We Jammin' 
Mike Boteilho managing Editor 

One would have thought this  might have been a NCAA Tournament game with the atmosphere that the final game in Varsity Gym produced. Old coaches and players embraced the gym’s hardwood one final time as the Apps rolled over the visiting Western Carolina Catamounts 101-83. 

“I am very impressed with the AppalachianState team” said Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets  head coach Bobby Cremins, “Buzz Peterson has done a fabulous job with this team.” 

After winning the North Division title against UNC Greensboro earlier in the week, one might have thought that this might have been a letdown game for the Apps, since they were only playing for pride, but none of that kind of thinking became evident as the Apps jumped out to an early 24-2 lead. 

This kind of win is important  heading into the Southern Conference Tournament, because it allows the men to be on a two game roll heading into the tournament that they have not won since 1979. 

“It’s going to be tough for them (Appalachian State) to win that tournament” said Cremins, “but I think they definitely have a shot, but Davidson is going to be there, and of course there is College of Charleston. I really hope they (ASU) pull it off, because I will be pulling for them to win the tournament.” 

But a tournament championship is exactly what this team needs to finally be put on the map. But to win the tournament they need to have big contributions from Corey Cooper and Shawn Alexander. 

“I guess they just forgot about me” said Cooper, “and Tyson being the great point gurad he is, he always found me open, and as long as they are going to keep leaving me open, I am going to keep on taking them (shots).” 

And although Alexander only scored eight points in the win, his defense smotherd Western attackers all day. “I try to give it all I got every time I go out there” said Alexander. “We just have to go and play hard night in and night out like we have to.” 

And if Saturday was any indication how hard the Mountaineers are going to play, a Southern Conference Tournament title might be on the way. 
 

Grapplers come in second in SoCon Tourney 
Brian Meadows  Varsity Sports 

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga continued its reign over Southern Conference wrestling Saturday in their own Maclellan Gym, winning their 18th Southern Conference title since joining the conference 23 years ago. 

The Mocs, behind a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers, won half the individual titles and finished with 102.5 points. Appalachian finished a remote second with 80 points.  

UNC Greensboro, Virginia  Military Institute, Citadel and Davidson rounded out the team results in that order.  Appalachian entered Saturday’s tournament as the number three seed, but boasted two wrestlers who won their weight division titles. 

Sophomore Jeremy Hart, 1999 Most Outstanding Wrestler in the Southern Conference and 2000 member of the All-Southern Conference Wrestling Team, won the 141-pound weight class for his second consecutive year, defeating Joe Herron of UNCG 7-3. 

ASU grappler P.J. Boccia, wrestling in the 157-pound weight class, provided a highlight, upsetting top-seeded Ian Kaplan of Davidson 2-1 in overtime for his individual conference championship. 

With their conference championship victories, both Hart and Boccia automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament with 11 other Southern Conference wrestlers. Among those 11, three of which are considered “wild cards,” five are from UTC, three from UNCG, two from VMI and one from The Citadel.  

Seventh ranked nationally in the 165-pound weight class, Heath Eslinger of UTC defeated 19th ranked Matt Erwin of VMI 3-1, thereby winning the conference championship.  

Josh Lambrecht, also from UTC and ranked 14th in the nation at the 197-pound weight division, defeated ASU wrestler Geoff McIntosh 12-0 for the title.  
 

Women Whip Wofford 
Women win with "Gags" on their mind in Spartanburg, SC 
Chris Boyce Varsity Sports 

The Appalachian State University Lady Mountaineers needed a win going into Spartanburg, S.C. Saturday night and a win is what they left with, defeating Wofford 69-57 in Benjamin Johnson Arena. 

Karma Edwards’ 16 points off the bench sparked the Mountaineers, who were missing their leading scorer and leading rebounder Jamie Gagliano, who is out for the season after suffering a blood clot. The win closes out the Mountaineers’ regular season, with the next contest coming on Friday during the Southern Conference tournament. 

Appalachian State improved to 13-14 overall and 9-9 in the conference, while Wofford fell to 9-17 overall and 4-14 in the conference. 
ASU owned the first half, jumping out to a nine-point lead, 35-26, at halftime and outshooting Wofford 48 percent to 33 percent. 
The Lady Terriers bounced back in the second half of play, shooting 44 percent from the field as opposed to the Apps’ 31 percent from the floor.  

Wofford battled back to cut the lead to 55-54 with 2:24 left to play, but the Mountaineers hit a three to put them back on top by four. 
The Terriers once again came within a point, 57-56, but Appalachian went on a 10-3 run to finish off Wofford. 

Key performances for the Apps were Tiffany Chappell, who scored nine points and added 11 rebounds, and Noel Dolan, who added 13 points.  

Edwards went 4-for-4 at the free throw line, breaking the consecutive free throw record of 39, held by Beth Laney in 1988. Rachel Griffin came off of the Mountaineer bench and played 23 minutes and racked up eight points and 10 rebounds, all personal bests. 

Nancy Dubuisson led the Wofford attack with 16 points and eight rebounds and Cathey Franks finished with her sixth double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. 

The Mountaineers will be the fifth seed in the tournament and will play at 11 a.m. against UNC Greensboro at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C.  
 

Mens' track , SoCon Champions 
Compiled from Sports Info 

Appalachian State’s men left East Tennessee State this weekend with their 11th indoor track and field title since 1982 and their 21st track and field title overall since 1980. 

The men defeated defending champion Western Carolina by leading from the first event to the last. 

The men of Appalachian prepared themselves for the charge on to the field when the distance combination of  Ben Bissette and Shane Austin clinched the title win with second and third place finishes in the 5000 meters. 

Bissette and Austin were chasing down eventual winner Joe Smith of Virginia Military but in the end their times of 14:58.28 and 14:58.59, respectively, were not enough for the individual win. 

Bissette came away from the weekend with a title in the 3000 meters, running 8:29, to add to his 5000 meter finish. 

Even with the title clinched, the Mountaineer sprinters felt as if the title was still on the line in the 4x400, just missing a win there with a time of 3:15.22. 

That team was made up of Steve Monticone, Dale Slaughter, Terrice McClain and Jason McGhinnis. 

McGhinnis had a great day individually for his team, winning the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.55. McGhinnis also ran well in the 400 meters, placing fourth with a time of 48.85 seconds. 

Sophomore Ryan Linebarger won his first individual conference title in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.58 seconds. 

Linebarger’s teammate Keith Simms was able to come through with a third place finish in the hurdles, hurdling to a time of 7.69 seconds. 

 In the men’s pole vault sophomores Aaron Pedrick and Wes Pickens placed second and third, respectively, with personal best vaults of 15' 5.5" each. Senior Charles Mahatha won his second straight Southern Conference indoor title in the triple jump with a NCAA qualifying mark of 51' 3.75". 

 In the 35 lb. weight throw, senior Adam Gilbert placed runner-up with a throw of 53' 9.75". 

Junior Dameon McLean also won an individual title this weekend in the long jump with a leap of 24' 5.75". 

Four Mountaineers ran away with individual crowns this weekend and two of them, Bissette and McLean, will be returning next year to defend. 

Coach John Weaver was given a individual honor by the conference as he was given the men’s conference coach of the year award. This was the 12th time he has been named coach of the year. 

In the women’s competition it was a close battle that went down to the last few events, but the Lady Mountaineers were not able to pull it off. 
The close runner-up finish for the ladies was still quite an accomplishment as eventual winners Western Carolina were leading the pre-meet rankings by 56 points and ASU was in third, behind Western Carolina and Tennessee-Chattanooga. 

The women came within 26.5 points of the championship, and will be looking to make up for the loss come outdoor season, as these teams will meet up again. 

The women entered day two nearly 40 points behind but they came charging out of the gates Saturday morning with one-two finishes in the 55-meter dash. 

Junior Shonte’ Pinkston came away with the title over teammate Angela Pryor, also a junior. 

Their times of 6.95 and 7.19, respectively, cut away 18 points from WCU’s lead in the first event. Southern Conference Freshman of  The Year award winner Andrea Matthes came away with fourth place and fellow freshmen teammate Shontre’ Mayfield finished sixth. 

In the 200 meters, the Lady Mountaineers dominated once again, taking the first three places. 

Pinkston and Pryor finished one-two with clockings of 24.60 and 25.01, respectively. Matthews came in close behind for third with a time of 25.19. 

Matthews also placed sixth in the 400 meters and was all-conference for the third time in the 4x400 meters, in which the ASU women placed third. That all-conference 4x400 team was made up of Matthews, freshman Alice Stolpe, Pinkston and Pryor. Their time was a impressive 3:58.94 after a long day of competing. 

Placing second in the 55-meter hurdles was Mountaineer Kirsten Bowden, a senior. 

Her time was 6.95, missing first place by one-hundreth of a  second. Bowden also placed second in the triple jump with a performance of 39' 7". 

In the women’s 20 lb. weight throw, freshman Lashannae Poole threw 46' 9.5" to place third. Poole also placed second during day one’s shotput final with a put of 40’8.25". 

 Teammate Sydney Rowland, a sophomore, placed third in the shot with a put of 39' 1.75". 

Setting a school record on day one was sophomore Sara Searcy in the pole vault with a  vault of 9' 11.75". 

This young team did a extraordinary job to get as close as they did. With only four of ASU’s points belonging to seniors, the 2001 indoor season looks to be exciting. 

The men and women from Appalachian State will continue training immediately for the outdoor season. 

The Blue Ridge Mountain rivalry of Appalachian and WCU will continue this spring at the outdoor championships held in Boone at Kidd Brewer Stadium as the men and women will fight for conference titles again. 
 

Volleyball signs blue chip 
Compiled from Sports Info 

Appalachian State head volleyball coach Chris Redding announced the signing of Jackie Jennings to a national letter of intent.   Jennings is a 6-1 middle blocker from Jacksonville, Fla. A three-year varsity letterwinner at Bishop Kenny High School, she played her prep career under the direction of head coach Janice Turner. 

“Jackie is a tremendous player,” said Redding. “She brings size, strength and depth to our team. With the addition of Jackie it helps bring us one step closer to the top of the conference.” 

Jennings distinguished her career by leading Bishop Kenny to the 1999 Florida class 4A state championship. As a senior, she was team co-captain and received honors as class 4A first team all-state. A two-time all-city selection, she earned second team all-state acclaim as a junior. 

Named the team’s “Best Offensive Player,” Jennings posted 193 kills, 38 service aces, 128 blocks and 90 digs as a senior. She also earned  Bolles Invitational all-tournament team honors. She trains with the Jacksonville Juniors Volleyball Association. 

“We expect her to raise the team’s level of play and the level of competition for all of our middle blockers,” said Redding. “Jackie has great athletic ability even though she’s 6-1. She is an excellent all-around player. Having Jackie will lend us many options in the front and back row.” 

Earlier in the signing period, Appalachian announced the commitments of the following four individuals: Katherine Dean, 6-1, Middle Blocker, Central, S.C. (D.W. Daniel); Lisa Hahne, 5-10, Outside Hitter, Sanford, (Lee County); Jolene Patton, transfer, 6-1 Middle Blocker, Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Prep/Tampa) and Ashley Petersen, walk-on, 5-11, Outside Hitter, Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds). 
 

Apps drop eighth straight 
Compiled from Sports Info 

Appalachian State lost to Tennessee 8-0 in college baseball action Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. 
With the loss, ASU falls to 0-8, while Tennessee is now 12-4 on the season. 

Freshman pitcher Ben Hager (0-2) took the loss for the Mountaineers, allowing just one earned run in five innings of work. The Vols led just 2-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, before scoring six runs. Chris Behne and Marko Little each had two hits on the afternoon for Appalachian. On Saturday afternoon, ASU dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Tennessee. The Volunteers won the opener 9-1 and the nightcap 10-2. In the first game, Jason Howell (0-2) took the loss for the Mountaineers, giving up four runs in six innings of work. Nick Baughn had three hits and drove in the lone ASU run in the fourth inning, scoring Marko Little with a single. Appalachian had eight hits in the game. 

 In the second game, Mike Lee and Little each had two hits for the Mountaineers. Lee drove in both ASU runs in the fourth inning, with his first home run of the season. Tyson Blocker  (0-1) got the loss. 

Appalachian travels to Campbell on Tuesday for a single game with the Fighting Camels. Game time is 2:30 p.m. 
 

More football signees 
Compiled from Sports Info 

Appalachian State head football coach Jerry Moore announced the signing of five student-athletes to national letters of intent for the 2000 football season. This group is the third and final group of signees for the Mountaineers this spring. 

“This might be the best class we’ve recruited since I’ve been at Appalachian,” said Moore. “We felt we filled some needs on defense and at wide receiver. I’m very pleased with the quality we’ve signed. These players are outstanding athletes, but more importantly, they 
are outstanding individuals with good character.” 

Here are Moore’s comments on today’s signees: 

•Jerry Beard (6-0, 205, athlete, Lincolnton, Ga./Georgia Military College) 

“We believe Jerry can play both tailback and fullback for us. He has excellent speed and catches the ball extremely well. He played on the Georgia State Championship team with Troy Albea in high school. He didn’t play football his first year at Georgia Military, so he will have three years with us. ” 

•Rodell Simon (6-4, 290, OL, Duluth, Ga./Georgia Military College) 

“We were happy to be able to sign Rodell; he was on everyone’s list. Although he’s coming off knee surgery, we were never worried about him. He moves well and can play either guard or tackle. ” 

•Bryant Smith (6-3, 250, TE, Alaphaha, Ga./Georgia Military College) 

“I think Bryant is a steal. He has great hand-eye coordination and should be able to play immediately. Most importantly, we like his personality. He’s an outstanding person who has liked Appalachian since the beginning of recruiting. ” 

•Reco Washington (6-2, 185, DB, Douglasville, Ga./Georgia Military College) 

“Reco’s an outstanding cover man who can play either corner or safety. He has good size and speed. I’m most impressed with him as a person. He’s a special kind of person and his coaches love him.” 

•Curtis Harringon (6-2, 215, DE, Fayetteville, N.C./Pine Forest HS) 

“Curtis is an aggressive player who fits in the mold we like for defensive ends. He’s tall and rangy and can run. We’ve had a lot of success with players like that. He’s an outstanding person who will be a great addition to our program. ” 
 

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