 National Collegiate Athletic Association |
The NCAA News - Briefly in the NewsApril 29, 1996
Trio goes more than extra mileEmory University has three very dedicated student-athletes in Akin Tuboku-Metzger, Rachel Weatherspoon and Vinny Byams. Not only do they go the extra mile for their respective teams, they go quite a ways beyond that. All three are enrolled at Emory's Oxford campus in Covington, Georgia, about 40 miles from the main campus in Atlanta. Oxford College does not compete in intercollegiate athletics, so its students are eligible for competition on Emory's teams.
Getting to practice and games on time often can be
stressful. The three student-athletes "It's pretty tough because of the drive," Byams said. "I could stay later or come earlier to practice if not for the carpooling situation, so that puts me at a little disadvantage, but I still get to (the Atlanta) campus four out of five weekdays." "I didn't think competing at Emory would happen," Tuboku-Metzger said. "But both Oxford and Emory were very supportive last year. Coming in from Oxford to compete does take more commitment, though, since you have to give up almost two hours more than other athletes." Baseball coach Kevin Howard said missed practice time can be tough on a player like Byams; however, Howard compliments the outfielder for his persistence. Howard is so impressed that he once took his team to the Oxford campus for practice and dinner. "It's been tough on Vinny, particularly as a position player," Howard said. "He can't make it in for practice every day, and it's tough to take a day off from hitting. Plus, the drive means that traffic can make him late, missing even more practice time. But I give Vinny a lot of credit for sticking with it. "We went out to Oxford as a team because I wanted the other players to see the distance that Vinny travels. The players really enjoyed the day. We practiced on Oxford's intramural field then ate dinner at their cafeteria. It increased the team's awareness toward Vinny's situation. Now they can empathize with what he's doing. Our players were jealous of Oxford's cafeteria. It's all-you-can-eat, and they are used to having to pay for a la carte dining at the Atlanta campus."
Welcome MattSomeone rolled out a welcome mat and forgot to check the spelling at this year's NCAA Division III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. Four student-athletes named Matt (or the more formal version, Matthew), won national titles. In one event, Matts garnered first-, second- and third-place finishes. Matt Miller of Kenyon College won the 50-yard freestyle championship with a time of 20.61 seconds. Matt Johnson of Johns Hopkins University set a meet record in the 100-yard butterfly with his time of 48.67. Matthew Humphreys of the University of California, Santa Cruz, claimed top honors in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:51.91. Matt Trumbull of Denison University took home the crown in the 400-yard individual medley in 4:00.85, followed closely by Humphreys and Matt Stypul of Trenton State College, who finished second and third, respectively. Brad Tufts, associate athletics director at Bucknell University, noticed the oddity while reading results from the championships and alerted The NCAA News staff.
Literal homecomingRather than subscribing to the old mantra, "There's no place like home," Harvard University's new baseball coach appropriately could have said, "There's no place to call home." Until now.
After 14 years and 402 games in the dugout, including the
first 16 contests of this season, Joe Walsh finally was
treated to a homecoming -- He compiled a 218-167-1 record at Suffolk, despite playing a number of games on the road, while others were contests were played at "neutral" sites. -- Compiled by Ronald D. Mott
MilestonesMILESTONESTerry Alexander, baseball coach at Jacksonville University, registered his 200th victory recently. He became the second coach in the program's history to reach that plateau. Dan Kubacki, baseball coach at Youngstown State University, recorded his 100th win in a 7-4 victory March 27 over West Virginia University. He is in his fifth season leading the program. Carthage College baseball coach Augie Schmidt won his 200th career game March 17 against Kalamazoo College. Jim Brownlee, baseball coach at the University of Evansville, won his 500th career game April 7. He is in his 17th season there. Northwestern University women's softball coach Sharon Drysdale registered victory No. 500 in the Wildcats' 4-1 victory over Loyola University (Illinois) April 10. She is in her 22nd year of coaching. Baylor University women's tennis coach David Luedtke claimed his 100th victory in his ninth season there. The milestone occurred March 20 in a defeat of the University of Texas at San Antonio. John Morrey, fourth-year baseball coach at Xavier University (Ohio), reached his 650th victory in his 17th season overall as a college coach with a 6-0 win over Miami University (Ohio) March 26. Fairfield University baseball coach John Slosar recorded his 200th career victory April 6 in a 9-2 win in the opener of a double-header against St. Peter's College. Slosar is in his 12th campaign there. Sheilah Lingenfelter, women's softball coach at Wittenberg University, posted her 200th career victory April 17 in a 6-5 defeat of Heidelberg College. She is in her sixth season at Wittenberg; her 10th overall. Florida State University baseball coach Mike Martin reached the 900-victory plateau in April. Steve Kittrell, baseball coach at the University of South Alabama, recorded his 500th career victory against Western Kentucky University. Le Moyne College baseball coach Dick Rockwell won his 750th career game as his squad blanked Cornell University, 4-0. Kennesaw State College baseball coach Mike Sansing earned his 300th victory with an 11-10 win over the University of Alabama, Huntsville. |
commute to Atlanta from three to
five times weekly and are forced to carpool because not
all three own vehicles. Each afternoon, Tuboku-Metzger, a
sophomore sprinter; Weatherspoon, a freshman thrower; and
Byams, a freshman outfielder, head to the main campus.