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Show Page 6 THE SIGNPOST Friday, February 18, 2000 PORTS 7D p dDnDlDGL Wednesday's game was nonconference, but they'll take the win By Jose Carvajal asst. sports editor-The Signpost With a break In conference play, the women's basketball team was still In action Wednesday night at the Dee Events Center. It was a contest that had no bearing on the Big Sky conference standings, but the 77-59 victory by WSU against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was an important win. According to senior guard Shelley Olson, the win increased the Wildcats' confidence. The team played well," she said. "We exploited what their weaknesses were and took advantage of our post play." Sophomore center Crystal Howe was the driving force in WSU's post game. Howe led the Wildcats in offense, scoring 24 points after going 10 for 13 from the field, and hitting four for four from the free-throw line. Behind her was Stephanie Stanger with 12 points. But even the stellar performance from Howe was overshadowed by a stingy Wildcat defense which forced 23 turnovers by the Lady Islanders. "Our press worked really well," Olson said. "They were tired. We didn't really get a lot of steals, but we were able to wear them down over the course of the game." Howe not only dominated the game with her scoring, but with her rebounding as well, grabbing 12 boards eight of them on the defensive end. "Obviously, Crystal played well," said assistant coach Carolyn DeHoff. "Her stats speak for themselves, but more than that, what she gives us in terms of a presence inside the paint is more valuable. We have reiterated all year that the game is won inside the paint, and tonight we got production from everyone inside the paint." In the first half, the Wildcats shot 50 percent from the field and led 35-27 going into the locker room. The 'Cats once again lit up the Dee Events Center shooting 54 percent from the field in the second half to outscore race JdgodUcl 1s WFBFR ST ?S Jfetdlf M. Mk ..m. $1 TEAM ! : ' --v ,. ---.-A 'y- ' 1 "... : .'SrjCt'TT -?V' I - .. ' v -.2 . tf : : .rp? --g i . -. ? - ... ...... . , .... ; . ,. .. - , . g .a -t Shelley Olson looks past her Texas A&M-Corpus Christi opponent for her teammates down the court. Sports Briefs i Women's tennis travels to Arizona Starting today, Weber State's women's tennis team will be competing in the Northern Arizona Women's Tennis Invitational. The Wildcats (4-2 in dual matches) will take on NAU today, Memphis State on Saturday and will wrap up the tournament Sunday with a match against St. Louis University. "The NAU match will be a big grudge match since we beat them 5-4 at the UNLV Tournament in late January," WSU coach Keith Cox said. "They vowed that they would beat us at their place so it will be a great competitive match. "We don't know a lot about Memphis State or St. Louis but both asked to play us," Cox said. Lenka Zacharova (6-3), Therina Steenkamp (13-9), Summer Marshall (7-10), Dana DeLancey .(6-10) ...Veronica Reynosa (11-8) and Tara Rosenweig are scheduled to compete for WSU. In doubles action, Steenkamp and Zacharova (7-2), DeLancey and Reynosa (10-6) and Marshall and Rosenweig (6-1) will be competing for the Wildcats. Two weeks ago at the Boise State Invitational, WSU defeated Northwest Nazarene (9-0) but lost to Boise State (4-5). The Wildcats were in Logan last week and beat the Aggies 9-0. The NAU tournament is being held at the Paseo Racquet Club in Glendale, Ariz. brief compiled by Preston Truman Texas A&M and win the game. "This game was a great preparation game for next week's games at Idaho State and Montana State," DeHoff said. "It wasn't a let down, but more of a momentum builder because our timing was there offensively and defensively." The Wildcats improved to 10-13 (7-5 Big Sky) as they continue their push toward the conference tournament. Olson said the team Is really pushing toward winning its last four games for a variety of reasons. "Montana is going to host the tourna ment for sure," Olson said. "Going into the tournament with the second seed would be huge. The bottom four teams making the Big Sky Tournament have to play an extra game. The first and second seeds get byes, so that is our goal right now to win our last four games against teams we have already beaten and go into the tournament as the second seed." The women's Big Sky Tournament will be held March 9 through 1 1 at the University of Montana who, barring any upsets, will be the regular season champions. Upcoming games for WSU women's basketball Feb.24-WSUISU Feb. 26 - WSU Montana State March 2 Cal State Northridge March 4 Northern Arizona Rowing team fights current of student apathy By Wes Hanna production manager-Trie Signpost Eric Neff, a history major at Weber State University, is pushing to start an organization that would place WSU In the same category as academic heavyweights such as Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge. Neff is proposing to begin the Weber State Crew, a rowing club that would be a first In the state. Meetings will begin Feb. 25 In the Shepherd Union Building Room 338 at 1 1 a.m. "If Harvard can have a rowing club, then Weber can have a rowing club," Neff said. No other Utah universities could compete with Weber's Crew. The closest crew team would be the University of Colorado at Boulder.This places WSU in an Inter-mountain region that competes against West Coast teams. James Dolph, a professor In the history department, has volunteered to be the adviser to the Weber State Crew. "It would put us on the map," Dolph said. "It would probably be the first desert rowing team In the nation." WSU has the facilities to make the Weber Crew happen. Not only does Neff suggest that the crew could use Willard Bay and Pineview Reservoir, but also the Great Salt Lake to help keep leaky boats afloat. Both Neff and Dolph feel that the introduction of a rowing team would Improve the WSU's status around the nation. "Other universities in Utah R 0WI N G . -1 v ' CREW would follow suit," Dolph said. Neff believes a rowing club would provide a good balance to WSU academics. "Human beings were not meant to sit at school. Human beings were meant to be active, and to be active is to row," Neff said. "There isn't a better workout."Many obstacles, including student support, stand in the way of Neffs dream. Jeremy Sunseri, Association of Registered Organizations chairman, outlines the minimum requirement for any club as "eight members who actively participate and attend meetings." ARO membership comes with some funding opportunities that could help get Weber State's Crew started. Eight is also the number of rowers that are needed to be competitive in most crew categories. This excludes the Coxswain, the individual that calls "stroke!" to keep the rowers in conformity. Boats are also a major problem for this club to get off the ground and into the water. Each boat costs between $2,000 and $10,000. "We do not have a boat at this time," Neff said, "but we feel that with some charitable contributions we can overcome our difficulties."Neff feels that with strong student commitment, sponsors will also be willing to pitch in. Neff thinks students should be interested in the Weber State Crew not only for the rowing but also because of the apparel Neff plans to offer. "These T-shirts are going to rock,". Neff said. He envisions each T-shirt will have a Wildcat between two oars with a "stroke this" motto on the back. The Weber State Crew is open to all students tojoln. Neff anticipates that WSU could be competitive' in coed regional categories until there are enough people Interested to form both a men's and a women's team. Neff doesn't think that this club would only be for competition, however. "It rowing is Just like a religious experience, in a secular way," he said. |