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(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Conditions were ideal during last year's Little 500 qualifications.\nTemperatures were in the mid 70s, and the wind was almost non-existent.\nThis year, conditions weren't as friendly to riders.\nThe temperature never rose above 40 degrees. In the morning the track was wet, but the moisture was not enough to compensate for the dry conditions during the past week. The track was loose by the afternoon and wind was a factor during the whole day.\nOne of the advantages men's riders had in their favor was that conditions didn't vary much. Judging by the times posted, there wasn't a big difference between qualifying in the morning and afternoon.\nThree of the best six times posted were in the morning. The other three came in the afternoon when the track was rolled twice, once at noon and once again around 2:45 p.m.\nPhi Gamma Delta, which recorded the pole position with a time of 2 minutes, 30 seconds, qualified at 11:30 a.m. Sigma Phi Epsilon and Phi Delta Theta qualified third and fourth despite attempts that started before 9 a.m. when temperatures were in the low 30s. Sigma Phi Epsilon had a time of 2:33.50 and Phi Delta Theta recorded a 2:34.09.\nPhi Delta Theta junior Matt Marketti said the wind was in the team's face on turns one and two. During the morning session, the wind was at the riders' backs as they headed towards the finish line.\nWhen asked about the wind Marketti said, "In quals you don't feel much. You just go out and ride."\nDelta Tau Delta failed to qualify in the morning, and had to return at 5 p.m. for its third attempt. Delta Tau Delta junior Ryan Tolle said there wasn't as much wind in the afternoon as there was during morning qualifying.\n Some riders said in addition to the wind, the track was wet in the morning. Sigma Phi Epsilon senior Isaiah Knouff said the track was still wet from early Saturday morning's light rain. Sigma Phi Epsilon qualified about 20 minutes after Phi Delta Theta.\n"Turn one was rutted out," Knouff said. "There's nothing you can do about it. You have to ride through it or ride outside of it."\nThe track, which most riders said felt loose, was only suppose to be rolled once. But after Delta Chi senior Jason Sonneborn fell on turn one during his team's first attempt, the track was rolled a second time.\n"They do a lot of great work on the track, but unfortunately conditions are very poor," Sonneborn said. "We need rain. Rain keeps it packed down and makes it like riding on a road. If we don't have rain it's just like riding on gravel."\nRace director Jonathan Purvis said the track was rolled to smooth a divot on turn one. Immediately after the track was rolled, Alpha Tau Omega and Delta Chi qualified fifth and second, respectively. \nDespite having the track rolled before his team qualified, senior Alpha Tau Omega rider Jack Caveney said the track was still loose on his team's second attempt. Caveney called the advantage of riding on a freshly rolled track a "mental thing."\n"Because you see track getting rolled, you think it's going to be smoother," Caveney said.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Phi Gamma Delta survived cold temperatures and the exchange problems that plagued many teams to earn the pole position for the 51st Men's Little 500.\nFiji earned the pole by recording a time of 2:30.00 Saturday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Delta Chi and Sigma Phi Epsilon qualified second and third with times three seconds behind that of Fiji.\nJunior Fiji rider Mike Nierengarten called his team's time extremely good moments after he got off the track.\n"With the conditions, you don't know what the track is going to be like," Nierengarten said. "Ultimately, we wanted to qualify and get a good position that was hopefully in the first two rows."\nFiji's qualifying attempt took place at 11:30 a.m. when temperatures hovered in the low 30s. The team waited nearly seven hours before learning it had secured the pole. \nEarning the pole position excited members of the fraternity, who battled the cold to support the team. At all four of the track's turns, a group of Fiji fans cheered its riders.\n"Our crowd is amazing," Nierengarten said. "It really helps when you have people behind you and supporting you."\nFiji also helped itself by piecing together some of day's smoothest exchanges. The exchanges between sophomore Adam Shields, junior Andrew Wilson, Nierengarten and senior Todd Cornelius saved Fiji time and the aggravation of going back to the warm-up area for another attempt. Nierengarten said Fiji worked hard on its exchanges in Gainesville, Fla., during spring break. Fiji also dedicated a lot of its track practice to changing riders.\n"The key to qualifying is having good exchanges and it paid off for us," Nierengarten said.\nFiji was one of the few teams to qualify on its first attempt. Mishandled exchanges and falls forced many teams into using their second and third qualifying attempts.\nCutters, the 2000 race champions, didn't qualify until their third attempt. The team, with four first-year riders, qualified in 25th position with a time of 2:49:45. The team fouled on the opening exchange in its first two attempts.\n"We were calm and relaxed, and we knew we were going to make the race," senior Cutters rider Chris Sahagun said of the team's approach to its final attempt. "We rode conservatively and it went OK."\nSigma Alpha Epsilon and Delta Tau Delta, teams that recorded top 10 finishes in the 2000 race, also used three attempts to qualify. Delta Tau Delta qualified 13th with a time of 2:40.57 and Sigma Alpha Epsilon qualified 18th with a 2:44.70.\n"We had to tone it down quite a bit in the turns because you're riding through sand," junior Delta Tau Delta rider Ryan Tolle said. "We needed to slow down our exchanges a lot on the last attempt."\nLast year's pole winner, Delta Chi, was forced into a second attempt after senior Jason Sonneborn fell on Turn 1 during the team's first effort. Delta Chi finished second with a time of 2:33.35.\n"The pole is a great thing," Sonneborn said. "There's a lot of hype to getting it and stuff, but Cutters qualified third last year and they won the race."\nPhi Delta Theta qualified with a time of 2:34.09, edging out Alpha Tau Omega for the fifth spot. Briscoe, Chi Phi, Cinzano, Dodds House and Teter took spots 6-10. Road Rage, Zeta Beta Tau, Region Crew, Army ROTC and Alta failed to qualify for the 33-team field.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Qualifications are finished and Little 500 weekend is 23 days away, but that doesn't mean the pre-race competition is on hold.\nMen's and women's individual time trials, one of the three spring series events, will be contested from 4 to 9:45 p.m. Wednesday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\n"I think the series events are cool," Sigma Alpha Epsilon junior Dan Burns said. "They are something that gets people enthusiastic about the race and build spirit."\nITT consists of four riders on the track at the same time. The riders start in opposite corners and race against the clock. The man and the woman with the fastest times are the winners.\nThe other spring series events include Miss-N-Out (Saturday) and Team Pursuits (April 6). Miss-N-Out stresses pack riding and Team Pursuits test team strength and unity. ITT is the event that puts the most emphasis on sprinting.\nCutters rider Chris Wojtowich won the men's ITT last year with a time of 2 minutes, 24.28 seconds, and Kappa Alpha Theta rider Anne Holterhoff won the women's trial with a 2:39.18. Both riders have graduated. \nChi Phi graduate student John Emmetsberger finished third last year with a 2:26.63 and is the highest returning men's rider from the 2000 competition.\n"I remember looking up at the clock and being surprised by my time," Emmetsberger said of his performance in 2000.\nEmmetsberger said his solid finish in 2000 will give him confidence heading into this year's ITT.\n"I hope to finish in the top five, and it's good to know you have a chance to win," Emmetsburger said. \nITT is one indicator used when determining what riders are the top sprinters. But some riders warned that the trials should not be the sole factor in deciding the top riders. \n"By being one of the better riders in ITTs, by no means, means you're one of the best riders on the track," Emmetsberger said.\nDelta Chi senior Jason Sonneborn, who finished 14th last year, said the top riders are often determined during track practices.\n"If you come out to the track and watch guys do sets in the pack, that's where bragging rights are established," he said. "People at the track every day can see who is pulling them around and getting huge gaps."\nSeven of the top 15 men's finishers from last year's ITT are returning this year. The group includes Emmetsberger, Burns, Sonneborn, Phi Delta Theta senior Josh Beatty, Phi Delta Theta junior Matt Marketti, Sigma Phi Epsilon junior Mike Zycinski and Phi Gamma Delta senior Todd Cornelius. Four of the top riders -- Sonneborn, Cornelius, Beatty and Burns -- will race in the same heat at 7:20.\n"My goal is to finish in the top five this year," Sonneborn said. "Time slots kind of affect ITT's just like quals. The wind typically dies down when the sun goes down. Ideally, you would like to go at night"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Phi Delta Theta senior Josh Beatty beat three friends to win the most anticipated heat of the 2001 Little 500 men's individual time trials. He also beat everybody else.\nBeatty won Wednesday's individual time trials at Bill Armstrong Stadium with a time of 2:29.87. Beatty's heat, which was contested at 7:20 p.m., featured four of the event's top riders.\nRacing at the same time were Phi Gamma Delta senior Todd Cornelius, Sigma Alpha Epsilon junior Dan Burns and Delta Chi senior Jason Sonneborn. It was the only heat where each rider recorded a time under 2:40. \n"It was really fun riding with all those guys," Beatty said. "During the practice races, we push each other and have fun with it." \nCornelius finished second with a 2:30.56. Burns finished in fourth with a 2:33.06 and Sonneborn finished 10th, posting a 2:36.88. Finishing third between Cornelius and Burns was Acacia senior Kevin Vanes, who posted a 2:33.0 in the 7:45 p.m. heat. \nBeatty said he didn't think he won when he completed his four laps.\n"Dan Burns was ahead of me the entire time, and I thought he beat me," Beatty said. "I was pleasantly surprised."\nBeatty started in the third turn and had a clear view of Burns during the entire race. Burns raced from the fourth turn, while Cornelius and Sonneborn raced from the first and second, respectively.\n"I should have gone faster the first two laps. I feel like I was watching the other riders," Burns said. "I made up time on the last two laps."\nRacing against one another is nothing new for Beatty, Burns, Sonneborn and Cornelius. Each rider raced for teams that placed in the top five of last year's Little 500. Each rider also finished in the top 14 at last year's individual time trials. \n"When you ride in a heat like this with three buddies, it's something to get pumped about," Cornelius said. "You get nervous, but it's part of it and adds to the fun."\nThis is the fourth year Beatty has competed in the series events. Last year, Beatty placed seventh it the time trials with a time of 2:29.22. \n"He's a really good rider," Cornelius said of Beatty. "His performance didn't surprise me."\nChi Phi senior John Emmetsberger was the highest returning rider from last year's ITT, and finished sixth with a time of 2:35.14. Emmetsberger's time was almost nine seconds behind the 2:26.63 he posted last year, when he finished in third place.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Sigma Alpha Epsilon junior Dan Burns made his intentions clear for this weekend's Miss-N-Out just moments after losing to Phi Delta Theta senior Josh Beatty in Wednesday's individual time trials.\n"He's fast. He's a good rider," Burns said of Beatty, who won the trials with a time of 2:29.87. "But I'm looking for blood in Saturday's Miss-N-Out. Tell him he's got one coming."\nBurns is one of more than 100 male riders trying to dethrone Beatty, the defending Miss-N-Out champion, beginning at noon Saturday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Burns, who raced in the same heat as Beatty in Wednesday's individual trials, finished almost four seconds behind Beatty with a time of 2:33.06. \nAlthough series events such as Miss-N-Out, which emphasizes pack-riding and strategy, aren't exactly a scientific method of determining the top riders, they do give some indication of who's leading the pack. Based on the results of Wednesday's trials and last year's race events, Beatty has established himself as one of the top men's riders.\nBeatty is the only rider who has recorded top-10 finishes in the last three individual trials, advanced to the finals of Miss-N-Out and competed for a team that finished in the top five of last year's Little 500.\n"He won (Miss-N-Out) last year, so he's going to be a favorite, and everyone's going to be gunning for him," Burns said of Beatty. "I'm looking to take him down. I don't want him to get all the glory."\nJust like individual trials, Miss-N-Out favors sprinters. Riders are arranged in heats of six to eight competitors and seeded according to individual trial results. One rider is eliminated after every lap, and two or three cyclists advance to the next round. The event consist of three rounds with six riders advancing to the third and final round. \n"Miss-N-Out is not a big deal to me," Beatty said. "It's just fun. I will probably go out there, have fun and do what I can."\nIncluding Beatty, three of the six men's finalists from last year are competing Saturday. Chi Phi senior Kevin Gfell and Sigma Phi Epsilon junior Mike Zycinski finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in 2000. \n"I think it's a fun event and has a more competitive nature than (individual trials) or quals because anybody can win," Zycinski said. "The fastest or strongest rider on the track doesn't always win.\nLike most Little 500 events, experience is important in Miss-N-Out, which rewards aggressive tactics. Many inexperienced riders are still uneasy about riding in packs, and fail to realize when they have to make a move (to) the front. \n"You have to ride aggressive," Zycinski said. "My freshman year, I kind of stayed in the back and didn't realize you have to ride in front to stay competitive." \nFour of the six women's finalists will be in this year's field, including Chi Omega senior Emily Kiefer, Delta Gamma senior Lauren Naset and Kappa Alpha Theta seniors Krissy Johnson and Brett Gentile. Kiefer, who finished third in 2000, is the highest placing returning rider. Elizabeth Andrew of Kappa Kappa Gamma won last year's event.\nWomen's individual trials winner, Alpha Delta Pi senior Emily Derkasch, advanced to semifinals in Miss-N-Out. Derkasch won Wednesday's time trials with a time of 2:53.34, edging Johnson for the title.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Each Little 500 series event determines something different about the riders and teams.\nIndividual time trials determines the fastest riders. Miss-N-Out decides the top pack riders.\nNow, it's time to discover which teams look strong as Little 500 approaches.\nTeam Pursuits, which test team strength and unity, is scheduled for Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Thirty-one men's teams are expected to compete in the pursuits, which begin at 2 p.m. The finals are scheduled for 8:32 p.m. The women's finals are scheduled for 8:20 p.m.\n"I love the event," Phi Gamma Delta junior Mike Nierengarten said. "It shows the depth that a team has because it's 15 laps long. It's a fun event to watch." \nRain stretched the pursuits to two days last year, forcing some contenders to withdraw. This year, 12 of the top 15 men's qualifiers, including the top five teams, are scheduled to compete. From 1997-2000, the most teams that have competed in the event were 26 in 1999.\n"It's a very competitive field," race director Jonathan Purvis said. "There is more participation than past years and it should be an exciting event." \nThe pursuits mark the last series event before the April 21 men's race. After Miss-N-Out and individual time trials, Phi Delta Theta leads the series totals with 38 points. The team with the lowest number of points after the three series events wears the yellow jersey on race day, which is traditionally worn by the series winners.\nPhi Delta Theta senior Josh Beatty has been the dominant rider of the events, winning both Miss-N-Out and Individual Time Trials. Phi Delta Theta junior Matt Marketti helped the team claim the series lead by finishing third in Miss-N-Out and seventh in the time trials.\nFiji is second in the standings with 52 points. The team is already wearing the blue jersey worn by the team claiming the pole position. \n"I felt great about our team all year, but to see how well we did in ITT's and Miss-N-Out sort of makes you feel more confident about your team," Nierengarten said.\nBeta Theta Pi, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Delta Chi hold the 3-5 spots in the standings.\nSigma Phi Epsilon won the pursuits last year by defeating Fiji in the finals. Sigma Phi Epsilon recorded a time of 9:42.34 to win the title. Junior Mike Zycinski and senior Isaiah Knouff are the only two returning riders from last year's Sigma Phi Epsilon team.\nThe pursuits are the only team-oriented series events. The competition begins with two teams standing on the infield while laying their bikes on the track. When the starting gun is fired, riders begin chasing each other. Teams begin on opposite sides of the track, and compete for 15 laps. The teams with the two lowest times advance to the finals. \nDelta Chi senior Jason Sonneborn said the pursuits can show a lot about particular teams.\n"If you see guys yelling at each other and trying to lap each other, you can see teams fall apart," Sonneborn said. "It's kind of telling"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
The men's golf team is almost one month into its season, and only two of its positions are finalized. \nSenior Steve Wheatcroft is the team's No.1 player and sophomore Aldo Jordan is IU's No. 2 man. While the two are mainstays in the lineup, four different Hoosiers have filled the third through fifth spots in the team's first three spring tournaments.\nWhen the Hoosiers compete in the 54-hole Marshall Invitational in Huntington, W. Va., Saturday and Sunday, freshman Kirk Wood and sophomore Ben Davidson will be the seventh and eighth players to join IU's lineup in four tournaments.\nWood, Davidson and junior Rich Thomas survived a weekend qualifier to earn the remaining three spots in the lineup. Thomas will be competing in his fourth spring event, while Wood and Davidson are playing in their first tournament since the fall season. \nWood and Davidson bumped freshman Mike Castleforte and sophomore Mike Miller from the lineup. Castleforte had competed in every spring tournament before he failed to qualify for the Marshall Invitational. Miller competed in two consecutive tournaments before he was replaced.\n"At this time of the year, we would hope to have our three and four positions pretty much established," coach Mike Mayer said. "But there's a good and a bad to it. It's bad because our lineup isn't established, but the good is that there is enough people that aren't in the lineup who have the kind of talent to deserve a chance." \nDavidson had a chance to compete in the 20-team Marshall Invitational. Mayer said Davidson has the "most physical talent" of anybody on the team. Wheatcroft, who leads the team with a 72.5 average, also said Davidson is probably IU's most talented golfer.\n"I love watching Ben play," Wheatcroft said. "He can excite a lot of people when he plays. He's an explosive player. I'm looking forward to seeing how he plays this weekend."\nDavidson competed in one tournament in the fall, finishing tied for 57th with a three-round total of 233 in September's Wolverine Invitational. Davidson competed in three tournaments last season and his best collegiate round was a 69 in the 2000 Hawkeye Invitational. \n"His overall ability is second to none, and his teammates know that," Mayer said. "I've said it before, and I will say it on the record: This team is not as good as it can be without Ben in the lineup."\nMayer said to fulfill his potential, Davidson must improve his course management skills.\n"Even though he has that talent, he doesn't know where that ball will go," Mayer said.\nThe other newcomer to the Hoosier lineup this weekend is Wood, who competed in three of IU's five fall tournaments. Wood's best collegiate performance was a 19th-place finish in the Wolverine Invitational. Wood competed as an individual in the event and fired rounds of 75, 70 and 79.\n"Kirk's a good player," Wheatcroft said. "He's young, but he's got a lot of talent." \nWood is the third freshman to crack the Hoosiers' lineup this spring, joining Castleforte and freshman Ryan Cassidy. Wood, who is from Spring Hill, Kan., placed third in the 2000 Missouri State High School Championship and was a three-time All-State performer. Wood also led his team to three consecutive 4A Missouri state titles.\n"I'm looking for a breakthrough in college," Wood said. "I've had a successful high school career, and I'm just looking to get an early start on my college career"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Row 1 is filled with tradition. Phi Gamma Delta and Delta Chi are two of the all-time top teams. Delta Chi won 7 of 10 races in the 1970s and early 1980s, and Fiji hasn't finished out of the top five since 1993. \nSigma Phi Epsilon, the other team in the row, has developed a solid program in recent years and was the last greek team to win the race. Sigma Phi Epsilon edged Fiji to win the 1999 Little 500.\nPhi Gamma Delta (2:30.00)\nPhi Gamma Delta's luck in recent years has been filled with close calls.\nLast year, Fiji was the best of the teams battling for second place in a race dominated by the Cutters. In 1999, Sigma Phi Epsilon edged Fiji at the finish line.\n"I don't think it's a monkey on our back," junior Mike Nierengarten said of finishing second the past two years. "Second place is a respected finish and it's just one of those things that everybody wants to get first."\nFiji's depth could be the ingredient that pushes the team into the winner's circle this year. Fiji has a chance of being the deepest team in the field, and six riders are training with the team this season.\nFiji is so deep that senior Sam Blossom, who didn't compete in the March 24 qualifiers, placed fifth in Miss-N-Out one week later.\n"I think that says a lot about our team," Nierengarten said. "We do a lot of training and our depth is great this year. It was awesome that he made the finals."\nFiji earned the pole position with a time of 2:30.00, which was more than three seconds better than any other team. Some of the perks Fiji received for qualifying with the fastest time included the solid green jersey worn annually by the pole winner and a pit near the start/finish line.\nNierengarten and senior Todd Cornelius are the only two Fiji riders with race experience. Cornelius is competing in his third Little 500 and rode the final lap of the 1999 race. Cornelius finished second in this year's Individual Time Trials, and is one of the riders who pushes the entire pack during practices, Nierengarten said.\nDelta Chi (2:33.35)\nInside senior Jason Sonneborn's off-campus home is a flag that states: "What Have You Done Today to Win Little 500."\nWhen Delta Chi was dominating the Little 500 in the '70s and early '80s, the flag would hang outside the fraternity's house. Now, the flag represents the tradition Delta Chi riders must carry on every year.\n"It's one thing to say if you don't win the race, that's a disappointment, but that's putting too much emphasis on one race, one day," Sonneborn said. "For us, if we don't finish in the top three or five, that's a disappointment."\n Delta Chi isn't the force it was when it won 7 of 10 races in the 1970s and 1980s, but it is still one of the most-respected teams. Delta Chi has finished out of the top five twice in the 1990s. The team's last victory was in 1993.\nDelta Chi finished fourth in last year's race behind Cutters, Fiji and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Sonneborn was a workhorse in that race, as he logged more than 80 laps. \n"In order for me to have a good kick at the end, I'm going to have to ride less than 80 laps this year," Sonneborn said.\nSonneborn is one of the top riders competing in this year's race. He finished second in Miss-N-Out and placed 10th in ITT. He is also one of the most knowledgeable riders and serves as chair of the riders council.\n"The last time we won, we had Todd Hancock, who led by example," alumni coach Steve Hoeferle said. "He led by example just like Jason does. Jason works hard." \nSigma Phi Epsilon (2:33.50)\nThere are no riders on this year's Sigma Phi Epsilon team remaining from the 1999 champions. But just because the riders aren't the same doesn't mean there aren't similarities between the teams.\n"They weren't necessarily the best riders on the track, but they came together on race day and won the race," junior Mike Zycinski said of the 1999 team. "That's what we are looking to do this year."\nAlumni riders from the 1999 team have trained with this year's Sigma Phi Epsilon team. The past riders have also given the team advice on how to train and prepare for the race.\n"I think the way we have everything set up with training, we are a contending team every year," said senior Isaiah Knouff, who started training after the 1999 race. "In 1998, they trained somewhat, but in 1999 they set a goal of winning the race, and they trained real hard and accomplished their goal."\nSigma Phi Epsilon started its quest to duplicate its 1999 success by qualifying third with a time of 2:33.50. The team's qualifying time was impressive because it came early in the day when wind was a factor and temperatures were in the low 30s.\n"I think that's a great position," Zycinski said. "Anywhere on the first two rows gives you a shot of winning the race. As long as you stay up front, you can control the race and be in position to win."\nZycinski and Knouff are the only two returning riders from last year's eighth-place team. Zycinski has placed in the top 11 of the Individual Time Trials the past two years. He also advanced to the semifinals of this year's Miss-N-Out and finished fifth in the same event last year.\n"He's a great rider," Knouff said of Zycinski. "He's probably one of the top five riders out here"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Let's get one thing straight about Saturday's Men's Little 500: Nobody will lap the field like the Cutters did last year.\nThis year's field is too deep and the riders are too evenly matched for one team to dominate the race. Unlike last year when only a few teams had a chance, a number of teams could take the checkered flag.\n"This year, I think the field is a little more even than it has been in the past," said Alpha Tau Omega senior Wes Kelley, who is competing in his second Little 500. "There are going to be a lot of teams that are going to be surprises in the top 10." \nHere's a quick look at some of the teams that could claim victory Saturday:\nPhi Gamma Delta, which holds the pole position, is a good place to start. Fiji could be the deepest team in the field and has one of this year's top riders, senior Todd Cornelius.\nFiji has been close before, finishing second in the past two years. In 1999, Cornelius was edged at the finish line by Sigma Phi Epsilon's Jason Baker.\nTwo years later, Cornelius could be on the final lap with a chance to earn Fiji its seventh Little 500 title. For this to happen, junior Mike Nierengarten said the team must stay out of wrecks. \n"If we put ourselves in a position where we are one of the last teams up there, then we'll have a great chance to win," Nierengarten said.\nThe team starting behind Fiji, Delta Chi, also has one of the most storied Little 500 traditions. But unlike Fiji, Delta Chi's depth is questionable. \nSenior Jason Sonneborn logged about 80 laps in last year's race as Delta Chi finished fourth. Sonneborn finished 10th at this year's Individual Time Trials, and he placed second in Miss-N-Out. If he can get some support from his teammates, Delta Chi could contend for its ninth title.\n"In order for me to have a good kick in the end, I'm going to have to ride less than 80 laps," Sonneborn said.\nSpeaking of tradition, the new-look Cutters, who are looking for their seventh Little 500 victory, have improved steadily since qualifying 25th. The Cutters needed three attempts to qualify, but victories in Team Pursuits and last week's 50-lap practice race have propelled the team to a position as one of the favorites.\nThe Cutters have four rookie riders, including senior Henrik Wahlberg, who spent four years on the IU swim team before he started training for the Little 500 seven months ago. Since then, Wahlberg, a native of Sweden, has become one of the riders to watch in this year's field. He frequently pulls the back in afternoon practices and recorded a top 10 finish in the time trials.\nWhile the Cutters are the defending champions, a team that didn't compete in last year's race has a chance of winning in 2001. Chi Phi couldn't compete last year because the house received an alcohol suspension the night before the race. It returns three riders from 2000, including graduate student John Emmetsberger, who has finished in the top six of the time trials the past two years. Chi Phi qualified seventh with a time of 2:37.40, and returns senior captain Kevin Gfell.\nPhi Delta Theta, which finished fifth in 2000, qualified fourth this year with a time of 2:34.09. The team could have the best one-two punch in senior Josh Beatty and junior Matt Marketti. Beatty won Miss-N-Out and the time trials and Marketti finished in the top 10 of both events. Phi Delta Theta edged Fiji as the overall series winner and will wear the white jersey Saturday.\n"We're definitely happy with what we're doing," Marketti said. "We think we have a good chance of winning the race this year."\nStarting behind Phi Delta Theta is Alpha Tau Omega, one of the most experienced teams in this year's field. Three of Alpha Tau Omega's riders have race experience, including junior Shawn Monroe, who is racing in his third Little 500. \nSigma Phi Epsilon won the race in 1999 and is the last greek team to win the Men's Little 500. No riders remain from the 1999 team, but that doesn't mean Sigma Phi Epsilon isn't a threat to win for the second time in three years. Junior Mike Zycinski, last year's Rookie of the Year, and senior Isaiah Knouff have race experience. Sigma Phi Epsilon advanced to the finals of Team Pursuits, finishing second behind the Cutters.\n"With the absence of certain strong riders, I think it's an open field," Zycinski said. "A lot of teams have two or three strong guys, but it takes four to win. There is no dominant force from what I can see."\nMaybe the biggest surprise from qualifications was the Briscoe Blur qualifying sixth. The all-rookie team has nobody with race experience, but junior Nathan Hartman finished fourth in Miss-N-Out.\nA team in the middle of the pack -- Sigma Alpha Epsilon -- could contend. If junior Dan Burns can get any support from the team's rookie riders, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, who finished third in 2000, could race with the leaders. \nOther teams to watch Saturday include Cinzano, a team with a collection of mountain bikers and road cyclists; Dodds House, the 1998 champions; Delta Tau Delta, a team with three experienced riders; Acacia, which has one of the top riders in junior Kevin Vanes; Galveston, an independent team that was the former Theta Chi squad; and Teter, which qualified 10th.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Phi Delta Theta senior Brian Drummy never rode in a Little 500 before Saturday's race. Even after his team's victory, Drummy said he still felt like he hadn't experienced the physical hardship of riding in the grueling 200-lap event. \n"I don't have a word to describe it," Drummy said. "It's everything you work for, and when it comes through, it doesn't even feel real. I don't even feel like I rode in the race today."\nDrummy's statement sums up what an emotionally draining day it was for many of the 33 teams competing in the event. Unlike last year when the Cutters dominated the race, this year's event was filled with numerous close calls that left many riders walking away from Bill Armstrong Stadium with their heads down. \nBut Phi Delta Theta managed to avoid the wrecks that hurt the chances of some contenders and battled a surprising late-race charge by Teter to claim the 51st Men's Little 500.\nPhi Delta Theta took the lead from Teter on lap 190. Teter, which controlled the race from laps 162 to 190, finished second followed by Sigma Phi Epsilon. Teter and Sigma Phi Epsilon were the only two teams to finish on the lead lap with Phi Delta Theta.\nJunior Matt Marketti was on the bike when the team crossed the finish line with a time of 2:16:57 hours. The last lap was anticlimactic for a race that was filled with many lead changes. There was no sprint to the finish as Marketti's teammates, senior Josh Beatty, junior Ryan Hamilton and Drummy, provided him with a sizeable lead heading into the final three laps.\n"Hamilton, Drummy and Beatty gave it their all their last sets to give us that lead," Marketti said. "The last three laps were pretty easy for me."\nThe victory was Phi Delta Theta's third title and first since 1996. The team's other win came in 1982. Beatty is the only rider remaining from the 1998 team, which failed to qualify for the race. Beatty was honored as Rider of the Year in 2001.\n"This feels great," Beatty said. "This is what we've been working for as a team for four years, and it has been ongoing for about 50 years."\nAfter the race, members of Phi Delta Theta hoisted Beatty on top of a house-huddle during its victory celebration. \n"This team is Josh Beatty," Phi Delta Theta coach Allen Smith said. "He set the bar for all the others."\nBeatty was a major contributor to Phi Delta Theta, decreasing the more than 100-meter lead Teter had on the field. He got on the bike during Lap 178 when Teter had more than a five-second lead on Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Phi Epsilon. \n"If we had a Miss-N-Out winner and a future Hall-of-Famer, it might have been a picture-perfect finish," Teter senior David Eaton said, acknowledging Beatty's strength. \nPhi Delta Theta's rookies, Drummy and Hamilton, had a big impact of the race's result. Unlike most teams, Phi Delta Theta didn't lose ground when its two experienced riders -- Beatty and Marketti -- weren't on the track. \n"They were awesome," Beatty said of Hamilton and Drummy.\nWhile Phi Delta Theta, Teter and Sigma Phi Epsilon were in contention most of the race, some of the other favorites encountered problems. \nCutters, the 2000 champions, had more than 25 seconds of penalties and fell three times. They finished the race in seventh place.\nPhi Gamma Delta, the pole position, wrecked early in the race and had a 10-second penalty for creeping on the field during a yellow flag after another crash. The team also had mechanical problems and finished 13th. \nDelta Chi and Chi Phi were in contention most of the race until they were involved in a wreck with fewer than 30 laps remaining. Delta Chi finished fifth and Chi Phi recorded a sixth-place finish.\n"I feel bad for those teams," Marketti said. "It's horrible to go out that way. Part of the race is luck"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Football coach Gerry DiNardo recruited some big names at LSU. \nQuarterback Rohan Davey, wide receiver Josh Reed and linebacker Trev Faulk were talented football players who helped LSU claim Sugar Bowl and SEC championship game victories this past season. Every member of the trio should be dressing Sundays next fall, and they all signed their letters-of-intent during DiNardo's tenure.\nWhile DiNardo and his staff had a reputation of luring top talent to Baton Rouge, recruiting analysts warn that attracting similar players to Bloomington will be challenging.\n"He faces a much different situation," Super Prep magazine publisher Allen Wallace said. "Louisiana is loaded. Indiana is a state with little talent."\nOf DiNardo's five full recruiting classes at LSU, four ranked in Super Prep's Top 11. In 1998 and 1999, DiNardo's classes peaked at No. 9. DiNardo secured enough top recruits his last few seasons to stockpile a team that finished in the top ten in both major polls under second-year coach Nick Saban.\nAt LSU, DiNardo rarely had to leave the state borders to find NCAA Division I prospects. His final recruiting class in 1999 featured 24 players, including 18 from Louisiana. A year earlier,19 of the Tigers' 23 signees were in-state recruits.\nWhen DiNardo was introduced as IU's head coach last week, he suggested he would implement a similar strategy.\n"The philosophy of our program is that we recruit every day," he said. "There is not a day that we don't recruit."\nDiNardo also said that he would eventually visit every high school in Indiana, including the ones without any prospects.\n"Recruiting is important," he said, "but within our state boundaries, we have an obligation as the state institution to service the high schools. I take that seriously, and I will do that."\nBill Kurelic, an Midwest recruiting analyst for www.rivals.com, said most of this year's top recruits from Indiana have made verbal commitments to other schools.\nAs of Tuesday, IU had received verbal commitments from six players. Defensive end Bo Greer (Princeton Community High School) is the Hoosiers' lone in-state recruit. Greer made his commitment to IU before the start of the 2001 season.\nBesides Greer, IU's current list of verbal commitments includes running back Sean Miller (Solon, Ohio), wide receiver Jerohn Fields (Chicago, Ill.), wide receiver Steve Gunter (Warrensville Heights, Ohio), offensive lineman Steve Hines (Vandalia, Ohio) and tight end/defensive end Kenny Kendal (Chicago, Ill.). Miller, Fields, Gunter and Hines made their commitments before Cam Cameron was fired in December. \nKendal committed earlier this week, and he's the first verbal commitment IU has received since DiNardo was named coach Jan. 8.\n"DiNardo got off to a good start by landing Kenny Kendal," Kurelic said.\nEvery other team in the Big Ten has received at least nine verbal commitments. Some schools, such as Illinois, Michigan and Ohio State, are close to filling their classes. \nIllinois has done the best job of recruiting from Indiana so far. The Fighting Illini's class includes four prospects who played prep football in the state. Purdue has received two commitments from in-state products.\nNational signing day is Feb. 6, and no Big Ten coach has more work in front of him than DiNardo, who will likely be the Big Ten's only first-year coach in 2002. IU has 25 scholarships to offer, and it won't be surprising if DiNardo is recruiting well beyond signing day.\n"For a long period, there was no coach," Wallace said. "He has to come from way behind."\nDiNardo's first class at LSU in 1995 was ranked No. 35 by Super Prep, but he became coach there in December. That gave him a month longer that he has this year at IU. \nIn the competitive world of college recruiting, an additional month to finalize a staff and evaluate prospects can make a huge difference.\n"Getting a late start is a difficult situation because many players are locked-up somewhere else," Kurelic said. "With that said, he's going to find some players who slipped through the cracks and turn out to be better college players."\nIU is not in serious contention to land any Top 100 prospects, so this year's recruiting class won't be filled with blue-chippers. \n"Whatever class (DiNardo) puts together this year should not be a basis of how he's judged," Wallace said. "It's what he does in the following years that's real important"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Football coach Gerry DiNardo is methodically piecing together a coaching staff that has a local flavor.\nOne of the newest additions to DiNardo's staff is Bloomington South coach Mo Moriarity, who is regarded as one of the top high school coaches in the state. Moriarity joined DiNardo's coaching staff earlier this week along with Al Borges and Steve Addazio.\nMoriarity, Borges and Addazio join Curt Mallory and Brian McNeely as new IU football coaches. Mallory is the son of former IU coach Bill Mallory, and McNeely is the younger brother of Athletics Director Michael McNeely. \nIU Media Relations Director Jeff Fanter said the coaching staff will be completed within a week. NCAA signing day is next Wednesday, and an official announcement concerning the staff is expected about that time.\nFanter said the official duties of the newly hired assistants have yet to be determined. \nMoriarity, 46, led Bloomington South to state titles in 1993 and 1998. Moriarity's 2001 team finished with a 10-3 record and advanced to the Class 5-A regionals. He also served as the school's athletics director.\n"He's the best," Bloomington South principal Mark Fletcher said. "Not often in high school competition do you know you're going to be the most prepared team in every contest. With Mo, we always knew that would happen."\nIn 15 seasons at Bloomington South, Moriarity compiled a 143-31 record. He also coached at Lakeland (Ind.) High School from 1982-86 before taking the Bloomington South job, and his lifetime high school coaching record is 183-42 record. \nMoriarity's speciality as a coach is offense. Bloomington South averaged 28.5 points per game this past season. Moriarity's tasks at IU will likely include coaching tight ends and some offensive line duties. \nFlorida quarterback Rex Grossman is the biggest name Moriarity coached during his Bloomington South tenure. Grossman, the quarterback of the 1998 Bloomington South state championship team, was the runner-up for the 2001 Heisman Trophy as a sophomore. \nOther NCAA Division I players coached by Moriarity include IU senior defensive tackle Jamil Frink, Kent State's Jared Fritz and Ball State's Steve Sutherland.\n"He pushes his players to their ultimate limits," Fletcher said. "But he also develops close personal relationships with them."\nMoriarity is making the rare jump from the high school coaching ranks to Division I. The last local coach to make a similar move was Ted Huber, who joined Lee Corso's staff in 1980. \nWhen DiNardo was introduced as IU's coach Jan. 8, he said he was committed to serving the Indiana high schools. The hiring of Moriarity appears to be a step in that direction. \n"He's very well respected," Bloomington North coach Rick Wellington said. "He had great teams, and his record speaks for itself."\nThe hiring of Mallory, who spent 2001 as a secondary coach at Central Michigan, is another example of DiNardo trying to raise the program's profile within the state. Besides being the son of IU's all-time winningest coach, Mallory, 33, played one season for Moriarity at Bloomington South. He also spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Ball State.\nMcNeely served as Colorado's recruiting coordinator the past two seasons. He was responsible for luring some of the younger members of Colorado's 2001 Big 12 championship team to Boulder. \nBorges was California's offensive coordinator in 2001. Before arriving in Berkeley, Calif., Borges had stints as offensive coordinator at Oregon (1995) and UCLA (1996-2000), where he coached high-profile players such as quarterback Cade McNown, wide receiver Freddie Mitchell and running back Skip Hicks, all of whom now play in the NFL. Borges will likely receive the same position on DiNardo's staff.\nLast season, Borges' offense at Cal struggled, averaging a Pac 10-worst 18.3 points per game. Borges was not retained when Oregon offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford was hired to replace Tom Holmoe in December. \nAddazio, an assistant at Notre Dame this past season, was one of three members from Bob Davie's staff to be retained by George O'Leary when he was named Notre Dame's coach. Addazio was not retained by Tyrone Willingham, who replaced O'Leary after he resigned in December. \nFanter said none of the members from Cam Cameron's coaching staff will be retained by DiNardo. During the time period between Cameron's dismissal Dec. 5 and DiNardo's hiring, the assistants had the difficult task of selling a program without a coach.\nOffensive coordinator/offensive line coach Hal Hunter was hired earlier this month to become the Tar Heels' offensive line coach. Currently, he's the only member of Cameron's coaching staff who has been hired by another program.\nOverhauling a coaching staff is not unusual when a new coach takes control of a struggling program. \nTedford retained just one assistant from Holmoe's staff. First-year Kansas coach Mark Mangino retained just one assistant from Terry Allen's staff. When Rich Rodriguez took over as West Virginia's coach after Don Nehlen retired at the end of the 2000 season, he retained just one assistant.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Middle school physical education teacher in the mornings and afternoons. College football coach in the late afternoons and early evenings.\nThat was how Ted Huber spent his long work days in the early 1980s when he served as Lee Corso's defensive ends coach at IU.\nIn 1980, Huber left his job as Bloomington South football coach to join Corso's staff.\n"I had a secret desire to become a college coach," said Huber, who now coaches centers and guards at Ball State.\nIt's easy to forget Huber once coached at IU. Hundreds of players, dozens of assistants and three head coaches have come and gone since the time Huber and Corso left Bloomington.\nHuber's legacy, though, has resurfaced since coach Gerry DiNardo made the decision of adding high school coaches Mo Moriarity and Dino Mangiero to his staff earlier this month.\nUnlike Huber, Moriarity and Mangiero won't have to worry about teaching local middle-schoolers how to play dodgeball while trying to help a struggling program win games.\nMoriarity left a secure job as Bloomington South's football coach and athletic director to coach tight ends for DiNardo. Mangiero left his job as head coach at nationally ranked Poly Prep (Brooklyn N.Y.) High School to become IU's director of football operations.\nThe Hoosiers' staff also includes eight veteran college assistants. But the decision to hire two men with little collegiate experience might be the biggest gamble DiNardo has made during his two months as IU's coach. \n"It's been done before," DiNardo said. "Dino is in an administrative capacity. You find that a lot of high school coaches have to do those kinds of things. Plus, he's been on the other side of recruiting and brings a lot of experience. \n"Mo is a just a fabulous football coach. A lot of times high school coaches aren't interested in making the move. That's why it perhaps hasn't been done that much."\nFor both coaches, the decision to leave secure and rewarding jobs is a gamble. But it's a gamble defined by a compelling challenge. \nFrom Bloomington South to IU\nA day after DiNardo was hired in January, he discussed the local football scene with Moriarity.\nThe discussion opened DiNardo's plan to strengthen relations with Indiana high school coaches and players. Moriarity called DiNardo back a few hours later. After the conversation, Moriatity said it "hit him in the face" that he might like to coach at the next level.\nLess than three weeks later, Moriarity landed a job on DiNardo's staff.\n"I feel like I accomplished everything at the high school level that I can accomplish," said Moriarity, who led Bloomington South to state titles in 1993 and 1998. "Now, I'm going to the next level to see if I can accomplish anything there."\nWhat happened to Huber after his four seasons at IU demonstrates the insecure profession Moriarity is entering.\nWhen Corso was fired after the 1982 season, Huber joined Corso's staff at Northern Illinois in 1984. Huber coached at Northern Illinois from 1984-87 before returning to the high school level to coached at Warsaw (Ind.) for the next seven seasons. Since 1995, Huber has worked at Ball State.\nThe year-round commitment it took to compete at the college level challenged Huber during the early stages of his collegiate coaching career.\n"College football is divided into seasons," Huber said. "In the fall teams play, winter is recruiting, in the spring there's spring ball and by summer it's time to get ready for the fall. High school is like that, but on a smaller scale."\nLike Huber, Moriarity will have to get used to recruiting which has become a year-round task for college assistants.\n"To be honest, recruiting is one of the things I look forward to doing," Moriarity said.\nMoriarity is a former president of the Indiana High School Football Coaches Association and he has traveled to clinics throughout the state. Having someone with as much local knowledge on the staff should be help IU's in-state recruiting efforts.\n"From outside looking in, this is an excellent way for IU to get into the high schools," Huber said. "No one in high school is as well respected as Mo."\nFrom the East Coast To Midwest\nIU seems like a natural fit for Moriarity. \nHe played prep football at Martinsville High School. He was educated in the state. And he built his reputation coaching a few miles from Memorial Stadium. \nMangiero, though, is an East Coast man.\nHe grew up on Staten Island. He was an All-American defensive lineman at Rutgers University in New Jersey. After playing for three NFL teams during a seven-year professional career, Mangiero's high school coaching career started at St. Joseph's High School on Staten Island. Since 1994, Mangiero, 43, had coached Poly Prep, a private school in Brooklyn, to a 61-5-1record.\nTwo of Mangiero's three sons -- Christopher and Jimmy -- are still members of Poly Prep's football team, so leaving the Brooklyn school wasn't an easy decision.\n"I was very successful at Poly Prep, and I really enjoyed coaching there," Mangiero said. "But I wanted to step up to another level and check out how good I really am."\nFor a high school coach at a private school in New York, Mangiero accomplished about as much as he possibly could. His team lost just one game the past six seasons. In 2001, Poly Prep posted an 8-0 record and finished No. 10 in USA Today's final prep football rankings. The team also produced five Division I players, including IU recruits Jahkeen Gilmore and John Pannozzo.\nMangiero's first exposure to IU came in January when he visited Bloomington with Gilmore and Pannozzo. \nThe trip also reunited Mangiero with an old friend. When DiNardo was the head coach at Vanderbilt and LSU, Mangiero would visit his practices regularly. \n"Gerry saw how enthusiastic I was about the Indiana campus and when this came available he called me up," Mangiero said. "So I took a couple of days to think about it and I called back to accept."\nUnlike Moriarity, Mangiero won't do any hands-on coaching. Instead he will perform behind the scenes tasks such as scheduling, traveling, recruiting and player housing.\n"I wasn't sure I wanted to stay in coaching," Mangiero said. "I wanted to get into the administrative side. As a high school coach you get to do everything. I really enjoy the administrative part of it"
(03/01/02 5:57am)
She stands 5-foot-10, weighs 150 pounds and can smack a golf ball 300 yards.\nBut that's only a minor part of Michelle Wie's appeal.\nWie's age (12) and school grade (7th) make her the West Coast's can't-miss golf story of the weekend.\nOn the East Coast, five time zones away, 17-year-old Ty Tryon is competing at the PGA Tour's Genuity Championship in Miami.\nWie and Tryon, though, aren't even the most famous athletes not yet allowed to vote in action this weekend. That honor belongs to basketball player LeBron James of Akron, Ohio.\nJames is the 17-year-old high school junior who Sports Illustrated placed on its cover two weeks ago. Tonight, James and his St.Vincent-St Mary High School teammates get to smack around Oberlin Firelands in the second round of the Ohio's Division II high school basketball playoffs.\nJames will play in front of a sellout crowd, Wie will attract the largest galleries during the LPGA Tour's first tournament, and besides Tiger Woods, Tryon is the second biggest attraction at this week's PGA Tour event.\nGet the picture?\nFollowing this trio of young athletes through the developmental stages of their respective careers is fun. Wie, Tryon and James still play because they want to, not because they have to. They haven't developed the cynical and confrontational views toward life displayed by many professional and collegiate athletes.\nWie (pronounced Wee) qualified for her first LPGA Tour event by shooting an 83 during a Monday qualifying round. \nWie isn't old enough to compete full-time on the PGA. She won't be until she turns 18. She's also not old enough to play for her school's golf team. Too bad -- the Punahou School team could probably use a golfer whose personal best is a 64.\nIf Wie shoots a 64 today, she would force casual sports fans to do the unthinkable and watch an LPGA Tour event.\nPlaying in a professional event is becoming a routine practice for Tryon, who earned his PGA Tour card during last December's qualifying school. Like Wie, Tryon also can't play full-time until he turns 18. \nBut that hasn't kept him from playing against the world's top golfers in between history and math classes. Last year, Tryon made the cut at the Honda Classic and B.C. Open. He missed the cut at the Phoenix Open in his only PGA Tour appearance.\nTryon, who is from Orlando, plays his best golf in Florida. At last season's Honda Classic, he finished 39th, becoming the youngest player to make a PGA Tour cut in 44 years. \n A 39th-place finish at the Genuity Classic would give Tryon enough to build a decent-size house. \n Or maybe enough to pay prom expenses for dozens of friends.\nThere's one problem: Tryon isn't old enough to collect a PGA Tour paycheck.\nJames is the only member of the trio who won't receive national television exposure this weekend. But who really needs television when you've already been on the cover of America's most popular sports magazine.\nEventually, James should receive more television exposure than Wie and Tryon -- combined. For now, James plays in sold out gyms throughout Northeast Ohio. \nJames might be the most followed athlete in Northeast Ohio. The Cleveland Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon-Journal sent reporters to Trenton, N.J., for St. Vincent-St. Mary's game against Oak Hill Academy (Va.).\nShaquille O'Neal made a special trip to Canton, Ohio, last week when the Lakers played the Cavailers in Cleveland, and the center didn't even visit the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame. Instead, O'Neal made the 45-minute journey from Cleveland to watch James play a regular season game. \n"I haven't been to a high school game in awhile, but us No. 1 players must stick together," O'Neal told the Plain-Dealer.\nDoes that mean O'Neal will make side trips to see Wie and Tryon?\nProbably not. O'Neal isn't much of a golfer. \nBut if there's a weekend to follow something different, this is the one. The Olympics are over, O'Neal's Lakers are taking a Spring Break and 13 days remain until the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament begins. \nAt least there's a trio of kids to salvage the weekend.
(02/22/02 6:19am)
This is about a coach who endured five difficult years at a school where football doesn't matter that much.\nThis is about a coach who handled the rough times -- and there were a lot -- as well as he embraced the few memorable moments.\nThis is about a coach who cared about his players enough to treat them as student-athletes rather than athlete-students.\nThis is about a coach who received what he deserved Wednesday.\nThis is about new San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. \n Remember Cameron? Judging by IU's home football attendance the past five years, most of you probably don't.\nThree months ago, he coached an IU team that was in the process of winning four of its final five games. Ultimately, that wasn't enough to make athletics director Michael McNeely forget about the Hoosiers' 1-5 start or Cameron's four previous losing seasons. McNeely fired Cameron Dec. 5, four days after IU defeated Kentucky in its season finale.\nSince that time, Cameron and his family moved to North Carolina, where he's been looking for a new job. \nTwo NFL teams -- Buffalo and Tampa Bay -- almost hired Cameron as an offensive coordinator. As Cameron discovered the past five seasons, coming close isn't the same as receiving.\nThe resilient Cameron -- you have to be resilient to coach here for five years -- kept interviewing. Finally, first-year San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer hired Cameron this week. \n"I was very impressed with his understanding of offensive schemes, particularly the way he designs things to attack defenses," Schottenheimer said in a statement.\nSchottenheimer, who coached the Washington Redskins to an 8-8 record last season, isn't the easiest coach to work under. He has a reputation of being a control freak who does things one way: his way.\nCameron's easy-going demeanor should complement Schottenheimer's intense presence. And when given the opportunity, Cameron will experiment with the Chargers' offense.\nAt IU, Cameron gave an undersized quarterback from Riverdale, Ill. an opportunity when his colleagues were scared to take a chance on the prospect. He also made a bold decision when he moved that quarterback (Antwaan Randle El) to wide receiver during the past offseason. \nOf course the move didn't work, and Randle El played his natural position for the remaining 10 games.\nIf anybody can get along with Schottenheimer, it's the affable Cameron. While Cameron's win-loss record didn't earn him many supporters, no one hated the guy.\nWhen a coach with an 18-37 career record gets fired, it's usually reason to purchase a case and throw down. This wasn't the case -- no pun intended -- when Cameron got fired.\nBased on wins and loses, McNeely's decision was justified. Based on character, the decision seemed rotten, especially considering Cameron was in Evansville attending the funeral of running back Levron Williams' mother at the same time McNeely went public with his decision. \nCameron handled the end of his tenure with class. He displayed no bitter feelings toward McNeely or the University. He never resorted to yelling at the media, a tactic many embattled coaches adopt during the end of a rough tenure. \nJust maybe Cameron's good-guy image forced NFL coaches to dial his number. Maybe it was the reason he received a promotion. Maybe becoming a NFL offensive coordinator was a sign that Cameron has graduated from college coaching and moved onto something better.\nCoaching offense is what Cameron does best. Now he's a full-time offensive coach who gets to work with talented players such as running back LaDainlian Tomlinson, wide receiver Curtis Conway and quarterback Doug Flutie. The Chargers also have quarterback Drew Brees, a player Cameron should know well. Brees was Purdue's starting quarterback from 1998-2000 when the Boilermakers won three games against Cameron's Hoosiers by a combined score of 123-44.\n"Probably 75 percent of the gray hair on my head is from Drew," Cameron told the San Diego Union-Tribune.\nBesides some decent players to coach, Cameron's new job has other perks that might return his hair to its original red color.\nHe doesn't have to worry about recruiting. His family doesn't have to worry about lousy weather. He will receive a handsome salary, and if McNeely keeps his word, Cameron will still receive his annual base salary of $150,000 for the remaining three years on his IU contract. \nIn the end, this was about a nice man who found a nice job.
(02/15/02 5:25am)
Football coach Gerry DiNardo made his first public mistake Wednesday.\nIt wasn't the type of mistake that cost IU a victory. It won't hurt recruiting. It probably won't damage his reputation. \nInstead, the mistake illustrated the challenges and anonymity assistant coaches battle.\nStarting on the right and moving left, DiNardo announced his nine assistants to a group of reporters before the men's basketball game against Wisconsin. \nWhen he got to the coach on the far left standing beside secondary coach Curt Mallory, DiNardo said: "Next to Curt is Gerald Moore, who will coach our running backs."\nAt least DiNardo got half the sentence right. The running backs coach is named Gerald. But his last name is Brown, not Moore.\nThe confused look on Brown's face told the entire story. Brown wanted to tell everyone his real last name, but he knew that he couldn't publicly embarrass his new boss. \nAssistant coaches such as Brown, who service head coaches such as DiNardo, are the bases that hold a football program together. \nThey're the ones who travel almost year-round finding prospects. They're the ones who do most of the hands-on coaching.\nThey're also the part of a program that crumbles the quickest. \nThe criticism an assistant receives typically outweighs the praise. And job security? Look at almost any college assistant's bio, and you realize he holds less job security than a Washington Redskins head coach.\n"I think we all hope for longevity at every institution we enter into," defensive coordinator Tim Kish said.\nThe problem is that very few assistants receive the longevity Kish and his colleagues desire.\nSince 1977, Kish has worked as an assistant at seven NCAA Division I programs. His longest stay at one institution (Army) lasted seven years. Kish's shortest tenure also was his most recent, when he lasted one season as Ohio University's defensive coordinator.\nBefore Ohio, Kish spent four years as a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Illinois. When Illinois faltered in 2000 after its successful 1999 season, guess who received much of the blame? \nHe stood third from the right in Wednesday's line.\nHead coach Ron Turner took some hits during the off-season, but he kept his job. In 2001, Illinois won the Big Ten championship and qualified for the Sugar Bowl. The Fighting Illini's success earned Turner praise from all angles, while Kish spent the season coaching the defense of the Mid American Conference's worst team.\nWhen asked if IU offers him a fresh start, Kish said "absolutely."\nFresh starts and rotten finishes are two things almost every college assistant coach experiences.\nOffensive line coach Steve Addazio experienced a rotten finish in December. He was one of three Notre Dame assistants to keep his job when George O'Leary replaced Bob Davie. But the Fighting Irish's next coaching change wasn't as kind.\nTyrone Willingham kept one assistant from O'Leary's staff. His last name wasn't Addazio.\n"I'm not interested in what that last chapter was," Addazio said. "I'm more interested in what that new chapter brings."\nThis past season, offensive coordinator Al Borges experienced a rotten finish for the first time in his career. \nBorges spent last season as California's offensive coordinator. The Golden Bears had a disastrous season, with their lone victory coming in the season finale against Rutgers.\nThe 1-10 season resulted in some major changes. The first came when coach Tom Holmoe resigned Nov. 4. The second came Dec. 12, when Oregon offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford replaced Holmoe. The third came Dec. 18, when running backs coach Ron Gould became the lone assistant retained by Tedford.\n"I had never been fired before," said Borges, who also had stints as a collegiate offensive coordinator at UCLA, Oregon, Boise State, Portland State and Diablo Valley College. \n"It will probably be good for me in the end. It's just another chapter in my career."\nMaybe once this chapter begins, Borges' exciting offense can flourish in the conservative Midwest. Maybe Addazio won't experience a bizarre coaching change. Maybe Kish can erase the frustrations of the past two seasons. And maybe DiNardo will know Gerald Brown's last name.\nOf course, for an assistant coach there are no guarantees.
(02/14/02 6:21am)
Start with two high school coaches. \nAdd the son of IU's all-time winningest football coach and the younger brother of the school's athletics director. \nThrow in some sprinkles that include someone who experienced the Notre Dame coaching fiasco from the inside, a coach from Graceland and a running back coach who spent a season in the XFL. \nAnd top it off with two well-traveled coordinators. \nThe end result is Gerry DiNardo's first football staff at IU. DiNardo announced the staff Wednesday at Assembly Hall before the start of the men's basketball game against Wisconsin.\n"What has happened before to all of us is only relative to how it will help us do this present job," DiNardo said. "We'll be judged from what we do from this point on."\nThe newest additions to the staff include defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Tim Kish, defensive line coach Joe Cullen, running backs coach Gerald Brown and director of football operations Dino Mangiero. \nThe quartet join offensive coordinator Al Borges, secondary coach Curt Mallory, tight ends coach Mo Moriarity, offensive line coach Steve Addazio and assistant head coach/wide receivers Brian McNeely who were added last month, but not officially announced until yesterday.\nDiNardo didn't retain any of former coach Cam Cameron's coaching assistants.\nOne more coach will be added "within 10 days," according to DiNardo. He added that the new coach would "most likely" coach cornerbacks while Mallory coaches the safeties. DiNardo also didn't add a special teams coach, and he said special teams would be handled by "ownership" with more than one coach involved.\nBesides Moriarity (Bloomington South) and Mangiero (Brooklyn Poly Prep), who were long-tenured high school coaches, the rest of the staff features well-traveled assistants. Kish served as defensive coordinator at Ohio University last season and had the same title at Illinois in 2000. He was dismissed from both jobs.\n"I think any time you go through the transition I just went through, you're looking for a positive in the situation after that," Kish said. "This was one I really relish having a chance to be a part of." \nBorges served as the offensive coordinator at California the past season, but was not retained by new coach Jeff Tedford. Before California, Borges was UCLA's offensive coordinator from 1996 to 2000.\n"The Big Ten has always intrigued me," Borges said. "I've had opportunities over the last couple of years to play Big Ten teams. I know how good the conference is. It's going to be a fun challenge."\nCullen spent last season as Memphis' defensive line coach, while Brown coached the XFL's Memphis Maniax in 2001.\nMcNeely, the younger brother of athletics director Michael McNeely, spent the past two seasons as Colorado's coordinator of football operations and recruiting. McNeely said that he has never worked in the same environment as his brother.\n"It's going to be interesting to see (Michael) more often because we usually live across the country from each other," McNeely said.\nAdazzio spent the past three seasons at Notre Dame where he served as the offensive line, tight end and special teams coach during his time in South Bend. George O'Leary kept Addazio on his staff after Bob Davie was fired, but when O'Leary resigned in December and replaced by Tyrone Willingham, Addazio was not retained.\n"In college football, you're exposing yourself for great success and great failure," Addazio said. "Do you love the last couple of months? No. There's going to be some bad and some good."\nCurt Mallory, the son of former IU coach Bill Mallory, worked as Central Michigan's secondary coach last season. He also served as an assistant at Ball State from 1995 to 2000.\nMangiero and Moriarity are making the biggest transitions. Mangiero led Poly Prep High School to a 61-5-1 record the past eight seasons. Wide receiver Jahkeen Gilmore and running back John Pannozzo, two players who signed IU letters of intent last week, played for Mangiero at Poly Prop last season.\nMoriarity has a 183-42 record as a high school coach. He spent the last 15 seasons at Bloomington South.
(02/08/02 6:07am)
Stare at the positions listed for the football team's 21 signees and it doesn't take long to realize that coach Gerry DiNardo wasn't lying when he said his staff recruited talent over need.\nOf the 21 recruits, 10 play offensive skill positions, including three who play the position requiring the fewest number of players.\nOnly one quarterback plays at a time, but that didn't stop IU from recruiting quarterbacks Jehron Fields, Allen Webb and Graeme McFarland.\nFields, of Chicago, was the first quarterback to give IU a verbal commitment. He committed last fall, but he reconsidered when Cam Cameron was fired in December. Fields considered Bowling Green and Kentucky before signing a letter-of-intent with IU during Wednesday's NCAA signing day.\nThe 6-foot-1 Fields passed for 2,247 yards and 31 touchdowns during his career at Chicago's Morgan Park High School. In 2001, Fields earned Chicago Public League Most Valuable Player honors. \nFields isn't as highly-regarded as Antwaan Randle El was when he arrived at IU in 1997, but Chris Pool, the publisher of poolrecruiting.com, said Fields is a similar type of player.\n"He's very good," said Pool, who lives in the Chicago area. "He has a solid arm, and he can run the ball. He makes a lot of things happen."\nThe IU athletics department's recruiting release lists Field as a quarterback, but several recruiting Web sites list him as a wide receiver. \nWebb, also listed as a quarterback on the release, actually did play some wide receiver for Chatfield (Colo.) High School. He split time between quarterback and wide receiver for a Chatfield team that claimed the Colorado Class 5A title and finished in the top 20 of USA Today's final rankings. Webb, the grandson of Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, compiled more than 1,500 total yards during the 2001 season.\nWebb originally committed to Colorado, but he de-committed earlier this year. Before signing with IU, he also considered Kansas State. \nWebb wasn't the only IU recruit to de-commit from a Big 12 school. \nMcFarland, of Birmingham, Ala., originally committed to Kansas last fall, but he backed away when coach Terry Allen was fired in December and replaced by Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mark Mangino. \nMcFarland also considered Louisville, Vanderbilt, Furman and Harvard, before he was contacted by IU assistant Brian McNeely. McFarland said IU expressed no interest in him until McNeely, who was helping Vanderbilt recruit the quarterback, joined IU's staff last month. McFarland said his final decision came between IU and Furman, a Division 1-AA program.\n"The main reason I choose Indiana is because I wanted to test myself," he said. "I didn't want to go to Furman and do well there, and wonder about what I could've done in the Big Ten."\nOn the field, McFarland passed for more than 4,500 yards as a starter the past two seasons. In 2001, the 6-foot-2 McFarland passed for 2,600 yards as he led Mountain Brook High School to a 10-2 record. Mountain Brook used a four wide-receiver set, and coach Joey Jones said the team's offense was built around McFarland. \n"He had an excellent season," Jones said. "I thought from a maturity standpoint, he improved three-fold from his junior to senior year. If he can make that jump at the next level, he'll be a good player"
(02/07/02 6:03am)
This signing day had a different feel. \nIn between vague comments about some of IU's 21 signees and more specific statements regarding IU's recruiting strategy, first-year coach Gerry DiNardo found an opportunity to display a sense of humor. \nSome of the highlights from Wednesday's signing-day news conference at Memorial Stadium:\n• After a brief description of quarterback Allen Webb's (Denver, Colo.) accomplishments and family background, DiNardo described his recruiting process: "He committed to Colorado, he was then involved with Kansas State and then saw our place, and saw the light."\n• When asked whether or not he had any knowledge of any recruits before he was hired Jan. 8, DiNardo said he had heard of quarterback Graeme McFarland from Birmingham and Webb before describing what he knew about punter Tyson Beattie from Australia: "I didn't know about Tyson from Australia; I had never recruited Australia before." \n• DiNardo, who is from Brooklyn, N.Y., said he heard of John Pannozzo because "it's my responsibility to know all Italians from Brooklyn."\nWhen DiNardo's attempt at a stand-up act ended, this much was clear: In less than a month, DiNardo and his staff managed to fill more than 80 percent of IU's 25 allotted scholarships.\nThe first letter of intent the Hoosiers received yesterday arrived at 7 a.m., when Beattie, via Australia, faxed his signature to the athletics department. During the following 10 hours, the Hoosiers received a steady stream of letters. \nAs much as DiNardo wanted to make up a story about Beattie's recruitment, he said he couldn't because Beattie committed to IU while Cam Cameron was still coach. \n"We watched tape of him, and he's got a good leg," DiNardo said.\nThe player who lives the second farthest from Bloomington is defensive tackle Russ Richardson (Phoenix, Ariz). Although he resides more than 1,700 miles from the IU campus, Richardson received a taste of IU yesterday morning when he signed his letter at the Hoosier Cafe in Phoenix. The restaurant, which is operated by a couple of IU alumni living in Arizona, is the Southwest's version of a Bloomington restaurant, where IU pictures hang on the walls.\nRichardson (6-foot-1, 265 pounds) selected IU over Air Force, Army, Navy, Princeton, Penn, Yale, Columbia and Wyoming. \n"IU stood out because it's in the Big Ten," said Richardson, who signed his letter in the restaurant as 35 friends and family members watched. "I got overlooked a lot because I'm just 6-1, and teams want defensive linemen who are 6-4 or 6-5. I can play. I'm glad to get a chance to play in the Big Ten."\nIU's class consists of players from 12 states, but just two from Indiana -- defensive tackle Bo Greer (Princeton) and defensive end Justin Frye (Elwood). DiNardo, who has placed an emphasis on strengthening the football program's reputation in the state, said the number of recruits from Indiana will increase.\n"A year from today, we'll have more than two Indiana guys in our signing class," DiNardo said.\nThe state IU snagged the most recruits from was Ohio, a state that produced more than 35 Big Ten signees this year. IU's Buckeye state signees include running back Sean Miller, linebacker John Kerr, wide receiver Steve Gunter and offensive lineman Adam Hines. Miller, Gunter and Hines all committed before DiNardo was hired, but Kerr didn't select IU until this past weekend.\nBesides impacting IU's ability to recruit the top in-state prospects, DiNardo said the late start affected the Hoosiers ability to recruit by position.\n"Ordinarily, we'll be a little more position-specific in a recruiting class, but, getting a late start, we felt the best strategy was to get the best available," DiNardo said. "You hear the term a lot in the NFL Draft, and you hear it some in recruiting. That was our strategy."\nThe position IU appears to have done the best job recruiting is quarterback. Besides Webb, who helped Chatfield High School claim the Colorado 5A championship last season, McFarland and Jehron Fields (Chicago), had solid 2001 campaigns as quarterbacks. Webb and McFarland had originally committed to Big 12 schools, but changed their minds as signing day approached. \nWebb verbally committed to Colorado, while McFarland committed to Kansas. McFarland changed his mind after coach Terry Allen was fired in November. \nMcFarland said he wasn't contacted by IU until two weekends ago. \n"Signing the letter was a big relief for me," McFarland said. "This whole process has been hectic. I'm glad it's over with, and I feel like I made the right choice."\nFor DiNardo and his staff, the process has been equally hectic.
(02/05/02 5:56am)
The number of names on football coach Gerry DiNardo's first recruiting list might reach double digits by Wednesday's NCAA signing day. \nLinebacker John Kerr (Cleveland), quarterback Graeme McFarland (Birmingham, Ala.) and wide receiver Tyke Spencer (Naperville, Ill.) are the latest names on the football team's commitment list.\nAll three prospects verbally committed to IU within the last week. As of Monday afternoon, IU had received eight verbal commitments. \nKerr, a 6-foot-1, 232-pound middle linebacker, helped Cleveland St. Ignatius claim its ninth Ohio High School Athletic Association big-school state championship in 2001. Kerr is the leading tackler in St. Ignatius history. \nKerr, a two-time Associated Press first-team all-state selection, selected the Hoosiers over West Virginia. He's the Hoosiers' fourth commitment from Ohio, joining running back Sean Miller, wide receiver Steven Gunter and offensive lineman Adam Hines. \nMcFarland, a two-year starter, received all-state honorable mention honors after leading Mountain Brook High School to a 10-2 record this past season. McFarland passed for 4,500 yards in the past two seasons, including 2,600 in 2001. \nMcFarland selected IU over Vanderbilt, Kansas and Furman. He had originally committed to Kansas, but backed off when coach Terry Allen was fired in November.\nAt Mountain Brook, a suburb of Birmingham, McFarland played in a four wide-receiver set that is similar to the offense used by Clemson. Last season, McFarland completed 63 percent of his passes. \n"We built our offense around his ability to throw the ball," Mountain Brook coach Joey Jones said.\nThe 6-foot, 180-pound Spencer caught 54 passes for 1,000 yards while helping Naperville Central advance to the Illinois Class 8A finals last season. In the state title game, Spencer caught eight passes for 178 yards.\nJehron Fields, another wide receiver from Illinois, is the only player who backed away from his commitment since Cam Cameron was fired in December.\nRecruiting analyst Chris Pool, the publisher of poolrecruiting.com, said there's still a chance Fields, could sign with IU. Pool said Fields visited Kentucky last month and he's also considering Bowling Green.\nFour of IU's eight commitments have come since DiNardo took over as coach last month. Defensive end Bo Greer (Princenton, Ind.), Gunter, Hines and Miller committed before the coaching change. Linebacker/tight end Kenny Kendall (Chicago) committed less than a week after DiNardo was hired.\nPool said IU's recruiting class should get larger once DiNardo's coaching staff is completed.\n"A lot of kids want to know who their position coaches are going to be before making a commitment," Pool said.