Soccer teams still searching for a win

by Rachel Weiss class writer

The Bison soccer team tied against Texas Wesleyan University on Saturday, recording their second straight tie game and making their overall record now 0-1-2.

According to Ryan Wilhelm, team captain and senior forward, the team is working to improve on and off the field. The team added 11 new freshmen and two transfers this year, for a total of 25 players.

The men’s soccer team has not had a winning record since its start in 2000, but the team is hoping to change that this year.

“The next few games will be our opportunity to fix all the small kinks,” junior outside back Gehrig Haberstock said. “We want to be playing our best soccer during conference games. We’re hoping all our hard work will pay off and we can make it to the conference tournament.” lost with a final score of 3-0, making their record 0-4-0 so far. Greg Harris, who is starting his 13th year as the women’s soccer coach, said he is confident in his team’s ability to work hard and come back from these games.

4A | Friday, September 20, 2013

Odie Guzman, former Harding soccer player and now in his second year as the men’s coach, said he is excited about their progress so far, both as individual players and as a team.

Wilhelm said he expects the Bisons will shock conference opponents with the fresh faces on the team.

Friday, September 20, 2013 | 3B

“The team is meshing really well,” Guzman said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s really neat to see these upper-classmen take the under-classmen under their wings and help them not only on the field but off of it.”

“I am most excited to see how we progress and where we end up,” Wilhelm said. “Most of our team is young, but talented. I think we could surprise some teams in conference this year and make it to the tournament.”

The men’s soccer team plays another home game Friday against Northeastern State University at 5 p.m.

The Lady Bisons hosted Christian Brothers University on Sept. 15 and

“This past week we have been fixing our line-up,” Ashley Martin, a senior finance major and captain on the team, said. “We’re working on our offensive runs towards goals since we weren’t able to create as many scoring opportunities in the past few games.”

Harris said the team has the conference tournament written on their board, and after every game, they make a list of things they want to sharpen or improve.

“Conference is really where our mindset is,” Harris said. “We’re really focusing on having a better showing in conference play. I think we are a better team than what we have been.”

The Lady Bisons play today in Denton,Texas, against Texas Woman’s University.

Starting with first place finish

Cross-country teams win opening meet in Florida

by Jesse Hixson class writer

4B | Friday, September 20, 2013

Last Saturday, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams kicked off their season at the Gulf Coast Stampede in Pensacola, Fla.

The men’s team placed first as senior Andrew Evans led the way, finishing first. The women’s team also placed first at the meet with junior Ewa Zaborowska taking her third career cross-country victory.

After winning their first meet, junior Dallis Bailey and junior Taylor Lively said they are both excited about the season the team has ahead of them.

According to Lively, the team has more guys and girls than ever and they are always pushing each other and lifting one another up.

“The team is growing together so close already,” Bailey said. “Our personalities get along great. We are competitive with one another, but always rejoice in one another’s success. We compete for a team goal, not an individual goal.”

Each team also has clear goals set to help push them as far as they can go this year and the years to come.

Bailey and Lively both said their team’s goal is to win the conference championship and move on to compete at nationals. Both teams came very close to this goal last year, and Lively said if

Riding the emotional roller coaster of fantasy football

they stick together he has no doubt they can do it.

“I try not to focus on personal goals too much during cross-country,” Lively said. “I just do what’s best for the team, and I improve.”

Coach Steve Guymon has been working to make sure the teams are both in good shape and on the right track to reach their goals. Bailey said they normally do two hard workouts a week, one long run and then maintenance runs to finish out the week, but their real source of inspiration comes from Guymon.

“We couldn’t do what we do without a strong and encouraging coach like Coach Guymon,” Bailey said. “He believes in us more than we believe in ourselves.”

Bailey and Lively said they are both confident the team will do very well. According to Lively, the team has a good number of talented, young runners who will keep the program strong this year and in the years to come. Bailey said that because they care about each other as friends first and then teammates, they will continue to grow closer and succeed.

“If we can continue to pull together on and off the course there is no limit to what we can do,” Bailey said.

The cross-country teams will head to Joplin, Mo. to compete in the Southern Stampede hosted by Missouri Southern State University on Sept. 21.

Fantasy football is defined as “a competition in which participants select imaginary teams from among the players in a league and score points according to the actual performance of their players.” In my opinion, and I’m confident that many will agree, “competition” is too meek of a word for fantasy football. Fantasy football is, in essence, a weighty mission, guaranteed to evoke anger, excitement, depression, dedication and irrationality from a man’s or woman’s persona.

Although anger isn’t the emotion felt most often regarding fantasy football, it is often a blinding emotion. Anger can be evoked any number of ways, whether it be if your kicker missed three field goals in one game, if you left a breakout performer on the bench, or whether your opponent spasmodically puts up 150 points after averaging 75 through three weeks.

Excitement is a direct result of one of your players “going off.” Marshawn Lynch’s performance in week two is a prime example of that. Three total touchdowns and 135 yards of total offense garnered 30 points for him in my league. As it were, I needed 28 points from him in order to top my opponent.

Depression sits strongest with that team manager in your league whose team is literally the worst. Normally, this stems simply from bad luck. Either his first round draft pick gets hurt in week one, his running back loses the starting spot or his “sleeper pick” sits like the Snorlax on the sideline for the duration of the season.

Dedication is simply a natural outcome of fantasy football. However, often this dedication is revealed to be irrational. Let’s unwrap that.

Irrationality epitomizes fantasy football. For no other reason would you root so absurdly for a kicker. Nor would you have two TV’s on CBS and FOX in your room from noon until 11 p.m. on a Sunday. Nor would you pray so intensely for a tight end to be thrown to. Nor would you ever be torn so unfairly between your favorite team winning and the opposing team’s wide receiver (on your fantasy squad) putting up astronomical numbers. I experience all of these emotions every NFL week. I feel like a 13-year-old girl riding an emotional roller coaster, but don’t judge. Fellow managers, I urge you to wear your heart on your sleeve. Fantasy football plays by its own rules and cares not about our hearts. Hand your man-card over and ride that emotional roller coaster like you mean it.

Our Athletes’ Views on Pop Culture

Do you have a bad habit?

Favorite childhood movie or TV show?

Favorite Sonic drink?

What would your theme song be?

If you could have lunch with a celebrity who would it be?

Staying up late then dosing off during class. Biting my finger nails.

“Empire getting enough sleep. slush mixed with cranberry.

Emma Watson, for sure. She seems so down to earth.

Powerade Sprite. Cherry limeade. Strawberry slush.

“Lose Yourself” by Eminem.

Ashton Kutcher. He's hilarious and good looking.

Roger Federer, to meet one of the best tennis players of all time.

Novak Djokovic. He's a prime tennis player. Also he's not too bad to look at.

Allison Stokke, so I could propose to her.