Jason Palmer | The Wichitan

Midfielder Angela Darrough dribbles by a Richland defender during MSU’s 6-1 win.

The MSU Lady Indians soccer team began their portion of the spring schedule with a 6-1 beating of Richland College this past Sunday. MSU picked up goals from Kailin Aerstin, Angela Darrough, Amber Ondricek, Sarah Wyles and two from Megan Dodson. The Lady Indians hit the back of the net four times in the first half to pull away from Richland by three goals. “We wanted to work on passing the ball well,” head coach Jeff Trimble said. “We had just been kicking (the ball) around.” The game gave Trimble a chance to see some of the squad’s acquired new talent perform. Jennifer Schroder, who transferred from Texas Christian University, played in the midfield with Dayna Sanders and Angela Darrough. “(Schroder) meshed well with the girls. She is very smart out there,” Trimble said. Sara Abdelschife transferred to MSU from El Camino College in California. “She is a very physical defender and she fits in well,” Trimble said. The Indians also welcomed back Sarah Wyles, who had ACL surgery and missed the majority of the fall schedule. Wyles rocketed a shot from her right foot that sailed over the the Richland goalkeeper. “(Wyles) is very fast. With her speed and ability to handle the ball, she is very dangerous,” Trimble said. One of the large stories of the game was the courageous play of the Richland goaltender, Lisa Wallace. Wallace was the top keeper in the nation last year in junior college, and her performance was an obvious indication of her skill. That she stopped all of the MSU scoring attempts for the first 30 minutes of the second half was not amazing. That she did it with only one properly working arm is amazing. Midway through the first half, Wallace made a diving save off of a redirection, and her right shoulder audibly popped out of place. Wallace refused to come out of the game. With her arm hanging virtually useless at her side in the second half, she continued to make amazing saves. “She was awesome,” Trimble said. The odds finally gave way in the 34th minute into the half, as MSU scored two more goals in the half.

Almost a week after men’s basketball coach Greg Giddings resigned, MSU Athletics Director Jeff Ray announced he will take on the additional coaching duties of the Indians. Ray, who was appointed by President Jessie Rogers, previously coached the Indians from 1995-2000, guiding them to a 118-60 record and two NCAA Div. II national tournaments. “I’m glad to get back into coaching, and I’m excited about the opportunity that was presented and glad it all worked out,” Ray said. Giddings, who resigned on March 12, coached the Indians for three seasons, compiling a 38-45 record along the way. Giddings’ decision to resign was made because he wanted to concentrate on earning a doctorate in English and furthering his teaching career. “I just thought it was the right thing to do,” Giddings said. “It was a situation where an offer was extended to me, and it was a chance to move on, and at my age, I need to make a decision about which direction I’m going. I was an English teacher before I was a coach, and I always said after I was finished coaching, I’d be an English teacher.” “It was a very difficult decision,” he continued. “At the end of the season, we were playing very well. We had some solid players coming back, and because of that and my relationship with those guys coming back, it was very difficult.” After Giddings resigned, Ray met with his family and with Rogers on four occasions to discuss his interest in returning to coaching. “When we realized that Greg was serious about returning to graduate school, I asked Jeff if he had any interest in returning to coaching,” Rogers said. “I’d thought about coaching again,” Ray said. “Anytime you watch games on TV and here at MSU, it’s somewhat on your mind.” Six days later, on March 18, Rogers appointed Ray as the next men’s basketball coach at MSU. “Anyone should be excited to have Jeff Ray as a head basketball coach,” Rogers said. “He has built a wining team in every position that he has held here. He’s an outstanding recruiter, and his teams always respect and play hard for him.” One of his first duties was to hire assistant coach Rob McIlhaney, who played under Ray at MSU and was previously coaching at University of Texas - Pan-American University in Edinburg. Ray has individually met with every returning basketball player, and he said they all were planning to return next year. Ray said he would also grant a release for anyone who wanted to transfer. Both McIlhaney and Ray are also engaging in numerous recruiting trips to junior colleges and high schools, looking at talent for next year and beyond. While Ray will have a difficult task of juggling two different responsibilities, he said it will not be impossible. “It’s going to be time-consuming, but the staff that I have on both sides will make it doable,” Ray said. “The administrative staff has been great, and the coaches are understanding. We’re really blessed with the coaches we have - they are hardworking, great in the community and they run their programs in a first-class manner.” Ray transferred to play basketball at MSU in 1982, and in 1984, he helped the Indians advance to the NAIA national tournament. He was hired as a full-time assistant in 1988 and coached the women’s program from 1992-1994 until he was promoted to the men’s head coach. Giddings, who was awarded the head coaching position in 2000 after Ray left to take an assistant position at North Texas, had one year remaining on his contract. While the Indians struggled to a 10-18 record last season, Giddings opposed any suggestion that the dissappointing season had anything to do with his decision. “If anything, it made the decision more difficult,” Giddings explained. “If we’d had a really good year, it would have made the decision even easier.” He said he would miss many aspects of coaching, most notably the relationships with his players. “I’ll never be as close to a student as I am as close to a player,” Giddings said, “because we go through more and there’s more emotion involved. Basketball is an emotional game, and you really have a bond there that people probably don’t understand. “I’ll always be a fan, and I’ll always go to the games, but my participation in the process will be a lot more periphial.” Rogers also wanted to express his appreciation toward Giddings’ stint. “I want to thank Greg Giddings for his three years,” Rogers said. “He is an outstanding young man with an outstanding future.”

Sports give people a break from harsh reality. The question is, do we chastise athletes for voicing their opinions because, especially in time of war, we expect them to just be a source of entertainment away from the chaos of the world? Some NBA players have spoken up, either for or against the war in Iraq. Others, like Kobe Bryant, choose to play Switzerland and say things like, “No matter what your stance is - if you support this war or you don’t - when it comes down to it, you have to support the troops that we have over there.” When asked whether the NBA should continue playing games with a war going on, San Antonio Spur Steve Kerr said he didn’t think the US should even be in a war and said it is “something that’s hard to talk about without getting shouted down.” Quite an understatement if you’re a Dallas Maverick. But Mavs point guard Steve Nash has probably taken the brunt of fan criticism for his peacenik stand. After raising eyebrows at February’s All-Star Game by wearing a shirt that read “No War. Shoot for Peace.,” Canadian Nash has also made his point vocal. “I think it’s really unfortunate in the year 2003 that we’re still using violence as a means of conflict-resolution,” he said. Not long after that, fellow teammate Nick Van Exel nearly pulled a Dixie Chick when he said, “The Americans on this team, we just think Bush is giving the American people a bad name.” Spurs center David Robinson is being hailed for his comments concerning the war, however holier-than-thou they might come across. Robinson is the only current NBA player to have graduated from a service academy. While he has a different perspective than the rest of the league given his former position in the Navy, I hardly think it justifies his hypocritical statement. “The Admiral” said he respects the right to voice dissenting opinions, but once a decision is made, everyone should jump on the bandwagon. “If it’s an embarrassment to them, maybe they should be in a different country,” he said. Perhaps a position in public relations for American tourism is not in Robinson’s future. He went on to say, “This is America and we’re supposed to be proud of the guys we elected and put in office.” You’re also supposed to be proud of the fact that we have the right to free speech. And it is just that. It’s not the right to walk on eggshells or speak until you offend someone. It’s unfair to call Nash a long-haired hippie just because he wants peace. I don’t hear too many cases of people calling others in support of the war a warmonger. Athletes have as much right to their opinions as anyone. You don’t have to agree with what they say. You don’t even have to pay attention, even though they are celebrities, and for some odd reason, we care what celebrities say, wear, eat, etc. In the big scheme of things, it does seem pretty insignificant. But people turn to basketball and other sports as a source of entertainment, a way to escape CNN. There have been plenty times over the past few weeks when I would rather watch Nash drop bombs from three-point land than the US on an Iraqi tank. I’d rather be “shocked and awed” by my Mavs making their way to the NBA Finals than a Tomahawk Cruise Missile reaching the outskirts of Baghdad. It’s just a shame that with all the thugs in the league trying to start fights, we rag on the ones wanting to stop it.

Jason Palmer | The Wichitan

The MSU volleyball team hosted an alumni tournament this weekend at D.L Ligon Coliseum.

D.L. Ligon Coliseum was alive Saturday with MSU volleyball players from the past and present, as the Lady Indians hosted its first spring tournament. Fifteen former players, who played as far back as the late 80s to as recent as 2002, returned to the court to face the present MSU volleyball team, as well as teams from Cameron and Tarleton State. Head coach Pam Peetz thought that including an alumni team was a way to reunite old teammates, as well as giving her present team more game-like experience. “Our spring tournament is kind of small. Hopefully, as we continue to do it, we’ll get more teams. We wanted to start out with four or five and have it grow into something bigger,” Peetz said. Among the returnees was Mandy Pinkerton, one of the most decorated players in MSU volleyball history. During her career as an Indian, Pinkerton was named an NAIA All-American, an academic All-American and the recipient of the Woody Hayes Scholarship. Pinkerton also holds school records in kills and attacks, and she is currently the only MSU volleyball player to have her jersey retired. “It was fun seeing the new team with the new coach, because it was the first time I’d met coach Peetz,” Pinkerton said. “It was great seeing and playing with old teammates. It brings back a lot of memories.” Also returning for the tournament was Sara Stallman, who played from 1998-99. “We got to talking about stories of old seasons, old coaches and funny memories,” Stallman said. “Every team has their own inside jokes, and we started bringing up stuff that we haven’t talked about in three or four years. It was a lot of fun. “There are a few of us who talk all of the time in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. We rallied together to make sure everyone was going to go. We wanted to make sure the whole core-crew was going to be there.” Peetz was happy with the number of alumni who participated. “I was impressed with the turnout. I think we’ve got 14 or 15 alumni back, and there are probably four or five in the stands who aren’t playing,” Peetz said. “I think they’ve done a good job to kind of mix and get a couple of different groups playing together.” Although the alumni team went winless in the tournament, the players still enjoyed themselves. Both Stallman and Pinkerton were impressed with how well the current MSU team played. “They’re very good and they’re very disciplined,” Pinkerton said. “Coach Peetz has done a lot to make them very disciplined. They think really well on the court. I think they’re very good.” Stallman added, “They looked young with a lot of room to grow and get better, but hands down they are probably one of the best teams I’ve seen come through.” The current MSU team finished with wins against Tarleton and the alumni and a loss to Cameron. Peetz was happy with the performance of her team and said they are working hard this spring to be intense and reach their goals. “We worked really hard the last year and a half on chemistry and team building,” Peetz said. “I’ve seen some of the things we’ve been working on this spring carry over into the matches we’ve played.” The team will compete in two more spring tournaments this month. They will play at Texas Woman’s University on April 5 and at Cameron on April 12.

Jason Palmer | The Wichitan

The football team scrimmages during one of its many spring practices. Spring practice is an important time for both the football and soccer teams to prepare for the fall season.

Spring is a time for new things. The football team and both the men’s and the women’s soccer teams are preparing for a new season by enduring spring training. The women’s soccer team has been in training since the third week of February. In addition to practicing four days per week, around two hours each day, the team goes through weightlifting exercises on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “Anytime you can stay in shape is good,” head coach Jeff Trimble said. “It’s a good way to get in to summer and see what we can do in the fall.” With the seniors not participating, the freshmen, sophomores and juniors get a chance to bond and try new positions. “Last year we worked on a new zone defense,” Trimble said. “We’re working on trapping, passing and shooting this spring. “We work on more individual things in the spring so the players can develop, and I can see things I didn’t see in the fall.” The nearly 20 women that are participating in spring training played the first of four exhibition games Sunday, winning 6-1 against Richland Junior College. The next exhibition game is Tuesday at 7 p.m. against a local club team. The men’s soccer team has been hard at work as well, playing in matches against Richland Junior College and Tulsa. The men also have scrimmages remaining with Southern Methodist University, Hardin-Simmons and Centenary. The football team is also getting back into the game and trying to improve on last season’s 7-4 overall record and a 4-2 Lone Star Conference South mark. Spring training for the Indians started March 11 with nearly 95 men, including walk-ons. As training has progressed through the weeks, the team has lost about 20 men to injuries. “The point of spring training is to let everyone get a chance to develop knowledge and our offensive, defensive and special teams game,” head coach Bill Maskill said. “It’s a chance to get our younger players in a position to compete.” The team practices four times a week for two hours each day. In addition to spending time every day working on offensive, defensive and special team strategies, the team tries to do things to form bonds. “We’re just trying to establish who those players are we think we can count on for the fall,” Maskill said. “We’ve got guys out there who look like they can play. “Sometimes we’re fooled. Sometimes a guy looks really good in spring and comes out in fall not as good. It’s part of the process.” Though it is early, Maskill and the Indians hope to show the fans what they’re made of. “I hope they’ll see a team that has built on last year,” he said. “We want to be an exciting team that can be effective on both sides of the ball.” Fans can get their first look at the team Saturday, April 12 during a practice game at 11 a.m. at the practice fields on campus.

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