Noisia Records

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.

ATHLETICS: Barefoot South African Olympian runs again

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa?s barefoot Olympic runner Zola Budd is taking on her country?s 90-kilometer (56-mile) Comrades marathon, nearly 30 years after colliding with American Mary Decker at the Los Angeles Olympics. ?A lot has changed, but I?m still the Zola I was then,? the petite 45-year-old told journalists in Johannesburg after accepting an award Friday. Budd shot to international fame in 1984 when she broke the women?s 5,000-metre world record as a 17-year-old schoolgirl running barefoot. The record was disallowed following apartheid South Africa?s exclusion from international athletics. Budd then took on British citizenship and broke the record again in 1985 with a time of 14:48:07. She famously crashed into the favourite Decker at the 1,700-mark during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Decker was injured and forfeited the race, while Budd finished seventh. She went on to become World Cross Country Champion twice. Having competed in several US events since she moved there with her family in 2008, Budd now feels ready for the South African marathon. ?I?ve always wanted to run the Comrades but I always was too scared because it?s far,? she told AFP. Thousands of athletes take part yearly in the race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in the east of the country, which was started 91 years ago to commemorate World War I veterans. She said she will be running for the pleasure. ?I don?t consider myself a professional athlete anymore,? she said. Budd has become a local legend, with South Africa?s ubiquitous minibus taxis named ?Zola Budds? because of their speeding. ?One showed up at my house once and I had to sign it,? she tells. And though Budd has not set a goal for the Comrades marathon yet, at least she won?t run barefoot ? the athlete has developed sports footwear that mimics running without shoes. afp

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Read More: Ryan Sweeney (RF – BOS), Andrew Bailey (P – BOS), Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox

Almost a month after acquiring outfield Ryan Sweeney in a trade, the Boston Red Sox inked the former Oakland Athletic to a one-year, $1.75-million deal Saturday. Sweeney, who was brought to Boston in the trade for closer Andrew Bailey on Dec. 28, is expected to compete for the starting right-field position.

Andrew Bailey Stoked To Be A Red Sox

If the Red Sox did not agree to terms with Sweeney, he could have fined for arbitration. Last season, Sweeney made $1.4 million with the Athletics.

Sweeney, as an every day player, is not the answer in right field for most teams, wrote Marc Normandin of the SB Nation Red Sox blog Over The Monster on Dec. 29. The left-handed outfielder has one major weakness, and its his inability to hit his fellow southpaws. This makes him a better fit as a fourth outfielder on a good team, but with the way the Red Sox roster is built, Sweeney can actually account for somewhere around 75 percent of the playing time at the position, simply by using him against right-handed pitchers. Righties tend to throw roughly three-quarters of all innings, and Sweeney can hit righties.

In six seasons, Sweeney has a .283 batting average after hitting .265 with one homer and 25 RBIs in 264 at-bats last season.

Back in the fall of 2002, Beane turned down a chance to jump from Oakland to Boston because he couldnt stand the thought of moving away from his daughter, whose mother lives in California. But Casey Beane is in her 20s now, going full steam ahead for an independent life, so Beane no longer has geographic limitations on his career.

He really should move on. But his deal with Athletics owner Lew Wolff has become a velvet coffin.

As a former player and scout who was a progressive thinker when that was seen as a baseball liability, Beane should be running one of baseballs better organizations. Instead he has stayed put with the stadium-poor As, who operate at Oaklands Coliseum of Many Names, in baseballs low-rent district, across the bay from San Franciscos glittering ATamp;T Park.

There was talk in September and October that Beane was getting out, finally ready to consider one of several openings for general manager (most notably with the Cubs, Red Sox and Angels, but also the Orioles and Astros). But both Beane and his highly respected assistant, David Forst, stayed put.

Those two have since been occupied in stripping a roster that has steadily shrunk since 2007, the season that ended the eight-year run of winning teams in the Tim Hudson-Barry Zito-Mark Mulder era. You might think they would have wanted to improve it after a 74-88 season.

Yet Beane and Forst allowed their top run producer (Josh Willingham) to leave as a free agent and traded their top pitcher (Gio Gonzalez). Also moving on through trades or free agency were Andrew Bailey, Trevor Cahill, Ryan Sweeney, Craig Breslow, David DeJesus and Hideki Matsui.

What had been a $67 million payroll in 2011 will come in much lower this season, somewhere under $50 million, with the re-signed Coco Crisp as the highest-paid player (2 years, $14 million) and catcher Kurt Suzuki and reliever Brian Fuentes the only others earning $5 million.

This is Wolff screaming loudly that he should be allowed to build a stadium in San Jose, which he has been barred from doing because it is San Francisco Giants territory.

Theres no hotter topic on Commissioner Bud Seligs plate, and while its at the top of the list of tasks hell undertake the next three years Selig accepted a two-year contract extension at last weeks owners meeting its unclear how hell resolve it.

Looking at the Orioles decline in attendance since the arrival of the Nationals from 2.74 million in 2004, the last year the Nationals were still the Montreal Expos, to 1.76 million last season you can see why the Giants arent especially welcoming. There are other numbers to consider, however.

Wolff bought the As for $180 million in 2005, and the growth of baseball in general and revenue sharing in particular has allowed their value to increase while the product deteriorates. Forbes lists the current value at $307 million.

Beane, whose contract runs through 2014, has a 4 percent stake in ownership. Thats $7.2 million with the valuation at what Wolff paid for the team, $12.3 million at the current Forbes figure or a hypothetical $22.5 million if the As move to San Jose and eventually gain equal footing with the Giants currently valued at $569 million by Forbes.

In the meantime, manager Bob Melvin will be given a ridiculously punchless lineup weaker than the team that was 12th in the AL with 645 runs last season and a rotation with Brandon McCarthy as the Opening Day starter (Dallas Braden and Brett Anderson should be midseason additions after 2011 surgeries) in front of Guillermo Moscoso and three guys from a group including Bartolo Colon, Josh Outman and next-generation arms Brad Peacock, Jarrod Parker and Tom Milone.

And furthermore

(bullet) MLB should have a minimum payroll. It would require all teams to at least attempt to be somewhat competitive, and fairness is an issue. For instance, how much of an advantage will the Angels and Rangers have in the wild-card race because they have 19 games each against Oakland?

(bullet) According to Bill James projections, the Athletics most productive hitter next season will be DH Brandon Allen, with a slash line of .243/.327/.449, 22 home runs and 71 RBIs.

(bullet) Melvin is a major upgrade in the dugout, probably the best manager theyve had since Tony La Russa (although Art Howe was much better than the movies portrayal by Philip Seymour Hoffman suggests).

(bullet) MLB scoffs at Forbes projections, but theyre the best available.

(bullet) Wolff is very close to Selig, but so far that does not appear to have gained him any advantages.

progers@tribune.com

Twitter @ChiTribRogers

Jan. 12, 2012

MADISON, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin Department of Athletics has issued the following statement and information it has made available to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) as the two groups plan for future WIAA events on the UW-Madison campus.

UW Athletics appreciates and values its lengthy and historic relationship with the WIAA, UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said. We realize the importance of WIAA events to our city and campus, as well as to the many people who annually come to Madison from around our state. We dont want any of that to change.

Below are several pieces of information UW Athletics wishes to share …

* Changes in the national college hockey landscape have brought about post-season scheduling adjustments that have subsequently created scheduling conflicts between WIAA boys and girls basketball state tournament games and UW hockey playoff games.

* For 2010-2012, UW Athletics agreed with the WIAA to play the girls high school basketball tournament a week after the boys high school basketball tournament in order to bring the event back to the Kohl Center from the Alliant Energy Center (AEC).

* For 2013 UW Athletics answered the WIAAs request to move the girls high school basketball tournament to the UW Field House the week before the boys high school basketball tournament, however, it does not appear that the WIAA is interested in using this facility.

* UW Athletics is still working to find a solution on the scheduling conflict between the individual state wrestling tournament and UW mens hockey series in 2013. Attempting to move hockey series to Sunday-Monday (Feb 24-25) in order to keep currently scheduled WIAA individual wrestling dates the same. If hockey series cannot be moved, WIAA could move individual wrestling tournament to Thursday-Friday-Saturday (Feb 28-March 1-2) at the Kohl Center and combine with team wrestling tournament currently scheduled in the Field House Friday-Saturday (March 1-2).

* UW Athletics is still working to find a solution on the scheduling conflict between the boys high school basketball tournament and WCHA first round hockey playoffs in 2013.

* Current Big Ten Conference mens hockey playoff format is set for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

* Current contract between UW Athletics and WIAA runs thru June 2013.

* UW Athletics values its relationship with both the WIAA and the City of Madison. We will do everything we can to strengthen those ties for future years as we work on solving these scheduling issues.

OPTIONS PRESENTED TO WIAA BY UW ATHLETICS

February 2013

• UW mens hockey home series scheduled against Penn State on Friday-Saturday (Feb 22-23).
• UW Athletics attempting to move Penn State mens hockey series to Sunday-Monday (Feb 24-25) in order to keep currently scheduled WIAA individual wrestling dates the same.
• If Penn State mens hockey series cannot be moved, WIAA could move individual wrestling tournament to Thursday-Friday-Saturday (Feb 28-March 1-2) at the Kohl Center and combine with team wrestling tournament currently scheduled in the Field House Friday-Saturday (March 1-2).

March 2013

• WIAA has moved the dates of their girls basketball tournament to Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 7-8-9). The Kohl Center is not available on these dates due to a UW mens hockey series. The UW Field House has been offered as an option for this tournament to be played in. If WIAA is not interested in this facility, girls basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 5-6-7).
• Boys basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 14-15-16). This conflicts with the WCHA first round hockey playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday-Sunday (March 15-16-17).
• Boys basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 12-13-14) or Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 21-22-23).
• We have also suggested to the WIAA that they combine the boys and girls basketball tournaments into one weekend at the Kohl Center and only play the 10 championship games in order to fit the games into 3 days.

March 2014

• Girls basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 13-14-15). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference first round hockey playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday-Sunday (March 14-15-16).
• Girls basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 11-12-13).
• Boys basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 20-21-22). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference hockey championship playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday (March 21-22).
• Boys basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 18-19-20), provided UW Athletics does not receive a bid to host the NCAA womens hockey frozen four, or Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 27-28-29).

March 2015

• Girls basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 12-13-14). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference first round hockey playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday-Sunday (March 13-14-15).
• Girls basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 10-11-12).
• Boys basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 19-20-21). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference hockey championship playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday (March 20-21).
• Boys basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 17-18-19), provided UW Athletics does not receive a bid to host the NCAA womens hockey frozen four, or Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 26-27-28).

March 2016

• Girls basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 10-11-12). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference first round hockey playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday-Sunday (March 11-12-13).
• Girls basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 8-9-10).
• Boys basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 17-18-19). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference hockey championship playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday (March 18-19).
• Boys basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 15-16-17) or Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 24-25-26).

March 2017

• Girls basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 9-10-11). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference first round hockey playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday-Sunday (March 10-11-12).
• Girls basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 7-8-9).
• Boys basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 16-17-18). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference hockey championship playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday (March 17-18).
• Boys basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 14-15-16) or Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 23-24-25).

March 2018

• Girls basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 8-9-10). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference first round hockey playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday-Sunday (March 9-10-11).
• Girls basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 6-7-8).
• Boys basketball tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 15-16-17). This conflicts with the Big Ten Conference hockey championship playoffs at the Kohl Center Friday-Saturday (March 16-17).
• Boys basketball tournament could be played in the Kohl Center Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday (March 13-14-15) or Thursday-Friday-Saturday (March 22-23-24).

LSE students are facing disciplinary action after participating in a Nazi-themed drinking game during the Athletics Union’s ski trip, held at a French mountain-side resort in December 2011. Later in the night, two students were involved in an altercation, one of whom sustained a broken nose from the incident.

‘Nazi Ring of Fire’ involved arranging cards on the table in the shape of a Swastika, and required players to “Salute the Fuhrer.”

A video featuring students making antisemitic comments was uploaded to Facebook, but has since been removed.

“LSE Students’ Union Jewish Society (J-Soc) and the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) are appalled by a reported antisemitic assault that occurred after a Jewish student objected to a Nazi-themed drinking game, that was being played by his fellow students on a recent LSE Ski Trip in France. Nazi glorification and antisemitism have no place in our universities, which should remain safe spaces for all students,” said Jay Stoll, president of the LSE Students’ Union’s Jewish Society. There is simply no context for what has happened here. Those who believe the game was all in good humour need to realize that when a Jewish student is subject to violence and the Nazi ideology glorified it is no joke but a spiteful, collective attack on a community.”

Stoll added: This incident highlights the worrying trends of contemporary antisemitism, but beyond all else indicates a depressing lack of education from students of an esteemed institution.

Alex Peters-Day, General Secretary of the LSE Students’ Union, said: The Students’ Union does not tolerate any form of discrimination in any of its activities. A ‘drinking game’ with a Nazi theme could not be further from our values and we condemn the actions of those who participated in it.  We have a zero tolerance approach to antisemitism at LSESU and after consultation with LSE, the Union of Jewish Students, the LSE Jewish Society and the LSE Athletics Union, we are all in agreement that the students involved in this incident should face disciplinary action. This action is on-going but we can say that the outcomes will likely involve an educational element alongside any punitive sanctions.”

“Although extremely rare, we want to prevent an incident like this happening again in the future. We will work with all sections of the student community to expand on our current processes, training, and policies, added Peters-Day.

Brendan Mycock, President of the LSE Athletics Union, said: “The Athletics Union strongly condemns the actions taken by a small group of individuals on the Ski trip to Val D’iserre [sic: D'isere] in December of 2011. The Athletics Union prides itself on our open and tolerant nature and behaviour of this sort is not acceptable and is not an accurate representation of the behaviour we uphold ourselves to. Being in the Athletics Union is about being a team, behaving with respect to our team-mates and Athletics Union peers and representing our Union and our University.”

“All forms of discrimination, in this case antisemitism, should be widely condemned and seen as a timely reminder of our responsibilities both in the AU and wider society. The two are not mutually distinct. We will work with the School and the SU to ensure we reach a resolution on this and ensure that the Athletics Union remains a place that students can freely play sport and socialise with others, free from discrimination or intolerance,” Mycock added.

According to a statement released by the LSE, “These are disturbing allegations relating to events which took place on a foreign trip organised by the Students’ Union. Both the SU and LSE are investigating these events and are prepared to take disciplinary action if the allegations are shown to be true.”

“Students must abide by clear standards of behaviour set by both LSE and the SU and breaches of those standards are taken very seriously. We do not tolerate anti-semitism or any other form of racism.”

The Jewish Society and the Union of Jewish Students are currently working with the LSE and the Students’ Union to ensure that the issue is fully investigated, and that the individuals involved are held responsible for their actions.

This incident is the latest in a series of antisemitic incidents at British universities. Last November, four of the most senior members of the Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) resigned after accusing other members of engaging in antisemitic behaviour, including singing a Nazi-themed song.

In January 2010, the University of Huddersfield investigated claims that two of its students had created a Facebook group for a Nazi-themed drinking game they are thought to have invented.

Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Final 2010-11 Standings

AZUSA, Calif. — Were it not for last year’s nail-biting three-point winning margin, Azusa Pacific’s unprecedented seventh consecutive Learfield Sports NAIA Directors’ Cup would have been the Cougars’ tightest win ever for the annual trophy awarded to the best athletics program in the NAIA.

Azusa Pacific led from wire-to-wire and ended up winning by a final margin of 68.5 points over second-place Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.), who along with Shorter College (Ga.) tallied over 400 points each in the spring to make a late run and vault into the top three in their programs’ best-ever Directors’ Cup finishes. It was only the third time during the Cougars’ seven-year reign atop the competition that the final margin was closer than 100 points, and Azusa Pacific’s last two Cup wins have come by a combined 71.50-point spread.

“It’s my honor to accept this award for the NAIA and for Azusa Pacific University,” said Director of Athletics Bill Odell, who is retiring this summer after guiding the Cougar Athletics program to the top of the NAIA sports landscape over a 20-year period that included the past 15 as athletics director. “Two weeks from today will be my first day of retirement. This is a time of nostalgia as I look back at my 20 years at Azusa Pacific and see the growth that is measured for us in athletics by the Directors’ Cup.”

Despite the narrow final margin, the Cougars were able to put the competition out of reach midway through the year with nearly 400 points in the seven-sport winter season. Azusa Pacific set NAIA records for the highest combined fall and winter scoring total (691.5) and the largest lead heading into the spring championships, a 192-point cushion that represented the widest margin ever between first and second place in any NAIA final winter standings since the awards program began in 1996.

“When I first got to Azusa Pacific, we were fortunate to have an outstanding men’s track program,” Odell said. “In the time that I’ve been here, we have now won 23 national championships in a variety of sports, we have grown in student population from 1,200 to 5,200 students, while 12 of our 17 athletic teams are recognized as scholar-athlete teams and we have, as the university prescribes, service learning and community involvement with every one of our athletic teams.”

Azusa Pacific extended its streak of Directors’ Cup top-10 finishes to all 16 years of the award’s history, the only NAIA school to do so, and the Cougars’ 15 finishes in the top five are unmatched by any other NAIA athletics program.

“Winning the Directors’ Cup the last seven years shows me that we have changed as an institution and we have grown as an institution,” Odell said. “It’s my pleasure to accept this award for such a fine place as my last active assignment. I would like to thank USA Today, NACDA, and Learfield Sports for this award; we appreciate it and are excited to receive it each year. It never becomes commonplace.”

Despite the late run from the relatively new challengers, the latest cup to enter the Hall of Champions trophy case will be remembered as the product of yet another balanced all-around effort. While Azusa Pacific’s 2011 NAIA women’s basketball title stole the winter show for a 100-point boost in the standings, the 2010-11 campaign featured a return to NAIA championship events for four Cougar teams.

After an 11-3 finish to the regular season that included four wins over top 10-ranked foes, Azusa Pacific softball won a three-game GSAC playoff series over No. 10-ranked Concordia to snag a national tournament at-large bid, its first NAIA Tournament appearance since 2001.

The Cougar football program ended a four-year postseason hiatus with a return to the 16-team NAIA Football Championship Series, while men’s soccer and men’s cross country each returned to national championship play in the fall of 2010. As a result, Azusa Pacific’s resurgent fall men’s sports lineup bounced back from being shut out in 2009 to a solid 82-point contribution (32 for men’s cross country and 25 each for football and men’s soccer).

Semifinals appearances for women’s soccer and women’s tennis resulted in 83 points for each, and women’s track and field contributed 85 points for a third-place finish at the national indoor meet along with another 75 points for placing fifth at the NAIA outdoor championships. Another fifth-place finish in women’s swimming and diving was worth 75 more points.

On the men’s side, track and field led the way with a fourth-place tie at the indoor championships for 77.5 points and a 62.25-point contribution for a 13th-place tie at the outdoor meet. Men’s tennis advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals, netting 70 points, and a first-round win at the NAIA men’s basketball national tournament brought Azusa Pacific 53 points to add to the men’s fall sports totals.

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup program awards points based on an institution’s finish in up to 12 sports (six women’s and six men’s), and Azusa Pacific provided plenty of scoring options throughout the 2010-11 campaign. The Cougars registered points in 16 of the 17 sports eligible for Directors’ Cup scoring, with 12 teams notching top-10 finishes in their respective sports. In fact, two of those top-10 finishes did not even make it into the final point tally as Azusa Pacific’s minimum score for a women’s sport to count towards the overall total was 75 points.

2010-11 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Scoring
Women’s Sports (top 6 scores are used to calculate overall Directors’ Cup scoring total): Women’s Basketball (1st place – 100), Women’s Indoor Track Field (3rd – 85), Women’s Soccer (3rd – 83), Women’s Tennis (3rd – 83), Women’s Swimming Diving (5th – 75), Women’s Outdoor Track Field (5th – 75), Women’s Cross Country (6th – 72), Volleyball (9th – 64), Softball (18th – 39)
Men’s Sports (top 6 scores are used to calculate overall Directors’ Cup scoring total): Men’s Indoor Track Field (4th – 77.5), Men’s Tennis (5th – 70), Men’s Basketball (9th – 53), Men’s Outdoor Track Field (13th – 62.25), Men’s Cross Country (21st – 32), Football (9th – 25), Men’s Soccer (17th – 25)

Azusa Pacific’s Directors’ Cup Scoring and Winning Margins (2004-05 through 2010-11)
2004-05: 881 points (182-point margin of victory)
2005-06: 836 points (82-point margin of victory)
2006-07: 978.25* points (182-point margin of victory)
2007-08: 947 points (129-point margin of victory)
2008-09: 915 points (141-point margin of victory)
2009-10: 820 points (3-point margin of victory)
2010-11: 820.75 points (68.5-point margin of victory)
*NAIA Directors’ Cup scoring record