01.19.2010 Justin Umberson, Sports Editor
Sports
Page 5 ntdaily.sports@gmail.com
Fast start leads swimmers and divers past Frogs BY ERIC JOHNSON Senior Staff Writer
UNT’s sw imming a nd div ing team (7-4) sliced through the water while winning its first five races en route to a win over Texas Christian University 155.5145.5. The victory marked the second time in school history that UNT was able to defeat TCU in a dual meet, winning 10 of the 14 races in the process. “Consistency, that has been the key for us this season,� head coach Joe Dykstra said. “We have consistently been able to beat top teams, and it has really built the confidence of the younger women on our team.� Senior Alicia Hale, last week’s Sun Belt Conference Co-Swimmer of the Week, continued her strong season with another solid individual performance. She earned first place in the 200-yard freestyle and the 200-yard individual medley and added a second place finish in the 100-yard freestyle. “Last year we came up just short against them, so we really wanted to take them down,� Hale said. “I feel like
the seniors on the team really need to set the example for the youth that we have, and we have got to be able to finish the season strong.� A pa ir of sophomores helped to lead the way for UNT. One week after demolishing the school record on the threemeter board, sophomore diver Delia Covo turned in one of the top performances of her young career. Covo collected two second place finishes, including a career-best mark of 242.03 on the one-meter board and another solid performance off the three-meter board, falling just 3.08 points off her new school record of 258.38. “She has added some new dives the last couple of weeks, and the more comfortable she gets the higher you are going to see her scores go up,� Dykstra said. “Her best diving is yet to come.� Sophomore Rosa Gentile added three first place finishes of her own, and fell just .22 seconds short of a new school record in the 100-yard backstroke with her time of 57.76 seconds. She was also part of the 200-yard medley relay team that won the opening
event of the meet and ignited the Mean Green’s hot start. Sen ior Em i ly F loyd continued her dominance in the pool, winning both of her distance events. Floyd turned in a season best time of 10:16.12 minutes in her 1,000-yard freestyle victory, which is the third best in school history and less than 10 seconds off her school record time. She also finished first in the 500-yard freestyle in just more than five minutes. “She is without question the best distance swimmer in school history,� Dykstra said. “I think that when her career is over she will be regarded as one of the best distance swimmers in the history of the Sun Belt Conference.� UNT will try to build off of its impressive victory at 6:30 p.m. on Friday when the Mean Green returns home to the Pohl Recreation Center to challenge the University of Houston Cougars. The Mean Green will host the Rice Owls the following day at 11 a.m. as the team celebrates the careers of its nine seniors in their final home meet during the team’s senior day.
PHOTO BY RYAN BIBB/ PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior guard Josh White goes up for a shot against Newman. After Saturday’s 83-70 loss to Arkansas State, the team’s record fell to 11-7 overall and 4-4 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Red Wolves’ offense too much for Mean Green BY SEAN GORMAN Senior Staff Writer
A f ter celebrat i ng ju n ior guard Josh White’s 1,000 career points before the game, the crowded Super Pit echoed with sounds of frustration when the UNT men’s basketball team fell to Arkansas State University 83-70. T he Mea n Green (11-7, 4-4) fell to the Red Wolves on Saturday for the second time this year, missing an opportunity to gain ground in the Sun Belt Conference West Division. “I still think our guys played ha rd, but we didn’t ma ke enough shots to stay competitive,� head coach Johnny Jones said. “We gave up too many second-chance opportunities and struggled at the threepoint line too much to win.� After being picked by the Sun Belt coaches to win the west, the Mean Green is in third place after its first eight conference games. St rong sta r ts f rom bot h teams kept things close early on, as the Mean Green and the Red Wolves (10-7, 5-1) traded baskets and were tied after the first five minutes. “ We c a me out w it h a great amount of energ y at the beginning,� Jones said. “Unfortunately they were able to knock down some tough shots and get an early lead that we couldn’t recover from.� Sparked by a Brandon Reed three-pointer, the Red Wolves went on a 24-10 stretch but the Mean Green cut the halftime deficit to six after going on an 8-2 run of its own. “The looks and opportunities were there but we failed to take advantage when it counted,� Jones said. Efficient shooting was the key for ASU at the beginning, as the Red Wolves went 17-31 from the field and 3-5 from beyond the arc in the first half.
“They’re a talented team on offense but if we had played better team defense we could have limited their big plays,� senior forward Eric Tramiel said. Sophomore forward George Odufuwa kept the Mean Green close, leading the team with 10 points and six rebounds in the first half. Odufuwa finished with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 boards. “We know how to compete against teams like this but we let too many mental lapses get in our way tonight,� he said. “Aggressiveness on defense and execution on offense are two things we have to work on.� After starting the second half with a 10-4 run, the Red Wolves stayed ahead for the rest of the game, never allowing UNT to get within seven points.
“We didn’t exert enough energy in the second half to stay close with those guys,� Jones said. ASU received production from a handful of players, with four players scoring in double figures. “You just have to pick your poison w it h t hose g uys,� Tramiel said. “They have a handful of weapons that can make you pay.� One bright spot for the Mean Green was success at the line, as they made 23 of their 30 free throw attempts. “The g uys continued to battle and 76 percent from the line is a good number for us,� Jones said. “In the end, we failed to make enough shots to win this game.� UNT returns to action at 7 p.m. Thursday night when it hosts the University of South Alabama Jaguars.
PHOTO BY AGNES WYSOWSKI/PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior Rosito Bado adjusts her goggles at swim practice. The swimming and diving team beat Texas Christian University for the second time in school history Friday in Fort Worth.
IF OUR DELIVERY DRIVERS
WERE ANY FASTER
THEY'D HAVE
NUMBERS ON THE SIDES OF THEIR CARS.
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DENTON ~ DALLAS ~ MCKINNEY ADDISON ~ LEWISVILLE ~ RICHARDSON ARLINGTON ~ FORT WORTH ~ IRVING PLANO ~ MANSFIELD ~ FRISCO
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