10 Sports
The Oracle | TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013
TENNIS
Duwearatchi has drive to succeed Sophomore’s resolve has made her one of the top players on the women’s tennis team. Sarah Schneekloth Reporter Determination. That’s the mindset Shamara Duwearatchi has for every match, every game, every point and every ball. As a sophomore, it has earned her a top spot on the Hamline women’s tennis team, playing double duty with a singles and doubles game each meet. Duwearatchi is aware of her constant determination and uses it to the best of her ability. “I always go for every ball no matter where it is,” Duwearatchi said. Her doubles partner, junior Lee Manthe, agreed. “Shamara is the definition of someone who hustles and works for every point. She rarely, if ever, gives up,” Manthe said. After a tough season last year, Duwearatchi and her team are ready for the fresh start this year. Duwearatchi and Manthe both agreed that improvement on the court needs to be day in and day out. “We want to work on improving every single practice and every single match,” Manthe said.
Duwearatchi, a former Bloomington Kennedy Eagle, said she is working carefully on her serve, hoping more spin will earn her more aces. There is one area from last season the team wouldn’t mind repeating. Last year, Duwearatchi the Hamline women’s tennis team was named to the International Tennis Association All-Academic team for the third year in a row. The team achieved the requirements of a combined 3.2 GPA or higher. As a first-year, Duwearatchi gained individual recognition as well, clinching a spot on the ITA Scholar Athlete team which requires a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Unfortunately, the women haven’t started the season out as they’d hoped. Besides a solid win over Bethany Lutheran on Feb. 23, the season has stayed in the loss column. Junior Carissa Wallerich and sophomore Rachael Barnes also took on double duty, winning at doubles and singles in the 8-1 win over Bethany Lutheran, but it was Duwearatchi who earned the recognition as Hamline’s woman Athlete of the Week. She was excited to hear the news.
“It means that not only I know I'm working hard, but [other] people are also noticing,” Duwearatchi said. One person that notices every day is her doubles partner, Manthe. Although their styles differ, they use it to their advantage by keeping Duwearatchi near her comfort zone on the baseline while Manthe charges the net and tries to finish the point. “Our styles work well together because we feed off of each other’s energy,” Duwearatchi said. Both agreed that they are a good pairing. “I think we play extremely well together,” Duwearatchi said. The partnership is still young, and therefore, a lot of work still has to be done. Although Duwearatchi mentioned their excellent communication, the duo has only played six matches together. When they get the chance in practice, they work on what is known as the “10-foot rope,” meaning when one player moves to get the ball, their partner stays within 10 feet of them. “No matter where she or I go, the other follows within 10 feet. It's crucial in doubles to stay and move together with your partner and to know where they are on the court,” Manthe said. The pair will be looking for a win this weekend as the Hamline women’s tennis team travels to Winona to take on Saint Mary’s.
“Shamara is the definition of someone who hustles and works for every point. She rarely, if ever, gives up.” Lee Manthe Junior
TRACK AND FIELD
Culp and Kramer shine at championships Both throwers earn All-American honors at D-III championships. Teams prepare move to outdoor season. Gino Terrell Reporter
The men’s and women’s track and field took their talent to Naperville, Ill., last week for the NCAA D-III Indoor Championships and will have a long break until their next meet at the Hamline Invitational on April 6. Sophomore Derrick Mora said that preparing for nationals is about staying focused and working hard through practice. His goal as a competitor is to one day finish first in the long jump. “I would love to get first in long jump one of these years. I think next year there’s a really good chance as long as I stay healthy,” he said. Prior to nationals, Mora competed at the regionals and earned third place in the long jump. “It was good and at the same time kind of frustrating,” Mora said. He said he felt they didn’t finish as strong as they were capable of finishing. “There were definitely a few things that we could have [done] better, maybe doing some stuff in training that we didn’t do as much this year as we did last year,” he said. However, Mora did acknowledge that the team has accomplished some great things at the regionals.
“Overall, I feel good about our performance,” he said Last week at nationals, the women’s track and field team put on a show. Both sophomore Shawny Kramer and senior Becky Culp earned All-American honors, with their impressive performance at the meet. Kramer threw her career best at the weight throw with a 57-9, which is the seventh best throw by any athlete in Division-III this year, and earned fifth place in the weight throw at nationals. Culp received her third All-American honor after recording a 46-0.50 in the shot put, which placed fifth at the nationals. That was Culp’s second personal best behind her 47’3.5 effort that she did prior to this meet at the MIAC Indoor Championships. Both performances were crucial to the Pipers at the NCAA D-III Indoor Championships, as they tied for 23rd place at the meet. The men’s and women’s track and field teams don’t have another meet until next month. However, their season is a long way from over, and they will continue to train to prepare for the next part of their schedule. “It’s mainly about staying focused. Even after you do conference, you still need to do the little things because those little things are going to help you. Every day in practice you got to work hard,” Mora said. The next meet for the men’s and women’s track and field will be the Hamline Invitational on April 6. Last year at Klas Field, the Pipers had some success. The Pipers won a total of five events. The men’s won three as the women’s won two along with several other strong finishes.
PHOTOS | ORACLE ARCHIVE Sophomore Shawny Kramer (left) and senior Becky Culp (right) led the way for the Pipers. Both earned All-American honors for their performance at the NCAA D-III championships last week in Naperville, Ill.