Sports

Mountaineers gear up for Southern Conference title defense
Chris Kinner
News Editor

The Appalachian State University women’s basketball team, coming off a 24-6 campaign that landed them in the NCAA tournament a season ago, has its priorities straight.

"The NCAA’s - that’s our goal," said Head Basketball Coach Linda Robinson. ASU wants to get back to the big dance and perform better than they did versus Alabama in last March’s tourney, when the Mountaineers stumbled to a 95-66 defeat.

Robinson’s team surely has the opportunity to achieve this goal, as they return three starters, all seniors, from last year’s record-setting squad. Appalachian went through last season unscathed in Southern Conference play at 17-0, including three wins in the Southern Conference Tournament in Greensboro. "We’re not hung up on (having) to win the league again or go undefeated," said Robinson. "That’s not our mission at all."

The team was led by guard Shannon Spencer, a floor leader whose presence will be sorely missed by the Apps. Robinson looks to sophomore guard Cara Sims to fill Spencer’s void. She, along with many other Appalachian players, stayed in Boone for all or parts of the summer to polish her game.

ASU will rely, however, on three seniors. Center Andreia Hinton, forward Melissa Davis, and guard Meredith Thompson will be counted on to lead Appalachian in its defense of the league crown.

Hinton, at 6-1, led the Mountaineers in points per game last season with 15.5 and was second on the team in rebounding with 6.6 per contest. She led the Mountaineers in scoring in 13 out of 30 games, all of which she started.

Davis led the Mountaineers in rebounding with 6.7 boards per game. The 5-9 forward also scored 12.4 points per game, led the team in field goal percentage at .510, and connected on 45 of 98 three point attempts for a .459 percentage. She, like Hinton, started all 30 games in 1995-’96.

Thompson, a 5-11 backcourt player, scored 8.5 points per game, grabbed six rebounds and one steal per game. She will play in the backcourt along with sophomores Erica Mathies and Sims, and senior Leigh Jones, who shot 71 percent from the charity stripe last season.

Freshmen guards Noel Dolan and Eva Hegerova may make an immediate impact on the Mountaineers backcourt. Freshmen played often for the Apps last season, receiving an average of 8.2 minutes per game. They will likely play as much this year.

Hegerova, a 5-10 player from Trencin, Slovakia, is capable of handling the ball and can play either guard slot or forward position. "She has more skills than I (had) realized," said Robinson. "She can be a real nice Southern Conference player," she said.

Another key factor in the success of ASU this season will be the performance of junior center Tiana Tate. She is in excellent physical condition, according to Robinson. Her 5.0 points per game will be needed to help account for the Mountaineers’ interior offense. Tate also shot 76 percent from the free throw line last season.

Sophomore forwards Beth Schoolfield and Tamara Stewart and freshmen frountcourt players Tiffany Chappell and Deirdre Sallee will also see action as the Mountaineers prepare for their first game in the preseason NIT at N.C. State Nov. 15.

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Appalachian not the only title contender
Marshall picked to knock off App at top
Justin Griffin
Reporter

In yet another action packed year, the Appalachian State women’s basketball team will look to be at the top of the standings in the Southern Conference. The top ranked team, as determined by the Southern Conference women’s coaches poll, will be Marshall. The two should battle it out for the regular season and tournament crowns again this year.

Coming back for Marshall will be two consecutive Southern Conference freshman of the year players in Natal Rosko, who won the award for the 1994-’95 season and was redshirted last year, and Kristina Benfelt, the ’95-’96 recipient of the award. Also giving opponents headaches will be Louisville transfer Erika Fall, whose towering six foot seven body should give opposing offenses headaches under the basket as they try to sneak a lay-up in.

Sarah Moore, Head Coach of the Herd, had this to say about her pre-season number one ranking: "It is very flattering and I know that the girls will pick up the paper today and see it, and I’ll let them enjoy it for a little while, and we’ll get back to work."

Closer to home, Appalachian was projected to finish second in the league. Three starters return for Appalachian from a team that was perfect in conference play during the season and walked away with the conference tournament and regular season titles. Of the returning starters, Andrea Hinton is looked upon with the most fear. Coaches tremble at the thought of Hinton. Head Coach John Filair of Davidson had this to say about Hinton: "She hurts me, and my players!" Appalachian will be more than ready for SC opponents after taking on a non-conference schedule that includes ACC foes North Carolina State, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, with the latter two coming to Boone.

Davidson is a team that will be good this year and perhaps even better next year according to Filair. The bench is 12 deep and is "the best its been since I’ve been here." Davidsons’ attack will be mainly from the bonusphere. The green light from three-point land has been given to everyone on the team, even the center. As for the question about the team leader, Filair quipped, "Whoever is hot that particular night will be the one who gets the job done."

Georgia Southern looks to pick up from last season after changing coaches and make a smooth transition into the ’96-’97 season. The team leader will be senior forward Tarsha Askew who averaged 11.7 points a game last season. The Lady Eagles will return four starters and two valuable reserves. New Head Coach Rusty Cram, while insisting that his team is looking to win the championship, prefers to look forward to the future of his program. "We feel like we’re in good shape for the next couple of years" said Cram.

Tennessee-Chattanooga will be returning most of what was perhaps one of the youngest teams in the conference last year. Leading the Moccasins will be the trio of Valerie Singleton, Spring Thompson, and Rebecca Rogers. Head Coach Craig Parrot said, "We are the same team we were last season, only a year older."

If there was ever a dark horse in the conference, it’s East Tennessee State. Many of the coaches in the conference look for the Lady Bucs to surprise, due in great part to the fact that ETSU has relatively unknown talent. No one really knows what to look for out of ETSU. Leading the Mocs will be sophomore forward Rachel Glass. Glass’ freshman year was cut short due to a knee injury the game before the conference schedule started. The Buccaneers have five sophomores on their roster altogether along with three freshmen, making them one of the youngest teams in the conference.

Furman, after a lackluster season last year, will attempt to put the pieces back together this season with four starters and a valuable reserve in returning sophomore guard Heidi White. Coach Sherry Carter is looking to 6’3 center Elizabeth Noethling to lead the team. Carter looks for things to pick up this year. "We definitely will be much improved with the talent level. Now we just need to gain experience," said Carter.

Western Carolina will finish out the basement of the conference. Coach Gary Peter’s goal is to be competitive in every game and yes, to beat Appalachian State University. Western Carolina is in the midst of a dry spell when it comes to beating ASU. The Mountaineers lead the series 18-42 all-time. A big question for the Catamounts will be their front court, where WCU has two freshman centers in Willow Russell and Lori Hamment.

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Apps get ready to battle WCU for Old Mountain Jug
Kathy Beam
Staff Writer

This Saturday, the Appalachian State University football team will hit the astroturf for the first time in two weeks. The battle will take place at 2:00 p.m. in Cullowhee, where the Mountaineers will face off against the Western Carolina Catamounts to battle for the prized Old Mountain Jug.

Appalachian State has had a weekend to organize and rest. "I can’t tell you one way or the other about whether an open date helps you or hurts you in winning the next game, but I do know we needed a week to heal some wounds, get some players healthy, and have a chance to catch our breath," said Coach Jerry Moore. So far, Appalachian State is 5-4 overall and 3-3 in Southern Conference play.

Western Carolina is 4-6 overall, but only 1-6 in the conference. They are coming off a 45-28 win against Elon College last weekend.

Since 1985, the Mountineers have led the series 11-0, which Sports Illustrated has called "The best football rivalry you never heard of." Appalachian State has won 14 of the last 18 meetings, including Appalachian’s 28-3 victory last year in which running back Damon Scott rushed for an incredible 205 yards and three touchdowns to carry the Mountaineers to victory.

The series is the oldest on the Mountaineers schedule. The two teams have faced off every season since 1932 except for the four years during World War II. Appalachian won the first 13 contests in the series and allowed the Catamounts just two points in the first seven meetings. The Mountaineers have also shut out Western Carolina in ten times in their series.

Moore, who is 7-0 all-time against the Catamounts in his tenure at Appalachian, says that "We expect to face a high-spirited Western team." Look for the Western Carolina offense to be pretty balanced, with a little more emphasis on rushing. Western Carolina has run the ball 395 times this year for 1363 yards.

Appalachian will focus their attack primarily to the ground. Scott, Appalachian’s leading rusher, should be a big factor again this week. He already has 1139 yards rushing in nine games.

However, he is coming off a shoulder strain which could hinder his performance. Scott said that his shoulder has been binded all week, but he is still expected to start. The good news is that Scott has proven he can play with injury. Two weeks ago against UTC he ran for 154 and two touchdowns on 42 carries while suffering from the same injury. In fact, Scott wasn’t even slated to play in that game, but convinced Moore before the game that he felt O.K.

The game should be a good one despite the 43-16-1 series advantage that ASU holds. As Moore said, "Stats and records don’t have much bearing on Appalachian/Western Carolina games."

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Apps finish up disappointing season with loss to Davidson
David Jackson
Staff Writer

Not enough scoring and many missed opportunities proved to be the downfall of the Appalachian men’s soccer team. After being doubled up in the goal column this season by their opponents, 50-25, the Mountaineers concluded the season with a 2-1 loss to Davidson in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament in Greenville Friday afternoon.

After jumping out to an early 1-0 lead, Wildcat forward Robert Clarke misfired on a penalty kick, giving Appalachian new life early in the second half. However, Clarke would not falter on his next scoring opportunity as he blasted a shot past Mountaineer goalie Brandon James to extend the lead to 2-0.

Appalachian clawed their way back into the contest at the 79:02 mark as senior forward Jason Asher found the back of the net off a pass from freshman Will Vick, cutting the Davidson lead in half. Appalachian had several opportunities to tie the contest in the closing minutes of regulation but could not convert as Davidson hung on for the 2-1 victory, and a spot in the tournament semifinals.

The loss ends the Mountaineers season with a 5-14 overall record. The five wins marked the lowest single season total since 1970, when the team captured two wins out of 10 contests. Even with a lackluster overall performance, the team’s 3-3 record in Southern Conference action marked the fourth consecutive winning season in league play.

Sophomores Jeremy Marsh and Naoshi Yamauchi tied atop the team scoring and point categories by each compiling six goals and 13 points. James led team goalkeepers with 12 starts, 1140 minutes, 83 saves, and three shutouts.

Even though the season was a disappointment, Head Coach Art Rex and his staff are looking forward to the 1997 season. The Southern Conference will undergo a facelift over the summer as the league bids farewell to the Thundering Herd of Marshall and welcomes UNC-Greensboro and Wofford.

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Four Apps named all-SC
David Jackson
Staff Writer

Four Appalachian State University soccer players were named to their respective All-Southern Conference teams Friday afternoon. Senior Kevin Turner, and sophomores Mark Hemphill and Naoshi Yamauchi nailed down the awards for the men while junior Farrell O’Quinn received the award on the women’s squad.

Turner captured his third consecutive All-Conference award. He is the 16th player in the team’s history to accomplish three or more consecutive all-conference awards. John Nesbitt previously held that distinction, capturing All-Southern Conference honors in 1991, ’92, and ’93.

Turner ranked fourth on the team in points this season with seven. Hemphill and Yamauchi earned all-conference laurels for the second consecutive season. Hemphill led the team in shots this season with 51 and ranked fifth in points with six. Yamauchi finished the season tied for the team lead in points with 13 and goals with six.

Junior Farrell O’Quinn became the third member of the women’s soccer team in the brief, three year history of the program to earn all-conference honors. She ranked second on the team in points with 11. O’Quinn has started in all 57 matches in women’s soccer history.

Junior forward Ryan Higgenbothum of Furman and junior goalkeeper Allison Noznesky of Davidson earned Southern Conference player of the year laurels. Freshman of the year honors were handed out to Furman’s Peter Slobodyan and Georgia Southern’s Tara Chaisson while Furman men’s Head Coach Doug Allison and Georgia Southern women’s Head Coach Tom Norton earned Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors.

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Women’s soccer defeated by Wildcats
Danny Sink
Staff Writer

The Lady Mountaineeers started their Southern Conference Soccer Tournament off on the right foot this past Saturday defeating the Lady Moccasins of Tennessee-Chattanooga in the first round. The party was short lived, however, as the ladies from Davidson made short work of the Apps on Sunday in a 10-0 blowout.

On Saturday, the Mountaineers put it to the team from Chatanooga with a routing 6-2 display. The Mountaineers racked up 21 shots on goal against the Moccasins, who retaliated with only six of their own.

The star of the game for Appalachian was Ashton Robinson, who put three balls in the back of the net in the first half of the game and had an assist to Katie Hand in the second. Not to be ovelooked was Gretchen Cross of UTC who had two goals of her own, one in the first half and another in the the second accounting for all of the Moccasins scoring.

On Sunday, the stark reality of Davidson put a damper on the high spirits of the Mountaineer team. The Wildcats came into the game with confidence and it showed. In the opening half, Davidson jumped out to a 5-0 lead, with two goals off the foot of Amy Balsinger.

The ‘Cats showed no mercy in the second half as the beating continued. By the time the final whistle blew, the Mountaineers had been held without a score while Davidson racked up the equivalent of a touchdown and a field goal for the 10-0 win.

If it is any consolation, the Wildcats did not stop with the Mountaineers. Davidson advanced into the final against Georgia Southern and won their third consecutive tournament title. The game was a close one though, with Davidson edging out a one-point victory over a strong Eagles team.

For ASU, the season was still a sucess. The team set a program record for wins with five as they finished their season with a 5-15-2 record overall and 3-5-1 in the the conference. All three of their league victories came at the hands of the Moccasins.

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