National Collegiate Athletic Association |
The NCAA News - Briefly in the NewsFebruary 17, 1997
'Bama record takes a tumbleWhen the public thinks of large attendance for college athletics events, it usually thinks of the so-called revenue sports.
But they aren't the only well-attended attractions, as was demonstrated recently at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. On February 1, a capacity crowd of 15,040 packed into Coleman Coliseum to watch the No. 3 Alabama women's gymnastics team take on the nation's No. 1 team, the University of Georgia. It was the fourth-largest crowd in women's college gymnastics history, with the top three crowds all at the University of Utah. Georgia edged Alabama, 196.525-196.350, in the February 1 meeting. Suffice to say that the rematch at Georgia also should be well-attended. Packed house in IIICalvin College officials said that the Division III basketball attendance record would fall January 29 -- and they were right. A Division III record of 11,442 watched at the new Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as Hope College defeated Calvin, 70-56. Tickets for the game sold out seven weeks earlier (see the January 6 issue of The NCAA News). The previous record was 4,237, set in a 1981 men's national-championship game between Augustana College (Illinois) and State University College at Potsdam. It kept going and goingCarnegie Mellon University and the University of Chicago tied an NCAA Division III women's basketball record February 2 by playing four overtime periods. Carnegie Mellon finally won the game, which lasted more than three hours, 79-77. The record was first set by Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps College and Carroll College December 31, 1993. The Carnegie Mellon-Chicago game featured 14 lead changes and nine ties. Eight players fouled out, including five from Carnegie Mellon. "I thought I was in the movie 'Groundhog Day,' " Carnegie Mellon guard Marcelle Steele said. "Everything just seemed to be repeating, over and over and over and over again." Tough openerAnderson College baseball coach Jim Miller isn't afraid to pile on the pressure. Not content to live with the mere stress of coaching his first game at Anderson on February 16, Miller upped the ante by scheduling his opener at Gardner-Webb University, which is coached by Clyde Miller -- his father. First game, road game, coaching against Dad -- without doubt, the pressure trifecta. "People make a lot more out of it than there really is," Joe Miller said. "My players think we talk trash over Christmas dinner about who won last year and who is going to win this year. "(But) nothing is really said." As for the opener, Miller noted that Anderson has played Gardner-Webb every season in recent years, so it's not too far out of the ordinary. However, he admits that the timing was no accident. "I planned this game as our opener," he said.
Throughout February, Sports Illustrated Online is featuring a website -- SIonwomen -- examining women in sports today and throughout history.
The address is:
www.sportsillustrated.com/sionwomen
The centerpiece of the site is the "Pantheon of Pioneers," a hall of fame highlighting women who have made significant contributions to the advancement of women's sport.
One woman will be honored each day. Other features include:
* Women Who Rule -- Tribute to female soccer, basketball and baseball referees and umpires who judge fair play from foul.
* Group Efforts -- A documentary tracing the evolution of women's team sports, including footage of female athletes from the late 1800s to the present.
* Thanks, Guys -- A tribute to men who have helped sportswomen gain a voice and presence in athletics.
Eight student journalists from NCAA member institutions recently were selected as winners of the NCAA-Freedom Forum Sport Journalism Scholarships.
The winners are Amanda Art, University of Southern California; Dave Berger, Duke University; Brian Costello, Pennsylvania State University; Andrew Doyle, Williams College; Sean Jensen, Northwestern University; Courtney Mann, Stanford University; Janie McCauley, Washington State University; and Neal Shulenburger, University of Kansas.
Each winner receives a $3,000 scholarship.
-- Compiled by David Pickle
|