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Show B2 MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2008 Sports: Year in Review • THE COLLEGE TIMES So, so for spring sports Success seen in the fall not matched by the teams playing in the spring Ben Webster Sports editor A problem is quickly arising for the athletic department. It's something men's basketball coach Dick Hunsaker frequently talks about and something women's basketball coach Cathy Nixon is starting to discover. It's a problem, no doubt, thai both Steve Gardener, Utah Valley's baseball coach, and softball coach Todd Fairbourne deals with it every year. As the sports have more success, scheduling gets tougher. And this year it took its toll on several teams. "Our success is a doubleedge sword," Director of Athletics Mike Jacobsen said. "With the success we've had at some of our programs, nobody wants to play us." When other Division I schools look to schedule smaller schools like Utah Valley, they are basically trying to get wins. It's something the Wolverines are not handing out to everybody, though. The women's basketball Ken HoglUnd/College Times l e a n ^ t n e Utah Valley's Magan Neimann can't quite avoid getting out. There were plenty of athletes who felt her pain this year. Q n ] y (eam nQt tQ win an Independent championship that had an oppor- tunity to, had its struggles, losing road game after road game to close out the season. But the team did beat Seton Hall and Nevada at home, making it unlikely those teams will be so willing to travel to the McKay Center anytime soon. For the men' s basketball team, last year's success raised expectations, but a schedule full of difficult road trips, with some teams canceling at the last minute, made it an up-and-down season. The men's team started its own difficulties by traveling to Arizona State and getting a win in 2005. Those wins are great for the program, but they also cost the team future opponents who fear the same fate. "Everybody is looking at their record. Everybody wants to have a winning record. They don't want to put themselves in a position where they could lose," Jacobsen said. It's not that the women's basketball team didn't see plenty of success; it broke a school record for wins, but after beating teams like Seton Hall and Nevada, losses to the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Cal State Bakersfield put a few downers on the season. Scheduling has been a downfall for the baseball team so far this season, as it started on the road for 21 straight games. The Softball team was in a similar boat. But for those two teams, the weather is a determent also. "We're a cold-area place; because of that, you have a hard time getting games; be- cause of that, you have such a hard time getting pitchers to come," Jacobsen said. Unlike wrestling, every school in the state plays softball and baseball. It makes recruiting tougher, especially when it comes to pitchers. For the baseball and softball teams to improve, they need the pitching. Since the four fall semester sports teams won their respective championships, there's been a bit of a dropoff in the winning going on around here. Both basketball teams finished with winning records; but after that, the softball, baseball, and wrestling teams didn't fare as well. Midway through the baseball and softball seasons, the two teams have a combined nine wins. Wrestling finished with two wins but also ended the year with a 9-11 record. With wrestling things seem to be on the right track. Freshman Ben Kjar has a lot to do with that. The first-year wrestler dominated this season, finishing with 39 wins. With him and other young players having a year more of experience, the team's losing isn't expected to last long. B oth basketbal 1 teams are looking to be better next year also. The women's team has all five starters returning. The men's team is counting on home success to carry it through the final provisional year, with most of its road opponents coming to Orem next season. So, while some sports have been more successful this year than others, expectations continue to rise for the entire athletics program. SPORTS BRIEFS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WOMEN'S GOLF Robyn Fairbanks capped off Echo Thatcher was the top an impressive junior season by finisher for Utah Valley at the earning honorable mention All- BYU Dixie Classic at Entrada America status by the Associ- at Snow Canyon in St. George ated Press on Tuesday. in Wednesday. Thatcher fired a The Canadian center finished fourth in the nation in final round 82 and finished in a tie for 48th overall. scoring with 23.8 points per Sarah Coop and Abbie Lei game while also hitting a 12th Archibald both had their best best 57.9 percent from the field. rounds of the tournament over Fairbanks was also just shy the final 18 holes. of averaging a double double 'This is not our best show- with 9.7 rebounds, which ranks ing by any means but we are among the top 25 in the coun- having spurts where we play a try. • lot better," said head coach De- She was a unanimous selec- nise Larson. "Hopefully next tion for the 2007-08 Division I week everyone will have a good Independent Player of the Year, round on the same time and we the second straight season she can finish on a high note.1' has won the award. Host BYU won the team Fairbanks' other list of ac- title by five shots over Nebras- complishments this season in- ka. Juli Erekson of BYU won clude: Five-time Independent the individual title, finishing at Player of the Week, four-time -1 for the tournament to win by honorable seven strokes. mention WBCA National Player of the Month, First team All-Independent and The Wolverines ESPN the Magazine Academic where they finished the 54-hole All-District VIII 2nd Team. event. Fairbanks, who was also Up next is the season finale a 2006-07 WBCA honorable for the Wolverines next Mon- mention All-America selection, day and Tuesday in Moorpark, will return for her senior season California in 2008-09 to lead the Wolver- Spring Classic, hosted by Cal ines. Utah Val-ley will return all State Northridee. The Matador Matt Beaudin 16-win squad. U V SPORTS SCHEDULE April 7 Softball at Utah *' " April 7 Baseball against Southern Utah , April 8 Softball doubleheader against Idaho State A Am p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. April 7-8 Men's golf at Wyoming Cowboy Classic 7W p.m. April 7-8 Women's golf at Matador Spring Classic April 10-12 Track at UCLA 7:30 p.m. All day April 11 Baseball at Nevada ' Early road trips lay groundwork for baseball and softball struggles best game of the season, citing her location and ability to compete against a tough Softball coach Todd team. Fairbourne jokingly asked Last season the Wolverfor rain after his team was ines finished with a 23-29 swept at home in a twin bill record, including a !0-6 reby Utah State. cord at home. The 2008 camPerhaps he's wishing for paign has been a struggle, as harsh weather a little more Utah Valley has dropped often these days, as the to 5-20 overall and 2-5 at BYU Cougars recently beat home. Needless to say, the home-field advantage has them 7-0. Utah Valley hung around, been minimal, at best. but after four seventh-inning The loss to BYU has been runs, the Cougars put the a metaphor of the Wolvergame away for good. ines' struggles this season: "I'm always disappoint- .playing tough but coming ed with a loss," Fairbourne up short. said. "I don't think the score And it doesn't get any was indicative of how close easier as Utah Valley plays the game was." such a lopsided amount of According to Fairbourne, its games on the road. Alii B ram well pitched her On the baseball side of Assistant sports editor five starters from this season's school record setting Utah Valley pitcher Marcus Moore has three of the baseball team's wins this season. No pitcher has a winning record for the Wolverines this year. started the day in 11th, which is right at Ken Hoglund / College t i m « 7:00 p.m. April 12 Softball doubleheader at UCSB i.-oop.m. April 8 Baseball at Nevada 5:00 p.m. things, the story has been eerily similar. Playing nearly all of their games on the road so far, Utah Valley is 5-17-1 overall. The team has played exactly three home games, thus far, and has lost to teams from the Mountain West Conference and the Pac 10 on the road. In a seldom-played game at Brent Brown Ballpark, the Wolverines recently knocked off the Utes from the University of Utah in a much needed confidence builder. Utah Valley pitcher Marcus Moore painted the strike zone as he dominated Utah in the complete game shutout. "He had a lot of confidence, good rhythm and was fluid. He had good defense behind him tonight, too," coach Steve Gardner said. Moore allowed just four hits in the outing and continued his dominance over the University of Utah. For the Wolverines to be successful, they will need more than just Moore to contribute from the mound this season, and finding pitchers has always been a problem amid the cold climate of the state. Moore's shutout was the first for Utah Valley since April 21, 2006. The tough schedule continues and home games will continue to come sparingly for both teams. |