July 21, 2008 - At last night’s ESPY Awards, the trophy for Best Moment went to the Sportsmanship demonstrated at a Central Washington vs. Western Oregon Softball Game. In case you’re unfamiliar with the story,  it’s worth repeating.

The women’s softball teams from Western Oregon and Central Washington were playing for a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs. With the score at 0-0 and two runners on base, 5-foot-2 Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky came to bat. The outfielder had never hit a home run before. Not in college, not in high school. And then she hit one over the center field fence.

In her excitement to round the bases, Sara missed first. She stopped, pivoted and collsapsed with a knee injury. Crawling back to the base, she was told none of her teammates could help her, and if they put in a substitute runner her homer would be ruled a single.

And that is when Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman stepped in. With her team’s chances of moving onto the playoffs on the line, she  asked the umpire if she and her teammates could pick Sara up and carry her around the bases. Mallory and shortstop Liz Wallace picked up their injured opponent and the unlikely threesome made their way around the bases. By the time they reached home plate, the crowd was cheering and in tears.

Western Oregon went on to win the game 4-2 and the series. Mallory and Liz’s good deed no doubt ultimately helped to end their team’s season but that’s not really what mattered, said Mallory:

“In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much. It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run.”      

Sportsmanship of this caliber is rare and these beautiful girls with their big hearts rightfully deserved the ESPY (and so much more). They acted above the moment, above the game, and above themselves; they acted without hesitation. No sports moment of the past decade can supersede this one.

Congrats girls!If you watch this clip, be sure to have a box of tissues on hand!

Filed under: College Athletics, College Softball, General, TV by jane
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In case you’ve been studying for finals and not caught up on what’s happening in NCAA women’s sports around the country - here are some highlights:

Golf: USC Captures Women’s Golf Title (May 22, Albuquerque, NM) The Trojans won the 2008 Women’s Golf Championship event by six-strokes over UCLA and claimed their first women’s golf national championship since 2003.

Lacrosse: Wildcats Top Penn for NCAA Championship (May 25,  - Towson, MD) With help from textbook offensive execution, pristine passing and stout goaltending, the Northwestern Wildcats won their fourth consecutive NCAA championship Sunday, beating Penn, 10-6.

Tennis: Georgia Tech’s Amanda McDowell Wins NCAA Singles Crown (May 26, Tulsa, OK)  All-American Amanda McDowell completed her run through the NCAA Singles Championships by capturing a straight-set win over Baylor’s Zuzana Zemenova in the finals to become the first Yellow Jacket tennis player to earn an individual national championship.

Softball: The Hokies Have Arrived (May 28, Oklahoma City, OK) The Virginia Tech softball team has finally made it to Oklahoma City for the program’s first-ever Women’s College World Series.

Rowing: Division I Rowing Championships (May 20, Indianapolis, IN) The NCAA  has selected the teams that will compete in the 2008 Division I Women’s Rowing Championships including defending champion Brown. UC Berkeley will serve as host May 30 through June 1st.

Filed under: College Athletics, College Softball, General, Golf, Lacrosse, Student-Athlete, Tennis by Pretty Tough
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May 26, 2008 - Our pick for Pretty Tough Player of the Week is twelve-year-old Jaime Nared. The Beaverton, Oregon sixth grader is nearly 6-1 and already an excellent basketball player. Since second grade, she’s been demonstrating her Michael Jordan-like skills on a boys team at The Hoop, a private basketball facility in her hometown. She can hold her own against the boys and regularly drops three-pointers while scoring 30 points in a game.

Last month, seemingly out of nowhere, her coach was informed by Hoop officials that Jaime couldn’t play with the team anymore. The reason, they claim, is that league rules prohibit mixed-gender teams. This was news to Coach Michael Abraham, who has been coaching basketball for 32 years.

Coach Abraham, as well as Jaime’s parents, think the real issue here is that this 12-year-old girl is making the boys look bad. “I remember one play. She stole the ball, dribbled up court and made a behind-the-back pass to a teammate. He missed the lay-in, and she grabbed the rebound and put it in. I think it was just too much for some of those parents,” says Jaime’s mom, Reiko Williams. “The next day, she came home and said they wouldn’t let her play with the boys anymore.”

“She’s absolutely as gifted a sixth grader as I’ve ever been associated with,” says Abraham.

Obviously, we think they should let the girl play. If she can play better than the boys, hooray for her. Let her be challenged and play at a level where she can be competitive. Come on boys - give the girl a break.

Video

Filed under: Basketball, News Bytes, Student-Athlete by jane
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May 8, 2008 - Candace Parker would rather grab a diploma this week than a rebound.

The Naperville, Illinois native will not be with the Los Angeles Sparks tonight when they play against the Chicago Sky in a WNBA exhibition game. Instead, the league’s No. 1 draft pick will be picking up a diploma from Tennessee in sports management and psychology.

“I think it would have been harder [to miss] had it been a regular-season game,” Parker said. “I feel like it’s very important for me to be there to get my degree. It’s something I had been working toward for four years.”

Parker will be joined at the commencement ceremonies by Lady Vol teammates and current WNBA players Nicky Anosike, Alexis Hornbuckle and Shannon Bobbitt.

“The graduating student-athletes take with them college degrees that prepare them for a life of learning and opportunities,” said Dr. Ruth Darling, assistant vice provost and student success center director. “They also take a set of skills they have acquired though their athletics participation that will contribute to their success in future careers and professions.”

You can catch Parker at the Sparks’ season-opener on the road against defending champion Phoenix on May 17 and she will return to Chicago for a regular-season game on June 3.

In the meantime, kudos on graduating college Candace.

Filed under: Basketball, College Athletics, News Bytes, WNBA by jane
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April 27, 2008 - The Georgia gymnastics team once again proved to be the best in the country as the Gym Dogs (197.450) won their fourth straight national title.  And they won the title in their home arena of Stegeman Coliseum in front of all their fans.

In the wake of leading the Georgia gymnastics team to their  ninth NCAA title night, head coach Suzanne Yoculan was named National Coach of the Year. She has a year left to aim for a perfect 10th NCAA championship  (she’s said she will retire after the 2009 season).

Rounding out the Super Six contenders at the NCAA Championship: Utah finished second with a 197.125 followed by Stanford (196.750), Florida (196.700), LSU (196.350) and Alabama (196.125).

Four gymnasts claimed individual titles including Susan Jackson (LSU) on vault, Tasha Schwikert (UCLA) on beam, Grace Taylor (Georgia) on balance beam and Courtney McCool (Georgia) on floor exercise.

Georgia was ranked No. 1 all but two weeks this season, but had to overcome the loss of junior Courtney Kupets to a ruptured Achilles’ tendon in March. Kupets was the NCAA all-around champion the last two years. Go Dawgs!!

Watch video highlights

Filed under: College Athletics, Gymnastics, News Bytes by jane
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April 21, 2008 - If you’re a student-athlete, take note. It’s finally happened – videogames are now officially homework. Kaplan, the makers of all those test preparation books, has teamed with Aspyr Media to create an SAT prep game for the Nintendo DS, according to Newsweek.

The project is early in development and does not yet have a name.  If it’s a success, can we also get a DS game to help us understand the theory of relativity or the geometry of space time?

When it comes time to prep for the SATs, and your parents suddenly decide to buy you a Nintendo DS, they may well have an ulterior motive. Would you be more likely to prep for the SATs on your DS than through a book or browser?

Filed under: Entertainment, General, High School Athletics, News Bytes, Student-Athlete by jane
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April 18, 2008 - Former University of Tennessee star (and soon-to-be Los Angeles Sparks player) Candace Parker has been voted the 2008 Honda Sports Award winner for the second year in a row as the nation’s top collegiate female basketball player.

The honor, announced Thursday, was based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 32nd year.

Parker was the No. 1 overall pick at the recent WNBA draft. She led Tennessee this year to its second consecutive NCAA championship and was recognized for the second time as Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four, only the fourth player ever to do so.

We love you Candace!

Filed under: College Athletics, College Basketball, News Bytes by admin
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April 11, 2008 - The Lock Haven University wrestling team has a winning tradition that dates back generations, with a list of alumni that includes Olympians, national champions and Pennsylvania wrestling icons.

Now, the university’s newly-formed women’s program is picking up steam and looks to establish a tradition of its own, with  Rachael Groft leading the charge. Depending on how she fares this weekend, Rachael may qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June in Las Vegas, Nev.

Rachael has come a long way since her days as a self-proclaimed “tomboy” who started wrestling in the fourth grade. Her parents were “kind of iffy” about the idea and suggested she go out for cheerleading or basketball. Eventually they gave in and now her mom is one of her biggest supporters.  

Mom may well be heading to Beijing this summer to watch her daughter wrestle at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Full story

Filed under: College Athletics, Olympics, Wrestling by jane
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April 9, 2008 - Injured or not, a bum left shoulder wasn’t enough to stop Candace Parker from hoisting that championship trophy one last time.

Parker scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help Tennessee capture its eighth championship with a 64-48 victory over Stanford on Tuesday night. The Lady Vols also became the first repeat champs since Connecticut won three straight from 2002-04.

The AP player of the year will leave the Lady Vols (36-2) with a year of eligibility remaining, but has accomplished one of her goals by winning multiple national titles.

Parker also became the fourth player to win back-to-back Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four honors. She joined Connecticut’s Diana Taurasi (2003-04), Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw (1997-98), and Southern Cal’s Cheryl Miller (1983-84).

Stanford’s loss ended Candice Wiggins’ remarkable run through the NCAA tournament. She scored 14 points and finished with 151 over the six games _ the fourth-best total in tournament history. Sheryl Swoopes holds the record with 177 points, when she led Texas Tech to the championship in 1993. Wiggins is the first player to have two 40-point games in the tournament.

Wiggins took the Cardinal (35-4) further than they’d been since 1992, when the program won it all. Stanford hadn’t reached the Final Four since 1997 or advanced to the championship game since the ‘92 team.

The Ace vs. Ice battle may be over on a collegiate level, but we’re bound to see both of these Pretty Tough players again and again. 

Filed under: College Athletics, College Basketball, News Bytes by jane
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April 8, 2008 - Candace Parker and Candice Wiggins made memorable first impressions on each other when they met on a basketball court as 13-year-olds at an AAU tournament.

Tonight, as 21-year-old women, Candace and Candice will end their distinguished collegiate careers on the same floor, when Parker’s Tennessee team plays Wiggins’ Stanford squad for the NCAA title. Both hope the final snapshot from their stellar college careers will include a national championship.

University of Tennessee All-America Forward Candace Parker was recently named winner of the 2008 Naismith Trophy. Parker led the Lady Vols in scoring (20.6 points) and rebounds (8.8) this season.  She is a two-time Kodak All-American, a three-time first-team All-SEC unanimous selection, the 2006 SEC Freshman of the Year and 2007 SEC Player of the Year.

Stanford senior guard Candice Wiggins added to her list of prestigious honors received over her illustrious career this week, as she was named the State Farm Wade Trophy Player of the Year and was also selected to the State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team for a school record-breaking fourth time. Wiggins was named Pac-10 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, after averaging 21.7 ppg in three contests while making 14-25 three-pointers overall.

Ace vs. Ice - who will prevail? 

Filed under: College Athletics, College Basketball, General by jane
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