Times-Delphic 04/12/2010

Drake had a strong showing this weekend at the Jim Duncan Invite.

PAGE 6 SPORTS

THE TIMES-DELPHIC THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR DRAKE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

DES MOINES, IOWA • Monday, April 12, 2010 • VOL. 128, NO. 41 • www.timesdelphic.com

500 protest small WBC group Drake will offer $45 million in financial aid in 2010-11

by JACKIE WALLENTIN News Editor tdnews@drake.edu

photos by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor

HUNDREDS OF DRAKE STUDENTS gathered in the lawn of Old Main (left) to counterprotest members of the Westboro Baptist Church (bottomright) who came to protest the Drake Law School’s symposium on same-sex marriage. Even Porterhouse (top-right) joined the counterprotest.

Students, faculty and community members join forces in opposition to Westboro Baptist Church “God hates fags” signs

by MATT VASILOGAMBROS Editor-in-Chief times.delphic@drake.edu

As the sun rose Saturday morning, so did passions when a group of six people carrying signs declaring,

“God hates fags” were met by more than 500 counterprotesters chanting “No hate at Drake.”

Six members of the Westboro Baptist Church, a controversial church led by Fred Phelps in Topeka, Kan., gathered in a small barricaded

‘HISTORY TO YOU, TRADITION TO US’

corner of University Avenue and 26th Street to protest the same-sex marriage symposium hosted by the Drake Law School.

Among the 500 on the lawn of Old Main were Drake students, administrators and other Des Moines

MOLLY LUNDBERG AND ANIL ALIMOHD were announced as the Drake Relays hostess and host at Blitz Day on Thursday.

SEE WBC, PAGE 2

Student Senate starts its 2010-11 budget talks

by RACHEL KAUFFOLD

Staff Writer rachel.kauffold@drake.edu

photo by KEVIN MORRISON | Staff Photographer

residents. Porterhouse, Drake’s live mascot, even showed up with a sign reading, “Don’t hate me because I’m a Beautiful Bulldog.”

The Drake Rainbow Union held

Student Senate’s yearly tradition of approving the annual budget started at last Thursday’s meeting.

The Student Fees and Allocations Committee (SFAC) presented the results of the budget hearings of annual-funded organizations. A total of $300,000 was allocated to 24 different on-campus groups, when over $348,000 was requested.

“SFAC had to cut roughly oneseventh of the money requested,” said Kyle Lewandowski, student body treasurer and chair of SFAC. “It was a tough decision.”

The largest amount of $149,422 went to the Student Activities Board, and Student Senate received over $30,000. Coalition of Black Students, La Fuerza La-

tina and Rainbow Union were the only other organizations that received over $10,000.

The Public Affairs Committee has placed a poster in the Olmsted Breezeway that displays the entire allocation of the budget. Senate is encouraging students to respectfully comment on the poster before they make their decisions at this week’s meeting.

If Senate wants to make any changes to the budget, they will have to turn down the current proposal, and another two weeks will be needed to approve a revised budget. n

SFAC ALLOCATED

$300,000 TO 24 ANNUAL-FUNDED ORGANIZATIONS THIS YEAR. SAB RECEIVED $149,422.

In the coming academic year, Drake University will provide approximately $45 million in financial aid to students despite the current economic climate, according to Director of Financial Aid Susan Ladd.

“We are approaching aid the same way we always have by working as closely as we can with students and families who have been identified as needing financial aid,” Ladd said. “As financial aid officers, we always encourage students to use the free application for the FAFSA, which is a tool that makes sure we can provide them with everything we can, even though our funding may increase.”

The FAFSA assumes that income from the year it was filed will be repeated in the coming year. According to Financial Aid Coordinator Pamela Smith, Drake has recently seen an increase in Pell grants, need-based financial aid and in special circumstance cases concerning job loss and loss of income.

Ladd says special circumstance is the idea that the regulations allow for specific information to be taken from the FAFSA when it looks like a family’s expected income is not a true representation.

“The most frequent example is when there is a very limited anticipation to get new employment and repeat the same income for the coming year,” Ladd said. “We document carefully and use our best judgment to help BY THE families make an incomplete NUMBERS picture of their AVERAGE income complete.

Many DRAKE more of those STUDENT circumstances are occurring right now with the high unem- PHARMACY ployment rates STUDENT and economic decline, but we $80,000always strive to $100,000 help students financially as much as we can.”

For this academic year, Drake’s complete tuition and fees cost $33,422. That is an increase of $1,030 from the 2008-2009 academic year.

According to The Project on Student Debt, the average debt of a Drake graduate last year was $32,318, with 64 percent of graduates having some amount of debt, a number that Drake would like to help reduce.

“The average pharmacy student walks out with $80,000 to $100,000 in debt to either the university or banks,” first-year pharmacy major Julia O’Rourke said. “I received a good deal of scholarship money from the university, and I accepted any loans I was offered. I pay the difference, which is a lot less than if I didn’t accept the loans, but it is still a sizable amount of money for someone who doesn’t work 40 hours a week.”

O’Rourke is financing her education on her own, and not receiving much, if any, monetary support from her family. For O’Rourke, Drake’s financial aid is the only way she was

STUDENT DEBT

$32,318

SEE AID, PAGE 2

NEWS

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

QUOTE of the

“

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010

”

PAGE 2

Realize that the world is coming together every day, and it’s time to wake up and recognize this. So here’s my challenge: Go to an event that you’ve heard about but are still a bit hesitant to check out.

PAGETWO DAY ‘Lose the Shoes’ barefoot soccer tourney raises awareness photo by CONNOR MCCOURTNEY | Staff Photographer

LOSE THE SHOES, the 3 v. 3 barefoot soccer tournament, was held yesterday in Drake Stadium. Sponsored by the Drake soccer team, the tournament raised awareness for HIV/AIDS in subSaharan Africa. The funds will go through Grassroots Soccer, an international charitable organization that trains African soccer stars, coaches, teachers and educators to deliver HIV prevention and life skills curriculum to the community.

—ANKITA DHUSSA , SEE PAGE 3

FROM AID, PAGE 1

able to attend the university.

However, financial aid is not always enough. Former Drake student Kayla Osegera left the university after three semesters because of increasing tuition costs and her inability to keep up with tuition payments.

“It came down to the fact that I couldn’t afford my first semester sophomore year because my previous semesters weren’t paid off, and I couldn’t register for classes,” Osegera said. “My final decision to leave was made because I had a well-paying job. I wanted to jump the gun and avoid any more unneeded debt.”

Numbers released by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) show the average increase in student aid budgets for this academic year to be 9 percent, with indications of higher increases in the future, which may give students an added tuition break.

Ladd says Drake wishes for all students to attend school at a reasonable cost to them and their families. However, she knows that is not always possible. Students can expect to receive their financial aid package information in the mail within the next few weeks.

“There are two things the university does continually in providing aid,” Ladd said. “We work very hard to keep tuition increases at a minimum and to stay very conscious that tuition costs drive affordability. Drake has in place very robust merit and needbased programs for students who attend the university.” n

Maxwell praises student’s actions toward WBC protest FROM WBC, PAGE 1 fundraisers to raise money for OneIowa, Al Snyder and AIDS research.

Some fundraisers included a dollar kissing booth, monetary donations, PRIDE wristbands and T-shirts made by RAYGUN and designed by students. Approximately $1,200 was raised to divide among these causes.

Counterprotesters held a wide array of signs, some saying, “Hate not,” “All we need is love,” “God hates hate” and “God loves all,” among others. The crowd also joined in song with “The Star Spangled Banner,” “Let It Be” and “All You Need is Love.”

On the WBC side of University Avenue were, among others, Sara Phelps and two of her young cousins—one donning in a sweatshirt reading, “JewsKilledJesus.com.”

“This gay marriage symposium going on over here at this university, and we’re here to remind you that there’s a God in heaven and he has placed his standard in this earth and that it’s unchanging,” said an unnamed WBC member. “You can all join hands and tell God he’s wrong. It doesn’t change the facts of the matter. And we’re here to remind these young people that just because your parents have lied to you for your whole lives, it doesn’t change God.”

The WBC members arrived at the university at 7:40 a.m. and left around 8:15 a.m. According to the WBC Web site, church members were supposed to protest at several area Jewish synagogues, but they went back to Kansas instead.

President David Maxwell also showed up to talk to Drake students. He said in an e-mail sent to the Drake community that he was proud of the peaceful demonstration.

“I want to express my sincere thanks to and admiration for all of those who planned and/or took part in this morning’s counterprotest against the Westboro Baptist Church,” Maxwell said.

“The elegance and wisdom of your words and actions were truly impressive—a balanced combination of passion and restraint.

“I have always been extremely proud to be the president of Drake University; this morning was one of those moments of special pride,” he continued to say in the e-mail. “We define ourselves as individuals and as organizations by what we say and by what we do. We must recognize that our words have consequence, and that their meaning and their impact will be diminished if they are not reflected in our actions. The manner in which the counter-demonstration was carried out this morning was a powerful message that we, as the Drake community, truly believe in who we are—grounded in a set of core principles and values that, even when challenged in the most repugnant and vulgar manner,

guide our words and our actions.”

A majority of crowd members were Drake students. Alex Masica, one of the event coordinators, sent a Facebook message out to members of the counterprotest group thanking them for “spreading your love.”

“I am so happy there were so many people who decided losing a few hours of sleep was well worth showing the WBC that love really can and does conquer anything,” he said in the message.

Sophomore Ashley Seidel said the difference in size between the protest and counter protest was the most impressive part of the morning.

“It was nice to see how much support we had from Drake compared to how few they had on the other side of the street,” Seidel said. She said the contrast was a good illustration of global feelings toward the WBC. Seidel said she was also disturbed by the church’s inclusion of children in the protest groups.

“I don’t think it’s fair that they train them like that,” she said.

“It makes me sad.”

There were no arrests made at the protest. n Katherine Hunt and Tyler O’Neil contributed reporting to this article.

For more photos and videos, visit www.timesdelphic.com.

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PAGE 3

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

the BUZZ

OPINIONS&EDITORIALS

The Relays are in the air.

TABULA RASA

Drake: 500, WBC: 6 Little distractions go a long way—much too long of a way

O

ccasionally in life, you have times when you instinctively know you have won something without having a referee or Ryan Seacrest an-

reminds us, explicit) prejudice in our society.

Because when you take away the signs, the news teams and I still hear prejudice occasionally on this the Facebook group you have something strikingly similar to evcampus, and when we leave this college bub- eryday life. That is where the war against prejudice is actually ble the prejudice volume increases a hundred- fought and that is where we need to constantly prove we are not nounce it. fold. So no, let’s not be taken away by the complicit in others’ ignorance.

That is what we students at Drake Univerwarm feelings of Saturday morning. Let us The warm feelings from protesting the Westboro Baptist sity knew on Saturday. Coming back from the take those feelings and have them ground us Church should not be our excuse for inaction in the future; it counterprotest, among the sea of students I felt in reality. should be our call to action. Because that, my friends, is how we RYAN PRICE like we simply, well, won.

To be quiet in the face of any prejudice truly beat them. That is how we win.

Logging onto Facebook Saturday afternoon is to be complicit in it. It is to accept it and COLUMNIST reaffirmed these feelings as I logged onto the to passively endorse it. It is easy for us to be social networking site and saw statuses like, loud when 500 encouraging peers surround “Love Wins” or “Drake: 1, WBC: 0” or even us, but would we be loud if our peers were on Price is a first-year rhetoric and politics major and can be more impressive, “Drake: 500, WBC: 6.” the other side? Would we be loud without the popular Facebook Part of me frets over writing this article because to mention event or video cameras? contacted at ryan.price@drake.edu. the Westboro Baptist Church, even briefly, is to further legitimize their disgusting narcissistic antics. It is to legitimize the power of ignorance and evil in this world and it is to give the insecure family exactly what they want. But the commendation we deserve as a student body begs mention and I guess I pity the children of those monsters enough that they deserve to be legitimized.

It is interesting, though, that we feel like we “won,” or that we helped love “win.” We knew the ignoramuses were staying only a short time, yet when they left, we all cheered as if we had caused their departure.

There was no boxing match between Dean Bakari and the Phelps family. The kids still got in that van and none of us had the chance to adopt them. The signs were still legible and not ablaze. So what makes us think we beat those monsters—excuse me, monsters is too empowering a term—what makes us think we beat those comedians?

But we did. We beat them because we didn’t beat them on their angry ground. We knew we won, not because they left (we knew they would), but because we refused to be complicit with their hatred. We successfully proved that intelligence has more power on this campus than ignorance.

We showed that respect and love overcome hate. That is how we won.

While impressed with Drake’s patriotism and commitment to ending anti-Semitism and homophobia on Saturday, I think it is dangerous for us to let the good feelings take us away to Pleasantville. That was a warm feeling after a big battle against prejudice, but we all fight many battles every day. The test for us as students was not on Saturday morning, but instead is in the future.

It is easy to wake yourself up early when there’s a social protest that is widely promoted and popularized with celebrities (unfortunately the WBC are celebrities). It is much harder to tell a laughing group that the racist (sexist, homophobic or anti-Semitic) joke that was just lobbed onto the scene was ignorant.

We often say that those types of jokes are in “bad taste,” but are you kidding me? Discriminatory jokes are not overdone Hubbell waffles; they are ignorant, cheap photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor and dangerous forms of prejudice. Everything is not “in good fun” when we still have implicit (and as the WBC PROTESTERS chanted and waved posters in opposition of the Westboro Baptist Church. 500 counterprotesters showed up yesterday.

DIVERSE IDENTITIES

Globalization is happening

I

We get the chance to experience it at Drake—go to a cultural event

get made fun of by my friends at larger schools that question the diversity offered in the middle of Iowa. I know it’s not great; I grew up 15 minutes away. I am, however, impressed by all that Drake has to offer in terms of diversity.

There are scores of multicultural organizations available on campus, and numerous international students.

As an active member of Drake’s South Asian Students Association, I speak on behalf of SASA that we are proud of our heritage and would love if more people came to attend our events (especially considering our increased number of events this year).

I know that often we are hesitant to attend new events or experience things we are not comfortable with. I am guilty of this, too. But when the opportunity presents itself, and there are many opportunities constantly available at Drake, I am a little disappointed to see that many students do not attend multicultural events for a variety of reasons, hopefully not just because they’re scared.

Everyone’s heard of how much the world is growing together and globalizing, and it really is happening and we are at an advantage at Drake to be able to witness it first-hand.

Drake attracts students from across the world to the middle of Iowa for a variety of reasons—why not take advantage of the diversity offered?

Okay, I understand we can’t compare our diversity to larger schools, but before laughing at me, look around. I can guarantee you’ve talked to at least one person today that comes from a different background than you, whether it was your roommate, a professor or some other random interaction.

The Des Moines area itself

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER FOR DRAKE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884 MATT VASILOGAMBROS, Editor-in-Chief times.delphic@drake.edu

JACKIE WALLENTIN, News Editor tdnews@drake.edu

JILL VAN WYKE, Faculty Advisor jill.vanwyke@drake.edu HOLLY WORTHY, Copy Editor holly.worthy@drake.edu

KENSIE SMITH, Features Editor tdfeatures@drake.edu

MATT MORAN, Copy Editor matthew.moran@drake.edu

MARY BESS BOLLING, Sports Editor tdsports@drake.edu

KYLE GLASER, Digital Editor tdweb@drake.edu

SARAH ANDREWS, Photo/Design Editor TYLER O’NEIL, Relays Editor tdphotos@drake.edu tyler.oneil@drake.edu PHIL KREZNOR, Business Manager tdbusiness@drake.edu

COLUMNIST

Drake attracts numerous students from across the world for a variety of reasons, so why not take advantage of the diversity offered?

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

LIZZIE PINE, Managing Editor tdeditorials@drake.edu

ANKITA DHUSSA

is growing in diversity. Yeah, it’s not a big city, but more and more people from across the world are coming to Iowa because there are opportunities and because it really is a great place to grow up.

By default, people are bringing together little pieces of their culture and helping that to become part of the Des Moines culture. I urge you to take advantage of this and explore the city and find your own little favorite cultural spot.

Or if you want to stay on the Drake campus, find out more information about the myriad multicultural organizations on campus, go to an event, ask a question and become involved. Realize that the world is coming together

CALEB BAILEY, Ads Manager tdads@drake.edu

every day, and it’s time to wake up and recognize this.

So here’s my challenge: Go to an event that you’ve heard about but are still a bit hesitant to check out.

Something that’s coming up that has interested me is the Role of Public Private Partnerships in Global Health – An Industry Perspective, sponsored by the Center for Global Citizenship.

It will be on Wednesday in Meredith 101 at 7 p.m.

With recent developments with health care, this is a great opportunity to learn more about health care in developing nations.

The world is globalizing, and it’s better to accept this sooner than later.

So I leave you with these final thoughts: Check out a new cultural experience, but know that’s only one aspect of a culture.

Dhussa is a first-year radio/TV and international relations major and can be contacted at ankita.dhussa@drake.edu.

The Times-Delphic is a student newspaper published semi-weekly during the regular academic year and is produced by undergraduate students at Drake University. The opinions of staff editorials reflect the institutional opinion of the newspaper based on current staff opinions and the newspaper’s traditions. These opinions do not necessarily reflect those of individual employees of the paper, Drake University or members of the student body. All other opinions appearing throughout the paper are those of the author or artist named within the column or cartoon. The newsroom and business office of The Times-Delphic are located in Meredith Hall, Room 124. The Times-Delphic is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press. The editor-in-chief sits on the Board of Student Communications.

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FEATURES

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

FEATURES

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010

DON’T. MISS. THIS.

PAGE 4

101 Drake Relays Street Painting, 4 p.m - 7 p.m. at the Painted Street, sponsored by SAB Relays Committee

Students go glam for Gay Student Association

by JESSICA MATTES

Staff Writer jessica.mattes@drake.edu

Glitter flooded Pomerantz Stage on Wednesday as drag queens from across the Des Moines and Drake communities joined together to raise funds for local Gay-Straight Alliance chapters.

GSAs are set up in high schools to support students dealing with issues of sexuality and to educate about homophobia, gender identity and sexual orientation.

“High schools need our help,” Diversity Interest Senator La’Cee Groetken said. “Because most students don’t come out until college, high school can be a difficult time.”

The organizations to which Drake will be donating all money raised at the drag show can use the funds however they choose. This year Rainbow Union will be donating the money to Urbandale and Hoover high schools’ GSAs. “We discussed Johnston, Urbandale and Hoover, but ultimately decided on just the two schools,” Groetken said.

All funds raised were donations and tips for the queens, who boldly took center stage to awe the crowd with their dance moves. Tip after tip, Pomerantz ce on gradually compiled one, five and 10 ey B s a g n ri dollar bills.

Earl Lee appea The owner of The Garden, a Des Moines gay nightclub, opened the show performing to a dazzling beat of a Lady Gaga melody.

Combining “Paparazzi” and “Bad Romance,” Seven Love wowed the crowd as her bleached curls

Say Anything

Q&A

by MATT NELSON

Staff Writer matthew.nelson@drake.edu

Q. What can audiences expect from your show?

A. I’d like to think it’s a more intense kind of raw experience seeing

us live on record where we’re pretty put together and tight. It’s a very visceral, chaotic sort of punk rock experience.

Q. How have you grown up through music, through the band?

A. I’ve lived a really challenging existence. I think kids appreciate that,

and I think that’s what being in a rock and roll band is all about. In a way you’re like a spoiled, prissy diva because people are placing importance upon everything you do, your creation, your lyrics, your personality, even your personal life. On the other end, it really is a kind of daunting, challenging existence because it’s hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you’re pushed to the edge spiritually. There’s no other profession like it.

sprung across the stage.

Other professional entertainers, such as Miss Gay Des Moines 2002, graced the audience with wild performances. Even newly elected senator of arts and sciences, Earl Lee, gave the crowd a show, performing to Beyonce’s hit “Sweet Dreams.”

According to Groetken, the crowd size was similar to past years.

“This is the first time we’ve had it on Pomerantz,” Groetken said. “We usually have the show in Cool Beans, but due to construction we decided to host it here. I don’t think the change affected the turnout. We wanted to make sure people knew this was meant for everyone, not just queer individuals.”

Sophomore business major Seejo Valacheril agreed with Groetken, saying the turnout was impressive.

“It is a successful event for the community,” Valacheril said. “Drake students get excited for it every single year.”

A barbeque dinner, round table discussion and midnight showing of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” also brought many Drake students together to celSpike styling A ebrate diversity within the compple Bottom je ans munity and serve Drake’s Pride Week.

Rainbow Union’s purpose on campus is to provide a safe space for queer individuals seeking guidance and support.

Darren Martin, a senior English major attendphotos by Sarah Andrews | ing the show, had only one thing to say about the Photo/Design Editor drag show and Rainbow Union’s efforts: “Absolutely fabulous!” n

Q. What advice do you have for young musicians?

A. Enjoy it, and make sure you’re in it for the right reasons, and even

if you’re not, just enjoy making the music, that’s what it’s about. If you’re still trying to earn your stripes you have to treat it like a medical student going to medical school .... You have to work your ass off at first .... I think anyone that loves music is capable of that.

Q. What can audiences expect from your show?

A. I’d like them to know that we are just as connected to the music

as they are. I think many times when you go see the band they put on the blasé, we’ve done this a million times, whatever type of a attitude.

We try to approach it as if what would it be like if someone who loved our band had the opportunity to play our songs? I try to echo what I see in the audience as opposed to having them look up to me and say, ‘Oh God, I could never do this.’ It’s more like, ‘Oh, this is sort of what I was expecting.’ Hopefully, that’s what we get across.

courtesy of http://myplay.com

SAY ANYTHING will perform with Angels and Airwaves this Thursday at the Val Air Ballroom at 7 p.m. Buy tickets at www. ticketmaster.com

PAGE 5

SPORTS

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010

SPORTS

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

FOR BREAKING SPORTS NEWS WWW.TWITTER.COM/TDSPORTSNEWS

GOLF UPDATE

7

STELLAR STATS

The number of different countries who have won the World Cup Tournament in its 80 years of existence. The U.S. has never won.

MEN’S TENNIS

Women repeat Grand Prarie Tourney victory

by EDUARDO ZAMARRIPA

Staff Writer eduardo.tamezzamarripa@drake.edu

Men’s Golf The Drake Bulldogs had a rough time finding their stroke at the Wichita Country Club, as they came back with a 12th- place finish out of the 15-team tournament held last Tuesday.

It was a tough time for the men’s golf squad, as they never seemed to be able to get into a rhythm and struggled to break through in the Diet Pepsi Shocker Classic.

Drake finished with a 54-hole total score of 943, posting scores of 311, 322 and 310 while placing in the bottom half of the standings.

Host Wichita State came away with the victory after they finished with an imposing 877 final score, 13 strokes ahead of its closest competitor.

“It has been a rough year for the guys,” Head Coach Scott Bohlender said. “Not a lot of team chemistry and they’ve been struggling to get their game back after the fall.”

Senior Luke Joy led the way for the Bulldogs, as he concluded the tournament with a 231 score, good enough for 39th place individually.

The last couple of weeks have not been kind to the Bulldogs, and as the last competitions of the season approach, it should be interesting to find out if they can regroup and put it together.

“We’ll see how it goes; we have two weeks to figure it out,” Bohlender said.

The Bulldogs will travel to Iowa City for the Iowa Invitational to be held on Saturday and Sunday. This will be the last regular season tournament for Drake, and then the Bulldogs will head for the State Farm MVC Championship

>>MEN’S RESULTS The Bulldogs finished with a team score in the bottom three of the tournament.

Individual player finishes: 39th Luke Joy - 231 T-46th Ben Freeman - 233 T-71th Brad Reierson - 243

Women’s Golf It would be hard to find someone who is playing better golf right now than senior Olivia Lansing. After another sensational performance by Lansing, the Bulldogs were able to take first place at the Grand Prairie Collegiate Classic for the second straight year.

The 54-hole tournament featured 10 teams. Drake finished with a combined score of 895, well ahead of second place Bradley, who finished with a 919 final score.

Not only did the Bulldogs impress as a team, but they were also able to place four golfers in the top 10 individual scores. In fact, no Drake golfer finished lower than 17th.

Lansing had a 216 to finish first overall in the competition.

It was the second time Lansing took home first place overall honors and was named the MVC Women’s Player of the Week for the fourth straight week.

After a somewhat disappointing fall campaign there had been concerns about the potential of the women’s golf team. However, the team seems to have turned the corner.

“We had an OK fall; we didn’t play our best,” said Head Coach Scott Bohlender. “I was worried about ‘senioritis’ and I was worried about our focus.”

The women’s golf squad had placed second at the Saluki Invitational and at the Monterey Invitational before finally getting their first team victory of the spring campaign.

“They have been outstanding,” Bohlender said. “We have competed (in) every tournament.”

The Bulldogs will hope to carry their momentum heading into the last competition of the season: the State Farm MVC Championship.

“I don’t know if we are the favorites to win it, but we are definitely in a position to compete for the championship,” Bohlender said. n

>>WOMEN’S RESULTS Four golfers finished in the top 10.

Individual player finishes: 1st Olivia Lansing - 216 4th Michelle Mathwick - 226 T-5th Elena Vukmir - 228 T-7th Kaitlyn Mauk - 229

photo by DOMINIC JOHNSON| Staff Photographer

FRESHMAN JEAN ERASMUS tallied his 12th consecutive singles win this weekend in the No. 3 spot, securing the 4-0 win over Saint Louis University.

Bulldogs return to winning ways Borendame resorts to team’s depth to secure home wins

by DOMINIC JOHNSON Staff Writer dominic.johnson@drake.edu

Last weekend the Bulldogs suffered a devastating loss to Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State, but on Friday afternoon, they erased any doubt that they can compete for the conference championship with a convincing 4-0 win over the Saint Louis University Billikens.

With sophomore Cesar Bracho out with a back injury and senior Guilherme Marsiglia no longer on the squad, Drake had to rely on its depth in Friday’s matchup. Freshman Ryan Drake and sophomore Ryan King stepped in to take the fifth and sixth slots, respectively.

“Both Ryans, King and Drake, did a really good job of stepping in and being very competitive,” said Head Coach Jimmy Borendame.

Drake and King would team up at the third doubles slot while sophomore Jonathan Hadash would join freshman Jean Erasmus at No. 2 doubles. Freshman James McKie and junior Mauricio Ballivian would team up once again at the No. 1 slot after a short hiatus working with other partners.

The tension increased in the battle for the doubles point when the duo of Drake and King

lost at No. 3 doubles, 8-5. The second doubles matchup was characterized by each team holding its serve until late in the match when Hadash and Erasmus pulled away, winning the break point twice to win, 8-5. At the time the second doubles match finished, Ballivian and McKie were trailing Saint Louis 7-6, as the Billiken team needed only one more game to take the match and the point.

After tying the score at 8-8, the Bulldogs went into a tiebreaker to decide the fate of the doubles point. With the serve and up 7-4, Saint Louis saved one match point, but McKie and Ballivian beat the Billikens on their own serve to win the match and go up 1-0 in the dual match.

“I think that was an extremely important win for me and Mauricio,” McKie said. “We lost a few matches recently and hadn’t been playing well, but all that matters is the win.”

The Bulldogs came out even stronger in singles, as Hadash was the first to finish with a 6-0, 6-0 win over his opponent at the No. 4 singles slot. Ballivian then beat his opponent 6-2, 6-2.

Erasmus finalized the win with a score of 6-4, 6-1.

“It was really big for Mauricio’s confidence to beat this guy after he lost to him last fall,” said Borendame. “Jean is really on a roll now, too; he has 12 consecutive wins in a row.”

The Saint Louis squad chose to end the dual match while down 4-0 due to travel considerations, but both McKie and King were winning at this point as well. McKie was up a set, and King was up a set and leading 4-0 in the second set.

“It felt good to be out there and not on the sidelines,” King said. “I finally got to contribute to a team victory.” n

THE TIMES-DELPHIC

SPORTS

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010

PAGE 6

TRACK & FIELD

Bulldogs set records at Jim Duncan Curtis continues record breaking in 400-meter hurdle race this weekend

by JACK THUMSER

Staff Writer john.thumser@drake.edu

Junior Ari Curtis broke her own school record in the 400-meter hurdles Saturday at the Jim Duncan Invitational at Drake Stadium.

Curtis has now run the event twice in her career, and both times has set Drake records.

Curtis finished with a time of 59.27 seconds, making her the first woman in Drake history to break the minute mark in the event. Her previous best was exactly 1:00.00.

Curtis also competed with the Bulldogs’ 4-by-400 meter relay team, which finished second with a time of 3:50.38, a season best.

Junior Beth Hamling also pulled double duty, running in the 4-by400 and winning the 400-meter run with a time of 55.96 seconds, a personal record. She also finished third in the 200-meter sprint. Senior Caitlin Able ran the second leg of the 4-by-400 and finished third in the 400-meter run.

In women’s long distance, junior Kara McCartney finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:14.70. Fellow junior Casey McDermott clocked in at 2:15.02, good enough for fourth place.

Senior Tara Scieszinski finished third in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 17:53.83 while junior Meredith Bell finished in 18:09.06, grabbing a fifth-place finish.

In field events, junior Tyse Samani tied with teammate Michelle Mitchell for fifth in the high jump at 5 feet, 1 inch. The performance was not up to par for Samani, who has continually completed jumps of 5 feet 5 inches or 5 feet 7 inches all season. Freshman Briana IsomBrummer also jumped 5 feet 1, inch but tied for seventh.

Senior Deidra Dirth was the star on Friday for the Bulldogs when she finished second in the discus throw with a 155-foot 9 inch throw.

Sophomore Jon DeGrave highlighted action for the men, running the fastest 400-meter hurdle time this year in the Missouri Valley Conference at 52.60 seconds.

Freshman jumper Dan Karys had an impressive performance in the field, claiming second in the long jump and third in the triple jump.

Sophomore Shaun James continued his momentum in the 100 and 200—both of which he won last weekend—by finishing second and third, respectively.

James and DeGrave also teamed up with senior Troy Kimberlin, who finished third in the 400, and junior Brandon Lewis to grab third place in the 4-by-400 with a time of 3:19.88.

In long distance, senior Jeff Grassmeyer finished third in the 1,500 with a time of 3:55.29. Sophomore Charlie Lapham finished fifth in the event and sophomore Colin Hagan finished seventh.

After finishing competition this weekend, the Bulldogs have just one weekend of action before the Drake Relays. Next weekend the team will send athletes to four different meets: the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., the Beach Invitational in Norwalk, Calif., and the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City.

While some of the athletes will get the chance to compete in the 101st Drake Relays, the Bulldogs are also looking forward to competing as a full team at the MVC Championships on May 13-16. n

photo by CONNER MCCOURTNEY| Staff Photographer

THE BULLDOG RLEAY TEAMS clocked their best time in the 4-by-400 relay at 3:50.38, finishing second at the Jim Duncan Invite. The 4-by-100 relay team finished in 47.62 seconds, earning the win in the event.

photo by NICOLE BRAUNSDORF| Staff Photographer

SOPHOMORE DEREK CAMPBELL AND JUNIOR LUKE SCHAFER round the turn during the 10,000-meter run event Saturday. Campbell took second place with a time of 33:29.31 and Schafer took sixth with a time of 33:17.14.