’s lacrosse season By Laura Farrell Staff Writer Looking forward to warmer weather and some competition, the Aquinas College women’s lacrosse team had high hopes for spring break. The team headed down south to Alabama to play two games and play two more on the return trip home. Looking forward to a new season, in a new conference, with many new players, the spring break games were an important start. The team first took on Birmingham Southern College on March 5. The Saints lost 15-13 in a tight game. Captain and senior attacker Michelle Murphy and junior attacker Lauren McCarty both had three goals while junior captain goalkeeper Breanne Stockall made eight saves. The Saints bounced back the next
day, beating Reindardt College 22-11. Captain and senior attacker Hannah Brogger and McCarty both had an impressive five goals. Brogger also had five assists. Aquinas lost both games on the way back up to Michigan, first losing to Centre College 19-8. Stockall remained consistent and had nineteen saves in the game. McCarty scored another three goals and freshman attacker Alexa Burns added two. In Ohio, Aquinas lost a close game to Tennessee Wesleyan 9-7. A total of six Aquinas players scored and Stockall had another twenty saves. Women’s lacrosse head coach Frank Rogers reflected on the competitive week. “Our Spring Break trip was an education for us, our freshmen get a good taste of their first college experi-
ence and we learned where we need to improve,” said Coach Rogers. Looking forward to another winning season, McCarty and the rest of the team remain focused on how to carry on their tradition. “We are in a bigger and better conference this year, we are ready for the competition and we are going to do our best.” The next women’s lacrosse game is March 22 against Midland College at home at 5 p.m. After the Midland game the Saints will have a three day run of home games. The Saints are 1-3 overall with a 1-1 record in the National Women’s Lacrosse League. Aquinas is now sixth in the 11 team league and need to be in the top four in order to qualify for the NWLL Tournament.
Softball playing this season like it is now or never
By Alyssa Frese The Saint Reporter
After a successful spring break trip to Tucson, Arizona, the Aquinas College softball team is 9-6 and ready for an intense, competitive 2012 season. The Saints finished the 2011 season with a 28-20 and look to improve upon a fifth place finish in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. Head coach Crystal Laska will be entering her fifth year as head coach for the Saints. There are many returning players as well as a few new faces to the roster this year. The Saints have been working very hard in the offseason and are determined to push the boundaries and surpass
limits that have not been broken before. “The whole team has been working really hard in the off season to prepare for this year. We’ve got a lot of talent and are doing what we can to get the most out of it,” said senior pitcher Ashley White. “We started a little rough in Arizona but we did figure out that when we keep our energy up and work hard the whole game that we can make good things happen, we won our last six games down there so we have some good momentum going into the season. The team is extremely close this year and our chemistry definitely shows when we are out on the field, we play for each other as well as for our coaches. We have worked too hard to settle for anything less than our best this year.”
Sports Editor Dan Meloy
The Saints have amazing chemistry as a team that is already inevitable even this early in the season. They have the drive and power it takes to do great things this season. “We have this goal of winning a national championship and being the best we can be for ourselves, our school, and our community,” said junior first baseman and outfielder Renae Tubergen. “Through our faith and determination we will succeed. Because of one of our great senior captains we wear on our backs a quote that we play for, ‘There is no next time. It’s now or never.’ If we live for the moment we will be on top. We are looking forward to bringing in our new field with a bang.”
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In the Midwest region this March, the favorite by far is North Carolina. But do not get on the bandwagon too soon because Creighton and Temple will be the sleeper teams to watch out for and Kansas and Georgetown can also give North Carolina a run for their money. The Rock Chalk Jayhawks could easily upset North Carolina, in fact, some can see them making it to the Final Four in New Orleans. As far as the West region is concerned, Michigan State will have to play their best against tough competition. If they meet Missouri in the Elite Eight, the Spartans will have to keep up with some serious speed and adapt to Missouri’s perimeter offense. If Michigan State meets Marquette in the Elite Eight, Marquette will also be challenging for Michigan State. Not only does Michigan State have one of the toughest brackets to play through, they are also playing away and the travel might wear and tear on the performance of the team. Many see Missouri taking it all the way to the Final Four and are picking Long Beach State as an upset favorite making it to the Sweet 16. My predictions are as follows: Kentucky meeting Michigan State and Syracuse playing Kansas in the Final Four with Michigan State beating Kansas 74-69.
By Yasmeen Ahmed The Saint Reporter Sophomore men’s tennis player Nik Artaev has been involved in tennis pretty much his whole life, but had a bit of a different development of being a tennis player. Artaev was born in Russia when his father decided to move to America and stabilize and then moved the rest of the family over when Artaev was only a year old. Artaev describes tennis in Russia as an aristocratic sport, so when his dad moved here he liked the idea that anyone could play or watch it. His dad began bringing him to play tennis all the time when he was young, which sparked his interest in the sport. Artaev explains the beginning of his tennis career and developing by playing local rivals. “The development of me as a tennis player was certainly an interesting one because I didn’t grow up in a large city like Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo that has lots of tennis clubs and really good players to practice with,” said Artaev. “I came from a small town, but tennis was a large part of the community. There was a club where every player within several counties would go and practice. There were two other players around me that were at the same level of tennis as I was. We’d go to the same tournaments, practice at the same club, and eventually we’d play for the same high school team.” Artaev’s parents were both involved in his tennis career. He says, “My mom was also a pretty big part of me growing up as a player. As my dad was like my coach in terms of tennis, my mom always took me all over the Midwest to play in tournaments. She watched all of my matches and shared the same emotions that I did. She was always there for emotional support and comfort after a tough loss and would always be the first to hug me and tell me good job when I had a good win.” Artaev had several coaches who tried to develop his skills. However, it was not until late in his career that he found a coach that had a profound impact on him. “His name was Mark Ficks, and he certainly revolutionized tennis in the area,” said Artaev. “He brought a new approach to the game, and really was passionate about developing the junior level of tennis. I remember then first lesson I had with him, I was out of breath and my knees were shaking by the first fifteen minutes. He asked me if I had ever done off court training and was baffled when I told him no.” In high school Artaev also had a coach that he appreciates a lot, and who made him continue to work hard. “Our high school team was a powerhouse, and that was largely attributed to my dedicated high school coach Pat Hoffmann,” said Artaev. “He spends so much time and effort working with the team and shaping them up for next season. He is a wonderful coach and has a great passion for tennis that spills over into whoever plays for him.” Artaev worked hard during high school and during his senior year he had a record breaking season, going
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COURTESY ASHLEY HENDRICK Serving up a storm: Sophomore Nik Artaev’s 13-1 record is the one of his many reasons the men’s tennis team is ranked 14th nationally.
31-0, set the all-time school record for wins, won regionals without losing a game, won conference and ultimately the state title. When looking for colleges a big factor in why Artaev was attracted to Aquinas was the tennis team. Tennis is a big part of his life and he wanted to be able to play it competitively but also be able to focus on school. Aquinas men’s tennis head coach Jerry Hendrick offered Artaev a chance to play at Aquinas and Hendrick understood there needed to be a focus on tennis and school equally. “I’ve known Nick since I was very young from tennis tournaments,” said teammate Aaron Hendrick. “He has always been a great competitor on the court and one of the most honest players I’ve ever known. He brings a competitive fire to our team along with great leadership.” “I’ve learned a lot about both life and tennis since being here at Aquinas,” said Artaev. “Coach Hendrick is not only a coach, but he is a father and a professor as well. Coach is always interested in our lives and is always there to listen if we have some sort of concern.” Artaev goes on to say that Coach Hendrick’s influence has given him a profound outlook on what it means to be a tennis player at Aquinas College. “School and what we want to do afterwards is held to a much higher degree than tennis here,” said Artaev. “Mentally, this is a comforting ideal to go by and it allows me as a player to not think about the future, but rather what I need to accomplish in that particular moment on the court. He really makes us appreciate the time we have together as a team because we have a fun group of guys to be around and we know it doesn’t last all that long. ” Artaev plans to continue playing tennis after college, possibly in adult leagues or maybe even coaching.