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Show SPORTS VOLUME LII • ISSUE 1 JULY 5, 2011 WWW.UVUREVIEW.COM Track athletes raise $10,000 for former coach BY CASEY HALL Sports Writer In early spring this year, UVU freshmen track and field runners Taylor Charles and Wendy Peterson heard the news no one wants to hear. One of their Orem High track coaches, Camie Jacobs, was diagnosed with cancer. "I remember walking into the room," Peterson said. "Our track team can be very noisy. When everyone found out, it was quiet. Everyone was holding hands." It was the coach's upbeat personality, independent thinking and great attitude that drew the kids in. Jacobs, along with her husband Andy, have been a big part of the lives of both runners. "I really grew closer to the coaches my senior year," Charles said. "I was more mature." Over the last three years the relationship between Charles, Peterson and Jacobs has grown. Jacob's ability to reach the runners has had a resonating effect, and through the seasons the bond between athletes and coach grew even stronger. "She was a second mom," Peterson said. "She was always there. You could talk to her about anything." Within days of hearing the news, both runners started putting a plan in action. Their goal was to raise $1,000 to $2,000. After talking to several other coaches they decided to hold a 5k/ lk run called Camie's Run at Orem High. "We had to do something," Charles said. "They have done so much for us. We just wanted to show them how much they mean to us." Together Charles and Peterson spearheaded the run. After seeking corporate sponsorship with little results, they continued their efforts. After help arrived from the school and student government, the duo was ready to put their plan in action. "This experience has helped me appreciate how or- College to cable TRACK B4 Club teams getting it done BY MATT PETERSEN Sports Editor Leather balls and gloves get the attention. Always have, always will. With the limelight focused there, however, Utah Valley fans risk missing what's happening with leather saddles and plastic crosses (lacrosse sticks, not religious emblems) likewise competing under the Wolverine logo and colors. Same school, different status. They are club teams, a local label that defies their national prestige. To date: • UVU Rodeo recently boasted two cowboys who finished in the top-three in their respective events – in the nation. Overall, the Wolverines finished 12th ahead of Texas A&M, Utah State and Montana State • Lacrosse went to Division II nationals for the second consecutive year. They lost in the first round – to the eventual champion. After finishing his wrestling career with Utah Valley in 2009, Ramsey Nijem moved on to a completely new arena in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Nijem became part of the program's television sensation while advancing all the way to the championship round. Men's soccer has games scheduled with University of Utah and Boise State. BY JAKE PARTRIDGE Sports Writer • This is legit stuff, people. And no, this isn't my side of some back-alley deal struck between UVU Clubs and myself. After the stories come to light, however, it's hard not to root for them. We're a nation of underdogs, and club sports are the '08 New York Giants of college athletics. They do everything themselves. Coaches are usually volunteers. Players double as financial boosters. The lacrosse team made do with trucks and vans when faced with traveling to Colorado for nationals. They fled to the far north fields after the soccer turf was officially upgraded. And yet they play on, without a fixed budget or professional staff watching, helping and reporting their every move. They're the JV to the Athletic Department's varsity squads, except they PHOTO COURTESY OF UVU ATHLETICS Former wrestler stars in "Ultimate Fighter" From student wrestler to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, former Wolverine Ramsey Nijem has demonstrated his ability to adapt quickly to the world of mixed martial arts fighting. Nijem, a recent contestant Nijem didn't disappoint and finalist on UFC's "The in his unintentional profesUltimate Fighter" television sional debut, easily defeating show, started his professional his first opponent in front of MMA career while he was a home crowd at the David 0. attending classes at UVU. McKay Events Center. Without any formal MMA "It was a rivalry of UVU training, Nijem entered what versus BYU, so I went out he thought was going to be there and beat the crap out of his first amateur fight. the guy," Nijem said. "That first fight was supAfter his first victory, Niposed to be an amateur fight jem went on to win three of and then it was a pro [fight]," his next four fights. Initially, Nijem said. he didn't plan on auditioning started with a two-minute grappling session. "I actually got submitted in the tryouts, but I came back and I was putting the hurt on him, because I got pissed and was slapping him The guy was a 185-pounder...he was a big dude, and they took that into consideration," Nijem said. Nijem then moved onto the next phase which involved hitting and kicking mitts. AfUFC B3 Hunsaker credits success to annual summer camps BY JORDAN JOHNSON Sports Writer Wolverines men's basketball coach Richard Hunsaker says players are made in the summer, teams in the winter. With decades of coaching experience, Hunsaker is certainly the man for both jobs. "I love camps. I love kids, I love working with kids. Everything I've got in this game, I've gotten from sum- mer camps," Hunsaker said. What Hunsaker elected not to bring up was his 2001 Mountain West Conference season with the University of Utah—after which he was named coach of the year by the Los Angeles Times and the Mountain West Conference. He also launched UVU into the record books in 2006-07 with a 22-7 record, best by a Division I Independent team I I ■- 1 - I I I I - I - I - 17 4- i ► I-I - I I I r w — r b• GILBERT CISNEROS/UVU REVIEW ZONE B3 CONTACT: for the "The Ultimate Fighter," a show that is broadcast on the Spike network. "It was kind of a weird process at first. I wasn't going to try out because I was like `Oh, I won't make it.' I was very inexperienced and they usually want someone with seven-plus fights," said Nijem. Once in Vegas, Nijem decided he would try out for the show. The audition process CAMPS B3 Wolverines men's basketball head coach Dick Hunsaker holds multiple summer camps each year designed to help local young players hone their fundamentals. SPORTS EDITOR SPORTS DESIGNER petersensports@gmail.com gonzamatic@gmail.com MATT PETERSEN ERIC GONZALEZ |