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From
Down Under
Is Crocodile Dundee the new forward for the MSU soccer team? Well not exactly, but Leighal Dellis, a 19-year-old marketing major from Wollongong, Australia, is. Why would someone from a place full of sunny beaches decide to come to Wichita Falls? “To play soccer,” Dellis said with his Australian accent. He could have gone to school in New York but chose Wichita Falls because he is not a big city person. “I don’t like traffic or seeing homeless people on the street,” Dellis said. MSU noticed Dellis when he sent the soccer coaching staff an e-mail and a videotape of him playing. “We get a lot of those from foreign students,” said Doug Elder, head coach of the men’s soccer team. “About five a week.” Something about Dellis stuck out though. Not only was he a good soccer player, but Elder believed he would help the chemistry of the team. “We talked to his parents and coaches and found he had a good character, and we thought he would fit in well,” Elder said. Elder said he has to be careful when selecting foreign students, because they may not be able to adjust to life here, but Dellis has not had many problems. Dellis’ main obstacle was not only his accent but also the Texan one. He said he has a hard time understanding people, especially when they talk fast. People also have a hard time understanding him, but he said he expects it. “People have come up to me with a fake accent and asked, ‘How’s your kangaroo?’ One time someone asked me if I spoke English,” Dellis said. Even though English was Dellis’ first language, he can also speak Greek. Both of his parents are from Greece. Elder said he has no problem understanding Dellis, but gets confused by some of his vocabulary. “We don’t understand some of the words he uses sometimes, and the guys’ sort of tease him and we ask him what he means,” Elder said. One thing that has not changed too much is his soccer. He said the main differences between soccer in America and in Australia are the terms and that there is more practice time here. The pace of the game is also a lot quicker in the United States. “The biggest obstacle with him is his speed of play, but whatever he lacks in speed, he gains in knowledge,” Elder said. Elder said Dellis excels at ball handling skills and putting the ball in the goal. “He has good skill—he traps the ball well, has good vision, is a good shooter and can serve.” Dellis also received training that was better than most Americans receive. “I could tell he had a knowledge of the game and was trained by good coaches,” Elder said. Being from an exotic place like Australia, one would think he would have had many adventures in “the outback,” but Dellis said his biggest adventure yet is coming to Wichita Falls. He did want to get away from home, like almost every high-school graduate, but it was still scary. “I had to leave my family, friends and everything familiar behind,” Dellis said. It was all worth it to him though. He said he loves it here. “I am having the time of my life,” Dellis said. Elder said he can’t predict where soccer will take Dellis in the future. “There are 360,000 athletes playing NCAA sports and only 1 percent of them go professional,” Elder said. “It will depend on what he accomplishes at MSU.” Elder said to succeed, Dellis must have long-term goals and dedication. Dellis won’t be here this summer, because he will be visiting Australia and Greece. If his scholarship gets extended, we may be seeing a lot more of the boy from down under.
Weightlifting
team takes home Junior National Championship
The Wichita Falls weightlifting team won the overall team trophy at the 2003 Junior Nationals the weekend of March 29 in Alamonte Springs, Fla., becoming the only team to ever win the Collegiate Nationals and the Junior Nationals in the same year. Approximately 20 people competed in each weight class, seven women’s and eight men’s classes. The team scored 44 points to beat the Florida team who finished second with 33 points. Team Wesley from Missouri was third, Minnesota was fourth, and the Midwest team from Illinois placed fifth. Trey Goodwin took first place in the 85k division, securing his spot in the World Championships, which will take place from May 29 to June 7. The competition, formally to be held in Tel Aviv, Israel, was moved to Monterrey, Mexico due to the war. “Trey’s a great lifter,” coach Glenn Pendlay said. “He has the talent that doesn’t come along in too many people, and he has a legitimate shot at becoming one of the best in the country. “I think he’ll do a wonderful job representing the United States in the World Championships.” Justin Brimhall placed second in the 69k division, Judith Hodges was sixth in 53k, Nic Taff was sixth in 56k, Dave Jalomo was 14th in 62k, Roy Dorman took eighth in 62k, Taylor Kuskisson was 12th in 69k, Josh Wells was fourth in 94k, Ben Preda was third in 105k and Aaron Plowman placed 12th in 105k+. “We are definitely the No. 1 team in the United States,” Pendlay said. “We haven’t lost a meet in three-and-a-half years, and the kids expect to win. They’re not overconfident; it’s a good kind of confidence to have. “It’s what won it for us.” Pendlay knew it would be tough to beat a Florida squad who consolidated all their lifters onto one team. “I knew it would be tough to go to Florida and win another championship,” he said. “But every lifter did their job, and every single one contributed. Being consistently good is what wins it.” So what’s next for the team that seems to have it all? Last year, the team sent three lifters to the Pan-American games, coming close to representing half of the Pan-Am team. This year, three or four are expected to go. Justin Schlager and Preda are tentatively set to compete in the 23-and-Under Championship in Venezuela. Schlager, Brett Crossland, Wells and Goodwin are also set to go to the World Student Games in Italy. And while the Men’s National Competition is scheduled for April 17 in Chattanooga, Tenn., Pendlay is already building a strong team for next year. “The greatest thing is we’ve recruited wonderfully,” he said. “A big part of our success is recruiting kids to come, and it makes it easy to recruit with the kind of season we’ve had.” Lifter Dave Jalomo, Roy Dorman and Nic Taff are examples of the team’s future. Jalomo, from Dumas, Texas, is in his first semester with the team. Pendlay expects him to be an outstanding 62k weightlifter and help out a weak class along with Dorman, from Rider High School. Iowa Park’s Nic Taff, a 56k weight class competitor, has two years of experience and is already a two-time National Champion. Taff was planning on attending a junior college but intends on coming to MSU. “I expect him to break collegiate American records as soon as he gets here,” Pendlay said. “They’re all going to do some great things and make it a better team.”
Beginning
of baseball season brings back past memories
This time of year, there is one question that leaves me speechless and quaking with the flood of potential answers. People say that baseball is boring and ask me how I can sit and watch an entire game. While the majority of those questions are asked by the fairer sex, I am blessed to have three very important girls in my life that not only like baseball... They understand it. Even some guys just don’t get baseball. It is not just a sport to me. It was how I earned a living for the last five years. In the past five seasons, I have attended 375 Texas Rangers home games and was paid to do so. I was and will forever be part of a select group of people known as a “Beer Man.” In my first two years at the temple, known as the Ballpark in Arlington, I was a hot dog vendor. Ballpark dogs were ok,, but when you move from the upper deck to the comforts of the season-ticket holders in the lower bowl and the money that could be made selling alcohol at a baseball game, the decision to change was easy. Even though the job of selling beer and being a journalist/photographer are totally unrelated, the time that I spent soaking in the atmosphere that is a live baseball game gave me direction for the rest of my life. But my love affair with the game started long before my office was section 40 on the first-base line. There is no better way to put it than in the words of James Earl Jones in “Field of Dreams” (which is the greatest baseball movie to watch with your dad). “(Baseball) is a part of our past.” Ever since I was a kid and my family moved to the Fort Worth area, my dad took me to Rangers’ games. I have had the privilege of seeing a few of the best moments in Rangers and baseball history. Back when the Rangers acquired Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, my dad and I went to every home game he pitched. I was in the left field bleachers, about halfway back, when Ricky Henderson swung and missed, giving Ryan strikeout No. 5,000. I was young and probably did not realize the enormity of the event at the time and why people were standing, yelling and clapping for 10-15 minutes, but I still have the ticket stub and the newspaper front page from the day after. I even have an autograph from Ryan on a 5x7 black and white photograph. It is only a small part of the collection of baseball cards I own. I am sad to say that I have not purchased a pack of Topps or UpperDeck in the past five years. Most of all, the reason I love baseball so much is it brings back all of the good memories that I share with my dad. I will openly admit that I cannot finish watching “Field of Dreams” without crying, and I can honestly say that I have seen the same reaction from my dad. The best part of the movie is when Kevin Costner’s character plays catch with his dad. That scene should bring back memories for any baseball kid. I remember the little league games where orange slices and Dr. Pepper awaited us at the end of the game, win or lose. My dad was my coach, and I always thought that he worked and ran me harder than any of the other boys. Fact was, our team just plain sucked. I was proud to be a Cub and a Marlin (even though the team colors are awful). One day, I had enough of what I perceived was his hard-nose tactics toward his son. I was not as good as the other players, and I knew it. So I quit and have regretted it ever since. Dad and I have both grown closer together since those hot summer afternoons at the little-league complex. The flow of this game and life in general came full circle when I started selling beer at the ballpark. My dad sold beer in the section next to me, so we shared one of the aisles. A father/son beer team. The season ticket holders thought it was hilarious and would joke about where the tip money would go. This is the first season in some time that I will not get to enjoy that time with my dad. There have only been a few home games, but I miss it already. It is hard to leave the comfortable past, but a new road lies visibly in the distance. I see baseball as a part of my future. I have gone from being a fan to serving the fans, and hopefully the next step will be showing or telling the fans about the game.
Tennis teams gear up for final stretch
With the tennis season almost complete, the men’s and women’s teams are winding down another successful year. The men are 10-6 and are ranked No. 2 in Div. II of the Central Region, while the women are 12-6 and ranked No. 4. Both Indians’ squads will meet stiff competition this weekend at the Broncho Invitational in Edmond, Okla. The men, led by Gene Ligeon, Ryan Gillen, Jared King, Victor Vidal and Rohan Williams, will face regionally-ranked Rockhurst College and East Central. Vidal sports a 14-5 record in his singles matches, and Rohan Williams is 12-4 in the singles matches he has played. Gillen/Williams and Vidal/ John Luxton have also had much success in doubles action. The women, led by Emilee Black, Tiffany Burgess, Brooke Gray, Kama Scott, Shelby Stegner and Lacey Wuthrich will also face a couple of ranked teams in Edmond. After the Broncho Invitational, the Indians will host the Lone Star Conference tournament April 18-20. Both squads fell to Abilene Christian University last year in the tournament – the men in the final and the women in the semifinal. After a 7-3 start, the men’s team has stumbled to Ouachita Baptist (Arak.), Delta State (Miss.) and conference foe ACU. Despite those losses, they are ahead of Abilene Christian (No. 3) in the region. Drury, who trampled MSU 9-0 on March 8, claims first in the Central Region. In their last match, the men did dominate East Central on the road, winning 7-2. The Lady Indians, ranked behind conference opponents ACU and Northeastern State, as well as Drury, have won four out of their last five matches since they suffered a 9-0 drubbing of Delta State on March 18. Only a 6-0 defeat by the No. 1-ranked ACU Wildcats on March 29 have kept the Lady Indians from winning five straight. Their victims over the past two weeks have included St. Edwards (5-4), St. Mary’s (7-2), Eastern New Mexico (5-4) and East Central (8-1). The doubles tandem of Gray and Black have won 13 of of their 15 matches they have played together, and Wuthrich and Burgess also have quality doubles records. After the Lone Star Conference tournament is completed, both teams will hope for a bid to the regional tournament. The No.1 seed from each region will host the tournament, which will occur May 2-3.
Team Arrow rides to victory at UTA MSU’s Team Arrow cycling team dominated the UTA Criterium race March 30 in Fort Worth. The 1.7-mile circuit at The Resource Connection earned the team several top individual spots, while the team gathered 464 points to obtain first place. The team from Texas A&M took first place with 243 points. In the overall standings, MSU leads the pack with 2,120 points. A&M trails behind with 1,668 points for second place, and UT-Austin comes in at third place with 1,135 points. Bjoem Ossenbrink took first place in the Men’s ‘A’ category and Josh Holder came in second place in Fort Worth. Shawn Depew took fourth place, Stephan Rothe came in at seventh, Brian Wyrick placed ninth and Jeff Via rode in at 17th. Stephanie Hannos, Janna Jackson and Ivana Miucic took first, second and third, respectively, in the Women’s ‘A’ division. Zelijko Kovacevic rode into first place in the Men’s ‘B’ category. Clay Worthington placed a close third with Greg Saxon (fourth) and David Martin (fifth) right behind him. Ramona Wible took second place and Leah Little placed sixth in the Women’s ‘B’ category. In the Men’s ‘C’ division, Stephen Triche placed second, David Powell took 13th while Timothy Pope and Richard Whatcoh grabbed 14th and 15th places respectively. The Conference Road Championships, “El Diablo III,” will be held April 19-20 and hosted by the MSU cycling team.
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