A" -rf Hackerman shrugs off low ratings of grad programs - Rice ...

THE RICi THRESHER/SPORTS
Healthy netters to open season soon, set sights on Top 20 rank
by Tony Soltero
The Rice men's tennis team
begins its season February 19 with
an excellent chance of cracking the
national Top 20. With a solid
lineup of players like Tres
Cushing, Don Tomasco, John
Albert and promising freshman
Martin Siekman, Owls coach
Larry Turville is looking for a
national ranking.
"We're shooting for the top 20,"
said Turville. "If we play up to our
potential, I'm sure we can make it.
We have very good depth and
experience in our team this year."
^This is encouraging news in light
of Rice's recent football and
basketball struggles. "We're the
best-kept secret at Rice," points
out Albert. "I'll guarantee you
John Albert
we'll do better than the football
team did."
Says Cushing, "We're in better
shape than we were last year. In
1982 we had a lot of people out
with illnesses. If we stay healthy,
TRACK
I'm sure we can win a couple more
SWC matches than we did last
year."
Rice meets the University of
New Orleans in its season opener.
"They're not to be taken lightly,"
warned Turville, "but we should
come out on top." The Owls have a
formidable schedule from then on.
They must play several teams
currently ranked in the Top 20,
among them number one SMU,
number five Trinity, number eight
Arkansas, number ten Texas and
number thirteen TCU. Other
heavyweights in Rice's schedule
include Louisiana State
University, Florida State and
Auburn.
"If we can win a good portion of
those tough matches, then we can
—C. Gubin
vault into the Top 20," remarked
Turville.
The coach also expressed
optimism about Rice's chances in
SWC play. "We've never defeated
TCU and Texas A&M, but this
year we have a real shot at them,"
he said.
Turville added, "I really feel
good about this team. Bob
Anderson has really improved
over last year, and in Cushing and
Tomasco we have two first-rate
players."
Cushing is coming off a
successful autumn, in which he and
Tomasco reached the semifinals of
a tournament in Milwaukee. He
has defeated several players
ranked in the top 50.
"A few more performances like
those, and he'll be in the top 50
himself," says the coach.
The loss of freshman Manuel
Ruiz over the semester break has
not dampened the team's spirits.
Albert reflects the Owls' lofty
goals with his desire that the team
win 20 of its 25 matches.
"That's what I hope," he says.
"It'll take us some work, but it's
not impossible. This is the best
team we've had for at least the past
12 years. We're going to prove
ourselves on the court."
Rice tennis fans need not worry
about the fact that Albert and
Cushing depart after this season;
Siekman has been a valuable
addition to the squad. Turville
spoke of two recruits who have
expressed interest in coming to
Rice.
"One is from Chicago, and he
performed admirably in the
national Indoor Tournament,
another is one of the top five
players in the East," he
commented.
If many accomplished recruits
continue to select Rice, then the
Owls should have a consistently
good team. Turville pointed out
that many tennis players are
attracted to Rice because they
often come from families that
stress education.
"It's the academics that attract
many top players here," he noted.
"Rice balances a top-notch
education with an excellent tennis
program, and that is what many
players are looking for."
Cushing, Tomasco shock top seeds
by Tony Soltero
R ice tennis players Tres Cushing
and Don Tomasco teamed up to
reach the doubles semifinals
recently at a tournament in
Milwaukee. Despite being
unseeded, the pair eliminated the
top-seeded team in the process.
Cushing rebounded from what
he termed "a disappointing singles
performance," losing in th« second
round. He and his partner
Tomasco stunned the number one
seeded pair from the University of
California at Irvine, ranked
eighteenth in the nation. After
dropping the first set 7-5, the Rice
tandem recovered to win the
second set 6-3, and then pulled out
the decisive set 7-6 to score the
upset.
Even though Cushing and
Tomasco were later eliminated in
the semis by a Duke team, their
showing was encouraging as the
Rice tennis season soon begins.
"I feel we're gong to have a good
• i/li't 4*- HHK
Don Tomasco and No. 1 singles amateur Tres Cushing
year," says Cushing. "Our singles experience."
and doubles are stronger and the If the Milwaukee performance is
arrival of Martin Siekman has any indication of the season to
improved the team. And Don and I come, then Rice can make a strong
now have another year of thrust into the top 20 this year.
Two-mile relay takes fourth at Millrose Games, team runs at McNeese
by Steve Mollenkamp
The strongest, fastest, and best
of this nation's amateur track and
field athletes assembled together
last Friday at the 76th Wanamaker
Millrose Games in New York City.
Among those invited to compete in
Villanova, University of British
Columbia, and Virginia were
ahead of them.
Rice may well have done better
if Francisco Melendez had not
stumbled midway through his leg
of the relay. According to Coach
JL
Vince Courville, Terry Jones, and Willy Mays out of the blocks—C. Reining
the Madison Square Garden event
were such track giants as Billy
Olson, Carl Lewis, Mary Decker-
Tabb and of course the stellar Rice
University two mile relay team of
Francisco Melendez, Charles
House, Jerry Fuqua, and Gawain
Guy.
Running their way to a fourth
place in the two mile relay with a
time of 7:34.3, these four runners
showed the rest of the country
what informed Thresher readers
already knew, that the blue and
gray can compete with anybody.
Only such powerhouses as
Steve Straub, Melendez
apparently jostled, tripped up the
heel of the runner in front of him
and fell but quickly recovered
himself.
"By the time Francisco
recovered, he was a good 10-15
yards behind," Straub remarked.
"He just couldn't get his
momentum back after that."
Jerry Fuqua, running third, was
still able to pick up some of the
slack with his split of 1:51.9. The
Owls moved up from sixth to
fourth during the last three legs.
"We had trouble running on the
banked wooden track, but we
should have done better," said the
fleet-footed Fuqua. "Sico's getting
tripped certainly hurt us because
it's always hard to catch up."
Sprinter Vince Courville also
went up to New York to compete.
Courville just missed making the
finals of the 60-yard dash with his
time of 6.27. Courville, who tends
to run slower in his first race, was
knocked out of the competition by
the likes of such heavies as
Herschel Walker and eventual
winner Ron Brown of Arizona
State University.
The remainder of the men's
track team went to Lake Charles,
Louisiana Saturday for the
McNeese State Indoor Meet in the
McNeese Recreation-Complex.
By sending its star performers to
the Millrose games, Rice had
effectively taken itself out of the
competition and therefore only
came in ninth of the twelve teams
at the meet. While Rice's 24 points
were quite a ways off from meet
winner Lamar's 84, the team did
get encouraging performances out
of Greg Johnson and Craig
Hermann.
Johnson, a Lovett sophomore.
come in second place in the slowly
paced 1600 meter run with a time
of 4:17.29. The time is much better
than it seems for the McNeese
track is generally considered one of
the slowest in town. He placed
sixth as well in the 3200 meter run.
Hermann's time of 2:33.71 in the
1000 meter run was good enough
for a third place finish.
Rice will be traveling to Dallas
this coming Saturday in order
to compete in the Dallas
Invitational held in Reunion Area.
A number of Southwest
Conference schools will be among
those attending the meet.
DEMO'S AUTOMOTIVE CEMTER
"We Offer Personalized Service"
Specializing In
TRANSMISSIONS • BRAKES • AIR CONDITIONING • FRONT END
ENGINE ANALYSIS • TIRE TRUING • BODY REPAIRS • PAINTING
UNDERCOATING
24 HOUR WRECKER SERVICE
526-3781
• vtuTHwesr
HA7A
. , -
fftWY.
Biisomin $
SUNSET BiYD. * 1
' J W t o
n
M
CI
1 UHlVLft urr blvd.
7
ecLiAm BLVD. j HCLC0M8C BLVD. 1 |
"RENTAL CAR AVAILABLE" 2438 TANGLEY AT KELVIN
The Rice Thresher, February 4, 1983, page 15