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May 2003

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05/31/03		Tiger Football Fans Getting Chance to Lean Back, Relax at Home Games (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg stukenborg@gomemphis.com May 31, 2003 For University of Memphis football fans, going to games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium this fall may no longer be a pain in the rear. Eight consecutive losing seasons notwithstanding, no pun intended. Season-ticket holders who found the bleacher seating somewhat uncomfortable are being given the option to purchase relief. The U of M has contracted with a Manhattan, Kan., firm to install as many as 1,500 cushioned chairback seats. The seats, awash in Tiger blue and sporting a leaping-Tiger logo on the back support, will be installed before the season opener at the season-ticket holder's purchased location. Fans will pay an additional $28 per cushioned chairback. Each seat is 16 inches wide and has two inches of high-density foam. "What we hear all the time from season-ticket holders is 'I love my location, but I want to be in a chairback,' " said Tiger associate athletic director Kevin Grothe. "Until the day we get permanent chairbacks in the stadium, this is the way we have addressed a need." There are 1,116 permanent chairbacks in the 62,380-seat stadium, but those routinely sell out. The U of M sold 12,446 season tickets last year, giving the university a sizable group to initially market the product. The cushioned chairbacks will be attached to the bleachers by a bracket-and-bolt system, but the process will not damage the bleachers, according to Nikki Vestweber, vice president of sales for GTM. She said the chairbacks will be removed after the U of M's final home game Nov. 29 and stored at the Liberty Bowl. Grothe said more than 300 have been leased during the first three weeks of season-ticket renewals. A postcard detailing the cushioned chairback has been included with each mailed renewal form. "I did a site visit of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, and it's ideal for what we offer," said Vestweber, whose firm introduced the concept four years ago and has contracts with 42 schools. "When you have a facility that doesn't have (a significant number of) chairbacks, it's a great opportunity to give the fan a better experience at the game." There will be an early season inconvenience factor . . . for installers. The seats will be removed after the U of M's opening two games - Aug. 30 against Tennessee Tech and Sept. 6 against Ole Miss - and before the Sept. 13 Southern Heritage Classic, traditionally featuring Tennessee State and Jackson State. "It seems there was a concern about the liability of having chairbacks in for an outside event," Vestweber said. "We thought the best solution would be to remove them because they are our company's responsibility. So we will take them out and put them back in." Vestweber said customer-service personnel will be at the stadium for each game and expect to be particularly busy on Aug. 30. "What usually happens is, on game day, people actually see it and want to order one on game day," Vestweber said. "We will have people on site that day to facilitate any additional orders." - Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

05/31/03		D.C. Area Prep Star Commits to Tigers (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish parrish@gomemphis.com May 31, 2003 These days, it's never too early to commit a budding basketball star. With that in mind, the University of Memphis has accepted a verbal commitment from Eric Price, one of the top national prospects in the class of 2005. ''I'm gonna go to Memphis,'' Price told The Commercial Appeal Friday night from his home in Washington. "Just from watching Memphis basketball - the way they get up and down the court - that's where I know I belong.'' A 6-1 rising junior with point guard ball-handling and a combo guard scoring ability, Price is the earliest commitment the current Tiger coaching staff has publicly secured. He averaged about 20 points and 10 assists per game last season while playing in the Dunbar High backcourt alongside South Carolina signee Tre' Kelley and committed to Memphis after also being recruited by the likes of Duke, Illinois, Tennessee and North Carolina. Price, whom Prepstars.com ranked as the 12th-best sophomore in the country last season, said he told John Calipari of his decision on Friday and added that he plans to attend a camp at the U of M toward the end of next month. ''And then I'll probably try to take an official visit there (next season),'' Price said. ''I'll be coming down there.'' Because of NCAA guidelines, Price cannot officially visit Memphis until January and can't sign his national letter of intent until November 2004. Though he has built a reputation as a fixture on the D.C. scene, in August Price will take his skills and 3.6 grade point average to Blair Academy, a boarding school in New Jersey that recently produced a pair of top 10 national recruits in Luol Deng and Charlie Villanueva. ''I really like to get after it on defense,'' said Price, who is spending this summer traveling with the D.C. Blue Devils. ''The Memphis coaches saw me (at an AAU Tournament) in Houston a few weeks ago, and they said they loved the way I play defense. ''That's the main part of my game.'' - Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/31/03		Two Tigers Earn Berths in NCAAs (Commercial Appeal)
		From Our Press Services June 1, 2003 University of Memphis junior Gaute Myklebust advanced to the NCAA Championships Saturday at the Mideast Regional qualifying meet in Columbus, Ohio. Myklebust placed third in the men's discus with a throw of 186 feet, 10 inches. Stacy Andrews of Ole Miss (184-3) placed fourth and also qualified. Mate Nemeth also qualified, finishing third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a time of 8:49.30. Tiger sprinter Keenan Gibson placed seventh in the women's 100-meter dash finals with a time of 11.66 and failed to qualify. Arkansas's men scored 73 points and won the team portion of the meet. The Razorbacks qualified eight athletes on Saturday. The championship meet will be held June 11-14 in Sacramento.

05/31/03		Myklebust and Nemeth Qualify for NCAA Track & Field Championships (GoTigersGo.com)
		COLUMBUS, Ohio- The University of Memphis Men's and Women's Track teams sent their top athletes to the NCAA Mid-Eastern Track & Field Regional Meet this weekend hosted by The Ohio State University. The Regional was one of four national regional meets serving as a post-season competition for qualification into the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships being held in Sacramento, Calif. in Mid-June. Memphis discus thrower Gaute Myklebust placed third in the discus throw and qualified for the NCAA Championships with a toss of 59.96m. Myklebust also competed in the Shot Put and placed seventh with a throw of 17.94m. Mate Nemeth placed third in the 3000m Steeplechase with a time 8:49.50. He will join Myklebust in Sacramento for the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Myklebust and Nemeth become the first Memphis Tigers to qualify for NCAA's since Delvit Rogers (Long Jump) in 2000. Keenan Gibson placed fifth in the 200m dash with a time of 23.88. She does not automatically qualify for NCAA Championships, however, her time will be compared with times from the other NCAA Regionals and if she ranks high enough, she may conditionally qualify for the NCAA meet. Gibson also placed seventh in the 100m dash with a time of 11.66. She ran a 11.48 in the preliminaries tying her personal best. This is the first year that the new regional format has been used by track & field. In prior years, athletes who qualified for NCAA's would go directly to the national meet for competition. In 2003, the NCAA instigated four regionals that would serve as qualifying meet for the NCAA National Championship meet. Thus, the qualifying standards for regionals were slightly lowered than those previously for NCAA's, allowing more athletes an opportunity to showcase their talents against the highest competition. The University of Memphis Men's team qualified 10 athletes in 15 events this year. However, only eight athletes would compete this weekend as Istvan Kerekjarto (1500m, 800m) missed the meet with a ruptured patella tendon in his right knee that he sustained at C-USA Championships. Gergely Nemeth (100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay), a native of Hungary, also missed the meet as he returned to Hungary to tend to a family matter. On the Women's side, Keenan Gibson (100m, 200m) and Lisa-Marie Hyman (Triple Jump) both qualified for the Lady Tigers. A 4x100m Relay team and sprinter Chanel Dunn (100m) also qualified but did not participate in the meet due to various injuries. Franck Diadhiou ran a 10.63 to finish 18th in the 100m dash. Fellow sprinter Ivan Williams ran a 21.68 and placed 13th in the 200m dash. Ferenc Bekesi finished 27th in the 1500m run with a time of 3:59.96. The 4x100m Relay team comprised of Franck Diadhiou, Michael Woods, Ivan Williams and Austin Hunter placed 11th with a time of 40.54. Hunter replaced G. Nemeth on the team. Adam Martin finished 21st in both the Shot Put (16.15m) and the Hammer Throw (53.94m). Finally, Lisa-Marie Hyman placed 11th in the Triple Jump with a leap of 12.58m. The NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship Meet will be June 13-15 in Sacramento, Calif. At least two Memphis Tigers will be competed with a third possibly getting an invitation in what will be remembered as one of the more successful years in Memphis Track & Field history.

05/30/03		4x100 Relay Team Falls Four-Hundredths Short of Finals (GoTigersGo.com)
		COLUMBUS, OHIO - - With one of the four original sprinters who set the NCAA Regional qualifying time having to be back in Hungary due to a family illness, The University of Memphis men's track and field 4x100 meter relay team still came dangerously close to advancing to the finals of the event, Friday. Memphis missed the eighth, and final, spot in the finals by four-hundredths of a second. The relay team of Michael Woods (Memphis, Tenn./Central), Austin Hunter (filling in for absent Gary Nemeth), Franck Diadhiou (Ziquinchor, Senegal) and Ivan Williams (Riverdale, Ga./Mount Zion) finished third in the most competitive heat of the four, with nine hundredths of a second separating the team from Tennessee, who won the heat, from Memphis, who finished third. Mississippi finished second in 40.53, while Tennessee qualified with the fourth fastest overall time of 40.45. Memphis ran a 40.54. The Tigers will finish 11th overall, with the top eight spots being determined Saturday when the finals are run. LSU posted the fastest qualifying time of 39.36, while Middle Tennessee was second with a 39.60. Alabama State was third quick with a 40.40, while Tennessee was fourth with a 40.45. Purdue will be in lane five after posting a 39.67. Toledo is sixth with a 40.04, Ohio State seventh with a 40.37 and Wisconsin grabbed the last finals spot with a time of 40.50. The trio of Mid-South schools missed the finals by minute time spots. Mississippi State fell two-hundredths shy in 40.52, Ole Miss three-hundredths with a 40.53 and Memphis three hundredths with a 40.54. Diadhiou and Williams will both compete again this evening. Diadhiou will run the preliminary round of the 100 meter dash finals, while Williams will be in the 200 prelims. Woods and Hunter (Jackson, Tenn./Central) are done with the regional schedules. The Mid-East Regional is one of four regionals being conducted around the country. The top five finishers in individual events (excluding the 10,000 meter run, the decathlon and the heptathlon) will qualify for the NCAA Championships. The top three relay teams from each region qualify for the Nationals. This is the first year the NCAA has used the regional format to qualify athletes for the national meet. Previously, automatic and provisional national-qualifying marks were established and there was no regional level of competition.

05/30/03		Women's Track Inks Seventh Signee (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- - The University of Memphis has signed one of the top middle distance runners in Ontario to a National Letter of Intent it was announced, Friday. The Lady Tigers signed their seventh recruit for the upcoming season when Daniele Riendeau inked her NLI. "Daniele is one of the top, if not the top, middle distance runner in all of Ontario," Assistant Coach Jonas Holdeman said. "She'll compete against some stiff competition in a couple of weeks at the OFSAA championships, but she is a great, great runner and we're excited to have her chose Memphis." Riendeau is a multi-sport athlete at De La Salle Public High School in Ottawa. She ran cross country and track, competing in the 400, 800, 1500 and 3000 during track season. She also competed in soccer, tennis and touch football. In 2002, Riendeau won the 1500 junior girls championship at the 2002 Outdoor Provincials and won the city and region titles in the 800 and 1500. She was also a member of the winning junior girls team at the 2002 Canadian Cross Country Championships. The track and cross country athlete of the year in 2001 and 2002, Riendeau also served as the soccer team captain in 2003. She garnered MVP honors in track and cross country in 2001 and 2002 and made the honor roll in each year of her prep career. Her best 1500 time during her prep career was a 4:44 and her best 3000 was a 10:30. Her personal record in the 5K for cross country was 18:42. The daughter of Gilles Riendeau and Carol-Ann Cote, Riendeau lists her greatest on-field accomplishment as running a 2:15 in the 800 at the OFSAA meet in 2002 and finishing fifth. That time improved her previous best by over four seconds. At Memphis, Riendeau plans on majoring in exercise science and said she hopes to compete at the NCAA Championships one day. She chose Memphis over Louisiana-Monroe and Fresno State University. Riendeau is the seventh signee for the Lady Tigers under the recruiting guidance of Holdemann. She joins Becca McMahon (Londonderry, N.H.), Michel Wilson (Portland, Ore.), Kara Cassel (Jenks, Okla.), Mary Claire Dake (Knoxville, Tenn.), Kimberly McVeigh (Memphis, Tenn./Houston HS) and Brittany Pieraccini (Memphis, Tenn./St. Benedict's at Auburndale) as newcomers for 2003-2004. In other Lady Tiger track news, junior Lisa-Marie Hyman (Kingston, Jamaica) was named a Conference USA Scholar-Athlete by the league office in Chicago, Friday. Out of all the female track and field student-athletes in the league, Hyman has the highest GPA. Hyman was one of three Memphis student-athletes to earn the top academic honor in his/her respective sport. She was joined by women's tennis player Sabrina Lindemann (Linz, Austria) and men's soccer player Chris Schmidt (Clarksville, Tenn.).

05/30/03		Memphis and Houston Total Three C-USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award Winners (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHICAGO - Conference USA named the recipients of its 2002-03 Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards today. C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year awards are presented to the top student-athletes in each conference-sponsored sport. The award is based on academic achievement (GPA), athletic achievement and service. Houston and Memphis each produced three scholar athlete award winners, while Louisville, Marquette, Saint Louis, South Florida and UAB each had two. Eleven of C-USA's 15 institutions produced at least one scholar athlete winner.

05/30/03		Joye Lee-McNelis Offers Camp Discount to Dedicated Students (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - University of Memphis women's basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis believes in the importance of education, and is rewarding hardworking students with a discount to her Fundamentals Camp this summer. Campers who present a final report card with all A's or B's on it will receive a $60 discount to the Fundamental Camp that is set to run June 9-12 at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, located on The U of M campus. The camp will be split into two divisions - a C-USA league for ages 7-12, and a WNBA division for ages 13 and up. The camp will feature instruction from McNelis as well as several Lady Tiger basketball players. Newly-hired assistant coach Tom Cross will also assist with the camp. Cross joined the Lady Tigers just over a month ago after spending five years as a coach and personnel director for the WNBA's Detroit Shock. The cost of the camp is $125 for all campers who bring their report cards with A's and B's listed to registration on June 9 from 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. For more information and to sign up for the camp, please contact The U of M women's basketball office at 901-678-4120.

05/30/03		Men's and Women's Track Ready for Mid-East Regionals to Start (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - The University of Memphis men's and women's track and field teams departed early Thursday morning en route Columbus, Ohio, to participate in the first-ever NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships. Junior Adam Martin will be the first Tiger to step into the ring when he begins competing in the hammer throw at 9 a.m. (CDT), Friday. Martin is one of 31 participants in the hammer, and will be compete in the second flight. The top nine throws plus ties will advance to the reverse order finals.The men's 4x100 meter relay team of Michael Woods, Ivan Williams, Franck Diadhiou and Austin Hunter will take to the track at 3:00 p.m. (CDT). Hunter is stepping into the 4x100 line-up for sophomore Gary Nemeth, who had to return to Hungary due to a family illness. The Tigers will run in the second heat against teams from Tennessee, Mississippi, Eastern Michigan and Indiana State. The winners of each of the four heats and the top 4 next-best times will advance to the final that will be held at 5 p.m. (CDT), Saturday. Senior Ferenc Bekesi will follow the 4x100 relay team into competition when the 1500 prelims begin at 3:30 p.m. Bekesi will run in the second of three heats. The top three finishers in each heat plus the next best three times will compete in the 1500 final, at 5:15 p.m., Saturday. The Conference USA men's track and field athlete of the year, Gaute Myklebust, will begin his schedule at the regionals at 4:30 p.m. when the men's discus is contended. Myklebust will compete in the third flight along with the only other athlete in the region to post a better mark than he did during the regular season. Auburn's Gabor Mate threw the region's best mark of 66.99 meters and is the top ranked performer heading into Friday's competition. The top nine marks plus ties will advance to the finals. At 5:30 p.m., the sprinters return to the track. Senior Keenan Gibson will be the first Lady Tiger to begin her competition when she competes in the second heat of the 100. Gibson was to have competed in the same heat as teammate Chanel Dunn, but Dunn will miss the weekend due to a leg injury. The junior was to compete in the 100 and was part of a 4x100 relay team that posted a qualifying mark, but was forced to scratch due to injuries. The winners of each of the three heats and the next 5 best times advance to Saturday's 6:00 p.m. final. Gibson returns to the track at 7:00 p.m. for the preliminary rounds of the women's 200. Gibson will run in the first heat against runners from Auburn, Kentucky State, UW-Milwaukee, LSU and Eastern Kentucky. The winners of each of the three heats and the next 5 best times will advance to Saturday's 6:45 p.m. finals. On the men's side, sophomore Ivan Williams will compete in his second event (he also runs on the 4x100 relay). Williams is running in the first heat against competition from Purdue, Tennessee, Mississippi, Tennessee State and Youngstown State. The winners of each of the five heats and the next 3 fastest times advance to Saturday's finals, scheduled to go after the women's finals at 6:45 p.m. Saturday's competition for the runners will depend on how many advance from the preliminary rounds. The Memphis field contingent will return to competition at 4:30 p.m. (CDT) when the men's shot begins. Memphis has two participants in the event. Martin will compete in the second flight, while Myklebust competes in the third flight. The top nine marks plus ties advance to the reverse order finals to follow the preliminary rounds. While the throwers compete in the shot, junior Lisa-Marie Hyman will compete in her only event of the meet when the triple jump begins. Hyman will compete in the second flight, hoping to be among the top nine finishers (and ties), who advance to the finals. One athlete who knows he is competing in the finals already is junior Mate Nemeth. Nemeth is the second-ranked steeplechase competitor in the region, behind Eastern Michigan's Jordan Desilets. That duo were the only two student-athletes in the region to post times under 8:40 this season. They will face off head-to-head at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, in the second section of the steeplechase. The Tigers and Lady Tigers are trying to finish among the top five in each of their respective event finals to qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships in Sacramento, Calif. The maximum number of student-athletes that can qualify for the championships is 544 men and 544 women. The men's decathlon, the women's heptathlon and the men's and women's 10,000 meter runs are not competing in regional meets and just qualify directly for the championship meet.

05/30/03		19 Tiger Student-Athletes Are Honored With Commissioner's Medal (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHICAGO - A total of 303 student-athletes have earned the Commissioner's Academic Medal during the 2002-03 academic year, it was announced today. The Medals are given to C-USA student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or above during the academic year. Saint Louis had the most academic medal winners with 52, followed by Louisville with 28 and TCU with 27. Nineteen University of Memphis student-athletes were honored with the Commissioner's Medal this year. The following is a complete list of The U of M Medal winners: Russell Clayton, Football Cato Mott, Football Scott Scherer, Football Allan Thomas, Men's Golf Darren Bevard, Men's Soccer Nathan Orie, Men's Tennis Kristen Hardee, Volleyball Heather Watts, Volleyball Heather Woolls, Women's Cross Country Josey Edwards, Women's Golf Elizabeth Gardner, Women's Soccer Robyn Smart, Women's Soccer Kristan Wilson, Women's Soccer Marlene Dirnstorfer, Women's Tennis Rebecca Garner, Women's Tennis Sabrina Lindemann, Women's Tennis Josetta Brooks, Women's Track & Field Lindsay Cade, Women's Track & Field Lisa Marie Hyman, Women's Track & Field

05/28/03		U of M Places 111 Student-Athletes on C-USA Academic Honor Roll (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHICAGO - A total of 1,665 student-athletes have earned recognition to the Commissioner's Honor Roll during the 2002-03 academic year, Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced today. Student-athletes named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and participate in a conference-sponsored sport. The University of Memphis placed 111 student-athletes on the honor roll, while Saint Louis placed the highest number of student-athletes on the honor roll, producing 171 members. South Florida had 159, while Louisville ranked third with 158. Student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or above also receive the Commissioner's Academic Medal. Those winners will be released on Thursday. Below is a complete listing of U of M student-athletes who were honored by C-USA. Zachary Cook, Baseball Joseph Crass, Baseball Daniel DeArmas, Baseball Kelly Edmundson, Baseball Jarrett Grube, Baseball Seth Johnson, Baseball Andrew Kimmelman, Baseball Corey Kines, Baseball Ryan Martin, Baseball John Moran, Baseball Bill Moss, Baseball Michael Novarese, Baseball Wade Rainey, Baseball Brandon Rowan, Baseball Kurt Welch, Baseball Patrick Byrne, Football Russell Clayton, Football James Corder, Football Charles Davis, Football Charles Davis, Football Trey Eyre, Football Tim Goodwell, Football Stephen Gostkowski, Football Ryan Ivey, Football Darius Jones, Football Cato Mott, Football John Patterson, Football Boris Penchion, Football Scott Scherer, Football Wes Smith, Football Marcus West, Football Olen Whitely, Football Deangelo Williams, Football Brian Mitchell, Men's Basketball Trapper Pressler, Men's Cross Country Ryan Smith, Men's Cross Country Frederik Kolderup, Men's Golf Allan Thomas, Men's Golf Patrick Watermeier, Men's Golf Brian Baytos, Men's Soccer Darren Bevard, Men's Soccer Matthew Bryant, Men's Soccer Gary Connolly, Men's Soccer Justin Dyer, Men's Soccer Omar Jarun, Men's Soccer Dali Markovic, Men's Soccer Andy Metcalf, Men's Soccer Phillip Presley, Men's Soccer Christopher Schmidt, Men's Soccer Jonathan Thomas, Men's Soccer Alex Bucewicz, Men's Tennis Andrew Olswing, Men's Tennis Nathan Orie, Men's Tennis Joe Schmulian, Men's Tennis Lee Walker, Men's Tennis Franck Diadhiou, Men's Tennis Andre Lucas, Men's Track & Field Gaute Myklebust, Men's Track & Field Ashley Green, Volleyball Kristen Hardee, Volleyball Jaci Johnson, Volleyball Nan Kimbrell, Volleyball Shella Neba, Volleyball Nancy Nellans, Volleyball Heather Watts, Volleyball Charity Egenti, Women's Basketball Kaneshi Hart, Women's Basketball Kalara McFadyen, Women's Basketball Karin Brooks, Women's Cross Country Hayley Futrell, Women's Cross Country Wendy Ragle, Women's Cross Country Heather Woolls, Women's Cross Country Josey Edwards, Women's Golf Jennifer Jaszek, Women's Golf Ava Lalancette, Women's Golf Abigail More, Women's Golf Danielle Reilly, Women's Golf Marianne Ruud, Women's Golf Rebecca Amorozowicz, Women's Soccer Alison Baker, Women's Soccer Amy Ciezki, Women's Soccer Erin Ferris, Women's Soccer Elizabeth Gardner, Women's Soccer Courtnee Melton, Women's Soccer Annika Moller, Women's Soccer Monica Powell, Women's Soccer Kari Rawe, Women's Soccer Veronica Ruiz, Women's Soccer Robyn Smart, Women's Soccer Amy Thessen, Women's Soccer Anna Thorsdottir, Women's Soccer Susannah Wells, Women's Soccer Katarina Wicksell, Women's Soccer Kristan Wilson, Women's Soccer Marlene Dirnstorfer, Women's Tennis Andrea Feichtinger, Women's Tennis Rebecca Garner, Women's Tennis Monica Gonzalez-Gordo, Women's Tennis Sabrina Lindemann, Women's Tennis Kristen Noble, Women's Tennis Sumitra Rao, Women's Tennis Sue Ann Bowen, Women's Track & Field Josetta Brooks, Women's Track & Field Lindsay Cade, Women's Track & Field Chanel Dunn, Women's Track & Field Keenan Gibson, Women's Track & Field Cherishe Hollingsworth, Women's Track & Field Lisa Marie Hyman, Women's Track & Field Lekeshua Solomon, Women's Track & Field Titian Whittle, Women's Track & Field

05/27/03		Lindemann and Gonzalez-Gordo Earn Academic All-District Honors (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Senior women's tennis players Sabrina Lindemann and Monica Gonzalez-Gordo continue to add to their trophy cases as both players were named Third Team Verizon Academic All-District IV in a vote by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Both players were named second team All-Conference USA earlier this spring after helping the Lady Tiger tennis team write some program history this past spring. Memphis' 17-7 record marked its eighth-highest single season win total in the program's history, and the No. 1 doubles duo of Lindemann and Gonzalez-Gordo became the program's first-ever doubles team to earn a national ranking after a fall season that saw them win two doubles championships. Lindemann, who was also named the recipient of the U of M top female-student athlete GPA award and the Elma Roane Award, given to Memphis' top female-student athlete, graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports management in just three years. Also a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Lindemann is currently pursuing her master's degree in business at The U of M. Gonzalez-Gordo was one of five Tiger student-athletes to earn an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award. Capping her two-year Lady Tiger career, the Barcelona, Spain, native is currently completing her degree in mechanical engineering at The U of M. The Lady Tiger tennis team tied for fifth overall at the recent C-USA Championships.

05/21/03		Myklebust Named 2003 C-USA Male Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHICAGO- Memphis Track & Field Athlete Gaute Myklebust, Junior, was named 2003 C-USA Male Track Athlete of the Year it was announced by the league offices today. Myklebust, a native of Sand, Norway is a thrower on the Memphis Track team. "He is a double-record holder and double-event champion in conference this year," said Memphis head coach Glenn Hays. "Guys like that just don't come around too often. He really dominated the competition at almost every meet this spring." Myklebust won the Shot Put and Discus throw at the C-USA Outdoor Championships propelling his team to a fourth place finish. He set new school records in 2003 in both events first breaking Tyler Higgins record from 1973 in the discus with a throw of 58.33m at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn. He broke Kevin Robinson's record from 1997 in the Shot Put with a toss of 18.78m at C-USA Championships. He is the first Memphis track athlete to garner the C-USA Athlete of the Year honor, and the first since Terron Wright was named Metro Conference Male Track Athlete of the Year in 1981. Myklebust is qualified for NCAA Regionals in both events and will compete next weekend in Columbus, Ohio at the Mid-Eastern Regional. His marks rank amongst the best in both events in the region and nationally.

05/20/03		Gostkowski and Martin Earn Conference-USA Baseball Honors (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - A pair of University of Memphis baseball players earned Conference USA baseball honors Tuesday in an announcement made by league officials Tuesday in New Orleans, site of the 2003 C-USA Baseball Tournament. Designated hitter Ryan Martin was selected to the All-Conference second team while right-handed pitcher Stephen Gostkowski was selected to the All-Freshman team. Voting was done by a panel consisting of each head coach in the league, each team's sports information director and a media representative from each city. Martin led the Tigers with a .338 batting average, a .564 slugging percentage and a .390 on-base percentage. He tied for the team-lead in home runs with seven and drove in 19 runs. The Collierville, Tenn., native also posted a .388 batting average in C-USA action which led the team and was the sixth-highest average in the league. The left-handed batter hit a walk-off home run in the tenth inning of the Tigers' 8-7 win over No. 9 Mississippi State on March 19. Just a sophomore, Martin made 33 starts with 21 of those coming in conference games. He had 14 of his 19 RBI in league action. Martin is the first-ever Tiger to earn second-team honors while five have earned first-team recognition in the eight years of the league's existence. Martin is the first Tiger since second baseman Daniel Uggla in 2001 to be named to the conference's first or second teams. Gostkowski was one of just three pitchers selected to the All-Freshman team. The true freshman finished his first season with a 3.99 E.R.A. and 4-5 record. The Madison, Miss., native made 17 appearances for the Tigers including tying for the team-lead with nine starts in C-USA play. He struck out 46 batters in 65.1 innings of work. The multi-sport athlete also serves as the Tigers' placekicker in football and he earned the same award in that sport following the 2002 football season. Gostkowski is just the second Tiger to earn All-Freshman team honors in baseball after sophomore Brent Dlugach, who is the Tigers' starting shortstop, earned the award last season. Tulane first baseman Michael Aubrey won the conference's Player of the Year award while TCU righthander Clayton Jerome took Pitcher of the Year honors. Southern Miss head coach Corky Palmer, who guided the Golden Eagles to the regular season title in C-USA, was named the Keith LeClair Coach of the Year and Tulane's freshman pitcher J.R. Crowel was named the Freshman of the Year.

05/17/03		Myklebust and Nemeth both win two events at C-USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHARLOTTE- The University of Memphis had one of its top showings in recent years at the C-USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend hosted by the University of Charlotte. The Men's team, led by its NCCA Regional Qualifiers, placed fourth at the meet with 84 points. Cincinnati's 89.50 points for third place edged out Memphis. TCU won the meet with 142 points claiming its second C-USA Title in as many years and Houston placed second with 132.50 points. Gaute Myklebust placed first in both the discus and the shot put. His throw of 18.78m in the shot put was a personal best and a new school record. He broke the record Kevin Robinson, who now serves as his coach at U of M. Myklebust's toss of 56.82m in the discus was good enough for first place. He is qualified for NCAA Regionals in both events. Fellow thrower Adam Martin also provided Memphis with valuable points. He placed second in both the shot put and the hammer throw. Martin's throw of 17.25m in the shot put gave the Tigers a 1-2 finish in the event. Martin threw the hammer 51.66m. He is qualified for NCAA Regionals in both events. Mate Nemeth also won two events. His time of 9:12.30 in the steeplechase was slow by his standards, but won the easy paced race at C-USA Championships. Nemeth ran a 14:39.00 to win the 5000m run. Nemeth is qualified for NCAA Regionals in the steeplechase. Ferenc Bekesi placed third in the 1500m run with a time of 3:51.47.

05/17/03		Women's Track & Field places sixth at C-USA Outdoor Championships (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHARLOTTE- The University of Memphis Women's Track team placed sixth at the C-USA Outdoor Championships hosted by the University of Charlotte. It was the highest finish for the Women's team since the Lady Tigers placed fifth in the inaugural C-USA Championships in 1995. South Florida scored 147 points to win the meet. Houston claimed second place in both the men's and women's competition scoring 138 points on the women's side. Keenan Gibson wrapped up her C-USA meet career in style winning the 200m dash while tying a school record time of 23.36. She tied Wanda Hooker's record of 23.36 from 1979. Gibson also placed second in the 100m dash with a personal best time of 11.48. Gibson is qualified for NCAA Regionals in both events. Lisa-Marie Hyman won the triple jump competition for the second consecutive year with a leap of 12.40m. Hyman, who won the Indoor Triple Jump crown, now has won the triple jump at the last three C-USA Championship meets. Hyman is qualified for NCAA Regionals in the triple jump. Monique Nelson placed third in the discus with a toss of 43.69m. It was the last competition of a splendid career for the senior from Freeport, Texas.

05/17/03		Baseball Defense Commits Season-High Six Errors in 10-3 Season-Ending Loss at USF (GoTigersGo.com)
		TAMPA, Fla.-- - The Memphis defense committed six errors in the contest and USF scored seven unearned runs in the bottom off the fourth as the Bulls claimed the series win with a 10-3 decision in the season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Red McEwen Field. Memphis ends the 2003 campaign with a 21-33 mark overall and an 11-18 C-USA record. For the third consecutive game the Tigers took an early lead on a second-inning towering home run by first baseman Kyle Scott. Another towering round-tripper by second baseman Michael Lewis gave Memphis a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. The Bulls took advantage of two Tiger errors in the home half of the third inning to knot the score at two. Second baseman Mike Choquette led off with a single up the middle and continued on to second when rightfielder Josh Payne bobbled the ball in exchange from glove to hand. Bull leadoff hitter Mike Cunningham the sacrifice bunted Choquette to third. However, on the play catcher Kurt Welch's throw to Scott at first was high, allowing Choquette to score, while Cunningham raced around to third. Cunningham then scored on a double to center by Jeff Baisley. Memphis looked to regain the lead in the fourth after Ryan Martin reached on an infield single and was able to move to second on a throwing error by USF third baseman Jeff Baisley. Kyle Scott lined a two-out single top right, but rightfielder Scott Rachlin threw Martin out at the plate to end the inning. Two more Memphis miscues in the fourth were taken advantage of by USF to score seven unearned runs and take a 9-2 lead. Rachlin reached first after being hit by a Stephen Gostkowski pitch. The Tiger fielding woes then began as Allen Shirley grounded to Bill Moss at third. Moss' throw for the force at second sailed wide left of Lewis allowing Rachlin to move to third. Shirley then stole second and scored along with Rachlin scored when Choquette grounded to Moss, who again threw wide of Scott at first. Choquette moved to second on the play. After Cunningham drew a walk, Baisley singled to score Choquette. Cunningham came in on Myron Leslie's sacrifice fly to leftfield to make the score 6-2. Travis Brown's double to centerfield plated Baisley and Ivany and Rachlin followed with a single to bring Brown home for a 9-2 advantage. Kurt Welch closed the gap to 9-3 by leading the sixth inning off with a solo blast to left. USF added a run in the seventh to increase the lead to 10-3 on an RBI triple by Cunningham. Freshman starter Stephen Gostkowski (4-5) took the loss for the Tigers, in a valiant effort, giving up eight runs, all unearned, in 3.2 innings of work. The C-USA Freshman of the Year Nominee allowed six hits and struck out one Bull batter. USF starter, Chris Delaney (3-2) earned the win, giving up two runs on seven hits and four strikeouts in 5.0 innings.

05/16/03		Tiger Baseball Falls To USF, 9-5 (GoTigersGo.com)
		TAMPA, Fla.-- - South Florida secured its place in next week's C-USA tournament, using a five-run fifth inning to defeat the Memphis Tigers, 9-5, Friday night at Red McEwen Field. Memphis jumped on USF starter David Austen quickly in the first as Chad House, Michael Lewis and Bill Moss each connected for singles. Moss' single down the third base line scored House, who singled and advanced to third on Lewis' single. USF responded with three consecutive hits of its own in the home half of the frame to knot the score at one. Centerfielder Mike Cunningham led off with a line drive to leftfield, but Tiger leftfielder, Jordan Hart was unable to battle the sun as the ball sailed over his head allowing Cunningham to race around to third. Third baseman Jeff Baisley then singled to rightfield to plate Cunningham. Shortstop Myron Leslie then singled through the left side. Catcher Devin Ivany sacrificed Baisley to third and Leslie to second, but Brandon Rowan then struck out Travis Brown and Kris Howell to end the inning. Memphis regained the lead as Lewis led off the third inning with a double to the right centerfield gap. Moss flied out to centerfield to move Lewis over to third and catcher Kurt Welch brought him in on a groundball to shortstop for a 2-1 lead. The lead did not last long however, as Baisley reached base on a fielding error by Moss at third and moved to second on a wild pitch. Leslie then lined a single over Brent Dlugach's head and into left centerfield to score Baisley and tie the game at two. Leslie took second on the throw to the plate from leftfielder Jordan Hart. Moss cut the throw, but his flip to Lewis at second sailed wide and into rightfield, allowing Leslie to move to third. Ivany plated Leslie, a batter later on a ground out to Dlugach at shortstop to tie the contest. Memphis again answered in the top of the fifth scoring three runs without the ball leaving the infield. USF took the lead for good in the home half of the fifth as Baisley and Leslie combined for back-to-back hits. Ivany then doubled to the left centerfield gap to plate both to tie the game at 5-5. Travis Brown doubled to score Ivany for a 6-5 lead. Brown scored on a single by Allen Shirley and Smith got an RBI on a fielder's choice for an 8-5 advantage. USF plated one more run in the sixth for the final 9-5 count. Bulls starter David Austen recorded his 10th win of the season striking out 10 in 7.0 innings of work. Corey Kines took the loss after giving up three runs in the fifth in relief of Rowan, who went 4.0 innings and struck out six. Memphis and USF will play the series finale Saturday at 1 p.m. EST. The Tigers must win to stay in postseason contention. The Memphis-South Florida series can be heard locally on 91.7 FM with Bob McCarter handling the play-by-play duties.

05/15/03		Tiger Baseball Stays Alive With 2-1 Victory Over USF In Final C-USA Series Opener (GoTigersGo.com)
		TAMPA, Fla.-- - Current and two-time winner of the C-USA Pitcher of the Week, Jarrett Grube shut the USF Bulls down allowing just one run, while striking out seven and Ryan Martin went 3-for-4 with a homer, as the Memphis baseball team kept its postseason hopes alive with a 2-1 win against USF Thursday evening at Red McEwen Field. The Tigers (21-31; 11-16 C-USA) surpass last season's 20-win total with the win and need just two wins to ensure an appearance in the C-USA tournament. The Memphis bats put the Tigers on the board early as shortstop Brent Dlugach and designated hitter Ryan Martin teamed up for back-to-back home runs over the leftfield wall to give Memphis a 2-0 lead in the second. Dlugach's fourth homer of the season was a towering blast, while Martin's tied the team-high with his seventh on a line drive shot. Those two runs would prove to be all Memphis needed. USF plated a single run in the sixth on Jermaine Smith' s solo homer to leftfield, to cut the Tiger lead in half at 2-1. Grube was able to regroup and set the next three Bulls down in order to preserve the Tiger lead. Bull's catcher Devin Ivany led off the home half of the seventh with a single through the left side. With one out and Ivany on first, DH Kris Howell hit a drive to right centerfield that looked as if it may tie the game, but rightfielder Josh Payne was able to make a running catch for the second out. Welch then gunned Ivany down stealing to end the inning. Bill Edwards came on, in the ninth, in relief of Grube to close the game and earn his team-leading third save in three consecutive opportunities. Jon Uhl (6-4) was saddled with the loss for the Bulls allowing just the two solo homers and striking out nine Tigers in 8.0 innings of work. Smith was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a runscored to pace USF offensively. "Grube pitched another great game for us, our defense turned three big double plays and the two home runs held up." said Head coach Dave Anderson. Memphis and USF will play Game two of the series Friday at 7 p.m. A series sweep would guarantee the Tigers an appearance in next week's Conference USA tournament, which is set for May 20-25. However, if Cincinnati wins their series with Charlotte, two wins would push the Tigers into postseason play. The Memphis-South Florida series can be heard locally on 91.7 FM with Bob McCarter handling the play-by-play duties.

05/14/03		Track & Field Travels to Charlotte for C-USA Outdoor Championships (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHARLOTTE, N.C. -The University of Memphis men's and Women's Track teams will compete this week at the 2003 Conference USA Track and Field Championship on Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17 at the Irwin Belk Track and Field Center in Charlotte, N.C. TCU's men are the defending league champions and have finished among the top five at the NCAA Championships three times. On the women's side, Houston, who is coached by two-time Olympian and former world record holder in the 100 meters Leroy Burrell, is the defending team champion. The meet kicks off on Thursday with the majority of the day dedicated to the decathlon and heptathlon. The men's and women's hammer and men's and women's 10,000-meter run will also be held. The hammer begins at 3:00, while the 10,000 is slated to begin at 7:45. Field events will continue throughout the day on Friday as well as the conclusion of the decathlon and heptathlon. Preliminary rounds for running events will also be held. The women's 1,500 starts events on the track at 4:30. Teams will end the day at 8:25 with the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. The meet wraps up on Saturday. Field events begin with the men's high jump at 10:00. Running events start at 1:00 with the women's 4x100 relay. Finals will be held for the rest of the afternoon, concluding with the men's 4x400 at 3:55. Presentations of the team championship trophies and individual awards will begin at 4:15. Last year, Memphis had one male and one female athlete win event titles at C-USA Outdoors. Sophomore Lisa-Marie Hyman (Triple Jump) and Senior Greg Doughty (Javelin) both won event titles for Memphis in 2002. This year several Tiger athletes will compete for event titles and the Men's team, which placed third in C-USA Indoors this past March, is eyeing a top-three team finish at outdoors. Athletes: Mate Nemeth (3000m Steeplechase); Gaute Myklebust (Discus, Shot Put); Adam Martin (Shot Put, Hammer); Adam Didyk (5000m); Istvan Kerekjarto 1500M, 800m); Ferenc Bekesi (800m); Lisa-Marie Hyman (Triple Jump) and Keenan Gibson (100m, 200m) are amongst the top competitors in their events this year representing Memphis. Daily admission is $5 for adults and $2 for youth 17-and-under. All Conference USA students will be admitted free with their university's ID. There are no packages for the weekend.

05/14/03		Hardaway Returns for Bachelor's Degree (GoTigersGo.com)
		Among the 1,648 degrees bestowed at Sunday's University of Memphis spring commencement exercises held in The Pyramid, 22 were rewarded to Memphis student-athletes includes former Memphis basketball player Anfernee Hardaway who met his final requirements this spring to receive his Bachelor of Professional Studies degree. Hardaway last played at Memphis during the 1992-93 season and had his jersey retired in 1994. He has since gone on to an all-star career in the NBA, the last four seasons with the Phoenix Suns. The Memphis native was one of two Tiger basketball players to receive their diplomas Sunday. Earl Barron became the first basketball player since John McLaughlin and Elliot Perry to graduate in four years after completing 21 hours toward his degree in Business Administration. McLaughlin and Perry both graduated in 1991. Among the other Memphis student-athletes receiving degrees at the spring commencement were Melissa Abraham (women's basketball), Elijah Bell (football), Jeff Cameron (football), Joe Crass (baseball), Jeff Doudrick (men's track), Darche Epting (football), Trey Eyre (football), Justin Garrison (men's track), Monica Gonzalez-Gordo (women's tennis) and Tripp Higgins (football). Also, Matt Krabbe (baseball), Michael Prieur (men's golf), Kirk Ricketts (men's soccer), Chris Schmidt (men's soccer), Joe Schmulian (men's tennis), Wade Smith (football), Jennifer Thiele (women's soccer), Suzanne Williams (women's soccer) and Barbara Wine (women's track).

05/13/03		Tiger Baseball Wraps Up Non-conference Schedule With 7-4 Win Over UT-Martin (GoTigersGo.com)
		MARTIN, Tenn.-- - Jordan Hart went 4-for-4 with a home run, three infield singles, a pair of runs scored and two stolen bases to lead the Memphis baseball squad to a 7-4 win over UT-Martin in the Tigers' non-conference finale, Tuesday afternoon at Skyhawk Field. With the win Memphis improves to 20-31. The 20 wins equals the Tigers total number of wins in the 2002 season. Memphis struck first with a three-run, two-out rally in the top of the fifth inning. Hart started the rally with his second infield single of the game and then stole second. Chad House then laced a single to left to give Memphis a 1-0 advantage. Michael Lewis followed with his sixth homer of the season, an opposite-field blast to right to put the Tigers ahead, 3-0. Martin responded quickly in the home half of the fifth, as the Skyhawks cut the Memphis lead to 3-1 when Hunter Hart scored from second on a two-out single to left by shortstop Bryant Jones. Hart led off the seventh inning with a solo home run to left centerfield to give Memphis a 4-1 cushion. Brent Dlugach, who was 3-for-5 on the day, ripped a single to left to score Lewis, who walked and advanced to second on a Bill Moss singled through the left side. Memphis threatened but put the game away but UT-Martin reliever Jarrod Robinson induced a bases loaded double play off the bat of first baseman Kyle Scott to get out of the inning. The Skyhawks plated a run in the seventh after Hunter Hart drew a walk to start the inning and Kayo Anderson followed with a single to center. Brady Nighswonger also drew a free pass to load the bases for Jones, who blooped a single just out of the reach of Dlugach to score Hart and cut the Memphis lead to 5-2. Josh Payne doubled to the leftfield corner to start the eighth inning and moved to third on a long flyball to right by freshman catcher Kelly Edmundson. After Hart reached base on a fielder's choice, House recorded his second RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly to center to drive Payne in and extend the Tiger lead to 6-2. In the bottom of the eighth, Luke Parham followed a Loren Turner single off the rightfield wall with a two-run homer to left to make the score 6-4. With Moss and Martin on first and second after drawing a walk and an intentional walk respectively, Scott drilled a single down the third base line to bring Moss in for a 7-4 lead. Reliever Daniel Adams (1-0) picked up his first win of the season, pitching 1.1 innings in relief of starter Michael Novarese. Adams allowed one run on two hits and struck out two in his seventh appearance on the year. Josh Payne earned his first save of the season, retiring the Skyhawks in order in the ninth. Starter Dustin Summers (2-4) suffered the loss for UT-Martin, giving up three runs, all earned, and eight hits in 5.0 innings of work. Memphis will now travel to Tampa, Fla. for the final conference series of the season against South Florida. The Tigers will play the series-opener on Thurs., May 15, at 7 p.m. A series sweep would guarantee the Tigers an appearance in next week's Conference USA tournament, which is set for May 20-25. However, Memphis must win two of the three series contests with USF to remain in tournament contention. The Memphis-South Florida series can be heard locally on 91.7 FM with Bob McCarter handling the play-by-play duties.

05/13/03		Lindemann Earns Another Post-Season Award from ITA (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis women's tennis player Sabrina Lindemann earned the program's first-ever regional honor when she was named the recipient of the Southeast Region/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA)'s Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award earlier this week. The Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship goes to a women's player who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. Lindemann, who recently completed her four-year Lady Tiger career with a 90-56 record in singles and a 98-44 record at No. 1 doubles, received the Southeast Region's Award and will appear on the national ballot against eight other female student-athletes. "She certainly has stood out against any of the other student-athletes I have recruited here at Memphis," Head Coach Charlotte Peterson said. "I'm very proud of her, she is so deserving and I think she has a great chance to win the national award also." Lindemann, who graduated with her bachelor's degree in sports administration in three years, is currently working on her MBA in marketing at Memphis. She will complete her master's degree in December. "She's such a great representative for the university," Peterson said. "Some of the schools she is competing against are some of the top academic schools in the nation." Lindemann is joined on the national ballot by Harvard's Sanja Bajin, Mississippi's Mira Radu, Indiana's Karie Schlukebir, Tulsa's Aleksandra Durska, Houston's Sarah Flood, California's Christina Fusano and San Diego State's Katja Karrento. The winner of the national award will be announced May 18th in Gainesville, Fla. Lindemann just captured her first-ever Elma Roane Award as the U of M's top female student-athlete, and also received an award for having the highest GPA in all of U of M women's athletics. A second-team all-conference honoree this spring, Lindemann was named to three all-conference teams. A member of the Dean's list for six semesters and a four-time recipient of the commissioner's academic medal, Lindemann is also a member of the U of M Student Athlete Advisory Committee and was half of the first-ever doubles team in school history to earn a national ranking. Lindemann also guided the Lady Tigers to their first-ever appearance in the ITA national rankings earlier this spring. Lindemann was one of two Conference USA student-athletes to earn regional sportsmanship awards. Houston's Sarah Flood earned the Southwest Region's award. Other C-USA female tennis players earning regional honors included Tulane's Meike Babel, who was named the Southwest Region Coach of the Year; Tulane's Jenny Kuhn, who was named the Southwest Region's Rookie Player of the Year and the Green Wave's Julie Smekodub, named the Southwest ITA Player to Watch.

05/12/03		Grube Takes C-USA Weekly Pitching Honors For Second Time (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Conference-USA named Memphis right-hander Jarrett Grube its "Pitcher of the Week" for the second time this season in an announcement made by the league office Monday. Grube won his third-consecutive league start in a 4-1 victory over Houston Friday at Nat Buring Stadium. Grube allowed just two hits and one unearned run in seven innings of work as he outdueled Houston's Brad Sullivan, who the league coaches' tabbed as their preseason Pitcher of the Year. The JUCO-transfer from Vincennes College, increased his team-leading strikeout total to 59 by punching out six Cougars in the contest. "Jarrett has really pitched well for us down the stretch and has come through with some big wins in games we had to have," Memphis head coach Dave Anderson said. "You cannot get much more out of a pitcher than what we have from Jarrett in hist last three starts." The Corunna, Ind., native has allowed just one earned run in 19.2 innings during his three-game winning streak on the mound. Grube has logged a team-high 65.1. Grube is the first Tiger to win the weekly award twice in the same season since Josh Stewart did so in back-to-back weeks during the 1999 season. Stewart is currently in the Major Leagues as a member of the starting rotation for for the Chicago White Sox.

05/11/03		Tiger Baseball Takes First-Ever Series From Houston With 9-6 Victory (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Memphis clinched its first-ever series win over Houston in Conference-USA baseball action witha 9-6 victory over the Cougars Sunday on "Senior Day" at Nat Buring Stadium. Designated hitter Kyle Sledd, the Tigers' lone senior on the squad, scored a run and had a RBI in his final home game. It was the first series win in seven tries for the Tigers (19-31, 10-16 C-USA) since Houston joined the league in 1997. Memphis stayed alive in the race for the final spot in the league tournament as catcher Kurt Welch led a 14-hit attack for the Tigers as he went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in just his second game back from a wrist injury. Welch had a RBI double in a two-run eighth inning that pushed the Tigers' lead to 9-6 after Houston had rallied to get within a run as the Cougars (29-23, 17-10 C-USA) scored three runs in their half of the eighth. "Those two runs we scored in the eighth inning were big for us," Memphis head coach Dave Anderson said. "But our starting pitching is what won the game for us. (Stephen) Gostkowski kept us in the game and (Kurt) Welch and Chad House had some big hits for us today." True freshman Stephen Gostkowski (4-4) earned the victory for the Tigers allowing three earned runs on six hits in 6.2 innings of work. Sophomore Bill Edwards pitched the final 2.1 innings allowing one earned run on three hits to pick up his second save of the series. Left-hander Brian Henderson (4-3) took the loss for the Cougars after allowing four earned runs in 3.1 innings. Welch gave Memphis a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with the one of his three RBI hits, but the Cougars quickly tied the game at one in the top of the second on a RBI single by Gabe Lucas. Lucas finished the contest with a 3-for-4 effort and two RBIs. The Tigers put together a string of three consecutive two-out singles in the second to grab a 3-1 lead. Chad House drove in Kyle Scott, who led off the frame with a single and Michael Lewis who started the trio of two-out singles. Centerfielder Kevin House had an infield single in the inning to extend his hitting-streak to 17 games. Houston cut the Memphis lead to one in the fourth taking advantage of a two-out fielding error by the Tigers. The Tigers got the run back in the fourth without the benefit of a base hit. Henderson walked two batters before being replaced by junior Bryan Harris. After Harris struck out Kevin House, he hit Chad House with a pitch to load the bases. Before striking out Moss, Sledd scored on a wild pitch by Harris. Memphis got three singles in the fifth inning from Welch, Dlugach and Scott to build its lead to 6-2. Welch gave the Tigers a 7-2 lead in the sixth inning with his third single of the game and second RBI. However, the Cougars continued to chip away at the lead scoring three runs on three hits to make it a 7-5 lead in the seventh. Third baseman Hung Cho had a RBI single in the hole which brought on a pitching change for the Tigers as Edwards replaced Gostkowski. The first batter Edwards faced was Bruce, who sent a two-run homer over the leftfield wall. Houston then cut the Memphis lead to one in the eighth after Lucas scored on a fielding error by Scott at first base, but Memphis built its lead back to three as Moss and Welch each came through with clutch two hits to drive in runs for the Tigers. Edwards pitched the ninth getting Cho to ground into a double play after a leadoff single by Farrington. Bruce then lined out to Dlugach at shortstop to end the game. Memphis travels to UT-Martin to play the Skyhawks at 3 p.m., before starting their final C-USA series of the season Thursday at South Florida.

05/10/03		Late-Inning Rally Lifts Houston Past Memphis 11-8 in C-USA Baseball Action (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Houston used a seven-run eighth inning to defeat Memphis in Conference-USA baseball action Saturday at Nat Buring Stadium. The victory evened the series for Houston (29-22, 17-9 C-USA) as the Cougars pounded out 22 hits led by shortstop Stuart Musselwhite who went 4-for-4. Second baseman Cole Bruce went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Memphis (18-31, 9-16 C-USA) centerfielder Kevin House extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate. House has led off each game of the series witha home run in the bottom half of the first inning. House added a pair of doubles to go with his homer. The Cougars took a 1-0 advantage on a RBI single by second baseman Cole Bruce int he first. Houston could have extended their lead, but Bruce was tagged out in a run down between third and home following a double by first baseman Brad Sullivan. House answered the Cougar's run by blasting a 1-0 pitch from Houston starter Garrett Mock over the centerfield wall to tie the game at one for the Tigers in the first. That would be the first of four runs the Tiger leadoff hitter would score on the afternoon. The Cougars staged a two-out rally in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Catcher Nick Bott and Musselwhite started the rally with singles. Centerfielder Michael Bourn then reached on a fielding error giving leftfielder Gabe Lucas the chance to plate two runs after driving a single of the centerfield wall. Lucas would be the last batter Memphis starter Brandon Rowan would face as he was replaced by junior Corey Kines. Kines prevented any further damage by forcing Hyung Cho to pop out to shortstop. The Tigers plated a run in the bottom of the third to cut the Cougars' lead to one. Catcher Kurt Welch led off the inning reaching safely on a bunt after an errant throw by UH third baseman Hyung Cho. Welch moved to second on a groundout by Josh Payne and scored on a RBI double to right-center by House. After a solo home run by Bruce in the top of the fourth, Memphis evened the game at four as Mock ran into some control problems. House reached base safely after striking out and he scored on a RBI single by Ryan Martin. Kyle Scott was hit by a pitch to load the bases following a walk to Dlugach, then second baseman Michael Lewis drew a walk to tie the game at four. Mock was relieved at the point by right-hander Gene Flores, who was able to pitch out of the bases loaded jam by getting Welch to line out to leftfield. The Tigers took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth off Flores. House drew a walk and advanced to third on an errant pick off throw by Flores. Moss drove House in with a sharp RBI single through the right side. Moss had his first-career three-hit game and also drove in two runs. After failing to score with runners on the corners and no one out in the seventh, Houston cashed in on the same opportunity in the eighth. Memphis relievers Erik Filsinger, who took the loss (0-4), and Daniel de Armas were each tagged for three runs in the inning.The Cougars converted eight hits into seven runs to grab a 11-5 lead. The Cougars got an RBI single from Bott, a bases clearing, three-run double by Farrington, a two-run homer by Cho and a solo home run by Papavasiliou in the inning. Memphis rallied for three runs in their half of the eighth. Moss had a RBI single, Dlugach drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Martin doubled home a run, but Houston closer Ryan Wagner put a stop to the rally as he pitched the final 1.2 innings for his 11th save of the season. Flores (1-0) picked up his first win of the season allowed three earned runs on four hits in 2.2 innings of work.

05/09/03		Memphis Stings Houston With 4-1 Victory In C-USA Baseball Action (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - First baseman Kyle Scott hammered a three-run homer to break a 1-1 tie and a pair of Memphis hurlers combined on a two-hitter as the Tigers defeated Houston 4-1 in game one of their Conference-USA baseball series Friday at Nat Buring Stadium. The victory snapped a nine-game losing streak to Houston and pushed the Tigers' season-long winning streak to four games. Memphis (18-30, 9-15 C-USA) starter Jarrett Grube took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed just two hits in seven innings of work and reliever Bill Edwards held the Cougars (28-22, 16-9 C-USA) hitless in two innings of relief to pick up his second save of the season. Grube (4-5) allowed just one unearned run and struck out six to win his third-straight league start. "This is a great win for our team," Memphis head coach Dave Anderson said. "Our pitching was outstanding tonight. Grube and Edwards were both excellent. (Brad) Sullivan pitched well for them, but we were able to get the big hits when we needed too. Kyle Scott's three-run home really gave us a lift and we were able to finish it out." Houston starter Brad Sullivan (6-5) allowed just three hits in seven innings of work, but all three went for extra bases and two were hit out of the park. Sullivan, who was tabbed as the preseason Conference-USA Pitcher of the Year, did strike out 12 batters to become Houston's all-time leader in that category with 395. The Tigers scored in the first as leadoff hitter Kevin House quickly extended his hitting-streak to 15 games by sending a high fastball from Sullivan deep over the centerfield wall for a 1-0. House's blast was his fourth long ball of the season and first in 42 games. Sullivan gave up a double to designated hitter Ryan Martin to lead off the second, but that would be the only hit the right-hander would surrender until Scott's home run in the sixth. Houston manufactured its first run in the sixth after third baseman Hyung Cho reached first after being hit by a pitch. Cho moved to third when Grube tried to pick him off, but the throw skipped past Scott at first allowing Cho to advance two bases. Grube gave up his first hit of the game to the next batter as Cougar first baseman Thanos Papavasiliou hit a high-chopper in between third baseman Bill Moss and shortstop Brent Dlugach that trickled into left field allowing Cho to score. After retiring Chad House on strikes to lead off the sixth, Sullivan then walked Moss and Dlugach to set up Scott for his game-winning home run. Scott sent a Sullivan fastball over the rightfield wall on a 1-0 pitch for his third home run of the season. Scott leads the Tigers with 18 extra-base hits and became the fourth Tiger with 20 RBIs this season. Grube gave up a leadoff double to second baseman Cole Bruce in the seventh, but the Cougars left him stranded on third as catcher Nick Bott grounded out to second to end the inning. Edwards closed out the game by striking out the final to Houston batters. Edwards has not allowed a run in his last 9.2 innings of work. Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 2 p.m., at Nat Buring Stadium. It's "Fan Appreciation Day" and admission to the game is only $2.

05/08/03		Martin Named To Verizon Academic First Team All-District IV Baseball Team (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Memphis designated hitter Ryan Martin was honored for both his success in the classroom and on the diamond Thursday as he was named to the Verizon Academic All-District IV University Division Baseball Team. Through three semesters in the classroom, Martin has compiled a 3.46 GPA in his major of business and in 27 starts for the Tigers this season, the left-handed batter leads the Tigers with .336 batting average. Martin was selected by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA) within District IV and with his first-team status, he will be eligible for selection to the Verizon Academic All-America Baseball Team to be announced May 27. District IV is made up of Division I schools in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. Martin was one of three Conference-USA players to make the District IV first and second teams. UAB had one each on the first and second teams as senior pitcher Scott Gibson earned first-team honors and senior outfielder Mitch Jones earned second-team honors. Martin, a Collierville, Tenn., native, has seen action in 37 of the Tigers' 47 contests and has posted career-highs in both home runs (6) and RBI (16). Four of Martin's six home runs have come in conference play where he leads the Tigers' with a .385 batting average. The Tigers (17-30, 8-15 C-USA) host Houston this weekend in a Conference-USA series at Nat Buring Stadium. Game one of the series is slated for Friday at 7 p.m.

05/07/03		Women's Tennis Signs Two for 2003 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis women's tennis coach Charlotte Peterson announced the signing of two players for the 2003-2004 season, Wednesday. The Lady Tigers will be joined by Christina Wieser from Kilb, Austria, and Alexandra Tjioe from Victoria, Australia beginning in the fall. "Both of these student-athletes will step in and play for us right away," Peterson said. "I'm not sure where in the line-up, but we'll need them to play right away in the fall." Wieser joins the Lady Tigers from Kilb, Austria, following the likes of current senior Sabrina Lindemann, junior Marlene Dirnstorfer, sophomore Viktoria Gruber and freshman Andrea Feichtinger in Austrian-born Lady Tigers. "I liked what I saw on Christina's tape," Peterson said. "She was very consistent and possesses a mental toughness that will be helpful for next year." In addition to tennis, Wieser is an avid snowboarder, competing with the NOe Ski Team in 2003 on the National Cadre B-Ladies division. Wieser played tennis with UTC-Kilb, a team that recently qualified to move up to the National B Division with a win at the C Division tournament. Wieser will be joined by the Lady Tigers' first Australian player since the graduation of Christina Ladyman in 2002 when Tjioe joins Memphis in the fall. "Alexandra was referred to me by some of my contacts in Australia whose judgment I trust," Peterson said. "She has a lot of athletic skills and ability and is the type of players who will continue to develop her game by coming to Memphis. She already has a great regimen of workouts, competing and academics." Tjioe, who has competed in the last two Victoria Juniors Championship Qualifying tournaments, was the No. 1 singles player at Sacre Coeur Catholic Independent School for Girls. There, she received the school colors for study excellence as well as for tennis from 1997-2000. A member of the Sacre Coeur Interstate Tennis Team in 1998, 1999 and 2001, Tjioe was also a member of the cross country and track teams from her 7th grade through junior years in high school. She cut back on athletics during her final prep year to focus on grades and getting into an American college. The Sacre Coeur School Prefect and House Captain in 2002, Tjoie played tennis in the Nottinghill/Pinewood A Grade Junior level from 1997-2000 and was a President's Cup player in 2000-2001. In April of 2002, she won the 18U title at the Dingley Kingston Classic. The duo will probably be the only signees joining the Lady Tigers in the fall of 2003. "I do have two more scholarships, but I'm not sure I want another class with four newcomers (like Memphis had in 2002)," Peterson said. "I would like get back to the two-two-two cycle we had prior to this year, but I am looking to maybe add one more player for the spring season in January." The Lady Tigers recently capped the eighth-most successful season in school history with a 17-7 mark. The 17 wins is the eighth-best single season win total in the program's history. Memphis also wrote some program history by earning its first-ever team national ranking and having its first-ever nationally-ranked doubles team. The Lady Tigers lose three key seniors following the 2002-03 season. Sabrina Lindemann and Monica Gonzalez-Gordo were each second-team all-conference honorees after becoming the first-ever nationally-ranked doubles team in the program's history, while senior Sumitra Rao led Memphis with a 12-1 singles mark in the fall before a wrist injury and a rolled ankle affected her spring singles record. Rao did recover to go 3-0 at the Conference USA tournament, where Memphis finished tied for 5th, its highest team finish since 1994-95.

05/07/03		Baseball's Joe Crass Receives Post-Graduate Scholarship (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn.-- - University of Memphis baseball player Joe Crass has been selected by the Officers and Executive Committee of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) as the recipient of the Association's 2003 Postgraduate Scholarship Award. Crass, a senior Marketing Management major from Clarksville, Tenn., was nominated for the scholarship by Tiger Clubs Annual Giving Coordinator Darian Westerfield and was selected to receive the $2,000 grant from NAADD based on his overall commitment to graduate studies, along with his G.P.A. and ability to balance academics and athletics. The scholarship, which was open to any student with aspirations of a career in university athletics administration, is valid for post-graduate studies at the school of Crass's choice. Affectionately known as "Diamond Joe" to teammates and fans, Crass plans to continue his education in Sports Management with a concentration in Finance. His future career goals are to stay in athletics administration whether it is at the University or Professional ranks. "I feel honored to receive this award," said Crass. "I am blessed to be at the University of Memphis and much of my success is because of the people here. I am just honored and thankful." Plans for an on-campus event to present Crass with the award have yet to be finalized. However, he will be recognized via a video presentation during NAADD's 10th Anniversary Workshop held at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., during the Director's Cup luncheon on Sunday, June 15th. A reserve outfielder for the Tigers, Crass has seen limited action on the diamond, but made his first start in his hometown of Clarksville versus Austin Peay on Tuesday. A redshirt junior on the baseball field, Crass is uncertain on whether or not he will return to the Tigers for his final year of eligibility.

05/06/03		Introducing the Tiger Sports Card (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS - The University of Memphis unveiled the Tiger Sports Card program for the 2003-04 season, Wednesday. The Tiger Sports Card offers fans general admission to home games for five Tiger sports -- women's basketball, baseball, volleyball and men's and women's soccer. Individuals can purchase the Tiger Blue Card for $100, while a family of four can purchase the Tiger Gray Card, which is good for general admission for two adults and two youths for $200 for the 2003-04 seasons. To purchase your Tiger Sports Card, click on the .pdf file below and return it to The University of Memphis Athletic Ticket Office. Please make checks payable to The University of Memphis.

05/05/03		Lindemann Takes Top Two Female Student-Athlete Awards (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS - Senior women's tennis player Sabrina Lindemann capped an impressive four-year career by earning The University of Memphis' top female student-athlete awards at the senior spring banquet, Friday. The senior from Linz, Austria, was named the top female student-athlete in grade point average and captured her first-ever Elma Roane Award. Already holding her undergraduate degree in sports management after receiving it in three years, Lindemann is currently a graduate student studying for her MBA in just her fourth year in Memphis. A six-time member of the Dean's List and after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA for two semesters, Lindemann was also a four-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal and was also a four-time honor roll member for the Lady Tigers. The senior finished her career with a 90-56 record in singles and a 98-44 record at No. 1 doubles. A three-time all-conference honoree, including second team honors in both 2002 and 2003, Lindemann becomes just the fifth women's tennis player to win the Elma Roane Award, following her former No. 1 doubles partner, Christina Ladyman (2001). Staci Seamans, Stephanie Long and Jennifer Jones were the other two women's tennis honorees of the Elma Roane Award. The Elma Roane Award is awarded each year to the female student-athlete who possesses drive, enthusiasm and determination, while maintaining a concern for others. The recipients' love of athletics should also be balanced with outside activities and they should possess both maturity and self-discipline and have a minimum 2.5 GPA. All coaches may nominate a junior or senior female student-athlete and a selection committee selects the recipient based on their applications and a personal interview with each nominee. Past winners include Naima Ghilain (women's golf), Stephanie Long (women's tennis), Heather Newlon (women's basketball) and Betty Booker-Parks (women's basketball), the first recipient of the award. Lindemann is also a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and was named the Conference USA Women's Tennis Player of the Month in September of 2002. She helped the Lady Tigers make history by becoming one half of the program's first-ever nationally-ranked doubles team. As a team co-captain, Lindemann and the Lady Tigers broke into the team national rankings for the first-time in the program's history earlier this spring. As a team, Memphis is a two-time recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) All-Academic Team Award and had the highest GPA of all C-USA women's tennis teams in 2002. Lindemann is one of three Lady Tiger seniors from the 2002-03 squad. Fellow seniors Monica Gonzalez-Gordo and Sumitra Rao also capped their Lady Tiger careers this season. Memphis returns juniors Marlene Dirnstorfer and Rebecca Garner, sophomore Viktoria Gruber and freshmen Kristin Noble and Andrea Feichtinger for the 2003-04 campaign.

05/04/03		Four More Track & Field Athletes Qualify for NCAA Regionals (GoTigersGo.com)
		OXFORD- The University of Memphis Men's and Women's Track teams split squads this weekend and competed at the Ole Miss Invitational along with the Cardinal Invitational hosted by Stanford University in a final tune-up before heading to Charlotte, N.C. for C-USA Outdoor Championships in two weeks. Chanel Dunn became the fourth Memphis Women's qualifier for NCAA Regionals when she ran an 11.72 in the 100m dash. Dunn, along with teammates Keenan Gibson, Lisa-Marie Hyman, and the 4x100m Relay team are the first Lady Tigers to qualify for post-season track & field competition since 1985. Gibson won the 100m dash with a personal best time of 11.52. It marks the fifth time this spring Gibson has won that event at a meet. Nora Nemere won her first event as a Lady Tiger. She won the 5000m run with a time of 19:47.79. High-jumper Lindsay Cade set a personal best in that event Saturday with a jump of 1.65m. She placed fourth in the event. Monique Nelson placed second in the Shot Put with a toss of 13.42m. On the Men's side, Gergely Nemeth qualified for NCAA Regionals in the 100m dash with a time of 10.44. Nemeth, who was already qualified in the 200m dash will compete in both events at regionals. Teammate Franck Diadhiou also earned a qualifying mark in the 100m dash with a time of 10.50. Diadhiou becomes the seventh Memphis Tiger to qualify for NCAA's, adding to the 2003 school record of NCAA post-season qualifiers for the men. The Men's 4x100m Relay team qualified for NCAA Regionals with a time of 40.53. The team consists of Gergely Nemeth, Ivan Williams, Franck Diadhiou and Michael Woods. Travis Pressler won the 5000m run with a time of 15:41.61. Adam Martin won the Shot Put competition with a mark of 16.90m. Martin, who was qualified for NCAA Regionals in the Shot Put, earned a qualifying mark in the Hammer Throw with a toss of 54.76m. PALO-ALTO, Calif.- The University of Memphis Men's team sent several top athletes to the Cardinal Invitational hosted by Stanford University on Friday. Mate Nemeth placed fourth in the 3000m Steeplechase, and set a new school record in the event, breaking his won record for the second time this season with a time of 8:37.53. That time was nearly 12 seconds better than his previous record. Gaute Myklebust won the Discus competition with a throw of 55.55m. Other Tigers competing were Istvan Kerekjarto, who placed eighth in the 800m run and Adam Didyk, who ran a 14:41.93 in the 5000m run to place 23rd.

05/03/03		Tiger Baseball Finishes Off Sweep Of Saint Louis With 3-2 Victory (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. -- Memphis designated hitter Ryan Martin went 5-for-8 in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Saint Louis as the Tigers took game two from the Billikens 3-2 at Nat Buring Stadium. Martin had a pair of RBI singles in game two as Memphis (17-30, 8-15 C-USA) finished off its first C-USA sweep of the season. Martin went 2-for-4 with a home run and a single in the Tigers' 4-2 victory in game one of the doubleheader and two of the series. The Tigers won Friday night's game 4-2. Centerfielder Kevin House went 2-for-4 in all three games of the series to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. True freshman Stephen Gostkowski (3-4) allowed just one earned run in seven innings of work to pick up the victory. Sophomore Michael Novarese pitched the final two innings without allowing a run to notch his second save of the season. "Martin came up with a pair of big hits for us and our pitching was outstanding the entire weekend," Memphis head coach Dave Anderson said. "We got great effort from each of our starters and our bullpen did a nice job of closing out all three games." The Tigers scored first plating a run in the first inning on a RBI single by Martin. Kevin House led off the bottom of the first with a single to extend his hitting streak and scored the run for the Tigers. Junior Josh Payne hit a two-out solo home run in the second to give Memphis a 2-0 lead. Payne's home run was his team-leading seventh of the season. The Billikens (16-26, 4-20 C-USA) cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fourth after Ryan Murphy reached on a Tigers' fielding error, stole second, then scored on a two-run homer by third baseman Don Rogers. Rogers' home run was his eighth of the season. Those would be the only runs scored offGostkowski. Memphis regained its lead in the fifth taking a 3-2 advantage on a two-out RBI single by Martin. Shortstop Brent Dlugach scored the run after doubling down the leftfield line. Novarese replaced Gostkowski to start the eighth. SLU promptly loaded the bases off Novarese on a pair of walks and a hit batter, but the righthander was able to hold the lead as he got Derek Muncy to groundout to end the inning. SLU catcher Eric Mueller led off the ninth with a double to left-center, but he was retired at third when Novarese fielded a grounder and threw to Bill Moss who applied the tag on Mueller. Novarese struckout Kyle Wort for the second out of the ninth and got Johnny Sweeney to groundout. Billken starter Corey Lawson (2-8) picked up the loss for SLU allowing three runs on nine hits in eight innings of work. Memphis will have its first week off of the season as the Tigers have final exams for the spring semester this week. The Tigers will return to action next Friday for game one of a three-game C-USA series with Houston. Game times for the weekend contests are 7 p.m., Friday; 2 p.m., Saturday; and 1 p.m., Sunday.

05/03/03		Tiger Baseball Rallies To Beat Saint Louis 4-2 In Game Two (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Back-to-back home runs by Ryan Martin and Michael Lewis in the seventh inning lifted Memphis to a 4-2 victory over Saint Louis in game one of a doubleheader Saturday at Nat Buring Stadium. The victory clinched the Tigers' second C-USA series win of the season as they won game by the same score of 4-2 Friday. Martin, Lewis and centerfielder Kevin House each had two hits in the contest while House had two RBIs and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. The Billikens collected a pair of singles in the first, but could not push a run across on Memphis starter Brandon Rowan. Memphis got their first hit off of SLU starter Ben Hutton in the third when second baseman Michael Lewis led off the frame with a double into left field. Lewis' double was the first of three hits in the inning for Memphis as the Tigers took a 1-0 lead on a RBI single by Kevin House. SLU threatened in the fifth when Derek Muncy missed a home run by inches lining a double of the top of the leftfield wall, but the Billikens' designated hitter was erased at third on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt. Rowan got the next Billikens in order to retire the side. The Billikens cracked the scoreboard in the sixth to take a 2-1 lead. Shortstop Aaron Thompson reached on a fielding error and scored on a two-run homer by first baseman Ryan Murphy. After a double by Don Rogers, Rowan was replaced by righthander Bill Edwards. Edwards walked Muncy, then struck out Kyle Wort to end the inning. Hutton allowed only an infield single to Martin from the fourth through sixth inning, but the Tigers touched up the Billiken starter in the seventh taking a 4-2 lead on four hits. Martin and Lewis hit back-to-back solo home runs with one out. After Kelly Edmundson singled and stole second, Kevin House delivered a two-out RBI single which was his second of the game. Dave Guntorius relieved Hutton (0-8), who took the loss, and pitched out of the jam without allowing any further runs. Edwards (4-6) allowed just three hits in 3.1 innings of relief to pick up his team-leading fourth win of the season. Edwards struck out three as the Billikens put to runners on in the ninth, but SLU could not push any runs across in its final at-bat. The victory was Edwards' first in C-USA play this season and runs his scoreless innings streak to 7.2. Game three of the series has been moved up a day due to forecasted rains in the Memphis area on Sunday. The second game of Saturday's doubleheader begins at 5:20 p.m., at Nat Buring Stadium.

05/02/03		Tiger Baseball Takes Game One of Saint Louis Series 4-2 (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Both Houses on the University of Memphis baseball team supplied much-needed offense Friday night at Nat Buring Stadium as the Tigers defeated Saint Louis 4-2 in Conference-USA baseball action. Chad House hit a solo home run in the third which gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead whle Kevin House's RBI triple in the fourth pushed the Memphis lead to 3-1 and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Both houses went 2-for-4 as the Tigers (15-30, 6-15 C-USA) and the Billikens (16-25, 4-18 C-USA) each had eight hits in the contest. The Billikens had runners in scoring position each of the first three innings, but Memphis starter Jarrett Grube was able to pitch out of the jams without allowing a run. "Our pitching was the key to the win tonight," Memphis head coach Dave Anderson said. "Grube pitched well and got out of some jams and (Corey) Kines came in and did a nice job of closing it out." Memphis scored the game's first run in the bottom of the second off SLU starter Eric Rohr to take a 1-0 lead. First baseman Kyle Scott led off the frame with a single to right and scored from second on a RBI-single by Kyle Sledd. Sophomore Chad House led off the bottom of the third with a solo home run to left field. House's fourth home run of the season pushed the Tigers' lead to 2-0. SLU did plate a run in the fourth to cut the Memphis lead in half at 2-1. The Billikens tallied consecutive one-out singles to put runners on first and second. A fielder's choice by Steve Moss then moved catcher Andrew Slania to third and he scored the Billikens' run on a wild pitch by Grube. The Tigers staged a two-out rally to put a pair of runs on the board in the fourth as they built a 4-1 advantage. After Josh Payne was hit by a pitch, Kevin House hit a RBI triple to right field. Corey Lawson made a diving attempt at the sinking line drive, but came up empty allowing the speedy junior to race around to third. When Lawson's throw was not cut off properly, it allowed House to score on the play. House's triple was his team-leading fourth of the season. Grube was relieved in the sixth by junior Corey Kines after pitching 5.2 innings. The JUCO-transfer allowed one run on seven hits while striking out four to pick up his second-consecutive league win. SLU third baseman Don Rogers had a pair of doubles in the contest, but both went wasted as he was left stranded both the third and fifth innings. Following a double by Kevin House and a groundout by Chad House in the seventh, Rohr was relieved by Joe Buehler after he allowed four earned runs on eight hits. Rohr's loss was the first of the season as he dropped to 2-1. Buehler did not allow a run in 1.2 innings of work. The Billikens plated a run in the ninth to make it a 4-2 contest off of Kines after Sweeny tripled to lead off the frame and scored on a groundout by shortstop Aaron Thompson. Kines then closed out the contest by forcing Ryan Murphy into a groundout. Kines allowed just one hit and the one run in 3.1 innings of relief work to pick up his first-career save. Game two of the series between SLU and Memphis will be Saturday at Nat Buring Stadium with first pitch set for 2 p.m.

05/02/03		Schmulian Earns C-USA Sportsmanship Award (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHICAGO - Men's tennis senior Joe Schmulian was one of five Conference USA men's tennis players to earn the league's tennis sportsmanship awards, it was announced Friday. Schmulian, who also earned third team all-conference honors earlier this week, wraps his three-year Tiger career with a 53-33 record in singles, including a 16-6 record this spring in a come-back after he tore a ligament in his foot in the fall. The captain of the squad the last two seasons, Schmulian will graduate later this month with a degree in MIS. A member of the Dean's List and the Commissioner's Honor Roll, Schmulian is also a member of the 3.0 Club and the Tiger Academic 30. In two of his five semesters, Schmulian has posted a perfect 4.0 GPA. The Tigers wrapped the 2003 season ranked No. 71 in the country and finished fifth at the Conference USA Championships in Milwaukee. With a 16-9 record, the Tigers improve to 86-49 under head coach Phil Chamberlain, who has now coached his alma mater for five seasons. The Tigers had three student-athletes named to the all-conference teams, Wednesday. Senior Ben Stapp earned second team honors, as did Stapp's doubles partner, Lee Taylor Walker. Schmulian earned third team honors. The Tiger team also received the ITA Sportsmanship Award for the month of March, an award that your opponent must nominate you for to the national office.

05/01/03		Trio of Tigers Earn All-Conference Tennis Honors (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHICAGO - Three Memphis Tigers received post-season accolades, Thursday, when Conference USA announced its season-ending awards. Senior Ben Stapp and junior Lee Taylor Walker each earned second team all-conference honors, while senior Joe Schmulian earned his first post-season honor as a third-team honoree. This is the second career all-conference honor for Stapp who finished the year with a 21-12 overall record in singles and a 16-7 mark in spring duals. Stapp also received second team honors as a freshman after finishing with an 18-11 singles and 20-6 doubles record during his first semester on campus. This year, Stapp teamed with Walker to post an impressive fall season in doubles, advancing to the Omni Hotels Region III Indoor championships and winning three doubles titles (Middle Tennessee, Adult Southern Open and Milwaukee Tennis Classic). The doubles duo ranked as high as No. 12 in the country at one point in the season, and finished the year with a 16-8 record at No. 1 doubles in spring duals. Stapp, a two-time C-USA player of the week honoree in 2003, wrapped his four-year career with a 72-45 record in singles play while playing no lower than No. 4 in the Tiger line-up. Stapp was also 84-34 in doubles, playing his entire career at No. 1. Walker is receiving his first-ever all-conference honor. The junior from Jackson, Tennessee, finished the year with a 14-19 overall singles record, including a 9-15 mark in the spring season where he spent a majority of the year at No. 1 singles. At one point after the fall season, Walker was one of the top 125 ranked singles players in the country after advancing to the Round of 32 at the Omni Hotels Region III Singles Championship. In that same tournament, Walker teamed with Stapp to down three SEC doubles foes before falling to the No. 1 team from Alabama in the finals. The duo went on to win three other doubles championships (Middle Tennessee, Adult Southern Open, Milwaukee Tennis Classic), before posting a 16-8 record at No. 1 doubles this year. At one point in the season, the team ranked as high as No. 12 in the country. In his two-year Memphis career, Walker, who transferred to Memphis from Clemson, is 28-26 in singles and 43-17 at No. 1 doubles. Schmulian capped his three-year Tiger career with his first-ever post-season honor. After tearing a ligament in his foot during the fall and missing the entire preparatory fall schedule, Schmulian bounced back to post a 16-6 record during the spring, finishing 16-8 for the year. A member of the Dean's List and the Tiger 3.0 Club, Schmulian will graduate later this month with a degree in M.I.S. He has served as the team captain for the last two seasons for Memphis, and was nominated for the league and ITA Southeast Region sportsmanship awards after the Tigers received the ITA's Team Sportsmanship Award in March. Schmulian finishes his career with a 41-22 mark in singles and a 34-20 mark in doubles. He teamed with sophomore Alex Bucewicz this past season, finishing with a 14-8 record at No. 2 doubles. Schmulian was also 6-3 at No. 2 singles and 8-2 at No. 3 singles for the season.

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