The Virginia Wesleyan Men’s Lacrosse Team has improved its record to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in the ODAC. They continued their three game winning streak by defeating Cabrini College 24-6 on Saturday. After a 3-0 start, the Marlins dropped three games in a row during spring break and then dropped their fourth consecutive game to nationally ranked Washington and Lee University. "It was disappointing," said sophomore Dan Greenspun, "knowing that three games slipped past us that we should have won." The last three games have been good wins for the team but this season’s true test comes in the next two weeks.

The next three games are all conference matches versus Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke, and Lynchburg. The last home game will be April 26 versus Wesley College. This year’s team is relatively young, with the exception of senior Art Hamilton who leads the team in scoring with 20 goals. Second in scoring is Brian Fox, a first Team All-ODAC selection his freshman year with 18. The team’s assist leader is sophomore Bill Lingo who has 17 helpers. The defense has been a team effort throughout the season making the Marlins a constant threat to opponents. Wednesday’s game versus Hampden-Sydney could determine the rest of the season. "If we win the rest of our games we will go to the tournament," said junior co-captain Jack Lingo, "the season is far from over." Lingo added that the team is excited about the remainder of the season because Roanoke and Lynchburg are two big rivals. Second year Coach Bobby Wynne will try to lead the team to the playoffs despite the spring break blunder. The Marlins have put themselves in position to continue their season and make their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The marlins next home game is April 22 against Lynchburg at 2:00 p.m. Come support the Marlins.

With a new coach, and fresh line-up, the Lady Marlin’s Tennis Team has been holding its own against tough competition. In his first full season as the head coach, Steve Clark is very proud of the success of the team. "This is a young team who is on the rise in that they improve every day," said Clark, a 1997 VWC alumni. "We have a foundation to do great, and with our positive attitude, we will go into the ODAC Tournament with a solid ranking." Returning to the Lady Marlin’s are senior Valerie Bernardo and sophomore co-captain Victoria Scavo. Senior captain Natalie Vandenheiliginberg is recovering from foot surgery. "Natalie tries to be there when she can," said Scavo. "She still wants to be involved even though she’s injured, and we thought she’d make a great captain."

Vandenheiliginberg makes it to all of the team’s games and even shows up to practices. Though Vandenheiliginberg’s injury upset the team, the ladies are excited about the new players and believe they are handling the transition well. "We’re a strong, young team with a good start, and we can definitely finish well," said Bernardo. New to VWC is junior transfer Brooke Sheetz who has previous experience playing for other colleges. "Brooke is seeded very high in the ODAC and if she continues, she will remain ranked entering the tournament," said coach Clark. Also new to the team are freshmen Erin Bradley, Laine Harling, Jessica Hatch and Cameron Mealey.

"This is a building year and we’re working hard," said Harling, "but I was looking forward to the challenge of a new team, and I have made some great friends." The Marlin’s are 4-6 overall, and have a 3-5 record in the conference. "The conference is neck-and-neck and we are right in the middle of the pack," said Scavo. "The schedule is hard because of the amount of away matches. It has effected how we play overall. The inexperience of the team hasn’t hurt us, and we are going to take the ODAC’s by storm." The ODAC’s will be held in Roanoke on May 13-15.

The 48th Annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT) concluded last Saturday night, and it was Doc Robinson from Auburn University, who guided OneSource to a 100-85 championship victory over M.D. Designs. The teams are named for their company sponsors. Robinson, a 6’2 185 pound guard,totaled 25 points to send OneSource’s owners back to the office with the tournament trophy.

Right behind Robinson was teammate and Louisiana- Monroe University player, Mike Smith. As a forward, Smith hauled down eight rebounds and netted 24 points for the night. In Friday night’s game against Freedom Chevrolet, Smith went five for six on three point shots attempted; in the PIT, the three-point arc is measured to NBA standards. Smith accounted for 23 of his team’s 103 points and eight of its rebounds in their win over Freedom Chevrolet. His success throughout the four-day event resulted in him being declared the tournament’s MVP. OneSource’s Jameel Watkins from Georgetown replaced Connecticut’s Jake Voskuhl after he made a last second cancellation from the tournament. Watkins, standing at 6-foot-9, accumulated 16 points in the championship game and was a monster in the paint with 11 rebounds.

Including the three players mentioned above, here is a list of this year’s PIT participants you should expect to see chosen in the upcoming NBA draft: *Caswell Cyrus (St. Bonaventure)-All Atlantic 10 Conference-weighing 220 pounds and standing at 6-foot-9, Cyrus, has a good start on what could become a solid NBA body. In a single PIT game, he totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds.
*Demetrius Cherry (UNC-Greensboro)-in just two games had 18 rebounds and 23 points. A 6-8 forward and 245 pounds, Cherry offers the NBA another solid, yet very mobile, player.
*David Mosely (Stanford)-as a guard, he communicated well with his teammates and played an extremely up-tempo game. Accumulated 24 points and 6 rebounds for the tournament. Also, he was selected to play as substitute player for M.D. Designs in place of Richie Frahm (Gonzaga) after Frahm earlier suffered a leg injury.
*Brandon Kurtz (Tulsa)-former Golden Hurricane’s center, Kurtz is a killer from underneath. Scored 22 points (mostly dunks) in his two games with Sales Systems and had 18 total rebounds. A 6-foot-11 245-pound center ready to hone his skills in the NBA.
*Doug Gottlieb (Oklahoma St. Univ.)-as fast as he appears on television, Gottlieb drew much attention from the press and NBA scouts. Great ball handling skills and on the court leadership will get this young guard chosen on draft day.
*Reed Rawlings (Samford)-All Trans-America Conference, Rawlings totaled 27 points in Samford’s NCAA first round game against Syracuse. A 6-foot-7 225 pound forward that won the PIT’s sportsmanship award. This list consists of those players who stood out in the tournament, and it does not include the chances of the other participants who might not have. Some players, if not picked by the NBA, will get offers to play in the Canadian Basketball League or in Europe for one of its professional teams.

I like to run. I haven’t always liked running; in fact, I can’t recall a time when my face didn’t instinctively contort itself when my high school coach sent us off for a run around the nature trail. It was so boring and systematic, running for no reason. But now that I’ve hung up my cleats, I’m running for my own reasons. I run away a lot, pounding down on the gravel or pavement with my Adidas sneakers in a rhythm almost parallel to my desire to pound out the stresses in my life.

I run into a new dimension of selfish Andrea-World, where the only person I think about is me. It’s always been my heaven, up until the other day, when I overheard two of my closest friends reminisce about a moment they’d shared on their routine, nightly walks. They take them every day, and I’ve always thought that it would bother me to accompany them. After all, I couldn’t walk at my own speed, I wouldn’t be able to get the most out of my time, and it would definitely break up my workout schedule. As I listened to my friends, however, I realized they were clued in to something that my over-eager body-buff self had missed. They were exercising the soul, taking a few minutes to listen, talk, relax, and really laugh.

They were living, and I was running away from life through my incessant desire to reach a measurement or accomplish a goal. It was then that I understood just how crucial it is to jump out of the routine, simply for the reality that life is short. We get so wrapped up in our individual dimensions and inner worlds that we miss out on the trivial, important things in life. Next year, when I have to drive six hours to see my friend, I’ll regret not taking the 15 minutes a day now to find out why she didn’t like her lunch. And that’s reason enough. Now instead of running ahead of the crowd alone, I’m going to start walking through my days, into a healthier version of me.

In just their third year of existence, the Lady Marlins are having their best season with a 7-5 record overall. This season the Lady Marlins have had a lot to cheer about. "This year is all about quality and not quantity," said Coach Burt. Currently, the team has only thirteen players on the roster which is very small. However, that has not held the women down, as the Lady Marlins stand third in the ODAC conference (4-2). "We have a very young squad, but the team chemistry has been awesome this season," said junior defender Erin O’Connor.

The Marlins have won their last three out of four games with the help of a potent offense which has netted 70 goals, second in the ODAC. Sophomore Meghan Di Cave has stepped her game up, contributing 34 goals and 37 assists so far this season. She leads the conference in both of these categories and also leads the country among Division III schools in points total with 71. Not only has she made an impact on the team’s success she has managed to get her teammates involved in the action. The Lady Marlins have six players on the roster with 10 or more goals. The team has also relied heavily on the leadership of senior Charity Gent.

In addition, junior Janine Swanson, in her first season ever, is second in saves in the ODAC. "If we continue to play with the confidence we have now then I don’t see any reason why we can’t win the rest of our regular season matches," said Coach Burt. With only four games remaining on the schedule, two of the four are ODAC games at home. The Lady Marlins hope to finish the season strong. The two home games against Washington & Lee University and Roanoke College, will be very important for the team’s chance to play in the post season. The team plays W&L on Saturday April 15 and hosts Roanoke the following Saturday April 22.

Imagine going through a full day of classes, followed by several hours of grueling practice, only to come home to several hours of homework. After this full, exhausting day, imagine waking having to wake up at 6:30 in the morning two days a week. This is what many student athletes at VWC face each week. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, student athletes who received lower than a 2.0 GPA must attend a mandatory study hall in the Science Auditorium from 6:45 to 7:45. "The whole thing is that coaches want to make sure their athletes are up in the morning to go to their classes," said Field Hockey and Women’s Lacrosse Coach Michelle Burt. Various coaches supervise study hall daily and students must sign in. "It makes me get up in the morning, and I get things done that I normally wouldn’t get done," said sophomore cross-country runner Carlos Pena. However, many student athletes do not share Pena’s enthusiasm.

"I don’t get much work done in study hall because it is too early," said sophomore lacrosse player Derrick Quillen. In rebellion, many athletes try to fall asleep. "The only thing people do in there is figure out a way to sleep without the coach finding out," said freshman teammate Chris Gill. But you can forget about sleeping in study hall; you aren’t even allowed to put your head down. "A later time, like at night, might make it better," Gill said. Some coaches also agree with the student athletes about study hall being too early. "Making the athletes get up early is counterproductive, because student athletes are going back to sleep after study hall and missing their classes," said Burt. Many student athletes find themselves missing study hall sessions. This action results in punishment. If athletes miss one study hall, they must deal with their coach; two misses they deal with the athletic director; three misses and the student athlete is suspended from the next athletic contest. These punishments seem stiff, but what if the coach misses study hall? "I find it funny that the athletic department is so uptight about study hall, but then the coaches don’t even show up," said freshman lacrosse player Mindy Neubauer. "Three times this semester I have gone there and left because no coach showed for study hall."

And what about the student athletes who are commuters and must get up earlier than the others for these canceled study hall sessions? "Sometimes the coach in charge that day doesn’t make it in," says Pena, who is a commuter. "I have to wake up at 5:30 to commute to Wesleyan, and when I find out there is no coach it makes me angry." Most of the student athletes agree these problem needs to be solved. "Have it at a different time, maybe at night," said Bradley Shore, a freshman on the men’s lacrosse team. "Why not let the captains handle the situation of study hall?," said Molly Phillips, a women’s field hockey and lacrosse player. No one, either student athlete or coach, argue the fact that something needs to be done in order to raise the grades of student athletes who do not have a 2.0 GPA. However, the idea of a 6:45 a.m. study hall is generating many complaints.

The Norfolk Nighthawks’ season opener was played April 8 against the Tennessee Valley Vipers, an away game that the Nighthawks lost 48-15. However, the team returns to the Scope this week to play its inaugural home game against the Richmond Speed. The Nighthawks will be playing before a football hungry Hampton Roads crowd and looking to avenge their loss, so things could get ugly for the Richmond Speed. At a news conference held last spring, Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim announced Bruce Smith and Ken Easley as the co-owners of the Norfolk based franchise.

The Arenafootball2 (af2) league is the minor league of the currently successful Arena Football League (AFL). In the second week of Sept. 1999, the Nighthawks’ ownership identified Deatrich Wise as the Head Coach. Wise played for Jackson State University in Mississippi and after graduation, went on to the NFL. For two years he played defensive line for the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints. While playing for the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League (CFL), Wise was voted 1991 CFL Rookie of the Year. From 1992-1994, he served as an offensive/defensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League (AFL), which won the Arena Bowl Championship in 1993. An unfortunate shoulder injury in 1994 brought his playing career to a close, but Wise remained with the Storm as the team’s offensive/defensive lines coach.

Previously to accepting his role with the Nighthawks, Wise was attached to the AFL’s Grand Rapids Rampage as the offensive/defensive lines coach. On Jan. 19, Coach Wise hired Steven Jerry from the AFL as his offensive coordinator. Jerry played five years in the AFL as a wide receiver/defensive back and as a quarterback for the Albany Firebirds, the Grand Rapids Rampage, and the New England Seawolves. With hopes of drawing in local area talent, an open tryout was conducted at Old Dominion University’s Foremen Field last September 23. In a press release issued October 7, the Nighthawks announced plans for a November 5 open tryout to be held at Todd Stadium in Newport News. This was the second player tryout and in this press release, Wise warned those who were considering participating, "This will be a very serious camp and we are looking for serious minded players. This is what it will take to build a championship organization."

On February 12, Wise held a final tryout at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk. The first steps to converting the Norfolk Scope into an indoor football field started February 21 when Sportexe, the company providing this unique playing field, began fitting the turf to the Scope’s center floor. This surface is different from Astroturf because it consists of a full inch of fabricated grass intertwined into an underlying cushioned mat. On May 12, the Nighthawks will travel to Quad City, Iowa to play Jim Foster’s Steamwheelers. Foster, founder of the AFL and owner of the Steamwheelers, also owns the Iowa City Barnstormers, the former team of Superbowl Quarterback Kurt Warner. The brawl between the three Virginia af2 teams; Richmond, Norfolk, and Roanoke, has been dubbed the "I-64 War," and it continues on May 20 when the Roanoke Steam comes to Norfolk. In an agreement with WTAR-850 AM radio, all 16 football games will be broadcast live during the 2000 season. The partnership was announced March 8 by the Nighthawks’ Media Relations department. Commentary begins 30-minutes prior to the 7:40 p.m. kickoff with a talk show that will highlight various aspects of the Nighthawks, including personnel interviews and the reviews of previously played games. For Nighthawks’ ticket information, call the Norfolk Scope at 757-626-0500.