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Show 6 Tuesday June 5, 2012 SPORTS Athlete gives back by donating www.dailyutahchronicle.corn UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS ALL WEEK: Track & Field Derek Siddoway Utah @ NCAA Championships TBA Des Moines, Iowa MLB STANDINGS American League EAST Tampa Bay Baltimore NY Yankees Toronto Boston W 31 30 29 28 28 L 23 24 24 26 26 PCT GB .574 .556 1 .547 1.5 .519 3 .519 3 CENTRAL Chicago Sox Cleveland Detroit Kansas City Minnesota W 31 28 25 23 20 L 23 25 29 29 33 PCT GB .574 .528 2.5 .463 6 .442 7 .377 10.5 WEST Texas LA Angels Seattle Oakland W 32 28 24 23 L 22 27 32 31 PCT GB .593 .509 4.5 .429 9 .426 9 National League EAST Washington Miami NY Mets Atlanta Philadelphia W 30 31 31 29 28 L 22 23 24 25 27 PCT GB .577 .574 .564 .5 .537 2 .509 3.5 CENTRAL Cincinnati Pittsburgh St. Louis Milwaukee Houston Chicago Cubs W 30 27 28 24 23 18 L 23 26 27 30 31 36 PCT GB .566 .509 3 .509 3 .444 6.5 .426 7.5 .333 12.5 WEST LA Dodgers San Francisco Arizona Colorado San Diego W 33 31 25 23 18 L 21 24 29 30 37 PCT GB .611 .564 2.5 .463 8 .434 9.5 .327 15.5 STAFF WRITER Utah Athletics' Invest in Excellence campaign added to its summer fundraising success with another major donation from Utah alumnus Sione Pouha. Pouha, a former Utah defensive lineman who plays for the New York Jets, and his wife Keiti donated $50,000 to the Invest in Excellence campaign. The donation will contribute to Utah's new football complex, which began construction in March and is scheduled to open its doors the summer of 2013. According to a U press release, the alumni locker room in the center will bear Pouha's name. As an all-conference defensive tackle and member of the undefeated Utah football team that beat Pittsburgh at the Fiesta Bowl in 2004, Pouha was drafted by the Jets in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. He is preparing for his eighth season with the Jets and has started 44 games in the past three seasons. Pouha could not be reached for comment. "[Giving back to the university] is the ultimate thank you from an athlete," assistant athletic director Manny Hendrix said. "[A donation] says thank you not only to the program and the coaching staff but also to the university and community as a whole." In addition to his duties as an athletic director, Hendrix oversees "major gifts and athletic relations" for the U. As a four-year starter on Utah's basketball team, Hendrix chose to pursue a professional career in the NFL as a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. A portion of his current responsibilities include promoting the Invest in Excellence campaign throughout the community. Hendrix believes the campaign will play a major role in Utah's effort to gain a foothold at the top of the Pac-12. "Over the years, we have had thousands of athletes that gave back," Hendrix said. "But this is the first year the Athletic Department has ever done a campaign. It's historic. I think we are moving into a different arena now All the schools in the Pac-12 are on two, three, four, maybe five campaigns — it's nothing new to them." Although the Invest in Excellence campaign might be new to Utah, donations from athletes to the U are See POUHA Page 7 • a,„; - •fla . p AIL PHOTO COURTESY JEFFREY BEAL Former Utah football player Sione Pouha, a starting DL for for the NY Jets, donated $50,000 to the new Utah football center. TRACK AND FIELD GYMNASTICS Utes land Mergaert to compete for championship top recruit with third signing Chriss Anderson STAFF WRITER Carson Huiskamp STAFF WRITER Utah Gymnastics has always been a powerhouse in Division I athletics, and, with another great gymnast coming in, the Utes hope that continues. Tuesday, the Utes landed one of the nation's top recruits in Taylor Allex. Her signing brings the total National Letter of Intent signings to three for the upcoming class along with Breanna Hughes of Champlin, Minn. and Haley Lange of Bellevue, Wash. Allex was one of the most sought-after recruits in the nation. After placing third in the all-around at the 2012 Junior Olympics as well as winning the vault event, she quickly rose on recruiting charts across the country. Allex also made strides in her last two regional competitions as she won the floor event and placed second on the beam in the 2011 regional championships. In 2012 she won the vault, bars, floor and all-around at the regional championships. The Becker, Minn., native plans on enrolling at the U this fall in order to compete in her first year with the Utes come winter. To do so, Allex is graduating high school a year early. However, hser early graduation doesn't have co-head coach Greg Marsden worried. "We feel very fortunate to add a gymnast of Taylor's caliber to our team for the upcoming season," Marsden said in a press release. After starting gymnastics at the age of 10, Allex quickly acquired the skills for the See RECRUIT Page 7 CHRISTOPHER REEVES/The Daily Utah Chronicle Distance runner Amanda Mergaert will be traveling to Des Moines, Iowa to compete in the 2012 NCAA Championships for her fourth time frome June 7 to June 9 at Drake Stadium. Amanda Mergaert has qualified for the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track Championships for the second year in a row by placing seventh in the semifinals. She will run the 1500-meter event, which takes place June 7 through June 9 in Des Moines, Iowa. "Every kid is relying on themselves to win their race. You don't have to settle for only being as good as your teammates on any given day," said head coach Kyle Kepler. Mergaert, a junior, said this year's qualification meant more to her because her coaches changed her training routine so she would peak at the end of the season. This held true as her qualifying time of 4 minutes, 19.23 seconds at the NCAA West Preliminary was the best of her entire season. Mergaert credits the pressure of Pac-12 conference heats, which she said challenges her on a new level of competition. For the most part, the Utah track team participated in the same invitational meets they have in years past, but the focused conference meets made a difference in the way that Mergaert competed. The qualifying NCAA semifinals showcased the best of the best track and field athletes in the country. However, Kepler said that on any given day it can be anybody's race. "Amanda was impressive today. They ran a really fast heat. We expected the race to open fast, which it did, and Amanda hung on and then found another gear that no one else had down the stretch. We are very excited for her," Kepler said in a press release. Mergaert, who was named a second team 2011 All-Pac 12 cross-country team member, said that the keys to her title win comes down to a mental game. "I just need to have lots of confidence, to stay calm and focused and remember that this is the same competition that I've already run against several times this year," she said. Mergaert made the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in November. She finished 84th and was named second-team All-Pac-12. Mergaert's fourth career NCAA Championship appearance can be seen live at NCAA.com . c.anderson@chronicle.utah.edu |