by Jeff Kelly - Austin College Magazine

B R E A K I N G A L L T H E R U L E Sby Jeff KellyPHOTO BY JOSH BOWERMANAn unspoken rule in sports is that it takes time to build a winner.When a program is created, odds are it will struggle before itturns the corner toward success.Apparently, no one ever told that to Paul Burns, the firstand only coach the Austin College women’s soccer program has knownsince its 1996 beginning. He brought winning to women’s soccer in ahurry. In the team’s second year, the Kangaroos posted a winningrecord of 11-7-1, and have not been under .500 since. They won 12games in their third season, and withinjust five years of the inceptionof the program, they won aprogram-record 16games and the firstof two conferencechampionships.In all, Burns has led his teams to 11 consecutive winning seasons,with 10 seasons of double figures in the win column and plans to addto the streak this fall.“My goal when I started the program was to compete every yearfor a conference championship,” said Burns. He attributes the successto strong recruiting and developing a pool of committed andcompetitive student-athletes.“Lots of sacrifice is needed,” Burns said. “I push the playersoutside their comfort zone. We want players that understand thisdynamic and have a passion to improve, compete, win — and combinethis with succeeding academically and enjoying student life.”Burns said his coaching philosophy is simple. “Practices always arethoroughly organized, supervised, and intense,” he said. “I providethe student-athletes with challenging year-round trainingprograms that improve players’ game, development, andunderstanding. I believe a successful coach is part technician,part mentor, and part entrepreneur. He must know his gamethoroughly and instinctively, be sensitive to the needs of hisplayers, and employ the business skills of a successful managerwith zest and flair.”The hard work is necessary to achieve and maintainsuccess, but as Burns says, “Nothing is free and nothing iseasy. You get out what you put in.”At the same time, Burns teaches his players that there isno room for placing blame or reacting poorly whensomething doesn’t go their way. “I believe a team mustcome to play no matter the adversity,” said Burns. “Theathletes must be prepared, motivated, competitive, and alwaysgracious in victory or defeat. They must take responsibility fortheir own actions and always strive for excellence on the field andin the classroom. I believe each player has talent, and throughphysical, mental, and spiritual enhancement, each student-athletehas the ability to reach maximum potential.”For now, Burns is focused on the 2008 season, and as always thegoal is to challenge for a conference championship. With a plethora oftalented returners and yet another strong recruiting class, it seems agoal well within reach.September 2008 Austin College Magazine 35

h o m e teamBaseball Team Can’t Repeat SCAC ChampionshipThe Kangaroo baseball team came up short in defending its SouthernCollegiate Athletic Conference title, falling in a best-of-three series toNo. 15-ranked DePauw University in the SCAC Divisional Tournamentto end the season with a record of 18-24. The ’Roos also had a 7-9regular season mark against conference opponents.Shortstop Andy White ’10, first baseman and pitcher BobbySchleizer ’08, and third baseman Bennett Herrick ’11 were honored inthe postseason for their outstanding play during the year. White wasnamed All-Conference after batting .355 with 12 doubles, four triples,four home runs, and 29 RBIs, and also provided perhaps the biggesthighlight of the season when he turned a rare unassisted triple play.White also was named the SCAC Player of the Week during the season.Schleizer finished the season ranked second in the conference with10 home runs and added nine doubles and 42 RBIs while hitting .336with a .603 slugging percentage. Herrick hit .296 with a team-best 14doubles, along with three triples, three homers, and 29 RBIs.Also posting strong seasons were catcher Patrick Ray ’10, whobatted .349 with three homers and 17 RBIs, and outfielder JordanRobison ’10, who hit .357 with four triples and three home runs onthe year. Scooter Merritt ’11 acclimated to college ball quickly, hitting.318 with five doubles and 21 RBIs during his first season.Cory Stevens ’09 put together a solid season on the mound forthe ’Roos, posting a team-best five wins in nine starts while strikingout 58 batters. Will Chermak ’10 added four wins on the year and ledthe team with 63 strikeouts. Tyler Steed ’11 had a strong first seasonfor the ’Roos, earning three wins and two saves while striking out 26batters and walking just 12 on the year.With the ’Roos losing just one senior from the 2008 team andboasting so much young talent, there will be plenty of firepower inplace for coach Carl Iwasaki and his team to once again be near thetop of the SCAC in 2009.Soccer Women Discover Magical KingdomWomen’s soccer coach Paul Burns and several members ofhis team traveled to the United Kingdom this summer for atraining tour in the coach’s home country. The womenplayed three games against teams from England and Walesand took in the sights along the way, traveling toManchester, Peterborough, Abergavenny, and London. Thetrip was immensely enjoyable for the players as well assuccessful — as the team went 3-0 in competition.Fourteen of this fall’s 22 returning players, as well asNicole Christy ’00 and Kim Frazier, father of a currentplayer, took part in this road trip of a lifetime.COURTESY PHOTOFIND THE LATEST ’ROO SPORTSSCHEDULES AND RESULTS ONLINE:WWW.AUSTINCOLLEGE.EDU/ATHLETICSSoccer travelers stopping for a Big Ben photo are, left to right, first row:Allison Wurmbrand ’10, Paige Rutherford ’09, Ashleigh Johnson ’11, AmyHolman ’10, Holly Messamore ’09; second row: Caitlin Sperry ’11, SarahFennewald ’09, Bahar Abbassi ’10, Brooke Adams ’09, Katie Hudson ’11,Faren Frazier ’09; and third row: Helen Heres ’09, Mackenzie Lund ’11,and Kaitlin Elledge ’11.36 Austin College Magazine September 2008

h o m e teamAlumni Honored at 2008 LegendsThe annual Legends Celebration July 19–21 attracted record numbers for the Sunday awards dinner as wellas large numbers for the Saturday receptions and a full course for the annual McCord Golf Tournament.ATHLETIC HALL OF HONOR INDUCTEESCOURTESY PHOTOSJim Baird ’93Coppell, TexasFootball, baseballCaptain, Coppell Fire DepartmentW.K. “Bo” Brown ’75Dallas, TexasFootballOwner, Brown Fryar, and Long Law FirmAllison McKinney Tarpley ’99Frisco, TexasBasketballAccount vice president, UBS FinancialKenneth D. Tatum ’89San Antonio, TexasFootballSenior consultant, Travelers InsuranceKenneth W. StreetSherman, TexasHonorary InducteeProfessor Emeritus, Austin CollegeAUSTIN COLLEGE KEDRIC COUCHALUMNI COACH OF THE YEARLarry Uland ’61Farmersville, TexasAthletic director and football coach at Greenville Christian SchoolCOACH JOE SPENCER AWARDFOR MERITORIOUS SERVICEAND LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTIN COACHINGButch Worley ’76Austin, TexasSenior associate athletics director, University of TexasPHOTO BY AARON FLORESContinued Excellence Expected from 2007-2008 Outstanding Freshman AthleteCoach Ronnie Gage is looking for strong play from this fall from 2008Tim Jubela Freshman Athlete of the Year Chris Hickson ’11.Hickson made an immediate impact on the ’Roos football team in2007, starting all 10 games of the season. The defensive back finishedamong the team leaders with 35 tackles, including 22 solo tackles.Gage described Hickson as a gifted athlete with an incredible workethic and competitive spirit. In addition to praising Hickson’s diligenceand dedication to his team, Gage also called the young star defensiveback a person of great moral character.Chris Hickson38 Austin College Magazine September 2008