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Show 1lIE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL· SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVER ITY · MONDAY, APRIL 12, 1999 Wright and Gibson a mong best in track California. ' he placed first in the 100 and 400 hurdles at both meets . "[ haven 't always loved it,• Gibson said about running. "I loved it when r was little and I was competitive and I was succes fuJ. " In high chool , Gib on aid he liked hurdle , but never planned on running in Two SU track team members are currently ranked among the be c in the natio n college. in their individual events . Mark Wright and Natalie However, during her senior year of high school, he Gibson recently participated in the NCAA Indoor Track placed third in the 300 meter hurdles at the high championship, both running away with great results . school state competition and was consequently Wright , a sophomore business major from Tooele, offered a scholar hip by Eric Houle, U' head coach tah , is ranked 14th in the nation for the mile run . He for cross country and track. competed at the National College Amateurs "The first year is hard, " Gibson said. "If you can Association (NCAA) Indoor Championship in make it through the first year, I think you can make it Indianapolis during the first part of March. through the rest. That's when I found out that I liked He said he started running in the fourth grade . "My to do it . I had a desire and wanted to succeed again.· mom pushed me to run. I didn 't really take it eriously Gibson said she competed· in an NCAA tournament until I was in seventh grade or so. The first couple of . last spring and that she wants to return this year. years I just tried to find what l was good at." "When you make it to that level, you're doing really He said he now runs six days a week averag.i ng 12 well," she said. miles a day, and sometimes 14 miles on Saturdays if She complimented Wright on his performance at the there aren 't any meets. tournament in March. "He is really tough, he's Wright said he enjoys the chaJJenge of running and awesome," she said. improving his time. Gibson graduates this year and wiU be moving with ''I'd like to go to the Olympic , at lea t the Olympic trials , next year. That's my ultimate goal, ~ he said. · ~ her husband to California. She said she wants to have a ...•..cc..:,.....,.,u, ~ family and po sibly find a job where he couJd be a o far thi season , Wright has reset the 1,500 meter g coach or a personal trainer. record after a time of 3:48.90 at the UNLV Invitational l:: Both HouJe and Wright said that the team is doing April 4. Wright also won the 1,500 meter event in the "' very well this year as many members are on the verge ~'~~-~ a first met of the sea on with a time of 3:52.66. > of being nationally· ranked. Another S runner, atalie Gib on, is a enior The team travels to the Pomona-Mt. AC Relays physical education major from Castledale, tah, and is which run April 16-18. The team will also participate currently ranked 10th in the nation for the 400 meter SU's Mark Wright, is among the top runners in the in the BYU Invitational April 23-24, before headiing to hurdles event. nation in the mile event. the Mid-Con championships in Kansas City April 29. Gib on pent the last two weekend at meets in By JAIME TEN RUD OF THE JOURNAL STAFF - i! Three new faCes drive softball Golf squad By KYM FRANKLI JOURNAL PORTS WRITER improvements include a six-foot permanent fence around the outfield, a bull pen, and two tunnels made for batting. Simmons' attraction to outhem Utah was brought about outhem Utah University l'las three new faces caUing the by having a chance to coach at a Divi ion I college, and the shots from the softball dugout thi season. The e new faces school's smallness. Simmons said, "I am feeling a lot of include Head Coach laurel immon and as istant coaches support from a lot of people. I feel like our softball program Shannon Henrie and Cody Thom on . are sort of like underdog . I like the idea of building the AJI three coachc bring experience and a positive attitude program." co the oftball team which is looking to improve on la t Henrie hring expertise to the Thunderbird oftball year's third place Mid-Continent Conference finish . program in her first year as the outfield coach. Henrie graduated from Delta High where she Simmon i in her first year of coaching at the collegiate level. However, he oases an impressive re ume. played softball and led the team to a state Simmons' softball background is quite title in 1993, earning Utah 2A MVP honors. c xten ive. Her introduction co the Henrie continued her softball career at sport came as a player at Delta now College as she helped them to a High chool and later continued at NJ CAA title in I 994 . She then went on to the University of Utah . Simmons' be an assistant coach at both Manti and winning attitude comes from her canyon View High .'1n 1995 Henrie own personal experiences and assisted Manti to the 1995 state softball .accomplishments in sports, he aid. title. Her high chool career includ d Henrie is enthusiastic about coaching individual tate championship in the SU's softball team and said, M l've already shot, discus, and javelin as well as team seen a lot of improvement to a team championships in volleyball and that works hard and have given their basketbaU. guts." Simmons' championship ucces The Thunderbirds also welcome continued in college as a centerfielder pitching coach Cody Thomson to for the University of Utah Utes. During this year's staff. He comes to her career at Utah , she was a part of Southern Utah after serving as an consecutive Western Athletic Conference assi tant to Simmons at Copper title teams in 1991 and 1992, followed by Hills High chool. Thomson brings aJI-WAC and team captain honors in 1992 ,riofl.S with him experience in pitching in and 1993. {..all-rel Silm national tournaments. His immons went on to be the head softball Head coach selection to the Junior USA team in the World coach at East High chool for two years and Games shows he is one of the top fast pitchers in the she also served as the coach for Copper Hills nation. The three coaches' vast experience and enthusiasm High in We tJordan, Utah. There she helped build a new for the game should rub off on the attitude of the program which finished with an l I-3 record and a second Thunderbirds. · place finish in ju t its first sea on of existence in the SA Simmon goaJs for the program are not only short term as ranks. she looks down the road at improving the program. MMy In her hort time here at SU, Simmons has not only had an goals are to have my team become a dominant party in the effect on the players, she has also made permanent conference, have depth, and a team that can compete with improvements to SU's softball playing fie.Id. These the top 25 teams in the nation,• said Simmons. in 18-team tournament The U men 's golf team continues its 1999 spring season today and tomorrow at the Grand Canyon Invitational. Hosted by Grand Canyon University, the tournament will be played at the 7,105 yard, par 72 Pa1m Valley Golf Club, in Goodyear, Ariz. The tournament will field 18 teams, including the tournament's two-time defending champion, Eastern Washington . The field will also inlclude in- tate rivals Utah , Weber State. SU finished in a two-way tie for 11th place with Idaho State at last year's invitational after hooting a three-round total of914-29 trokes off Ea tern Washington 's pace. Garret Hannig paced the 'Birds at eight· over par 224 to finish 17th, whjJe Dave Loughton-the onJy current member of SU who competed in last year's tournament-shot a 228 to finish in a tie for 37th. uwe're looking for the kids to play well at the same time, " said Head Coach John Evans. "Everyone has played well, but it seems like ·every tournament we have one or two players who struggle. If we could get everyone playing well at the same time, this wouJd be a good team." M I'm very happy with where we are We're a pretty young though," he added. M and inexPf:rienced team and our players are all playing up to the expectations." SU has just two tournaments remaining; BYU's Cougar Classic, April 22-24, and the SU hosted Mid·Con championship April 25-27 in Mesquite, Nev. |