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Show SPORTS B1 FROM THE I 44 Athletic role models or lack thereof PRESTON OLSON/UVU REVIEW The Wolverines started the season poorly in California but are now 3-1 on the road after beating defending national champion Arizona. UVU picked up a big road win against No. 10 Arizona to get back to .500 By Kyle Spencer Sports writer @kyledspencer As junior catcher Court Zollinger squeezed the ball in his mitt, the umpire signaled strike three, and the Wolverines achieved a win against a top-ten team for the second time in as many years. UVU junior closer Brian Whatcott recorded two groundouts in the ninth inning after entering the game with a runner on and no outs. He walked the next batter to bring the tying run to the plate but ended the game with a strikeout for his second save of the season. Whatcott's scoreless inning of relief added to an outstanding night of pitching for the Wolverines. Junior pitcher Andrew Freter started the game and pitched 5.1 strong innings, allowing one unearned run before giving way to senior reliever Jeff Barto who also stifled Arizona batters, combining with Freter to scatter five hits over eight plus innings. "I'm proud of the way we battled tonight. We gave them opportunities but our pitchers did a great job of making big pitches when they needed to," said Head Coach Eric Madsen. "This is a nice early-season win for us against a great program. Coach (Andy) Lopez is one of the best there is in college baseball and we appreciate the opportunity to compete against his club." The win against defending national champion Arizona was UVU's third in four games and comes on the heels of a three- game set in Oregon against the University of Portland. The Wolverines won 7-6 in 10 innings in game one and 3-1 in the second game, before falling 7-3 in the finale. The Wolverines held a 3-2 advantage entering the bottom of the seventh inning during the finale before they surrendered five runs and the lead. However the trip has already restored UVU's By Weston Brierley Sports writer @WestongbPhoto Despite dominate performances from Holton Hunsaker and Ben Aird, the Wolverines men's basketball team came up short on a two-game road trip visiting Houston Baptist and North Dakota State. This marks the sixth straight road loss for the Wolverines where their record is 3-12 on the season. While they have proven to be formidable even against teams like Utah State on the home court, they are struggling to win away from UVU and are slowly losing their chance of competing for the Great West Conference Championship. "We have played on the road 13 of the 16 weeks of college basketball. I don't know if there's a team in the nation that could do that. It's been rough, but that's just the way it is," said Head Coach Dick Hunsaker. "I was real encouraged and real pleased with my kids in how they've competed and fought. There's been no give up in them" The Wolverines came out hot in a critical conference game against Houston Baptist. Led by Hunsaker and Aird who combined for 25 points in the first half, the Wolverines were in control for the majority of the half leading by as much as 10. Despite a three-ball from Caleb Crayton of HBU, which See RESILIENT, B2 See ROLE MODELS, B2 See WOES, B3 PHOTO COURTESY/UVU ATHLETICS Sammie Jensen led UVU to an important road win against Chicago State. Resilient Wolverines inch closer to title By Matthew Baiamonte Sports writer @baiamontematt Ben Aird led the team over the two games with 44 total points. SHANE TRUSKOLASKI/UVU ATHLETICS There comes a moment in every team's run to a champion- @hashtagginalex ship when they must accomplish something that had previously been difficult for them to attain. The Wolverines were able to overcome one of their obstacles while winning at least a share of the conference championship. UVU won its last road game of the season at Chicago State, 63-55 Sammie Jensen led the way with 18 points and 21 See BASEBALL, B2 gave the Huskies a 36-35 lead going into the break, this game was far from out of reach. After going 3-5 from three point range and shooting 50 percent inside the arc to start the game, things seemed to fall apart once the teams retook the floor. A jumper from Holton Hunsaker tied the game at 46 early in the second half, but the Wolverines couldn't keep it up. They held a 38-36 advantage in points in the paint and 15-12 advantage in offensive boards, which led to 14 second-chance points. They managed to turn the ball over nine times in the second half alone making it very difficult to fight back down the stretch. Along with 16 total turnovers, the stat that seems to stand out Wolverines beat Chicago State and win a share of the conference title in the process By Alex Rivera Sports Editor The media has been able to portray athletes as physical gods as they excel in their individual sports. Twitter is making athletes more and more relevant as individuals. YouTube has given fans the opportunity to see our favorite players in their highest moments. Growing up, I had a Derek Jeter poster on my wall; I looked up to him. He was a role model for me, someone who personified leadership and maturity. Even today, the veteran shortstop of the Yankees has held up his image and been able to continue to be a role model for kids. But every role model can't always be a role model. In the wake of Manti Te'o's "catfish" scam, Lance Armstrong's "confession" and the Pacers and Warriors basketball brawl, I have noticed the downfall of athletic role models in our time. More often than not, we see these athletes become as a child, not in a humble and honest way but in an immature and needy way. These athletes whom we are told are role models for our kids are turning less and less into role models and more into divas. In the Golden State at Indiana NBA game on Feb. 26, Roy Hibbert of the Pacers and David Lee of the Warriors got into a shoving match underneath the basket, which resulted in a team on team brawl that went into the stands. Reminds me a lot of when I used to shove my older brother for the last Twinkie, which usually would turn into an all-out brawl between all my brothers that would spill out into the living room. Yet Hibbert and Lee are getting paid millions of dollars to do this on national television. There's the immaturity that these divas are displaying. Then there are the strikes, contract negotiations and substance abuse in sports. Most of it is about money, while the latter is about recognition. Everyone wants to feel wanted, but with contracts getting ridiculously out of control, it is only a matter of time before we're paying these athletes over $30 million a year to play the same game everyone else is playing, all in the Wolverines' road woes continue The Wolverines continue to struggle to win away from UVU this year. With athletes constantly being put in the spotlight, they are also constantly making mistakes ollege Combo Special at Wild al4ustang-present your student ID! Pizza with cBererage ' 7.951 * • %, ide Lira '10" Pepperoni or 5-Cheese Pizza with Beverage $7.95 Sandwiches and Salads including one side only $7.89 SPECIALS 4$1. /111.• w. 1 •IM Watch your favorite sport teams on our ALL while enjoying our great food and specialty rootbeer! Just off 1-15 University Parkway Exit 1250 S 860 W, Orem, UT Phone 801 226 9067 8 HD SCREENS • BBQ RIBS n' WINGS • PIZZA • BURGERS • STEAKS • SANDWICHES • DRAH KuOTBEER • GOURMET PIES |