3-22-18

The Oracle

T H U R S DAY, M A RC H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8 I VO L . 5 5 N O . 4 6

www.usforacle.com

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I DA

Raw chicken and moldy fruit in JP worry students Possible rock wall is met with mixed opinions

By Jessenia Rivera S T A F F

W R I T E R

Residents at the Juniper-Poplar Hall (JP) residence hall don’t expect five-star quality meals, but they do expect quality in terms of ripe fruit and cooked chicken. Lately, some students have been upset that they have to deal with just that.

On the Class of 2021 Facebook page, a couple of students posted photos of spoiled fruit and undercooked chicken they found while at JP Dining. Logan Suits, a freshman majoring in microbiology, was one of the students who decided to post about the moldy plum he found when he stopped to dine at JP. After swiping his Bull Bucks card, Suits said he picked up the fruit and took a bite before regretting it.

“As I was biting into it, it kind of came apart,” Suits said. “I noticed there was white inside, so I stopped and spit out what I had in my mouth.”

Considering that meal plans range in price from about $1,600 to

about $1,800, Suits said he is upset the situation ever happened. As mentioned by Suits, meal plans aren’t optional for incoming freshman, which he said makes the situation all the more frustrating for him.

“I think that if we are required to pay for food, it should be of some sort of quality,” Suits said.

As of 5 p.m. March 21, his Facebook post got 42 reactions and 20 comments ranging from anger to annoyance. However, he wasn’t the only one who snapped a photo and posted about the contamination of certain fruits.

Jenny Medema, a freshman majoring in public health, is a resident at JP who also took to Facebook to warn others of a spoiled orange she encountered.

“I was about to cut it and that’s when I realized that it had mold coming from the inside of the orange,” Medema said.

According to Jessica Cicalese, he marketing director with USF Dining, action was taken once she and the

By Alyssa Stewart S T A F F

basically a general fund we use for special projects on campus,” Kheireddine said. “There’s a certain amount that’s allocated to every university. Chris and Alec worked with the Board of Trustees (BOT) to secure the funding from it. They secured $900,000 to a million dollars for it.”

According to Kheireddine, the trackers will be built this summer when the traffic will be less heavy.

“They’ll be installed when the traffic is a lot lower and once

Student Government (SG) announced a potential rock wall to be built on campus which stirs up controversy on whether it is an investment students will enjoy or resent.

The rock wall would be located in the Campus Recreational Center and cost approximately $239,500. The money would be collected through the Activity and Services fee (A&S). Students pay a flat fee of $7 a semester and $12.08 per credit hour.

Meka Nwoke, the chairman of the SG Relations committee, shared the survey to the class Facebook pages to determine the probability of whether students were on board with the decision.

According to Nwoke, the rock wall idea came from a suggestion submitted to the executive branch.

“SG has talked to students from the rock wall club and students in general about how it is challenging for students to rock climb off campus because the choices are limited,” Nwoke said.

The approval of the rock wall required seeking student opinions and the awaiting final decision from SG Senate on

n See PARKING on PAGE 3

n See ROCK on PAGE 3

Logan Suits discovered a moldy plum at JP Dining.

SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/LOGAN SUITS

rest of administration were made aware of mold on specific fruits.

“Automatically, we pulled all the stone fruit from being served to students,” Cicalese said. “We then contacted our vendor immediately.”

Cicalese said she didn’t know the exact type of mold found on the plums and oranges, but she makes it clear that it wasn’t something that could’ve been anticipated.

“This was not visible to the eye,” Cicalese said. “(The mold) was around the stone or the pit of the fruit.”

Until another vendor is found, Cicalese said stone fruit is no longer being given to residents and students. Though other varieties of fruits will be available at JP Dining, Cicalese plans to implement fruit sampling that will provide diners

n See JP on PAGE 6

Parking trackers aim to ease student frustrations

By Maria Ranoni N E W S

E D I T O R

It’s a common scene among students: cars desperately circling around full parking garages and random cars following other students in hopes that they’re leaving.

Parking is continuously one of the most contentious issues on campus, but a new Student Government (SG) initiative may prove to be useful in easing the current frustrations.

SG has secured funding to install parking trackers in some

of USF’s parking locations.

This initiative was originally started during former student body president Chris Griffin and former vice president Alec Waid’s 2016-17 term.

Moneer Kheireddine, current student body president, said the goal of the trackers is to help students save time.

“The parking trackers are going to give the availability of parking on every single level of the garage,” Kheireddine said.

“So, right now we’re planning on implementing them in this pilot program for Crescent

Hill as well as lots adjacent to Castor Hall, 17A and 17B. As a whole, the goal is to ensure that our students are well aware what spaces are available in our parking garages or parking lots.

That way when students come in they don’t have to waste their time going into a parking garage when it’s already full.”

The funding for the trackers originated from sources unrelated to student tuition or fees according to Kheireddine.

Rather, the $900,000 million will come from state funds.

“The funding comes from

W R I T E R

2

T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

The Oracle THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966

Editor in Chief

Asst. Sports Editor Sam Newlon

@newlon_sam

Multimedia Editor Chaveli Guzman @ChaveliGuzman

Miki Shine oracleeditor@gmail.com @MichaelAZShine

Asst. Multimedia Editor

Managing Editor

Copy Editor

Jesse Stokes oraclemeditor@gmail.com @JesseStokes813

News Editor

Maria Ranoni oraclenewsteam@gmail.com @ByMariaRanoni

Opinion Editor

Samantha Moffett oracleopinion@gmail.com @bySamMoffett

Sports Editor

Josh Fiallo oraclesportseditor@gmail.com @ByJoshFiallo

Thomas Prettyman @ThomasPrettyman Andrea Martin @andreamrtn64

Staff Writers

Matthew Cutillo Brian Hattab Jessenia Rivera Michael Standard Alyssa Stewart Paige Wisniewski

Graphic Artists Avery Dyen Jessica Thornton

Advertising Sales Matthew Comstock Tadge Haskins Skyler Nickols

●

T H E O R AC L E

The Index News.......................................................3 Lifestyle................................................5 Opinion..................................................6 Classifieds............................................7 Crossword............................................7 Sports....................................................8 The Oracle is published Monday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and once weekly, Wednesday, during the summer.

The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student. Additional copies are $.50 each and available at the Oracle office (SVC 0002).

BY PHONE Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

News .................

Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . .

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

974-5190 974-1888 974-2620 974-2620

CORRECTIONS The Oracle will correct or clarify factual errors.

Contact Editor in Chief Miki Shine at 974-5190.

NEWS

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

●

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

The rock wall is expected to be located in Campus Recreation. ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN

ROCK

Continued from PAGE 1

whether the addition is what the student body wants. Nwoke said the survey received a yes from 572 students and a no from 104.

He also said this was the largest participation survey to date.

“The Senate tends to vote in accordance with how students react, but it could go either way,” Nwoke said.

On Facebook, students were not pleased with the idea and suggested that SG focus more on real issues. In response to the comments about the ongoing parking situation, Nwoke said he does not think it is a problem SG could solve from A&S funding alone.

“I do not think SG has the financial power to build a parking garage,” Nwoke said. “It is important to keep having the conversation and not ignore the issue as well.”

Adam Saunders, alumnus and a previous SG senator, said he

does not think the rock wall is a necessary expense that will benefit the student body in its whole capacity.

“A&S funds are better spent distributed to student organizations,” Saunders said.

“They put on so many events that draw in diverse groups of people.”

Rachel Vogie, a senior majoring in management, said she also wish that more funds would be out toward parking rather than a rock wall.

“I understand it’s a selling point for a lot of campuses, but USF is a commuter school so it would be more valuable to have extra parking for people that do come to campus,” Vogie said.

Stephen Wong, the key communications officer for the rock climbing club, said an on-campus rock wall will benefit all students and not just the organization.

“There are plenty of students that enjoy rock climbing that are not in the club as well,” Wong

said. “It is something for avid climbers or something new for people that want to implement a new exercise for their personal health.”

From an economical standpoint, Wong said he believes the rock wall will reduce the burden of costs because of the abundance of equipment that is needed to climb efficiently.

“The rock climbing gym that people use is at Vertical Adventures, which requires a daily or monthly fee which is a lot of money to put down,” Wong said. “This is well within the SG budget, so funding shouldn’t be an issue.”

According to Wong, an adequate amount of USF students work for Vertical Adventures, therefore he believes USF could sufficiently create a rock climbing gym.

“The staff would be easily obtainable and a lot of people would benefit from using the equipment then people would expect,” Wong said.

●

3

T H E O R AC L E

Parking trackers will be installed in Crescent Hill Parking garage this summer as a part of a pilot program.

ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN

PARKING

Continued from PAGE 1

those are built and installed, we’ll see how the traffic is going, how students are feeling about it and hopefully work with our administration to implement them in all garages,” Kheireddine said.

As with all SG initiatives, Kheireddine said they take extended amounts of time to come to fruition.

“Everything at our institution is going to take a while to get done,” Kheireddine said. “There’s a lot of red tape.

There’s a lot bureaucracy in it. As a whole, the reason we decided to personally try on continuing on this path is because we believe we can get things done on campus, it just takes a little bit of time.”

Kheireddine said the traffic impact of the tracker installation will be made as minimal as possible, but traffic

could be impacted in some ways.

“From my understanding, they’ll (parking garages and lots the trackers will be installed in) be shut down in waves,” Kheireddine said. “So, basically, a couple of the floors will go offline at a time, but there is a possibility for them to go permanently offline if they find they can’t do it in waves.

That’s why they’re building it in the summer when there’s less traffic.”

Parking is an issue SG is well aware of Kheireddine said, but he said SG is working on other initiatives that will help alleviate the situation.

“We know that parking is an issue; we all face that issue on a daily basis,” Kheireddine said. “This is about finding the best way to accommodate because SG can’t just build a new parking garage, but we can do little things.”

4

OPINION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

●

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

●

T H E O R AC L E

What you said New budget proposal targets students’ financial aid Opinion Editor Samantha Moffett asked students how decreased funding for loans and Pell Grants would impact their ability to get an education.

By Zoe Zbar C O L U M N I S T

When it comes to students and college, it helps to know how tuition gets paid. More importantly, for many, how it will get paid back.

For example, according to CollegeBoard, over 7.1 million U.S. students last year received Pell Grant or financial aid the U.S. government provides for students who need the money in order to pay for and attend college. Millions more receive student loans. These aids are crucial to many students in order for them to obtain higher education.

Unlike student loans, grants require no repayment, but they have strict qualifications. In order to qualify for this grant at USF, the student must be admitted as a degree-seeking undergraduate, complete a free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), maintain passing grades and not be in default on a federal student loan or grant.

On March 15, a federal budget proposal was released that reduces the funds of the Pell Grant by $3.9 billion. Although the Trump Administration says that by doing this they are protecting the future of the grant, this is a way of keeping the lower-middle class down.

The grant is given to families that earn less than $40,000 a year. Those closer to $20,000 in income have the most priority. Examples of jobs that earn this income are construction workers, waiters, janitors and office

clerks. Something that all of these careers have in common is that they don’t require higher education.

Another similarity is that most of them are necessary for the stability of our everyday lives. Without them, chaos would rule.

However, children of these families who seek something bigger should be able to do so. The Pell Grant has made higher education possible for these students since 1972. That is 46 years of helping those who need aid to better themselves through higher education. The cut in the grant will keep these students from going to university and, in turn, cause them to take jobs below their capability level.

Some argue that the grant goes to waste because some who receive it do not end up finishing college.

While that might be true for some, at USF the Pell Grant recipient sixyear graduation rate is 61.5 percent, according to The Education Trust.

The non-Pell Grant recipient graduation rate is 63.8 percent. The difference of 2.3 percent is too close to ignore.

Statistically speaking, these “lower middle class” students are just as likely to graduate as the ones not benefitting from this grant.

I know the Pell Grant is the largest expense in the U.S. Department of Education. The numbers don’t lie.

The government spent $28.2 billion on them in the 2015-2016 school year.

But I also know that the need for this grant is prevalent in our

society today. Millions of students around the country would not be sitting in classrooms and making their futures brighter if it weren’t for this grant.

Roughly 29 percent of the U.S. population is considered lower-middle class. Although the professions taken on by these people are not glamorous or pay well, they are vital. The fear of some is that if these people attend college and strive for better jobs with higher wages, there will be a huge decline in the employment of jobs like construction workers and laborers ﹘ jobs important to everyday life.

This fear, to others, is unfounded.

To take money from the Pell Grant, or to cut subsidized student loans or loan forgiveness, means taking money from deserving students.

Some of these people grew up watching their parents work extremely hard and make very little every day. They witnessed their parents struggle to get by. They want a different life for themselves.

Their opportunities should not be taken away or lessened. Their opportunities should not mean any less than the next student sitting in a classroom trying to better themselves.

Keeping the lower-middle class down means keeping the upper class high. It’s simply the selfish cycle that is the U.S. government.

Zoe Zbar is a sophomore majoring in marketing.

“A lot, because my parents don’t pay anything toward my education and I would have to pay for all of it myself. ” — Ashley Emrick, a senior majoring in theater performance.

“It wouldn’t affect me personally, but I feel like it would affect others that don’t have the luxury that I have being from Tampa. “ ­ — Teeuana Williams, a junior majoring in business management.

“I won’t be affected because I’m an international student, but having that funding gives students opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have.”

— Althea Mcdavid, a sophomore majoring civil engineering.

“My parents don’t help me with any funding for school so I pay everything out of my pocket. I would have to work full time and I could not afford to go to college.”

—Kidany Camilo, a senior majoring in theater arts.

LIFESTYLE

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

●

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

●

5

T H E O R AC L E

Sweethearts return to campus every year to remember their story

By Andrea Martin C O P Y

E D I T O R

me and then started asking me about my calculator.”

William was fresh out of the Marine Corps at the time, just beginning his first semester at USF, where as Karolina was wrapping up her academic career. Both were majoring in finance.

“He and I just started talking and we giggled the whole class,” Karolina said. “I mean, it was like instant chemistry. He walked me out to my car to be a gentleman ﹘ that’s just still how he is. He opened my door and he asked for my number.”

Karolina wasn’t keen on the idea of giving her number to a stranger no matter giggly he made her, so she gave William her school email. “(It) sounds so cheesy, but he emailed me right away,” Karolina said. “He didn’t wait. He didn’t play games. He emailed me from his phone right away.”

After spring break and after the pair had been seeing each

On Tuesday, March 20, current students moped around campus, still not fully recovered from spring break and not ready to be back. However, alumni Karolina and William Figlesthaler strolled through campus with warm smiles and full hearts.

Since the two began their relationship on March 20, 2008, they make their way back to the Tampa campus to reminisce on where it all began.

“Everything for us has always come right back to the main campus in Tampa,” Karolina said.

In January of 2008, Karolina took her seat in Dr. Scott Besley’s Money and Banking class.

A couple seats over, William decided he wanted to sit a couple seats closer.

“I sat down, was doing my problems and he was a few seats over, he kind of did a double Karolina and William Finglesthaler celebrate the anniversary every year by returning to where they met on take,” Karolina said. “He picked up his stuff, sat down next to n See SWEETHEARTS on PAGE 3 the USF Tampa campus. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/KAROLINA FIGLESTHALER

The power of local music: student finds himself through his art

By Matthew Cutillo S T A F F

W R I T E R

From early beginnings in high school music programs to joining club organizations in college, Tyler Cole has always been surrounded by music. A junior majoring in psychology, he is a firm believer in the ability of music to connect people.

Starting small, Cole began

his exploration of music in his own hometown, but when he visited Tampa he discovered new, local music.

“I started in middle school,” Cole said. “There was a big metal scene in Lakeland and Winter Haven for some reason, so I fell into that. I grew up coming to see shows in Tampa and Ybor. I think since a lot of artists come here for tours, it’s generated a good amount of

musical diversity locally.”

Inspired by the other artists around him, Cole felt inspiration to start his own musical projects at a young age.

“I mostly played in bands with friends around Lakeland and I got into recording music the summer before I left for USF,” Cole said.

Although high school proved to be an ambitious time for Cole’s music and his exposure

to the local scenes left him experienced, it was not until he stepped foot on USF’s campus that he truly took advantage of music’s ability to tie people together.

“I found a community that was started right here at USF dedicated to songwriters, called Tampa Songwriting Collective,” Cole said. “That’s a good group. They’ve since moved to downtown.”

Music gave Cole an easy transition into college, letting him surround himself with those of common interests.

According to Cole, the relatability of music proved to be a fast and easy way to meet new people.

“Half of the reason I involved myself was for the love of the music,” Cole said. “But honestly, the other half was wanting to

n See MUSIC on PAGE 9

6

T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

Maddie Barrow was taken aback after seeing traces of pink in her chicken sandwich. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/MADDIE BARROW

JP

Continued from PAGE 1

with fresh fruit and educate students on their daily intake.

“We are going to have our current registered dietitian do fresh fruit days, where she would come and cut up fruit and actually provide accurate servings of fruit for students,” Cicalese said. “This way, they are getting educated about proper portions and serving sizes of fresh fruit.”

While spoiled fruit didn’t make manystudentshappy,therawchicken

that was also served at JP Dining has sparked multiple complaints by students who dine there.

Brandon Shelbaugh, a freshman majoring in global business, said the undercooked chicken has always been a problem for him at JP Dining.

“Twice that I’ve been eating lunch (at JP Dining), I’ve realized half way through eating my chicken was still pink in the middle,” Shelbaugh said.

Cicalese said that once she was made aware of the raw chicken being served, Cicalese contacted the manager and pulled the chicken straightaway.

Cicalese said she made sure to contacttheindividualsandproceeded to take actions on their behalf.

“Ultimately, I want to make sure that they’re eating something of quality,” Cicalese said. “I want to make sure they’re refunded and that they’re getting food overall.”

Firing someone was not in the list of actions to take, but Cicalese said she’s evaluating the person who was preparing the chicken or monitoring the station at the time it was served. Actions such as moving someone to another station and retraining have also been instituted.

“Training is obviously in the utmost importance when it comes to food,” Cicalese said. “If someone is not qualified to properly prepare a dish or if they’re not following our procedures, they won’t be cooking that dish again or they won’t be working that station again.”

However, there was another post made by Kaylene Vezina on the Class of 2021 Facebook page on March 19 making another complaint

of raw chicken served in JP dining.

“I love going to Juniper Dining to eat all three meals during the day but today, I was disappointed,” Vezina wrote. “I thought it was safe to eat the deep-fried chicken until I cut it open today and it was raw on the inside. The best part was when I returned it to the counter. The guy working there looked at my piece of chicken and said, “Oh yeah, that does look raw” and then continued to put a new piece of chicken ON TOP OF THE RAW ONE. He didn’t give me

●

T H E O R AC L E

a new plate and didn’t even think twice to do so until I asked. I swear, somebody is trying to poison us.”

Although specific measures have been taken for both the undercooked chicken and the moldy stone fruit situation, Suits said he’s annoyed over the continuous problems JP Dining has with food.

“I think that most restaurants don’t have these problems and I don’t understand why this is different,” Suits said.

Jenny Medema took to Facebook to share the mold growing inside her orange. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/JENNY MEDEMA

AVOID EXCESS HOURS USF.EDU/EXCESSHOURS

T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

●

T H E O R AC L E

7

8

T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

●

T H E O R AC L E

CROSSWORD

To place a classified ad go to http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds

HELP WANTED Optometric Technician No Experience Needed. Medical field major preferred. Work prescreening eye exam patients with the latest technology. Enjoy working with a variety of patients and medical conditions. 813-679-1092 Email drcancellari@gmail.com

HELP WANTED Sales and Inventory Assistant Retail commercial kitchenware store close to downtown is looking for part time help (15-20 hours per week). Responsibilities include customer service, stocking and inventory. Hourly pay depends on experience and language(s) spoken.

Email info@restauranteqsupply.com

HELP WANTED HIRING SWIM INSTRUCTORS! EDUCATION MAJORS! Will train!

SWIMKIDS USA, Florida’s #1 and Largest Family Swim School, is now hiring experienced Swim Teachers AND Swim Teacher Trainees!

- FT/PT, weekdays and weekends available - May through October - $12.00/hr-$16/hr and up (based upon experience) -Wesley Chapel, Westchase, Brandon, Zephyrhills - Only mature, professional, responsible need apply - Good working with children a must, friendly, and detail oriented Apply online @ www.swimkidsusa.com today!

(813)991-6258

T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

●

9

T H E O R AC L E

MUSIC

Continued from PAGE 5

find a social group that had similar interests.”

Leaving his friends from home behind, Cole was first challenged with finding a new friend group. It was through his passion for music, however, that was able to meet new people.

“I didn’t have many friends coming out to Tampa,” Cole said. “So going to record stores, shows and taking advantage of the city was how I made most of my current friends.”

It was not until Cole came to college that he felt such an Musician Tyler Cole used music, when he first came to USF, as a way expansion to how he saw music.

“I used to have a very narrow to make friends. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/TYLER COLE view of music,” Cole said. “In Tampa Bay at large, many of bring his own experiences to hindsight, that felt very limiting. his musical influences would the band’s efforts.

Finding other people in Tampa not exist.

“I joined Coastals who were that liked the same stuff as “It was obvious where I was already established having me really helped solidify my pulling my influence,” Cole played around the Tampa area tastes. I wanted to expand my said. “Now, when I go to create, I and already having their first knowledge of music as much as feel like I could go any direction EP out,” Cole said. “Now that I could. I feel like if you want I want and I’m more open to we’re working on new music to be a good creator, you need pushing myself. This has made that I’m involved in, I feel more to be a thorough fan of the art an interesting dynamic.” confident, like I have a lot to first.”

With his new music bring to the table. This has Cole said that without the knowledge, Cole joined the made an interesting dynamic music community at USF and local group Coastals to help for my current band.”

SWEETHEARTS Continued from PAGE 5

other every week in class, they had their first date.

“We had class Thursday nights,” Karolina said. “So we went to Busch Gardens and we had a blast. We drank all day, but we came back to class at 6 p.m., wet from all the rides, drunk and we were just such a disruption to the class that we were asked to leave. So, we went back to Busch Gardens and fell asleep in the park.”

After falling asleep in the gazebo and waiting for an employee to finally release them, their first date came came to a close after a solid 24 hours.

“Finally after, I don’t know, several hours ﹘ it was a 24 hour date ﹘ we got out of Busch Gardens,” Karolina said. “Since then, our lives have been equally that crazy.”

Two years to the day of the Busch Gardens’ never-ending tale, the two were married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tampa.

“We kind of kept everything Tampa-based,” Karolina said about their anniversary tradition to return to campus unfolded.

At the time, William was living at home in Sarasota. Karolina also lived at home in Trinity.

Tampa would be the meeting ground to spend time together.

“We would meet in Tampa for

class and then we would sit in the car after class and just hang out ‘till I don’t know, all hours of the morning,” Karolina said.

“We would spend the night in the car, watching movies because we had nowhere to go together to be together.”

Week after week and class after class, the Tampa campus became their favorite place to be together. Now, year after year, Karolina and William go back to the start.

“Every year we take photos on our anniversary,” Karolina said. “We go back to where it all started, our roots. It’s just kind of always been such a memorable place for us.”

Sports

10

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

●

T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

●

T H E O R AC L E

Commentary

Softball

Bulls 15-game win streak ends in Gainesville Flower-less

Bulls will still be a top contender in the AAC

By Sam Newlon A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

It was the same story, just a different day for USF (22-13) as it was swamped by No. 6 Florida (24-3) Wednesday night.

Despite being able to manufacture runs in their 14-3 loss to the Gators earlier in the season, the Bulls were unable to produce even a single hit when the Gators stopped the Bulls’ 15-game win streak in five innings due to mercy rule.

Two of the Bulls’ first three batters struck out and the Gators were quick to capitalize.

They scored twice in the first inning, then again in the second to jump to a quick 3-0 lead.

Baseball

By Sam Newlon A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

After scoring five and conceding five runs in the games first two innings against North Florida on Wednesday in Jacksonville, USF appeared to be in for a high-scoring game.

As the game continued on, however, the Bulls’ bullpen stifled North Florida, while the Bulls’ bats produced seven more runs, leading to a 12-5 victory.

The win was USF’s ninth in a row, which is the longest win-streak in the AAC. Second baseman Coco Montes continued his hot streak at the plate,

E D I T O R

Let’s start by pointing out the obvious.

In the 2018 season, Bulls fans won’t see No. 9 evading defenders with maneuvers that demand a second take on the jumbotron to USF is one of six teams Florida’s Kelly Barnhill has no-hit this season. THE ORACLE/LYNDSAY BRUNSTETTER answer: “How did he do that?”

In the third inning, USF to keep the game within reach. Barnhill walked catcher Mia Quinton Flowers, former pitcher Hannah Parker retired The Bulls were unable to cut Fung, then struck out the next quarterback and most decorated each of the three Gator batters Florida’s lead when junior Kelly n See LOSS on PAGE 11 Bull in program history, will no longer be the offensive staple.

Athlon Sports & Life ranks the Bulls No. 65 overall. The site references vacancies left by Flowers and three defensive allconference players.

Before the 2017 season, USF knocking three hits for the third was predicted to win their consecutive game. He finished the first ever American Athletic game with three RBI and one double.

Conference title. Now, the Bulls Four other Bulls hit doubles in the will be underdogs. win, moving USF into second-place College Football News predicts nationally for total doubles with 65.

USF going 9-3 with losses to All nine of USF’s batters recorded Georgia Tech, Houston, and UCF. a hit in the win.

In addition to the three listed, The Bulls will open up conference the Bulls’ home matchup against play on Friday night against UConn.

Tulane could be particularly All three games of the series difficult. The Bulls had trouble will be played at USF Baseball playing with Tulane’s triple Stadium, with the Friday night option offense last season when game featuring a battle of two they narrowly avoided an upset potential MLB Draft first round in November. pitchers — Shane McClanahan The Green Wave will likely (USF) and Time Cate (UConn). return with a similar offense.

The Bulls had 10-plus hits for the 14th time this season, hitting 16 n See FOOTBALL on PAGE 11 against the Ospreys. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ

Bulls down Ospreys, extend win-streak to 9

By Josh Fiallo

S P O R T S

T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

●

FOOTBALL

Continued from PAGE 10

Georgia Tech is notorious for running a triple option offense and will pose a problem for USF as their new defense adjusts early in the season.

Without Deatrick Nichols, Auggie Sanchez, Devin Abraham, Deadrin Senat and Bruce Hector, the Bulls will have to find ways to disrupt offenses with different personnel. USF led the AAC in fewest points allowed per game last season with this unit.

Brett Kean and Chris Oladokun will battle in the offseason to fill Flowers’ spot at quarterback. In 2017, the pair completed just eight

11

T H E O R AC L E

passes compared to Flowers’ 188.

Darius Tice and D’ernest Johnson rushed for 1739 yards last season.

Both halves of the rushing tandem leaving opens a spot for transfer Jordan Cronkrite.

A Miami native, Cronkrite totaled 302 yards and 4 touchdowns as a Gator. He left Gainesville to find a role as a featured back instead of being part of a rotation with two other backs.

Tyre McCants and Darnell Salomon return as two of USF’s top receivers. The duo combined for 1198 yards in 2017.

After missing all of last season, Ryeshene Bronson returns to the

Bulls’ receiving arsenal.

Another key loss for the Bulls is kicker Emilio Nadelman. The alumnus set school records for most points in a season with 115.

Redshirt Freshman Marco Salani and John Carroll University transfer Jake Vivonetto will have their own depth-chart battle as the season approaches.

Despite their losses, USF will return in 2018 as a dark horse contender in the AAC. With experienced units on both sides of the ball, a laser-focused USF squad will be poised to surprise their competition with a team that is ready to show the nation what they’re made of.

Softball

USF pitcher reunited with military boyfriend after win

By Sam Newlon A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

After pitching her second complete-game shutout of the season against Seton Hall, Cheyenne Eggens was exiting the USF softball facility and her heart skipped a beat.

Waiting for her was Lance Corporal Timothy Moran — her boyfriend of three years.

Eggens jumped into an embrace with the marine and was met with cheers from all of her teammates.

Moran and Eggens have had only seen each other once the past ten months.

“It made me feel very good, I was very excited to see him,” Eggens said. “I hadn’t seen him in a while and I don’t know when I’ll see him again so I’ll cherish that moment forever.”

Moran is stationed in Hawaii and surprised Eggens by arriving

Chyenne Eggens pitching a shutout against Seton Hall. The shutout was her second of the season. THE ORACLE/LYNDSAY BRUNSTETTER a week early, unbeknownst to the Bulls’ ace.

Eggens posted a video of their reunion on Monday saying: “So blessed with this amazing surprise.”

After seeing Moran, Eggens

has pitched in five games and has given up only nine hits.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and presence strengthens it. Eggens has carried her momentum off the field onto the mound with her.

LOSS

Continued from PAGE 10

three batters.

Barnhill recorded 12 strikeouts against the Bulls and is the sixth time she recorded 10 or more in a game. She is 12-1 on the year with a 0.53 ERA and has only allowed 10 runs all season.

The Bulls lost their grip on the game when the Gators scored three runs in the fourth inning. Florida nearly batted through their lineup, prompting the Bulls into a pitching change.

Jojo McGill took the mound and did what she could to salvage the inning.

The Bulls were unable to keep the Gators at bay when they allowed 3 runs in the fourth inning.

Adding insult to injury, the Gators sealed their victory with a 3-run home run to put the Bulls’ win streak to rest. The game was called early as a result.

USF ranked No. 35 nationally in batting average before the no-hitter by Florida’s Barnhill.

Despite the conclusion of

their win streak, the Bulls have still outscored opponents 98-30 over their last 16 games. They are still ranked No. 4 in the American standings and are still red-hot entering conference play against UConn (13-16), which they will play a threegame home series with starting Friday.

Entering conference play, Memphis (21-7) is the team to beat in the AAC. They are followed closely by Houston (198) and Tulsa (19-11). None of the other four teams have more than 20 wins.

UConn stands alone at the bottom of the AAC. The Huskies pair a .217 team batting average with a 2.56 ERA from the mound. None of the UConn pitchers have a winning record and the Bulls will look to capitalize on the weak pitching to start conference play in the win column.

First pitch between the Huskies and Bulls will be at 4:30 at the USF softball facility on Friday.

12

T H U R S DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 8

●

T H E O R AC L E