Show B2 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Wednesday September 18 2002 Lady Cats give Mustangs Mtn Crest View boys edge Sky By Thomas Manning staff writer SMITHFIELD — It was rainy and cool but the competition was fierce and heated between the Mountain Crest and Sky View girls cross country teams It was suppose to be an easy win for a strong Mustang team But with ' strong efforts from Bobcats Edie Roper Rebecca Palmer Lindsey Lawjor and Katie Dewey Sky View managed to nip the Mustangs and squeak out a close win 28-2- 9 The talk before the race revolved around how bad the Slangs would blow out the Cats Bobcat fans were hoping for a respectable loss' But the Bobcat girls came to win and win they did against a seasoned Mustang team — giving them hope for a region championship “I think it was an upset they are really strong" said Sky View coach Kyle Wright "We had a lot of girls step up especially our four and five " runners Our girls run well and they i haven't had a chance to prove HAR became Box Elder beat us up pretty good and we knew we were better than that Out of the gates Mountain Crest looked good with Ashley Johnson and several other Mustangs jumping out to early leads However by the middle of the race the Bobcats had crept back into it and had four runners in the top six "Ashley did what she was suppose to do” Mountain Crest coach Mary Kirby said "A couple of others did loo but a lot didn't" As the runners crossed the finish everyone knew it was going to be close First reports were that Mountain Crest had won by one point but after the official results were tabulated it was the Bobcats on top “It was an upset” said Bobcat assistant coach Marilyn Nielson "It was not particularly expected but my ladies ran to their potential today I'm so excited and our ladies are too” Mountain Crest's Ashley Johnson who is unquestionably one of the top runners in the state did finish first another fine perthough tuming-iformance “She was seventh in the state last year said Mustang coach Mary Kirby and she’s trained hard"She’s er this year than she ever has” Tourei year’s! PGAS Whal tionQ theElli Conner Thn and The' year’s! tionini exempt narnen Wha quality El LuceraHerald Journal Mountain Crest's Ashley Johnson leads a group of cross country runners during their meet Tuesday in Smithfield Johnson won the race Trevor Datwyler looked impressive as they finished shoulder to shoulder for a tie for first place but it was Sky View’s effort that earned the Cats another win “The guys are running great” Nielson said "Our guys have been running as a pack all season and : 26-3- 1 packs? Mustangs Shawn Clawson and today they closed die gaps and kept Mountain Crest out which was exacdy what they needed to do” It was Clawson mid Datwyler who finished ahead of the pack but the pack they finished ahead of was made up of Bobcats Blake Allen Jeff Lamb Andy Jordan and Kendon Knowles finished third fourth fifth and sixth respectably followed by several other Cats who finished in the top 10 "We have a couple of fast tun- tiers” Wright said “We tend to rim in a pack right there in the middle where it counts a lot and that’s our strength” Bobcats ©In? sweep champion it The stars aligned and the variables had a common denominator It was finally Eck’s turn for things to go as planned After sprinting away from the main V group between franklin and Preston Idaho Eck managed to catch up with the' riders in the lead As the group of seven began the long trek along Highway 36 they managed to stay in the front for the duration of the race ' Fueled by energy gels junk food and soda pop Eck’s body transformed the ener- unseemly diet into haul gy for the 180-miJust seven hours and 39 minutes after pulling out of downtown Logan Eck approached the finish line still surrounded by a handful of hopefuls Nearly 200 meters to the finish Eck popped to the outside of the group and fired his legs fast enough to blow across the finish line at close to 40 miles per hour with no one ahead of him With both hands in the air all he could hear was his wife’s screaming voice via the radio earpiece he used to get race updates "What a tremendous feeling” Eck said ‘To work that hard for so long and to be able to win in front of my wife dad and brother was the opportunity of a lifetime It really is the kind of thing you dream about” Those who know Eck recognize how LOTOJA tests the personal characteristics he embodies so well It’s not a sprinter’s race Not one solely for climbers Even endurance riders aren’t perfectly suited for the challenge LOTOJA is a race that tests it ad physically arid mentally Unless a rider has the complete cadre of skills it will be difficult if not impossible to get atop the podium “This race is extremely well suited for Kirk” teammate Marc Yap said “He does so many things right in a bike race It’s great to see him finally win it” For many in Cache Valley Eck is seen as a cycling guru Though only 33 years old he has been a student of the sport for the seven years he has been racing By reading and listening to the words of cycling greats Eck has become a resource to many beginning EH LuceraHerald Journal and intermediate riders throughout the1 one the the Smithfield’s Kirk Eck a member of the Logan Raca Club won the 20th LOTOJA last of organizers of valley As ' Saturday He rode the 180 miles In seven hours 39 minutes Logan Race Club Eck believes eduthe is others about vital to cating sport With success comes the sponsor"The better we do the more compaensure its future success local of nies want their names associated with like in There are so many good riders ships companies many Cache Valley” Eck said "But they need Weathershield Al’s and Extreme us and provide the resources to continue to garner future success We do to make an effort to learn and develop Energy Gels that Eck believes fuels future success a lot for local businesses and they do so the Logan Race Chib will continue "It has a snowball effect7 he said f to enjoy success on the state level” a lot for us” nt -- le ht 1 i Appeal Continued from B1 Alabama sought restoration of six scholarships and its bowl eligibility but the appeals committee upheld all the penalties imposed after the program was cited for illegal recruiting by boosters and other infractions The NCAA placed Alabama on five years’ proba tion Feb Condi Mas (13-- 3) Snake pasrin block Prestoi Seven helped putting “Iju cy in p said Pres second leadfc tesy of by an Kacey selves ' near-insta- Pi The captures 20th running There comes a time in endurance competitions when the event becomes less of a contest and more ’ of a reflection on the life of the participants involved And so it was on Saturday when Smithfield's Kirk Eck showed how unrelenting dctennination and consistent hard work pays off by winning the 20th running of LOTOJA the cycling race from Logan to Jackson Hole Wyo After seven hard-fougyears of the event Eck accom- competing the biggest goal of Clished perhaps career — winning the bicycle race in longest single-da- y North America "In a way it’s our hometown race that has evolved into national prominence” Eck said "It’s an epic event in one’s lifetime to compete in” In a strange way Eck says LOTOJA is its own animal "There are so many variables that go into the race” Eck said "The weather how your body reacts to the food you're eating the competition — they all play into the big picture” Those Variables have gotten the best of Eck in yean past Though be has won the event in various categories in previous yean this was his first overall win “I’ve had the fitness to win the race at least four 'of the last five years” Eck' said "But for one reason or another I haven’t been able to do it Each time something didn’t go quite right" Many are familiar with the story that ensued two yean ago when with less than three miles to go Eck found himself with only two other riden preparing for a sprint to the finish It was then he heard a loud noise and looked down at a flat rear tire Alter riding over 200 miles it was the crudest of jokes Unfortunately it was no gag Though Eck was able to change to a new tire he was forced to settle for third place As if that wasn't enough punishment the year prior to the flat tire ' escapade Eck crossed the line in fint place He along with everyone else thought he had won Congratulations and high fives were flying That is until the rime official announced a technicality ruling and penalized him along with a group of qthen for how they rode through a construction area in the Snake River Canyon But this year things were different ha ley the all-sta- te Bobcat boys beat Mustangs Bobcats don’t usually run in t finish ‘ By Mason B Nlederhauser For The Herald Journal vi to it LOTOJA Eck call wake-u- p tacking on six scholarship cuts to the reduction of 13 and banuniversity’s ning the team from participating in a bowl game for two years Those penalties were deemed appropriate “because the violations in this case were numerous and particularly egregious” the report stated' The committee cited Alabama for illegal recruiting practices by boosters with chairman Thomas Yeager saying the panel considered the “death penalty” which would shut down the pro- 1 self-impos- ed so-call- jymm gram for at least one season “But for the unequivocal cooperation of the university it’s very clear the death penalty most probably would have been imposed” Phillips said Interim Alabama President J Barry Mason said university officials “disagree and are disappointed” with the decision In a statement Mason said the university’s arguments for relief “were grounded in fact and well presented both in writing and in our meeting with the appeals committee last month” By Julia Ann Groaahana staff writer thethii acesb Elliott 6-- 1 NORTH LOG AN— As clouds lingered overhead and rain soaked the surroundings die Sky View girls tennis team had a match to play In the protection of the Sports Academy Tennis Bubble the Bobcats defeated the Roy Royals Although the bubble gave players shelter from the rain it created a new element "It’s so much different” said Roy’s No 3 singles player' Amanda Sparrow 6f the bubble "We play outside with the conditions It’s a completely different atmosphere” Sparrow a senior who began playing tennis last season attended Sky View before her family moved to Roy following her sophomore year Royal coach Jim Ito said she has hem a positive attribution to the team During the preseason she went 2--2 but has failed to win during region play Sparrow’s opponent Anna Alexander said it’s just a matter of adjusting to playing inride Alexander sad she didn’t think it affected her play She won 6-- 0 6-- 0 “It’s a lot more humid (playing inside)” Alexander said The lighting is different than outride You also get hotter faster” No matter what the conditions Sky View coach Melissa Stuart is impressed with Alexander’s play Stuart said Alexander possesses uncommon toughness for a junior "She’s doing great” she said “She's good at mixing up her shots and trying to outsmart tiie other player She really picks up on what they’re doing and tries to adjust accordingly” Stuart agreed there are differ- eqt conditions playing inside compared to outside She said it is unusual to have family mem-be- n and students sit right on the1 side of the courts Stuart said it is also interesting to look up and have a roof over your head instead of the sky She added it can be an advantage though not to have die sun in your eyes while looking fix the ball Although Ito had previously been in the bubble as die Box See 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