Athlete's art is Olympic effort

Megan Russell, a senior soccer student-athlete at the University of Southern Indiana, has a chance to go to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney -- as an artist.

Russell recently won the bronze medal in the sculpture division of the international Olympic Art & Sport Contest for her piece, "Frustration," a part of her "Hot Competitions" collection.

The piece that was chosen is a tennis racket, carved from ash, that appears to be melting. Her piece will now move to the next round of competition at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The winning artists will be announced in March.

An art major on track to graduate in May, Russell concluded her athletics career at Southern Indiana as a 1998 Na- tional Soccer Coaches Association of America second-team all-American.

"Megan shows her excellence in all activities," said women's soccer coach Bill Wilkins. "The fact that she can be recognized as an all-American and as an accomplished artist at the same time shows her dedication to all facets of her life."

A team captain in each of her four years, Russell also helped lead Southern Indiana to the NCAA Division II tournament quarterfinal in 1998.

"Russell has been an exceptional student and works so hard at whatever she is doing, whether athletically or in class," said John McNaughton, one of her professors in the Southern Indiana art department. "There is no quit in her, and at times I have to try and slow her down, which is hard to do."

McNaughton said the entire school was honored by Russell's excellent showing in the international art competition. "We've had some big-time accomplishments over the years, but not as big as this."

The Cultural Commission of the IOC launched the Olympic Art and Sport Contest as part of the celebration the IOC is organizing for the new millennium.

"It was an honor to be chosen to represent the University of Southern Indiana," Russell said. "The feeling was great after finding out that I had won the bronze medal, because now I am representing the United States as a whole."

Shooting disrupts game

Members of the Truman State University women's basketball team had quite a scare recently when many were witnesses to a shooting that left five people dead in a Tampa hotel.

None of Truman's players, coaches or support staff staying at the hotel were injured in the December 30 shooting, which took place right after the team's pregame meal.

Witnesses reported that a hotel employee opened fire on his coworkers, killing four. Another person was fatally wounded when the shooter attempted a carjacking after the incident. Another bystander escaped injury by handing his car keys to the gunman.

The Truman team had been scheduled to play Eckerd College later that day, but the game was canceled after the shooting. Counseling was made available to Truman players, coaches and team support staff.

The hotel also was full of Purdue University fans -- none of whom was injured -- in town for their team's New Year's Day Outback Bowl contest against the University of Georgia.

The suspect was later apprehended by police as he attempted to escape in the stolen car.

UNLV hosts career fair

Student-athletes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, were able to learn more about the real world at the school's inaugural Student-Athlete Career Fair recently.

The fair, an idea prompted by the university's Student-Athlete Advisory Board, gave student-athletes the chance to create professional connections with potential employers.

Student-athletes gathered information on internships, summer employment and career opportunities with employers.

They also had the chance to participate in informal interviews and question-and-answer sessions with the employers, which included the U.S. Secret Service, Coca-Cola Bottling, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and the Infinity Broadcasting Corporation.

"UNLV is committed to preparing student-athletes for life after athletics," said Eric Toliver, assistant athletics director and coordinator of the university's CHAMPS/Life Skills program. "This type of activity was a big eye-opener for a lot of our student-athletes."

--Compiled by Kay Hawes

Number crunching

1999 Most-Improved Football Teams

Division I-A

Team -- 1998 -- 1999 -- Imp.

Hawaii -- 0-12 -- 9-4 -- 8.5

Illinois -- 3-8 -- 8-4 -- 4.5

Stanford -- 3-8 -- 8-4 -- 4.5

Michigan St. -- 6-6 -- 10-2 -- 4.0

Houston -- 3-8 -- 7-4 -- 4.0

Boston College -- 4-7 -- 8-4 -- 3.5

Wake Forest -- 3-8 -- 7-5 -- 3.5

Division I-AA

Team -- 1998 -- 1999 -- Imp.

Stephen F. Austin -- 3-8 -- 8-3 -- 5.0

James Madison -- 3-8 -- 8-4 -- 4.5

Elon -- 5-6 -- 9-2 -- 4.0

Valparaiso -- 5-6 -- 9-2 -- 4.0

Youngstown St. -- 6-5 -- 12-3 -- 4.0

Robert Morris -- 4-6 -- 8-2 -- 4.0

Delaware St. -- 0-11 -- 4-7 -- 4.0

Furman -- 5-6 -- 9-3 -- 3.5

Division II

Team -- 1998 -- 1999 -- Imp.

Mars Hill -- 1-10 -- 7-4 -- 6.0

Hillsdale -- 3-8 -- 8-3 -- 5.0

Southwestern Okla. -- 0-10 -- 5-5 -- 5.0

Ky. Wesleyan -- 2-7 -- 7-4 -- 4.0

Ark.-Monticello -- 0-11 -- 4-7 -- 4.0

Catawba -- 6-4 -- 11-2 -- 3.5

Merrimack -- 3-6 -- 7-3 -- 3.5

Moorhead St. -- 3-7 -- 7-4 -- 3.5

Division III

Team -- 1998 -- 1999 -- Imp.

Ursinus -- 3-7 -- 10-2 -- 6.0

Bridgewater (Va.) -- 0-10 -- 5-5 -- 5.0

Wilmington (Ohio) -- 4-6 -- 9-1 -- 5.0

MIT -- 1-8 -- 6-4 -- 4.5

Western Conn. St. -- 5-5 -- 10-1 -- 4.5

Thomas More -- 3-7 -- 7-3 -- 4.0

Wis.-Platteville -- 1-9 -- 5-5 -- 4.0

Menlo -- 2-8 -- 5-4 -- 3.5

Sewanee -- 2-7 -- 6-4 -- 3.5

St. Norbert -- 5-5 -- 9-2 -- 3.5