April 8, 1997

Apps drop twinbill to Wofford; rained out with A&T
David Jackson
Staff Writer

The Appalachian baseball squad could not catch a break over the weekend.

After dropping a doubleheader to Wofford Saturday afternoon, which extended the team's current losing streak to nine games, the rains came and washed out Sunday's scheduled twin bill with North Carolina A&T.

The Terriers, who posted 20 runs in the two contests, jumped out in front of the Mountaineers early in the opening game. Benji Renfrow slapped his first of four hits on the afternoon into right field, later scoring on a Roy Jacques single to give Wofford a 1-0 lead in the first.

Mountaineer hurler Norm Vest and his supporting cast prevented the Terriers from doing further damage in the opening frame. Luke Fowler fired a strike from center field, nailing Wofford's Blue Pittman at the plate for the inning's second out. Vest then got Matt Wells to strike out, leaving two Terrier runners in scoring position.

Wofford extended their lead to 6-0 before the Mountaineers got on the board. In the home half of the third, Kenny Osborne cracked his team-leading thirteenth home run, driving in Andy Cheek, which cut the Terrier lead to 6-2. Shane Sigmon followed with his ninth dinger of the year, bringing the score to 6-3.

But the Terriers used a six-run sixth inning to distance themselves from Appalachian. With two on and none out, Mountaineer third baseman Shane Sigmon made a charging play on a bunt off the bat of Renfrow, only to have the throw skip off the glove of Kenny Osborne and into right field, scoring the two runners.

The Mountaineers rallied for six runs in the final two innings, capped off by a two-out, three-run homer by Dave Malecki in the bottom of the ninth, bringing the score to 13-9. Wofford's Lee Long got catcher Skip Travers to fly out, ending the Appalachian rally. Long went the distance for the Terriers, allowing 15 hits while walking two and striking out three Mountaineer batters. Vest took the loss for Appalachian, dropping his record to 2-4.

Game two saw the Mountaineers jump out to an early 5-1 lead. After a lead-off triple from Fowler, Pete Snitzer knocked the fourth Appalachian home run of the afternoon to spark the outburst.

Snitzer struck again to lead off the second, ripping his second hit of the game off of Wofford starter Greg Norris. Sigmon doubled in Snitzer to extend the Mountaineer lead to 6-1.

But then Norris and Terrier reliever Robbie Klomparens shut down the Appalachian offense, scattering one hit over the final 5 1/3 innings.

Meanwhile the Wofford bats came alive, producing two runs in the top of the fourth, cutting the score to 6-3. Arron Price evened the score with a two-out, three-run double in the top of the fifth inning.

The Terriers got the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth, again with two outs. After Mountaineer pitcher Cliff Cameron retired the first two Wofford batters in order, Jacques knocked a double and Rad Deaton followed with the eventual game-winning single, giving the Terriers a 7-6 lead.

Appalachian staged one last rally in the bottom of the seventh. Chris Behne grounded out to Klomparens with the tying run on third base, ending the game and extending the Mountaineers losing streak to nine.

The two losses dropped Appalachian to 10-25 on the season. Most importantly, Marshall took two out of three games from East Tennessee State in a weekend Southern Conference series, pulling the Thundering Herd to within ten percentage points of the Mountaineers in the race for the eighth and final seed in the Southern Conference Tournament, to be played in Charleston, S.C. at the end of the month.

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Wealth: Is it worth the side effects?
Rob Holiday
Reporter

As another college basketball season draws to a close, coaches, players, and fans are faced with the questions that typically arise this time of year. "Who is on the All-American team?" "Does the tournament victor have what it takes to be a contender next year?" "Which players are returning?" "Who does coach have coming in for next season?"

While these queries, along with many others, carry importance in the basketball world, the latter two have become increasingly imperative in recent years. A player's once sure-fire return to school is not as definite as it once was; high school talent doesn't always continue to the next level. In their early departure to the NBA, many basketball players not only affect themselves, but cause a negative wave of impact on something that is already in need of repair: the education of America's youth.

Participants in the NBA draft cite many different reasons for discontinuing or altogether bypassing their time in the realm of university life. Some feel that their academic motivations are too low for the classroom; others desire the challenge presented in the high competition of the professional ranks; many hope to provide better lives for their families with heightened yearly salaries.

The most apparent factor in this influx of young talent centers on something that seems to grow in importance daily: money. As if waiting for years for inevitable money is too long, many players as of late have reduced the waiting period to months, entering the NBA draft straight from high school. It started in 1995 with Kevin Garnett; Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal have since skipped college, with Durham senior Tracy McGrady slated to do the same this year. Wealth and fame seem to prevail over the once highly sought success in the world of college basketball.

Wake Forest senior Tim Duncan, by putting off the NBA and the accompanying wealth until the completion of his senior year, has earned first team All-America, ACC Player of the Year, and National Player of the Year honors, not to mention perfecting his overall game and enticing even more draft interest by NBA franchises. Duncan, armed with a college degree, will be able to be more of a professional success than he would have been otherwise all because he put his collegiate tenure before the multi-figured salaries of the NBA.

As the work force grows larger and more competitive, the importance of some form of higher education increases. In many professions, a bachelor's degree isn't sufficient; a master's degree or doctorate is often required. Although they will most likely make millions upon millions of dollars when they sign a professional contract, early entries into the NBA cannot eliminate the potential for career-ending injuries or contract termination. By remaining in college to earn a degree, or even returning over the summer to obtain it, players can safeguard themselves from the possibility of employment sans a college degree.

It is not secret that the youth of America are currently in dire straits. In a society plagued with drug abuse, excessive violence, and other forms of immorality, young people can encounter increasingly difficult times. A positive outlet that some of these troubled youths have is a role model. This person, whose actions are often mirrored by adoring children, can be quite influential.

In the public eye with frequency, athletes are often heroes in the eyes of youth across the country. When a star player decides that money is more important to him than education, he sends a message to his young fans. Children wonder why they should be concerned with their education when the person the admire most doesn't seem too worried about his. Not yet realizing the low percentages of players who go on to play professionally, kids see their heroes making a lot of money without academic devotion—many feel that they can do the same.

Motivating America's schoolchildren to perform their best in the classroom is already a difficult problem; the downplay of education by those in the media spotlight only makes the problem worse. It seems to be a bit of a contradiction that a league which so avidly sponsors "Stay in School" functions can virtually condone a shift away from academic integrity by signing players who barely, if at all, graduate high school.

Seeing this alarming trend, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, led by Duke coach Mike Kryzewski, has called for a summit between amateur league coaches, high school coaches, and the NBA to discuss the problem and devise solutions. In the great scheme of things, an education, within anyone's grasp, carries greater importance than most other accomplishments, regardless of their magnitude.

Money, as important as it is in today's society, doesn't always guarantee success. If not invested or managed properly, a fortune can deplete. Independent of financial or economic climates, the vast knowledge acquired in education remains intact. Hopefully one day star athletes, when NBA draft entry time comes around, will realize the value of education and return to academics, postponing the fame and fortune of the professional ranks until a later, post-graduation June.

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Harrelson qualifies for NCAA's; breaks school record
Justin Griffin
Assistant Sports Editor

This past weekend, the Mountaineer track team competed in a track meet with seven other Division I teams at Clemson.

The highlight of the meet for the Mountaineers was the record breaking performance of Mary Jane Harrelson. Harrelson ran a 2:08.29 800 meter to win the race and to break a school record by two seconds.

The old record was held by Vanessa Kosmala with a time of 2:10.7 set back in 1990.

The mark also qualifies the Timberlake, N.C. native for the NCAA Championships in June. Harrelson is ranked ninth nationally and first in the Southern Conference.

Men's highlights of the meet included a first place finish by Jeff Fitzgerald in the pole vault with a height of 15 feet, three and a quarter inches, and the second place finish by Anthony Famiglietti in the 3000m steeplechase, who finished with a time of nine minutes, 20.25 seconds, ranking him first in the Southern Conference.

Women's highlights included a third place finish by Ayokka Green, who threw a the discuss 145 feet, five inches, a third place finish by Jenny Chase who finished the 500 meter race with a time of 17 minutes, 53.38 seconds.

Green owns the school records for shot put and discus with tosses of 46 feet, two inches and 151 feet, five inches respectively.

Former Watauga High School standout Rachel Olander finished fourth in the javelin with a toss of 139 feet, three inches.

The women's 4 x 400 meter relay finished fourth with a season best time of three minutes, 56.32 seconds. The relay team is: Karen Houston, Juanita Welford, Michelle Simmons, and Harrelson.

Other teams competing in the meet were South Carolina, Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Western Carolina and Eastern Michigan.

The next meet for the Mountaineers will be April 12, at Kidd Brewer Stadium against UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, Western Carolina, East Tennessee State and Brevard starting at 11:00 am. The following week the Southern Conference Championship will be held at Kidd Brewer Stadium on April eighteenth and nineteenth.

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