The Optimist - Feb. 11, 2009

Optimist the

a product of the JMC

network

Pg. 8 Baseball head coach hits milestone in career wins

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 :: Vol. 97, No. 35 :: 1 section, 8 pages :: www.acuoptimist.com

Inside This Issue:

Pg. 3

The ‘World Famous’ Bean offers romantic evening for students

Pg. 3

Students collect prom dresses for underprivileged youth

Pg. 5

Former Jamaican professional awaits turn to swing for ACU

Southern Hills’ video seen by millions on ‘YouTube’

By Kaitlyn Sellgren Student Reporter

When Stephen Corbett uploaded Stethoscope, a less than three-minute video he produced in October, onto www.YouTube. com, he said it was optimistic to assume at least 1,000 people might see it.

More than three months later, the video Corbett, congregation life minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ, assembled as a supplement to a sermon prepared by Phil Ware, Southern Hills preaching minister, is approaching 3 million views and being screened in churches

videos Corbett produces to accompany sermons at Southern Hills, was intended to be used one time on Oct. 12, 2008. Corbett said the video to his private YouTube account and embedded it on the Southern Hills’ Web site.

“We were anticipating 1,500 sets of eyes laid on this video, and it’s obviously gone beyond that,” Corbett said.

In the short time it was online, Corbett watched the views of the video soar past 1,000, jump above 100,000 and the church replayed the video at the beginning of one service in December to celebrate

throughout the nation.

“It’s hard to get your mind around 2.5 million or 3 million people viewing something you’ve produced,” Corbett said.

The video was made as an illustration to accompany a sermon by Ware that focused on Colossians 1:27, which reads, “And the mystery is Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing God’s glory.”

To make the video, Corbett and other church members brainstormed ideas, and Corbett filmed the video in downtown Abilene without a script and only a camera, stethoscope and a Slurpee. They shot the video in 45 minutes and Corbett edited it later.

This video, just like all other

See

Students shine at annual show

By Michael Freeman Managing Editor

The glitz and glamour of a typical fashion show was all but unapparent at the first annual Black History Month Fashion Show, Fade 2 Fashion, Saturday night in the Bean Sprout.

Instead, the show had a comfortable and intimate feel as 20 models strutted down the runway. And that was exactly the feeling producer Mallorie Frank (‘08) wanted for the show.

“Everything that everyone wore came out of their closet,” Frank said.

“What you wear in some way shows who you are, and I wanted to celebrate that.”

The show drew more than 150 people; that was fewer than last year’s show, in which more than 250 came to see students strut their stuff, Frank said. Despite the lower numbers, Frank said the show was a success. Last year, the fashion show was in the Williams Performing Arts Center, but she wanted a more comfortable place for this year’s show.

“It was a closer setting, and a big space can seem intimidating to some people,” Frank said. “You can have a lot more fun because you’re not afraid to talk, laugh and wave at your friends who are walking down the runway.”

See

YouTube page 4

‘Shinnery Review’ content deadline approaches

By Lezlee Gutierrez Broadcast Assistant

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer Tony Harp, junior excercise science major from San Antonio, flexes his muscles while strutting down a runway at the Fade 2 Fashion fashion show on Saturday in the Bean Sprout. More than 150 people attended the event put on to honor Black History Month.

Fashion page 4

acuoptimist.com: View a video and a photo slideshow of ‘Fade 2 Fashion,’ a fashion show held on in honor of Black Histo ry Month

Saturday marks the final day for students to submit art and literary work for the publication of the Shinnery Review this year.

The Shinnery Review is a student-run literary magazine printed annually at the end of the spring semester. The magazine features poetry, photography, short stories and general artwork submitted

by ACU students. The staff members of the magazine meet each Thursday to judge and choose quality work that will be published.

Students lately have submitted an average of two entries a week, and as the end of the week draws near, staff members hope more work See

Shinnery page 4

Nearby apartment complex to open in March

SA Update

By Ryan Elam Student Reporter

Appropriations Committee:

Granted $600 to Galaxy for the annual Kirk Goodwin run and $2,967.20 to Jack Pope Fellows for a trip with Fannin Elementary (Title I school) 4th Graders to Austin.

Of the $10,205 allotted to the Appropriations Committee from the SA spring 2009 budget, $6,637.80 remains in the committee’s funds.

Research and Development Committee:

Considering signature events for the student body, like a bon fire, lawn slip-and-slide and Play Faire Park event

Internal Affairs Committee:

Organizing an SA-sponsored basketball game that would break the Guiness World Book of Records’ world record for the world’s longest basketball game ever played.

Read coverage of Wednesday’s Students’ Association Congress meeting online at www.acuoptimist.com and in Friday’s edition of the Optimist.

Renting options

Construction for a new apartment complex is nearing completion on the corner of Ambler Avenue and East Lake Road, next to Wal-Mart. Trinity Hughes, LLC, a construction company based in Wichita Falls, is building the complex, which will open in March.

According to building permits filed with the city, the Residence at Heritage Parks will consist of four 29,469-square-foot buildings, five 28,842-square-foot buildings and 196 apartments. It will cost $10.2 million to build.

Lezlie Sifuentes, onsite manager for the complex, said that aside from being brand new, the Residence at Heritage Parks will provide some special amenities for its residents.

“We will have a [state-of-theart] fitness center, a business

ACU WeAtHeR

Residence at Heritage Parks will soon join the ranks of several apartment complexes around or near ACU’s campus: n Riatta Ranch, 1111 Musken Road n University Park Apartments, 2150 N Judge Ely Boulevard n Cimarron Apartments, 500 N Judge Ely Boulevard n The Grove, 2702 N. Judge Ely Boulevard Source: www.apartmentratings.com

center where students can work on computers and access the Internet and a swimming pool with a grotto,” Sifuentes said.

Other amenities include a stereo system in the pool area for resident activities, alarm systems available in every apartment and

More from the

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

High: 65 Low: 41

High: 72 Low: 42

High: 65 Low: 33

Zak Zeinert :: chief photographer A bulldozer drives around the construction site at the Residence at Heritage Parks apartment complex. The complex consists of 196 rooms and will open in March.

a tennis court, basketball court and sand volleyball court.

The Residence at Heritage Parks is also the exclusive housing provider for the Ruff Riders, Abilene’s professional indoor football team, and will provide exclusive promotions for residents only.

“We’ll give away door prizes and tickets. Residents can qualify to utilize our season passes that we get in the VIP section, and we’ll have a ‘meet and greet’ with the players and cheerleaders,” Sifuentes said.

See

Complex page 4

Online Poll : Log onto www.acuoptimist.com or www.youtube. com/acuvideo to see weekly News casts and Sports casts from the JMC Network News Team and videos profiling various events and stories around campus and Abilene.

Would you rather live in a house or an apartment complex?

a. A house with friends. b. An apartment complex. c. Neither. d. I’d rather live with my mom.

acuoptimist.com Department of Journalism and Mass Communication ::

Abilene Christian University

::

Serving the ACU community since 1912

2

Campus Day Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Calendar and Events

11

Wednesday

11 a.m.-1 p.m.

A free conflict resolution class will be at the North Park Friendship House.

7 p.m.

Blackwood Legacy, a gospel group from Nashville, Tenn., will perform at the Grace United Methodist Church.

The event is free.

12

Thursday

5:30-8:30 p.m.

ArtWalk will be at the Center for Contemporary Arts. The event is free.

7:30-10 p.m.

“Little Women” will be presented by the Department of Theatre in Fulks Theatre. To purchase tickets, call 674-2787 or go to www.acu.edu/ theatre.

acuoptimist.com

13

Friday

7-9 p.m.

The Food Fusion Valentine’s Day Dinner will be offered in the “World Famous” Bean. The event includes free photos and live music and costs one meal plan per person.

Students must reserve seats in the Bean prior to the dinner.

About This Page The Optimist maintains this calendar for the ACU community to keep track of local social, academic and service opportunities.

Groups may send announcements directly to jmcnetwork@acu.edu or to the Page 2 Editor at sar06g@acu.edu.

To ensure that an item will appear on time, the announcement should be sent at least 10 days before. The Optimist may edit items for space and style.

Corrections and clarifications of published news articles will be printed in this space in a timely manner.

ACU Police Tip of the Week

14

Saturday

Keep a record of the model and serial numbers of all significant valuables to help the ACU police track and recover stolen property.

Police Log

Valentine’s Day 6 p.m.

The International Ballet Magnificat! will perform at Beltway Park Baptist Church. Tickets cost $12. For more information, call Marilyn Smith at 692-6540.

Online News Cast

Webcast

Watch videos to see Sing Song practices, what students are doing for Valentine’s Day and the Food Fusion Dinner in the “World Famous” Bean.

Log on to www.youtube.com/acuvideo to see how Vletas, a downtown candy store, makes its Valentine’s Day chocolates.

Announcements All freshman residence halls will offer free tutoring Sunday through Thursday from 9-11 p.m. To find out the location in each hall, log in to myACU or call 674-2723 The International Students Association will sponsor a Chai Café in the University Park Clubhouse on Thursday from 9-11 p.m.

The Shinnery Review is accepting student photography, poetry, short stories and artwork for its annual publication at the end of the semester. Students digitally can submit up to 10 pieces to shinnery@ acu.edu by Saturday.

Edited for space

Monday, Feb. 2

Sunday, Feb. 8

8:45 p.m. Someone reported an off-campus sexual assault, and the ACU police are assisting the Abilene police with a follow-up.

10:39 p.m. Someone reported a suspicious vehicle on ACU Drive, but the ACU police found two students in the vehicle. The students were OK.

Wednesday, Feb. 4 8:14 p.m. Someone reported a solicitor at the Big Purple parking lot, but the ACU police were unable to locate the subject.

Always report suspicious activity to ACUPD at 674-2305 or 674-2911.

Chapel Checkup Credited Chapels to date:

22

Credited Chapels remaining:

51

Volunteer Opportunities Communities in Schools at Fannin Elementary School needs volunteers for one to two hours at 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Volunteers will give extra help to students in an afterschool tutoring class. Come by the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center downstairs in the Campus Center for more information.

Find out volunteer opportunities by visiting the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center’s Web site at www.acu.edu/vslc and clicking on Volunteer Opportunities. For more information or to sign up to help, contact the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the Bean Sprout.

CAMPUS NEWS

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Page 3

Abilenians learn, cook appetizing cost-efficient meals

By Cara Leahy Student Reporter

Flames leap from the stove as Pamela Pendergrass slides a pan across the burner, tossing vegetables and sprinkling spices as if she were Abilene’s own Rachel Ray. It is Saturday morning at Southern Hills Church of Christ, and several women have gathered for a class to learn the secret to costconscious cooking. Ranging from college students to elderly adults, they are crowded into the church kitchen, watching as Pendergrass manipulates three pans at once.

Charismatic and capable, Pendergrass draws laughter from the assembled women as she calls for help, handing off a finished plate as she turns back to the stove.

It is just one of six dishes Pendergrass completed in under an hour, the longest preparation time for one dish coming in at 25 minutes.

While she prepared the meal, Pendergrass gave tips for cost-effective cooking, such as buying items in bulk rather than individually. She demonstrated this by dismantling a whole chicken, expertly sorting out wings and thighs that, when purchased separately, would total more than the price of the entire bird.

Another tip came from Alice Brown (‘59) who co-led the class. Brown reminded the women not to get caught up in name brands, explaining that store brands are often the same product sold at a lower price.

“People say, ‘Oh, if I buy the store brand, it won’t have the same kind of quality,’” Brown said.

Brown dismissed this misconception with a story about her visit to a bakery, where one bread recipe was packaged with three different labels, some she knew sold for less than another name brand.

Pendergrass said one of

her goals was to teach women how to create meals that “[taste] like you fussed,” while remaining cost-efficient.

“Things like this, when you go to a nicer restaurant, would be very expensive,” she said.

Sara Beckett, sophomore speech pathology major from Sugarland, took the opportunity to ask more questions of Pendergrass.

Her reason for attending the class had personal importance; she is getting married in May and she does not know how to cook.

Beckett, as one of a handful of college students who attended, was a prime example of why Pendergrass and Brown wanted to do the class.

“This younger generation doesn’t know how to cook,” Brown said. “They’ve been reared on fast food.”

Brown closed the meeting with a gift giveaway and the opportunity to take home samples of kitchen seasonings. All attendees went

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer Pamela Pendergrass prepares a fresh meal to inform an on-looking crowd how to create an economic and tasty feast Saturday morning in the kitchen at Southern Hills Church of Christ.

home with free spices, and a few others took the opportunity to cook for themselves some of the dishes Pendergrass had created.

While Pendergrass said she was unsure whether

she would sponsor a similar event in the future, those interested in additional tips can view How to Break Down A Chicken, a video from the Cooking 101 series on the Abilene Reporter-News Web

site. That video, and others like it, can be found at www. reporternews.com/videos under “Food and Dining” in the Life section.

E-mail Leahy at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Bean offers fancy Valentine’s meal Donated prom dresses create fond memories for CPS children

By Megan Haggerton Student Reporter

By Heather Leiphart Student Reporter

Remember those old prom dresses collecting dust in the back of your closet that you can’t bring yourself to throw away? Consider donating them. The Student Social Work Association is accepting all formal outfits to give to teens in the Child Protective Services program who cannot afford their own.

“Here at ACU, there are a lot of social clubs, and people are always going to formals,” said SSWA Chaplain Abby Rix, junior social work major from Tinton Falls, N.J. “All of us have some kind of dress or formal outfit that we just don’t need. It’s an opportunity for all of the students on campus to give to the CPS kids from what they have.”

CPS removes children from their home due to abuse or neglect from their parents or guardians, said Joseph Lopez, SSWA president and social work graduate student from Haskell.

When the kids turn 16 years old, they enter the Preparation for Adult Living pro-

“

They are always shuffling through different schools, so [CPS] thought it would be a good idea to put on a prom just for them. :: Abby Rix, junior social work major from Tinton Falls, N.J.

gram, which helps them adjust to adult independence.

CPS plans a yearly formal for the teens in the PAL program, which many attend in addition to their individual high school proms.

“They are always shuffling through different schools, so [CPS] thought it would be a good idea to put on a prom just for them,” Rix said.

Hardin-Simmons University is donating the prom, while ACU will donate the prom dresses.

Abilene falls under Region 2, one of five regions in Texas, which covers kids from Wichita Falls to San Angelo.

Last semester, SSWA donated a Christmas dinner through the PAL program.

Many of the teens were experiencing their first year out of the foster system

”

and would not have had the money for their own holiday meal, Lopez said.

In addition to the prom dress drive, SSWA organizes a support group for children in the Abilene community and their families who have type 1 diabetes. The group meets every other Monday at Hillcrest Church of Christ from 5-7:30 p.m. and is always looking for volunteers to serve refreshments and talk to the kids and their families, Rix said.

Donated dresses can be sent to the Social Work office in the Hardin Administration Building; the deadline is Feb. 20.

E-mail Leiphart at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

If you do not have plans for Valentine’s Day, you might consider going to the Food Fusion dinner on Friday at 7 p.m., where Aramark is catering a four-course meal in the “World Famous” Bean for singles, couples or just friends.

The cost of the dinner is either two meal plans per person, $40 per couple or $20 a person.

The actual meal, although being catered by the same company that feeds most of the campus on a daily basis, will be

comprised of more sophisticated food.

One of the students involved with the Food Fusion dinner, E.J. Johnson, freshman marketing major from Frisco, said, “This is not a typical day in the ‘World Famous’ Bean, and it is a great way to take someone to dine out on campus.”

Not only will the night feature professionally catered food, but also different kinds of entertainment.

Musically, Stephanie Saxon, freshman music major from Ballinger; Anna Peters, senior children’s ministry major from Houston; and Allen Smith, senior art major from Medford,

Ore., will be performing. Some will sing solo love songs, and other bands will play for a more romantic atmosphere.

An artist also will be available to draw portraits, and a photographer will take pictures throughout the evening.

The targeted attendance for the event is 100. If the dinner succeeds this year, it may become an annual event.

Peters said she was excited about the event “because the Bean is doing something different and trying to recreate a better atmosphere for students on campus to fellowship in.”

E-mail Haggerton at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

FROM THE FRONT

Page 4

Shinnery: Staff makes submission decisions Continued from page 1 will be submitted, so they may have a large variety. Staff members are hoping this week will be the final push students need to gather their creative ideas for submission.

“We hope to get as much work from students as possible this week so that we can pick from great selections to have good work to show the public what is happening at ACU in the art and literary fields this year,” said Megan Faver, junior English major from Lufkin and Shinnery Review staff member.

Staff members are anticipating the publication of the magazine this year, as well as the many forms of work submitted by students. They said it is an honor for any student to have work published, and the Shinnery Review offers students the opportunity to showcase their creativity to the university as well as the public.

“The magazine benefits the general populous by giving students an outlet to publish their literary and artistic works and to see some of the amazing work that ACU students are creating,” Faver said in an e-mail.

Students, faculty and staff can purchase a copy of the Shinnery Review in the Campus Center the week before final exams.

“It is something different,” said Kendell Wilson, junior advertising/public relations major from Sherman and Shinnery Review staff member. “Even if students are not completely interested, the Shinnery Review is a great way to get a good taste of art and culture.”

For more information about the Shinnery Review, visit www. acu.edu/students/shinnery/index.html.

Students can submit literary and artwork by sending an email to Shinnery@acu.edu.

E-mail Gutierrez at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Fashion: Show success despite difficulties Continued from page 1 Last year’s show focused on past fashions, while this year’s presented today’s styles and celebrated not only current black fashion, but all fashion.

“Fashion doesn’t have a color; it doesn’t have a stamp on it,” Frank said. “This is something for everyone.”

Urban Chic was the show’s theme and included four different scenes, telling the story of two groups of men and women who meet and become friends.

Anna Peters, senior ministry to children and families and elementary education major from Houston, also sang Bust Your Windows by Jasmine Sullivan between the scenes.

However, preparation for the show was hectic, Frank said.

“We had people back out the day of, and we were scrambling,” Frank said.

“One of my models, Jonathan Gardner, called his friend, Tyler Lewis, literally 20 minutes before the show, and he came running with his stuff. Next thing you know, the lights are going up, and he’s putting his clothes on. That was one of the highlights of the night. Things like that

“

Fashion doesn't have a color; it doesn't have a stamp on it...This is something for everyone.

”

:: Mallorie Frank, ACU alumnus ('08) and 'Fade to Fashion' producer

really make me appreciate people and their style and who they are, especially the people here at ACU.” Gardner, junior business major from Plano, said he enjoyed the show and would be willing to model in a future show.

“It was definitely a fun experience,” Gardner said.

“I grabbed pretty much everything out of my closet.

I don’t see myself ever being a model some day, but I definitely enjoyed putting on the clothes and acting like you know what you’re doing, but not really.”

Jozie Sands :: staff photographer E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

Laza Razafimanjato, graduate student from Antananarivo, walks down the catwalk in the Bean Sprout during Fade 2 Fashion, a fashion show in honor of Black History Month. The models were all ACU students.

Abilene committee to aid in ’08 U.S. Census

By Shelby Holt Student Reporter

Several ACU community members are helping to raise awareness for the United States Census Bureau’s population count in April of 2010 by participating in an Abilene Complete Count Committee.

Every 10 years, the Census Bureau surveys the population by sending a 10-question survey to each home in the U.S. The survey includes questions regarding name, age and ethnicity, said Melissa Boisvert, Abilene’s committee coordinator, whose motivation is to

increase the response rate for the census, get the local community involved in spreading the word and encourage people to send in their forms.

“Our overall goal is to make sure Abilene has the best count possible,” Boisvert said.

The Abilene committee first met Jan. 29 to brainstorm about possible ways to get the word out about the census and discuss obstacles of getting a complete count, benefits of having a complete count and how to encourage people to complete the survey.

Dr. Monty Lynn, professor of management sciences

at ACU, is one of eight facilitators at the meetings of the Abilene committee.

Lynn said the information received from these surveys is crucial for local businesses and restaurants because government funding is distributed based on these .-results, and if the results are inaccurate, Abilene will live with them until the next count, 10 years from now.

“Since the survey is not a sample, it is important that the count is complete,” he said.

Students living in Abilene in April of 2010 also should fill out their survey for Abilene,

rather than their hometown.

Boisvert said Abilene needs an accurate count of students, as well as residents, because these numbers provide an correct picture for the housing and businesses’ customer base.

The Census Bureau also has jobs for students to earn part-time money at this time. The jobs include “following up with households, address canvassers and helping out at the question assistance center,” Boisvert said.

Although students can apply now, more jobs will be

available in the fall and next spring. For more information about job opportunities, visit 2010censusjobs.gov.

Lynn said although the surveys will not be issued until next spring, the community still needs to spread the word.

“Stay tuned for more information,” he said. “And when the time actually comes, it’s important that we all participate.”

E-mail Holt at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Complex: College crowd expected YouTube: Churches use popular video Continued from page 1 “There will be a lot of perks for our residents with that. Nobody else will have that.”

While the complex is not specifically for college students, Sifuentes said she expects an up-surge in student residents simply because of the location on the northeast side of town.

Not only is the complex down the road from ACU, it conveniently is located close to Wal-Mart, restaurant chains like Cracker Barrel and Chili’s, a hand-

“

There will be a lot of perks for our residents...

”

:: Lezlie Sifuentes, on-site manager for Residence at Heritage Parks

ful of specialty stores and several gas stations.

The complex will present competition for both The Grove apartments, located off campus, and the University Park apartments, located on campus.

Justin Pecoroni, onsite manager at The Grove, said he is unsure if The Grove will lose residents but

knows Abilene has plenty of students to go around.

“We get a constant flow of people in here every day that are looking to live in apartments,” Pecoroni said.

Cost and size of the apartments is still being decided.

E-mail Elam at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Continued from page 1 the 1 million mark. Today the video has more than 2.78 million views and is creeping up on 3 million.

The Abilene Reporter-News reported on the viral video, which Corbett said spread because of a combination of word of mouth and e-mail; and when its audience grew large enough, it garnered a story by MSNBC and its affiliates of the video's Web success.

But the attention Corbett said has been most encouraging has been from other churches. More than 75 churches have contacted him to get a copy of the video to use as an illustration for their congregation. Churches from St. Louis, Cleveland, Little

Rock, Ark., and several around Texas requested copies of the video. Corbett said he and other ministers at Southern Hills are creating a Web site where churches can download the videos they produce for free and use as illustrations.

“I’m absolutely convinced that this is evidence of God taking things that we do and using them for purposes that we never intended,” Corbett said.

“This is a classic case of a ‘God thing,’ I guess you could say.”

Corbett said the use of video and other multimedia in sermons helps connect the message with the church’s audience.

Ware said the video was “trying to find a way to help people hook an image to a verse.”

He said a stethoscope was used as the video’s main prop

because it really gets to the heart of a person. Corbett said the original stethoscope used in the video will be donated to the church.

After Stethoscope’s success, Corbett said he is optimistic about future videos the church produces.

“We want to continue to communicate the Gospel as effectively as we can and we think video is a good way to do that,” Corbett said. “We’ll keep producing videos and making them available and we’ll let God do his thing.”

Daniel Johnson-Kim contributed to this report

E-mail Sellgren at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

FocusWednesday

Page 5

February 11, 2009

Right: Campbell takes a break from practice for a moment. Left: Campbell returns a volley during practice.

Campbell is busy preparing for his first year of eligibility.

Jamaican Farewell Due to an NCAA ruling, Eldad Campbell was stripped of his first year of eligibility. He waited out his sentence and now, with his eyes fixed on the future, Campbell cannot wait to hit the court.

Story by: Rachel Swearingen, Contributing Writer Photos by: Zak Zeinert, Chief Photographer

H

e left pristine beaches, lush plant life and a Caribbean climate for tumbleweeds, mesquite trees and bi-polar weather. But despite the change in scenery, Eldad Campbell loves his choice to come to ACU to play tennis.

Campbell, sophomore marketing major from Kingston, Jamaica, grew up playing tennis. His father played in the Davis Cup, and his uncle was the national tennis team coach, so tennis is in his blood.

“I just enjoy being out there and competing against someone else,” Campbell said.

He began playing at age 7, and quickly progressed to being the No. 1 tennis player in Jamaica from age 12 to 18. Currently, he is in the top four in men’s tennis in Jamaica.

A three-time Davis Cup participant, Campbell also has played in the Pan-American Games, the Junior Davis Cup and the National World Youth Cup. And if that is not enough, he also loves track and field, soccer and cricket.

But Campbell’s story is just beginning – head coach Hutton Jones said Campbell has a lot to offer the world of tennis.

“I really think he’s going to make his mark on ACU tennis,” Jones said. “He’s definitely going to be a factor in our success this spring.”

Campbell arrived in Abilene last January ready to play, but was unable to compete last season because of an NCAA ruling against him.

“They had a very unfavorable ruling,” Jones said. “He was a victim of the system because he didn’t do anything.”

Since Campbell graduated from high school at age 15, the NCAA believed he had too much time in between high school and college, and took away one year of eligibility from him.

Campbell added that the NCAA’s ruling also was affected by the fact he had played professionally for two years before attending college.

NCAA regulations only allow for one year of professional play.

“Finally, he can play this spring,” Jones said. “I’m excited for the day to come. I can tell from watching him play practice matches that he’s a very experienced competitor.”

Despite the setback, Campbell is glad to be at ACU. “Jamaica has more things to do than Abilene, but that’s a good thing because coming here allows me the opportunity to focus on my tennis,” Campbell said. “The program that Coach Jones has structured is a really good one. My game will definitely improve coming to ACU.” When he arrived in Abilene, Campbell said at first he was not affected much by culture shock.

“I was just looking forward to getting enrolled in university,” Campbell said. “But once I realized there wasn’t much to do, it threw me off a bit.”

To alleviate the culture shock, Campbell said he hangs out with other Jamaicans on campus and in his spare time, can usually be found on the tennis courts.

But ACU was never in Campbell’s plans. He originally planned to attend Hampton University, but had another NCAA problem when they told him he was ineligible to attend a Division I school.

During his search for a school with a good tennis program, his friend Damien Johnson, also a Jamaican tennis player, mentioned ACU to Campbell.

Once Campbell heard Johnson’s endorsement of ACU, he called Jones right away.

“I got to know him over the phone and I figured out he was a quality person,” Jones said. “It’s kinda funny how these things work out.”

Both have high hopes for the upcoming season, now that Campbell is allowed to play.

“Without him, we’re not as good of a team,” Jones said. “We did great last year and didn’t lose anyone.

This team has the deepest talent level I’ve had since I’ve been here.”

Campbell echoed Jones’ optimism for the season.

“Our team is really strong, especially with Ryan Hudson and Juan Nunez,” Campbell said. “Coach has gotten some really good players together, and I think we can make it to the NCAA championship.”

Beside his tennis skills, Campbell also brings a laid-back, team-player personality that will help out the team, Jones said.

“I don’t want to be stereotypical, but he pretty much embodies the song Don’t Worry, Be Happy,’” Jones said.

“He doesn’t get riled up about anything. His personality doesn’t let him get flustered; he’s real even-keeled.”

Jones said Campbell surprised him with his desire to put the team above himself because some high-level players have trouble adapting to a team atmosphere.

“Good players tend to be spoiled and babied. But to his credit and my luckiness, he’s very coachable,” Jones

said. “He’s looking to improve all the time, and it’s within his range to become an all-American player one of these years.”

After college, Campbell said he wants to continue in the pro circuit and model himself after tennis star Roger Federer.

“It’s very competitive out there — there are 1,000 other guys out there that share the same dream as me,” Campbell said. “I just set small goals and achieve those.

I’d love to be in the top 100 players in the world.”

Until then, Campbell will focus on ACU tennis; Jones said he has yet to overcome his biggest challenge.

“I don’t let him play with his earrings in,” Jones joked.

“So he’s had to adjust to being lighter on the courts.”

E-mail Swearingen at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

ViewsWednesday

Page 6

February 11, 2009

Students should endeavor to enjoy Sing Song experience

A

s the spring semester begins, so does one of the longest-standing traditions at ACU. Started in 1956 by Dr. Bob Hunter, Sing Song is the largest student production on campus, involving nearly one-third of the student body. But despite the high involvement, Sing Song does not necessarily bring the joy to students one might expect. Instead, some would describe Sing Song as a stressful waste of time that prevents students from accomplishing the things they are supposed to do, such as homework.

While the time constraints Sing Song puts on students may seem overbearing, administration sets guidelines to reduce the stress students feel. Break times are built into Sing Song so students can enhance their time management, and prac-

tices are limited to eight hours a week. Social clubs are not allowed to practice on Tuesday nights, and students are required to finish practice before 11:15 p.m.

These parameters are set up to ensure students are given time to manage their personal life and manage their Sing Song experiences.

Most can agree on one thing: participation in Sing Song is not based on students wanting to spend eight hours a week practicing. Learning a three-and-one-half minute song involving props, costumes and intricate choreography is not high on the list for many students. However, participation can be attributed to the experience Sing Song gives the students as well as the relationships that are formed through the production process.

It is easy to get caught up in the competition of Sing Song, investing all your energy into the sole purpose of winning. Many participants in Sing Song would not put themselves through the sixweek long process to lose.

Yet while winning might seem like the only reason for competition, it takes away from the ultimate goal of Sing Song — developing and furthering relationships with your peers while participating in a group goal that is bigger than any individual performer.

“While competition is fun, when it’s all said and done, there are still those relationships,” said Tom Craig, director of Student Productions. “What you’re left with is the good relationships and the fun memories, and when you walk away, regardless of who has the tro-

phy, you still have valuable and important relationships that can last a lifetime.”

A yearly split that stands out in Sing Song is the attitude taken by different clubs and group acts. Some attitudes suggest the only way to “do” Sing Song correctly is to work toward perfection, regardless of the experiences you have along the way. Others take a more laid-back approach, focusing on the social aspect of Sing Song and the sole purpose of entertainment.

These more relaxed groups seem to have it figured out, sometimes even adding a victory like the senior class act in 2008.

As we launch into the final phases of Sing Song, it is important to keep the experience in perspective. Whether you go to practice and ex-

The issue:

Sing Song, one of the university’s most long-standing traditions, is also one of its most stressful.

Our view:

While the experience can be important and rewarding, some aspects of students’ lives may suffer under the stress.

The solution:

Students must keep Sing Song in perspective, placing academics first and trying to enjoy the experience.

pect to have a fun time, or you are directing and shouting orders to participants, you should take a step back and appreciate Sing Song for what it’s worth. It is not a platform to enforce rules and manage every participant, but rather, a place for a group of students to join together and have a good time, making friends and memories that last a lifetime.

If you have fun participating in Sing Song or not, remember, more than likely there are people in the room who share your feelings. Good feelings or not, remember the common rule of Sing Song: always wear your Sing Song face.

At least you’ll look like you’re having fun.

E-mail the Optimist at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Efforts to save planet prove lofty, miniscule Superheroes can leap over skyscrapers, halt bullets in mid-air and save the world. We, on the other hand, cannot — no matter how many energy-efficient light bulbs we screw into our light sockets.

Y o u would think that would be quite eviThe Power of dent, but an the Prattle e-mail I received last

By Michael month from Freeman University Park apartments said otherwise: “Pick up an energy-efficient light bulb for your apartment!

Save your place for next year and save the planet!”

I could not tell whether they meant using energy-efficient light bulbs or renewing my lease would save the planet, but I assumed it was the former, especially considering some of ACU’s “green” initiatives.

ACU recently purchased a premium bulb eater, which crushes fluorescent lamps and filters out the mercury for disposal. According to www.acu. edu/green, the 600 million fluorescent lamps sent annually to U.S. landfills produce an estimated 30,000 pounds of mercury waste, much of it in the form of mercury vapors that can travel more than 200 miles. The eater would combat this deadly mercury waste, which is definitely a good thing. Remember all of those news stories that ran recently about people getting poisoned by mercury vapors from landfills? Wait — you didn’t see those stories? Neither did I. Another environmentally conscious move the university made included building the pond in front of the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center to capture water runoff that can later be used as irrigation water. However, most of the water that would run off is effluent water ACU uses for irrigation purposes. I don’t know about you, but I’m canceling my pool party by the pond now.

Finally, the university uses HEPA filters on the residence hall vacuum cleaners to help control airborne particles from being reintroduced into the air.

Thank goodness for that because whenever I vacuum, I always worry about microscopic allergens floating through the

NAACP reminds nation of equality’s importance When it comes to political groups, one easily can get lost in the flood of acronyms.

There is the Amendmentdefending ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union.

Save yourself the embarrassment of confusing the ACLU In Case You with the Wondered Ronald Reagan-loving

By Daniel the Johnson-Kim ACU, American Conservative Union.

Then there is the army of discount-wielding seniors in the AARP, the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons. You wouldn’t want to mix those seniors with the union-backing AFLCIO, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.

Further down the alphabet, one of the most influential political organizations in the history of the United States has more scars, scraps and skirmishes than even the toughest U.S. veteran who holds an AARP membership card: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, the NAACP, a group dedicated to the fight to, “ensure the political, educational, social, economic equality of rights of all

“

The NAACP may be 100 years old, but the need for its defense of equality is alive, even in the era of Obama.

persons and to eliminate racial hatred and discrimination,” will celebrate its 100th birthday.

Although there could not be a more appropriate Centennial gift than the election and inauguration of the country’s first African American president, Barack Obama, the group that was behind the legislative lobbying and judicial battles in the fight against the status quo that segregation carries is needed today as much as its inception a little more than 100 years ago.

In the midst of a two-day riot in the summer of 1908, more than 5,000 spectators gathered in Springfield, Ill., to watch the lynching of two African American men. The riot stemmed largely from a false rape accusation, and mobs of angry citizens set fire to black-owned businesses and buildings in President Abraham Lincoln’s hometown.

More than 2,000 African Americans permanently fled Springfield, and news of the mess in Honest Abe’s city of origin reached Mary White Ovington, a white woman who was studying the social and economic obstacles facing New

Editorial and letter policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Optimist and may not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administration.

Signed columns, cartoons and letters are the opinions of their creators and may not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Optimist or the university.

The Optimist encourages reader response through letters to the editor but reserves the right to limit frequent contributors or to refuse to print letters containing personal attacks, obscenity, defamation, erroneous

information or invasion of privacy.

Please limit letters to 350 words or fewer. A name and phone number must be included for verification purposes.

Phone numbers will not be published.

Address letters to: ACU Box 27892 Abilene, TX 79699 E-mail letters to: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

”

York City’s black community.

Despite being almost 1,000 miles away from the Springfield tragedy, Ovington and some 60 activists met with one mission: creating a group dedicated to reviving the spirit of the abolitionists that helped abolish slavery.

The National Negro Committee shared its first meeting with the day the country was celebrating a century since the birth of Lincoln — Feb. 12, 2009. The date was anything but a coincidence and carried a message with it: 100 years after Lincoln’s birth, his mission of equality of opportunity and equality before the law was overshadowed by the slavery’s scar: widespread acceptance of segregation.

Their name changed. Their numbers grew. Their victories piled up.

The most famous of these was in 1954, when Thurgood Marshall — later appointed the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967 — led the team of NAACP lawyers to victory in the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education.

The unanimous decision desegregated America’s schools

and struck down the Plessey v.

Ferguson “separate but equal” clause that was the basis for nation-wide segregation.

Ten years later, the NAACP had more than 600,000 members, and today the group is more than 250,000 strong.

With all the large battles won, the organization helps this country’s minority groups with aid for college, fights racial profiling and does other smaller, but important, things to defend equality.

Since Obama’s election, the ignorant boss on NBC’s hit comedy The Office, Michael Scott, proudly touts to his staff at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company that, “Racism is dead.”

That line always makes me laugh, but it was not until I began research for this column that I realized why Scott’s assumption was hilarious: it is foolish to assume this country’s racial tensions built on generations of inequality have magically disappeared simply because this country now has a non-white president.

The NAACP may be 100 years old, but the need for its defense of equality is alive, even in the era of Obama.

This group’s name carries the struggles and victories of citizens who simply want one thing: equality.

It should be easy not to forget this acronym.

E-mail Johnson-Kim at: djj04a@acu.edu

Optimist the

Published by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

Newsroom: (325) 674-2439

Sports desk: (325) 674-2499

air and not the big clumps of dirt on the floor.

Now, nothing is intrinsically wrong with these initiatives. In fact, they promote good health and efficient recycling. The problem with environmental advocacy lies in looking at initiatives through “green-colored glasses.”

Tossing a couple of plastic bottles or this issue of the Optimist in a recycling bin will not remove toxins from our drinking water or save an animal species or reduce carbon emissions. Even the world’s governments’ efforts of reducing carbon emissions are miniscule considering that carbon dioxide levels only represent 0.04 percent of the Earth’s

“

The problem with environmental advocacy lies in looking at initiatives through ‘green-colored glasses.‘

”

atmosphere. Get back to me when those levels have at least reached 1 percent, and maybe I’ll be concerned. Until then, I’m not worrying about saving the planet; it will be fine.

As late comedian George Carlin so eloquently said, “The planet has been through a lot worse than us. It’s been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drifts, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles, hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worldwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages, and we think some plastic bags and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference?”

So, go ahead and use your energy-efficient light bulbs; just don’t get too haughty about the supposed difference you’re making. The only people who can save the earth are superheroes like Captain Planet and the Planeteers…and Al Gore.

E-mail Freeman at: mxf04b@acu.edu

Editorial and Management Board Laura Acuff

Grant Abston

Editor in Chief

Opinion Page Editor

Sports Editor

Michael Freeman

Zak Zeinert

Lydia Melby

Chief Photographer

Arts Editor

Broadcast Manager

Sommerly Simser

Colter Hettich Features Editor

Kelline Linton

Sondra Rodriguez

Mult. Managing Editor

Daniel Johnson-Kim

Managing Editor

Photo department: (325) 674-2499

Advertising office: (325) 674-2463

Chief Copy Editor

Multimedia desk: (325) 674-2463

Cody Veteto

Kenneth Pybus

Chief Videographer

Adviser

DeLaina Parker

Cade White

Page 2 Editor

Subscriptions ($40/academic year): (325) 674-2296

Adviser

Christi Stark Advertising Manager

E-mail: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

SPORT JUMPS

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Softball: Cats play in CBS Classic Wildcats: Continued from page 8 fly by senior Katie Cornelison. In the top of the sixth, senior Shelby McElvain gave ACU the lead for good with a solo home run.

On Friday, the team split two games, losing its first matchup of the day to Texas A&M-International 6-2. The Wildcats outhit the Dustdevils 9-6 but committed two errors and left seven on base in the losing effort.

“It’s not that we overlook anybody, but we had a big come-from-behind win the day before and we weren’t ready to play,” Wilson said. “We came out flat and made errors and left too many runners on.

We just weren’t executing when we needed to.”

In the second game on Friday, the Wildcats defeated Washburn 5-2 behind another strong pitching performance from Gregoire. She allowed four runs on two hits and struck out six in her second win in as many days.

On Saturday, the team split its two games once

again, losing to Cameron but defeating Midwestern State.

The Wildcats led Cameron 2-0 after McElvain began the game with a solo home run and Cornelison drove Nabors home with an RBI single in the first. They extended their lead to 3-0 on an RBI single by Nabors after McElvain hit a two-out double. The Lady Aggies answered in the third with the Cats up 3-1. Jenna Boren hit a three-run home run for Cameron, and the Lady Aggies held on to win 4-3.

“In the Cameron game, we came out and scored three runs, but we knew that wouldn’t be enough,” Wilson said. “Cameron is a great hitting team, and we stopped attacking the ball. Britney Benedict did a great job holding them to just four runs.”

The Wildcats won their final game of the tournament 4-1 over Midwestern State as Gregoire picked up her third victory of the season. The Cats once again jumped out to an early lead as Cornelison drove in catcher Jessica Shiery with

a first inning RBI double.

With a 2-0 lead in the fifth, Shiery hit a two-run homer to right center to give Gregoire the cushion she needed for the win.

“We go there [St. Mary’s] every year to start the season because there are good teams there that we have to have our best game in order to win,” Wilson said. “It helps us to prepare mentally and physically for each game, and it kind of checks us at the beginning of the season.”

The team will play in the CBS Insurance Classic beginning Thursday at Wells Field, and the Wildcats will play St. Mary’s at 5 p.m. in the first of four games. The team will play Emporia State at 4 p.m. and Northeastern State at 6 p.m. on Friday.

On Saturday, the Wildcats will face Southeastern Oklahoma at 4 p.m.

“This will be a tough weekend, but it is what we need in order to get ready for conference,” Wilson said.

E-mail Harris at: tch05f@acu.edu

Loss drops ACU to 8-12

Continued from page 8 while Smith and Marquiz Back each had one.

Aggie star Dave Smith had 18 points and five assists in 39 minutes of play. The Wildcats did a good job of limiting his range, holding him to only one three-pointer made in six attempts. Cameron’s Mekaile Reed also had a game-high 22 points, shooting 67 percent from the field.

The loss drops ACU’s record to 8-12 overall and 2-4 in the LSC. The Wildcats began the second half of conference play Tuesday night at Moody Coliseum against Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Results for Tuesday’s game were unavailable by press time.

Page 7

Tennis: Both teams sweep Continued from page 8 “It’s always a statement if you crush them, and we want everyone to know we are taking things very seriously this season,” Juan Nunez said.

The men have a record of 4-1 this season with their only loss coming against New Mexico State on Feb. 1.

The women were dominant over the weekend, shutting out all three opponents in the open. But the bigger accomplishment is that the Wildcats lost just one set, disposing all three opponents in the shortest possible manner; they won two of the matches, the No. 6 matches against both Prairie View A&M and McMurry by default.

“I thought it was really impressive that we were able to do that,” said head coach Hutton Jones.

Both the men and women will travel to Phoenix to compete in the Phoenix Duals scheduled on Thursday through Saturday.

The men are looking to repeat much of the success

from last year’s trip to Phoenix when the Wildcats brought home a 3-1 record, the only loss coming at the hands of UC San Diego. The Wildcats will get a chance at redemption this year in Phoenix when they face off against UC San Diego, which is ranked just one spot ahead of the 18thranked Wildcats heading into the weekend.

The women will have a tall order this weekend when they take on the No. 2 team in the country BYU-Hawaii. The Seasiders are a perennial powerhouse in women’s tennis and will be competing in their first tournament of the season.

Not all the opponents and match times have been confirmed for the weekend, but Jones expects his team to play hard.

“We cannot afford to not compete well,” Jones said.

“There are some good teams, but we are also a good team.”

E-mail Tripp at: bjt07a@acu.edu

E-mail Gwin at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Basketball: Each player scores in blowout win Continued from page 8 satisfied with where we are at defensively.”

The Wildcats exemplified their commitment to defensive excellence Saturday, keeping UTPB to just 28.8 percent shooting from the floor. ACU also outrebounded the Lady Falcons 53-25 in the contest.

The Wildcats’ domination on the glass carried over into the offensive side of the game; ACU scored 21 second-chance points while shutting out UTPB in that category.

Earlier in the season, ACU snuck by UTPB 50-43 in a nailbiter in Odessa. The Wildcats

shot only 36.6 percent in the game and turned the ball over 22 times. This time, however, ACU took much better care of the ball and clamped down on defense. Lavender saw many improvements that led to a 40point blowout win.

“The first time we played them it was close,” Lavender said. “I think our girls did a great job of adjusting for this game, and I really think we are playing better basketball now than we were at the beginning of the season.”

The Wildcats relied on a well-balanced attack in their blowout win over UTPB. The team had six players with sev-

en or more points, and every member of the squad scored and collected at least one rebound during the game. Center Audrey Maxwell-Lively scored nine points and had nine rebounds, while forward Jodie Meyer scored 15 points.

Junior guard Kelsey Darby led all scorers in the game with 16 points while protecting the ball at the point guard position. Lavender was pleased with Darby’s overall game against the Lady Falcons.

“Kelsey shot the ball really well and did a great job shooting 4-4 on three-point shots,” Lavender said. “She played point guard some

and had only one turnover; I thought that overall she played a good game.”

The Wildcats have six games remaining before postseason play: three at home and three on the road. All six games are against Lone Star Conference South Division opponents as ACU has compiled a 5-1 record.

West Texas A&M currently sits at 7-0 in conference on top of the South Division.

ACU was in action Tuesday night against Texas A&M-Kingsville; however, results were unavailable by press time.

E-mail Craig at: jmcnetwork@acu.edu

Baseball: Wildcats to face SW Okla.

Continued from page 8 ACU broke out in the bottom of the third, scoring five runs keyed by a Schmitt three-run home run. The Wildcats added two more in the fifth and three in the sixth to win 10-2. Schmitt finished 2-4 with a game-high four RBI, while Uechi went 3-3 with one RBI; Hall, Bumpass and left fielder Alex Harrison each added an RBI. Starting pitcher Cameron Aspaas went 6 2/3 innings, giving up just six hits and no earned runs while striking out eight to earn the win.

“Aspass did an outstanding job on Saturday night and was able to almost throw a complete game and let the bullpen rest,” said starting pitcher Preston Vancil.

In game four on Sunday,

Harrison came up with two key late hits to help the Wildcats split the series, defeating the Mustangs 3-2. The Mustangs led 2-0 going into the ninth, but Bumpass doubled with one out before Harrison tripled to score Bumpass, cutting the lead in half. Designated hitter Travis Latz hit a sacrifice fly to score Harrison on the next at bat, but the Wildcats left two runners on base to go to extra innings.

Hall walked to start the top of the 12th inning before Bumpass walked. Uechi reached on a fielders’ choice on the next at bat to put runners on first and third with one out. Schmitt flied out on the next at bat, but Harrison singled home Hall for the winning run with his second hit of the game. Starting pitcher Preston Vancil went seven innings, giving up one run while

striking out nine to earn a no decision. Relief pitcher Brandon Rutherford earned the win, pitching the final five innings, giving up two hits and one run.

“Our guys put together a couple of hits to tie the game, and then Harrison did a great job to come in and get a hit to score and win the game,” Bonneau said.

After splitting the series, the Wildcats moved to 3-2 on

the season and will stay home for a four-game series with Lone Star Conference opponent Southwestern Oklahoma beginning Thursday.

“The reason we play [good teams] is so that we’re tested going into conference,” Bonneau said. “Our team will definitely learn from all this as we start conference on Thursday.”

E-mail Abston at: gda04b@acu.edu

Dick Schissler :: staff photographer The tennis teams will travel to Phoenix on Thursday.

SportsWednesday

Page 8

Notching No. 500

SCOREBOARD Standings Men’s Basketball Team

Div. 5-2 5-2 5-2 5-2 2-4 2-5 0-7

Angelo St. MSU TAMU-K WTAMU ACU Tarleton St. ENMU

Overall 17-5 16-6 15-7 15-7 8-12 14-8 4-18

Bonneau sets milestone as Cats win two of four

Div. 7-0 5-1 4-3 3-4 3-4 2-5 0-7

WTAMU ACU Angelo St. TAMU-K Tarleton St. MSU ENMU

Overall 19-3 14-7 13-9 13-9 12-10 7-14 9-16

Sports Writer

Baseball Team

Div. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 NE State.

0-0 Angelo St. 0-0 ENMU 0-0 Central Okla. 0-0 ACU 0-0 Tarleton St. 0-0 East Central 0-0 SE Okla.

WTAMU TAMU-K Cameron SW Okla.

Overall 3-0 3-0 1-0 5-1 4-1 3-1 4-2 4-2 2-1 3-2 3-4 0-2

Softball Team Angelo St. TAMU-K WTAMU TX Woman’s ACU Tarleton St. ENMU

Div. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Overall 7-0 4-0 3-0 5-3 3-2 3-2 2-3

Scores Saturday Softball Cameron 4, ACU 3 ACU 4, Midwestern State 1

Baseball NM Highlands 7, ACU 5 ACU 10, NM Highlands 2

Men’s Tennis ACU 8, Trinity 1 ACU 9, Prairie View A&M 0 ACU 8, McMurry 1

Women’s Tennis ACU 9, Hardin-Simmons 0 ACU 9, Prairie View A&M 0 ACU 9, McMurry 0

By Grant Abston Sports Editor

After losing the first two of four games against New Mexico Highlands, the Wildcat baseball team knew the importance of winning the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday to salvage a split of the series.

Not only did the Wildcats bounce back in a big way, but the win proved to be a milestone, giving head coach Britt Bonneau his 500th win as a head coach and running his record at ACU to 500-217-1.

“You never really think about how many wins you have, and it kind of snuck up on me,” Bonneau said. “You look back at all the players we have had play for us, and you just start being thankful for all of them that got to play in a game that we won.”

Despite the win, Bonneau credited his coaching staff, players and the different individuals involved who helped Bonneau become the head coach at ACU. “It got me thinking about the guys that hired you here when you were 25-years-old, and you wonder why they gave you a shot,” Bonneau said. “I look at guys like Gary McCaleb that pushed hard to get me the job, and I’m real thankful for that.”

In game one on Friday, the Mustangs jumped on the No. 11 Wildcats early, scoring three runs in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth and three in the fifth, as starting pitcher Cooper Paige allowed six runs on 10 hits.

The Wildcats managed just six hits to the Mustangs’ 20, led by shortstop Willie Uechi, who had a team-high three

Dick Schissler :: staff photographer

Pitcher Cooper Paige throws during practice Tuesday, as head coach Britt Bonneau watches.

acuoptimist.com: Log on to see head coach Britt Bonneau discuss his career at ACU while leading up to win No. 500. hits and one RBI for ACU. In the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday, the Wildcats scored three runs in the third to take a 3-1 lead after scoring a run on an error and getting RBIs from second baseman Chris Hall and catcher Jordan Schmitt.

After starting pitcher Matt Sullivan went 4 1/3 innings, the Mustangs scored four runs in the fifth after two key

Women’s Basketball

Sunday Baseball ACU 3, NM Highlands 2

Upcoming

Women’s Tennis ACU at Phoenix Duals, TBA

Softball ACU vs. St. Mary’s, 5 p.m.

Baseball ACU vs. SW Oklahoma, 6 p.m. :: Home games listed in italics

n The ACU soccer team signed six high school players and one junior college transfer for next season. Junior Wilson midfielder Ashley Holton will join high school players Julie Coppedge, goalkeeper Arielle Moncure, midfielder Katherine Garner, midfielder Lexi Stirling, defender Jennifer Hill and forward Krysta Grimm for the 2009 season. The Wildcats finished 9-8-2 and qualified for the LSC tournament last fall.

See

Baseball page 7

Tennis

Broadcast Assistant

ACU 83, UT-Permian Basin 43

ACU at Phoenix Duals, TBA

was a good team finding ways to win.”

Center fielder Thomas Bumpass and designated hitter Cameron Watten led the team with two hits in game two, as the Wildcats lost 7-5.

In the second part of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Wildcat offense came to life, scoring 10 runs on 12 hits.

By Brandon Tripp

Men’s Basketball

Men’s Tennis

throwing errors by the Wildcats. A throwing error to first base loaded the bases before Jason Carr hit a bases-clearing double to make the score 4-3.

Another throwing error to first gave the Mustangs a 5-3 lead, and the Wildcats never bounced back.

“We weren’t prepared, and if you don’t take care of the baseball, you get beat,” Bonneau said. “Once again, there

Tennis teams sweep ACU Indoor Open

Cameron 71, ACU 68

Thursday

Basketball team falls to Cameron

By Austin Gwin

Women’s Basketball Team

February 11, 2009

Emily Jorgenson :: file photo Jaclyn Walker serves during fall practice. Both the men and women’s tennis teams defeated all three opponents at the ACU Indoor Open.

ACU’s tennis teams continued their hot start to the season, winning all six of their matches over the weekend at the ACU Indoor Open, which turned into an outdoor open after matches moved outside due to good weather.

The change in venue proved to be no problem, as the men swept the competition, beating Trinity University 8-1, McMurry University 8-1 and Prairie View A&M 9-0. The women completed the weekend sweep, defeating all three of their opponents: McMurry University,

Hardin-Simmons and Prairie View A&M, 9-0.

The men also put together an impressive weekend, taking out yet another Division I opponent in Prairie View A&M. It was the Wildcats’ only shutout on the men’s side after not giving up a set in the 9-0 victory.

Against McMurry, the lone match surrendered by the Wildcats came at the No. 6 singles, where Cody McCarthy fell to McMurry’s Will Davis in a close match 6-3, 2-6, 11-9.

See

Tennis page 7

ACU suffered a disappointing loss to Cameron University by a score of 71-68 on Saturday. That was not the Wildcats’ only loss, however.

Leading scorer and rebounder Dejan Sencanski left Copeland the game early with a back injury and did not return to action.

Sencanski joined starting point guard Riley Lambert on the bench, who sprained his ankle at practice Friday and did not play Saturday.

“We were already short-handed to start with when Sencanski went down,” said head coach Jason Copeland. “I felt good about some of the other things I saw from guys who really stepped up. They gave us a shot to win; unfortunately, it didn’t go our way.”

The Wildcats got down early by as much as 10 in the first half before closing the margin to 41-34 at halftime. Their momentum continued after halftime, and the Wildcats pulled within one with about 10 minutes to play.

After a seven-minute stretch in which the Wildcats scored just two points, Copeland’s players found themselves down again by 10. The Wildcats made a late charge and brought the game back within one behind three-straight threepointers from Ean Wagner, Dante Adams and Cameron Holson to make it a 69-68 game with 1:08 left to play.

With 39 seconds left to play, the Wildcats got a steal from Wagner. But ACU was not able to get a bucket on the next possession. Kevin White missed the final attempt with four seconds left, and the Aggies were able to seal the victory after Terrence Welch hit two from the free-throw line, giving the Aggies a 71-68 victory.

Wagner started at point guard for the Wildcats because of Lambert’s absence. He played well, scoring a game-high 22 points and shooting 5 of 8 from behind the three-point line.

ACU used the three-point ball throughout the game to stay close, making 11 as a team. Along with Wagner’s five, Adams and Holson had three each, See

Wildcats page 7

ACU wins final nonconference game Wildcats take three of five in San Antonio

By Jeff Craig Sports Writer

By Chandler Harris

Softball

Assistant Sports Editor

The softball team won three of its five games over the weekend at the St. Mary’s Spring Invitational in San Antonio. This was the first competition for the Wildcats in 2009, giving them a 3-2 record to begin the season.

“I think we had a successWilson ful weekend,” said head coach Chantiel Wilson. “We beat three good teams, and the two that we lost to showed us where our

weaknesses are, and we just need to work on those.”

The team won its first game of the season 4-3 against Rollins College (Fla.) on Thursday. The Wildcats gave up three runs in the bottom of the first inning, but sophomore pitcher Jacque Gregoire settled down and pitched six scoreless innings to give the Wildcats a chance. The Wildcat bats answered in the fifth when senior Brooke Whittlesey hit an RBI double and then scored on a wild pitch.

Junior Caitlin Nabors tied the game at three on a sacrifice See

Softball page 7

The women’s basketball team improved to 14-7 on the season after crushing the Lady Falcons of Texas-Permian Basin 83-43 Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum.

The Wildcats have now won five games in a row, following a stretch in which they lost three of four.

The victory also improved ACU’s home record to 9-2 on the season. Head coach Shawna Lavender attributes her team’s turnaround and recent success to improvements on the defensive end of the floor.

“Our defense has really started to pick it up,” Lavender said. “We are never See

Basketball page 7

Dick Schissler :: staff photographer Point guard Kat Kundmueller scored two points and had eight assists in ACU’s 83-43 win over Texas-Permian Basin on Saturday.