Noisia Records

West Norfolk athlete Lucy Edwards (12) who has her eyes on becoming a future Olympic champion with her medals from the year including two from the National Schools event in Birmingham.

For years, the punch line of intercollegiate athletics has been the football team always wants a university it can be proud of.

That would be funny had it not so often become so close to the truth.

Everyone in a university community should benefit from the astounding sums of money available through football and basketball, not just a privileged few.

For example, The Ohio State University went looking for a football coach recently, and found Urban Meyer, two-time national championship coach at the University of Florida.

Meyer will earn $4 million per year from Ohio State, plus an additional $2.4 million if he still is the Buckeyes coach in 2018.

To Ohio States credit, if 70 to 79 percent of his players graduate, Meyer gets $100,000, almost as much as he does if his team receives a bid to a Bowl Championship Series postseason game, $150,000.

If the Buckeyes graduation rate climbs to 80 percent under Meyer — according to NCAA figures, 67 percent of Ohio State players graduated in the six-year period beginning in 2004 — he receives $150,000.

However, if his Buckeyes play in the BCS championship game, Meyer receives a bonus of $250,000.

Graduation rates are nice. Winning the biggest game is better.

At Virginia Tech, football coach Frank Beamer earns $2.3 million per year, significantly less than Meyer, but a livable wage in Southwest Virginia.

What do the students at Virginia Tech receive for the football teams success?

They can enter a lottery for a student ticket to a home game. Or, they can buy, at a reasonable price, a season ticket to Hokies games.

This is on top of the athletic fee they pay each semester.

The head coaches of major college football and basketball programs earn millions of dollars.

We have this all wrong. Athletic programs should benefit the entire university, not just the people who work in athletic departments.

The ACC earned an estimated $41 million for its eight football bowl appearances this season.

Instead of being divided among the conference office and ACC athletic departments, much of that money should be deposited in general scholarship funds and be available to all students.

All the money the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC will earn from the NCAA mens basketball tournament this season?

Same deal.

The euphoria Virginia Commonwealth University students felt when the Rams ran to the Final Four last season was rare. Wouldnt it have been nice if some of the NCAA money found its way into their 2011-12 accounts in the form of scholarships?

Trickle-down economics dont seem to work so well in the real world. Its time someone gave them a try in the unreal world of college athletics.

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. — Willamette University won seven womens events, but Linfield College split victories in the relays and earned more second and third place finishes, as the Wildcats edged the Bearcats, 106-95, in Northwest Conference swimming on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the WU Natatorium. Linfield also triumphed in the mens competition, winning 129-66.

Erin Parkinson (So., Everson, WA/Ferndale HS) of Willamette won three individual womens events, while Sean Piper (Fr., Normandy Park, WA/John F. Kennedy HS) won two events for the WU mens team.

Willamettes only senior, Laura Coddington (Seaside, OR/Seaside HS), was honored by the WU coaches and athletes prior to the match. Coddington also was the first Bearcat to compete in the pool on Saturday, as she swam the opening leg of the womens 400-yard freestyle relay.

Bearcat Women Win Seven Events

Parkinson took first place in the 1,000-yard freestyle, the 100-yard freestyle and the 200-yard breaststroke.

In the 1,000 freestyle, she registered a time of 11:22.55 to start a 1-2 finish for the Bearcats. Hope Nelson (Fr., Providence, RI/South Kingstown HS) of WU took second in 11:57.44. In the 100 freestyle, Parkinson completed the race in 57.59 seconds to win by more than a second over Victoria Nickerson of Linfield, who placed second in 58.74

Parkinson was first in a field of six swimmers in the 200 breaststroke, as she earned a time of 2:36.36. Nickerson took second place for Linfield in 2:37.21.

Also winning individual events for the Bearcat womens team were Nelson in the 500-yard freestyle, Lauren Ballinger (Jr., Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee HS) in the 50-yard freestyle and Ann Hues (Fr., Boise, ID/Timberline HS) in the 200-yard backstroke.

Nelson prevailed in the 500 freestyle by nearly 10 seconds, winning in 5:47.66, while Devin Pritchard of Linfield took second place at 5:57.00. Ballinger sprinted to a close win in the 50 freestyle in 27.89 seconds, while Brandi Halemano placed second for the visiting Wildcats at 28.05 seconds.

Hues led a 1-3-4 finish by the Bearcats in the 200-yard backstroke. She registered a winning time of 2:28.77. Catherine Nakamura of Linfield was second in 2:29.84, while Coddington was third in 2:30.13 and Kersey Bars (Fr., Springfield, OR/Springfield HS) was fourth in 2:31.77.

The WU women also achieved first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Nelson, Bars, Summer Elias (Fr., Elko, NV/Elko HS) and Ballinger competed in the relay and earned a time of 4:02.06. Linfield finished second in 4:15.06.

Linfield received two wins from Kelcie Kimura, who topped the 200-yard freestyle at 2:03.02 and finished first in the 200-yard individual medley at 2:26.85. Katie Main of Linfield won the 200-yard butterfly at 2:21.88.

Willamettes Piper Wins 200 IM and 200 Back

Piper led the Bearcat mens squad with his two individual triumphs. He placed first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:05.20. He won by 1.25 seconds over Seth Ruwitch, who took second place for Linfield in 2:06.85. Piper was victorious by three seconds in the 200-yard backstroke, as he finished in 2:02.96, while Lee Rivers of the Wildcats was second at 2:05.96.

Chris Whitehead (So., Sherwood, OR/Sherwood HS) put on a strong final lap to edge past Chris Purdy of Linfield in the 200-yard breaststroke. Whitehead trailed by about 3/4 of a body length entering the final 25 yards, but touched out in 2:27.97 with Purdy registering a time of 2:28.15. Whitehead took second place in the 100-yard freestyle in 53.79 seconds.

Linfield won eight mens events, but gained a narrow victory in the opening 400-yard medley relay and achieved a narrow win in the 50-yard freestyle.

In the 400 medley relay, the Wildcats trailed after the first two legs, but a strong third leg by Alex Lyles gave Linfield a 2.43-second lead entering the final leg. Aran Johnson (Fr., Seattle, WA/Garfield HS) of WU removed 1.83 seconds from Linfields lead, but the Wildcats held on in a time of 3:58.30. Willamette finished the race in 3:58.90.

Marc Pereira of Linfield won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.19 seconds, as he held off teammate Sean Iwamasa, who clocked in at 24.56 seconds, and Johnson of Willamette, who achieved a time of 24.59 seconds.

The Wildcats won five other mens events. Rivers was first in the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:22.53 and Ian Coker won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:55.00. Iwamasa took first in the 100-yard freestyle (52.54 seconds), Miles Phillips was first in the 200-yard butterfly (2:07.90) and Ruwitch triumphed in the 500-yard freestyle (5:15.29).

Other Top Finishes for the Bearcats

Bars placed second behind Kimura in the womens 200 freestyle in 2:13.87. Kayla Kosaki (Jr., Hilo, HI/Waiakea HS) was second in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:26.93.

Zander Le Bel (Fr., Dallas, TX/Richardson HS) took second place in the mens 1,000 freestyle at 11:01.88 and the 500 freestyle at 5:20.74. Marshall Balderston (Fr., Eugene, OR/Marist Catholic HS) was second in the 200 freestyle in 1:57.38, just 2.38 seconds behind Coker of Linfield. Ian McGahan (Jr., Tacoma, WA/Stadium HS) was second in the 200 butterfly in 2:25.93.

Dual Season Records

Linfields women improved to 3-6 overall and 1-6 in the NWC. The Linfield men moved to 3-5, 2-5 in the NWC. The Bearcat womens team concluded its dual schedule at 2-7, 0-7 in the NWC. Willamettes men ended the dual season at 0-8, 0-7 in the NWC.

The 2012 Oakland Athletics are a team that has had tremendous turnover this offseason. There has been an exodus of players from last season, as this winter has seen multiple veterans depart via trade and free agency.

With such an excavation of talent, many people have decided that the Athletics are for the meantime unworthy of their fanship, as the team is more focused on moving to San Jose than fielding a winning team.

In an effort to bolster their outfield, it was reported last week that Oakland has come to terms with free-agent outfielder Jonny Gomes. The latent function is ironically an increase in attendance in 2012, as Gomes is a local product, having grown up in close-enough Petaluma in the North Bay.

The nine-year pro has admitted that he is extra generous with tickets for his friends and family whenever he visits the Bay Area as a visitorthey fill up an entire section in the Oakland Coliseum. By virtue of his signing, the As attendance, recently the lowest in all of baseball, skyrockets a tick in 2012.

Gomes adds some right-handed pop to a lineup that lacks power on both sides of the plate. Though he has not played more than 148 games in an MLB season, he has managed three 20-home run seasons, and by far has more than any other Athletic on the current roster.

Bringing the local boy back home is a breath of fresh air for a team that is marred in a battle between two different Bay Area cities. Hes been considered a great clubhouse guy who has a addictive fun personality, something As GM Billy Beane was attracted to, especially considering the youth of the ball club.

Some fun facts about the offbeat Gomes:

- As an homage to his hometown of Petaluma, Gomes has the area code 707 written on his glove and cleats.

ZANESVILLE — For some students, education, athletics and faith all occupy important roles.

At my school theres a group called Fellowship of Christian Athletes, so this isnt going away, said Jessie Little, a 19-year-old sophomore at Muskingum University. A number of people show their faith through team efforts.

Little was one of 15 area student-athletes honored for their dedication on and off the field with the Muskingum Christian Athlete Leadership Award.

The fourth annual breakfast and ceremony was hosted Saturday morning at Coburn United Methodist Church to recognize their commitment to academics, athletics and Christian beliefs.

Students are nominated by teachers, coaches and athletic directors, and must excel in those three areas, said Mike Fulmer, committee chairman. Its amazing to hear what theyre involved in.

As the students names were announced, so were their numerous academic achievements; athletic, extracurricular and community involvements; and winning, hard-working personalities.

Its special to see what the kids are doing, said Dennis Baker, Coburns lead pastor. All they do and how they contribute is amazing.

The young students humbly agreed.

I was surprised, Little said. Im glad to receive this, but theres a lot of Christian student-athletes at my school who keep Christ and their faith in their efforts. But having this award is good. It helps get it out there that faith is still around in the community. Hopefully it will spread to other school communities.

Like Little, Karen Sidwell, an 18-year-old Maysville High School senior, was modest about the accolade.

I appreciate the nomination and being able to spend Saturday receiving this award, she said. Its nice to be recognized. Im active in sports and church, but I dont do it to be recognized.

Dr. Samuel Finck, of Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville, who served as the guest speaker, was impressed with the caliber of this years recipients. He didnt have to work too hard to reach the crowd.

I wanted to encourage them to keep doing what theyre doing, he said. Its about leadership and service, and putting other peoples needs in front of their own.

Finck also appreciated the distinctiveness of the event.

This is the first one of these Ive been to, he said. Its something thats not noticed throughout the year. Its refreshing. Faith is not lost.

WINDY conditions dominated the racing experiences of all the Ryston Runners AC members competing at the weekend, except for the two whose events took place indoor.

Club race-walker Cath Duhig held on for third place in the first Enfield League event of 2012 which was five miles at the old Donkey Lane venue.

Cath just managed to dip under the 50 minute target time she has set herself for this distance, clocking 49.58 for 14th place overall.

Enjoying slightly better conditions on the same day were Thea Howlett and Caitlin Clark, who were representing Norfolk in the under 11 Girls category at Sportshall.

The wind hadn’t dropped on Sunday, a fact clearly noticed by the “Hares” among the almost 450 runners taking part in the Folksworth 15.

Most were using it as marathon preparation, knowing that this tough two lap race is strength-building enough with all its hills, let alone with blustery conditions to add to the difficulty.

The women outnumbered the men on this occasion, with nine racing.

Annie Bradbury was first home in 118th place overall in 1.50.37, a personal best by two minutes, bagging herself the honours in the W50 category.

Personal bests also fell to Pauline Sparrow by five minutes, 301st in 2.11.42, and Helen Melville by nearly eight minutes, 309th in 2.13.26.

Sarah Taylor placed 230th in 2.04.53, Pauline Drewery 263rd in 2.07.46 and Georgina Allen 370th in 2.23.31.

Pleasing debut performances at the distance were made by Lesley Robins, who came 147th in 1.55.09, Maureen Wolfe 293rd in 2.11.24, and Karen Smith 320th in 2.16.52.

Of the four Ryston men taking part, Steve Bowerman was also trying the distance for the first time and clocked 1.47.38 in 90th place.

Simon Levy took 23rd spot with 1.35.46 and Dave Robins 39th with 1.40.09.

Unfortunately for Ian Saunders one lap was enough and he had to pull out after that point.

Meanwhile, in St Albans, brothers Rob and Andy Simmonds each had a successful run in the Fred Hughes 10 mile event.

Rob finishing 8th overall in 59.38 and Andy was placed 14th in 61.14.

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

PARKLAND, WASH. — Pacific Lutheran University committed just two turnovers, as the Lutes defeated visiting Willamette University, 89-78, at Olson Auditorium on Saturday, Jan. 28. Willamette senior Taylor Mounts (Wing/Post, Kailua, HI/Iolani School) scored a game-high 30 points and led all players with 12 rebounds, but the Bearcats couldnt overcome PLUs ability to retain the ball on offense.

PLU also achieved an edge at the free throw line, where the Lutes made 19 of 33 attempts (57.6%). The Bearcats sank 10 of 12 free throws (83.3%).

Willamette held an advantage in field goal accuracy, as the Bearcats hit 57.1% (30 of 58), while Pacific Lutheran connected on 47.7% (31 of 65). The teams shot nearly identical numbers from 3-point range, with WU going 8 for 17 (47.1%) and the Lutes converting 8 of 18 (44.4%).

By keeping their turnovers to a minimum, the Lutes were able to prevent Willamette from stringing together many offensive runs. Meanwhile, Willamette committed only 13 turnovers, five below the teams average of 18.3 prior to the game.

Cameron Schilling topped Pacific Lutheran with 19 points. Andrew Earnest added 18 points. Cameron Reister put in 15 points for the Lutes on 5 of 9 shooting, including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers. James Conti added 12 points, plus game highs with seven assists and four steals.

For Willamette, Mounts was joined in double figures by Noah Ripley (So., Post, Springfield, OR/Springfield HS), who scored 10 points and hauled down four rebounds. Ryan Meehan (Sr., Wing, Beaverton, OR/Beaverton HS/MSU-Billings) supplied WU with nine points. Trevor Box (So., G, Lakewood, CA/St. John Bosco HS) earned five assists and four rebounds.

Mounts finished three points away from his career-high of 33, set against Corban University on Dec. 30, 2010.

The Bearcats and the Lutes each grabbed 36 total rebounds. The Lutes achieved 19 assists and Willamette finished with 14.

Willamette and PLU combined for six ties and eight lead changed in the opening half. WU took a 10-6 lead on a 3-pointer by Mounts with 17:03 on the clock. Pacific Lutheran tallied the next four points, but the Bearcats responded with a 9-4 run for a 19-14 advantage with 13:13 left.

PLU tied the score two more times before taking a 33-32 lead on a 3-point basket by Reister at the 5:59 mark.

The game was tied 40-40 with 3:32 remaining in the half, but the Lutes finished the period with a 7-0 run. Schilling started the run with a layup and Conti added a jumper and foul shot. Zachary Klein finished the run with a layup as the clock reached 1:18. Neither team scored in the final minute, leaving PLU with a 47-40 halftime edge.

Willamette surged out of halftime with an 11-3 run for a 51-50 lead at the 16:34 mark. The run included two layups and a 3-pointer by Mounts, who reached the 22-point mark after scoring 15 points in the first half.

The Bearcats held a 56-52 advantage after Joseph Jackson (Fr., G, Hillsboro, OR/Hillsboro HS) hit a 3-pointer with 14:36 left. Pacific Lutheran responded with six consecutive points to take the lead, before WU tied the score at 58-58 on a jumper by Mounts with 11:52 to go.

Pacific Lutheran recorded the next 10 points and held the Bearcats off the scoreboard until just over nine minutes remained in the game. The run by the Lutes, which began with a layup by Austin Wilson, gave PLU a 68-58 margin.

The Lutes led 73-61 at the 6:50 mark, before Willamette cut the lead to six points at three times, including 77-71 after Terrell Malley (Jr., G, Portland, OR/Roosevelt HS) put in a layup with 2:49 on the clock.

Earnest scored on a jumper and Conti registered a steal and a layup to return the Lutes to a 10-point lead at 81-71.

Willamette, which has played five of its last seven games on the road, will return to Cone Field House to take on nearby rival Linfield College in an NWC game on Friday, Feb. 3. Game time is scheduled for 8 pm (PST). Including the match-up with Linfield, the Bearcats will play three of their next four games at home.

Austin Peay Assistant Athletics Director Cheryl Holt speaks after Lady Govs softball field was renamed Cheryl Holt Field. / THE LEAF-CHRONICLE/ROBERT SMITH

Of the more than 200 public institutions in NCAA Division 1, approximately 17 have athletics departments that are profitable. No, CSU is not one of them.

President Tony Frank said, ?If one combines the student fees and the university general fund, it?s reasonable to say we spend $14,400,000 of public funds? on athletics, out of a total budget of $25 million. Now, CSU wishes to build a new $200,000,000 on-campus stadium.

What has the CSU Athletic Department and administration told us regarding the benefits of an on-campus stadium? It will bring ?enthusiasm? to the campus; it will ?energize? the students; alumni will donate more; it will be easier to ?sell? the university.

Frank said (university) ?reputations have clearly been elevated ? by the quality of athletic programs.? He also went on to say ?we can invest modestly [my emphasis] in our athletics programs. …? CSU also says it will have a clear, open and transparent stadium program.

Let?s examine CSU actions and quotes.

Is $200,000,000 a modest investment?

Investment means a positive monetary return. CSU is losing money.
Frank said if CSU sells 10 percent more tickets to football games it will cover the extra costs of the new coach?s salary. Ten percent brings in about $250,000, which is less than 20 percent of his salary. Shenanigans!

A $250,000 coach finder?s fee? We requested a copy of the contract through the Colorado Open Records Act. It was refused by the Colorado State University Research Foundation. Is something being hidden? Open and transparent?
CSU says, ?We are a research university; don?t you want the students taught by professors doing cutting edge research?? We sure do; however, more than 50 percent of the classes are taught by contingent faculty.

From, ?We are thinking about an on-campus stadium? to ?Where will we build it? in one month. Open and transparent?

I?m not sure who at CSU I can believe.

All is not lost. CSU is a research university that deals in facts, data, studies, scientific hypothesis, proofs, case studies and rigorous questioning. An accredited business college resides on campus, so a detailed financial plan covering the next three, five and 10 years must have been submitted to the CSU Board of Governors for approval.

HOUSTON (15-Jan) — While it was hard to match the excitement of yesterdays Olympic Marathon Trials here, the top competitors in the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half-Marathon gave it their best shot, toppling the mens and womens course records in both races. Todays event marked the 40th running of the marathon here.

The record breaking started in the half-marathon. With pacemaking help from Kenyas Philemon Limo, Ethiopian Feyisa Lilesa, the reigning IAAF World Championships Marathon bronze medalist, went out at a fast clip, hitting 5-K in 14:01 and 10-K in 28:02. His nearest challenger, compatriot Tilahun Regassa, was nearly a minute back. Limo left the course after 10-K, leaving Lilesa –who only decided to run the race a week ago– to run the remaining kilometers alone. He clocked an excellent 59:22, to smash Ryan Halls 2007 course record of 49:43. His was the fourth-fastest half-marathon ever on US soil.

I was very much prepared for this race, and it was comparatively easy for me, Lilesa said through an impartial interpreter. Im really very happy. This is my best personal best. Im happy to have achieved this thing (the record).

The womens half-marathon offered considerably more drama. Reigning Boston Marathon champion Caroline Kilel of Kenya was running shoulder-to-shoulder with Belaynesh Oljira, an Ethiopian who won last months Corrida de Satilde;o Silvestre in Luanda, Angola, with 200 meters to go. The pair jostled as they made the final left hand turn into the 184-meter homestretch in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center. Oljira went wide, then accelerated away from Kilel to take the win in 1:08:26, two seconds ahead of the Kenyan and 1:15 under Shalane Flanagans 2010 course record. Oljira said that she was counting on her track speed to get the win.

Im very much into the 10,000, so I have the speed, she said through the interpreter. That helped me a lot today.

She was not, however, thinking about the course record, and the $7500 bonus the organizers had on offer. Nobody told me about the time, but I ran very fast, she said with a laugh.

Both Lilesa and Oljira earned $10,000 for their victories plus the course record bonuses.

Behind the mens winner, two Americans ran noteworthy times. Scott Bauhs of the Mammoth Track Club clocked 1:01:30 in third place, while former University of Oregon star Luke Puskedra ran 1:01:36 in fourth. Both marks were personal bests, and Puskedra made his debut at the distance.

In the marathon, Ethiopias Tariku Jufar broke away from compatriot Debebe Tolossa in the 38th kilometer, then ran alone to the finish in a course record 2:06:51 (previous 2:07:04). Jufar, who was struck by a car in Addis Ababa in 2009 and suffered broken bones, was beaming after his victory and personal best.