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Show 5 Wednesday, Sept. 28,2005 Take Note: The coach's radio show will be at the Chi Omega House Thursday at 6 p.m., 797-1761 sports@statesman.usu.edu Recruiting Down I Line an issue for clubs Weston doesn't let her size hold her back USUAthletics Kickin' into high gear BY SCOTT MCALLISTER Staff Writer In addition to the varsity athletic programs, the Utah State Campus Recreation Program houses 16 club sports teams for students to compete against other schools. Some club sports such as hockey have enough interest to require holding a tryout and then picking the best players from those pools. "We have always had enough players to put together a viable team," Utah State hockey team president Michelle Kartchner said. "We usually have 35-50 people try out and we have to cut it down to 28." Men's soccer was in a similar situation this year, having 30 players show up to fill 25 roster spots. Then there are also sports that have just enough to field teams with little room to spare. Scott Wamsley, assistant director of Campus Recreation, said that was the case for men's lacrosse. Last season the club only had about 15 players. With 10 players on the field at a time, Wamsley said that having only five subs wore the team down. The ultimate frisbee club was in a similar position last year, but have been able to double their numbers for their upcoming season. "As a consequence of having few people last year, we suffered at tournaments, where we might have nine to 10 players and opposing teams would have around 14," ultimate frisbee club president Chris Pitts said. "This year we have somewhere between 16-20 people coming out to practice consistently." There are even some clubs, such as women's lacrosse, that don't have enough to even field a team. The clubs are dissolved until students show greater interest. In many cases, Wamsley said, participation levels go in cycles. One year there may be more than enough to field a team in a particular sport and then those students may leave and there are not enough play• RECRUITING See page 10 BY and to look for feet or for through balls." "We're having a difficult time gellThe time ing together "I don't want people it took to or learnget used ing how to think they are to the new each other going to push me players and plays," she also to get said. "Me around." accustomed and Dana W Charity Weston to her new [Peart] ^ £ 7 USU Soccer"Player forward underposition stand how might have each other plays but getting to know taken their toll early in the the freshman and getting season as Weston was held to know their style of play scoreless in her first six said. KEVIN NIELSEN Senior Writer In the 56th minute of the Utah State-Portland State game last Saturday Charity Weston slyly picked herself up off the cold ground and smiled as she glanced at her bench. The referee was giving a yellow card to Portland State's Jessie Corr who is a good two inches taller than Weston. "I don't want people to think they are going to push me around," she said. "But I'm not out to start fights. I'm just aggressive, I guess." She had drawn what would be the lone yellow card in a match that saw more players get pushed than if they were buttons at a button factory. It took Weston six games to score her first goal but it took just two to draw her first yellow card on a defender. "Against Southern Utah the ball was going into the keeper and I went after it. It didn't look like she had full control of the ball," Weston said. "The defensive player came up and shoved me and said, 'don't touch my keeper1 and I kind of gave her a little shove back but she initiated it so she got the card." It's this feistiness that helps in her leadership role, what keeps the Ags in their games. Weston routinely gives up inches against her defenders but so do most of her teammates. "It doesn't bug me," she said. "Everyone is a lot smaller than most of our opponents. I've seen Tiffany McQueen out jump some players who are 4-5 inches taller than her. "Its all about the quickness and the way you play the game." Weston said she isn't a vocal leader but her actions are what the team should follow, This year has been tough for the Aggies with injuries to some key returning players. More freshman are getting to play which takes some time to get accustomed to the individuals, Weston Staff Writer After several seasons of relative obscurity for the Utah State water polo club, the team's captains are looking to make the club known in a big way. Captains Shae Bundy and Paul Wilson have high hopes, both for the team and for increasing publicity among Aggies. For those unfamiliar with the sport, water polo is played with a team of seven people in the water: A goalie, left and right wing, hole man, point man and two posts. The most familiar sport to compare Tyler Larson photo/tmlarsonfrtusu.edu • ONE OF THE USU water polo club coaches swims to block a ball Tuesday night during practice at the HPER. The Ags had two wins at a tournament over the weekend. •WESTON See page 10 U T A H STATE UNIVERSITY Athletic Media Relations Utah State's football players will place stickers on their helmets for the rest of the season to recognize the individuals from the USU College of Agriculture who were involved in a tragic van accident on Monday. Eight students and one instructor died in the accident, while two other students are in critical condition in Ogden, Utah hospitals after one of the tires on the van blew out and caused the vehicle to skid out of control and roll. The Aggies will place 1 1/2 inch blue circular stickers with a yellow block A on the back right of their helmets beginning with this Saturday's game at Idaho. The stickers will also be placed on the coaches' headsets. The back of USU's helmets have a Western Athletic Conference logo on the left, the players jersey number in the middle and an American flag on the right side. The block A will be placed above the flag. Other Aggie teams, including cross country, volleyball and soccer, which are competing this fall, are also looking into how best recognize the victims. Cernianska given WAC honors UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Athletic Media Relations lyler Larson photo/tmkmon&cusu.edu UTAH STATE'S CHARITY WESTON attempts to steal the ball from a Portland State player during their game last Saturday. Weston is second on the team in goals and is tied for first in assists so far this season. Team ready for action BY TONY THORNLEY games, though not without her chances. Against Southern Utah she managed to hit the corner of the post and the crossbar as time expired in the first overtime period. "I'm happy for anyone to score whether its me or not," Weston said. "I just want our team to win. Coach was saying someone needed to step up and I've hit the post and to recognize Ag victims game play to is soccer. The point man is in charge of bringing the ball to the front. The ball is passed and plays are run to set picks or set up an open shot for the opposing team's goal. With the exception of the goalie, players are allowed to only touch the ball with one hand at a time. The game is divided into seven-minute quarters and is played in a minimum depth of 8 feet of water. "The teams are really looking pretty good," Bundy said. "[We're] going to be real competitive." Currently, the team is getting into the men's season, which typically lasts from September to November. There are four major tournaments, all of which are out of state. The first was last weekend in New Mexico. The team split the tournament - two wins, two losses. +The wins were over Wyoming and the Colorado School of Mines. The losses were to the WATER POLO See page 7 0 Men's soccer team scores 4 at tourney BY SCOTT MCALLISTER Staff Writer Colby Jones scored four goals in three games as the Utah State men's soccer team went 1-1-1 over the weekend in a 12-team tournament hosted by Utah Valley State College in Orem. It was a long weekend for the Aggies, where, including the loss at BYU Thursday night, they played four games in three days. Jones admitted that by the end of the week, the team was pretty exhausted and beat up. "Four games in three days is enough to wear you out," Jones said. USU opened play Friday morning by defeating the UV Rangers, a dub from Provo, 42. Jones found net three times while Kenny Reid also added to the score for Utah State. It was a sense of relief for Jones to get on the score sheet since he's been struggling to find the net this season, having several close opportunities go awry. "[It] felt good to finally start knocking 'em in," Jones said. On his first goal, the Aggie striker received a well-played through ball that put him on the run at the Rangers' defense. Jones touched the ball past two defenders and, with only the goalkeeper to beat, put in an easy touch. His second goal came as he slammed a shot off the far post. The third was one that Jones said he was proud of. He received the ball at midfield and began to carry uncontested toward the goal. The Rangers' defense failed to close on him, so when Jones was 30 yards out, he ripped a shot inside the upper left corner of the goal to complete the hat trick. Coach Vince Lamara was happy with the win, but admitted that it was a sloppy game. Friday afternoon, the Aggies faced the Sun Devils >UVSC TOURNEY See page 7 0 LOGAN - Utah State volleyball player Zuzana Cernianska has been named the Xbox Live Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week it was announced by the league office on Monday. Cernianska becomes the first Utah State volleyball player this year to earn the award. Overall, it is the second time in her career that she has received this honor as she was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week as a sophomore during the 2003 season. Cernianska, a 6-1 senior opposite side hitter from Prague, Czech Republic, hit a robust .407 and averaged 4.40 kills, 2.80 digs, and 0.50 service aces per game in leading Utah State to three home wins last week. Pennyman earns award UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Athletic Media Relations LOGAN - Utah State kick returner Tony Pennyman was named the Western Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week it was announced by the league office on Monday. He is the first USU football player to receive a WAC award. Pennyman, a junior from Hayward, Calif, returned two kickoffs for 133 yards, including a 92-yard touchdown return the first time he touched the ball this season, in USU's 31-24 win against UNLV on Saturday. He also returned another kickoff 41 yards later in the game. Offensively, the wide receiver pulled in a career-high 10 receptions for 97 yards and another touchdown. He was just three yards shy of recording his fourth career 100-yard receiving game. |