Friday, February 29, 2008

Action Continues on Day 3 of C-USA Swimming and Diving Championships

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 29, 2008) The 2008 Conference USA Women's Swimming & Diving Championship and Invitational continued on Friday evening at the CRWC Natatorium on the campus of the University of Houston with SMU turning in another record breaking day. The Mustangs set four new meet and pool records, recorded four one-two finishes and set nine career and two season bests to extend their lead in the team standings. Marshall also highlighted day three when the Herd won its second individual event since joining the league in 2005-06.

SMU closed the evening with its fourth one-two finish when senior Anja Carman out-touched junior Petra Klosova to set a new meet and pool record in the 100-yard backstroke. Carman's time of 53.38 broke the previous record by almost two seconds and was good for an NCAA `A' qualifying time. Klosova was also ahead of the previous record and touched the wall in 54.67, an NCAA `B' consideration. Nan Liu of invitational member Northern Colorado grabbed third with the NCAA `B' time of 55.57.

Marshall claimed its first event win of the championship when senior Micheala Sceli posted an NCAA `B' time of 1:02.03 to win gold in the 100-yard breaststroke. Her mark was a school record and the win marked just the second individual win for the Herd since it joined the league in the 2005-06. Sceli holds 17 of MU's all-time top 20 times in the 100 breast.

SMU sophomore Devon Callaghan was just out-touched by Sceli and took second in 1:02.09. Her mark was also good for NCAA `B' consideration. East Carolina freshman Stephanie Harper claimed third place in 1:03.86.

The swimming resumed after the men's 3-meter diving event with another SMU victory. Twin sisters Jennifer and Candace Blackman had a one-two finish in the 200-yard freestyle with Jennifer taking the win in a meet and pool record time of 1:45.52 for NCAA `A' consideration. Candace's second place time of 1:47.09 was also an NCAA `A' mark. Junior Sasha Schwendenwein of Houston placed third in a school record time of 1:47.55, good for NCAA `B' consideration.

Event number four featured another Mustang one-two finish that saw both swimmers down the previous meet and pool record. Senior Angela San Juan Cisneros took gold in 53.65 an NCAA `A' mark and a new record. San Juan Cisneros broke Ann Degenstein's previous record of 54.41. The mark was one of the few still held by a former league member. SMU freshman Elzanne Werth took second in 53.81, while NCU's Liu claimed third in 54.80. Both marks were NCAA `B' qualifying times.

The Mustangs finished one-two once again in the 400-yard individual medley, as both junior Jennifer Basel and freshman Maroua Mathlouthi finished faster than the previous meet and pool record. Basel touched the wall in an NCAA `B' time of 4:17.29, to set the new meet and pool record. Mathlouthi was just behind in 4:18.14, also good for NCAA `B' consideration. Former record holder junior Andrea Pa'lmai of Houston took third in 4:21.67. Her time was also faster than the record she set last season and made the NCAA `B' cut.

The second event of the night was the women's 1-meter diving competition. Houston regained its dominant form and swept all three places to grab 53 points. Three-time C-USA Diver of the Week freshman Courtney Forcucci grabbed the gold, scoring 287.15 points. The mark was good for NCAA `A' consideration. Senior Ginni van Katwijk came in second with 284.30 points, while Lacey Truelove totaled 279.85 points. Both times were also NCAA `A' qualifying marks.

Britney Yancey (272.25) of SMU, last evening's 1-meter champion, and teammate Audra Egenolf (269.45), finished third and fourth, respectively. Both of their marks were also NCAA `A' considerations.

SMU began Friday evening where it left off the previous night with a win in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Klosova, C. Blackman, Werth and Sascha Van den Braden were just off the record pace and finished in an NCAA `A' time of 1:30.83. Rice finished in second with an NCAA `B' time of 1:31.57, while East Carolina took third in 1:34.36.

SMU extended its lead in the C-USA Championship team scoring after its impressive day three and now leads with 628 points, followed by Rice with 407 and East Carolina with 352. Houston sits in fourth with 286 points, while Marshall is fifth with 217 points.

First-year women's invitational members Northern Colorado (211) and Cal State Bakersfield (157) sit in sixth and seventh in the invitational team scoring.

Men's teams from league schools East Carolina and SMU along with Hawaii and Cal State Bakersfield are also competing in the C-USA men's invitational. SMU leads that event after day three with 648.5 points, followed by Hawai'i with 553, East Carolina with 452.5 and Cal State Bakersfield with 290.

The meet resumes at 10 a.m., Friday with the preliminaries of the 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard butterfly and 1,650-yard freestyle. The women's and men's platform diving preliminaries will begin around 1 p.m. The finals for those events are slated to begin around 6 p.m. with the championship awards presentation immediately following.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

UH Moves to 4th Place at C-USA Swim/Dive Championships

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 28, 2009) Freshman diver Courtney Forcucci scored 314.80 points to finish second on the 3-meter springboard and help lead the University of Houston swimming and diving team to a 4th place finish after day two of the 2008 Conference USA Championship at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.

Forcucci lead the Cougar divers that earned three places out of the top five places in the event. Senior captain Ginni van Katwijk finished fourth with 300.85 points, while freshman Lacey Truelove placed fifth with 286.60 points.

The Cougar's 400-yard medley relay made it to the medal stand, taking the bronze medal in the event. The team was made up of sophomore backstroker Jessica Shamburger, junior breaststroker Andrea Pa’lmai, freshman butterflier Andrea Kells and junior freestyler Sasha Schwendenwein finished with the time of 3:51.74.

In the team standings, the Cougars improved to fourth place after Thursday evening's finals with 116 points. Defending champion SMU led the team standings with 323 points, while Rice was in second with 213 points. East Carolina (178) stood in third with Marshall (116) placing fifth.

The meet continues at 10 a.m., Friday with the preliminaries of the 400-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke and 100-yard backstroke. Preliminaries for the women’s 1-meter diving and men’s 3-meter diving are slated to begin around 1 p.m. with the finals of all the day’s events starting at 6 p.m.

SMU Leads After Day 2 of C-USA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 28, 2008) The 2008 Conference USA Women's Swimming & Diving Championship and Invitational continued on Thursday evening at the CRWC Natatorium on the campus of the University of Houston with another dominating performance by defending champion SMU. The Mustangs set new meet and pool records in two events, while winning all five events that took place during day two.

The 400-yard medley relay squad of Anja Carman, Devon Callagan, Elzanne Werth and Petra Klosova closed out the evening by taking the event gold in 3:38.86. The time was good for NCAA `B' consideration. Rice (3:47.52) and Houston (3:51.74) took second and third, respectively.

The Mustangs made history in the 3-meter diving event, becoming the first team other than Houston to win gold in a diving event. SMU Sophomore Britney Yancey claimed first place with a mark of 329.50, an NCAA `A' qualifying score. Three-time C-USA Diver of the Week Courtney Forcucci (314.80) of Houston took second also with an NCAA `A' qualifying mark. Mustang freshman Audra Egenolf claimed the bronze with an NCAA `A' mark of 306.05.

In the 50-yard freestyle, SMU had a one-two finish with junior Candace Blackman taking gold in 22.79 and senior Angela San Juan Cisneros just behind in 22.92. Both times were NCAA `B' qualifying times. Rice junior Carly Miller was third with a time of 22.96.

The Mustangs were dominant in the 200-yard individual medley, taking the top six places. Klosova, the 2007 C-USA Swimmer of the Year, set a new meet and pool record, taking the gold in 1:59.48. The time was also an NCAA `A' qualifying mark. Junior Jennifer Basel, was just off her record pace from last season and finished second in 2:00.99, while freshman Maroua Mathlouthi won bronze in 2:01.89. Both times were good for NCAA `B' qualification.

Callaghan (2:03.08), Carman (2:03.37) and sophomore Justine Clark (2:03.66) took places three through six for SMU, respectively. All three of their times were good for NCAA `B' consideration.

SMU took two of the top three places in the 500-yard freestyle final to begin the night, with Jennifer Blackman claiming her second consecutive 500 free title in an NCAA `A' qualifying time of 4:45.27. Rice's Brittany Massengale touched second (4:48.38) for an NCAA `B' qualifying time, while SMU's Katie Roberts grabbed third in 4:52.47, also an NCAA `B' qualifying time.

SMU took control of the C-USA Championship team scoring after the dominant day and now leads with 323 points, followed by Rice with 213 and East Carolina with 178. Houston sits in fourth with 125 points, while Marshall is fifth with 116 points.

First-year women's invitational members Northern Colorado (106) and Cal State Bakersfield (90) sit in sixth and seventh in the invitational team scoring.

Men's teams from league schools East Carolina and SMU along with Hawaii and Cal State Bakersfield are also competing in the C-USA men's invitational. SMU leads that event after day two with 337.50 points, followed by Hawai'i with 270, East Carolina with 218.50 and Cal State Bakersfield with 135.

The meet resumes at 10 a.m., Friday with the preliminaries of the 400-yard IM, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke and 100-yard backstroke. The women's 1-meter and men's 3-meter diving preliminaries will begin around 1 p.m. The finals for those events are slated to begin around 6 p.m.

All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.

All students from Conference USA schools are admitted free with a valid student ID.

Fans should note that cash only will be accepted at the Tickets table.

Gates will open, and tickets will be sold beginning one hour prior to the meet. In addition, a wide variety of Championship merchandise will be available near the Tickets table.

Click
here for complete meet results, team scores, and live stats.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

SMU Makes NCAA "A" Cut in 800-yard Freestyle Relay

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 27, 2008) - The 2008 Conference USA Women's Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational got off the an exciting start on Wednesday evening at the CRWC Natatorium on the campus of the University of Houston with a record performance by the SMU 800-yard freestyle relay team.

The squad of Jennifer Blackman, Petra Klosova, Candace Blackman and Sascha Van den Branden finished with the time of 7:04.87, shattering the pool and meet record they set last year of 7:10.49. The mark was good for an NCAA `A' qualifying time.

Rice came in second (7:21.75) with an NCAA `B' time, while East Carolina finished in third (7:34.43). The host Cougars finished in fourth (7:37.63) and Marshall took fifth (7:42.73).

In the first event of the meet, the 200-yard medley relay, the Rice team of Angela Wo, Pam Zelnick, Skylar Craig and Diane Gu finished in 1:43.29 to take the win and grab 40 early points. Defending champion SMU finished in a record time of 1:39.32, making the NCAA “A”cut. but was disqualified fot an early takeoff. League members East Carolina (1:45.01) and Marshall (1:47.64) officially came in second and third, respectively.

Rice leads the C-USA Championship team scoring after day one with 74 points, followed by East Carolina with 66 and Marshall with 60. SMU sits in fourth with 40 points on the strength of their record-setting relay, while Houston is fifth with 30 points.

On the men's side, teams from league schools East Carolina and SMU along with Hawaii and Cal State Bakersfield are also competing in the C-USA men's invitational. SMU leads that event after day one with 108 points, followed by East Carolina and Hawai'i with 104 and Cal State Bakersfield with 44.

The meet resumes at 10 a.m., Thursday with the preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley and the 50-yard freestyle. The women's 3-meter diving preliminaries will begin around 1 p.m. The finals for those events are slated to begin around 6 p.m.

All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.

Click here for complete meet results, team scores, and live stats. Championship information came be accessed by clicking here.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Conference USA Swimming and Diving All-Academic Team Announced

IRVING, TEXAS (February 26, 2008) Six swimming and diving student-athletes were named to the 2007-08 Conference USA All-Academic Team, as announced by the league office today. SMU had two members on the team for the second consecutive year, while East Carolina, Houston, Marshall and Rice all placed one representative on the squad. The all-academic team consists of six student-athletes that have earned a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and have competed in 75 percent of their team’s scheduled meets.

Three seniors and three juniors make up this season’s All-Academic team. All six members are integral parts of their team’s performances thus far and will be counted on this week at the 2008 C-USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational being held at Houston’s CRWC Natatorium.

SMU teammates Jenny Basel and Angela San Juan Cisneros were named to the all-academic team after leading No. 14 SMU to a 5-3 dual meet record and a perfect 2-0 record against league foes. Basel is one of three repeat selections to the team in 2007-08. The junior mathematics major holds the highest GPA of all six team members at 3.95. She was a member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and was also a recipient of the Commissioner’s Academic Medal those same years. Basel, a breaststroke and individual medley participant, has multiple 400 IM wins on the season as well top three finishes in the 200 breast.

San Juan Cisneros holds a 3.84 GPA in applied economics and was named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2006-07. In the pool, the senior has earned NCAA consideration in the 100 free and 100 fly and is a member of the SMU 200- and 400-yard medley teams that have set multiple pool records.

East Carolina placed senior Kim Brewer on this year’s list. Brewer is also a repeat selection and carries a 3.56 GPA in finance. The North Carolina native is a three-time member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and ranks among the Pirate’s Top 10 in three freestyle events. Brewer set season best times in the 500, 1,000, and 1,650 freestyle at this season’s Nike Cup.

Houston’s Ginni van Katwijk is the lone diver on the squad. The senior is a sociology major with a 3.61 GPA. She was a 2007 NCAA Platform Diving All-America honoree and was the 2007 C-USA Co-Newcomer of the Year. So far this season, van Katwijk has tallied UH season highs on the 1-meter board and in the platform diving competition. During the Cougars’ meet with at North Texas, she Grootebeck, Netherlands native won both springboard events to help UH sweep the Top Three places in each event.

Kayla Truswell of Marshall makes her first appearance on the C-USA All-Academic Team. The native of Canada has a 3.84 GPA in psychology and is a five-time Marshall Dean’s List Honoree and a two-time C-USA Academic Medalist and Academic Honor Roll member. She leads Marshall in both the 100 and 200 butterfly, while ranking 10th in the 100 and fifth in the 200 on the C-USA season best lists.

Repeat selection Diane Gu of Rice rounds out the team. Gu, a psychology major with a 3.67 GPA, is a three-time Commissioner’s Honor Roll member and won the 2007 Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award. The native of Florida is also a Rice University Scholar Athlete. Gu is having another successful season in the pool and is often the anchor leg of the Owls’ sprint relays.

The 2008 C-USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational begins Wednesday, February 27 and continues until Saturday, March 1. The four-day event is hosted by the University of Houston and all five C-USA swimming and diving programs will participate in the event. SMU will be looking to bring home its third consecutive C-USA and title and 12th consecutive title overall.

Houston Swimming and Diving Plays Host to 2008 C-USA Women¹s Championship

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 26, 2008) ­For the fifth straight season, some of the nation's top collegiate swimmers and divers will visit Houston during the 2008 Conference USA Women¹s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational.

The meet begins at 3 p.m., Feb. 27 at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium with the preliminaries of the men's 1-meter diving. Finals begin at 6 p.m. and will include the men's 1-meter diving as well as the men¹s and women's 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay.

The final three days of the four-day meet features swimming preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m., each day. Diving preliminaries are slated to start at 1 p.m., with the finals for all events beginning at 6 p.m., each day.

In addition to the Cougars, the women¹s side of the meet features C-USA rivals East Carolina, Marshall, Rice and SMU as well as Cal State Bakersfield, Northern Colorado. The men¹s side of the Invitational features East Carolina, SMU, Hawai¹i and Cal State Bakersfield.

This marks the fifth straight season that Houston has hosted the league's postseason extravaganza. The Cougars are the only school to host the Championship at an on-campus site.

All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.

All students from Conference USA schools are admitted free with a valid student ID. Fans should note that cash only will be accepted at the Tickets table.

There will be no charge for all fans for Wednesday night's opening session. Fans attending sessions beginning Thursday morning will be charged accordingly.

Gates will open, and tickets will be sold beginning one hour prior to the meet. In addition, a wide variety of Championship merchandise will be available near the Tickets table.

The Cougars, competing under sixth-year head coach Mark Taylor, finished fourth a year ago and look to improve their standing during the 2008 meet. UH finished the regular season with a 9-8 record in dual meets, marking the program's third straight winning season.

It was the first time since 1983-86 that UH accomplished that feat. This season, the UH swimmers are led by juniors Sasha Schwendenwein and Andrea Pa'lmai.

Schwendenwein has posted the Cougars¹ season-best times in the 50-, 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events as well as the 200-yard butterfly. The Randburg, South Africa, native already has provisionally qualified for the 2008 NCAA Championships with her time of 1:49.88 in the 200-yard freestyle during the Miami (Ohio) Invitational on Nov. 30, 2007.

Pa'lmai also has emerged as one of the Cougars¹ most consistent performers. The Budapest, Hungary, native leads all Cougar swimmers in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke as well as the 200-yard backstroke.

As impressive as the Cougar swimmers have been this season and at past C-USA Championships, the UH divers have established themselves as some of the nation's best.

Under the leadership of 18-year head coach Jane Figueiredo, senior captain Ginni van Katwijk and freshmen Courtney Forcucci and Lacey Truelove are expected to do well at the 2008 meet.

The Cougars have dominated diving at the C-USA Championship, winning six straight championships on the 1- and 3-meter springboards and the platform.

Cougar divers also have been honored as the C-USA Diver of the Year and Diver of the meet during each of the last six seasons, while Figueiredo has been honored for six straight years as the Diving Coach of the Year.

SMU comes into the meet as the two-time defending champions, while Rice and East Carolina each finished second in the standings during the last two years.

On the men¹s side, SMU returns as the two-time defending champions with East Carolina and Hawai¹i finished second in each of the last two years.

Monday, February 25, 2008

BAYLOR’S VOLZ NAMED BIG 12 PITCHER OF THE WEEK

IRVING, TEXAS (February 25, 2008) Baylor right-hander Kendal Volz was named Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Volz was honored after earning the victory in the Bears’ 2-1 victory over Purdue in Friday night’s season opener. Oklahoma State junior second baseman Tyrone Hambly earned player of the week honors.

This is the first time Volz, a sophomore from Bulverde, Texas, has been so honored. He is the 12th Baylor pitcher to earn the weekly honor in the league’s 12-year history, joining Kris Lambert, Jason Jennings (four times), Chad Hawkins, Kyle Evans (twice), Steven White (twice), Jared Theodorakos, Cory VanAllen (three times), Mark McCormick (four times), Abe Woody, Ryan LaMotta and Wade Mackey. Baylor has produced at least one Big 12 Pitcher of the Week each season in the league’s existence save 2003.

Volz held Purdue scoreless on four hits and two walks over 8.0 innings with 10 strikeouts. His strikeout total was the best by a Baylor pitcher in a season opener since 1989. It was the second double-digit strikeout performance of his career; Volz recorded 13 strikeouts against Oklahoma in last year’s Big 12 Conference Championship.

After a one-out walk in the first, Volz settled down and retired nine consecutive batters before allowing back-to-back singles in the fourth. He also allowed a two-out single in the fifth, and a one-out hit and walk in the sixth. Volz closed strong as he retired the final seven batters he faced with four strikeouts in that span, including three of the last four.

Baylor returns to action Tuesday, hosting Texas Southern for a 6:30 p.m. CST first pitch at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears send sophomore right-hander Wade Mackey (4-3, 3.18 ERA in 2007) to the mound for his first appearance of the season.

BAYLOR BASEBALL JUMPS TO # 13 IN BASEBALL AMERICA TOP 25

WACO, TEXAS (February 25, 2008) Baylor baseball climbed two spots to No. 13 in the latest Baseball America Top 25, released Monday by publication. It is Baylor’s highest ranking since the Bears finished the 2005 season at No. 4 following a national semifinal appearance at the College World Series.

The Bears swept Purdue over the weekend, winning a trio of one-run games. Baylor was 4-5 in one-run games last season and did not win their third one-run game until the season’s 53rd contest – a 9-8 victory over Kansas State in the first game of the final regular-season series.

Arizona moved into the No. 1 spot after winning two of three at Georgia. Mississippi was second, followed by last week’s top-ranked team UCLA, which split two games in a rain-shortened series against Oklahoma. North Carolina, Missouri, Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Miami, Fla., and South Carolina rounded out the top 10.

Texas (No. 14) and Oklahoma State (No. 21) join Missouri and Baylor to give the Big 12 Conference four schools in this week’s Top 25. Texas A&M, which was ranked 21st last week, dropped out of the ranking after splitting a four-game series against Northern Colorado.

The Bears also climbed four spots in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Top 30, moving to No. 24.

Baylor returns to action Tuesday, hosting Texas Southern for a 6:30 p.m. CST first pitch at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears send sophomore right-hander Wade Mackey (4-3, 3.18 ERA in 2007) to the mound for his first appearance of the season.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

BAYLOR BASEBALL SWEEPS PURDUE

WACO, TEXAS (February 24, 2008) Adam Hornung and Dustin Dickerson had back-to-back, first-inning RBI singles, and four Baylor pitchers made that stand as the 15th-ranked Bears defeated Purdue 2-1 in Sunday’s series finale at Baylor Ballpark. Baylor (3-0) has won seven consecutive home games, dating back to last season, and starts 3-0 for the first third time in the last four seasons.

All three Baylor victories in the Purdue (0-3) series were one-run wins. The Bears were 4-5 in one-run games last season and did not win their third one-run game until the 53rd game of the season. That was a 9-8 victory over Kansas State in the first game of their final regular-season series.

Ben Booker singled up the middle to start the bottom of the first and moved to second on Shaver Hansen’s groundout. After a Beamer Weems walk and an Aaron Miller fly out, Hornung singled to left field, scoring Booker. Dickerson followed with a single to center, scoring Weems.

That was all the offense Baylor needed as Willie Kempf, Craig Fritsch, Miller and Nick Cassavechia combined for 11 strikeouts on the day. Kempf (1-0) allowed a run on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts through 5.0 innings for the win. Fritsch surrendered a hit with three strikeouts in 2.0 scoreless innings.

Miller moved from right field to the mound at the start of the eighth inning. Brandon Haveman led off with a single, and Miller hit Ryne White to put runners at first and second with no outs. However, Miller struck out the next three batters to get out of the jam. Cassavechia allowed a two-out walk in the ninth but got Jordan Comadena to fly out for the game’s final out. It was Cassavechia’s second save of the season and the 21st of his career.

Purdue’s lone run came in the third inning. A one-out balk allowed Nick Overmyer to move from first to second. Overmyer advanced to third on a ground out, and Haveman followed with an RBI single to right.

Booker and Miller were both 2-for-4 on the day for the Bears, who struck out only twice in 32 trips to the plate.

Baylor returns to action Tuesday, hosting Texas Southern for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears send right-hander Wade Mackey (4-3, 3.18 ERA in 2007) to the mound for his first appearance of the season.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

BAYLOR BASEBALL RALLIES PAST PURDUE 11-10

WACO, TEXAS (February 23, 2008) Ben Booker’s RBI fielder’s choice in the 11th gave No. 15 Baylor an 11-10 victory over Purdue Saturday at Baylor Ballpark. With the win, the Bears (2-0) clinched the series against the Boilermakers (0-2).

In a back-and-forth game, Baylor overcame deficits of 4-0, 5-1 and 10-8 for the victory. Gregg Glime led off the 11th with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. After a one-out Landis Ware bunt single put runners on the corners, Booker slapped a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Purdue second baseman Ben Wolgamot made a glove-side sliding stop and was able to get Ware at second, but Booker beat out the throw to first.

Erik Forestiere (1-0) earned the victory in relief. Baylor’s fifth pitcher of the day, Forestiere allowed one hit in 2.0 scoreless innings for the first win of his Baylor career. It was Forestiere’s first appearance since Feb. 25, 2006; he missed the remainder of that season and all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Purdue jumped out to an early lead with a four-run first. The Boilermakers answered Baylor’s single spot in the bottom of the first with another run in the second. Baylor took its first lead with a six-run fourth that was capped by Shaver Hansen’s grand slam. It was Baylor’s first grand slam since Michael Griffin’s against Texas Southern in 2005.

However, Purdue did not go quietly. After Baylor got an unearned run in the sixth, Purdue scored five runs on three hits and a pair of crucial Baylor errors in the seventh to reclaim the lead at 10-8. Ware’s seventh-inning sacrifice fly pulled the Bears to within a run, and Adam Hornung’s eighth-inning RBI single knotted the score at 10-10.

Baylor starter Shawn Tolleson was touched for five runs on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts over 2.1 innings. Purdue starter Matt Jansen did not fair much better, allowing seven runs, six earned, on six hits and a walk over 3.1 innings.

Tony Sedlmeyer (0-1) took the loss for Purdue. The Boilermakers’ sixth pitcher on the day, Sedlmeyer allowed a run on one hit and two walks with a strikeout over 1.2 innings.

Hansen finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored, while Miles was 3-for-6 with a run and an RBI. Ware was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI; Hornung also had two hits on the day.

Baylor and Purdue conclude their three-game series Sunday at noon. The Bears send right-hander Willie Kempf (2-2, 3.00 ERA in 2007) to the mound. The Boilermakers counter with right-hander Alan Donato (1-3, 5.83 in 2007).

NOTES: Baylor leads the all-time series 2-0. … The Bears have won six consecutive home games, dating back to last season. … Hansen’s grand slam ended a streak of 168 games without a grand slam for Baylor. … Baylor has won four consecutive home games in which the opponent scores in the first inning. The Bears are 7-2 in such games since the start of the 2007 season.

FROGS SET TO HOST NO. 16 WILLIAM & MARY

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 23, 2008) The No. 33 TCU women’s tennis team will return to action on Sunday when they will play host to No. 16 William & Mary at 10 a.m. at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. The Horned Frogs are currently 2-2 overall,
while William & Mary is 8-3 on the season.

TCU is coming off of a 6-1 loss at No. 8 Baylor on Wednesday, where four of the
six singles matches went to a third set. Anna Sydorska highlighted singles action with an upset of No. 22 Taylor Ormond.

William & Mary has defeated two top-25 programs this season and is led by senior
Megan Moulton-Levy, who is ranked No. 8 in singles play. The doubles duo of Katarina Zoricic and Ragini Archarya is ranked No. 25, while the duo of Zoricic
and Moulton-Levy is ranked No. 26 nationally.

TCU and William & Mary have only met twice in the overall series, with each team
earning a victory. The two teams last met during the 2006 season, as the Tribe
came away with a 5-2 win.

FROGS ROUT MINNESOTA ON SATURDAY TO REMAIN UNBEATEN

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Fenruary 23, 2008) The No. 46 TCU men’s tennis team blanked No. 66 Minnesota on Saturday by a score of 7-0 at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. The win pushes the Horned Frogs to 9-0 on the season, while dropping the Golden Gophers to 1-7 overall.

“I was really worried about the team looking ahead to tomorrow’s match, and I’m happy we were able to pull it out,” said TCU head coach Dave Borelli. “We started slow and didn’t play very well in the doubles, but we were still able to get the win at all three positions.

“The great thing about this team is they really play well with their backs against the wall. This is the best group of competitors I’ve been around when they’re under pressure.”

The TCU duo of Zach Nichols and Jack Seider led off doubles play with an 8-3
victory over Minnesota’s Derek Peterson and Dino Bilankov at the No. 3 position
to remain undefeated this season.

The No. 51 TCU doubles team of Emanu Brighiu and Adrian Simon also remained
unbeaten with an 8-5 win over Adam Altepeter and Chi-Lang Pham to clinch the
doubles point. The 14th-ranked Horned Frog duo of Kriegler Brink and Cosmin
Cotet completed the sweep with an 8-5 win over Raoul Schwark and Sebastian
Gallego at the top position.

Cotet began singles play with a dominating win over No. 46 Schwark at the top
slot. Cotet won the first eight games of the match en route to his 6-0, 6-4
victory.

“Cosmin really got back to his form today and defeated a really good player,”
Borelli said. “I still believe he’s one of the top 10 to 15 players in the
nation, and today he showed that.”

Brink followed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Pierre Dumas to push his season singles
record to 8-0. Nichols also stayed perfect on the season with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat
of Pham to clinch the match for TCU.

Casey Powers put the Frogs up 5-0 with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Peterson at the No. 6
position, while Brighiu and Simon both won their matches in the second-set
tiebreaker.

“Emanuel and Adi fought hard to come back and win their matches that most
players would lose,” Borelli said.

TCU will return to action on Sunday at 2 p.m. against No. 15 Oklahoma State.
Free pizza will be provided to the public.

No. 46 TCU (9-0) def. No. 66 Minnesota (1-7), 7-0

SINGLES
1. No. 83 Cosmin Cotet (TCU) def. No. 46 Raoul Schwark (Minn) 6-0, 6-4
2. Emanu Brighiu (TCU) def. Dino Bilankov (Minn) 7-5, 3-6, 11-9
3. Adrian Simon (TCU) def. Sebastian Gallego (Minn) 4-6, 7-5, 13-11
4. Kriegler Brink (TCU) def. Pierre Dumas (Minn) 6-3, 6-2
5. Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Chi-Lang Pham (Minn) 6-2, 6-3
6. Casey Powers (TCU) def. Derek Peterson (Minn) 7-5, 6-4

Order of Finish: 1, 4, 5*, 6, 3, 2

DOUBLES
1. No. 14 Brink/Cotet (TCU) def. Schwark/Gallego (Minn) 8-5
2. No. 51 Brighiu/Simon (TCU) def. Altepeter/Pham (Minn) 8-5
3. Nichols/Seider (TCU) def. Peterson/Bilankov (Minn) 8-3

Order of Finish: 3, 2*, 1

*Clinching point

BAYLOR BASEBALL EDGES PURDUE 2-1

WACO, TEXAS (February 23, 2008) Landis Ware’s two-run home run provided the offense, and Kendal Volz struck out 10 as No. 15 Baylor defeated Purdue 2-1 in Friday night’s 2008 season opener at Baylor Ballpark. This was the first-ever meeting between the Bears (1-0) and the Boilermakers (0-1) in baseball. It came in the Bears’ 300th game at Baylor Ballpark.

Ware, who earned the start at second base only because 2007 Freshman All-American Raynor Campbell is out with an injury, made good use of the opportunity, going 2-for-3 on the night. He doubled down the right-field line in his first at bat to lead off the third inning, but it was his seventh-inning at bat that decided the game. Paul Miles drew a two-out walk and stole second. On the next pitch, Ware turned on an inside fastball for the game-deciding home run.

Meanwhile, Volz (1-0) produced the second double-digit strikeout performance of his career. He punched out 13 batters against Oklahoma in last year’s Big 12 Conference Championship. Volz, who did not allow a hit until the fourth, scattered four hits in 8.0 scoreless innings with two walks.

On a cold, dry night, both teams struggled to get much offense going. Purdue’s Brandon Haveman drew a one-out walk in the first but was stranded after stealing second. That was the Boilermaker’s only base runner until Ryne White’s one-out single in the fourth. Dan Black followed with another single, but both he and White were stranded. Eric Nielsen got a two-out single in the fifth and was stranded, while White singled in the sixth but was thrown out trying to steal.

Ben Booker and Aaron Miller drew first-inning walks but were stranded. Ware’s leadoff double in the third provided the Bears’ only base runner until Paul Miles’ one-out double in the fifth but neither scored. Miller collected singles in the sixth and eighth innings but was stranded both times.

Purdue got on the scoreboard in the ninth thanks to White’s heads-up running. After drawing a leadoff walk, White advanced to third base on Black’s hit-and-run ground-out to second. Pinch-hitter Jonathan Lilly followed with a sacrifice fly, but Nick Cassavechia induced a game-ending groundout off the bat of pinch-hitter Drew Madia.

It was the 20th save of Cassavechia’s career; that moves him into sole possession of second place on Baylor’s all-time list.

Baylor and Purdue continue their three-game weekend series Saturday at 3 p.m. CST. The Bears send redshirt freshman Shawn Tolleson to the mound for his first career start. The Boilermakers counter with southpaw Matt Jansen (0-4, 3.31 ERA in 2007).

Friday, February 22, 2008

TCU SET TO HOST MINNESOTA, NO. 15 OKLAHOMA STATE

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 22, 2008) The No. 46 TCU men’s tennis team will look to remain unbeaten this weekend when they play host to No. 66 Minnesota at 2 p.m. on
Saturday and No. 15 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The Horned Frogs are currently 8-0 overall after upsetting No. 31 Texas Tech last Sunday.

Freshman Zach Nichols and junior Kriegler Brink have also highlighted play for TCU so far, as Nichols is a combined 16-0 on the season and Brink is unbeaten in singles play with a 7-0 mark. Also undefeated in doubles and coming off a victory over the No. 11 team from Texas Tech is the TCU duo of Adrian Simon and Emanu Brighiu, who are currently ranked No. 51 in the country. In singles play, Cotet leads the way with a No. 83 ranking, while the doubles tandem of Cotet and Brink is also ranked No. 14 nationally.

The Frogs have jumped out to an 8-0 record for the first time since the 2004 season, and for only the second time in the last 22 years.

The Minnesota men’s tennis team is currently 1-6 this season and is coming off of two losses to No. 69 Arizona and No. 47 San Diego State. The Golden Gophers are led by senior Raoul Schwark, who is ranked No. 46 in singles play.

The 15th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys are 3-4 this season, with three of the four losses coming to top-10 teams. At the National Team Indoors tournament, Oklahoma State toppled No. 4 Baylor. The Cowboys are led in singles play by No. 10 Oleksandr Nedovyesov, No. 31 Ivan Puchkarov and No. 94 Dmytro Petrov. The doubles duo of Nedovyesov and Nathan Byrnes are ranked No. 54 in doubles action.

TCU has met Minnesota three times in the series history, as TCU took all three contests. The two teams last met during the 1995 season, where TCU won 4-3. Oklahoma State leads the series with TCU by a 7-5 advantage, including last year’s 6-1 victory over the Horned Frogs.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Baylor Hosts Purdue To Start Baseball Season

WACO, TEXAS (February 21, 2008) Baylor opens its 2008 season this weekend, hosting Purdue for a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Boilermakers meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. CST, Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon. These will be the first-ever meetings between Baylor and Purdue in baseball.

The Bears (35-27 in 2007) enter the season ranked 15th nationally by Baseball America. Baylor also is ranked 24th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll, 26th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 30 and 28th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. This is the first season Baylor has been ranked preseason in all four major polls since 2005.

Purdue (22-32 in 2007) is not ranked in any of the four preseason polls. The Boilermakers return 20 letterwinners, including six position starters and 10 pitchers. Purdue finished eighth of 10 teams in the Big Ten Conference last season with an 11-20 league mark.

The Boilermakers are led by RHPs Matt Bischoff and Josh Lindblom, and 1B Ryan White. Bischoff (3-2, 2.85 ERA, 61 K in 2007) earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America honors last season. Lindblom (3-4, 4.13 ERA 51 K) in 2007) is projected as the 23rd-best junior prospect by PGCrosschecker.com; he also is listed 53rd on Baseball America’s prospects list. White (.452, 8 HR, 47 RBI in 2007) led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally in batting average last season. Lindblom is on the 2008 Golden Spikes Award Watch List, while Bischoff and White both are members of the 2008 Brooks Wallace Award Preseason Watch List.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

TCU TENNIS LEAPS 16 SPOTS IN LATEST RANKING

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 20, 2008) The TCU men’s tennis team jumped 16 spots to No. 47 in the latest FILA/ITA ranking released on Wednesday. TCU senior Cosmin Cotet also remained in the singles rankings, while two Horned Frog doubles teams received recognition.

The Frogs are currently 8-0 overall this season, marking the first time TCU has
jumped out to that mark since the 2004 season, and only the second time in the last 22 years. In the last two matches, the Frogs have defeated No. 42 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and No. 31 Texas Tech.

Cotet, a native of Iasi, Romania, slid to No. 83 nationally in singles play after dropping his first match of the season to No. 50 Bojan Szumanski of Texas Tech on Sunday. The match marked the first time this season that Cotet has dropped a set.

The doubles team of Cotet and Kriegler Brink gained 30 spots to No. 14 nationally. The duo, formerly ranked No. 44, is currently 5-1 on the season with the only loss coming to Texas Tech’s 10th-ranked duo of Szumanski and Rojmar. The TCU duo is now 23-5 when playing together in their career.

The Horned Frog doubles team of Emanu Brighiu and Adrian Simon entered the rankings at No. 51 after upsetting the 11th-ranked Texas Tech duo of Breler and Markovic on Sunday. The doubles team is 2-0 on the season.

The Frogs will return to action on Saturday at 2 p.m. when they play host to No. 66 Minnesota, followed by a Sunday home contest against No. 15 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

TCU TENNIS TO TRAVEL TO NO. 10 BAYLOR ON WEDNESDAY

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 19, 2008) The No. 36 TCU women’s tennis team will travel to Waco, Texas, on Wednesday to face No. 10 Baylor at 5 p.m. at the Baylor Tennis Center. The Horned Frogs defeated No. 28 Texas A&M on Saturday to improve to 2-1 overall, while the Bears are currently 5-1 on the season.

The Frogs have won two consecutive matches against North Texas and Texas A&M after dropping a 5-2 decision at No. 25 Texas in the season opener. In Saturday’s win over the Aggies, Nina Munch-Soegaard, Anna Sydorska and Katariina Tuohimaa added singles wins, while Idunn Hertzberg clinched the match with a straight-sets win at the No. 6 position. The 18th-ranked TCU duo of Macall Harkins and Sydorska remained undefeated with a 9-8(7) victory at the top spot.

Baylor is currently 5-1 on the season, with the only loss coming to No. 1 Stanford at the National Women’s Team Indoor Championship. In their last action, the Bears routed No. 7 Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., by a score of 4-1. Five of Baylor’s six starters in singles are ranked (No. 15 Zuzana Zemenova, No. 18 Lenka Broosova, No. 23Taylor Ormond, No. 47 Jana Bielikova and No. 87 Karolina Filipiak), while the duo of Zemenova and Broosova is ranked No. 4 and the tandem of Bielikova and Filipiak is ranked No. 50.

TCU leads the overall series by a 17-8 advantage, but Baylor has won the last four meetings between the two teams. Last season, the Frogs lost 5-2 in Fort Worth and 7-0 in Waco.

Monday, February 18, 2008

2008 AT&T AUSTIN MARATHON DELIVERS SUNNY WEATHER, DRAMATIC FINISH

AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 18, 2008) The clear blue skies and near-perfect temperatures at the 2008 AT&T Austin Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday, Feb. 17 made this year’s race an enjoyable one for the record 11,250 starters and approximately 30,000 spectators.

It was a mild 40 degrees at the start line near Cesar Chavez and Congress Avenue, providing excellent, cool temperatures for runners. Following an enthusiastic welcome from Texas Governor Rick Perry – a participant in the half marathon - runners took off at 7 a.m. as the sun began to rise and a 10-minute fireworks display lit up the sky as they crossed the Congress Avenue Bridge.

The ideal weather conditions were all the more surprising after severe weather warnings, thunderstorms and a 47-degree high on Saturday. During a particularly intense downpour on Saturday afternoon, it was hard to foresee such a favorable turnaround.

Meanwhile, things like bib numbers turned out to be a bit more telling. Jacob Frey and Mike Sayenko, runners on the United States team participating in the first International Marathon Challenge, were given bib numbers one and two, respectively.

As it happened, Frey and Sayenko finished the marathon in places one and two after breaking away in the final stretch to edge out Kenya’s Joseph Mutinda, the third-place finisher.

Trusting their strategy, Frey and Sayenko paced themselves throughout the race, letting Kenyans Wesley Ochoro and then Joseph Mutinda lead the pack. Near Mile 19, the Americans began to make their move. By Mile 26, Frey and Sayenko had taken the lead and sprinted to a thrilling finish down Congress Avenue just ahead of the Kenyans.

Hugging at the finish line, it was clear the Americans had won the race together on behalf of their team and their country. As Frey said in an interview to FOX’s Austin affiliate, “There’s really no other option than to run your best when you’re wearing red, white and blue.” Frey finished with a time of 2:20:38, Sayenko was close behind at 2:20:42, followed by Mutinda at 2:20:43.

One the women’s side, Lucy Hassell from the Great Britain team won with a personal best time of 2:36:26. She was all smiles even before crossing the finish line and seemed to grin as soon as she passed the Capitol on Congress Avenue and 11th Street.

Hassell was followed by American Becki Michael, who came in at 2:43:42 – a time that qualified her for the Olympic Trials in Boston. Amazingly, this was Michael’s first time running a marathon.

Close behind Michael was Canada’s top female marathoner, Nicole Stevenson who finished at 2:44:46.

Baylor's Weems, Campbell Honored by Baseball America

WACO, TEXAS (February 18, 2008) Baylor sophomore second baseman Raynor Campbell and junior shortstop Beamer Weems were named preseason All-Big 12 Conference by Baseball America, the publication announced Monday. Baseball America, which has Baylor ranked 15th in its preseason poll, picked the Bears to finish second in the Big 12 this season. The publication also listed sophomore right-handed pitcher Kendal Volz as the league’s third-best prospect for the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.

Campbell, a 2007 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, moves to second base this season after serving as the Bears’ primary starter at third base last year. A product of Katy-Taylor [Texas] High School, Campbell hit .321 with five home runs, 29RBI, 38 runs, 13 doubles and six stolen bases. His batting average was best on the team among players with at least 2.5 at bats per game, becoming the first Baylor freshman to accomplish that feat since Marty Crawford in 1993.

A two-time All-Big 12 Conference honoree and a unanimous first-team all-league pick last season, Weems hit .321 and shared the team lead with nine home runs in 2007; he also led Baylor with 17 doubles, 59 RBI, 125 total bases and 35 walks last season. He was even stronger in Big 12 play, hitting .361 with five home runs, 27 RBI, seven doubles, three triples, a .649 slugging percentage and a .438 on base percentage in 24 games.

Known for his defensive prowess, Weems has committed only 22 errors in 110 career starts at shortstop with only six fielding errors (others were throwing errors). Weems was a 2006 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.

Volz moved into Baylor’s weekend rotation the week prior to the start of conference play in 2007 and never left. He finished the season 6-2 with a 5.16 ERA and 65 strikeouts over 68.0 innings. An honorable mention All-Big 12 pick, Volz became just the ninth Baylor freshman ever to record at least six victories. He earned all-tournament honors at the Big 12 Conference Championship after a record 13 strikeouts against Oklahoma.

No. 15 Baylor opens its 2008 season this weekend, hosting Purdue for a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Boilermakers meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. CST, Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

TCU Upsets #31 Texas Tech in Tennis Action

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 17, 2008) The No. 63 TCU men’s tennis team toppled 31st-ramked Texas Tech on Sunday by a score of 4-3 to remain unbeaten on the season. The win improved the Horned Frogs to 8-0 overall, while the Red Raiders suffered their first loss to drop to 5-1 on the season.

“I felt the doubles point was the key to the match, and to be able to win it without getting the win at the top position is a definite strength,” said TCU head coach Dave Borelli. “I still think we could have played better in some of the singles matches, but a win is a win, and it’s nice to start getting the program back up to where it needs to be.”

The Frogs faced a tough task in doubles play, as the top two teams for Texas Tech entered the day ranked 10th and 11th nationally. The undefeated TCU duo of Zach Nichols and Jack Seider cruised at the No. 3 position, posting an 8-2 victory over Lenoir Ramos and Ilya Babinciuc.

After the 44th-ranked TCU duo of Kriegler Brink and Cosmin Cotet fell to the No. 10 team of Christian Rojmar and Bojan Szumanski at the top position, the Horned Frog duo of Emanu Brighiu and Adrian Simon pulled the upset with an 8-5 win over the No. 11 pair of Michael Breler and Sinisa Markovic to clinch the crucial doubles point.

The Frogs got off to a slow start in singles play, dropping matches at the No. 2 and No. 6 positions to fall behind 2-1.

Nichols, a freshman from Austin, Texas, pushed his record to 8-0 this season with a victory over Babinciuc at the No. 5 slot to even the match at 2-2. Nichols won the first set by a score of 7-6(3), and trailed 3-0 in the second set before reeling off six consecutive games to earn the victory.

Cotet, ranked 27th nationally, suffered his first loss of the season to No. 50 Szumanski, but TCU’s Brighiu answered with a 6-3, 7-6(5) victory over Ramos at the No. 3 position to push the match to 3-3.

The match came down to the No. 4 singles position between TCU’s Brink and Texas Tech’s Rojmar. With Brink trailing 4-1 in the third set, the junior stormed back to win five consecutive games and seal the victory for the Frogs.

TCU will return the courts on Saturday at 2 p.m. to host No. 57 Minnesota.

No. 63 TCU (8-0) def. No. 31 Texas Tech (5-1), 4-3

SINGLES
1. No. 50 Bojan Szumanski (TT) def. No. 27 Cosmin Cotet (TCU) 6-4, 6-3
2. Sinisa Markovic (TT) def. No. 54 Adrian Simon (TCU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Emanu Brighiu (TCU) def. Lenoir Ramos (TT) 6-3, 7-6(5)
4. Kriegler Brink (TCU) def. Christian Rojmar (TT) 6-7, 6-3, 6-4
5. No. 94 Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Ilya Babinciuc (TT) 7-6(3), 6-3
6. Michael Breler (TT) def. Jack Seider (TCU) 6-4, 6-1

Order of Finish: 2, 6, 5, 1, 3, 4*

DOUBLES
1. No. 10 Rojmar/Szumanski (TT) def. No. 44 Brink/Cotet (TCU) 8-2
2. Brighiu/Simon (TCU) def. No. 11 Breler/Markovic (TT) 8-5
3. Nichols/Seider (TCU) def. Babinciuc/Ramos (TT) 8-2

Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*

*Clinching point

TCU Tennis Set For Showdown With Texas Tech

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 17, 2008) The No. 63 TCU men’s tennis team will look to remain unbeaten on Sunday when they play host to No. 31 Texas Tech at 2 p.m. The Horned Frogs are currently 7-0 overall, while the Red Raiders are also undefeated with a 5-0 record.

Kriegler Brink, Cosmin Cotet and Zach Nichols are all still unbeaten in singles play, while the doubles duos of Brink and Cotet and Nichols and Jack Seider are also undefeated this season. In singles play, Cotet leads the way with a No. 27 ranking, followed by Adrian Simon at No. 54 and Nichols at No. 94. The doubles tandem of Brink and Cotet is also ranked No. 44 nationally.

Texas Tech is coming off a 5-2 victory over last year’s Mountain West Conference champion, UNLV. The Red Raiders are led by senior Bojan Szumanski, who is ranked 50th in singles play. The duos of Szumanski and Christian Rojmar and Michael Breler and Sinisa Markovic are ranked 10th and 11th, respectively.

The two teams have met 31 times in the series dating back to 1974, with the Frogs holding a commanding 29-2 advantage. TCU and Texas Tech last met during the 2006 season in Fort Worth, where the Frogs took a 6-1 decision.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

TCU TENNIS TOPS NO. 28 TEXAS A&M, 4-3

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 16, 2008) The No. 36 TCU women’s tennis team edged 28th-ranked Texas A&M by a score of 4-3 in Saturday’s home opener indoors at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. The win improves the Horned Frogs to 2-1 overall, while dropping the Aggies to 4-1 on the season.

“I’m so proud of how hard the team played and how they cheered for each other today,” said TCU head coach Jefferson Hammond. “We got a lot of support from the fans and the men’s team, and that means so much.”

The doubles action served as an indicator of just how tight the match would play out on Saturday. At the No. 2 position, the Horned Frog duo of Nina Munch-Soegaard and Katariina Tuohimaa found themselves down 7-2 to Texas A&M’s Anna Blagodarova and Michelle Sammons, but stormed back before falling 8-5.

The TCU duo of Maria Babanova and Kewa Nichols went back and forth with the Aggie tandem of Stephanie Davidson and Morgan Frank, eventually falling by a 9-7 decision to clinch the doubles point.

At the top position, the 18th-ranked TCU team of Macall Harkins and Anna Sydorska were down 6-3 early to Tiffany Clifford and Christi Liles, and went on to trail 7-5 before fighting back to bring up the tiebreaker. The Frogs found themselves down once again, trailing 6-3 in the tiebreaker, and fought back to win the match by a score of 9-8(7).

TCU freshman Katariina Tuohimaa led off singles play with a victory to even the match at 1-1. Tuohimaa, a native of Helsinki, Finland, was down 3-1 in the first set, but stormed back to take the match by a score of 6-3, 6-1.

After a TCU loss at the No. 2 singles position, Munch-Soegaard defeated Elzé Potgieter at the top spot to even the overall match at 2-2. Munch-Soegaard won the first set 6-2, but trailed 5-2 in the second before reeling off five consecutive games to get the victory.

Sydorska would follow to put TCU up 3-2 with a 7-6(5), 6-1 victory over Clifford at the No. 3 singles position. Nichols would drop a hard fought 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4 decision to Liles at the No. 4 slot, which evened the match at 3-3 and turned the attention to the No. 6 singles match between TCU’s Idunn Hertzberg and Texas A&M’s Michelle Sammons.

The freshman would deliver for TCU, knocking off Sammons by a score of 6-2, 6-2 to clinch the match for the Horned Frogs.

TCU will travel to Waco, Texas, to take on No. 10 Baylor on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

The Frogs will return home on Sunday to play host to No. 16 William & Mary at 10 a.m.

No. 36 TCU (2-1) def. No. 28 Texas A&M (4-1), 4-3

SINGLES
1. No. 66 Nina Munch-Soegaard (TCU) def. Elzé Potgieter (A&M) 6-2, 7-5
2. Anna Blagodarova (A&M) def. Macall Harkins (TCU) 6-3, 6-2
3. No. 80 Anna Sydorska (TCU) def. Tiffany Clifford (A&M) 7-6(5), 6-1
4. Christi Liles (A&M) def. Kewa Nichols (TCU) 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4
5. Katariina Tuohimaa (TCU) def. Morgan Frank (A&M) 6-3, 6-1
6. Idunn Hertzberg (TCU) def. Michelle Sammons (A&M) 6-2, 6-2

Order of Finish: 5, 2, 1, 3, 4, 6*

DOUBLES
1. No. 18 Harkins/Sydorska (TCU) def. Clifford/Liles (A&M) 9-8(7)
2. Blagodarova/Sammons (A&M) def. Munch-Soegaard/Tuohimaa (TCU) 8-5
3. Davidson/Frank (A&M) def. Babanova/Nichols (TCU) 9-7

Order of Finish: 2, 3*, 1

*Clinching point

Texan Gotay Places 5th at Budapest World Cup

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (February 16, 2008) Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen) came back from a first-round loss on Saturday to place fifth at the Budapest World Cup in Hungary.

Competing against Vesna Dzukic (SLO), the 2007 European U23 Championships silver medalist in the first round, Gotay lost by a koka (smallest points).

Nearly three hours later, Dzukic advanced to the semifinals and Gotay was back on the mat with the goal of fighting through the repechage to win bronze.

Gotay pinned Hungarian Alexandra Fuzesi (HUN) in her first match and threw Tatiana Shushakova (RUS) for ippon with an o uchi gari (major inner leg throw).

In the next round, Gotay pinned Yahaira Aguirre (ESP) in Golden score (overtime) to advance to the bronze medal match.

Gotay and World University Games Champion Nae Udaka (JPN) each picked up a penalty in the match, but Udaka earned the win with a yuko (quarter-point) score.

Competition continues on Sunday with the 63kg, 70kg, 78kg and +78kg divisions
.

Team Texas Hire Assistant Coaches

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 16, 2008) Team Texas head coach and general manager John Jenkins has tabbed Tony Marciano, Howard Tippett, and Donald Hollas as assistant coaches for the upcoming 2008 season. Jenkins also announced that Randy Pippin and Chris Laidlaw will assist him in the football operations department. Team Texas is one for the six member teams in the upstart All American Football League (AAFL).

Marciano will be Team Texas' offensive line coach, a position that he previously held with the Houston Texans of the NFL from 2002-2005. He was also the tight ends coach with the Indianapolis Colts from 1998-2001. Prior to that, Marciano was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, and the o-line coach for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. He has also coached in the college ranks at Kent State, Richmond, Brown, SMU, and TCU. "I regard Tony as one of the top offensive line coaches in the game, and I will rely on him quite a bit", said Jenkins. "His wealth of experience will compliment mine, since I traditionally spend a great deal of time working with quarterbacks and receivers."

Tippett brings 21 years of experience as an NFL assistant coach to the position of special teams coordinator with Team Texas. He was an assistant with the St. Louis Rams from 1997-2001, and has a Super Bowl championship ring from the Rams win over Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. Tippett has also been an assistant coach with the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as serving as an advance scout for the San Francisco 49ers. His college football resume includes a three-year stint under Bill Yeoman at the University of Houston, along with Tulane, West Virginia, Mississippi State, Oregon, UCLA, and Illinois. "Howard is a true professional, and will bring a power packed special teams group to Team Texas," according to Jenkins.

Hollas will serve as the super backs coach as well as the strength and conditioning coach for Texas. He played quarterback at Rice University from 1987-1990, and was named the Owls' MVP in 1989. He then went on to play professionally for nine seasons, including four with the Cincinnati Bengals and two with the Oakland Raiders. Hollas was the head coach of the Katy Ruff Riders of the Intense Football League (indoor) in 2007, and has also been an assistant coach at Prairie View A&M, Lamar Consolidated High School, South Houston High School, and Fort Bend Baptist Academy. "I am very excited about working with Donald on the offensive side," said Jenkins. "He is an extremely bright young coach."

In the football operations area, Randy Pippin has been named the manager of football operations with Team Texas. He has had a very successful run as a head coach in the college ranks at Northwest Mississippi Community College, the University of West Alabama, Middle Georgia College, and Trinity Valley Community College. In talking about Pippin, coach Jenkins said, "Randy is returning to the state of Texas with great enthusiasm. He is a highly impressive, multi-tasking individual."

Chris Laidlaw joins Team Texas as the coordinator of football operations. He has been an assistant coach at Wayne State University, McPherson College, Moorhead State University, and Oklahoma Panhandle State University. "Chris has an impressive background, and is an extremely bright young administrative assistant." said Jenkins.

The remainder of the coaching staff for Team Texas will be announced in the near future. The inaugural AAFL season kicks off on April 12th, with Texas playing host to Arkansas at Rice Stadium.

UT Ex Ramonce Taylor Sentenced to Jail

BELTON, TEXAS (February 16, 2008) The mother of a former University of Texas football star and Central Texas native passed out in a Bell County courtroom Thursday after learning her son will spend the next five months in state jail.

A district judge said Ramonce Taylor violated at least five stipulations of his probation.

With Taylor's current punishment, his defense attorney said he still has a shot at summer training camp.

The prosecution said Taylor violated his probation by failing two separate drug tests, going to Club Titanium in Killeen where he allegedly hit a woman, and criminal trespassing.

Taylor was on probation for a marijuana possession charge in May 2006.

Taylor is most well-known for his role as a running back on the U.T.'s championship football team in 2005.

According to Taylor's attorney, the Kansas City Chiefs want him in their training camp this summer to play on their special teams.

"If anything, Mr. Taylor is going to have to be very, very careful about where he walks and stops because now the violations are much simpler, and the first one he violates, he's going to do a full two years," Taylor's attorney, Bucky Harris said.

When the judge read his punishment, Taylor's mother passed out in the courtroom.

The judge sentenced him to 150 days in state jail, a 90 day curfew after that and $1,000 fine.

Friday, February 15, 2008

FROGS PREPARE FOR SATURDAY CONTEST AGAINST TEXAS A&M

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 15, 2008) The No. 36 TCU women’s tennis team will play host to No. 28 Texas A&M in Saturday’s home opener at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. The match is scheduled for 12 p.m., but may be moved indoors at 1 p.m., depending on weather conditions.

The Horned Frogs (1-1) are coming off of a 6-1 victory over North Texas on Wednesday. TCU freshmen Maria Babanova, Idunn Hertzberg and Katariina Tuohimaa
all earned their first collegiate dual-match victories at the bottom three singles positions, while Nina Munch-Soegaard and Anna Sydorska added wins at the top two positions.

TCU is led by Munch-Soegaard and Sydorska in singles play, who are ranked No. 66 and No. 80, respectively. The doubles team of Sydorska and Macall Harkins are currently ranked No. 18 nationally, and have already notched a win over a ranked
opponent with an 8-7(4) victory over the 25th-ranked Texas duo of Corovic and Milic.

The Aggies are currently 4-0 on the season, with their last win coming against No. 35 LSU. Texas A&M dominated the match, earning a 6-1 decision with the only loss coming at the No. 1 singles position against No. 8 Megan Falcon.

TCU holds a 20-17 advantage in the overall series against Texas A&M, but the Aggies have won the last two meetings. The Frogs fell 5-2 in College Station last season, and suffered a 4-1 setback in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to end the year.

Free pizza will be provided to the public at Saturday’s match
.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

AAFL 2008 SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT TO BE HELD SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16

ATLANTA, GEORGIA (February 14, 2008) The All American Football League (AAFL) announced today that the 2008 supplemental draft will be held Saturday, February 16.

The ten-round supplemental draft will begin at 11:00 a.m. ET, and will round out each team’s 60-man training camp roster. The supplemental draft pool will include all players who were not selected in the draft, players who were recently released or waived from the NFL and players who did not have verification of a college degree (official transcript) turned in to the League office before the draft on January 26.

Each team will also make compensatory selections at the conclusion of the supplemental draft, to fill roster spots that were vacated by players who have signed with the NFL since the AAFL Draft was held on January 26.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

SMU’s Anja Carman Named National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week

DALLAS, TEXAS (February 13, 2008) Southern Methodist Univeristy swimmer Anja Carman was named National Collegiate Swimmer-of-the-Week, as announced by CollegeSwimming.com Wednesday.

Saturday, Carman helped guide the No. 14 Mustangs to a hard-fought win over longtime rival No. 17 Texas, 124-118. SMU started the day by winning the 400 medley relay in 3:44.69, just outside the NCAA B cut, but over three seconds faster than Texas' lead squad. Carman swam the first leg in the relay, notching a quick 27.12 50-yard leadoff and a 55.38 split.

In the 400 IM, Carman won the event in a career-fastest 4:19.26, good for NCAA consideration. Carman bettered her old mark by over half a second, and beat Texas' fastest finisher by over a full second. Four events later, Carman pulled out a win in the 200 back, edging teammate and Conference USA Swimmer of the Week Petra Klosova by just under two seconds.

This is the first national Swimmer of the Week honor for Carman.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

SMU’s Klosova and Yancey Honored By Conference USA

IRVING, TEXAS (Febuary 12, 2008) SMU’s Petra Klosova is the Conference USA Swimmer of the Week after leading the Mustangs to a win over No. 17 Texas on Saturday. The junior notched a career-best time in the 200 back and was SMU’s top finisher in the 50-yard freestyle. The Mustangs’ Britney Yancey is the Diver of the Week. Yancey took second on both the one- and three-meter boards against the Longhorns to help SMU to the team victory.

Klosova notched a career-best time in the 200-yard backstroke against No. 17 Texas to help SMU grab the narrow 124-118 victory on Saturday. The junior helped the No. 14Mustangs to the big win by swimming a 2:00.15 in the 200 back, taking second place in the event and bettering her old mark by over a second.

The time was also good for NCAA consideration. Klosova was the top Mustang finisher in the 50 free, as she clocked a time of 23.48, just three-tenths a second behind the event winner from Texas and just outside NCAA consideration.

In addition, Klosova swam the second leg of the 200 free relay that broke the SMU pool record. The group of Candace Blackman, Klosova, Angela San Juan Cisneros and Elzanne Werth finished in 1:33.29, breaking the old record by three one-hundredths of a second. The weekly award is the second for Klosova in 2007-08 (Jan. 9) and fifth of her career.

Yancey was the top SMU finisher in both the one- and three-meter boards against No. 17 Texas on Saturday. On the one-meter, Yancey compiled a score of 280.34, just edging teammate Audra Egenolf to grab second place.

On the three-meter board, Yancey was able to close the gap on Longhorn diver Mary Yarrison, two-time Big 12 Diver of the Week. Yancey was just 10 points behind Yarrison, capturing second place after totaling 307.20 points. Her efforts helped the team grab the 124-118 victory. This is Yancey’s second career weekly honor in 2007-08 and second of her career.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Yoshida Wins San Jose Buddhist Sensei Memorial Tournament

By Robert H. Kelly
(Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications)

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO (February 11, 2008) Diana Yoshida won the women’s 48kg division at the San Jose Buddhist Sensei Memorial Tournament in San Jose, California.

The Allen, Texas native moved to number eight on the USA Judo Senior Elite National Roster because of her performance.

One hundred twenty-five senior elite competitors competed in the tournament, which is a major step on the road to the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.

With the victory and her current ranking, Yoshida has moved into position to be selected to compete in the USA Judo Olympic Trails. If she remains in the top eight of her division on April 12, she will secured herself a spot in the Olympic Trials on June 13-15 in Las Vegas.

Ticket Prices Announced for 2008 C-USA Women’s Swimming Championship

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 11, 2008) With a little more than two weeks before the start, ticket prices for the 2008 Conference USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational were announced Monday afternoon.

All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.

All students from Conference USA schools are admitted free with a valid student ID.

Fans should note that cash only will be accepted at the Tickets table.

There will be no charge for all fans for Wednesday night’s opening session. Fans attending sessions beginning Thursday morning will be charged accordingly.

Gate will open, and tickets will be sold beginning one hour prior to the meet. In addition, a wide variety of Championship merchandise will be available near the Tickets table.

The meet begins at 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 27 with the preliminaries of the men’s 1-meter diving. Finals begin at 6 p.m. and will include the men’s 1-meter diving as well as the men’s and women’s 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay.

The final three days of the four-day meet features swimming preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m., each day. Diving preliminaries are slated to start at 1 p.m., with the finals for all events beginning at 6 p.m., each day.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Grand Prix of Houston Returns to Houston in April

By Robert H. Kelly
(Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications)

(HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 10, 2008) With the 2008 Grad Prix of Houston a mire 10 weeks away, the time has come to provide more up-to date coverage concerning the big race weekend. This humble writer has covered auto racing in general and the Grand Prix of Houston sporadically over the years and has a love for the sport that transcends the years.

The allure of auto racing has been in my blood since a very young age when I marveled at the coverage of the 24 Hours of La Mans on ABCs Wild World of Sports to watching James Garner and Elvis Presley in the movies “Grand Prix” and “Viva Las Vegas” respectively.


I even involved myself in the sport as an active participant in my teens and college years. My brother and I raced in two leagues, drag racing and circle dirt track racing, in the 1970s.

We were, in layman’s terms, “poor man racers.” We did what we could with out self funded racecars and competed the best we could. We were never, in any sense of the word, good racecar drivers/owners. We did it because it was fun and we had a love of the sport.

In any case, when opportunities have arisen to cover motor sports, I jump at the chance. There is nothing like walking through the paddock or the pits looking for a story. A possible story is around any corner. It may be breaking news of equipment failure of one of the top teams or a fan who has saved for months to attend the particular race.

There is a reason that auto racing is the number one spectator sport in the USA. It is the excitement of it. One never knows what is going to happen.

I will never forget being behind the wheel of my dirt track car over 30 years ago. It is a feeling one cannot describe. Below is a video clip of the number 2 Audi R10 racing around the JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park. Just sit back and enjoy the spectacle that is auto racing. I hope you enjoy it.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

TCU TENNIS FALLS TO TEXAS 5-2

AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 9, 2008) The No. 35 TCU women’s tennis team dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 25 Texas on Saturday at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center in Austin. The loss dropped the Horned Frogs to 0-1 overall, while the Longhorns improved to 2-1on the season.

“I felt like we had a really good opportunity today to come out against a quality opponent who already had a couple of matches under their belt,” said TCU head coach Jefferson Hammond. “With these matchups, we have to have better
esults.”

In doubles play, the Longhorn duo of Stephanie Davison and Caroline Larsson toppled the TCU pair of Maria Babanova and Kewa Nichols by a score of 8-1, while the Texas duo of Maggie Mello and Courtney Zauft clinched the doubles point with an 8-6 victory over Nina Munch-Soegaard and Katariina Tuohimaa. One bright spot came when the 18th-ranked TCU tandem of Macall Harkins and Anna Sydorska dropped the No. 25 Texas duo of Vanja Corovic and Marija Milic by a score of 8-7(4).

After dropping two singles matches at Nos. 5 and 6, Nichols put TCU on the board with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Mello at the No. 4 position.

Texas would go on to clinch the match at the No. 3 position, as Zauft defeated No. 80 Sydorska by a score of 7-6(4), 6-2.

Harkins, who saw her first action with the Purple on White on Saturday, ended the match with a 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4 victory over Davison at the No. 2 slot.

The Frogs will return to action on Wednesday at 3 p.m. as they will meet North Texas in Denton.

No. 25 Texas (2-1) def. No. 35 TCU (0-1), 5-2

SINGLES
1. Vanja Corovic (UT) def. No. 66 Nina Munch-Soegaard (TCU) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
2. Macall Harkins (TCU) def. Stephanie Davison (UT) 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4
3. Courtney Zauft (UT) def. No. 80 Anna Sydorska (TCU) 7-6(4), 6-2
4. Kewa Nichols (TCU) def. Maggie Mello (UT) 6-4, 6-3
5. Caroline Larsson (UT) def. Katariina Tuohimaa (TCU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Sarah Lancaster (UT) def. Idunn Hertzberg (TCU) 6-0, 6-4

Order of Finish: 6, 5, 4, 3*, 1, 2

DOUBLES
1. No. 18 Harkins/Sydorska (TCU) def. No. 25 Corovic/Milic (UT) 8-7(4)
2. Mello/Zauft (UT) def. Munch-Soegaard/Tuohimaa (TCU) 8-6
3. Davison/Larsson (UT) def. Babanova/Nichols (TCU) 8-1

Order of Finish: 3, 2*, 1

*Clinching Point

Friday, February 08, 2008

AAFL Announces National Radio Broadcast Partnership

ATLANTA, GEORGIA (February 8, 2008) The All American Football League (AAFL) announced today that they have agreed to partner with national radio syndicator Touchdown Radio Productions, Inc. to broadcast every AAFL game on national airwaves.

Rights to all games will be owned by the AAFL through the AAFL Radio Network (ARN).

ARN games are scheduled to air on Saturdays with staggered start times, which will allow each game to be aired nationally on Touchdown Radio affiliates. Times of all games are TBD.

All games will be produced by SportsDay Productions, and will be made available to affiliates via satellite feed through Sports Byline USA national distribution service.

SportsDay, along with Touchdown Radio, will be accountable for a number of responsibilities, including imaging, music, format clock and general show script & design. In addition, they will provide producers, engineering and operations equipment.

AAFL Teams, in conjunction with the League office, will choose “Flagship” affiliates in their local markets. All other ARN market distribution will be facilitated by SportsDay/Touchdown Radio through Sports Byline USA. A minimum of 100 markets are estimated to air ARN games.

Each Flagship station’s broadcast team (play-by-play, analyst, sideline reporter) will announce the games played in that team’s stadium for both the local and national broadcast.

“We are so fortunate to have this radio partnership in place with Touchdown Radio and SportsDay Productions,” said Keenan Davis, AAFL VP of League Operations and COO. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to further promote our League and our players in conjunction with this group of exceptionally skilled broadcast professionals.”

Former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Gino Torretta is the President and Founder of Touchdown Radio Productions, which entered the national radio broadcast scene last year. Touchdown Radio debuted with a full schedule of nationally regarded college football games, as well as bowl game coverage, which aired weekly to hundreds of radio stations across the country.

“We’re very excited and looking forward to the partnership with this terrific new football league,” said Torretta. “Having played in the NFL Europe spring football league, I know how well a league of this kind will be received. There is a real buzz about it and I think people are excited for football to be played 12 months a year. I believe the AAFL has a bright future, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for aspiring football players. We’re thrilled to be part of it.”

Torretta finished 26-2 as a starter at the University of Miami, leading the Hurricanes to the national championship after the 1991 season, and won the Heisman Trophy following the 1992 season.

AAFL teams will play ten regular season games, beginning in April 2008. The spring schedule is designed to satisfy fans who hunger for quality football between the NFL and college seasons. The League’s teams are located in avid college football markets representing Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas.

AAFL teams will build on their current rosters during the League’s ten-round supplemental draft on Saturday, February 16. Players will report to training camp beginning March 13.

FROGS TO OPEN SEASON AT NO. 25 TEXAS ON SATURDAY

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 8, 2008) The No. 35 TCU women’s tennis team will kick off the season on Saturday against No. 25 Texas in Austin at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center at 12 p.m.

TCU returns four starters from last year’s squad, with seniors Andrea Morgado and Kewa Nichols, junior Anna Sydorska and sophomore Nina Munch-Soegaard. The Horned Frogs also have four new additions ready to contribute, including freshmen Maria Babanova, Idunn Hertzberg and Katariina Tuohimaa. Junior transfer Macall Harkins will see her first dual-match action in the Purple and White after missing last season due to eligibility rules.


Munch-Soegaard, last season’s Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, enters the 2008 season ranked No. 66, followed by Sydorska’s singles ranking of No. 80. Sydorska and Harkins also garnered a preseason doubles ranking of No. 18 after advancing to the semifinals at the ITA National Indoors in the fall.

The Longhorns are currently 1-1 on the season with a 6-1 win over Texas-San Antonio and a 4-3 loss to No. 19 Arizona State. The Texas duo of Marija Milic and Vanja Corovic are currently ranked No. 25 in doubles play.

Texas holds a commanding 20-4 lead in the overall series with TCU, which dates back to the 1979 season. The last time the two teams met was in the second round of the NCAA Regionals in Fort Worth in 2006, as TCU blanked the Longhorns 4-0 to punch its ticket to the Sweet 16.

Live stats for Saturday’s match will be availa
ble at Livestats.com

Thursday, February 07, 2008

AAFL ANNOUNCES DEAL WITH ROGERS ATHLETIC COMPANY

ATLANTA, GEORGIA (February 7, 2008) The All American Football League (AAFL) announced today that they have finalized a corporate sponsorship deal with Rogers Athletic Company. Rogers will be the official supplier of all football practice equipment and game day field equipment for the League’s six teams.

Rogers, a Michigan-based football equipment manufacturer, will provide sleds, practice dummies, field training equipment, hydration systems, Jugs football throwing machines, kicking nets, and all other on-field equipment.

“Rogers Athletic is proud to partner with the AAFL to assist in the development of their players during both the preseason and regular season,” said John Green, Rogers Athletic Sales Director. “Playing a role in this new venture is a natural for us, as Rogers has been selected as the official supplier by several startup football leagues in the past. We have a high level of excitement about the potential success of the AAFL, and are eager to begin our role with the launch of this new league.”

Rogers is committed to manufacturing products that promote proper technique and are designed with safety in mind. For over 38 years, Rogers’ equipment has assisted in the process of teaching player fundamentals, while protecting athletes by limiting the amount of live contact. Rogers’ innovative products give players the confidence to practice with gameday aggressiveness.

“We are pleased to have Rogers on board as our official on-field equipment supplier,” said Keenan Davis, VP of League Operations & COO of the AAFL. “As we gear up for our inaugural training camp, we are confident that our players will have all the necessary equipment to properly and safely prepare for the season.”

AAFL teams will play ten regular season games, beginning in April 2008. The spring schedule is designed to satisfy fans who hunger for quality football between the NFL and college seasons. The League’s teams are located in avid college football markets representing Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas.

AAFL teams will build on their current rosters during the League’s ten-round supplemental draft on Saturday, February 16. Players will report to training camp beginning March 13.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Four Dynamo Members Give the U.S. Team a Local Twist

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 6, 2008) Tonight's game between Mexico and the U.S. will have a local flavor in more ways than one, four ways, actually.

Four members of the Houston Dynamo will not just have a chance to be playing for their country; they may be playing in front of their home fans. Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis, Stuart Holden and Eddie Robinson are part of the Red, White, and Blue, as they represent defending back to back MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo on the men's national team.

"It's a huge deal for the guys that play here in Houston. We are so proud to be a part of this team. It's an honor. My family and friends are going to be here and especially our (Dynamo) fans are going to be here," said Robinson. "Hopefully, we see as much orange as we do green and American jerseys. All the fans are really going to enjoy the passion that this group of professionals shows by playing one of its fiercest rivals."

It's no secret to the players that, despite being called a "friendly", any game between Mexico and the U.S. is anything but. The victor always gets bragging rights over the loser, and now that the gap has closed between them anything is possible.

"It has always been a rivalry playing against Mexico. Even when we played them at a youth level, every time we faced them the matches got heated and exciting," said Clark.


"In my experience playing against them in Phoenix and the Gold Cup, which was a bigger game, the atmosphere and energy through the whole game was unbelievable. I think it will be another heated match."

What makes the transition easier for the Dynamo teammates is that they are not doing it alone. Houston has the most players of any other club represented on the national team, which should make the move a little bit smoother.

"It is a great opportunity for all of us; I'm happy for those guys from our team to be part of it this with me," said Davis. "It's fun, since your good friends are out there on the field with you, because you know their tendencies. That is always good thing."

Since winning the second of back-to-back championships in October, there has not been a lot of rest for the Dynamo players.

"I haven't had a break. I went to China with the Olympic team and have been to a couple of training camps, but at the same time this is part of the job, and I'm enjoying it as much as I can," said Holden. "This is the best way to represent your country. To come out here and play Mexico in my home town is really a dream come true."

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Houston’s Pa’lmai and Forcucci Honored

IRVING, TEXAS (February 4, 2008) Houston’s Andrea Pa’lmai is the Conference USA Swimmer of the Week after leading the Cougars to a 1-1 record last weekend. The junior was solid against No. 6 Texas A&M and earned multiple event wins against New Orleans. Houston’s Courtney Forcucci is the Diver of the Week for the second week in a row. Forcucci was the Cougars’ leading performer last weekend, sweeping both diving events against the Aggies and UNO.

Pa’lmai led the Cougars last weekend to a 1-1 record. Against No. 6 Texas A&M, she placed second in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:24.14. The mark was the fourth-fastest time in school history in that event. The junior then finished sixth in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:08.05. Against UNO, Pa’lmai was one of three swimmers to earn multiple event wins. She won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:56.12 and captured first place in the 200-yard backstroke with a clocking of 2:04.18, winning by more than 6.5 seconds. The weekly award is the second of Pa’lmai’s career, her first in 2007-08.

Forcucci was the Cougars’ leading performer during a week in which UH went 1-1 in dual meets. At No. 6 Texas A&M, the freshman collected both of the Cougars’ event wins as she swept both the 1- and 3-meter springboard events. She scored 312.83 points on the 3-meter board to win by nearly 25 points. Forcucci was the only diver to crack 300 points. The South Carolina native grabbed top honors on the 1-meter board with 284.62 points, winning by more than 14 points. She duplicated the sweep the following day against UNO to help the Cougars grab the dual meet win. This is Forcucci’s third weekly honor in 2007-08 (Nov. 6, Jan. 29).

Monday, February 04, 2008

TCU MEN'S TENNIS DOWNS IDAHO 5-2

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (fEBRUARY 4, 2008) The No. 63 TCU men's tennis team defeated Idaho by a score of 5-2 in the home opener at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on Monday. The Horned Frogs improved to 3-0 on the season, while Idaho dropped to 4-3 overall.

"I thought we could've played a little better today," said TCU head coach Dave
Borelli. "We started well and just let down in a couple of matches, but it's good for us to learn here today in this match. I thought Idaho played very well and they have some good players. We had four freshmen playing, so it's just a Learning process that once we win the first set, it isn't over, and you have to be ready to come out and play the second."

The men won all three doubles matches in exciting fashion, beginning with the
44th-ranked duo of Kriegler Brink and Cosmin Cotet fighting to a 9-7 win over
Idaho's Andrey Potapkin and Stanislov Glukhov. The duo of Caleb Bulls and Adrian
Simon jumped out to a 5-0 lead at the No. 2 position before the Idaho pair of
Robert Chalkley and Timothy Huynh pulled to within 5-4. The Frogs stormed back,
however, to take an 8-5 decision. The TCU pair of Zach Nichols and Jack Seider
completed the sweep with a 9-8(6) win over Andrew Dobbs and Hugh McDonald.



Brink, a junior from Gauteng, South Africa, recorded his third consecutive
straight-sets victory of the season with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Chalkley at the No.
3 spot.



Cotet, ranked No. 27 nationally, moved to 3-0 on the season with a 6-4, 6-4 win
over Potapkin at the No. 1 position, while freshman Casey Powers also remained
undefeated with a 7-6, 6-0 win over McDonald at No. 6 to clinch the match for
the Frogs.

Fellow freshman Zach Nichols pushed his singles mark to 3-0 on the year with a
6-3, 7-6(4) defeat of Huynh at the No. 4 position.

The Frogs will return to action on Wednesday, as they will host UT-Arlington at
2 p.m. and Abilene Christian at 6 p.m.

No. 63 TCU (3-0) def. Idaho (4-3), 5-2

SINGLES

1. No. 27 Cosmin Cotet (TCU) def. Andrey Potapkin (Idaho) 6-4, 6-4
2. Stanislov Glukhov (Idaho) def. No. 54 Adrian Simon (TCU) 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
3. Kriegler Brink (TCU) def. Robert Chalkley (Idaho) 6-1, 6-2
4. No. 94 Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Timothy Huynh (Idaho) 6-3, 7-6(4)
5. Andrew Dobbs (Idaho) def. Jack Seider (TCU) 1-6, 6-1, 6-1
6. Casey Powers (TCU) def. Hugh McDonald (Idaho) 7-5, 6-0

Order of Finish: 3, 5, 1, 6*, 4, 2

DOUBLES

1. No. 44 Brink/Cotet (TCU) def. Potapkin/Glukhov (Idaho) 9-7
2. Bulls/Simon (TCU) def. Chalkley/Huynh (Idaho) 8-5
3. Nichols/Seider (TCU) def. Dobbs/McDonald (Idaho) 9-8(6)

Order of Finish: 1, 2*, 3

*Clinching point

Sunday, February 03, 2008

TCU HORNED FROGS OPEN WITH TWO SHUTOUT VICTORIES IN TENNIS

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (February 3, 2008) The No. 63 TCU men’s tennis team moved to 2-0 on the season with two 7-0 victories over UT-San Antonio and St. Edward’s on Saturday. Four freshmen earned their first collegiate victories to help lead the Horned Frogs.

“Everyone played pretty well and I was really pleased with our doubles play today,” said TCU head coach Dave Borelli.

Senior Cosmin Cotet, ranked No. 27 nationally, began the day with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Rodrigo Morgado of UTSA at the No. 1 position. Cotet followed with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Justin Raiti of St. Edward’s.

Kriegler Brink, the only other upperclassman in the singles lineup, knocked off Max Stratmann of UTSA 6-3, 6-2, and defeated Brett Powers of St. Edward’s by a score of 6-1, 6-3, with both wins coming at the No. 3 spot.

Four newcomers earned their first wins in the Purple and White on Saturday, led by No. 54 Adrian Simon. Simon started with a gutsy 4-6, 7-5, 10-6 win over Robin Fernandes of UTSA at the No. 2 position, and followed with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Boris Barrios of St. Edward’s.

“I was really impressed with Adi in the first match,” Borelli said. “He did a great job to come back and pull it out. He didn’t panic and just focused to get the win.”

Zach Nichols, ranked No. 93 nationally, defeated All-Southland Conference selection Adam Becker of UTSA by a score of 6-3, 6-4. Nichols won his second collegiate match with a 7-6, 6-4 decision over Jacob Walley of St. Edward’s.

Jack Seider and Casey Powers also notched two wins on Saturday. Seider, a freshman from Austin, Texas, cruised past Andre Moreira of UTSA by a score of 6-0, 6-1, and defeated Bernard Lancaster of St. Edward’s with a 6-2, 6-1 victory. Powers began with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Daniel Moreiras, and followed with a 3-6, 7-5, 10-6 victory against Mick Walter of St. Edward’s.

In doubles play, the 44th-ranked duo of Brink and Cotet won both matches, while the team of Zach Nichols and Jack Seider also won both matches at the No. 3 position.

The Frogs will open the home season on Monday at 2 p.m. against Idaho at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.

No. 63 TCU (2-0) def. UT-San Antonio (0-1), 7-0

SINGLES
1. No. 27 Cosmin Cotet (TCU) def. Rodrigo Morgado (UTSA) 6-1, 6-3
2. No. 54 Adrian Simon (TCU) def. Robin Fernandes (UTSA) 4-6, 7-5, 10-6
3. Kriegler Brink (TCU) def. Max Stratmann (UTSA) 6-3, 6-2
4. No. 93 Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Adam Becker (UTSA) 6-3, 6-4
5. Jack Seider (TCU) def. Andre Moreira (UTSA) 6-0, 6-1
6. Casey Powers (TCU) def. Daniel Moreiras (UTSA) 6-3, 6-2

DOUBLES
1. No. 44 Brink/Cotet (TCU) def. Fernandes/Morgado (UTSA) 8-4
2. Becker/Moreira (UTSA) def. Powers/Simon (TCU) 8-2
3. Nichols/Seider (TCU) def. Moreiras/Stratmann (UTSA) 8-6

No. 63 TCU (2-0) def. St. Edward’s (0-1), 7-0

SINGLES
1. No. 27 Cosmin Cotet (TCU) def. Justin Raiti (St. Edward’s) 6-3, 6-1
2. No. 54 Adrian Simon (TCU) def. Boris Barrios (St. Edward’s) 6-3, 6-4
3. Kriegler Brink (TCU) def. Brett Powers (St. Edward’s) 6-1, 6-3
4. No. 93 Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Jacob Walley (St. Edward’s) 7-6, 6-4
5. Jack Seider (TCU) def. Bernard Lancaster (St. Edward’s) 6-2, 6-1
6. Casey Powers (TCU) def. Mick Walter (St. Edward’s) 3-6, 7-5, 10-6

DOUBLES
1. No. 44 Brink/Cotet (TCU) def. Powers/Walley (St. Edward’s) 9-8(5)
2. Barrios/Raiti (St. Edward’s) def. Bulls/Simon (TCU) 8-5
3. Nichols/Seider (TCU) def. Arnold/Walter (St. Edward’s) 8-3

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Houston Defeats New Orleans in Swimming and Diving Action

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 2, 2008) One sophomore, two juniors and three freshmen were the stars of the day as the University of Houston swimming and diving team defeated the University of New Orleans 105-71 in their final regular-season home meet of the season.

The six swimmers combined to win all but one swimming event and both diving events to snap a five-meet losing streak.

The Cougars, who finished the regular season with a 9-8 overall record, recorded their third straight winning season, the first time that feat has been accomplished since 1983-86.

Juniors Sasha Schwendenwein and Andrea Pa’lmai and freshmen Brittany Copeland led the way with a pair of event wins each.

Schwendenwein won the 1,000-yard freestyle after posting a time of 10:40.51. The Randburg, South Africa, native also won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:09.30.

Pa’lmai led all swimmers with a time of 1:56.12 in the 200-yard freestyle. The Budapest, Hungary, native also won the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:04.18.

Copeland won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.20. She also captured first place in the 100-yard freestyle after posting a time of 55.07.

Sophomore Kristine Kelly captured first place in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 5:01.40, while freshman Paige Bissett finished first in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:23.43.

Freshman diver Courtney Forcucci swept both diving events, a day after accomplishing that feat at No. 6 Texas A&M.

The Cougars’ 400-yard medley relay team of Jessica Shamburger, Doreen Polotzek, Bissett and Andrea Kells started the meet on a positive note, taking first place with a clocking of 4:02.50.

The Cougars will now take a 3 1/2 week break to sharpen thier skills and make final preparations before they host the Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships on February 27-March 1.

Friday, February 01, 2008

Houston Swimming and Diving Falls at No. 6 Texas A&M

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS (February 1, 2008) Freshman diver Courtney Forcucci helped lead the University of Houston to a sweep of the Top Three place in two events Friday evening during a 145-96 loss at No. 6 Texas A&M at the Student Rec Center Natatorium. The complete results can be viewed here.

Forcucci, who was honored Tuesday, as the Conference USA Diver of the Week, appeared well on her way to winning her second straight weekly honor by capturing top honors on the 1- and 3-meter springboard.

The Fort Mill, S.C., native scored 312.83 points on the 3-meter board and wrapped up her day with 284.62 points in the 1-meter event.

Forcucci was only the leader in a Cougar diving sweep. Senior captain Ginni van Katwijk finished second in both events, while freshman Lacey Truelove placed third.

On the swimming side, junior Andrea Pa’lmai led the Cougars with a second-place showing in the 400-yard clocking after posting a time of 4:24.14, the fourth-fastest time in school history. The Budapest, Hungary, native now owns seven of the Cougars’ Top 10 fastest times in that event.

Sophomore Linda Fox (1,000-yard freestyle) and junior Sasha Schwendenwein (200-yard freestyle) each posted third-place finishes to lead the Cougars.

The Cougars wrap up the regular season when it plays host to New Orleans at 11:30 a.m., Saturday at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium. Fans should note that Saturday’s starting time was recently changed from earlier published schedules.

Seniors Ginni van Katwijk, Nicole Vaiana and Michelle Hall are scheduled to be honored in Senior Day ceremonies prior to the meet.