The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

March 16, 1997

Men's gymnastics coach Douglas VanEveren was struck by a wacky idea a couple of years ago.

Now, "wacky" is not a term that is often used in the same sentence with the U.S. Military Academy, but it's a good one to describe VanEveren, Army's gymnastics coach, who calls himself the "crazy coach from California."

Fortunately for VanEveren, he's also successful, and his success has won him some ability to do things differently when necessary.

At West Point, team photos often are taken next to statues or in some other dignified setting.

VanEveren wanted something different. He wanted the team photo taken underwater. It wasn't up there with his desire to win, or his commitment to his student-athletes. But gosh, VanEveren thought, wouldn't an underwater team photo be neat?

Four years later, VanEveren has his wish. This year's team photo is a memorable one that has brought him calls from gymnastics media all across the country.

VanEveren's first underwater attempts were foiled by a variety of logistical details. The first attempts were so dark you couldn't see the gymnasts. Finally, with the help of an underwater photographer and special lights, it all worked.

They sank all the equipment about eight feet deep in the West Point swimming pool. Equipment that wasn't heavy enough to stay put had weights placed on it.

Most of the gymnasts either held onto the heavy equipment or used weight belts. VanEveren used an underwater breathing apparatus, as did a few others.

"We figured out on land where everyone should go," VanEveren said. "Then when we got to the pool, guys had to go down, take their pose, wait for the bubbles to dissipate, and then wait for the flash to go off before they surfaced for another breath."

While the photo may be the oddest thing VanEveren has done since he took over the Army program eight years ago, it's not the most memorable. Under his tutelage, Army has had a cadet qualify for the NCAA gymnastics championships six of the last seven years. A school-record four gymnasts made the trip in 1994.

Army competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a competitive conference whose men's gymnastics teams constitute more than 40 percent of the 25 NCAA members sponsoring the sport at the varsity level.

VanEveren has developed two all-Americans along with four Eastern champions, who have claimed six titles.

VanEveren has also made an impact on his peers, who voted him the 1993 East regional coach of the year.

Not bad for a crazy coach from California.

Gymnasts hit the tube

Thanks in part to a conference grant from the U.S. Olympic Committee, the Eastern College Athletic Conference men's gymnastics championship will be televised for the first time.

Hosted by the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, the ECAC championship will be carried as a delayed broadcast on five major sports networks and one independent station.

More than 18 million homes across the Eastern seaboard will be able to tune in.

Preliminary team and all-around competition begins March 27, with the event finals scheduled for March 28.

More information, including a schedule of broadcast times, can be obtained from John Garner, ECAC assistant commissioner, at 508/771-5060.

Home-run streak ends

One of the most amazing streaks in college baseball history is over.

Louisiana State University's consecutive-game home-run streak recently was snapped at 77 games when the University of Texas at Austin held Tiger hitters in check during a 7-5 Longhorn victory.

This incredible streak featured 202 home runs over 77 games, an average of 2.62 home runs per game.

The last time the Tigers didn't get a home run in a game was against the University of Florida on June 6, 1996, during the College World Series.

The streak began two days later with a home run by Warren Morris in the 1996 national-championship game against the University of Miami (Florida). LSU hit home runs in all 70 of its games in 1997, and the Tigers hit at least one home run in their first six games this year.

-- Compiled by Kay Hawes

Division II notes

Milestones: Coaches -- Deirdre Kane, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, 200 victories in women's basketball .... Claudette Charney, Grand Valley State University, 250 victories in women's basketball .... Wayne Winstead, Northwest Missouri State University, 300 victories in women's basketball (852 victories including high-school basketball) .... Rich Zvosec, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, 100 victories in men's basketball.

Teams -- State University of New York at Stony Brook, 500 victories in men's basketball .... Francis Marion University, 600 victories in baseball.

Miscellaneous: NCAA Executive Director Cedric W. Dempsey recently reported to chief executive officers at Division II institutions that the NCAA provided financial resources totaling $9.17 million to Division II during 1996-97 and that the division is guaranteed revenue of approximately $62.6 million over the next five years, including a projected $11.12 million in 1997-98. He cited the figures in a letter accompanying the 1997 NCAA Financial Report, which was mailed February 6 to Division II CEOs. The financial report also reveals that 5,800 student-athletes from 182 Division II institutions (65 percent of the division's membership) participated in championships during 1997-98.

Teams at the University of North Dakota won conference championships in four sports during the final weekend of February. The school's women's basketball, women's swimming and diving, and men's swimming and diving teams won North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, while the men's ice hockey team won the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.