SPORTSFRIDAY OPTIMIST
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Team prepares for ’05 football season
Giving it her all
Golfers place seventh in LSC
Season to begin September 3 against Central Oklahoma By ACU SPORTS INFORMATION ACU will open the 2005 football season against a perennial Lone Star Conference North Division powerhouse and will end it with a crucial three-game closing stretch that could determine its post-season fate. The Wildcats’ 2005 season is underway Sept. 3, when they host Central Oklahoma in an
Team ends season with disappointment; Kyle Byerly ties for fourth By WARREN GRAY SPORTS WRITER
The golf team hoped to carry the momentum of an ever-improving record into the Lone Star Conference tournament on Monday and Tuesday. But the Wildcats’ charge ran out of gas, and ACU finished seventh at the wind-swept Trophy Club Country Club in Roanoke. “We really didn’t play as well as we wanted to,” coach Mike Campbell said. “But we gave it our best shot.” But it wasn’t Byerly all bad news for the Wildcats. Kyle Byerly finished tied for fourth and earned all-tournament honors. Byerly shot one-under 71s in the first and third round sandwiched around a second-round 74. Campbell said Byerly was particularly on his game in Tuesday’s third round, when he made 17 pars and one bogey. “He had a really strong tournament,” Campbell said. In addition to Byerly’s recognition, Matt Samples was voted an all-conference honorable mention selection at an awards banquet on Sunday before the tournament began. Samples followed with a 31st place finish as his score suffered with an 82 in the second round. Campbell said Byerly and Samples, both of whom are ranked in the top 30 in the region, still have a shot at qualifying for the regional tournament May 2-4. The players will most likely find out on Monday whether or not they made it. After Byerly, Curtis Harris was ACU’s next highest finisher, shooting rounds of 75, 75 and 80 to finish tied for 28th. Zach Starnes finished 37th and Carlos Alvarez was 40th. See GOLF Page 9
LSC South Standings current through 04-20-05
Baseball Team ACU A&M-Kingsville Angelo State E. New Mexico Tarleton State West Texas A&M
Div. 10-2 7-5 6-6 6-6 5-7 2-10
Tot. 35-12 30-16 24-22 22-22 21-27 14-33
Softball Team Angelo State ACU Tarleton State A&M-Kingsville Texas Woman’s E. New Mexico
Div. 15-5 13-7 12-8 11-9 6-14 3-17
Tot. 42-12 30-18 24-19 30-26 21-25 20-29
Chris Thomson, head football coach
BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Senior Rachel Taylor slams a forehand, returning the serve to Cameron’s Thatianne Moreira and Paulina Trujillo. Taylor and her doubles partner Summer Beesley defeated Moreira and Trujillo 8-4, aiding the women in their 5-1 victory over Cameron in the LSC tournament semifinals Thursday.
Kobe’s Lakers fail, Shaq’s Heat prevails Dan Marino passed for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns in a 17-year career with the Miami Dolphins. John Stockton scored 19,711 points and dished out an even more a m a z i n g 15,806 assists in a 19-year career with the Utah Jazz. Tony Gwynn won eight batting Kyle’s titles with the San Diego Column Padres, finKyle ished with a Robarts .338 career batting average and drove in 1,138 runs. Marino has already joined the NFL Hall of Fame and Stockton and Gwynn are locks as inductees for their respective sports once eligible. All of these
Friday, April 22 TN: LSC championship BSB: Texas A&M Kingsville, 3 p.m. SB: LSC tournament TK: LSC championship Saturday, April 23 BSB: Texas A&M Kingsville, noon SB: LSC Tournament TK: LSC championship
players started and finished with the same club they started with—a feat that has become more rare in the age of free agency — but none have a world championship. I wonder what went through these players’ minds when they saw the soap opera of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal last summer. The duo strung together three consecutive NBA titles from 1999-2000 season to the 2001-02 season, but a series of injuries and ego battles eventually broke the two up and sent head coach Phil Jackson into retirement. It was later speculated that Kobe wanted both Jackson and O’Neal out of Los Angeles, leading many to believe that Kobe was convinced his talent was enough to bring the Lakers to another NBA championship
without the seven-foot, oneinch, 325-pound O’Neal. Lakers owner Jerry Buss gave into the superstar guard, as Jackson retired and O’Neal was traded to Miami for Lamar Odom and Brian Grant among others. So with a new coach in Rudy Tomjonavich and a new set of players, the ‘great’ Bryant set out to show the world he was a one-man show: it backfired. A couple of weeks ago college basketball commentator Dick Vitale said that Bryant should write a note to O’Neal and request playoff tickets because his mediocre Lakers wouldn’t be there competing. Vitale was right. The Lakers will miss out on the playoffs this season and through Tuesday are 13 games under .500. O’Neal’s Heat, however, See ROBARTS Page 9
LSC crossover game at 6 p.m. at Shotwell Stadium. The game is part of an attractive fivegame home schedule that includes longtime LSC rivals Texas A&M-Commerce, Eastern New Mexico, West Texas A&M and Texas A&MKingsville. The Wildcats will be on the road at Northeastern State, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Angelo State, Tarleton State and Midwestern State. ACU will play LSC crossover games against Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State, Southeastern Oklahoma State, and, for the first time in the longest-running series in the LSC, against Texas A&M-Commerce. The Lions are moving to the LSC North Division in all sports with Tarleton State moving back to the LSC South. ACU leads the all-time series against Commerce 36-27-1, although the Lions took a 37-17 win over ACU last season. Three of the Wildcats’ oppon e n t s—S o u t h e a s t e r n Oklahoma State, Texas A&MKingsville and Midwestern State—all reached the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2004, and Kingsville, and Central Oklahoma players were ranked in the final American Football Coaches’ Association top 25 last year. Five of ACU’s 2005 opponents were ranked in the top nine in last year’s final Southwest Region poll, and this year’s had a combined 5452 record last year. “We’ve got a tough schedule, there’s no doubt about it,” head coach Chris Thomsen said; he was hired in late January, returning to ACU after serving as the offensive line coach at Central Arkansas for the last two seasons. “The Lone Star Conference is one of the best leagues in the nation. It’s a lot like the Gulf South Conference (of which Central Arkansas is a member) in that there's not an off-week against
weeks against Texas A&MCommerce and ENMU. “I think that early home schedule will work to our advantage,” Thomsen said. “We've got to take advantage of playing at home, and come out of that with some wins. That Central Oklahoma game will be a big test for us right out of the box. They'll be a top-20 pre-season team, and they’ll be loaded. Hopefully we can be just as tough on them as they are on us.” The closing three-game stretch, however, might be as difficult as any team in the nation will face with games at Tarleton State, at home against Texas A&M-Kingsville and at Midwestern State. Kingsville and Midwestern State each reached the playoffs last season, and Tarleton was a 7-4 team that was ravaged by injuries in 2004. ACU went on the road last year and pulled two of the biggest upsets in school history, whipping No. 7 Tarleton State, 31-14, in Stephenville, and then, in the next-to-last game of the season, stunning No. 2 Texas A&M-Kingsville, 17-10, in Kingsville. That win was ACU’s first over the Javelinas since a 38-24 win in Kingsville in 1983. The last time ACU beat Kingsville in Abilene was in 1982 when ACU win 34-18. Those two wins also marked the last time ACU beat Kingsville in back-to-back seasons, something the Wildcats will try to accomplish in 2005. “That’s a very difficult closing stretch on the schedule,” Thomsen said. “All three of those programs are top-20, playoff-type programs, which is where we want to take this program.” Thomsen said ACU has talked about adding an 11th game to the schedule but that nothing was imminent.
Track team looks to win LSC championship title Men to defend title winning streak; women to take revenge on ASU SPORTS WRITER
(home events in italics)
a weaker opponent.” Four of the teams the Wildcats will be playing in 2005 will be under the direction of new head coaches, including three in the LSC South Division. The Wildcats—5-5 last year under head coach Gary Gaines and 17-13 in their last three seasons—get somewhat of a break early because three of their first four games are at home. After the opener against UCO, ACU makes the long trip to Tahlequah, Okla., to take on Northeastern State, but then returns home for back-to-back
“That Central Oklahoma game will be a big test for us right out of the box. ... Hopefully we can be just as tough on them as they are on us.”
By STEVE HOLT
Upcoming events in Wildcat sports...
April 22, 2005
For the ACU women’s track and field team, this weekend’s Lone Star Conference Championships in San Angelo mean revenge. One year ago, the Rambelles of Angelo State broke a 21-year ACU winning streak, edging out the Wildcat women by one point. The ACU women have returned to the top of Division II this season, however, and likely will be the team to beat Friday and Saturday. The men’s team will be competing for its 12th straight LSC title after winning the 2004 title by a hefty 48 points. Coach Jon Murray said his teams, both of which will be top contenders for Division II national titles May 26-28, do not take the conference meet lightly.
“We are always wanting to win the LSC meet,” said Murray, who has been a part of 23 men’s or women’s conference titles while a coach at ACU. “It is one of the steps in our success but not the total success of our season. It is just part of the big picture for us. Our athletes have great pride and will show a great competitive spirit this weekend, and I anticipate them being successful.” Led by one of the best middle and long-distance squads in the nation, the ACU men should have no trouble claiming another title. Their closest competition likely will be Angelo State again, and Texas A&M-Kingsville, Tarleton State, and Texas A&M-Commerce also will be fighting for top-five finishes. In the women’s competition, Angelo State has the home track advantage and will push ACU, but Texas A&M-Kingsville, Tarleton State, and Texas A&MCommerce will be vying for See TRACK Page 9
File photo by BRIAN SCHMIDT/Chief Photographer
Senior sprinter Ricardo John pulls ahead from his competitors in the final leg of the A-team men’s 4x100m relay during the Oliver Jackson Invitation on April 2 at Elmer Gray Stadium. The men ran the relay in a time of 40.6 to win the race. The Wildcat track and field team will compete in the Lone Star Conference tournament, which begins Friday. The men hope to defend their winning streak with a 12th straight title, while the women hope to win over Angelo State, who beat them by one point last year.