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Show INSIDE L.I'. ." ' \ ' W -:> i l i I ' - 1 ',./ sports onu woiverinegreen.com Cinderella story has h ending for U , KJRA TERRY Asst. Sports editor Weeks ago Utah Valley women's basketball team went into the Great West Conference tournament as the sixth seed, the underdog, and came out on top as the champion. No it wasn't a dream you had - it really did happen. After a rough season with a team consisting of six returning players and six freshmen, you may ask how they pulled it off? "We just peaked at the right time," said coach Cathy Nixon. "The girls kept working hard all year in practice and we continued to improve. In the tournament they refused to lose. The cohesiveness of their effort and focus combined with their intensity on the court carried us to the championship." The lady Wolverines started the tournament in a game against No. 3 seed Chicago State, a team they had already faced twice this season in two losses. Senior Asumi Nakayama scored a career-high 26 points and sophomore Jenna Johnson put in 21 points to lead the team in scoring and secure them the win. Winning game one put them into the semi-finals against the No. 2 seed Tex- as-Pan American. They had also faced the lady Broncs twice during the season, taking a loss each time. Utah Valley came back from the 10-point lead UTPA had on them going into the half. The Wolverines scored 51 points in the second 20 minutes, giving them the 72-56 victory and sending the lady Broncs home and Utah Valley into the championship game. "We knew we would have to play well to beat North Dakota, but I think the girls felt confident. We had a good game plan and focused on defending their strengths and rebounding. Those two factors won us the game," said Nixon. It was the same story going into the championship game against No. 1 seeded North Dakota, after taking two losses to them during the season. Utah Valley used its late success to push them to the top winning.the championship game 70-62. "This team just loves each other. They talked about wanting to play together as long as possible. We felt we had unfinished business and that we had not reached our potential," said Nixon. "The girls wanted to prove that we were a team that could be competitive in the Great West." Courtesy of UVU athletics department Senior Asuml Nakayama cuts down the net, as the Wolverines were crowned GWC tournament champs. UVU wrestlers perform at nationals MATTBEAUDIN Sports editor DAVE IBA/UVU Review UVU sent three wrestlers to nationals for the first time in school history. UVU made history by participating in the madness of March for the first time in school history as three wrestlers qualified for the National Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Neb. Ben Kjar, Flint Ray and Brad Dap rington each made the trip to Nebraska to grapple with the best-of-the-best with hopes of a national championship on the horizon. "Our goal was to not just be happy with going'to the conference tournament but to get some guys to nationals," said UVU wrestling coach Greg Williams. " We are very pleased to have three guys here." Like a team in the NCAA basketball tournament for the first time the Wolverine wrestlers didn't want to rely on the silver lining of making it to the tournament, they wanted to make some noise too. On the first day of competition Ben Kjar (125) won his first match over Harvard's Steven Kieth 4-0. He went on to face the No. 5 seed from • Iowa State Andrew Long and suffered a 4-0 defeat, dropping him to the Wrestleback bracket. Down to single elimination Kjar was matched up against an old foe that he had beaten earlier in the season in Ohio State's Nikko Triggas. Scoreless through two periods, Nikko jumped on top and rolled to the win 4-0 eliminating Kjar from the tournament. Flint Ray (133) and Brad Darrington (174) also recorded wins at the tournament but each found themselves in the Wrestleback Bracket where their tournament runs would come to an end. "All three of our guys ' believed that they could place here and that is why they are here and wrestling at, this level," Williams said. "All- : three will be back and have another chance to get here again next year and if we can correct those weaknesses and work hard on those things, all three have a chance to place here" March Madness seizes workplace, campus I TYSON CAMP Sports writer There are plenty of reasons to like March: Mother Nature starts to usher out Old Man Winter; a certain Irish-themed holiday provides an excuse to party on a Wednesday and college students are given leave to engage themselves in various ' forms of debauchery, the likes of which may result in an ill-advised tramp stamp or an upcoming paternity test. But there's one thing that happens every year in March that slows America to a nearhalt, literally. March Madness. It's the time when a mix of tradition-rich basketball programs and over-achieving Cinderella lookalikes gather to take part in a 65-team whirlwind of a college basketball tournament. It's an annual phenomenon that takes the country by storm and captivates even the most casual of sports fans. And now it also has many concerned with the productivity of employees, thanks to the Internet and the ever-popular office pools. With many of the first-round games taking place during business hours, millions of workers are drawn to their TVs, their computers and now their phones to catch the latest game, while it's taking place. The consulting firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas recently predicted that an estimated $1.8 billion will be spent on unproductive wages as a direct result of the tournament. And that's just in the first week alone. The Chicago-based firm said the number is based on every employee wasting 20 minutes a day watching parts of a game. With more than 58 million workers expected to participate in office pools, those minutes can add up. But some people don't understand what all the fuss is about. "People waste that much time, if not more, on a normal day," an anonymous office worker said. "If it isn't March Madness, it's YouTube or Facebook." This stoppage not only takes place in the workforce, but naturally on college campuses as well. One doesn't need to go far at UVU before he or she sees a cinder of students around an open laptop with a live game streaming. Kyle Flanagan, a student at UVU, said he does whatever is necessary to stay updated. "I've got three brackets in three different pools," he said. "I'm constantly checking my phone for scores, even in class." Employers and professors can rest assured though. After the initial slew of games, workers will be back at their desks feverishly working on spreadsheets, students will be valiantly perusing their textbooks and all will be well with the universe. And now if you'll excuse me, I need to go check my bracket. V |
