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Off the Bench: Looking back on 2007 Appalachian athletics |
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Thursday, 17 January 2008 |
Another year, another national championship. Honestly, how great is it to be a Mountaineer?
I’m sure not complaining.
What an exciting 2007 football season. Name another football program that did what Appalachian did this year.
You can’t.
That’s why this season is one of the most memorable seasons in Appalachian State University history,
and we had the opportunity to witness it all.
But I am not here to fill this space on how great the 2007 football season was. I think they garnered
enough publicity.
I am here to talk about other ASU athletics that experienced success and adversity in the 2007 year.
While we were so caught up by another magical run by our football team, we tended to not pay
attention to other ASU sports and student athletes.
Hey, that’s okay though, that’s what I am here for.
How about the men’s cross country team?
The men’s team claimed another Southern Conference championship for the second consecutive year.
Led by seniors Mark Maddox and Brian Deal, the Mountaineers had a very impressive 2007 season.
The Mountaineers success started from the get-go.
The Mountaineers took first place in the Mountaineer Open, defeating rival University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. Maddox was able to lead the way for the Mountaineers and finished first place overall in
the race with a time of 20:17.
The Mountaineers were able to finish the season strong in 10th place in the NCAA Southeast
Regionals - four spots better than they did the year before.
Deal went on to win 2007 Southern Conference Runner of the Year and All-SoCon honors, joining
teammate Maddox and six other Appalachian runners.
It’s great to be a Mountaineer.
If you’re looking for a heart-warming story of the year in ASU athletics, you don’t have to look any
further than Appalachian’s volleyball team.
The California fires forced several thousand families to evacuate their homes.
Sophomore volleyball player Cassie Engelgau’s family was one of those who faced the possibility of
losing their home.
Engelgau’s mother was forced to evacuate and leave the family’s belongings behind.
With Engelgau’s immediate family in trouble, her second family, the ASU volleyball team, stepped in.
During several home matches, head coach Matt Ginipro and the team collected donations to help the
families that had been affected by the fires.
Luckily, Engelgau’s home didn’t suffer any damage from the fires, but several homes in her
neighborhood did.
In a time of need, the ASU volleyball team was able to become more than just a team. They became a
family offering support and strength for a sister in need.
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