Memphis Tigers News Archives

April 2005

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04/30/05		Saint Louis Sweeps Tiger Baseball, 3-2 and 7-3 -- Tigers host Coach K Day at Nat Buring Stadium on Sunday (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Saint Louis (9-31, 5-14 C-USA) 000 100 110 - 3 9 1 MEMPHIS (10-31, 4-15 C-USA) 000 000 101 - 2 9 4 Saint Louis took advantage of four Tiger errors to claim a 3-2 win in game one's pitcher's duel, then scores five unanswered runs in the nightcap to complete the sweep of Memphis, 7-3, Saturday in Conference USA action. Game one saw the Billikins break a scoreless tie in the fourth. Mark Hankes drew a walk to lead off the frame and a throwing error by the Tigers allowed Bill Musselman to reach while Hankes moved to third. Neil Gaser then grounded into a double play, but Hankes was able to score on the play to put SLU on top 1-0. The Billikens would never trail as they took a 2-0 lead in the seventh after Graser singled to start the inning. Guyre moved him to second on a bunt single. But Tiger third baseman Robbie Goss' throw to Hope, who was covering first, sailed high allowing Graser to take third. Jon Guyre then lifted a sac fly to center to score Graser. Memphis answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh when Goss, who had ripped a double down the leftfield line, scored on a fielding error by the Billiken infield. However, Saint Louis got an RBI-single from Hankes to extend its lead back to two-runs at 3-1 in the eighth. Memphis rallied in the ninth as Pat Hope and Collin Bastien each singled. Jordan Tolliver drove Hope in on a double to center to make it a one-run game. With runners on second and third, SLU elected to intentionally walk Tiger DH Ryan Martin to load the bases. Closer B.J. Rodrigue was able to record the final out and pick up his fourth save of the year. Mark Zielinski was the winner after hurling six and one-third innings. He held Memphis scoreless through six innings. Freshman lefty Neil Schenk was the hard-luck loser for Memphis. The southpaw threw a complete game and allowed just one earned run while fanning three. Saint Louis (10-31, 6-14 C-USA) 020 002 120 - 7 14 0 MEMPHIS (10-32, 4-16 C-USA) 000 210 000 - 3 7 2 SLU jumped out to an early lead in the second on a Scott Peden home run over the right field wall. They tacked on another score on an RBI-single off the bat of Guyre. Memphis bounced back and scored the next three runs to take a 3-2 lead through five innings. A two-run triple to the corner in rightfield by K.K. Chalmers tied the contest and a fifth-inning single up the middle by Martin drove in the go-ahead run. That would be all Memphis could produce as SLU scored the next five runs to claim a commanding 7-3 win. Stephen Gostkowski took the loss after scattering nine hits in five innings. He gave up four runs, three of which were earned. Ryan Bird picked up the win after tossing eight innings and giving up three runs while striking out eight. Memphis will look to salvage a game in this three-game C-USA on Sunday. The Tigers will honor former head coach Bobby Kilpatrick in a pre-game ceremony at Nat Buring as they wrap up Alumni Weekend.

04/30/05		Tiger Notes (soccer, baseball, track, tennis, volleyball, football) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 30, 2005 Soccer team Europe-bound -- Tigers will play in Holland and Belgium The University of Memphis men's soccer team leaves next week for a 10-day tour of Holland and Belgium where the Tigers will play four exhibition games against local professional clubs. Tiger coach Richie Grant said about 20 members of the program, including 15 players, will make the trip, a $30,000 venture that is being covered by a combination of fund-raising efforts and contributions from the players and their families. The team's recent silent auction, held April 21 at Christian Brothers High, raised nearly $9,000. A similar amount was raised last year. The NCAA allows teams to make such international trips once every four years. ''We've been fund-raising for a couple of years for this,'' Grant said. Grant took a Tiger team to Ireland in 2001 and is a believer in the benefits of such endeavors. ''I think what's most appealing is taking players somewhere they wouldn't go if not for a team trip like this,'' Grant said. ''Seeing the camaraderie that develops is exciting too, along with going to Holland and Belgium. They are beautiful countries.'' The team will train at the facilities of Ajax, one of the top soccer clubs in the world, and end its four-game exhibition tour against Royal Antwerp, a feeder club to Manchester United. Grant said it's beneficial to extend the spring season by going on an international trip where ''everyone will play; we'll only have four or five substitutes.'' ''And you get four more opportunities to evaluate players as a high standard,'' he said. What Grant likes about the scheduling of this year's international trip is that it comes in late spring and not weeks before the start of the season. On the program's last trip Grant scheduled the Ireland tour to end shortly before the beginning of the season, and his team did not have ample time to recover. ''I'd like to think we'll have plenty of time to recover this time,'' he said. ''We're going to use it to build team camaraderie rather than prepare for the season like we did four years ago.'' Grant's team made the second NCAA appearance in the program's history last fall, dropping a first-round game at Ohio State. Same time, next year? Tiger baseball coach Daron Schoenrock said he enjoyed playing this year's Ole Miss series on back-to-back midweek nights rather than the normal one-month separation. An early-season rainout forced the games -- Tuesday in Oxford, Wednesday at AutoZone Park -- to be played on consecutive nights. Ole Miss won both, 13-4 in Oxford and 6-5 at AutoZone. Schoenrock said the back-to-back setup gives the nonconference matchup between the Mid-South rivals some added attention ''I love the setup,'' said Schoenrock, a former Mississippi State and Georgia assistant in his first year at Memphis. ''We did this when I was at Georgia. We did it with Clemson. I'm going to work and see what we have scheduled for next year and maybe try to adjust it.'' Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said it may not be feasible to play back-to-back midweek games in the middle of the Southeastern Conference season. ''It gets a little difficult,'' Bianco said. ''Both teams are in the same situation (with weekend conference games). Both teams are in the same boat trying not to use up all your conference pitchers in a midweek game.'' Hurdler Kiss moves up Tiger senior Daniel Kiss is gradually making a move nationally in the 110-meter hurdles. He set the school record with a time of 13.67 last weekend at the Mississippi Open in Oxford. Kiss, a native of Budapest, Hungary, has improved his time in three of the past four meets, and his time of 13.67 seconds ranks fifth nationally. He ranks third in the Mideast Region, trailing only All-Americans Antwon Hicks of Ole Miss and Aries Merritt of Tennessee. Kiss is one of five Tiger track athletes who have qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships next month. Odds and ends Men's tennis player Alex Bucewicz was honored as the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and women's tennis player Marlene Dirnstorfer and volleyball player Heather Watts were honored as the Female Scholar Athletes of the Year at the 24th M-Club Luncheon, an annual event recognizing senior athletes. ... Watts also was named recipient of the Elma Roane Award, given annually to the female athlete who possesses drive, determination and enthusiasm. ... In its 2006 mock NFL draft, CBS Sportline lists Tiger running back DeAngelo Williams as the third overall pick. ... The women's track program signed distance runner Meghan Shinkwin of Nashua, N.H., to a letter of intent. ... The women's tennis team signed Flavia Russo of Brazil. -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

04/30/05		In illness, Finch still a uniter (Commercial Appeal)
		By Zack McMillin Contact April 30, 2005 The white van from Wheelchair Express Transportation Services delicately made its way through the overcrowded parking lot at Galloway golf course, and the familiar faces congregated at the curb. From the van, Larry Finch could see former players from his days as coach at the University of Memphis, where he is still the program's all-time winningest coach. He could see the man who coached him when he starred for the Tigers and, from 1970-73, used his basketball talent and natural charisma to win games and -- oh, by the way -- bring some healing to a divided and discouraged city. He could see old friends he knew by name and others who came out for the Larry Finch Benefit Golf Tournament on Friday because they considered the man a dear friend, whether he knew it or not. "Lar-ree! Lar-ree! Lar-ree!" they said as a nurse from the Quince Nursing and Rehabilitation Center rolled him through the crowd of people. Finch, now bound to a wheelchair and debilitated physically from the effects of strokes and heart problems suffered in 2002, took his place at a table in the clubhouse, and then the people began coming to him. Elliot Perry, the NBA point guard he recruited from Treadwell, leaned in close and asked him: "Can you still shoot it, coach?" "Can still outshoot you," Finch whispered. "I don't know about that," Perry said, smiling. "We'll see." Ken Moody, the city administrator and former Tiger who helped organize the tournament, served as the emcee. He looked out and made the obvious connection, from 30 years ago when Finch and the Tigers captivated the city with a run to the NCAA Tournament finals to Friday, when every corner of the community came out to show their support. "Look at this crowd and it's whites and blacks, males and females, young and old, and he's brought the city together again," Moody said. "There's no way the Lord would rain on this parade. This is one of His angels." David Porter, the legendary Stax songwriter and golfer extraordinaire, came forward. He and Penny Hardaway, another Treadwell superstar and current New York Knicks player coached by Finch, had made calls on behalf of the tournament and would provide a check for $27,000. To that, Vickie Finch reacted by covering her mouth with both hands, looking like Bob Barker had just told her she'd won a new car. Or maybe a conversion van to help transport her husband. Because of an overwhelming show of support (more than 300 players at $125 each) and donations from all over the country, organizers Moody, Charles Hudson and John Prince raised their goal from $50,000 to $100,000, all of which would go toward helping Finch and his wife with costs of health care and rehabilitation services. They plan to make it an annual event, and former Tiger players are talking about creating a permanent Larry Finch Foundation that would also use basketball games, concerts and even barbecue cookoffs to raise money. "Memphis," Vickie Finch said, "it's not that Larry Finch has always given to you. You have always given to Larry. You live in our hearts, and Larry loves you." Gene Bartow, his old college coach, his "buddy" going back to 1970, said he was watching the Grizzlies practice on Thursday, and he began to wonder if any of them understood the magnitude of Finch's accomplishments -- on and off the court. "Pau Gasol could average 30 points a game for 20 seasons, and he'd be loved," Bartow said, "but he'd never be as loved or as popular as Larry Finch." Some of Finch's old teammates from the 1972-73 team played in the tournament, too: Ken Andrews, Bill Laurie, Doug McKinney and Bill Cook. 'Wild Man' McKinney, as they called him, bopped right up to Finch and started singing an old '70s song. Finch, who is often overcome with emotion at these events, brightened noticeably, and his laughter was unmistakable. What was it the pastor had said earlier, when returning thanks? "He was more than a basketball player, more than a coach,'' said Rev. L. LaSimba Gray. "He was a builder of humanity.'' Larry Finch had done it again. "He's the master," said longtime friend Leonard Draper. "Nobody brings the people of this city together like Larry Finch." -- Zack McMillin: 529-2564

04/30/05		Tigers, Billikens set for two games today (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 30, 2005 The rain came three batters into Friday's scheduled series opener between Memphis and Saint Louis at Nat Buring Stadium, forcing the suspension of the game until today. It will resume at 2 p.m. with today's originally scheduled game to follow. Alumni festivities for today include recognition of the 1994 Memphis squad that went 52-11 and was the last Memphis baseball team to advance to the NCAA Regional tournament.

04/29/05		Tiger Baseball's Series Opener Versus Saint Louis Suspended -- Tigers and Billikens to pick up play Saturday at 2 p.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Three batters into the contest the rains storms came down, forcing the suspension of Friday night's series opener between the University of Memphis and Saint Louis. Due to the previously scheduled Alumni Weekend festivities, the Tigers and Billikens will resume play Sat., Apr. 30 at 2 p.m. Saturday's originally scheduled tilt will take place as the nightcap of tomorrow's doubleheader. Alumni festivities for tomorrow include recognition of the 1994 Memphis Tigers that went 52-11 and were the last Memphis baseball team to advance to the NCAA Regional tournament. Several former Tigers will be on hand along with former Memphis head coach Jeff Hopkins. All former Tigers are encouraged to attend.

04/29/05		Hyman Places Third in College Division Women's Triple Jump at Penn Relays -- Memphis athletes struggle in Philadelphia (GoTigersGo.com)
		Philadelphia, Pa. - Senior Lisa-Marie Hyman was the top Memphis performer on the first day of the Penn Relays, as U of M athletes struggled on the first day of the prestigious meet in Philadelphia, Pa. Hyman posted a solid effort in the triple jump, recording a leap of 40-05.00" (12.32m) to place third in the women's college division of the event. Though slightly substandard for the Kingston, Jamaica native, the jump still eclipsed the NCAA Regional qualifying standard and positioned Hyman in front of top competitors from all over the country. In men's action, it was a tough day for all of the U of M athletes. Brandon Winbush, the only Tiger to compete in an individual event on Friday, could only muster a bound of 22-08.00" (6.91m), well off his typical marks, but did manage to finish 10th in the men's college division of the long jump. The pair of Tiger relay teams competing at the meet, the 4x100m and 4x400m squads, logged times of 42.24s and 3:18.88, respectively, each finishing fifth in their heats. Neither team was able to advance to event finals on Saturday. The only remaining Memphis athlete to compete at the Penn Relays will be Janon Busby, who will participate in the men's college division of the triple jump, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday. A majority of both the Tiger and Lady Tiger squads that did not travel to Philadelphia will additionally be in action on Saturday, as the take part in the Indian Classic, hosted by the University of Louisiana at Monroe in Monroe, La. Results and recaps for both the Indian Classic and the men's triple jump at the Penn Relays will be posted at gotigersgo.com following the completion of competition.

04/28/05		Tiger Notes (Williams, Schilling Replacement, Schedule) (GoTigersGo.com)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 29, 2005 No definite word on Williams A nationally respected Web site has reported Shawne Williams will remain in the NBA Draft, no matter what. A local television station has reported he will be at the University of Memphis, no matter what. Two different outlets. Two different predictions. According to people close to the situation, neither is accurate. "It's premature," said Eric Robinson, Williams's personal trainer. "I don't think anybody knows what Mr. Williams is going to do except Mr. Williams." Several close to the Tiger program told The Commercial Appeal on Thursday that Williams hasn't informed coach John Calipari of any "definite" plan, including that he will be a Tiger, which was reported by a local TV station Wednesday night at about the same time Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute Prep coach Chris Chaney was meeting with his star player. So what did Williams tell Chaney? "He told me he is going to do whatever he can to stay in the draft and make it," Chaney answered. "Now if it gets close to the deadline to withdraw and it doesn't look like he's going to be a first-round pick, he'll probably go to Memphis. But his plan is to try to stay in the draft." Despite the plan, the UofM staff remains cautiously optimistic Williams will in fact be a Tiger, but for reasons other than any assurance from the player himself. Reason No. 1: Williams said from the start that if he wasn't projected as a first-round pick he would likely come to Memphis. Right now, nobody projects him as a first-round pick. Reason No. 2: Williams is currently back at Laurinburg completing curriculum. He's scheduled to graduate next month, and thus will be eligible to compete as a freshman -- barring NCAA Clearinghouse problems -- upon doing so. Add those two things to the fact that Williams hasn't hired an agent, and it's reasonable to assume the odds of him being a Tiger are greater now than even a month ago, thanks to a pair of less-than-overwhelming performances in all-star games and the abundance of other underclassmen declaring and taking first-round spots. Still, nothing is certain, and there seems to be no rush on a final decision considering Williams has until June 21 to withdraw from the draft. "Once Shawne comes back from Laurinburg, I don't know what he's going to do," Robinson said. "He might go through some individual workouts for NBA teams, or he might just start summer school at the University of Memphis. "We just don't know yet." Schilling's replacement Barring a change of plans, John Robic will replace Ed Schilling on Calipari's staff, sources have told The Commercial Appeal. Robic served as the head coach at Youngstown State for the past six years, but the school replaced him at the end of this season and did not renew his contract, which expires Saturday. "He will be one of the people we bring in," Calipari said Thursday, though he declined to be more specific before adding, "as always, we will hire a former player or someone who has ties to us." Asked if Robic qualified as someone with ties, Calipari answered, "Absolutely." Attempts to reach Robic, who worked for Calipari at UMass in the 1990s, were unsuccessful. Still waiting UofM athletic director R.C. Johnson said Thursday he still hasn't received word that the Tigers will have games against Louisville and Cincinnati next season, though he remains optimistic both will happen. Johnson said the C-USA office and ESPN are handling the situation and added that while Louisville has expressed a desire not to play, Cincinnati doesn't seem against the idea. "I've always thought both games would happen," Johnson said. "But they're not set yet." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

04/28/05		Tigers Host Saint Louis for Alumni Weekend -- Tigers looking to snap string of six straight C-USA series losses (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - After taking a tough 6-5 loss against Ole Miss on Wednesday, Daron Schoenrock and his Memphis baseball team will look to bounce back with an important three-game Conference USA series with Saint Louis beginning Fri., Apr. 29. This weekend has been tabbed as "Alumni Weekend". All Tiger fans and former Tiger players are invited and encouraged to attend. Weekend festivities will be highlighted by "Coach K Day" on Sunday as Schoenrock and the Memphis Baseball program will recognize former Tiger Coach Bobby Kilpatrick. Coach Jeff Hopkins and the 1994 will be honored on Saturday as the program's last team to reach the NCAA Regionals. Memphis and Saint Louis both enter the weekend in tie for 11th in the conference at 4-14. The two teams have a combined record of 18-61. However, Memphis sports a slightly better winning percentage overall with its 10-30 mark. At 8-31, Saint Louis has the most losses of any league team. SLU is led by current C-USA Player of the Week Scott Peden, who ranks ninth and eighth respectively in the league in RBI and home runs. Johnny Sweeney paces the team in average at a .333. The Billikens are hitting a C-USA low .264 as team and have posted league-lows in slugging, home runs and total bases. Billiken pitchers have given up a conference-high 7.85 earned runs a game, while opposing hitters are hitting at a .334 clip, just one point higher than that of opponents hitters against Memphis. Ryan Bird is ranked in the league's top-10 with 53 strikeouts in 65.0 innings of work. Much like SLU, Memphis has posted C-USA lows in various categories such as on base percentage and doubles. Memphis' 330 strikeouts are the most in Conference USA. Despite those numbers, Ryan Martin continues to have success, leading the team and ranking in the conference in RBI and homers. The senior paces the Tigers in doubles, home runs, total bases, slugging and strikeouts. Freshman K.K. Chalmers has been a terror on the base paths for the Tigers. He leads the team and is fourth in the conference with 13 stolen bases. The Tiger bullpen has stabilized the staff's 7.08 ERA as relievers Drew Jaudon, Chris South and Tim Senter all have ERA's under 5.00. Jaudon leads the way with a 4.11 clip in 30.2 innings and 11 strikeouts. The staff has given up 56 home runs, fifth-most in the program's history.

04/28/05		Tiger Senior Student-Athletes Honored -- Heather Watts adds two awards at M-Club Luncheon (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Approximately 50 senior student-athletes were honored at the 24th Annual M-Club Luncheon at Fogelman Executive Center on the University of Memphis campus, Thursday afternoon. The honorees recently completed their respective senior seasons, while 38 of the honorees are preparing to graduate on May 7th. Senior men's tennis player Alex Bucewicz was honored as the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. A four-year letterwinner for the men's tennis team, Bucewicz, an ITA Scholar-Athlete, became just the second Tiger in as many years to earn a national singles ranking, spending four weeks among the best singles players in the nation. An exercise science major, Bucewicz is also a Memphis nominee for All-Conference USA honors after capping his four-year career with an 89-41 singles record and a 63-34 mark in doubles. He is planning on attending graduate school and returning to his native Australia to hopefully work for the Institute of Sport in Melbourne. Women's tennis player Marlene Dirnstorfer was one of two student-athletes to receive the Female Scholar Athlete award from the M-Club. Dirnstorfer is a three-year letterwinner for the Lady Tigers and was a Conference USA Third Team honoree as a junior (and an all-conference nominee as a senior). The Pinsdorf, Austria, native is currently working on a master's degree after receiving her bachelor's degree in two years at Memphis. A two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete, Dirnstorfer led the Lady Tigers at No. 1 singles and doubles this season, wrapping her three-year career with a 53-35 singles record and a 51-34 doubles mark. A Co-SIDA Academic All-District IV At-Large Second Team honoree as a junior, Dirnstorfer hopes to work in International Business after she completes her master's degree and plans on moving to Australia. Volleyball setter Heather Watts rounded out the award winners with a pair of honors. Watts shared the Female Scholar Athlete Award with Dirnstorfer and was named the 2005 recipient of the Elma Roane Award. The Elma Roane Award is presented each year to the female student-athlete who possesses drive, enthusiasm and determination while maintaining a concern for others. The 2004-05 president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Watts capped her career as one of the most decorated volleyball players in Memphis history. An ESPN Academic All-American and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honoree as a senior, Watts was also named a Coca-Cola Community All-American and was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship worth $7,500 back in March. A two-time All-Conference USA honoree, Watts graduated in August of 2004 with her bachelor's degree. Recently married, Watts will be attending physical therapy school at the University of Utah. Elma Roane Award Winners (last 5 years): 2004-05: Heather Watts, Volleyball 2003-04: Veronica Ruiz, Soccer 2002-03: Sabrina Lindemann, Tennis 2001-02: Lauren Jackson, Basketball 2000-2001: April Harriman, Volleyball

04/28/05		Track and Field Teams Split Up for Three Meets in Three Regions of the Country -- Athletes will travel to Philadelphia, Pa., Stanford, Calif., and Monroe, La. (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - The Memphis track and field teams will once again split up this weekend to head to three meets in three regions of the country as athletes will travel to Philadelphia, Pa., Stanford, Calif., and Monroe, La. Jumpers Lisa-Marie Hyman, Janon Busby and Brandon Winbush, along with the men's 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams will travel to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays, one of the strongest meets, college and professional, in the country. Hyman and Winbush, who will compete in the women's triple jump and men's long jump, respectively, and both relay teams will be in action on Friday, while Busby will compete in the men's triple jump on Saturday. If the relay teams advance past the preliminary rounds, both event finals are set for Saturday afternoon. Lady Tiger distance runner Daniele Riendeau will be the only athlete to travel to Stanford as she will look for a 1500m Regional qualifying time at the Cardinal Invitational, one of the top distance meets in the country. The women's 1500m is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sunday night. The remainder of the U of M squads, men and women, will travel to Monroe for the Indian Classic, hosted by the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Competition is set to begin at 11 a.m. with the women's javelin. The first men's event will be the javelin, which is slated for 12 p.m. Running events will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the men's 3000m steeplechase, and all other events will follow in a rolling time schedule. Live results for the Penn Relays can be followed at www.thepennrelays.com, while the Cardinal Invitational will also have live results available at www.gostanford.com. Complete results and recaps for all three meets will be posted at gotigersgo.com following the completion of competition.

04/28/05		Response to Finch event 'tremendous' -- Tourney organizer Moody says coach plans to appear (Commercial Appeal)
		By Jason Smith Contact April 28, 2005 The e-mail was from a soldier in Baghdad. He wanted to know if he, too, could help Larry Finch. "He said he'd been reading about it, and that Larry Finch touched his life. He wanted to send a donation," said Ken Moody, organizer of Friday's Larry Finch Benefit Golf Tournament at The Links at Galloway. Moody, who played at Memphis during Finch's first season as head basketball coach in 1986, said he's been inundated with phone calls and e-mails since announcing plans last week for a benefit golf tournament intended to help with Finch's medical bills. Finch, Memphis's all-time winningest head coach, has been confined to a wheelchair since suffering a heart attack and two strokes in the fall of 2002 and is currently undergoing rehabilitation at Quince Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. "The tournament is full," Moody said Wednesday. "And the donations on top of the tee times have just been tremendous." Moody said he's collected $12,000 to $13,000 in donations for Finch. He also applauded the fund-raising efforts of Chuck House, a long-time Tiger basketball fan and season-ticket holder who, along with Nashville attorney Mike Dodd, has raised around $5,500 in cash for Finch through the memphistigers.org Web site. "What they've done is just awesome," Moody said. "They said they wanted to help. They wanted to start their own fund-raising thing and it's been wonderful. I was just so glad to see them take the initiative to do that." House said Wednesday a $4,850 electric wheelchair was also donated by a Texas businessman. "We're just guys on the Internet, but I was talking to the organizers and they said that this money will make a difference in Larry's life. It'll make his life better," House said. "That just touched me. I thought, 'OK, let's push this.'" Moody said Finch will be in attendance from noon to 1 p.m. Friday afternoon during the tournament, which has ballooned to include some 58 four-man teams. Moody had initially hoped to have 50 teams. "It'll be a long day, but it'll be worth it," he said. "I talked to Coach (Wednesday) and he's in good spirits. He said he can't wait to come out on Friday." -- Jason Smith: 529-5804 ---------------------------------------------- Larry Finch Benefit Golf Tournament What: A four-man scramble to raise money to help with former Tiger coach Larry Finch's medical bills. When: 8:30 a.m. Friday at The Links at Galloway. More information: Call Ken Moody at 454-5216 or e-mail moodykenneth@bellsouth.net.

04/28/05		Rebel reliever snuffs out Tiger rally -- Ole Miss 6, Memphis 5 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 28, 2005 Tommy West and DeAngelo Williams threw out ceremonial first pitches before the start of Wednesday night's University of Memphis-Ole Miss baseball game at AutoZone Park, but the Tiger head football coach and all-America running back had nothing on another part-time pitcher. Ole Miss outfielder Brian Pettway snuffed out a potential Tiger rally in the eighth -- one inning after he'd driven in the go-ahead run -- by getting Memphis's K.K. Chalmers and Patrick Hope to ground out and he added a perfect ninth to lead the Rebels to a 6-5 victory before about 500. Pettway, the Rebels' leading hitter, made his 11th relief appearance of the season one of his best by retiring each of the five Tigers he faced. He entered the game with one out in the eighth after Robbie Goss had doubled -- Goss's fourth hit of the night -- and promptly coaxed Chalmers and Hope to ground out. His 1-2-3 ninth started with a strikeout of Collin Bastien, who had homered in the fourth to give the Tigers a 5-1 advantage, and ended with a Chris Newsom ground out. Pettway, who entered the game with a .424 average, earned his fourth save. ''We need to use him more,'' said Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco. ''If you ask me what's been the biggest mistake, or the thing you'd do differently, it would be pitching him more. ''We'd like Brian to be able to close games out or be that middle guy, or that setup guy, for Stephen (Head). But they bat so close in the lineup that a lot of times it's difficult, but we've got to learn to do it. He's one of the best arms we've got and, offensively, he's one of the best hitters in the country.'' Pettway went 2-for-5 as the Rebels (29-13) collected 14 hits, including four by Chris Coghlan. Ole Miss had 18 hits in a 13-4 win over Memphis Tuesday night in Oxford. Pettway had a 5.06 earned-run average in his 10 appearances before shutting down Memphis (10-30) Wednesday night. ''I just wanted to come in front of a good crowd, and in as nice a ballpark as I've played in, do my job and get some outs,'' Pettway said. ''I just wanted to throw the ball over the plate and see if they couldn't ground out and just let our defense make the plays. That's what I did. I just threw the ball over the plate and they hit it right to them.'' Memphis coach Daron Shoenrock said it was ''a good ballgame'', but the Tigers couldn't overcome an Ole Miss team that played error-free and hammered out 14 hits. ''I've got to credit Ole Miss,'' Schoenrock said. ''They played an errorless ballgame and they dominated making the routine plays. ''We jumped on them early and they kept coming back. After our four-run (third) inning, they used off-speed pitches effectively against us. In a one-run ballgame you can always trace it back to one or two things, but I'm proud of the way this team battled.'' -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

04/28/05		Texans invite Means to camp -- Good showing could lead to free-agent deal (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 28, 2005 University of Memphis defensive tackle Albert Means, who was not taken in last weekend's NFL Draft or signed as a free agent, has been invited to the Houston Texans rookie mini-camp that starts Friday. Means, a second-team All-Conference USA selection as a senior, was considered a potential late-round pick in the seven-round NFL Draft. Means had eight tackles for loss and four sacks as a senior, played in the East-West Shrine Game in California in January and was invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in late February. But neither Means or teammates Danny Wimprine and Robert Douglas were picked. Wimprine, the program's record-setting quarterback, signed a one-year free-agent deal with the Cleveland Browns. Douglas, a fullback, inked a two-year free-agent deal with the Tennessee Titans. If Means performs well in the three-day mini-camp it could lead to a free-agent deal. Means, a prep All-American at Trezevant High, signed with the University of Alabama, but transferred to the UofM midway through his freshman season.

04/27/05		Hunt has successful surgery (Daily Helmsman)
		From our press services April 27, 2005 University of Memphis junior Jeremy Hunt underwent surgery to repair an ACL tear and meniscus tear in his left knee Tuesday. Hunt suffered the injury in the Tigers' Mar. 23 NIT game against Vanderbilt. It is the same knee that was injured in February of the 2003-04 season. Hunt will begin rehabilitation of the knee as soon as possible. The rehab process will take approximately six months, and Hunt is expected to return in time for the start of the 2005-06 campaign. The 6-foot-4 guard suffered the injury at the 8:01 mark of the first half when he drove to the basket and was fouled. Hunt left the game at that point, and Darius Washington Jr. shot the two free throws. The Memphis, Tenn., native returned a couple of minutes later, but had to leave the game again. Hunt played in 26 games, starting the last seven prior to the injury. In the postseason (Tigers were 6-2), Hunt averaged 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds. He shot 45.5 percent from the field and had 18 assists and 18 steals in those seven starts. Hunt scored a career-high 24 points versus Northeastern in the NIT first round and had a career-best seven steals against USF in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals. For the season, Hunt averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He had 70 assists and 39 steals. Earlier this year, he missed eight games from Dec. 7 through Jan. 9 with a broken bone in his left wrist. He missed the Nov. 26 game against Maryland with a chest bruise. In the 2003-04 season, Hunt suffered his first ACL injury in a Feb. 20 practice. He underwent surgery Mar. 3, and traveled with the team to the Conference USA and NCAA Tournaments.

04/27/05		Three-Run Seventh Powers Ole Miss Past Tiger Baseball, 6-5 -- Robbie Goss posts career-high 4-for-4 night (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - #22 Ole Miss (29-13) 001 020 300 - 6 14 0 MEMPHIS (10-30) 004 100 000 - 5 10 1 Ole Miss scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to complete the season sweep of Memphis in a 6-5 decision Wednesday night at AutoZone Park. Memphis third baseman Robbie Goss had a career night, going 4-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. The Rebels got on top of the Tigers in the seventh after Cooper Osteen drew a one-out walk and Chris Coghlan followed with a single through the left side. Stephen Head ripped an RBI-single through the right side to plate Osteen. Head advanced to second on the throw to the plate and then took third when Tiger catcher Cory Barton's throw to second sailed wide and into shallow centerfield. Head scored the game-winning run when Brian Pettway doubled down the leftfield line. After Ole Miss scored the game's opening tally on a run-scoring double by Coghlan, Memphis answered with four runs in the bottom of the third. Jordan Tolliver and Ryan Martin ignited the rally with singles. Cory Barton tied the contest with a single that brought Tolliver in, and Robbie Goss gave Memphis a 2-1 lead with a single through the right side. K.K. Chalmers drilled a double down the leftfield line to scored Martin and Goss, giving Memphis a 4-1 cushion. Collin Bastien put the Tiger up 5-1 in the next frame on his first home run, a solo blast over the leftfield wall. Ole Miss charged back with two runs in the fifth before the game-winning three-run seventh. Stoney Stone was the winning pitcher for Ole Miss after allowing one run in three innings. Chris Davis was saddled with the loss after giving up three earned runs in two innings. Memphis will open a three-game C-USA series with Saint Louis on Friday. The weekend has been tabbed "Alumni Weekend" as the 1994 team will be honored as the last Memphis team to reach the NCAA Regionals.

04/27/05		Tiger Basketball Notes (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 27, 2005 Good news: Hunt surgery goes well University of Memphis basketball player Jeremy Hunt underwent successful surgery Tuesday morning to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee. A 6-4 guard, Hunt's rehabilitation will begin within weeks, and be a familiar routine considering he also spent last season rehabbing a torn ACL. The Craigmont High graduate is expected to spend the next six months recovering, and return in time for the start of the 2005-2006 season, which will double as his senior year. Hunt played in 26 games as a junior. He averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per outing. Cerasoli to Memphis? Seton Hall freshman Justin Cerasoli is on the market and looking for a fresh start. The UofM has scholarships to give, and, like any team, could always use another ball-handler. Still, it doesn't appear Cerasoli will be a Tiger despite published reports speculating otherwise. Though two New Jersey newspapers reported Tuesday morning Memphis is a possible destination for the Seton Hall transfer, a source close to the UofM told The Commercial Appeal such a scenario is highly unlikely. According to the source, Memphis has had no contact with Cerasoli and doesn't plan on pursuing the troubled Chicago native. So why have the Tigers been mentioned? Perhaps because Cerasoli considered the UofM out of high school, and even participated in a camp at the Finch Center in summer 2003. But that all happened before he signed with Seton Hall, struggled this past season and earned a reputation as a problem, not unlike Sean Banks. Cerasoli averaged 6.2 points and 2.5 assists per outing this past season, but any good was overshadowed by lots of bad. He reportedly clashed with teammates all year and tried to be too flashy, much to the displeasure of coach Louis Orr. High expectations again Several media outlets are already speculating about next basketball season. Like last year, Memphis is getting lots of early respect. CBSSportsline.com and FoxSports.com each ranked the Tigers among the Top 20. ESPN's Dick Vitale has Memphis at No. 12, two spots behind longtime rival Louisville. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

04/27/05		Rebels hammer Tigers -- Ole Miss 13, Memphis 4 (Commercial Appeal)
		By The Commercial Appeal April 27, 2005 OXFORD, Miss. -- Stephen Head hit two home runs and drove in five runs as Ole Miss feasted on Memphis pitching for a 13-4 victory Tuesday night. Ole Miss (28-13) pounded out 18 hits in the victory. The win was the Rebels' (28-13) fourth in the their last five games while the Tigers (10-28) have dropped 16 of their last 18. Head's first home run was a two-run shot in the first inning to give the Rebels a 2-0 lead. He had a sacrifice fly in the second to make it 3-0 and then had another two-run home run in the fourth to extend Ole Miss's lead to 8-0. Head has 14 home runs on the season. Mark Wright and Alex Kliman also homered in the game for the Rebels. le

04/26/05		Ole Miss Wins Series-Opener 13-4 -- Tigers Prepare for Rematch at AutoZone on Wednesday (GoTigersGo.com)
		OXFORD, Miss. - MEMPHIS (8-20) 000 300 010 - 4 5 1 #22 Ole Miss (24-10) 240 210 40X - 13 18 2 Ole Miss All-American Stephen Head went 2-for-3 and launched a pair of home runs to lead Ole Miss to a 13-4 win over Memphis in the series opener between the two schools. Ole Miss has now beaten the U of M in three consecutive games. However, Memphis will get the chance to snap that streak on Wednesday when they host the Rebels in the annual tilt at AutoZone Park. Tiger football head coach Tommy West and Heisman Trophy hopeful DeAngelo Williams will be on hand, as the duo will throw out the ceremonial first pitches. Official first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Head got the Rebels rolling with his first home run of the evening, a two run blast over the rightfield wall. Head finished the night with five RBI and a pair of runs scored. A three-run shot by Mark Wright highlighted a four-run second inning as Mississippi increased its lead to 6-0. The frame opened with Justin Brashear and Cooper Osteen reaching on consecutive singles and Chris Coghlan drawing a walk to load the sacks. A sacrifice fly by Head scored Brashear for Ole Miss' third run of the game. Memphis cut the Ole Miss lead in half with a three-run fourth. Ryan Martin struck out, but reached on a wild pitch by Rebel starter Anthony Cupps. Adam Amar, who had two of the Tigers' five hits on the night, followed with a single up the middle. K.K. Chalmers put Memphis on the board with a two-run single up the middle. After Chalmers stole his 12th base of the season, Patrick Hope knocked an RBI-double to left to make it 6-3. It was all Ole Miss from the fifth inning on as the Rebs answered back with a pair of tallies in the home half of the fourth on Head's second round tripper of the night. Ole Miss extended its advantage to 9-3 on a fifth-inning RBI-double off the bat of Cooper Osteen. Pinch hitter Alex Kliman gave Ole Miss a 10-3 lead with a leadoff home run to start a four-run seventh inning. Brashear ripped an RBI-single up the middle and an Osteen run scoring double to the gap in left center made it 12-3. The Rebels scoring was capped by a pinch-hit RBI-single by Peyton Farr. Memphis scored a run in the eighth on a fielding error by the Ole Miss. Cupps picked up the win, striking out 12 in six innings. He allowed three earned runs on four hits. Blake Richardson took the loss after giving up nine runs on 11 hits in five innings of work. Tomorrow's game will be broadcast live with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/26/05		Kiss Moves Up National Ranks in 110m Hurdles -- Five U of M Regional qualifiers remain in Mideast and National rankings (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Following another tremendous performance at the Mississippi Open where he broke the school record in the 110m hurdles and improved his Regional qualifying time by over a tenth of a second, U of M senior Daniel Kiss continues to move up the national rankings in his specialty event. As the rankings came out Tuesday, Kiss, who has improved his time and ranking in three of the last four meets, found his mark of 13.67s tied for the fifth-fastest time in the nation for the outdoor season. Additionally, the Budapest, Hungary native has moved up from ninth to sixth in Trackwire's Dandy Dozen, which is a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and in each NCAA event. The Conference USA leader in the 110m hurdles, Kiss currently claims the top four times in C-USA this season and ranks third in the Mideast region for the event, behind only All-Americans Antwon Hicks of Ole Miss and Aries Merritt of Tennessee. In addition to Kiss, four other Memphis athletes have qualified for NCAA Regional Championships and hold down conference and national rankings. Heading the list is Lady Tiger Lisa-Marie Hyman, who leads C-USA and ranks seventh in the Mideast Region and 25th nationally in the triple jump with her leap of 42-00.75" (12.82m). A second Lady Tiger triple jumper, Victoria Crawford, sits 14th in the region and 42nd in the nation with her regional-qualifying bound of 41-00.50" (12.51m). On the men's side, fellow triple jumper Janon Busby leads the way with his C-USA topping mark of 50-08.25" (15.45m), which ranks eighth in the region and 27th nationally. The remaining Tiger to qualify for Regionals thus far is Brandon Winbush, whose leap of 24-06.25" (7.47m) ranks 11th in the region and 34th in the nation. A long list of additional Memphis athletes have legitimate shots at Regional qualifying standards and will have one more weekend of regular season competition along with C-USA Championships to reach those marks. The first of the two opportunities will come as the U of M squads split up for three meets this weekend. In a change of schedule, no Memphis athletes will go to the Drake Relays as originally scheduled. However, portions of the teams will travel to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., the Indian Classic in Monroe, La., and the Cardinal Invitational in Stanford, Calif. Follow results for all three meets this weekend at gotigersgo.com.

04/26/05		Women's Track Adds Third Distance Signee -- New Hampshire native Meghan Shinkwin should strengthen middle distance group (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - For the third time this year, the Memphis women's track and cross country team has looked to the Northeast portion of the U.S. to find a stellar distance runner to add to next year's squad, as the U of M recently inked Nashua, N.H., native Meghan Shinkwin to a National Letter of Intent. Shinkwin, from Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, is a standout in the middle distance events. Her time of 2:56.34 in the indoor 1000m ranks in the top 10 nationally among high school athletes, while she currently holds seven Bishop Guertin individual records in the indoor 300m, 400m, 600m, 800m and 1000m and the outdoor 400m and 800m. "Meghan has great ability and really good speed," said women's distance coach Jonas Holdman. "She certainly helps strengthen our middle distance group and should have a major impact next year." In addition to the individual accomplishments, Shinkwin has led her Bishop Guertin team to five Class L State Track Championships, including indoor titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and outdoor crowns in 2003 and 2004. For her roles on those teams, Shinkwin was voted MVP for the 2003 and 2004 indoor seasons and the 2004 outdoor season and chosen as team captain her junior and senior years. She was also recognized as the Nashua Telegraph Athlete of the Year for the 2004 outdoor season and the Lowell Sun Athlete of the Year for both the 2003 outdoor season and the 2004 indoor season. Shinkwin, the daughter of William and Robbin Shinkwin, is the third member of the 2005 signing class for the cross country and distance squad, with all three residing in the Northeast. The two previous signees were, fellow New Hampshire native, Carolyn Corbett from Concord and Emily Malinowski from Slingerlands, N.Y.

04/26/05		Jeremy Hunt's ACL Surgery A Success -- Tiger guard is expected to return in time for start of 2005-06 campaign (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis junior Jeremy Hunt underwent surgery to repair an ACL tear and meniscus tear in his left knee Tuesday. Hunt suffered the injury in the Tigers' Mar. 23 NIT game against Vanderbilt. It is the same knee that was injured in February of the 2003-04 season. Hunt will begin rehabilitation of the knee as soon as possible. The rehab process will take approximately six months, and Hunt is expected to return in time for the start of the 2005-06 campaign. The 6-foot-4 guard suffered the injury at the 8:01 mark of the first half when he drove to the basket and was fouled. Hunt left the game at that point, and Darius Washington Jr. shot the two free throws. The Memphis, Tenn., native returned a couple of minutes later, but had to leave the game again. Hunt played in 26 games, starting the last seven prior to the injury. In the postseason (Tigers were 6-2), Hunt averaged 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds. He shot 45.5 percent from the field and had 18 assists and 18 steals in those seven starts. Hunt scored a career-high 24 points versus Northeastern in the NIT first round and had a career-best seven steals against USF in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals. For the season, Hunt averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He had 70 assists and 39 steals. Earlier this year, he missed eight games from Dec. 7 through Jan. 9 with a broken bone in his left wrist. He missed the Nov. 26 game against Maryland with a chest bruise. In the 2003-04 season, Hunt suffered his first ACL injury in a Feb. 20 practice. He underwent surgery Mar. 3, and traveled with the team to the Conference USA and NCAA Tournaments.

04/26/05		Liberty Bowl to have noon kickoff -- Ties to C-USA are adjusted for 2005 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 26, 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart said Monday this year's game -- the 12th straight played in the afternoon -- will kick off at noon on Dec. 31. Ehrhart said the combination of a noon kickoff, a Saturday playing date and a New Year's Eve game should give the bowl the opportunity to attract a large local contingent. "We think it's a wonderful date," Ehrhart said. "People will be off from work because it's a Saturday, and they can bring their families. "We debated whether to be on Friday afternoon (Dec. 30) or New Year's Eve. But the Dec. 31 date has worked well for us in the past. The game will be played during the warmest part of the day, and people will still have plenty of time to have a New Year's Eve party on Saturday night." The 2004 game, an exciting 44-40 Louisville win over Boise State, kicked off at 2:30 p.m. While the kickoff is set, there is uncertainty regarding the opponents. The bowl ended its affiliation last year with the Mountain West Conference to send its champion to play the Conference USA champion. While C-USA will provide one of the opponents this year, Ehrhart said it won't necessarily be the champion. C-USA is undergoing a shakeup next season, losing Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, Army and TCU, while adding UTEP, Tulsa, SMU, Rice, Marshall and Central Florida. The shakeup will result in two six-team divisions, allowing the league to play its first conference title game. Ehrhart said Monday the Liberty Bowl isn't committed to taking the winner of the title game because of the massive changes to C-USA's membership. "We've officially listed (the opponents) on our application as the first selection from Conference USA on one side against a second team to be determined," Ehrhart said. Ehrhart said he submitted the information to the NCAA last week during annual bowl meetings in Phoenix. C-USA officials were not available for comment Monday. "Conference USA knows that is our position," Ehrhart said. "Our contract with Conference USA (to offer the champion) was determined before they announced a championship game. So it was in place prior to them creating a championship game. "We are still discussing it with them. We feel this makes the most sense for both the conference and the bowl with the changes in the conference and the advent of the championship game. We think it's in the best interests for both sides." Ehrhart said inviting the championship game winner remains an option. "This is the first year the league will have people traveling to a championship game," he said. "It's a league in transition. "It may very well be we invite the team that wins that game, but it's something we need to work through this year." As for the C-USA opponent, Ehrhart said he's had discussions with the Big East, the Big 12, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Western Athletic Conference and with Navy, in addition to the Mountain West. "We are continuing discussions with basically everybody," Ehrhart said.

04/26/05		Artificial turf cheered -- West, Ehrhart tout Liberty's new field (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 26, 2005 University of Memphis football coach Tommy West is looking forward to the installation of an artificial surface at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for what it can do for his program on non-game days. AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart calls the switch from natural grass to FieldTurf "a terrific step forward." And Southern Heritage Classic founder Fred Jones said he has "no reservations" about the change. Liberty Bowl Stadium manager Terry Norman and FieldTurf CEO John Gilman announced Monday that FieldTurf had been selected as the new surface, giving the 40-year-old facility its first artificial playing field. Turf installation is expected to begin next month, and the surface is scheduled to be ready before the Tigers' season opener Sept. 5 against Ole Miss on national television. FieldTurf is in use in more than 25 NCAA Division 1-A football stadiums, including Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri and Louisville. The infill mix of silica sand and cryogenic rubber, together with a layering process, produces a surface that emulates grass. UofM athletic director R.C. Johnson said Monday that he allowed West and Tiger director of football operations John Flowers to have input in choosing the surface. "Louisville has it, Cincinnati has it and the GMAC Bowl (in Mobile, Ala.) has it," said Flowers, noting the Tigers have played recently at each of those venues. "It's a durable and consistent surface, and you can wear your regular football cleats on it. It's non-abrasive, too. You don't get burned like you did on the old artificial surfaces, and it's softer. It's like playing on a really good grass field." West said he's looking forward to having access to the field if rain makes the Murphy Athletic Complex practice fields unplayable. The Tigers had to reschedule several workouts last month because of wet fields. Ehrhart, whose 2005 Liberty Bowl game will be played Dec. 31 at noon, called it a "terrific surface" and said it will eliminate concern that some players and coaches have had in the past. The natural grass field had been bordered by an artificial surface on the sidelines and beyond the end zones. "There was always the issue of (potential) injuries to players going from the natural grass surface to the sidelines and the old artificial stuff," Ehrhart said. "A receiver would go from catching the ball inbounds on grass to another surface in one step." Flowers called the wall-to-wall FieldTurf surface a welcome change for the same reason. "The old field was dangerous," Flowers said. "There'll be no changing from one surface to the other." -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543 ---------------------------------------------- 'Field' Days The University of Memphis announced Monday that it will install FieldTurf, an artificial surface that emulates natural grass, to replace the natural grass recently torn out of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Who else plays on FieldTurf? 21 NFL teams At least 25 Division 1-A football teams West Memphis High (indoor practice facility)

04/26/05		Tigers to face Rebs tonight (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 26, 2005 The University of Memphis baseball team plays the first of two straight games against Ole Miss tonight at Oxford, Miss. On Wednesday, the Rebels will make the trip to Memphis for the annual game at AutoZone Park. Tiger football coach Tommy West and running back DeAngelo Williams will throw out the ceremonial first pitches for Wednesday's game. Memphis is 10-28, but has shown improvement as of late, splitting the last four Conference USA games. The Tigers went 1-2 against East Carolina over the weekend, including falling 3-0 Sunday on a no-hitter by Ricky Brooks. Ryan Martin leads Memphis in eight offensive categories. The senior designated hitter paces the team in average (.340), hits (50), doubles (10), triples (two), home runs (eight), RBI (43), total bases (88) and slugging percentage (.599). Fellow senior Chad House is the only other Tiger hitting over .300. The Tiger pitching staff has struggled this season with a 6.96 ERA -- the highest ERA in program history. Reliever Tim Senter has a team-best 4.15 ERA in 15 appearances and 26 innings of action. The Tiger pitching staff has given up 52 home runs, the fifth most ever given up by a Memphis staff. Ole Miss (27-13) dropped out the polls after losing three straight SEC series, but rebounded this past weekend to take two of three from Georgia. Ole Miss has a potent offense with Brian Pettway leading a group of six regulars that are hitting above .300. Pettway is hitting a sizzling .429 with a team-high 66 hits, 16 doubles and a .747 slugging clip. Two-time All-American and 2004 SEC Player of the Year Stephen Head leads the team with 12 home runs. The two-way star also paces the Rebel pitching staff with a 7-2 record in 13 appearances. The Rebs have hit 47 home runs this year and have outscored opponents by a combined score of 302-190.

04/26/05		Liberty Bowl to unveil FieldTurf (Daily Helmsman)
		Daniel Ford contact April 26, 2005 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium will have a brand-new look for the 2005 season opener. Stadium manager Terry Norman and John Gilman, CEO of FieldTurf, announced that installation on the artificial surface will begin next month to replace the natural grass field and artificial turf sidelines currently in place. Tigers football coach Tommy West said the new surface has one major advantage over the natural grass field. "The two wettest seasons in this region happen to be during the fall and the spring and our football team generally has to practice and prepare in wet conditions," West said in a statement released Monday. "Now, with the installation of FieldTurf at our stadium, even if the fields at our practice facility are wet, we will have perfect conditions in which to practice." The turf will bring a much-needed facelift to the 40-year-old facility. More than 25 other Division I schools have already made the switch to the new surface. These include Michigan, Oregon, Nebraska, Missouri and Washington. Gilman said The U of M's decision to install FieldTurf will hopefully give the company a presence in the southeast. "This is a tremendous coup for FieldTurf," Gilman said. "All football fans are very familiar with the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. It is one of the most venerable and well-known facilities in the South, which as we all know, is the hot bed of college football. There is so much history and tradition in the 40 years since the Liberty Bowl has been built, and we at FieldTurf are very proud to be involved. "... I am completely confident that the Memphis Tigers' players and coaches, along with the top college teams that will be competing in future Liberty Bowls, will love the playability and the safety of the new FieldTurf field." Although FieldTurf is still breaking into college football, the National Football League is very farmiliar with the state-of-the-art turf. Of the NFL's 32 franchises, 21 currently use field turf.

04/26/05		Wimprine takes one-year contract with Cleveland Browns (Daily Helmsman)
		Daniel Ford contact April 26, 2005 No University of Memphis football players went in the seven rounds of the NFL Draft held this weekend, but that isn't the end of the road for at least two seniors. Quarterback Danny Wimprine was called Sunday and agreed to a one-year free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns. Wimprine set virtually every passing record in his four years at Memphis including most passing yards, touchdowns, attempts and completions. The situation in Cleveland could prove favorable for Wimprine. Of the Browns three quarterbacks, only one, Trent Dilfer, has more than one year of experience in the league. Wimprine will compete with Dilfer, University of Akron quarterback Charlie Frye and second-year quarterback Josh Harris for a roster spot. Memphis fullback Robert Douglas also signed a free agent deal. Douglas stayed close to home, inking a two-year contract with the Tennessee Titans. Douglas helped his stock tremendously after turning in some impressive numbers at The U of M's pro day earlier this month. Douglas' main job this season was opening holes for All-America running back DeAngelo Williams, but the fullback also caught seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for two more. Defensive tackle Albert Means was tabbed by some experts as a late round pick, but didn't hear his name called during Sunday's draft coverage. Means' agent, Brian Parker, said he expects his client to sign a free agent deal soon. Parker is also the agent for Wimprine and Douglas. Last year, Memphis had one player drafted -- Pittsburgh selected defensive tackle Eric Taylor in the seventh round. In 2003, tackle Wade Smith and wide receiver Travis Anglin were drafted. They stand as the only two Tigers' offensive players selected since quarterback Steve Matthews in 1994.

04/25/05		Baseball Prepares for Ole Miss Series -- Tommy West and DeAngelo Williams to throw out ceremonial first pitches at AutoZone Park (Commercial Appeal)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis baseball squad will finalize its season-long six-game road stretch on Tues., Apr. 26 when they travel to Oxford for the first of a two-game series with Ole Miss. The Rebels will make the trip to Memphis on Wed., Apr. 27, for the annual tilt at AutoZone Park. Tiger football head coach Tommy West and star running back DeAngelo Williams will throw out the ceremonial first pitches for Wednesday's game at AutoZone. The official first pitch for both games is set for 6:30 p.m. General admission to the AutoZone game is $8 and all U of M students get in free with a valid school ID. Children two and younger are also admitted free. Season tickets for Nat Buring games will not be honored for this game. There will be a free concert by Inner 61, beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the first 400 students will receive a free t-shirt. Memphis is just 10-28, but has shown improvement as of late, splitting the last four Conference USA games. The Tigers enter the rivalry week on the heels of their sixth straight league series loss. Memphis dropped two games to ECU over the weekend, including a 3-0 decision in which Pirate pitcher Ricky Brooks recorded C-USA's first-ever league no-hitter. The U of M was shutout twice in the three game series and was outscored 20-8. Ryan Martin leads Memphis in eight offensive categories. The senior designated hitter paces the team in average (.340), hits (50), doubles (10), triples (2), home runs (8), RBI (43), total bases (88) and slugging percentage (.599). He is ranked in the top-10 in the conference in slugging, RBI, home runs and total bases. Fellow senior Chad House is the only other Tiger that is hitting over .300. Martin collected his 25th career home run and 100th career RBI in the 8-5 win over ECU on Saturday. He is just the 10th Tiger baseballplayer ever to hit as many as 25 round trippers in a career. Memphis is hitting .271 as a team with a league-high 307 strikeouts this year. The Tiger pitching staff has struggled this season and has yielded a 6.96 ERA--the highest ERA in program history thus far. Reliever Tim Senter has a team-best 4.15 ERA in 15 appearances and 26 innings of action. The staff has given up 52 home runs which is currently the fifth most ever given up by a Memphis staff. Ole Miss dropped out the polls after losing three straight SEC series, but rebounded this past weekend to take two of three from Georgia. Ole Miss has a potent offense with Brian Pettway leading a group of six regulars that are hitting above .300. Pettway is hitting a sizzling .429 with a team-high 66 hits, 16 doubles and a .747 slugging clip. To-time All-American and 2004 SEC Player of the Year Stephen Head leads the team with 12 home runs. The two-way star also paces the Rebel pitching staff with a 7-2 record in 13 appearances. The Rebs have hit 47 round trippers this year and have outscored opponents by a combined score of 302-190. They average 7.5 runs per contest. The Rebel pitching staff has been solid, holding opposing hitters to a .272 average while maintaining a 4.07 ERA. Matt Maloney leads the staff with a 2.11 ERA and 69 strikeouts. Ole Miss has fanned 317 on the year. Maloney also has four saves. Pettway also has seen action on the hill, logging three saves in 10.2 innings of relief. The Tigers' oldest rival, Memphis holds a 52-82-1 all-time mark against Ole Miss. The Rebel's and Tigers' history dates back to the 1915 season. The Tigers 52 wins against the Rebs are the fourth most against any opponent, while the 82 losses ranks as the highest. Memphis was swept in last year's series as Ole Miss handed the Tigers their worst home loss in history, 19-0, at AutoZone. Memphis has not beaten the Rebels since a 6-3 win in 2003. The U of M has lost six of the last seven meetings. Due to the rainout on March 22, this year's series will mark the first time since 1991 that the games have been played back-to-back. Tiger fans can listen to the live broadcast of both games, as Jeff Brightwell "The Voice of Tiger Baseball" calls the play-by-play action on WUMR FM 91.7.

04/25/05		Flavia Russo Signs With Memphis for 2005-06 -- Becomes second product of Bollettieri Academy to join Memphis (Commercial Appeal)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis women's tennis team added one more signee for the 2005-06 season as Flavia Russo, originally from Brazil, signed with the Lady Tigers for the upcoming season. "Flavia brings some good, solid experience that she has gained at Bollettieri's in Florida," Head Coach Charlotte Peterson said. "She has a great outlook and is excited about coming and helping the team get up to its former competitive level." Russo is the daughter of Marco and Maria Fernanda Russo and came to the U.S. four years ago from her native Sao Paulo, Brazil. She spent two years at Saddlebrook in Tampa before spending the last two seasons at the Pendleton School/Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. At Pendleton, Russo has played in the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl tournaments, and has also played in ITF tournaments in Costa Rica, Guadaloupe, Barbadoes, El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago. "Since the beginning, I had a very good impression of the school and the major that I wanted to study (at Memphis) is well-known too," Russo said. "Also, tennis is very important to me and the coach made me feel confident, as well as the team." Russo is planning on majoring in International Relations at Memphis. On the court, Russo has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Brazilian Super National, and has won the Copa NHR de Tenis and the Credicard Campos do Jordao and the Labor Day Championships. She has also competed in the Bollettieri Championships and the Angela Maria Lopera. Russo joins fellow Bradenton product Ekin Zafir of Turkey on the Lady Tigers' 2005-06 signee list. This will be the first signee from both Brazil and Turkey for Peterson. The Lady Tigers capped their 2004-05 season at the Conference USA Championships last weekend tied for 11th place in the standings. Memphis was 5-14 at the end of the season and graduates one, as senior Marlene Dirnstorfer, the Lady Tigers' No. 1 singles and doubles player will cap her three-year Memphis career at graduation on May 7th.

04/25/05		ECU gets no-hitter vs. Tigers (Commercial Appeal)
		By From Our Press Services April 25, 2005 GREENVILLE, N. C. -- East Carolina starter Ricky Brooks threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in Conference USA history to lead the Pirates to a 3-0 win over the University of Memphis in the series finale Sunday afternoon. The sophomore fanned a career-high 14 Tiger batters and faced just one batter over the minimum. Brooks allowed just two batters to reach base. The Pirates got all the offense they needed in the first inning on an RBI-single by Ryan Peisel. Stephen Gostkowski took the loss despite scattering just six hits over seven innings.

04/25/05		NFL teams pass on trio of Tigers -- Douglas, Wimprine reach free-agent deals (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 25, 2005 They had the television on Saturday morning when Utah quarterback Alex Smith was taken by the San Francisco 49ers with the first pick of the NFL Draft. And they had it on late Sunday afternoon when Andy Stokes was picked by the New England Patriots with the 255th, and final, selection. University of Memphis fullback Robert Douglas and his mom, Delores Bean of St. Louis, watched every pick as it was announced. They went the distance -- seven agonizing rounds without the decision they were seeking. Douglas wasn't drafted. Neither were two other Tiger hopefuls -- quarterback Danny Wimprine and defensive tackle Albert Means. While they were frustrated at not having ESPN's Mel Kiper analyze their potential, Douglas and Wimprine didn't have an unproductive end to the weekend. Douglas was signed late Sunday as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans. Wimprine accepted an offer from the Cleveland Browns. ''Of course I wanted to get drafted,'' Douglas said. ''But it didn't work out that way. After the fifth round I didn't want to get picked. I wanted to go somewhere where I'd have a choice. I wanted to go as a free agent, somewhere where I'd be able to make the team. Tennessee may be the best place for me.'' While the Memphis trio went undrafted, several Mid-South area schools had players go on the second day. In the fourth round, Mississippi State offensive tackle David Stewart was taken by the Titans and teammate Ronald Fields, a defensive tackle, went in the fifth round to the 49ers. Also in the fifth, Arkansas linebacker Jeb Huckeba was taken by Seattle. Two Vanderbilt players -- defensive end Jovan Haye and guard Justin Geisinger -- were selected in the sixth round, as was Tennessee running back Cedric Houston. Haye went to Carolina, Geisinger to Buffalo and Houston to the New York Jets. In the seventh round, Ole Miss fullback Rick Razzano was selected by Tampa Bay. Douglas was considered a possible draft choice after a strong NFL Pro Day workout in Memphis. And Means was tabbed a potential late-round pick after being the only Tiger invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis earlier this spring. Despite breaking virtually every school passing record in four years as a starter, Wimprine wasn't expected to be chosen. That didn't keep him, or his family, from the television set late Sunday afternoon hoping for a surprise. While a draft call didn't come, a free-agent offer did. Late Sunday Wimprine spoke briefly with Cleveland Browns' quarterback coach Rip Scherer, the former Tiger coach who recruited Wimprine to Memphis. ''Rip called and offered me a chance, he said I was going to get a shot,'' Wimprine said. ''I don't care how I get there, I just want to be up there and competing.'' Brian Parker, the Memphis-based agent for the three Tiger players, called Cleveland ''a great situation for Danny when you factor in his relationship with coach Scherer.'' Parker said he expected Means ''to be in the next wave of (free-agent) signings.'' In his 36-game career with the Tigers, Means had 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Douglas, who played linebacker and fullback in his career, became a key member of the Tiger backfield last season. A punishing blocker, Douglas also caught seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for two others. Douglas's mom admitted it was painful to endure the 255 picks and not hear her son's name called, but she isn't criticizing how the situation unfolded. ''I told him if he had to be a free agent, Tennessee was the best place because it's in Memphis's backdoor,'' she said. ''It's much closer to me than some team on the East coast or the West coast. ''I think everybody would like to have their name called out, but the way I see it is it's still an opportunity for him to get into the league. I feel like he's still blessed.''

04/25/05		Loyola center mulls future at U of M (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 25, 2005 Loyola University Chicago is a fine school in a fine city with lots of fine people. But best as Tyrelle Blair can tell, it's no place for a shotblocker to gain recognition. Exposure. That's the buzz word among most aspiring basketball players these days. So given the University of Memphis was on national television 17 times this past season, it should be no surprise Blair is considering transferring into John Calipari's program. "Loyola just isn't the place for me because I need somewhere where I can get more exposure," he said. "I'm probably not going to average 20 points per game. But at a smaller school, that's what you've got to do to get noticed. So I want to go somewhere where the small stuff I do -- like blocking shots and going in and rebounding -- gets me noticed." A 6-11, 220-pound center, Blair spent the weekend in Memphis growing familiar with the city and, possibly, his future teammates. On Saturday, he played pick-up with the Tigers and fared well against Joey Dorsey, Simplice Njoya and the other big men. Then on Sunday, Blair returned to the Finch Center and worked out again, showing glimpses of promise that could benefit the program, specifically the ability to disrupt shots with his long, lanky frame. Plus -- and this is from the U of M's standpoint-- there are not a whole lot of nearly 7-foot, skilled prospects on the market, not with the NBA eating them up in the spirit of potential. Consequently, Memphis is more than willing to take a look at Blair, despite modest averages of 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during his sophomore season at Loyola University Chicago in which he blocked 50 shots in 30 games. "Tyrelle is still a little raw from playing at (a lower) level," said Memphis forward Waki Williams. "But with the help of Coach Cal and the rest of the coaching staff, he could really be a good player." Blair is scheduled to return to Chicago this morning and probably won't make a decision on his future until next month. Next weekend, the Tallahassee, Fla., native will visit West Virginia. He is also considering Boston College and Texas A&M. No matter which school Blair chooses, he will have to sit out next season per NCAA transfer rules. He could first dress for the 2006-2007 campaign and would have two years of eligibility left.

04/24/05		Baseball No-hit in 3-0 Loss in ECU Series Finale -- Tigers drop sixth straight league series (GoTigersGo.com)
		GREENVILLE, N. C. - MEMPHIS (10-27, 4-13 C-USA) 000 000 000 - 0 0 2 East Carolina (22-16, 8-9 C-USA) 100 002 00X - 3 7 0 ECU starter Ricky Brooks threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in Conference USA history to lead the Pirates to a 3-0 win over Memphis in the series finale Sunday afternoon. The sophomore fanned a career-high 14 Tiger batters and faced just one batter over the minimum. ECU claims its fourth consecutive league win over Memphis with the win. Brooks allowed just two batters to reach in the contest. Chris Newsom reached on a wild pitch after he struck out and Jordan Tolliver followed with a fielder's choice groundball. The Pirates got all the offense they needed in the first inning on an RBI-single by Ryan Peisel. They benefited from a pair of balks to score a pair in the sixth to cap the scoring. A leadoff walk by Jamie Ray ignited the inning and a balk allowed him to advance to second. He then crossed with the Pirate's second tally on another balk by Tiger pitcher Stephen Gostkowski. An infield error by Memphis plated the final ECU run. Gostkowski was the hard-luck loser in the game. The junior righthander scattered six hits over seven innings and allowed just two earned runs. He fanned four. Memphis will now prepare to wrap up its season-long six-game road trip on Tues, Apr. 26 when they travel to Oxford, Miss. To take on Ole Miss. Memphis will return home on Wed., Apr. 27 in the annual tilt with Ole Miss at AutoZone Park. First pitch for both ballgames is set for 6:30 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/24/05		Hurdlers and Jumpers Shine at Mississippi Open -- Kiss Improves Regional Qualifying Mark; Sets School Record in 110m Hurdles (GoTigersGo.com)
		Oxford, Miss. - On a cool spring day in Oxford, the Memphis hurdlers and jumpers put together several sweltering performances to lead the track and field squads at the Mississippi Open, hosted by Ole Miss. Senior Daniel Kiss highlighted the Memphis exploits, as he improved his nationally ranked and Regional qualifying time in the 110m hurdles, setting a school record in the process. Kiss put together his third stellar race in three trips to Oxford, posting a time of 10.67s 110m hurdles to improve upon his previous time of 10.80s, which ranked fourth in the nation entering the meet. The mark also set a new Tiger record for the event, breaking Olympian Terron Wright's record of 10.79s from 1981. Kiss finished second in the race, just behind All-American Antwon Hicks of Ole Miss, who is currently the top-ranked collegiate hurdler in the country. In addition to Kiss, two Lady Tiger hurdlers had big days at in Oxford. Leading the way was junior Josetta Brooks, who put up her second-consecutive solid performance in the 400m hurdles logging a time of 1:03.73 to break TriNikka Davis' Lady Tiger record and post back-to-back victories in her specialty event. Fellow hurdler, Sheena Ohlig added her best performance of the season, setting a personal record of 14.40s in a second-place tally in the 100m hurdles. Tiger 400m hurdler Larry Harris also had his best performance of the season, logging a time of 55.07s for a second-place finish. The jumping events, which have been a strong suit of the U of M squads throughout the season, produced two further victories along with a runner-up finish. Janon Busby posted two solid performances, claiming a first and a second-place finish. The senior's victory came with a personal-best leap of 6-08.75" (2.05m) in the high jump, while he finished runner-up to All-American Brandon Atkinson of Ole Miss in the triple jump with a bound of 50-00.00" (15.25m) to best the Regional qualifying standard for the fourth time of the season. Lisa-Marie Hyman registered the second victory, taking her third triple-jump title in five meets with a mark of 41-00.00" (12.70m), which bettered the Regional qualifying standard, although the senior had previously qualified with a school-record leap of 42-00.75" (12.82m). In other jumping action, Chen Edri placed third in the high jump with a leap of 5-05.00" (1.65m), also placing third in the javelin with a toss of 123-10" (37.75m). The U of M throwers saw a pair of athletes, Norbert Gulyas and Sivan Aballi, put up two top-four performances apiece. Gulyas registered two top-three showings, finishing second to former U of M star Stein Syverson in the shot put with a season-best effort of 50-03.50" (15.33m) and placing third in the discus with a toss of 161-00" (49.08m). Aballi recorded two top-four performances, placing second in the discus with a heave of 141-08" (43.17m), while posting a fourth-place toss of 40-06.25" (12.35m) in the shot put to record a personal best in the event for the third meet in a row. The running events produced several more solid results for both the Tigers and Lady Tigers. Leading the way was Willie Green, who set a personal record in the 100m for the third time of the season, placing fourth in a time of 10.54s, and missing a Regional qualifying time by just four hundredths of a second. Green the men's 4x100m relay team, then, fell just off of its season-best performance of 40.79s from last weekend, but still placed second with a time of 41.03s. Sue-Ann Bowen was the top finisher for the Lady Tigers in the running events, placing second in the 800m with a personal-best time of 2:19.33. The U of M track and field squads will be back in action next weekend, as they are expected split up for three meets in three different areas of the country. Several men's sprinters are scheduled to travel to Philadelphia, Pa., for the historic Penn Relays, while the men's throwers and jumpers, along with their Lady Tiger counterparts, are slated to head to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Relays. The remainder of the women's team will take the road for Monroe, La., for the Indian Classic, hosted by the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

04/24/05		Sound Off: A fan of Finch (Commercial Appeal)
		I just sent a check to the "Friends of Larry Finch" to help with his rehab expenses. He provided so much joy to me and my family as a player, coach, and as a role model that we just had to help, even though my wife, a professional fund raiser, says the donation can't be taken off our taxes because it is going to help an individual. But we decided that's OK anyway because Larry is worth it. I hope others do the same. I was in a rehab hospital just a few months ago, so I know some of what Larry is going through. If you have enjoyed Larry's life you, too, should think about helping. It has been almost 30 years since I left Memphis, and over 35 years since I was graduated from Memphis State University. But events and people like Larry Finch have helped me relate from a distance. Dick Byrd Phoenixville, Pa.

04/23/05		Tiger Baseball Sinks ECU, 8-5 -- Sunday's rubber-match slated for 11 a.m. first pitch (GoTigersGo.com)
		GREENVILLE, N. C. - MEMPHIS (9-27, 3-13 C-USA) 230 110 100 - 8 10 1 East Carolina (22-15, 8-8 C-USA) 000 200 300 - 5 15 2 Memphis grabbed the lead early and never looked back en route to an 8-5 win over ECU in game two of the Conference USA series. Freshman pitcher Neil Schenk scattered 12 hits and struck out four in six and one-thirds innings of work to pick up his first collegiate win. Freshman K.K. Chalmers went 3-for-5 with his first collegiate home run. The Southaven High product was a triple shy of the cycle. The Tiger freshmen weren't the only stars of the afternoon for Memphis. Senior DH Ryan Martin had a 2-for-4 outing and Jordan Tolliver went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Martin knocked his career-high eighth homer of the season and 25th of his career, placing him in a four-way tie for seventh all-time. He also drove in his 99th and 100th career runs on the drive. After being two-hit in Friday night's series opener, a more aggressive Tiger offense showed up for game two. Chad House drew a walk to leadoff the game and Tolliver followed with a single to center. An RBI-ground ball by Adam Amar put the Tigers on the board, and a sacrifice fly by Robbie Goss made it 2-0. Memphis struck for three more scores in the second to chase ECU starter Scott Andrews after an inning and two-thirds. Andrews was saddled with the loss. The frame was highlighted by Martin's two-run bomb that hit the light pole in right centerfield. A two-out rally in the fourth resulted in a Tiger run to put them up 6-0. Tolliver, Martin and Amar posted consecutive hits, with Amar's single through the right side driving in Tolliver. The ECU offense came alive in the home half of the fourth. Singles by Ryan Peisel and Drew Costanzo started the rally. Jake Smith reached on an infield error to load the bases. An RBI-fielder's choice by Jay Mattox cut the lead to 8-3. Dale Mollenhauer's single scored Costanzo. Memphis answered back with a run in the fifth when Chalmers tucked a line drive over the wall just inside the rightfield foul pole for his first collegiate home run. Chalmers came through in the seventh with a clutch RBI-double that scored Cory Barton from first and gave Memphis an 8-2 advantage. The Pirates made a charge to cut the game to a three-run contest at 8-5 in the seventh. Three straight singles by Mark Minicozzi, Adam Witter and Peisel loaded the bases. Minicozzi came in to score on a wild pitch by Tiger reliever Drew Jaudon. A bases loaded single to left off the bat of Smith brought a pair of ECU runs in. Amar also posted multiple hits and RBI in the contest, going 2-for-5 with a pair of runs batted in. Memphis and East Carolina will wrap up the series with the rubber match on Sunday. The first pitch, which was originally scheduled for 1 p.m., has been moved ahead to 11 a.m. Eastern to accommodate the Tigers' travel schedule and remain in compliance with new NCAA game rules. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/23/05		Tiger Notes (basketball) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 23, 2005 Loyola of Chicago center could transfer to U of M Loyola University Chicago basketball player Tyrelle Blair is visiting the University of Memphis this weekend and could transfer into the program by the summer semester. A 6-11, 220-pound center, Blair averaged 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this past season for the Ramblers. The sophomore started 23-of-30 contests and recorded a team-high 50 blocks. If Blair transfers to Memphis, he would have to sit out next season per NCAA rules. The native of Tallahassee, Fla., could first dress for the Tigers during the 2006-07 campaign and he would have two years of eligibility remaining. Recruit waiting for score Memphis signee Chris Douglas-Roberts recently took the SAT. On Friday, the Detroit native said he's optimistic his score will meet freshman eligibility requirements. "The score should be back next week," Douglas-Roberts said. "I feel good about it." A 6-5 guard, Douglas-Roberts is one of two Memphis signees who has yet to qualify academically, the other being Ricky Sanchez of IMG Academy in Florida. Consequently, these are stressful times for the Tiger staff, which finds itself possibly heading into next season shorthanded if Shawne Williams remains in the NBA Draft, and, in a worst-case scenario, only three of the six UofM signees enroll. The situation breaks down like this: Though it hasn't happened yet, Douglas-Roberts is expected to get his test score, and move to campus June 5. Those close to the program aren't too concerned he won't make it. Meanwhile, the staff isn't counting on having Sanchez available next season, though it reiterated Friday there is still a possibility the native of Puerto Rico could earn a sufficient SAT score and enroll at Memphis. If he doesn't, however, the 6-11 wing would likely re-enroll at IMG Academy. As for Williams, his future remains unclear. The 6-9 wing told The Commercial Appeal last week he will declare for the NBA Draft, but only remain in if he is projected to be a first-round draft pick. At this point, Williams doesn't appear to be first-round material. So who knows? But for what it's worth, the former Hamilton High star is scheduled to return to Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute Prep on Sunday to complete class work that will ensure his eligibility if he decides to use it. Williams has until June 21 to withdraw from the June 28 draft. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

04/22/05		Baseball Tigers Shutout by ECU, 12-0 -- Saturday's game moved to 1 p.m. Eastern (GoTigersGo.com)
		GREENVILLE, N. C. - MEMPHIS (9-27, 3-13 C-USA) 000 000 000 - 0 2 5 East Carolina (22-15, 8-8 C-USA) 331 202 10X - 12 15 1 The Memphis defense committed five errors to help ECU to six unearned runs, while the Pirate pitchers struck out 14 Tiger hitters en route to a 12-0 shutout Friday night in the series opener. The win was the sixth straight league win for the Pirates. Memphis' offensive struggled against ECU as just five Tigers reached base in the game. Ryan Martin went 2-for-3 and was the only U of M player to hit safely. ECU scored often and early in handing the Tigers their second shutout of the year. Back-to-back RBI-doubles by Mark Minicozzi and Adam Witter got the Pirates on the board in the first. Adam Peisel followed with a run-scoring triple to put ECU up 3-0. A Dale Mollenhauer triple ignited a three-run second inning. He then scored on an infield error by the Tigers. A sac fly by Minicozzi and a single by Witter gave the Pirates a commanding 6-0 cushion. ECU tacked on a run in the third and two more in the fourth to make it 9-0. A two-run single off the bat of Mollenhauer in the sixth extended the Pirate lead to 11-0. An RBI-single by Witter capped the scoring at 12-0. Witter and Mollenhauer each went 4-for-5 on the night to lead the Pirate offense. Witter added four RBI and a run, while Mollenhauer posted two RBI and two runs. Four ECU hitters recorded multiple hits. ECU roughed up Memphis starter Daniel de Armas (2-3) for four extra base hits in his one and one-thirds innings of work. The senior gave up five runs, four of which were earned, in a losing effort. T.J. Hose (3-3) was the beneficiary of the potent Pirate offense as he picked up the win. The freshman hurled six innings of shutout ball, gave up two hits and faced just four over the minimum. Pirate reliever P.J. Connelly was perfect, striking five of the nine batters he faced in three innings of scoreless relief. Memphis and East Carolina will play game two of the series on Saturday. The first pitch, which was originally scheduled for 2 p.m., has been moved ahead to 1 p.m. Eastern due to the threat of inclement weather. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/22/05		Southern Miss Ends Women's Tennis Season With 4-1 Win -- Lady Tigers Wrap Year With 5-14 Record (GoTigersGo.com)
		Southern Miss used a 4-1 win over Memphis to advance in the C-USA Women's Tennis Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas, Friday night. The 4-1 USM win marks the end of the Lady Tiger season, giving Memphis a record of 5-14 on the year. Match 14 - (8) Southern Miss 4, (12) Memphis 1 Records: Southern Miss (13-6), Memphis (5-14) Singles 1. Marlene Direnstrofer (Mem) def. Nicola Slater (USM) 6-2, 6-2 2. Sherry Price (USM) def. Andrea Feichtinger (Mem) 6-2, 6-0 3. Nikhila Narra (USM) def. Brooke Cowie (Mem) 6-4, 6-1 4. Jennifer Sibille (USM) vs. Kristin Noble (Mem) - DNF 6-3, 1-5 (USM leading) 5. Grace Kammerer (USM) def. Christina Wieser (Mem) 7-5, 6-0 6. Ali Blackett (USM) vs. Alex Tjioe (Mem) - DNF 7-6(6) 2-2 (USM leading) Doubles 1. Sherry Price/Nikhila Narra (USM) vs. Marlene Direnstrofer/Brooke Cowie (Mem) - DNF 8-7 (Mem leading) 2. Mireia Gol/Luiza Borges (USM) def. Andrea Feichtinger/Alex Tjioe (Mem) 8-3 3. Raluca Baicu/Alex Smith (USM) def. Kristin Noble/Christina Wieser (Mem) 8-5

04/22/05		Men's Tennis Upset at C-USA Championships -- Falls to USF, 4-1 (GoTigersGo.com)
		LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Sixth-seeded South Florida upset fourth-seeded Memphis 4-1 Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2005 Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. The teams began the match playing doubles outdoors. The Tigers' Alex Bucewicz and Marten Tamla defeated Andreas Maroldt and Marc Jaeger 8-3 at No. 2. Mark Finnegan and Alex Jago beat Juan Barragan and Dillon Brozyna 8-5 at the No. 3 spot to clinch the doubles point. The teams moved inside when inclement weather set in and had to wait out a tornado warning before beginning the singles matches. When singles finally began, Maroldt tied the match at 1-1 as he defeated Jago 6-4, 6-3 at No. 4. Brozyna topped Scott Felsenthal 7-6, 6-3 at No. 6 to give the Bulls a 2-1 lead. Kiendl defeated Bucewicz 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 at the top spot to make it a 3-1 match. Barragan outlasted James Spence 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 at No. 2 to clinch the match. USF will face top-seeded Tulane in a semifinal match Saturday at noon. Match Summary * USF 4 * Memphis 1 Singles 1. Uli Kiendl, USF def. Alex Bucewicz, MEM 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 2. Juan Barragan, USF def. James Spence, MEM 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 3. Marten Tamla, MEM vs. Federico Barton, USF 6-4, 6-7, 2-1 susp. 4. Andreas Maroldt, USF def. Alex Jago, MEM 6-4, 6-3 5. Marc Jaeger, USF vs. Mark Finnegan, MEM 2-6, 7-6 (3), 3-2 6. Dillon Brozyna, USF def. Scott Felsenthal, MEM 7-6, 6-3 Order of finish: 4, 6, 1, 2 Doubles 1. Spence/Felsenthal, MEM vs. Kiendl/Barton, USF 7-4, susp. 2. Bucewicz/Tamla, MEM def. Maroldt/Jaeger, USF 8-3 3. Barragan/Brozyna MEM def. Finnegan/Jago USF 8-5 Order of finish: 2, 3

04/22/05		Men's Soccer Silent Auction Once Again a Success -- Event raises over $8,750 toward Tigers' tour of Europe in May (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - With the generosity of alumni and supporters the University of Memphis men's soccer program enjoyed a successful silent auction on Thursday, raising over $8,750 toward funding the team's tour of Europe in May. "The success of the silent auction is the success of a lot of people's involvement, time and energy," said Memphis head coach Richie Grant. "It really is an amazing Memphis soccer alumni and friends of the program effort. The money we raised goes a long way to helping our players go to Europe as a group. This has been a significant assistance to the trip we're taking." Following an extravagant dinner organized by the Tiger Scholarship group at Christian Brothers High School's Heffernan Hall, Northeastern State University soccer coach Charlie Mitchell delivered a motivating speech about players having confidence in their ability. Along with coaching current Memphis men's soccer assistant coach Robert Nicholson at NSU, Mitchell played professionally with the New York Cosmos alongside the legendary Pele in 1976. "Charlie had a wonderful message for the players," Grand said. "He valued confidence as one of the most important qualities that a player could have. He said the reason you should have the confidence is because the coaching staff recruited you. Obviously we see something in them in the beginning that draws them into our program. They should have that confidence to know they were recruited with a plan in mind for them." Among the items that were auctioned off was a framed Kansas City Wizards jersey signed by 2004 Memphis team captain Daniel Dobson who recently signed with the Major League Soccer team. Other items included a dinner at Cal's Steakhouse with head basketball coach John Calipari and items from local soccer stores Soccer USA and Soccer Stix. Trust One and First Tennessee were also large sponsors to the evening. The evening was emceed by former U of M soccer player Gareth O'Sullivan who scored 37 goals and 15 assists in his 74 games for Memphis from 1989-92. O'Sullivan is third all time in goals scored at the school. "Gareth is one of the best players to come out of the university," Grant said. "He has a great personality and knows how to work the crowd." The Tigers have raised nearly half of the total cost for funding the team's trip to Europe on May 5-15. Memphis will play three exhibition games against professional level teams in Belgium and Holland. Soccer programs are allowed one foreign trip every four years in addition to the normal spring schedule.

04/22/05		Women's Tennis Advances With 4-0 Win at C-USA Championships -- Faces No. 8 seed Southern Miss Friday at 6 p.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		FT. WORTH, TEXAS - The University of Memphis women's tennis team (6-13) advanced in the consolation bracket at the Conference USA Women's Tennis Championships with a 4-0 win over Saint Louis, Friday. Saint Louis came into the tournament with just four healthy players, thereby forfeiting the No. 3 doubles match to start the match. Memphis claimed the first point as the No. 2 doubles team of Andrea Feichtinger and Alex Tjioe downed the team of Tina Grasso and Tara Grant, 8-4, to put Memphis ahead 1-0. The score quickly jumped to 3-0 Memphis, as Saint Louis had to default the No. 5 and 6 matches to the Lady Tigers, and when Germantown's Kristin Noble wrapped up a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Grasso at No. 4 singles to close out the match. It's the second match-deciding victory Noble has had in her three-year Lady Tiger career, as she clinched the deciding match in a win over Marquette two years ago as a freshman. The Lady Tigers will advance to a Friday evening match against No. 8 seed Southern Miss at 6 p.m. The winner of that match will play for ninth place in the league standings, while the losing team will tie for 11th with the losing team of the Charlotte/Cincinnati match. No. 12 seed Memphis 4, No. 14 seed Saint Louis 0 Doubles No. 1 - Marlene Dirnstorfer / Brooke Cowie (UM) led Amanda Hellberg / Rachel McCullagh, 5-4, dnf No. 2 - Andrea Feichtinger / Alex Tjioe (UM) def. Tara Grant / Tina Grasso, 8-4 No. 3 - Kristin Noble / Christina Wieser (UM) received a default Singles No. 1 - Amanda Hellberg led Marlene Dirnstorfer (UM), 5-4, dnf No. 2 - Andrea Feichtinger (UM) led Tara Grant, 6-2, 2-1, dnf No. 3 - Brooke Cowie (UM) led Rachel McCullagh, 6-4, 2-1 No. 4 - Kristin Noble (UM) def. Tina Grasso, 6-0, 6-0 No. 5 - Christina Wieser (UM) received a default No. 6 - Alex Tjioe (UM) received a default

04/22/05		Tigers Series Finale With East Carolina Moved to 11 a.m. -- Tigers prepare to climb back into C-USA tourney race this weekend (GoTigersGo.com)
		GREENVILLE, N.C. - The start time for Memphis' Conference USA series finale on Sun., April 24 with East Carolina has been moved back two hours. The contest that was originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday will now start at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) to accommodate the Tigers' travel schedule and remain in compliance with the NCAA's new nine-inning game length policy.

04/22/05		Memphis women add aide (Commercial Appeal)
		By PhilStukenborg Contact April 22, 2005 University of Memphis women's basketball coach Blair Savage filled her top assistant position Thursday with the hiring of a coach with strong Memphis and Mid-South area ties. Jay Bowen, a Craigmont High and Christian Brothers University graduate, filled a position left vacant by Tom Cross, who returned to the WNBA as player personnel director for the Houston Comets. Bowen, 44, spent the past season as head coach of the boys basketball team at Lafayette High in Oxford, Miss., after spending the previous two years as director of basketball operations for the Ole Miss men's team. It will mark the first time in his nearly 20-year basketball career he has worked with a women's team. "It is new and it's exciting," Bowen said. "But coaching is coaching. I see it as a new challenge." Savage recently completed her first season as women's coach at 13-16. She called the addition of Bowen "a tremendous help to our program." "He brings something to the staff in his knowledge of the game and his X's and O's background," she said. "All of his former coaches commented on his strong basketball background." A 1984 CBU graduate, Bowen spent three seasons as a CBU assistant coach under Dave Loos, a former Tiger player and assistant basketball coach. His 1990-91 East Central Community College team went 21-6. His 1996-97 Jackson (Miss.) Academy team went 33-2, winning the Class AAAA state title and earning Bowen Coach of the Year honors.

04/22/05		Basketballs and Bibles: Schilling will answer to a higher calling (Daily Helmsman)
		Tim Miller Sports Reporter April 22, 2005 Faith and basketball may be an odd combination to some, but it?s not to Ed Schilling. Schilling, an assistant coach for the University of Memphis men?s basketball team, announced last week he was leaving the team in pursuit of a higher calling. A native of Indiana, he is returning home to pioneer Champions Training Academies, an effort to combine ministry and basketball. ?We?re starting from scratch,? Schilling said. ?I?m the owner, the director, the whole deal.? Through CTA, Schilling hopes to pass on his knowledge of basketball to young athletes while also incorporating his faith. ?We want to make a difference in teaching fundamentals to the young talent,? he said. Schilling said he believes athletes were more fundamentally sound entering college 10 to 15 years ago than they are today. Schilling will begin his mission on May 2 and will be working with the likes of David Logan and Romain Sato. Logan, a senior guard for the University of Indianapolis, was recently selected as the 2005 Division II Bulletin Player of the Year. Sato, a guard out of Xavier University (Ohio), was selected no. 52 in the 2004 draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Schilling is excited about the chance to help further develop the skills of players like Logan and Sato at his academies. But how will he implement his faith with his basketball lessons? It starts with the trust between teacher and student. ?(When athletes) see that you don?t have an agenda,? Schilling said. ?Then they know you?re just trying to make them better. There is a natural trust that begins to build in the relationship. They get interested in what makes you tick.? Once a solid foundation of trust is built, Schilling said he weaves faith and devotion to God in with basketball. Waki Williams, a junior forward at the U of M, benefited firsthand from this combination. ?He taught us that if you believe in something,? Williams said. ?Everything will work out through the power of prayer.? Schilling regularly held a chapel service before games, but he didn?t force the service on any of the players. ?It?s not something he wears on his sleeve,? said Tony Barbee, an assistant coach. Schilling strongly believes in the combination of ministry and basketball and believes it is something that he was meant to do. ?I felt that the Lord wanted me to do this,? Schilling said. ?I?ve been coaching since I was 22. This is how the Lord wants me to use the talent he?s given me.? Although he is looking forward to the opening of the new academies, he leaves Memphis with a heavy heart. ?I?m grateful to the University and city for how great they?ve been to me and my family,? Schilling said. The University is grateful to him as well. ?We?ll be losing a great basketball person, but more importantly we?ll be losing a close friend,? Barbee said. ?He?s a genuine person. When he says something he means it.? As for the team he?ll be leaving behind, Schilling said the Tigers would be just fine. ?I think the sky is the limit for them,? he said. ?...(But,) no matter how much talent you have, you have to keep that edge by staying dedicated. The kids all know this now.? Schilling will also leave behind a close friend in head coach John Calipari. Schilling and Calipari have coached together at the University of Massachusetts, the New Jersey Nets and The U of M. ?If he?s with you, he?s on your side through the good and the bad,? Schilling said. ?He?ll be there for me whether it?s basketball deals or contracts. Just to have a resource like him is great.? While Calipari will miss his long time assistant, he understands why Schilling is leaving. ?This is an incredible opportunity for Ed,? Calipari said in a statement released last week. ?Ed is passionate about his faith and the game of basketball, and this will allow him to combine both of those desires.?

04/21/05		Track and Field Squads Travel to Ole Miss for Third Time of Season -- Ready for Mississippi Open after strong performances last weekend (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Coming off several of their strongest showings to this point in the season, the Memphis track and field squads will return to Oxford, Miss., for the third time of the season, this time for the Mississippi Open, hosted by Ole Miss on Saturday, April 23. Last weekend, the U of M teams traveled predominately to the Jace Lacoste Invitational in Starkville, Miss., while also sending Lady Tiger athletes to the Sea Ray Relays and the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational. Even with the squad spread thin, the women saw strong performances at all three meets. At the Lee Calhoun Memorial, junior Josetta Brooks set a personal best in the 400m hurdles and a season best in the 100m hurdles, claiming victories in both events, while at Sea Ray, sophomore Daniele Riendeau broke her own school record in 1500m. In Starkville, Victoria Crawford placed second in the triple jump. Chen Edri set a season best and school record in the javelin and another season best in the high jump. Annette Uzoh added personal records in the shot put and hammer, while Sivan Aballi recorded a career best in the shot put. For the men, the highlights were just as prevalent. Seniors Janon Busby and Daniel Kiss led the way, with Busby setting a season best and improving upon his Regional qualifying mark in the triple jump and Kiss winning the 110m hurdles in Regional qualifying time, though he had previously qualified earlier in the season. Brandon Winbush set a season best and improved his Regional qualifying leap in the long jump. The 4x100m relay team of Daniel Bandy, Willie Green, Kiss and Gary Nemeth claimed a victory, setting a season best and narrowly missing a Regional qualifying mark, while Norbert Gulyas, Jason Morgan and Cody Rushing each set personal bests on the day. Entering this weekend's meet, five U of M athletes have qualified for NCAA Regionals, which will be held Friday-Saturday, May 27-28, in Bloomington, Ind. For the women, Lisa-Marie Hyman who currently ranks sixth in the Mideast Region and 18th in the nation and Crawford, who ranks 13th in the Mideast Region and 33rd in the nation have both qualified in the triple jump. On the men's side, Kiss, Busby and Winbush have punched their tickets in the 110m hurdles, triple jump and long jump, respectively. Kiss' presently ranks the highest of any U of M athlete, sitting third in the Mideast Region and sixth in the nation, and also ranking 10th in Trackwire's Dandy Dozen for the 110m hurdles. Busby ranks seventh in the region and 24th in the nation, while Winbush is ninth in the region and 25th in the nation. Several additional Memphis athletes have opportunities to reach Regional qualifying standards and will hope to gain ground this weekend. Competition at the Mississippi Open is set to begin at 12 p.m. Saturday with the Women's hammer and javelin throws, and will continue throughout the day. The first running events, the 4x100m relays are slated for 2:50 p.m. Live results for the Mississippi Open can be followed on Ole Miss' website, www.olemisssports.com, while complete results and recaps will be posted at gotigersgo.com after the conclusion of the meet.

04/21/05		Women's Soccer Signs Three More Student-Athletes for 2005 Season -- Signees include one from Indiana, one from Ontario, and one from Japan (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Memphis head women's soccer coach Brooks Monaghan on Thursday announced the signings of three more student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The three additional signings give the Tigers a total of 14 signees this spring after 11 student-athletes inked Letters of Intent on National Signing Day back in February. Joining the Memphis recruiting class of 2005 are Alexandra Atkinson of Mississauga, Ontario, Sarah MacGregor of Indianapolis, Ind., and Asuka Kubota of Saitama, Japan. Atkinson, a 5'7 defender out of Father Goetz High School, will be the second recruit to come to Memphis next year from Mississauga, joining club teammate Joanna Alexopulos, who signed with the Tigers in February. She has been a member of the Dixie Blaze club team, and helped lead the team to the 2004 National Club Championship. Her play on defense contributed to the team allowed just two goals in the national tournament as well as just two goals in the Ontario Cup, which the team won as well. She has been the captain of her club team and also participated in basketball for her high school. She will join Alexopulos as members of the Tigers that hail from Ontario and will be the third member of the team from Canada, also joining junior-to-be Beth Keating, who hails from Alberta. "Alexandra will be a strong addition to our defense," said Monaghan. "Having lost the seniors that we lost on defense, we feel that we found a very good defender to help replace what we lost. She is a very hard-nosed and strong, physical defender. She is strong in the air and we expect her to come in and to contribute early on." Kubota played this past season at NAIA Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn. where she garnered first team NAIA All-American honors.This past year at Martin Methodist, Kubota scored 18 goals and recorded 22 assists for a total of 58 points, which was second on the team. She led the team in assists and was third in goals while playing in and starting 15 games. She had five multiple-goals games, including a four and a three-goal game. She also recorded multiple assists in seven games. A forward who can also play midfield, she has also been a member of the Under-19 Japanese National Team. Kubota, who will be a sophomore in the fall, will be the second Japanese player on the Tigers, joining junior Shoko Mikami. "Asuka is a very technical player that is going to bring a lot to our team. She is definitely a playmaker and a goal scorer," said Monaghan. "She is all around great soccer player and someone who is going to be relied upon to score some goals for us. The experience that she has playing at the National Team level is a big bonus for us. We expect her to come in and make an immediate impact, especially since she has been playing at the collegiate level for an entire year now." MacGregor, a 5'5 midfielder from Brebeuf Jesuit Prep in Indianapolis, will be the second native of Indiana on the Tigers in 2005, joining fellow Hoosier State native and senior Robyn Smart. MacGregor has been a member of the soccer team for four years and also participated in track for one season. She has been named All-District and All-County three years straight. Her club team, Dynamo FC, has played in the State Cup finals for six straight seasons and has won the State Cup twice in those six years. MacGregor has been the team captain and also played two years on the Olympic Development Program state team. Also an excellent student, she has been named Academic All-State and is a member of the National Honor Society. "We feel very fortunate that we found Sarah so late in the recruiting process and we feel that she will be one of the.kids that slipped through cracks," said Monaghan. "She has the potential to do well at any program so we are especially fortunate to get such a good player this late. She is a very fit, technical player that will definitely add depth to the midfield and has ability to come in and make an impact and contribute from the beginning."

04/21/05		Jay Bowen Joins Lady Tiger Basketball Staff -- Comes to Memphis after spending the past year at Lafayette High School in Oxford, Miss. (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Lady Tiger basketball coach Blair Savage filled her top assistant coaching vacancy with the hiring of Jay Bowen it was announced by Savage, Thursday. Bowen joins the Lady Tiger staff after spending two years as a Director of Basketball Operations for the Ole Miss men's basketball team, and the past year as the head coach of the boy's team at Lafayette High School in Oxford. "The hiring of Jay Bowen is a tremendous help to our program," Savage said. "He brings something to the staff in his knowledge of the game and his Xs and Os background. All of his former coaches commented on his strong basketball background. He has the contacts and the basketball knowledge to really benefit our program. He has been in the game a long time, and he knows what it takes to get it done. And since he's a Craigmont grad, his Memphis background is something we are really excited about." A graduate of Christian Brothers University in Memphis in 1984, Bowen went on to serve as CBU's assistant men's basketball coach, helping the 1986-87 squad to a second place finish in the National Catholic Tournament. He moved to Armstrong State College in Savannah, Georgia in 1987, where he served as a men's assistant basketball coach while the program moved from NCAA Division I to II. Bowen stayed at Armstrong State from 1987-88 before becoming a graduate assistant coach at Ole Miss from 1988-1989. Following Ole Miss, Bowen moved to East Central Community College, where he recruited 12 freshman to help rebuild the ECCC program. In 1990-91, the ECCC squad posted a 21-6 record, the best-ever record in 30 years and the third-best in school history. He was voted the Area Coach of the Year in 1991 and guided ECCC to its first state championship the following year. His success at ECCC led to an assistant coaching position at Georgia State University in Atlanta where he handled the recruiting duties for the Panthers, whom he joined in 1991. In 1994, Bowen was promoted to the top assistant coaching slot, where he coordinated the defense and the implementation of the motion offense. In May of 1996, Bowen returned to the state of Mississippi, assuming the Head Coach's job at Jackson Academy. There, he guided his team to a 33-2 record, an undefeated regular season, a Conference Tournament championship and the AAAA State Tournament. He was also named the AAAA Coach of the Year. In June of 1998, Bowen took the head basketball coaching job for the East Central Community College team. Guiding a team that had not had a winning season in five years, Bowen guided ECCC to a winning record, and had 12 players signed to NCAA Division I scholarships in three seasons. He also served as the men's and women's tennis coach at ECCC. In August of 2001, Bowen was brought on board at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., as an assistant basketball coach and recruiting coordinator. There, the Governors lost in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference, and Bowen's recruiting class of 2001-02 went on to win back-to-back OVC Championships, including an undefeated conference record in 2003-04. His success recruiting at Austin Peay State presented an opportunity to join Ole Miss as the Director of Basketball Operations (DBO) for the men's basketball program. At Ole Miss, Bowen oversaw the film exchange and scouting program and coordinated the on-campus recruiting effort. He served as the DBO at Ole Miss from July 2002 until April of 2004, when he was promoted to an assistant basketball coaching spot, where he recruited the starting point guard and the SEC's Sixth Man for the Rebels. In July of 2004, Bowen was named the Head Basketball Coach at Lafaytte High School in Oxford, Miss, where he took over rebuilding the program. His 2004-05 team won more games than the previous seven years, and beat the sixth-ranked team in the state while starting one junior, four sophomores and using an 8th grader as a sixth man. Bowen earned his Master's Degree in Education from then-Memphis State in 1988. He is married to the former Christy Perry and they have two daughters, Kathryne Ashleigh and Katelyn Ansley. He will continue to live in Lafayette County and commute to allow his two daughters to stay in the Lafayette School system.

04/21/05		Women's Tennis Falls 4-0 at C-USA Championships -- Faces Saint Louis in consolation draw, Friday, at 9 a.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		FT. WORTH, TEXAS - The Lady Tiger tennis team (5-13) fell 4-0 to No. 5 seed DePaul in the first round of the Conference USA women's tennis championships at TCU, Thursday. With the loss, Memphis drops into the consolation bracket, and will face Saint Louis at 9 a.m., Friday. The winner of that match will advance, while the loser finishes the season tied for 13th place in the league standings. DePaul opened with a sweep of the doubles matches, winning 8-4 at No. 1, 8-2 at No. 2 and 8-1 at No. 3 to go up 1-0 heading into the singles competition. The Blue Demons sealed the victory with wins at No. 2, 3 and 6 singles to drop Memphis into the consolation bracket. No. 5 DePaul 4, No. 12 Memphis 0 Doubles No. 1 - Beatrix Csordas/Marina Parashkevova def. Marlene Dirnstorfer / Brooke Cowie (UM), 8-4 No. 2 - Gergana Ganeva/Petra Rehusova def. Andrea Feichtinger / Alex Tjioe (UM), 8-2 No. 3 - Anja Mihaldinec/Bojana Murisic def. Kristin Noble / Christina Wieser (UM), 8-1 Singles No. 1 - Beatrix Csordas led Marlene Dirnstorfer (UM), 6-4, 2-3, dnf No. 2 - Marina Parashkevova def. Andrea Feichtinger (UM), 6-1, 6-0 No. 3 - Gergana Ganeva def. Brooke Cowie (UM), 6-1, 6-1 No. 4 - Petra Rehusova led Kristin Noble (UM), 6-2, 1-1, dnf No. 5 - Brenda Leung led Christina Wieser (UM), 6-2, 3-0, dnf No. 6 - Bojana Murisic def. Alex Tjioe (UM), 6-0, 6-1

04/21/05		Wave rallies, wins C-USA -- Tulane women come from nine shots back (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 21, 2005 As she chatted with South Florida women's golf coach Susan Holt on the back nine at Germantown Country Club Wednesday, Tulane coach Sue Bower was drafting a concession speech. Her Green Wave, the defending Conference USA Tournament champion, was struggling, or so Bower thought, to keep pace with TCU. The Horned Frogs had entered the third and final round with a nine-stroke advantage over Tulane and appeared to be in command as the final groups were playing through. Had Bower known what was transpiring behind her -- particularly the stellar play of her top two golfers -- she may not have been so quick to congratulate TCU. ''I was actually ready to concede on the 16th tee box,'' Bower said. ''I was totally relaxed and content with second place, and that's probably a good thing. It kept me from being spastic down the stretch.'' Sparked by a 3-under-par 69 by Liliana Alvarez, the medalist in last year's conference tournament, and a 1-under 71 by Alison Walshe, this year's medalist and the league's player of the year, Tulane defended its title and earned an automatic NCAA Tournament berth with a five-stroke victory over TCU. Tulane shot a 298 for a three-day total of 898. TCU, runnerup the past two years, finished with a 903. The University of Memphis, which won the event in 2001 at Birmingham, finished seventh. The Lady Tigers shot a 329 for a three-day total of 961. Tulane's comeback represented the largest such turnaround in tournament history. There had been two comebacks from seven strokes down entering the final round, but never a recovery from nine strokes behind. ''I kind of challenged my team last night,'' Bower said. ''I said win, lose, or draw, make it close, put up a battle. I'm very proud of them. They showed some character. They showed they have some guts and now they are going to go to the NCAA Regionals on a high.'' Walshe's closing 71 gave her a three-day total of 2-under 214. Walshe, a Boston College transfer who won last year's Big East Conference Tournament medalist honors, was the only golfer who finished under par. TCU's Stacey Bieber was second with a 78 for 223 and two others -- Alvarez and South Florida's Christina Jones -- tied for third place with 224s. Alvarez's closing 69 was the only sub-70 round of the tournament. Memphis's top finisher was sophomore Stacey Tate, who had an 83 for 239 and a three-way tie for 25th. Lady Tiger Meghan Mahoney was next at 240. Lady Tiger coach Jenny Bruun, in her first season, said her team's goal Wednesday was to close strong and move from sixth (after two days) to fifth. Instead the UofM dropped to seventh with its worst round of the tournament. ''We said let's move back to where we were (fifth place on Monday),'' Bruun said. ''But we had one of those days. We won't forget it, but fortunately others won't remember.'' Tate, a New Zealand native who earned third-team all-conference honors, had hoped the Lady Tigers would take advantage of playing on a course where they regularly play practice rounds. But windy, dry conditions made it a tougher track. ''I was confident going into the final round, I was hoping to shoot in the mid-70s,'' she said. ''But this course can come around and bite you in the bun.'' Tulane avoided the course's bite by, in effect, biting back. ''It's tough sometimes playing with the lead that TCU had," Bower said. "For us, this was gratifying because all of our tournament victories have come by a wide margin. We have never come back in the 13 years that I've coached at Tulane. Never.'' Conference USA men The Memphis men's golf team shot a 297 -- its best round of the C-USA Championships -- Wednesday at Gulfport, Miss., to finish seventh in the 14-team event. The Tigers shot a 34-over 898 during the three-day tournament at The Grand Bear. TCU won its fourth straight conference title by shooting a final round 7-under 281 for a three-day total of 23-under 841. For the Tigers, Robbie Greenwell had a 1-over 73 and finished the tournament with an 8-over 224. Keven Fortin-Simard, named third-team all conference and to the all-freshman team, was the Tigers' top finisher. He shot a 3-over 75 Wednesday and closed at 223. Ian Rochester and Justin Mier were three shots back at 226.

04/21/05		Tiger Notes (tennis, baseball, basketball, rifle) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 21, 2005 Tigers carrying momentum into tennis tournament -- Tamla's turnaround has team on verge If the University of Memphis men's tennis team rides the momentum generated by No. 3 singles player Marten Tamla, the Tigers may have a chance to advance deep into the Conference USA Tournament. The four-day C-USA Tournament starts today in Louisville, and Tamla will lead a Tiger team that earned the No. 4 seed and a first-day bye. Memphis (12-10) opens play Friday against the winner of today's South Florida-Marquette match. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic berth in the 64-team NCAA Tournament. Memphis has never qualified for the team tournament, although it has had individuals earn berths. Tamla, a senior from Estonia, has prospered since a late-season move to No. 3 singles. He has won six of seven matches after going 0-5 at No. 4 singles. "Marten is playing with a lot of confidence right now. He's probably playing good enough to be at Nos. 1 or 2," said Memphis coach Paul Goebel. Goebel, in his first season as men's tennis coach, said 19th-ranked Tulane will be favored to win its third straight C-USA title. TCU and Louisville, the second and third seeds, also will challenge. Goebel said if the Tigers can play themselves into Sunday's finals they may position themselves for an NCAA at-large bid. "We have no bad losses," Goebel said. "Almost every team we've lost to will be in the NCAA Tournament, and there will be some we beat that will be in too. "We played a very demanding schedule. Eight of our 10 losses came against teams in the top 40." The Tigers are 75th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, down from No. 66. But the UofM is getting strong play throughout its lineup, which features Alex Bucewicz at No. 1 and James Spence at No. 2. Spence is 8-4 in singles play. "We've been playing well the past three or four weeks," Goebel said. "We are healthy and everybody from (Nos.) 1 through 6 is playing to their potential." Women's tennis at TCU The C-USA women's tournament also begins today, and the Lady Tiger tennis team, seeded 12th, will open against No. 5 seed DePaul at 9 a.m. at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. Senior Marlene Dirnstorfer from Austria, a third-team all-conference selection in 2004, will lead the women's team. She is 8-9 at No. 1 singles this spring. The Lady Tigers are 5-12 this spring, including 1-4 against C-USA competition. "It's been a hard year," Lady Tiger coach Charlotte Peterson said. "We've played good, we just haven't had the depth from top to bottom." There have been bright spots. Besides Dirnstorfer, Peterson said the game of Houston High grad Kristin Noble, the team's No. 4 singles player, has matured. And Peterson, in her 30th season as coach, said No. 5 singles player Christina Wieser of Austria worked hard to achieve positive results. She has won five of her last nine matches. Odds and ends The Tiger baseball team, 3-12 in league play, will open a three-game C-USA series Friday night at East Carolina. ... Lady Tiger basketball player Megan Gooch will travel to Spain May 22 to June 11 as a member of the Athletes in Action basketball team. Gooch, a 6-3 center, will join other U.S. players for the international mission trip. ... Assistant men's tennis coach Lee Taylor Walker has been voted to the C-USA Men's Tennis All-Decade Team. Walker, who capped a three-year career last spring, is the only Tiger to earn first-team all-conference honors. The deadline is Friday for entering the Tiger Scholarship Fund Spring Golf Tournament. The tournament will be played May 9 at Germantown Country Club with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. ... Rifle coach Butch Woolbright announced today that Junior Olympians Jessica Jasis (Eddyville, Ky.) and Andrew Hahn (Hartford, S.D.) will join the Tigers for the 2005-06 season. ... Seven UofM student-athletes were named 2005 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars by Black Issues In Higher Education: Josetta Brooks (women's track and field), Lisa-Marie Hyman (women's track and field), Courtnee Melton (women's soccer), Monica Powell (women's soccer), Hristina Slancheva (volleyball), Brandon Stewart (football) and Fehi Tuivai (volleyball). -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2364

04/21/05		Auction to take soccer overseas (Daily Helmsman)
		Matthew Laurie Sports Reporter April 21, 2005 With a few pen strokes tonight at Christian Brothers High School you can send The University of Memphis men's soccer team halfway across the globe. The 5th annual silent auction for men's soccer will be held tonight in Heffernan Hall at CBHS. The event will provide anyone interested a chance to bid on a variety of items to help the team fund a European trip to Holland and Belgium. "It's a great opportunity for the (soccer) alumni to get together," said Richie Grant, head soccer coach. Among the items up for auction are rounds of golf from area courses, restaurant vouchers, jerseys from the European soccer clubs and a signed jersey from former Tiger Daniel Dobson, currently playing for the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer. Items were also donated by U of M coaches from various programs, such as football memorabilia from head coach Tommy West, items from track coach Glen Hayes and dinner at Cal's Steakhouse with head basketball coach John Calipari. "Each year it shows the respect different programs have for each other," Grant said. The event will last from 7 - 9 p.m. and costs $25 for soccer alumni and students, $60 per individual and $500 for a sponsor table that seats 10. Grant said the goal for this year's auction is $10,000, $2,000 higher than last year's total of $8,000. During the auction, attendees will have the chance to chat with Northeastern State University men's and women's soccer head coach Charlie Mitchell. Formerly with St. Mirren of Scotland and the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, Mitchell has years of experience in the soccer world. "He's got great stories," Grant said. "He's played with Pele and George Best." Andy Metcalf, a senior next season, said he's going to take advantage of Mitchell's expertise. "He's probably going to be annoyed with me because I'm going to be asking so many questions," he said. The proceeds of the auction will go toward the approximate cost of $30,000 for the European trip. Currently, the soccer team has raised $5,000 toward that cost through T-shirt and hat sales. During the trip, the Tigers are scheduled to play three exhibition matches against top club teams, including Ajax, Holland's premier soccer team. For Memphis soccer players who have dreams to play soccer for a living, the trip would provide an opportunity to gain first-hand experience about soccer overseas. It may also provide a professional starting point. "There's no telling who is going to be at the game watching," said Metcalf. The trip is scheduled for May 5 - 15.

04/20/05		Middle Tennessee Pounds Nine Homers to Defeat Tigers, 19-7 -- Tigers look ahead to C-USA series with ECU (GoTigersGo.com)
		MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - MEMPHIS (9-26) 060 10 0 000 - 7 9 2 Middle Tennessee (18-15) 121 1011 200 - 19 16 0 Middle Tennessee smashed six home runs to fuel an 11-run sixth inning and defeat Memphis 19-7 Wednesday evening in non-conference action at Reese Smith Field. The Blue Raiders pounded out a school-record nine round trippers in a 16-hit attack to claim their sixth straight win over the Tigers. MT took complete control of the game with the record-breaking frame. Nate Jaggers ignited the rally with a two-run blast to right centerfield. Todd Martin followed with a homer to leftcenter to as MT took an 8-7 lead. Alex Watson, Josh Archer and Eric McNamee then combined to hit back-to-back-to-back blasts to give the Blue Raiders a 12-7 cushion. A three-run shot by Nathan Hines capped the inning. Middle got a two runs in the seventh powered by Tommy Decker's first career home run. Marcus Taylor put the Blue Raiders ahead 19-7 with Marcus Taylor's second home run of the afternoon in the eighth. Taylor finished the day 2-for-5 with a pair of longballs. After Middle Tennessee plated a run in the first Memphis exploded for six runs in the second. Jordan Tolliver set the two-out rally off with a single through the hole at short and third. John Peterson drew a walk and Patrick Hope produced an RBI-double down the left field line. RBI-singles by Eric Smith and Chris Newsom gave the Tigers a 5-1 lead before Ryan Martin ripped an RBI-triple to the gap in left centerfield to score Chad House. The Blue Raiders cut the Tiger lead to 6-3 in the third, after Marcus Taylor launched a two-run home run over the right field wall. MT crossed a run in the third and another in the fourth to pull to with two runs at 7-5. K.K. Chalmers took the loss after giving up seven runs on six hits in two-thirds of an inning. Five of the six hits he gave up were home runs. Jimmy Kelly picked up the win for Middle Tennessee. Memphis will now prepare for a three-game C-USA set with ECU beginning on Fri., Apr. 22. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/20/05		Keven Fortin-Simard Named to C-USA All-Freshman Team and Third Team All-C-USA -- Third straight year Tigers have had at least one All-Conference honoree (GoTigersGo.com)
		Gulfport, Miss. - Freshman Keven Fortin-Simard of the Memphis men's golf team was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team as well as third team All-Conference, it was announced at the conclusion of the men's golf championship on Wednesday. It marks the third straight year that Memphis has had at least one All-Conference honoree. Fortin-Simard, one of just two Memphis golfers that played in every event this year, ended the year with a 73.8 stroke average, second on the team, in 29 rounds of competitive golf over 10 tournaments. The native of Roberval, Quebec, won individual medalist honors at his first collegiate event back in September, the Radrick Farms Intercollegiate in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he was the only golfer in the field to shoot under par in all three rounds of the tournament. He placed in the top 10 in four of the 10 events all together. He also placed in the top 15 in five events and the top five in three tournaments, tops on the team in both categories. He led Memphis to three tournament titles during the fall while averaging a score of 71.7 each round as well as a pair of second place finishes during the spring season. One of four freshman that started in tournaments this year, Fortin-Simard was in the #1 position in the Memphis starting lineup for nine of U of M's 10 tournaments. Of his 29 competitive rounds, he shot eight subpar rounds and five rounds of even par. Though it was not considered in the balloting process, he also set two Memphis-area course records over the fall during tournament qualifying and practice, with a pair of 64's at Quail Ridge and Whispering Woods.

04/20/05		Lady Tigers Take Seventh at C-USA Championship -- Tate earns All-Conference Third Team honors (GoTigersGo.com)
		GERMANTOWN, Tenn. - The University of Memphis finished seventh out of 10 at the Conference USA Women's Golf Championship on Wednesday at the Germantown Country Club. The Lady Tigers shot a final round 329 to finish 311-321-329--961 in the three-day tournament. Memphis finished 11 strokes ahead of eight place UAB and six shots behind sixth place Southern Miss. Sophomore Stacey Tate led Memphis with an 80-76-83--239 to place in a 25th tie individually. Meghan Mahoney shot a third round team low 7-over 79 to finish 28th with a 79-82-79--240 total. Kathryn O'Rourke finished 30th (74-83-85--242), Cameron Barber took 31st and Bernie Rosero ended in a tie for 41st place (78-88-8--252). Tulane (298-306-294--898) overcame a nine-stroke deficit after round two to beat TCU (294-301-308--903) by five shots for the conference championship. The Green Wave's Liliana Alvarez scored a tournament low 3-under 69 in the final round and teammate Alison Walshe shot a 1-under 71 to help Tulane come from behind for the win. Walshe captured medalist honors with a 2-under 73-70-71--214, breaking the conference championship three-round individual record. Walshe led second place Stacey Bieber (71-74-78--223) of TCU by nine strokes. After the tournament ended, the C-USA All-Conference awards were named with Tate selected to the Third Team. Walshe took Player of the Year honors, while Tulane's Sue Bower was selected as the conference Coach of the Year. FINAL RESULTS 2005 C-USA Women's Championship Germantown CC Germantown, TN Dates: 04/18 - 04/20 (Today:04-20-2005) Par: 72 Yardage: 6178 Fin. Top 20 Teams Scores 1 Tulane University 298 306 294 898 2 TCU 294 301 308 903 3 USF 298 309 302 909 4 East Carolina Univ. 313 311 308 932 5 Louisville, Univ. of 319 308 318 945 6 Southern Mississippi 309 325 321 955 7 Memphis, Univ. of 311 321 329 961 8 UAB 321 331 320 972 9 Cincinnati, U. of 332 326 322 980 10 St. Louis University 358 378 362 1098 Fin. Top 20 Players School Scores 1 Alison Walshe Tulane 73 70 71 214 2 Stacey Bieber TCU 71 74 78 223 3 Liliana Alvarez Tulane 74 81 69 224 Christina Jones USF 73 77 74 224 5 Drae Ward TCU 75 74 76 225 6 Daniella Ronderos USF 77 77 73 227 7 Mary Ellen Jacobs Tulane 74 77 77 228 8 Adrienne White Louisville 72 78 79 229 Catherine Matranga TCU 79 75 75 229 10 Hillery Wilson Cincinnati 76 79 75 230 11 Heidi Helliesen E Carolina 76 78 77 231 Fernanda Rivera USF 70 80 81 231 13 Adrienne Millican E Carolina 79 76 77 232 Meghan Little Louisville 81 73 78 232 Camille Blackerby TCU 75 78 79 232 Lindsay Hulwick Tulane 77 78 77 232 17 Kylene Pulley USF 78 77 78 233 Amanda Smith USF 78 78 77 233 Elin Emanuelsson TCU 73 81 79 233 20 Emelie Lind E Carolina 79 79 76 234 7 Memphis, Univ. of 311 321 329 961 T 25 Stacey Tate 80 76 83 239 28 Meghan Mahoney 79 82 79 240 30 Kathryn O'Rourke 74 83 85 242 31 Cameron Barber 81 80 82 243 T 41 Bernie Rosero 78 88 86 252

04/20/05		Men's Golf Finishes Seventh at C-USA Championships -- Four of five players finish in top 35 (GoTigersGo.com)
		Gulfport, Miss. - Despite shooting their best team round of the tournament, the Memphis men's golf team remained in seventh place and ended the Conference USA Championship on Wednesday at The Grand Bear with a seventh place finish. The Tigers ended the tournament at 34-over 898 (301-300-297), topping eighth place Southern Miss by two strokes and finishing behind sixth place Houston by 11 shots. TCU captured its fourth straight conference championship by shooting a final round seven-under 281 and finished the tournament at 23-under 841 (278-282-281), 26 shots ahead of second place Charlotte. For the second time in three days, Robbie Greenwell shot the low round of the day for the Tigers, carding a one-over 73 to finish the tournament at eight-over 224 (74-77-73) and in a tie for 30th. The top Tiger finisher for the tournament was Keven Fortin-Simard, who after the tournament was named third team All-Conference-USA as well as to the C-USA All-Freshman team. Fortin-Simard had a final round of three-over 75 and finished at seven-over 223 (77-71-75) and in a tie for 26th. Ian Rochester and Justin Miers each finished tied for 35th at 10-over 226. Rochester (75-76-75) also shot a three-over 75 in the final round while Miers (76-76-74) improved on his identical score from his first two rounds by two strokes, firing a two-over 74. For the second straight day, Andy Shiels shot an 80 and he finished at 20-over 236 and in a tie for 58th. "We are definitely disappointed with the way we finished the season here this week and it shows us that we definitely need to work over the summer to get better for next year," said Memphis coach Grant Robbins. "We certainly showed some positive things this year but we were very inexperienced. Inexperienced teams tend to play well when things are going well but when adversity hits, their scores tend to go up. We need to get better at handling adversity and learn how to score when we are not hitting our best. Overall, we just need to get mentally tougher. Teammates Colby Beckstrom and Drew Stoltz of TCU tied for individual medalist honors at seven-under 209. The Horned Frogs also had the third and fourth place individual finisher in David Schultz and James Sacheck, respectively. A total of seven players, including the aforementioned four from TCU, finished the tournament below par. In Robbins' second season as head coach, the Tigers improved upon their Conference USA Championship finish from a year ago. Memphis finished in a tie for eighth place in 2004 at the Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club in Dade City, Fla. The Tigers also placed four of their five players in the top 35, an improvement from just two last year.

04/20/05		Tiger Rifle Signs Two Junior Olympians -- Jasis and Hahn should help continue national success for U of M (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - University of Memphis Rifle coach Butch Woolbright announced today that Junior Olympians Jessica Jasis and Andrew Hahn will join the Tigers for the 2005-06 season. A native of Eddyville, Ky., Jasis was the 2005 Junior Olympic female air rifle champion, and is now a member of the U.S. Olympic Developmental team. She is very active at Lyon County High School where she is a Beta Club member and is the president of her school's Family Career and Community Leaders of America club. She also serves as the vice president of that club on the state level. She was also a member of the 2003 FCCLA Parliametary team that won gold medals at the regional, state and national championships. At LCHS, she also plays trumpet in the band, and is a varsity tennis player. Hahn comes to the U of M from West Central High School in Hartford, S.D. He recently placed second in the 2004 Montgomery Bell Fall Classic, and was the South Dakota state champion in smallbore rifle. Hahn also is a Junior Olympic shooter, and plays center for the WCHS football team. He helped his football squad to a state championship. Hahn also received an academic scholarship from the U of M. "I am very excited that Jessica and Andrew will be joining our team," said Woolbright. "They are definitely going to help us continue to build this program into one of the best in the country."

04/20/05		Memphis women 6th, men 7th in C-USA golf (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 20, 2005 After the second round of the Conference USA Women's Golf Championship, the University of Memphis dropped one spot to sixth in the 10- team field on Tuesday with a 321 at Germantown Country Club. Three teams shot below 300 in the first round on Monday, but a windy back nine caused scores and frustration to rise in the second round on the par 72 course. Once again TCU had the day's best performance, adding to its tournament lead with a 294-301-595 (+19). Tulane is seven strokes behind in second (298-306-604) and USF moved to third place at 607. Tournament host Memphis (311-321-632) is eight strokes behind fourth place East Carolina University (313-311-624). Stacey Tate led Memphis with a 4-over 76 to finish the second round in a 19th place tie with an 80-76-156. The sophomore from New Zealand jumped 11 spots from 30th place. Sophomore Kathryn O'Rourke dropped from a seventh place tie individually to 22nd individually with a 74-83-157 performance, one stroke behind Tate for the team lead. Tulane's Alison Walshe was the only golfer to finish the second round below par with a 2-under 70, placing her in first place individually with a 73-70-143. The tournament concludes today. C-USA Men The Memphis men's golf team moved up two spots in the second round of the Conference USA Championship at Gulfport, Miss. The Tigers shot 12-over 300 as a team and sit in a seventh place tie with Southern Miss at 25-over 601. TCU shot a six-under 282 and leads by 19 shots at 16-under 560. Keven Fortin-Simard shot the low round of the day for the Tigers, one-under 71. He is tied for 22nd place at four-over 148 (77-71). For the second straight day two Tigers shot 76s. Justin Miers is tied for 33rd at eight-over 152 (76-76). Ian Rochester is tied for 29th at seven-over 151 (75-76). The final round is today.

04/19/05		Waiting is the hardest part -- Former Memphis quarterback and New Orleans-area native Danny Wimprine is hoping to be drafted this weekend (The Times-Picayune, New Orleans)
		By William Kalec Staff writer Danny Wimprine took a slumped seat on the porch to accommodate a lazy April afternoon, trapped for a week between past and possibility. Time is of abundance until Sunday's crawfish boil celebrating the second day of the NFL draft and, if life cooperates, Wimprine's future place of employment. For those invited and in need of directions, just keep an eye out for the River Ridge house where the University of Memphis window stickers outnumber the cars in the driveway. It's hard to miss. But for this week, the soon-to-be college graduate temporarily has a bunch of blanks in his schedule. Friday: Wimprine hustled to hand in a term paper then scurried Roxy and Davidson -- Wimprine's two Rottweilers with a combined weight nearly equal his own -- into a suffocating-full SUV for the familiar 400-mile drive down I-55 from Memphis to home. Thank goodness Barbara, Wimprine's mother, showed up earlier in the week. No way everything collected during this two-year stay at an off-campus house ("the football house" as Wimprine's neighbors came to call it) could have fit in one trip. He hoped to be pulling off the Williams Boulevard exit around 5 p.m. Didn't happen until closer to 8 p.m. Even with the late departure, Wimprine still didn't have a chance to check the rear-view mirror for one last figurative glimpse of what he helped build at Memphis and now was leaving behind. Saturday: Wimprine had an anniversary party to attend. Before that, he began unpacking. His wall decorations -- including a signed Terry Bradshaw jersey and a framed Brett Favre poster -- leaned against the couch and the wall, shrinking the passageway to the kitchen. No rush, though. Company doesn't arrive for another eight days. Sunday: Doesn't appear a rock concert is about to break out. Danny's at the kitchen table, waiting. His father Ronnie is in his leather seat, next to Barbara on the couch, waiting too. "Waiting for the sentence," said Ronnie, who is dressed in a Memphis T-shirt. "Not the sentence, the verdict," Barbara offered. "Right, the verdict." Since directing Memphis to its second consecutive bowl game following a three-decade postseason drought, Wimprine continues to adjust to daily living under the NFL's interrogation lamp. Despite his father's facetious comment that all agents were once used-car salesmen, Wimprine hired Memphis-based representative Brian Parker, who set up the former John Curtis standout with workouts at the Velocity Sports Performance complex in neighboring Cordova, Tenn. Taking on-line classes to complete his undergraduate requirements enabled Wimprine to maintain a consistent morning-afternoon conditioning schedule. "It's so precise and so technical," Wimprine said. "I had no idea. There were times it got repetitious and monotonous. Besides the other guys there, you're no longer part of a team. Everything is about you. "And the whole time, you know you are working out just so that you can work out in front of an audience. It's not a game. You worked out to work out, again." Cautious not to deviate too drastically from his post-college football routine, Wimprine declined the opportunity to sleep in on March 24 -- Pro Day at Memphis. Instead, he set the alarm for 9 a.m., about par for days he had to train at Velocity. Already loaded up on carbohydrates from meals the previous day, Wimprine had a light breakfast and walked the dogs before showing up early to take a personality test for the Indianapolis Colts. In hindsight, the test sort of took the edge off judgment day. Some of the questions were relevant but others read like they were lifted from a "Dr. Phil" script. Eager to show off his athleticism, Wimprine ran an impressive 4.72 40-yard dash and improved substantially in his vertical leap. But the biggest and most pleasing coup happened during the measurement period. Wimprine officially registered 6 feet in height. Trust him, it's a big deal. That fraction of an inch might be the difference between seeing his name flash upon the TV screen and waiting to sign as an undrafted free agent. Though, as Ronnie says, when you examine the situation rationally, it really shouldn't make that much of a difference. "You wonder how much of what he's done (in training) has to do with football?" he said. "But they must know what they're doing. I hope so, anyway." For the past four months Wimprine has been a slave to orange cones, repetitions and hundredths of a second recorded on a stopwatch when anyone who has seen him play knows the best instrument to use in gauging his ability is a stethoscope. "You know, I went to Memphis not Miami," Wimprine said. "I'm 6-foot, not 6-foot-5. I can't control that. But what I do have power over is my toughness, my leadership and the way guys respond to me in the huddle. And all I need is for one team to see that and want to take a shot." He can't resist, especially with so little planned this painfully long week, in wondering what scout or franchise is willing to crack the door open for Wimprine. Perhaps one of the three teams, including the Saints, whom he worked out for privately? Or maybe the Browns, now that former Memphis coach Rip Scherer is the quarterbacks coach on Romeo Crennel's staff? Or, might it be another franchise intrigued as to what Wimprine can do? While their son looks ahead, Ronnie and Barbara look back. All of those trips to Memphis; Ronnie swears he knows every oak tree from LaPlace to Hernando, Miss. The Friday night games with Wimprine under center for John Curtis. Barbara even occasionally looks at the little kids playing at the playground down the street, wondering if there's another Danny out there. Drafted or undrafted, Wimprine is projected to find a spot on an NFL preseason roster, so the tension Sunday will be slightly diminished. Either way, mini-camp begins in a couple of weeks and life returns to schedule. Still, he says, it'd be cool to see his name crawl across the bottom of the TV screen. "I'm going to pop a cork," Barbara said. "You know, we've had that bottle of Dom Perignon since 2000," Ronnie said. "It might be time to open it. "I hope so." . . . . . . . William Kalec can be reached wkalec@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3413.

04/19/05		Middle Tennessee Edges Tiger Baseball, 8-7 -- Ryan Martin throws out school-record three runners from leftfield in losing effort (GoTigersGo.com)
		MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - MEMPHIS (9-25) 201 100 120 -7 13 2 Middle Tennessee (17-15) 130 001 102 -8 18 0 Middle Tennessee used a costly Memphis error to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Tigers 8-7 Tuesday night in non-conference action at Reese Smith Field. Senior DH Ryan Martin went 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and a school-record three outfield assists in a hard-fought loss. Martin threw runners out at the plate in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Middle scored the game winner in the ninth with runners on first and second and no outs. Reliever Chris South fielded a sac bunt attempt by MT freshman Nathan Hines, but his throw to first base sailed wide and down the rightfield line into the Middle Tennessee bullpen. Both runners came around to score for the 8-7 decision. The Tigers looked to have gained control of game in the eight, when they loaded the bases behind consecutive singles by John Peterson and Cory Barton. A walk by Chris Newsom jammed the sacs with no outs. Adam Amar then produced a clutch two-run, two-out double to the rightfield corner to give Memphis a 7-6 lead. Amar finished the night with three hits. Memphis put up a pair to open the contest. Jordan Tolliver and Ryan Martin posted consecutive single and Adam Amar came through with a sacrifice fly to right to score Tolliver. Martin would score on a wild pitch by MT starter Jeff Kasser. Nate Jaggers put the Blue Raiders on the board with his team-leading eighth home run of the year in the first, and Middle claimed a 4-2 lead on a three-run bomb over the rightfield wall by Hines. The Tiger offense fought back and Martin cut in to the Blue Raider cushion in the third with his team-best seventh home run of the year--a solo shot to centerfield. The solo home run for Martin tied his career-high mark, which he set as a sophomore in 2003. Memphis took advantage of a MT passed ball in the fourth. Catcher Alex Watson mishandled an offering by Blue Raider relief pitcher Chase Swing allowing Chris Newsom to cross to tie the game at four. Middle Tennessee took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI-single just over the glove of a leaping Tolliver at shortstop. The Blue Raiders threatened to extend the lead to two runs on a single to left by reserve rightfielder Doug Birkofer. But Martin threw a strike to catcher Cory Barton to cut down Todd Martin at the plate. The Tigers found the equalizer in the seventh behind three consecutive hits from Martin, Amar, and a run-scoring base knock off the bat of Robbie Goss. Middle came back with a run of their own to retake the lead, 6-5 in the seventh. Jeff Beachum reached on an infield single and advanced to third on a bloop single to right centerfield by Chase Eakes. A balk by Tiger relief pitcher, Neil Schenk enabled Beachum to score the go-ahead tally. MT again tried to stretch the lead to two runs on a lined single to left by Eric McNamee, but for the second time of the evening, Martin came up throwing and threw out Eakes at the plate. Middle Tennessee relief hurler, Allan Wetherington picked up the win after holding Memphis scoreless in two innings of action. Tiger starter Brandon Rowan struggled in his 2005 debut. The senior, who was in his first appearance of the season pitched just one inning and gave up four runs on five hits, including a pair of home runs. Tiger Reliever Chris South was saddled with the loss after allowing the two unearned runs in the ninth. The Tigers and Blue Raiders will wrap up the home-and-home series on Wednesday with the first pitch set for 3 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/19/05		Lady Tigers Drop One to Sixth after Second Round of C-USA Championship -- Stacey Tate improves to 19th place individually with a 4-over performance (GoTigersGo.com)
		GERMANTOWN, Tenn. - After the second round of the Conference USA Women's Golf Championship, the University of Memphis dropped one spot to sixth in the 10 team field on Tuesday with a 321 performance. Three teams shot below 300 in the first round on Monday, but a windy back nine caused scores and frustration to rise in the second round on the par 72 course at the Germantown Country Club. "Once the wind started around noon, it just got crazy," said Memphis sophomore Cameron Barber. "The greens had already dried out a lot from yesterday and they were just really hard to control. You could hit it on the front of the green and it would either stop or go like five yards over. It was really hard to control and make your ball sit down." Once again TCU had the day's best performance, adding to its tournament lead with a 294-301--595 (+19). Tulane University finished seven strokes behind in second (298-306--604) and USF moved to third place (298-309--607). Tournament host Memphis (311-321--632) is eight strokes behind fourth place East Carolina University (313-311--624). "Not everyday around the golf course is going to be great," said Memphis head coach Jenny Bruun. "Not every day we're going to be able to shoot around 300. You just want your bad days to still keep you in the tournament and that's what they did today. We might have moved a spot back, but tomorrow we put up a great day and we can still beat those teams." Stacey Tate led Memphis with a 4-over 76 to finish the second round in a 19th place tie with an 80-76--156, jumping back into the No. 1 position in the Lady Tiger lineup. The sophomore from New Zealand jumped 11 spots from 30th place after shooting par or better on 13 of the 18 holes. Tate scored a 3-over 39 on the front nine before leading Memphis on the back side with a 1-over 37. After shooting a birdie on hole 11, Tate closed out the round with her second birdie of the day on No. 18. Barber (81-80-161) also improved in the second round, coming in second on the team with an 8-over 80. The sophomore from Lone Tree, Colo., is tied for 28th place individually and second on the team with teammate Meghan Mahoney (79-82--161). Barber birdied on No. 9 to finish with a 39 in the front nine. "Cameron mentally probably had her best 18 holes of the year today," Bruun said. "She kept fighting. She didn't get too high or too down on herself. She was very consistent. She played better than the 80 showed." Sophomore Kathryn O'Rourke dropped from a seventh play tie individually to 22nd individually with a 74-83--157 performance, one stroke behind Tate for the team lead. Junior Bernie Rosero led the team in the front nine with a two birdie, 2-over par 38 performance, but struggled down the stretch, shooting a 50 in the back nine to finish the round in 37th place with a 78-88--166. Tulane's Alison Walshe was the only golfer to finish the second round below par with a 2-under 70, placing her in first place individually with a 73-70--143. TCU's Stacey Bieber (71-74--145) and Drae Ward (75-74--149) are second and third respectively. The Lady Tigers will complete the three-round tournament on Wednesday. Rosero will lead the team with a 8 a.m. tee time on hole No. 1. Memphis will then tee off every nine minutes until Stacey Tate closes out the group at 8:36 a.m. The tournament is expected to end at midday. "Everyone is upbeat about tomorrow," Barber said. "We wanted to keep around 320 and be able to be in the hunt again tomorrow. We didn't want to prevent ourselves from competing for a higher spot tomorrow. We know we can still finish ahead of some teams with a good performance on Wednesday." 2005 C-USA Women's Championship Germantown CC Germantown, TN Dates: 04/18 - 04/20 (Today:04-19-2005) Par: 72 Yardage: 6178 Fin. Top 20 Teams Scores 1 TCU 294 301 595 2 Tulane University 298 306 604 3 USF 298 309 607 4 East Carolina Univ. 313 311 624 5 Louisville, Univ. of 319 308 627 6 Memphis, Univ. of 311 321 632 7 Southern Mississippi 309 325 634 8 UAB 321 331 652 9 Cincinnati, U. of 332 326 658 10 St. Louis University 358 378 736 Fin. Top 20 Players School Scores 1 Alison Walshe Tulane 73 70 143 2 Stacey Bieber TCU 71 74 145 3 Drae Ward TCU 75 74 149 4 Adrienne White Louisville 72 78 150 Christina Jones USF 73 77 150 Fernanda Rivera USF 70 80 150 7 Mary Ellen Jacobs Tulane 74 77 151 8 Camille Blackerby TCU 75 78 153 9 Meghan Little Louisville 81 73 154 Daniella Ronderos USF 77 77 154 Heidi Helliesen E Carolina 76 78 154 Catherine Matranga TCU 79 75 154 Elin Emanuelsson TCU 73 81 154 14 Adrienne Millican E Carolina 79 76 155 Kylene Pulley USF 78 77 155 Hillery Wilson Cincinnati 76 79 155 Lindsay Hulwick Tulane 77 78 155 Liliana Alvarez Tulane 74 81 155 19 Stacey Tate Memphis 80 76 156 Mia Davidsson So. Miss. 78 78 156 Amanda Smith USF 78 78 156 6 Memphis, Univ. of 311 321 632 T 19 Stacey Tate 80 76 156 22 Kathryn O'Rourke 74 83 157 T 28 Meghan Mahoney 79 82 161 T 28 Cameron Barber 81 80 161 37 Bernie Rosero 78 88 166

04/19/05		Tiger Golfers Move up to a Tie for Seventh After Two Rounds of C-USA Championship -- Fortin-Simard shots second round 71 to lead Tigers (GoTigersGo.com)
		Gulfport, Miss. - The Memphis men's golf team improved its leaderboard position by two spots by improving its first round score by one stroke in the second round of the Conference USA Championship on Tuesday. The Tigers shot 12-over 300 as a team and sit in a seventh place tie with Southern Miss at 25-over 601 for the tournament, which is being held at The Grand Bear. TCU continues to lead the field as the Horned Frogs shot a six-under 282 and lead by 19 shots at 16-under 560. Keven Fortin-Simard shot the low round of the day for the Tigers, putting up a one-under 71. He is tied for 22nd place at four-over 148 (77-71). He played bogey-free golf as he had 17 pars and one birdie on the day. "Keven played solid and really has for the whole tournament," said Memphis coach Grant Robbins. "He just had one bad hole yesterday but has been pretty consistent aside from that." For the second straight day, two Memphis individuals also shot four-over 76s. Justin Miers put up a 76 for the second straight day and is tied for 33rd at eight-over 152 (76-76). Ian Rochester also shot a 76, one shot worse than his first round score, and is tied for 29th at seven-over 151 (75-76). Also tied for 29th is Robbie Greenwell, who shot a five-over 77 and is also at 152 (74-77). The high score on the day, which was dropped from the team score, was by Andy Shiels, who shot an 80 and is alone in 47th place at 12-over 156 (76-80). "Again, we struggled puting four good rounds together," said Robbins. "We are just making mental mistakes and making some big numbers on some holes when we shouldn't, which is keeping us from getting any momentum. The good thing is that we did move up today and shot a slightly better score than yesterday. We should have a chance to move up tomorrow but in order to do so we will have to keep our focus for the whole round and handle adversity better." The Tigers lead ninth place East Carolina by four strokes and tenth place Marquette by 13 shots. They trail sixth place Louisville by seven shots and fifth place Houston by 12. Charlotte is in second place at three-over par and is followed by UAB and Tulane, three and four shots back, respectively. First place TCU has four players in the top 10, led by first place Colby Beckstrom at six-under 138 (67-71). He is followed by teammate Drew Stoltz in second at five-under 139 (70-69) and Garrett Osborn of UAB and first round leader Robin Smith of East Carolina tied for third at four-under 140. Final round play begins at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

04/19/05		Seven Memphis Student-Athletes Honored As Arthur Ashe Sports Scholars -- Student-athletes are selected on athletic ability, academic excellence and community activism (GoTigersGo.com)
		FAIRFAX, Va. - Seven University of Memphis atudent-athletes were named 2005 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars by Black Issues In Higher Education. The seven student-athletes are Josetta Brooks (women's track and field), Lisa-Marie Hyman (women's track and field), Courtnee Melton (women's soccer), Monica Powell (women's soccer), Hristina Slancheva (women's volleyball), Brandon Stewart (football) and Fehi Tuivai (women's volleyball). Black Issues In Higher Education established the Sports Scholars Awards to honor undergraduate students of color who have made achieving both academically and athletically a winning combination. Inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe Jr.'s commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence and community activism in addition to their athletic ability. To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2; and be active on their campuses or in their communities. Brooks, a junior from Nashville, Tenn., was selected to the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars women's track and field second team. She holds a 3.59 grade-point average in Communication/Foreign Language. Brooks won a pair of medals in last weekend's Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational in Macomb, Ill. She placed first in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 14.50, which is her best time in the event in 2005. Brooks also took first place in the 400-meter hurdles in a personal-best time of 1:04.24. Hyman was named to the women's track and field first team. A Kingston, Jamaica, native, Hyman has a 3.97 grade-point average, and is completing her graduate degree in Mathematical Science this year. She is the school's record holder in both the indoor (42-7) and outdoor (42-0 ¾) triple jumps, and Hyman broke her own outdoor mark at the LSU Tiger Relays on Mar. 26. Hyman won the Conference USA titles for the indoor triple jump in 2002 and 2003 and the outdoor triple jump in 2003. A Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll pick, Hyman has received the Tiger Academic 30 Award each of her years at the University. She also was awarded one of Conference USA's Postgraduate Scholarships. Melton, a junior from Bartlett, Tenn., earned women's soccer second team honors. She holds a 3.59 grade-point average in Exercise and Sport Science. A defender on the Lady Tiger soccer team, Melton was an integral part of the Memphis defense that allowed only 1.19 goals per game and posted six shutouts in 2004. She saw action in 11 games and had two shots. Melton, who missed eight games due to injury last year, was also selected to the NSCAA/adidas South Region Scholar-Athlete third team in 2004. The Lady Tigers posted an 11-8 overall record and a 5-5 C-USA mark and advanced to the Conference USA Tournament for the first time since 2002. The winning record was the program's first since 1997. An Ashe women's soccer third team selection, Powell has a 3.22 grade-point average in Communication. The senior from Milwaukee, Wis., played in 13 games in 2004, and had six points on one goal and four assists. The four assists tied her for second on the team in that statistical category. The Lady Tigers posted an 11-8 overall record and a 5-5 C-USA mark and advanced to the Conference USA Tournament for the first time since 2002. The winning record was the program's first since 1997. Slancheva, a junior from Sofia, Bulgaria, earned Ashe women's volleyball second team accolades. After playing in 98 games as a freshman in 2003, Slancheva did not see action in 2004 as the Tigers' back-up setter to All-American Heather Watts. As a freshman, Slancheva had 41 service aces, and tied a Conference USA single-game record with eight service aces against Saint Louis. She has a 3.45 grade-point average in Sociology. Stewart, a sophomore from Jackson, Tenn., was selected to the football first team. He has a grade-point average of 3.82 in Communication. In the fall of 2004, Stewart played in two games and returned five kickoffs for 86 yards (17.2 average). He joined the Tiger squad in the fall of 2003 as a walk-on at wide recevier. An honor student at Memphis, Stewart was named to the Tiger Academic 30 in 2003. He was a member of the Tiger football squads that played in the New Orleans Bowl in 2003 and the GMAC Bowl in 2004. A Kent, Wash., native, Tuivai was named to the women's volleyball third team. She holds a 3.29 grade-point average in Sociology. Tuivai, who was named the team's Most Improved Player at the squad's awards banquet April 9, played in 104 games in 2004 and recorded 217 kills and a team-best 98 blocks. She led the squad in both solo blocks (23) and block assists (75). Tuivai played an integral role in the Tigers 27-10 overall record and 11-5 Conference USA mark in 2004.

04/19/05		Megan Gooch to Take Game and Faith Overseas -- Will play the AIA International Tour in Spain for three weeks (GoTigersGo.com)
		Sophomore center Megan Gooch (Georgetown, Texas/Georgetown) will take her game and her faith overseas, but don't worry Lady Tiger fans, it's only for the summer. Gooch will participate in the Athletes in Action international mission trip to Spain, May 22 - June 11th. "I am very excited about this opportunity to get to travel to another country, especially Spain, because I'm majoring in international business and minoring in Spanish," Gooch said. "I'm also excited to play basketball with some great athletes from the U.S. and from Spain. I think the most amazing thing about the trip will be to share Christ with the people of Spain." AIA is part of the Campus Crusade for Christ, which Gooch has been active in since her freshman year in Memphis. "This is a great opportunity for Megan, both an individual and a basketball player," Lady Tiger head coach Blair Savage said. "This is a great personal, athletic and academic opportunity for her. She'll get to go overseas and do the two things that she loves, play basketball and speak Spanish. I have no doubt that she'll have a great experience and will bring a lot back to the team in the fall to inspire her teammates." AIA was founded in 1966 by David Hannah who wanted to utilize the nation's love of sports with an opportunity to share his faith and ministry. International competing teams partner with in-country staff and other mission organizations to resource ministry around the world. "We are going to stay in the homes of people in Spain and we are to tour all over playing, doing some basketball camps and using these opportunities to share Christ with others," Gooch said. "We will visit Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia and some other cities. There are girls on the team from all over, Ball State, the University of Michigan, Washington State, Liberty, and some other places. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do in my life as I'll be in a completely new environment facing many obstacles. I can't wait to see how he works through us to touch the lives of the people we will encounter." The Spain tour runs late May through mid-June (May 22 - June 11) and features NCAA Division I and II players that will work with club and national teams throughout various cities in Spain. The team will meet May 15th to train before heading out to compete overseas. Each team member is responsible for fundraising their portion of the team's expenses, which range from $2,500 to $3,800, depending on the location and length of the tour. After being accepted into an AIA tour, AIA offers the training and resources necessary to help each person raise their support goal. Gooch recently completed her second season with the Lady Tiger basketball program. A 6-3 center, Gooch played in 25 of 29 games for the Lady Tigers as a sophomore, and will be one of two centers returning to the team for the 2005-06 season. Gooch averaged 1.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for Memphis while backing up senior Kaneshi Hart. She will be one of eight returnees for Savage next season.

04/19/05		Lee Taylor Walker Named to C-USA All-Decade Team -- Is the lone Tiger on the All-Decade list (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Current Tiger men's tennis assistant coach Lee Taylor Walker was voted to the Conference USA Men's Tennis All-Decade team in a poll of league coaches, Tuesday. Walker, who is currently in his first year as an assistant with his former team, capped a three-year Tiger career with a 54-43 record in singles and a 64-29 record in doubles. Memphis' first-ever C-USA First Team All-Conference honoree, Walker was also the first Tiger to earn a national singles ranking, finishing his career the No. 103 ranked player in the country. Off the court, the Jackson, Tenn. native (University School of Jackson) was the one collegiate men's tennis player who received the ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. Walker traveled to New York last summer to receive his award as part of the 2004 U.S. Open festivities. A three-time member of the C-USA Academic Honor Roll, Walker transferred to Memphis from Clemson his sophomore season. He immediately teamed with Ben Stapp, and the doubles duo became the first-ever Tiger pairing to earn a national ranking, ranking as high as No. 12 in the country following a fall where they advanced to the finals of the Omni Hotels Region III Championships. Walker and first-year head coach Paul Goebel guided the Tigers to a No. 4 seed and a first-round bye for this weekend's Conference USA Championships, being hosted by Louisville. Memphis will face the winner of the USF/Marquette match at 5 p.m., Friday. The Tigers have not faced either team yet this season, but Memphis squeaked past USF last year in the C-USA Championships to advance to its first-ever C-USA semifinals. The Tigers are the No. 75 ranked team in the country heading into this weekend's matches. The winner of the C-USA tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships. Memphis has never qualified for the team portion of the NCAA tournament. Sixty-four teams from NCAA Division I qualify for the championships, with the first two rounds being held at local sites. Tulane's Michael Kogan, who fell in the championship singles match at last year's NCAA tournament, was named the C-USA Athlete of the Decade. Tulane's Robert Klein was named the C-USA Men's Tennis Coach of the Decade after guiding Tulane to four C-USA Championships and eight straight NCAA tournaments. Conference USA Men's Tennis All-Decade Team Michael Kogan, Tulane, Athlete of the Decade Michael Mather, Louisville Lee Taylor Walker, Memphis Alex Menichini, TCU Fabrizio Sestini, TCU Victor Romero, Tulane Robert Samuelsson, Tulane Martin Woisetschlager, UAB Paco Antelo, USF George Bastl, USF C-USA Coach of the Decade: Robert Klein, Tulane

04/19/05		Players, friends help Finch -- Tournament expected to help cover some of costs with treatments (Commercial Appeal)
		By Jason Smith Contact April 19, 2005 Vickie Finch asked the audience to be patient. Her husband had something he wanted to say. "It takes a little while to get out what he has to say, but he can say it," she assured the 30 or 40 people gathered Monday morning at Quince Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in East Memphis. Holding a microphone in his trembling left hand and his wife's hand in his right, Larry Finch, the beloved former Memphis basketball coach, determinedly offered his appreciation. "I'm very, very blessed to have so many good friends," Finch said. Many in the room, including several of Finch's former players, wiped tears from their cheeks. Vickie Finch, whose husband has been a patient at the center since January, was too proud of him to cry. "Larry's come a really long way," she said. "I was talking to him the other day, and I told him about this sign he used to have over his bed that said, 'Make it happen.' "I just remember that everything that he wanted to accomplish in life, most of those things he got accomplished because he was so determined. I told him, 'Larry, this doesn't compare to anything you've ever had to do.' But I know my husband, and I know that if he puts his mind to something, he's going to be able to do it." Larry Finch, 54, confined to a wheelchair since suffering a heart attack and two strokes in the fall of 2002, is determined to walk again. He's also laughing, as he did Monday upon seeing former Tigers Elliot Perry, Rodney Douglas, Dwight Boyd, Derrick Phillips, Ken Moody, Billy Smith, Ernest Smith and Rodney Newsom. "I was the knucklehead out the whole bunch," joked Ernest Smith. "I was probably his first recruit at Memphis State University," boasted Phillips. They were all gathered at Finch's rehabilitation center Monday to announce plans for the Larry Finch Benefit Golf Tournament, to be held April 29 at The Links at Galloway. "This is a long overdue occasion," Moody said. "The last time I was together with all my former teammates, I was at the funeral of (former Tiger) Baskerville Holmes. This is an occasion for us to get together and do something that we're going to enjoy. "Everybody wants to help and show Coach that we love and support him. ... We want Coach to be taken care of for the rest of his life, and we're hoping this endeavor can lead us toward that." All proceeds from the event, a four-man scramble open to anyone interested, will be used to help with Finch's medical bills. Entry fee is $125 per person and $500 for a 4-man group. "A lot of these guys might look like they're in good shape, but they can't play basketball anymore," Moody quipped. "Most of us have started playing golf, so this works right in line with what we're doing these days." Pine Hill golf pro Charles Hudson, who along with Northside girls basketball coach Donald Holmes will serve as the tournament's co-directors, called Finch an icon whose impact on the city has gone beyond just basketball. "We want to thank him for what he's given to this community, especially during the civil rights movement, and for what he's done for his players," Hudson said. "We just want to make sure he can continue to stay at this facility and continue to get rehabilitation." For additional information on tournament registration and donations, go to www.coachfinch.com. -- Jason Smith: 529-5804 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Larry Finch Benefit Golf Tournament What: A four-man scramble to raise money to help with former Tiger coach Larry Finch's medical bills. When, where: April 29 at The Links at Galloway. More information: Call Kenneth Moody at 454-5216 or e-mail moodykenneth@ bellsouth.net.

04/19/05		U of M women 5th, men are 9th in C-USA golf tourneys (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 19, 2005 A 2-over par performance from Kathryn O'Rourke helped the University of Memphis women's golf team finish the first round of the Conference USA Championship in fifth place on Monday at Germantown Country Club. The Tigers shot a 311 (23 over par) to finish 17 strokes behind tournament leading TCU (294, 6-over). O'Rourke shot a 74 on the par 72 course to end the day tied for seventh. South Florida's Fernanda Rivera led all individuals with a 2-under 70. Other U of M golfers were Bernie Rosero at 78 (tied for 19th), Stacey Tate at 80 (tied for 30th), Meghan Mahoney at 79 and Cameron Barber at 81. The tourney ends Wednesday. C-USA men The Memphis men's golf team shot a total of 13-over 301 and is ninth in the Conference USA Men's Golf Championship, being played at Gulfport, Miss. Robbie Greenwell led Memphis on the day with a round of two-over 74, to tie for 21st. Robin Smith of East Carolina leads the field at 66. TCU leads the field at 10-under 278.

04/18/05		Lady Tigers in Fifth After First Round of C-USA Championship -- O'Rourke tied for seventh after an opening round 2-over 74 (GoTigersGo.com)
		GERMANTOWN, Tenn. - A 2-over par performance from Kathryn O'Rourke helped the University of Memphis women's golf team finish the first round of the Conference USA Championship in fifth place on Monday. "This morning I told the team if we can finish in the top five in the first day, we're in a great position," said Memphis head coach Jenny Bruun. "We're accomplishing some goals and beating people that we're not supposed to beat. We're showing everyone, including ourselves, that we belong and that we can compete." Playing on their home turf at the Germantown Country Club, the Tigers shot a 311 (+23) to finish 17 strokes behind tournament leading TCU (294, +6). O'Rourke, a sophomore from Holmes, New York, scored an opening round 74 on the par 72 course to end the day tied for seventh individually. "I felt good," O'Rourke said. "I've been hitting very well lately. I haven't traveled the last couple of tournaments, but I finally got my game back. Today I was just so up and down. I birdied a hole and then I'd double the next one, so I just kept fighting. It was just a tough 74. I worked every shot." Only six golfers in the field of 50 shot a better first round score with South Florida's Fernanda Rivera leading the pack with a 2-under 70. O'Rourke said the best thing working for her was her putter, especially down the stretch. From 40 feet out on No. 14, O'Rourke nailed the putt for a birdie. The Tigers began the tournament well with Bernie Rosero chipping in two tough shots for birdies on holes two and five. The junior from Ecuador shot a 1-under 35 in the front nine before settling for a 6-over-par 78 after the grueling back side. Rosero is tied for 19th place individually. "The back side is a little bit tighter," Bruun said. "We just made some mistakes and missed some shots. We had a couple of doubles and some triples in there and that can increase your score pretty fast. Overall I'm super proud of my team and the way they came out. This is definitely as a whole the best we've played this golf course at the same time." After medaling at the Lady Eagle Invitational, sophomore Stacey Tate struggled to find her normal groove in the opening round of the conference tournament. Tate shot an 8-over 80 to finish the day in a tie for 30th place. "She didn't play that bad; she just didn't score very well," Bruun said of Tate. "She had a couple shots that didn't go where she wanted them to. Her misses aren't really that bad. She just didn't get the breaks that she's used to getting, and that happens with golf." Rounding out the Lady Tigers lineup, sophomore Meghan Mahoney shot a 79 (7+) and sophomore Cameron Barber scored an 81 (9+). O'Rourke said the team played well in the opening round but she looks for even better scores Tuesday on a course all five Memphis players know better than anyone. "It was nice playing out here," O'Rourke said. "This was probably the best I've played on this course, and I've played it several times. Finally I figured it out and worked it out. I love it when my mom is here to watch me play. I love a crowd. It's weird, but I like the pressure. I like to get the crowd excited and entertain and entertain myself as well." O'Rourke will have another opportunity to impress the home crowd as she leads the Lady Tigers into the second round of the C-USA Championship on Tuesday. The opening tee time begins at 8 a.m. with Memphis beginning at 9:30. The final round of the tournament will be on Wednesday. 2005 C-USA Women's Championship Germantown CC Germantown, TN Dates: 04/18 - 04/20 (Today:04-18-2005) Par: 72 Yardage: 6178 Fin. Top 20 Teams Scores 1 TCU 294 2 USF 298 Tulane University 298 4 Southern Mississippi 309 5 Memphis, Univ. of 311 6 East Carolina Univ. 313 7 Louisville, Univ. of 319 8 UAB 321 9 Cincinnati, U. of 332 10 St. Louis University 358 Fin. Top 20 Players School Scores 1 Fernanda Rivera USF 37- 33 70 2 Stacey Bieber TCU 35- 36 71 3 Adrienne White Louisville 35- 37 72 4 Alison Walshe Tulane 35- 38 73 Christina Jones USF 35- 38 73 Elin Emanuelsson TCU 35- 38 73 7 Kathryn O'Rourke Memphis 35- 39 74 Liliana Alvarez Tulane 36- 38 74 Mary Ellen Jacobs Tulane 38- 36 74 10 Camille Blackerby TCU 38- 37 75 Nicole Mackey So. Miss. 36- 39 75 Drae Ward TCU 36- 39 75 13 Hillery Wilson Cincinnati 36- 40 76 Heidi Helliesen E Carolina 38- 38 76 Elizabeth Schweihs UAB 39- 37 76 16 Daniella Ronderos USF 39- 38 77 Lindsay Hulwick Tulane 37- 40 77 Jennifer Bodemann So. Miss. 41- 36 77 19 Mia Davidsson So. Miss. 37- 41 78 Kylene Pulley USF 40- 38 78 Bernie Rosero Memphis 35- 43 78 Amanda Smith USF 35- 43 78 5 Memphis, Univ. of 311 T 7 Kathryn O'Rourke 35- 39 74 T 19 Bernie Rosero 35- 43 78 T 23 Meghan Mahoney 39- 40 79 T 30 Stacey Tate 38- 42 80 T 32 Cameron Barber 36- 45 81

04/18/05		Men's Golf in Ninth After First Round of C-USA Championship -- Tigers just five strokes out of sixth place (GoTigersGo.com)
		Gulfport, Miss. - All five members of the Memphis men's golf team shot scores within three shots or less of each other in the first round of the Conference USA Men's Golf Championship on Monday. The counted scores of 74, 75, and a pair of 76's put Memphis in ninth place at the 14-team event being held at The Grand Bear. As a team, the Tigers shot a score of 13-over 301. They lead tenth-place Marquette by five strokes. They trail eighth-place Southern Miss by three shots, seventh-place East Carolina by four, and sixth-place Louisville by five. Robbie Greenwell led Memphis on the day with a round of two-over 74 (39-35) to place himself in a tie for 21st. Ian Rochester, who is coming off a tournament in which he won the individual title at the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate in Auburn, Ala., is next at three-over 75 (40-35) where he is in a tie for 30th. Andy Shiels and Justin Miers rounded out the Tiger scores that were counted as they each shot a four-over 76. Both Shiels (36-40) and Miers (35-41) began the day well on the front nine before shooting higher scores on the back. They are both tied for 34th. Keven Fortin-Simard was the final Memphis finisher as he shot a five-over 77 (35-42). Robin Smith of East Carolina shot the low round of the day and leads the field at six-under 66 (33-33). All together, 11 different players shot below par on the day, including three from first-place TCU, which leads the field at 10-under 278. UAB is second at two-under 286 while Charlotte and Tulane are tied for third at one-over 289. "Everyone shot right around each other today but in order for us to move up the leaderboard tomorrow, we are going to need to get a few rounds below par," said Memphis coach Grant Robbins. "The conditions are conducive to some low scores. We just didn't get any of them today. The good news is, we didn't put up any really high scores today and with a couple of good rounds we can still finish higher than where we are right now." The second round tees off at 7:45 a.m. tomorrow morning.

04/18/05		Tiger Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament Registration Deadline is Friday -- Event for scholarship fundraiser is set for May 9th at Germantown Country Club (GoTigersGo.com)
		The Tiger Scholarship Fund Spring Golf Tournament has been scheduled for Monday, May 9th at the Germantown Country Club. The schedule of events includes check-in beginning at 11:30 a.m., with a silent auction being set-up from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The silent auction features autographed memorabilia, a Lorenzen Wright signed jersey, a leather travel bag and more. Also starting at 11:30 a.m. will be a burger buffet. A shotgun start will begin at 1 p.m., with the golf portion of the tournament concluding at 5:30 p.m. with an awards ceremony that includes Light Hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and soft drinks. Cost of participation is $150 per person or $600 per team for the four-person scramble format. Fans are encouraged to form their own teams, or to have the Tiger Scholarship Fund form one for them. Additional support to the Tiger Scholarship Fund can come from tee, team or beverage cart sponsorships. A tee can be sponsored for $150, while a tee and team can be sponsored for $675. A beverage cart can be sponsored for $250. Fees and registration can be billed to either Visa, Mastercard or Discover. The entry deadline is Friday, April 22nd. To receive a registration form, please call 901-678-2334 or click on the above .pdf file to print off a registration form. Completed registration forms can be faxed to 901-678-5038. Golf-related contests include a putting contest, a longest drive contest, and a closest to the hole and most accurate driver contests. The Germantown Country Club is located at 1780 Kimbrough Drive in Germantown, Tenn.

04/18/05		Women's Tennis to Face DePaul in C-USA Opener -- Will face Blue Demons, Thursday, at 9 a.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis women's tennis program (5-12) will face No. 5 seed DePaul in the opening round of the Conference USA Women's Tennis Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas, beginning Thursday. The two teams faced one another earlier in the season on the U of M Varsity Courts, with the Blue Demons winning, 6-1. In the last meeting with DePaul, the Blue Demons swept the three doubles matches, and Lady Tiger senior Marlene Dirnstorfer was the lone Memphis player to get a point on the board with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 1 singles, where she is 7-7 on the season. "Based on the results of this year, I'm not surprised at our being seeded No. 12," Head Coach Charlotte Peterson said. "But we have a history of playing higher than our seed and are looking forward to playing DePaul again. Hopefully we're more ready now than we were in the early part of the year." The winner of the Memphis/DePaul match will face the winner of the No. 4 Houston/No. 13 Cincinnati match at 3 p.m. on Friday, while the loser will fall into the consolation bracket, where they will play the loser of the No. 3 USF/No. 14 Saint Louis match at 6 p.m., Friday. Tulane received the top seed for the tournament, with host TCU being seeded second to round out the first round byes. USF and Houston round out the top four seeded teams. All 14 C-USA women's teams compete in the league championships. Thursday, April 21, 2005 Match 1 - No. 4 Houston vs. No. 13 Cincinnati, 9 a.m. Match 2 - No. 5 DePaul vs. No. 12 Memphis, 9 a.m. Match 3 - No. 3 USF vs. No. 14 Saint Louis, Noon Match 4 - No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 Marquette, Noon Match 5 - No. 8 Southern Miss vs. No. 9 East Carolina, 3 p.m. Match 6 - No. 7 Charlotte vs. No. 10 UAB, 3 p.m. Friday, April 22, 2005 Match 7 - Loser Match 2 vs. Loser Match 3, 9 a.m. (Loser Match 7, Tied for 13th) Match 8 - Loser Match 4 vs. Loser Match 1, 9 a.m. (Loser Match 8, Tied for 13th) Match 9 - No. 1 Tulane vs. Winner Match 6, Noon Match 10 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, Noon Match 11 - No. 2 TCU vs. Winner Match 5, 3 p.m. Match 12 - Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 3 p.m. Match 13 - Winner Match 8 vs. Loser Match 6, 6 p.m. (Loser Match 13, Tied for 11th) Match 14 - Winner Match 7 vs. Loser Match 5, 6 p.m. (Loser Match 14, Tied for 11th) Saturday, April 23, 2005 Match 15 - Loser Match 9 vs. Loser Match 10, 9 am. (Loser Match 15, Tied for 7th) Match 16 - Loser Match 11 vs. Loser Match 12, 9 a.m. (Loser Match 16, Tied for 7th) Match 17 - Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10, Noon Match 18 - Winner Match 14 vs. Winner Match 13, Noon (Ninth Place Match) Match 19 - Winner Match 12 vs. Winner Match 11, 3 p.m. Sunday, April 24, 2005 Match 20 - Loser Match 17 vs. Loser Match 19, 9 a.m. (Third Place Match) Match 21 - Winner Match 15 vs. Winner Match 16, 9 a.m. (Fifth Place Match) Match 22 - Winner Match 17 vs. Winner Match 19, Noon (Championship Match)

04/18/05		Baseball Set For Six-Game Road Trip -- Tigers hope to feed off big win over TCU (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - On the heels of an emotional 10-inning win over #30 TCU in Sunday's series finale, the University of Memphis will hit the road for six straight road games. The Tigers will kick off the week-long swing with a two-game set at Middle Tennessee on April 19-20. Memphis will then travel the ECU for a weekend series with the Pirates, before wrapping up the trip in Oxford in a matchup with Ole Miss. Despite losing the series against TCU, the late-game heroics of Cory Barton seemed to be a cure-all as Memphis broke its 11-game losing streak. Sunday's win was the first in the month of April for the 9-24 Tigers, but could prove to be a momentum builder as the U of M played errorless baseball and finally came out on top of a tight ballgame. Freshman Chris Newsom, who has been a pleasant surprise for the Tigers since Jordan Hart's injury in mid-March, led Memphis in hitting this weekend, posting a .471 average and posting multiple hits in all three games. Newsom hit safely in all four games last week and is second on the team in hitting at .333. Senior outfielder Chad House leads the team with a .344 average. He has also hit safely in four straight games, including recording multiple hits in all three weekend contests. The Tiger pitching staff had a solid weekend, producing a 4.82 ERA despite dropping two games. They combined to hold a strong offensive TCU team to a .291 average. Stephen Gostkowski and Drew Jaudon combined to give Memphis its first league win since a Mar. 27 win at USF. Middle Tennessee enters the series after winning a Sun Belt weekend over Western Kentucky, two games to one. The Blue Raiders, who have beaten Memphis in four straight games, are currently one game above .500 at 16-15. Led by Todd Martin's .439 average, they hit .305 as a team. Martin and four other players are hitting over .300. Nate Jaggers has started in all 31 games and leads the team with seven homers and 35 RBI. Much like the Tigers, fielding has been a trouble area for the Blue Raiders as they are fielding at a .959 clip. However, the MT pitchers have been able to overcome the weak fielding and maintain a 5.16 ERA. Opponents are hitting .307 with 20 home runs against the MT staff. First pitch for Tuesday's game is set for 7 p.m., while Wednesday's game starts at 3 p.m. The Memphis-Middle Tennessee games will be broadcast live with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell calling play-by-play action on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/18/05		Ekin Zafir Signs NLI With Lady Tiger Tennis -- Becomes first signee for 2005-06 for Memphis (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis women's tennis team added one student-athlete with the signing of Turkey's Ekin Zafir, it was announced by head coach Charlotte Peterson, Monday. Zafir has lived in the United States since age 11, and attended the Bradenton Academy in Florida for grades six through eight. She then moved to the Pendleton School for her high school prep career. She has studied with the IMG/Nick Bolliteri academy and has played in the ITF's Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl tournaments, and in Cosat tournaments in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Barbados. "I loved the atmosphere of the university," Zafir said. "I also get along with the tennis team, which makes it even better. I know I will get a great education at Memphis. To come to the University of Memphis is a great opportunity for me to get better in my game strategically and mentally." At Memphis, Zafir is considering majoring in either restaurant/hospitality management or international relations. "I had the opportunity to see Ekin workout at the Bolliteri academy and felt like she had the game to help our team," Peterson said. "With her experience and training and competition there, she will come in a real experienced player, which should help our squad next year." Zafir is the daughter of Nesrin and Omer Zafir. She plays for Bradenton's high school tennis team which lost in the finals of the state championships. She returns to Turkey each summer to see her family and friends there. Zafir is the first signee of the 2004-05 season for Peterson. The Lady Tigers lose one starter to graduation, as Marlene Dirnstorfer, the Lady Tigers' No. 1 singles and doubles player over the past two seasons, will graduate in May with a master's degree.

04/18/05		Birdie Campbell Signs With Lady Tiger Basketball Team -- Becomes second Memphis-area signee for Coach Blair Savage (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Blair Savage's first signing class grew by one as Northside's Birdie Campbell (Memphis, Tenn.) signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to join the Lady Tiger basketball program for the 2005-06 season. A 6-3 center who averages 16 points and 11 rebounds, Campbell was a 2005 Tennessee All-State Prep Basketball Team honorable mention award winner. "The signing of Birdie Campbell is very instrumental to the success of our program in that she is a very talented player and is a Memphis player," Savage said. "She is very capable of making an immediate impact with her size and scoring ability and is coming off a great career at Northside." At Northside, Campbell was coached by Donald Holmes. She helped Northside to the TSSAA Region 8 semifinals, where the Cougars fell to Ridgeway. As a junior, she was named to the Commercial Appeal's Best of Preps All-Metro Team in Class AAA. Campbell is the daughter of Mattie Campbell. She is the youngest of seven children, with three brothers and three sisters. She is undecided on her major at the University of Memphis. She was also recruited by Mississippi, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee and Arkansas state. Campbell becomes the second Memphis-area signee for Savage, joining guard Paris Leonard of Wooddale High school. Shannon High School's (Plantersville, Miss.) Sherika Montgomery, a 6-2 center, was also part of the signing class during the early signing period. The first day of classes for the 2005-06 academic year will be August 29th, 2005.

04/18/05		Tiger Tennis Earns First Round Bye for C-USA Championships -- Faces winner of USF/Marquette match at 5 p.m., Friday (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's tennis team earned a No. 4 seed and a first-round bye for the upcoming Conference USA men's tennis championships, beginning Thursday. The Tigers will face the winner of the No. 6 USF/No. 11 Marquette match at 5 p.m., Friday, at Louisville. "Our team has had an excellent last few weeks and has a lot of momentum heading into this tournament," Head Coach Paul Goebel said. "We look forward to playing either USF or Marquette. We're feeling good and just have to show up and be ready to play." The Green Wave of Tulane received the league's top seed, and will face the winner of the No. 7 DePaul/No. 10 East Carolina match at 2 p.m. Friday. The winner of that match faces the winner of the Memphis vs. USF/Marquette bracket at noon on Saturday. TCU was the No. 2 seed for the tournament, and will play the winner of the No. 8 Southern Miss/No. 9 Charlotte match at 11 a.m., Friday, while host Louisville was the No. 3 seed, and will face the winner of the No. 5 UAB/No. 12 Saint Louis match at 8 a.m. Friday to open the tournament. The last time the Tigers were seeded fourth in the tournament was in 2001-02, when the then-No. 64 Tigers were upset in two matches at the tournament by No. 5 seed, and again host Louisville, then by No. 7 seed DePaul to finish seventh, the program's worst conference tournament finish in seven seasons. Current Tiger Alex Bucewicz was a freshman on that squad. Current Tiger assistant coach Lee Taylor Walker was also a part of the 2001-02 team that finished seventh at Louisville. C-USA Men's Tennis Championships Thursday Match 1 - No. 8 Southern Miss vs. No. 9 Charlotte, 8 a.m. Match 2 - No. 5 UAB vs. No. 12 Saint Louis, 11 a.m. Match 3 - No. 6 USF vs. No. 11 Marquette, 2 p.m. Match 4 - No. 7 DePaul vs. No. 10 East Carolina, 5 p.m. Friday Match 5 - No. 3 Louisville vs. winner UAB/SLU, 8 a.m. (Loser Match 5, Fifth Place Tie) Match 6 - No. 2 TCU vs. winner USM/Charlotte, 11 a.m. (Loser Match 6, Fifth Place Tie) Match 7 - No. 1 Tulane vs. winner DePaul/ECU, 2 p.m. (Loser Match 7, Fifth Place Tie) Match 8 - No. 4 Memphis vs. winner USF/Marquette, 5 p.m. (Loser match 8, Fifth Place Tie) Match 9 - Loser USF/Marquette vs. Loser DePaul/ECU, noon (alternate site) Match 10 - Loser USM/Charlotte vs. Loser UAB/SLU, 9 a.m., (alternate site) Saturday Match 11 - Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8, Noon (Loser Match 11, Third Place Tie) Match 12 - Winner match 9 vs. Winner Match 10, 3 p.m. (Ninth Place Match) Match 13 - Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 9 a.m. (Loser Match 13, Third Place Tie) Sunday Championship Match - Winner Match 11 vs. Winner Match 13, 11 a.m.

04/18/05		Homer in 10th inning ends Tigers' skid -- U of M 6, TCU 5 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 18, 2005 He quickly rounded the bases, his right hand held high to celebrate the moment. Several strides before he triumphantly jumped on home plate -- and into the arms of his jubilant teammates -- Cory Barton took off his batting helmet and flipped it into the air. It hit the ground about the same time his feet landed squarely on home plate. Barton's walk-off, 10th-inning homer -- the first late-inning heroics of his career -- led off the bottom of the inning and gave the University of Memphis a 6-5 Conference USA victory over TCU Sunday at Nat Buring Stadium, ending the Tigers' 11-game losing streak. A transfer from Shelton State (Ala.) Community College, Barton said he didn't remember raising his right hand in the air as he circled the bases or tossing his helmet as he approached home plate. All he recalled after he lofted a 2-1 pitch from Chad Underwood (3-2) over the fence in left was the euphoria of snapping the streak. Memphis (9-24 overall, 3-12 in C-USA) was nearing a school-record for consecutive losses (14 straight in 2000) before Barton stepped in to halt the count. ''I was is a daze, I couldn't believe it,'' Barton said as he rounded the bases. ''Most of all, I was glad to finally get a win. Barton, who did not hit a home run in two years of junior college, said he walked to the plate in the 10th looking to get on base. With only one homer in 98 at-bats this season, a home run was not his objective. ''I kind of felt like Kirk Gibson a little bit,'' Barton said. ''I know it's not the World Series, but it feels so good to win.'' Gibson's dramatic walk-off, pinch-hit homer helped the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Oakland A's in a 1989 World Series game. Barton's homer helped the U of M survive blowing a 5-2 seventh-inning lead, giving the team momentum as it embarks on a six-game road trip. Drew Jaudon (2-2), who pitched three scoreless innings of relief, got the victory. Starter Stephen Gostkowski didn't get a decision, but he pitched seven strong innings, scattering seven hits and allowing four runs to keep the Tigers in the game against one of the league's better-hitting teams. Memphis had dropped the first two games of the series -- 10-2 and 9-1 -- to fall into last place in the 12-team C-USA standings. But the Tigers battled 30th-ranked TCU (24-12, 11-4) from the outset, displaying a more relaxed approach and chasing starter Sam Demel in a four-run seventh. ''Even though we've been out of a lot of games, we've never stopped fighting,'' said Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock. ''I think playing at home was a big advantage. That's the first time I've felt like that in a while. ''I just told 'em in our pregame meal to relax and have fun. It looked like they'd been playing kind of tense and tight. I said don't worry about winning and losing, just play the game. It was a lot looser dugout.'' Barton nearly delivered the game-winning hit two innings earlier. In the eighth, he followed Jordan Tolliver's leadoff triple with a screaming liner -- against a drawn-in infield -- that was nabbed by a leaping Stuart Musslewhite at short. The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs in the inning, but the threat ended when Ryan Martin struck out. K.K. Chalmers, who reached base four times (2-for-2 with two walks), gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead in the seventh. His single to left scored Barton, who had doubled. Chalmers also scored on the play when leftfielder Matt McGuirk misplayed the ball, allowing it to dart under his glove. Later in the inning, a bases-loaded walk and an infield single gave the U of M a 5-2 lead, erased an inning later by Keith Conlon's three-run homer. But Memphis, for the first time in three weeks, refused to lose.

04/18/05		Lady Tigers hoping course friendly -- Germantown CC's familiarity could bode well for U of M (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 18, 2005 C-USA women's golf tournament When, where: Today through Wednesday at Germantown Country Club, 1780 Kimbrough The University of Memphis women's golf team is hoping its familiarity with Germantown Country Club will give the Lady Tigers a home-course advantage when the Conference USA Tournament begins today. Memphis, seeded eighth among the 10 league schools, is not considered the favorite, but enters the tournament with some momentum. The Lady Tigers are coming off a sixth-place finish two weeks ago at the Golden Eagle Invitational where the UofM's Stacey Tate earned medalist honors with a 2-over 215. The tournament favorite is nationally ranked Tulane, the defending champion. The Green Wave is ranked 13th and features Alison Walshe, one of the nation's top golfers, and Liliana Alvarez, the 2004 C-USA Tournament medalist. While the women are competing today through Wednesday for an automatic NCAA berth, the men are battling today through Wednesday for a similar reward at The Grand Bear in Gulfport, Miss. Tenth-ranked TCU, which has won three straight C-USA Tournament titles, is favored, but Tiger coach Grant Robbins said a strong showing could earn his team an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. The men closed the regular season with an impressive second-place finish at the 12-team Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate at Auburn, Ala. The Tigers have had three tournament wins and two second-place finishes this season. ''Fortunately, the (Hitchcock finish) put us right back on the bubble,'' Robbins said of his team's NCAA chances. ''If we can finish second or third in the conference tournament, it will help us. We've got to hope that all the favorites win their conference tournaments. We don't need any upsets (which would take away at-large berths).'' The Memphis women will be led by Tate, a sophomore from New Zealand. Tate's 215 total at the Golden Eagle Invitational in Hattiesburg, Miss., set a three-round individual school-record by four strokes. Her total also was nine strokes better than her previous best, a 224 at the Wildcat Fall Invitational that earned her a second-place finish. ''Germantown Country Club sets up great for her,'' said Lady Tiger coach Jenny Bruun. ''She's long off the tee, she's accurate and her irons are fabulous. Her irons have been excellent the last month. If her putter gets hot, she could go very low.'' The Memphis lineup will be Tate, Meghan Mahoney, Kathryn O'Rourke, Bernie Rosero and Cameron Barber. All are sophomores with the exception of Rosero, a junior from Ecuador. ''I feel we are playing our best golf of the season, which is ideal,'' Bruun said. ''I look at each of our five, and I feel they are each playing their strongest. ''That and the home advantage should help. We've played this course throughout the year. It's a difficult golf course that great players love and average players get frustrated on.'' Bruun said Tulane won't have difficulty adapting. ''Tulane is definitely in their own league,'' she said. ''Their fifth girl is as good as the No. 1s on a lot of teams.'' The men's team will be led by freshman Ian Rochester of Cordova. Rochester won medalist honors at the Hitchcock Invitational last week, shooting a 5-under 211 to edge Auburn senior All-American Lee Williams. Joining Rochester in Gulfport will be Keven Fortin-Simard, Andy Shiels, Justin Miers and Robbie Greenwell. It's a freshman-dominated lineup. Only Miers, a junior, is not in his first year. ''We are so young,'' Robbins said. ''That's why this year has been so inconsistent. In our past two tournaments we've had a 17th-place finish at LSU and a second-place finish at Auburn. ''There are times I find myself trying to figure out what the heck is going on, and then I sit back and realize they're practically all freshmen.'' -- Phil Stukenborg, 529-2543

04/18/05		Editorial 04/18: Thanking a legend (Commercial Appeal)
		NOT ALL of the memories Ken Moody has of playing for Larry Finch are fond ones. Moody played for the University of Memphis basketball team during Finch's first year as head coach, and Finch didn't waste any time establishing his reputation as a strict disciplinarian. Moody said players who screwed up often ended up running wind sprints -- sometimes at 2 or 3 a.m. Looking back, though, Moody realizes that Finch had the best interests of his players at heart. That's why it's touching to know that Moody and other former players are trying to raise money to help pay Finch's medical expenses. Finch, the basketball program's all-time winningest coach, suffered a stroke in 2001 and has been in and out of medical rehabilitation centers ever since. At a news conference today, Moody and other former players are expected to publicize a golf tournament to benefit Finch. The event will be held April 29 at The Links at Galloway, with entry fees of $125 per person. Moody, now the city's deputy director of recreation services, said other fund-raisers are likely. It's a fitting tribute to a man who has done so much for Tiger basketball and, by extension, this city. Longtime residents remember Finch's heroics as a player, when he helped lead the 1972-73 team to the NCAA championship game against UCLA. More recent arrivals remember his final season as a coach in 1996-97, when Memphis beat hated rival Louisville twice. Moody and others involved are to be congratulated for their efforts.

04/18/05		Football Tigers launch push for 2005 season (Memphis Business Journal)
		The University of Memphis and Sossaman & Associates have wasted no time in trying to get fans pumped up for the 2005 Tiger football season. Sossaman is revving up the U of M advertising campaign, which was made a little easier with the return of star running back DeAngelo Williams, says Walter Rose, creative director for Sossaman. "DeAngelo's a big story, obviously," Rose says. "There's not a lot we have to do other than put him out there, but the school didn't want him to be the only person they showcased." Rose says the ad campaigns typically showcase seniors in addition to the stars. This year's schedule card will feature the Tigers' kicker, Stephen Gostkowski. The poster, which will be posted on MATA buses and bus shelters, has the school's fight song lyrics framing pictures of players and the word "victory," quoted directly from the song, at the top. Troy McCall, associate creative director at Sossaman, says the plan for this year's campaign was to accentuate the college atmosphere. He says Sossaman stuck with the yearly plan of making something that looks good and could be a collector's item for fans. He says the campaign design has gotten easier as the team has gotten better over the last two years. "Marketing is infinitely easier after they started winning and there's so much more community pride for the team," he says. "It's hard to mess this up because it kind of sells itself." The campaign doesn't address the revamped Conference USA lineup, but focuses on this year's schedule. Even with the loss of Louisville, the Tigers have a challenging season ahead of them. In November, they end the season with games against UAB, Tennessee, Southern Mississippi and Marshall. "That's a challenging way to end the season," Rose says. "But if they continue to have success, it'll be more about the team than about who they play every year." While the push to move season tickets will gear up this summer, Rose and McCall say the early jump on the campaign will give fans a little extra time to think and get excited about football -- and the return of Williams for his senior year. "When DeAngelo announced he was staying, that boosted season ticket sales right there," Rose says.

04/17/05		2005-06 MEMPHIS SPIRIT SQUADS ANNOUNCED -- Check here for the new members (GoTigersGo.com)
		The University of Memphis held try-outs on April 16-17 to name spirit squad members for the 2005-06 school year. Over 150 individuals attempted to make either the co-ed cheer squad, the all-girls competitive squad or the pom-pon team. Frankie Conklin, the Spirit Squad Director for the U of M, announced that the following 78 individuals have been selected for next year. Scholarships for spirit squad members are pending and will be based on grades through the spring semester. ALL-GIRLS COMPETITIVE SQUAD Ashley Chambers Cassie Davis Scarlett Evans Gina Gattis Melanie Henry Brandi Hunter Callie Jackson Heather Johnson Rachel Johnson Jessica Justice Kristen Kern Erika Kirksey Emily Lawrence Brittney Lee Jessica McManus Monica Moody Kristen Murdock Julie Pope Courtney Powell Jade Sargent Ashley Sartino Christy Tate Christy Taylor Courtney Teeters Kristen Wilder Casey Winn CO-ED CHEER (Female) Jessica Carter Brianna Grisham * Kelly Henley * Sharon Jackson Nicole King * Lindsey Little * Candace Nurse * Molly Seward J.J. Schmidt * Claire Skipper * Ashley Warren * CO-ED CHEER (Male) Ray Baker Eldridge Bond Ryan Borden * Rodney Brown * Lee Gifford Davis Griffin * Jimmy Hammett * David Jackson * Jack Lloyd Adam Mahoney Matt McKean Kyle Newman * Luke Nowell * Jesus Perea Billy Roberts * Kenny Strong Clayton Yohanek POM-PON SQUAD Jordan Canfield Stephanie Chappars Amy Collie Christina Conrad Erica Conrad Molly Darnaby Jackie Dye * Candace Eason * Anna Fortner * Lakelyn Foutch * Aubry Freeman Amanda Hanson * Miranda Jenson * Katy Key Erica Lee Jamillah Lee Raafi Marshi * Lindsey Mullins * Patriece Nieman * Hilary Phillips * Krystal Stanback Ashley Udashen * Sara Williams * Mary Catherine Wood Megan Woods * Scholarship pending based on successful completion of spring semester classes

04/17/05		Tigers Win, 6-5, on Cory Barton's 10th Inning Walk-Off Blast -- Tigers snap 11-game losing streak and salvage win in C-USA series finale (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - #30 TCU (24-12, 11-4 C-USA) 101 010 030 0 - 5 10 1 MEMPHIS (9-24, 3-12 C-USA) 000 010 400 1 - 6 10 0 Junior catcher Cory Barton blasted a walk-off home run over the leftfield wall to lead off the home half of the 10th inning and give Memphis a thrilling 6-5 win over #30 TCU in Sunday's C-USA series finale between the two schools. The walk-off job by Barton was the Tigers' first since Kurt Welch blasted on game-ending homer to defeat Cincinnati 3-0 on May 15, 2004. The win snaps Memphis' 11-game losing skid. In just the second come-from-behind win of the year for Memphis, the Tigers fell behind early as TCU posted a run in the first and another in the third to take a 2-0 lead midway through the contest. Matt McGuirk's first-inning double down the rightfield line set up an RBI-single by Keith Conlan. The Horned Frogs went up by two on Chad Huffman's solo shot to left. The Tigers battled to cut the lead in half on Patrick Hope's solo home run to left. Hope's home run was the second of the season. Memphis would trail until the seventh, when they exploded for four runs in a two-out rally. Barton ignited the rally with a lined double to the gap in left centerfield. The momentum swung all the way to the Tigers' side on the next at-bat. Freshman K.K. Chalmers lined a single through the left side to score Barton, tying the game at 2-2. Matt McGuirk came up to attempt to throw Barton out at the plate, but the ball got under his glove and rolled to the leftfield wall. The speedy Chalmers was able to come all the way around to score on the three-base error, giving Memphis its first lead of the series at 3-2. Walks by Chad House and Ryan Martin sandwiched a single by Chris Newsom to load the sacks. Adam Amar then drew a bases-loaded walk and Robbie Goss reached on an RBI-infield single to give Memphis a 5-2 cushion. TCU answered back on an eighth-inning three-run blast to straight-away center by Conlon to tie the game. Chalmers and Barton each recorded two hits for Memphis in the emotional win. Tiger starter Stephen Gostkowski earned a no-decision, but was solid in putting Memphis in position to win the game. The junior spread seven hits and four runs over seven innings of work. Reliever Drew Jaudon picked up his second win of the year and Memphis' first win in the month of April, after holding TCU off the board in three innings. Chad Underwood was the losing pitcher for the Frogs. Memphis will now face a grueling six-game road trip that begins with a two-game set with Middle Tennessee on Tues., Apr. 19 and Wed., Apr. 20. Tuesday's game is set for a 7 p.m. first pitch in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Listen to the game's live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell calling play-by-play action on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/17/05		Wimprine wants a shot at the next level -- Former Tiger QB hopes NFL looks at his heart, not height (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 17, 2005 He led his high school to back-to-back state championships in Louisiana, playing for a program that went 53-2 during his four-year career. At the University of Memphis, he spent four seasons shattering career passing records and perceptions. He directed a Tiger football team that hadn't been to the postseason in more than 30 years, one mired in mediocrity, to consecutive bowl game appearances. And since mid-January, he's been working tirelessly on the next phase of his career, trying to convince NFL scouts and player personnel directors that he's worthy of being selected in next weekend's NFL Draft. After beginning as a backup to Travis Anglin, Tiger quarterback Danny Wimprine emerged as a starter midway through his redshirt freshman season in 2001 and soon began compiling gaudy passing yardage totals and touchdown passes. When his career ended in December's GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Wimprine had tossed 81 TD passes, amassed 10,215 passing yards and given the program the leader it had been missing at that position for decades. Wimprine's only hoping that enough of the right people noticed. He performed admirably in the various drills at last month's UofM Pro Day and has worked out for several NFL teams since, including the New York Jets and his hometown New Orleans Saints last week in New Orleans. The New York Giants inquired about him late last week. "I think I helped myself and opened some eyes that maybe weren't watching in the first place," Wimprine said. "Now it's a question of 'Did I do well enough during my career, my pro day and my workouts to impress people and possibly get drafted or signed somewhere?' "Now the pressure is off me. Now it's up to what they think of me." Wimprine realizes that his height -- he's an NFL Pro Day-measured 6-feet -- raises questions and concerns. What NFL personnel shouldn't question are his tenacity, toughness and leadership skills. And his durabililty. During his final three seasons, Wimprine started 37 consecutive games. Last season, while leading the Tigers to an 8-4 finish, he threw all but 16 of the team's 414 passes thrown by quarterbacks. "One of the key factors in determining if a quarterback is worthy of a late-round pick is his football temperament," said Brian Parker, Wimprine's Memphis-based agent. "Scouts want someone who loves the game so much they'd be willing to play for free. "Danny loves the game. He has a passion for it." Parker said Wimprine surprised NFL personnel at the Memphis Pro Day with his athleticism. Wimprine had a vertical leap of 34 inches, about three inches higher than the average for quarterbacks at the NFL Combine. His 40-yard dash time of 4.72 seconds also beat the average for quarterback prospects at the Combine. Former UofM coach Rip Scherer, who recruited Wimprine to Memphis, attended the Combine as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns. Scherer, who spent the past two seasons as offensive coordinator at Southern Miss, was hired by the Browns shortly before the Combine. "I talked to him on the phone about three weeks ago," Wimprine said of Scherer. "I've e-mailed him, he's e-mailed me. He said he went to the Combine, and he thought I was better than about half the guys that were there. "He said if it comes down to it, he'd love to coach me again. His exact words were: 'If it comes down to it, I'd stand on the table and battle for you.'" Wimprine passed for 2,892 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior. He completed 21-of-35 passes in a nationally televised Conference USA win over Southern Miss. "I hope (Rip) keeps me in mind," Wimprine said. "I'd love to play for him. He was around me for a year, and he knows what kind of person I am and he knows what kind of player I am. "He said, 'I know you're not 6-5, but I know your heart, I know your work ethic and I know your toughness and your leadership qualities.' He said, 'those are the things that are going to get you into the NFL, not the fact that you're tall and you played at Miami.' " While he'd love the opportunity to play for Cleveland, Wimprine said the ideal situation would be the chance to return home and play for the Saints. He's played in the Superdome in high school and college and said he loves playing in the facility. Wimprine is moving back to New Orleans this weekend and said he'll graduate next month, although he hopes NFL mini-camp obligations keep him from the graduation ceremonies. "Since I was 6 years old, I've wanted to be an NFL player," Wimprine said. "I think I could come in and play in any system. I think I have a lot of upside." A competitor from the moment he donned a uniform, Wimprine looks forward to doing what he's had to do throughout his career: overcome perceptions. If he goes undrafted, he'll welcome the chance to come to camp as a free agent. "I'm not worried that I wasn't invited to the Combine," he said. "There have been opportunities for me to show what I can do since then. "Hopefully some teams have been watching. It's all about getting your foot in the door and working your way up." -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

04/17/05		Sound Off: Tigers need Rebels on football field (Commercial Appeal)
		A letter writer in your April 10 edition stated that Memphis did not need Ole Miss. Ask R.C. Johnson if the program does not need the funds generated by the series, especially in the years when the Rebels come to Memphis. From what I have read, the Memphis athletic program usually operates at a loss, so I doubt the powers that be in the Memphis athletic program feel the same as the letter writer. He also said Ole Miss should see the "writing on the wall" and mentions Memphis's current, stunning and amazing streak of two consecutive bowl games. I guess that means Memphis is now a perennial football power on par with Miami and Oklahoma. He needs to look at reality. The Rebels had a streak of two consecutive bowl appearances, going into last season. However, we had lost our senior quarterback and other key players and fell to a dismal 4-7. Memphis finds itself in a similar situation going into this season, so the letter writer needs to be realistic. Two good seasons does not a powerhouse make. Memphis does have a better coach than we had the past six years and it plays in Conference USA, so there might not be as bad a fall off this year as we experienced last year. If the powers that be decide to end the Ole Miss-Memphis series, it will give this year's game even more significance. It will give the winner bragging rights over the loser until the series is renewed. Perry Mangum Nesbit, Miss.

04/17/05		Familiar woes send Tigers to defeat -- TCU 9, U of M 1 (Commercial Appeal)
		By David Healy, Special to The Commercial Appeal April 17, 2005 The University of Memphis baseball team lost its 11th straight game Saturday, 9-1, to Texas Christian University at Nat Buring Stadium. Once again, Memphis's problems were a few key defensive mistakes and not enough timely hitting. "Early in the game, we just didn't make the routine plays," said first-year Memphis coach Daron Schoenrock. "Then we had a lot of leadoff men on base, but then their pitcher did a good job of shutting us down. "It's tough now. We are going through an educational process. We are trying to teach them why games are won or lost." The Tiger infield made two errors in the first inning that allowed the Horned Frogs to score four runs before the Tigers (8-24, 2-12 in C-USA) had a chance to bat. Four Tiger errors led to seven unearned runs, and the offense could only muster five hits. Senior starter Tim McGough, who came into Saturday's contest with a 0.74 ERA, pitched eight strong innings and improved his record to 5-0 for TCU (24-11, 11-3). TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said he thinks the Tigers are not that far away from starting to win some games. "They definitely have the right coaching staff," Schlossnagle said. "Even when losing, they play the game the right way. They don't make too many mental errors. "It's the physical errors that they need to correct." Memphis junior Robbie Goss scored the Tigers' only run in the bottom of the second inning after being hit by a pitch. A double by Tiger junior Patrick Hope sent Goss to third, and Goss crossed home after junior Corey Barton drew a walk with the bases loaded. Hope, the Tiger second baseman, said his team is trying to keep a good outlook even during these struggles. "We are just trying to find any way possible," he said. "Our defense has really been a problem. Some days we come out swinging, but we can't make any plays." Memphis pitcher Nick Bradshaw (1-2) settled down and allowed just one more earned run until he was taken out at the start of the seventh inning. TCU's J.J. Estrada hit a solo homer over the centerfield wall off Bradshaw in the top of the fifth inning. It was the eighth straight conference loss for the Tigers, who are just 2-12 this year at Nat Buring Stadium. The program's longest losing streak is 14 games, set in 2000. The series against TCU concludes today at noon.

04/16/05		U of M Athletes Claim Five Victories and a School Record at Two Meets Saturday -- Busby, Kiss and Men's 4x100m Relay Team win in Starkville, while Brooks wins two events in Macomb; Edri sets school sets school record in javelin (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - It was another highly successful day for Memphis track and field athletes as the U of M claimed three victories and a school record at the Jace Lacoste Invitational in Starkville, Miss., and two additional wins at the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational, in Macomb, Ill. Janon Busby, Daniel Kiss and the Men's 4x100m Relay team each took home a title in Starkville, while Josetta Brooks picked up a pair of medals in Macomb and Chen Edri etched her name in the U of M record books. Busby's tally came in the triple jump where the senior posted a season-best bound of 50-08.25" (15.45m) to claim first place, and more importantly improve upon previous NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 50-00.75" (15.26m). Kiss logged his victory in his specialty event, the 110m hurdles, posting a time of 13.91s to outdistance the field. The mark was just off his season-best effort of 13.80 seconds, which ranked fourth in the nation entering the weekend. The men's 4x100m relay team of Daniel Bandy, Willie Green, Kiss and Gary Nemeth put together its best race of the season as well, posting a time of 40.79s to win the event over fellow Conference USA member Southern Mississippi. Their time was just over a tenth of a second off the Regional qualifying time of 40.66s. Chen Edri did not win an event, but had a tremendous day one-the-less, setting two season bests and adding her name to the school record books. Her record-setting toss came with a mark of 136-03" (41.52m), in the javelin, while she cleared a height of 5-07.00" (1.70m) to set a season best in the high jump. The freshman placed third in both events. Brooks, who was one of only two athletes to travel to Macomb, had a huge day at the Lee Calhoun Memorial, setting a season best in one win and a personal best in the other. The junior's first crown came in the 100m hurdles where she logged a time of 14.50s for her best effort of the 2005 campaign. Her second triumph came in a personal-record time of 1:04.24 in the 400m hurdles. Beyond the five wins, numerous other U of M athletes put together strong performances at the Jace Lacoste Invitational where the entire men's squad and a majority of the women's squad competed on the day. For the Tigers, Brandon Winbush had a great showing in the long jump, placing second in the event with a leap of 24-06.25" (7.47), and more significantly setting a new personal best and improving on his NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the process. Winbush also placed second to Busby in the triple jump with a mark of 44-09.50" (13.65m). Willie Green added a second runner-up tally for the U of M men, placing second in the 100m with a time of 10.69s. Two more Tigers finished in the top-five in the 100m with Gary Nemeth finishing third in a time of 10.70s and Imre Lorincz placing fifth in a time of 10.87s. Nemeth also placed fifth in the 200m, with a time of 21.92s. Additionally, Norbert Gulyas, Jason Morgan and Cody Rushing each set a personal or season best and finished in the top-five in at least one event on the day. Gulyas logged a personal best in the discus and a season best in the shot put, recording tosses of 163-02" (49.74m) and 49-08.25" (15.14m), respectively, to place third and fifth in the events. Morgan registered a fourth-place finish in the javelin with a personal-best effort of 164-06" (50.15m), while Rushing set season bests in the pole vault (14-00.00"; 4.26m) and javelin (148-09"; 45.34m), placing fifth and sixth, respectively. On the women's side, Victoria Crawford was the highest Lady Tiger finisher at the meet, as she placed second in the triple jump with a bound of 40-01.50" (12.23m). Annette Uzoh set a pair of personal records on the day, placing third in both the hammer and shot put with heaves of 148-10" (45.37m) and 43-01.75" (13.15m), respectively. Sivan Aballi added another personal best for the squad, as she logged a toss of 39-10.75" (12.16m) in a fifth-place finish in the shot put. The freshman also placed third in the discus with an effort of 138-06" (42.22m). After an incredible weekend, which saw the five wins and two school records, - Daniele Riendea broke her own record in the 1500m on Friday - the U of M track and field squads will now prepare to return to Oxford, Miss. for the third time this season, as they will compete in the Mississippi Open next Saturday, April 23.

04/16/05		Errors Send Tigers to 9-1 Loss Versus #30 TCU -- Tigers make four errors to drop 11th straight (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - #30 TCU (24-11, 22-3 C-USA) 401 010 003 - 9 11 1 MEMPHIS (8-24, 2-12 C-USA) 010 000 000 - 1 5 4 TCU took advantage of four Memphis errors to score seven unearned runs and hand the Tigers their 11th consecutive loss, 9-1 Saturday afternoon at Nat Buring Stadium. Horned Frog starter Tim McGough improved to 5-0 on the year with a strong eight-inning outing. He scattered five hits and held Memphis to just one run. Tiger miscues came back to haunt them early as TCU posted four unearned runs in the opening inning. After the Frogs opened play with a pair of singles, Memphis committed its first error as Chad Huffman was allowed to reach base on an infield error to load the bases. After a shallow fly ball out, J.J. Estrada's groundball was misplayed, allowing the first TCU run to cross. A wild pitch brought Matt McGuirk home and a two-run single by Matt Carpenter put TCU up 4-0 early. Memphis answered back with a run in the second to break McGough's scoreless innings streak at 26 innings. Robbie Goss was hit by a pitch and Patrick Hope followed with a double to the left centerfield gap. Jordan Tolliver and Cory Barton drew consecutive walks to score Goss and cut the TCU lead to 4-1. The Horned Frogs countered with an unearned run on an RBI-double by Carpenter. TCU did not plate its first earned score until Estrada knocked his second home run of the series to give the Frogs a 6-1 lead in the fifth. Two of their three ninth-inning runs were unearned. Led by DH Andrew Walker's 3-for-5 day, TCU outhit Memphis 11-5. Carpenter posted multiple hits also. Nick Bradshaw (1-2) was the hard-luck loser in the contest. The Tiger senior pitched six innings and gave up seven runs, six of which were unearned. Memphis and TCU will take to the field for the series finale on Sunday. First pitch is set for Noon at "The Nat".

04/16/05		Women's Tennis Falls in Finale, 4-2 -- Lady Tigers to finish season at C-USA Tournament beginning Thursday (GoTigersGo.com)
		WILMINGTON, N.C. - The University of Memphis women's tennis team (5-12) finished its regular season with a 4-2 loss to East Carolina in Wilmington, Saturday morning. Junior Andrea Feichtinger and sophomore Alex Tjioe scored Memphis' lone two points in the match, with Feichtinger downing Racula Baicu, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2 singles, while Tjioe defeated Zandy Overcash, 6-0, 6-0. Memphis will compete in next weekend's Conference USA Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas, as TCU will host the conference tournament, beginning on Thursday. East Carolina 4, Memphis 2 Singles No. 1 -- Gillie Bailey def. Marlene Dirnstorfer (UM), 6-2, 7-5 No. 2 -- Andrea Feichtinger (UM) def. Racula Baicu, 6-2, 6-1 No. 3 -- Luiza Borgas def. Brooke Cowie (UM), 6-2, 6-2 No. 4 -- Hannah Priest def. Kristin Noble (UM), 6-3, 6-2 No. 5 -- Christina Wieser (UM) vs. Alex Smith, dnf No. 6 -- Alex Tjioe (UM) def. Zandy Overcash, 6-0, 6-0 Doubles No. 1 -- Bailey/Borgas def. Dirnstorfer/Cowie (UM), 8-2 No. 2 -- Baicu/Smith def. Feichtinger/Tjioe (UM), 8-3 No. 3 -- Noble/Wieser (UM) def. Priest/Overcash, 8-3

04/16/05		Lady Tigers Plan to Use Home Advantage at C-USA Championship -- Memphis seeded eighth among 10-team field (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - When the Conference USA Women's Golf Championship tees off on Monday in Memphis at the Germantown Country Club, the field of 10 includes five top 50 teams who will battle for first place. But easily overlooked is the home team with its 123rd national ranking. "If you look at rankings, we are picked to finish eighth out of 10," said Memphis head coach Jenny Bruun. "But going in, I truly fell that from a talent standpoint, if our players play up to their potential, we can finish in the top three. I'm not sure if they believe that at this point, but I think they do have a little bit of a renewed confidence after our performance at Southern Mississippi." The University of Memphis women's golf team aims to take full advantage of playing on its home turf in the three-day conference tournament on the par 71, 6,091 yard course. Memphis will begin teeing off on Monday at 8:45 a.m. Finishing eighth last year in Fort Worth, Texas, the Lady Tigers haven't finished in the top three at the tournament since winning it all in 2001. "Going in, we have no pressure, and that is huge when you are going into the biggest tournament of the year," Bruun said. "They know there are no expectations for our team. Being home, in the comfort of your home, sleeping in your own bed, and knowing where you are going, I just think we have a big advantage. "I truly think we have a 10-stroke lead before we tee off on that first day of the tournament, and my kids believe that. Germantown is a course that you can't just play one time and know everything about the course, and that's what these other kids are going to have to do. It's very tight. It's very long, and it's going to be wet out there, so it is going to be a challenge." Leading Memphis into the tournament is Stacey Tate. The New Zealand native enters the championship after become the first Lady Tiger to medal since Jennifer Jaszek in 2002. Tate won the Southern Miss Lady Eagle Invitational with a 71-73-71--215, four strokes lower than the school three-round record. The sophomore earned C-USA Player of the Week honors for her performance and helped Memphis take sixth place in the tournament. Tate has finished in the top five four times out of nine tournaments in her first collegiate year of competition. "Stacey right now is going in with the mind frame that she is going to win the tournament," Bruun said. "That would be two in a row, but she is playing her best golf of the year, which you hope for at this time of the year. She also knows that being at Germantown is a huge advantage for her. She's played it 45 times this season, and she knows that she has an upper edge on an Alison Walshe from Tulane, an Adrienne Millican from ECU, or an Adrienne White from Louisville. Those are three of the top 50 players in the nation. "I really believe that if Stacey can finish in the top-five, which would be tremendous. It would give her the opportunity to possibly get a bid into the NCAA Tournament. She is super confident and feels good about her overall game." Memphis has finished in the top five twice this year, including a third place finish at the Kentucky Wildcat Invitational in the fall where Tate tied for second individually. Much of the success of the Lady Tigers in the conference championship depends on the health of Meghan Mahoney. The sophomore will be the No. 2 golfer for Memphis but has only completed one out of the last five tournaments on the team due to a back injury. At the Lady Eagle Invitational, Bruun had Mahoney compete as an individual to take off some of the pressure of having to finish. Mahoney not only completed the tournament, but shot a 74-74-80--228 to finish in 17th place individually. If Mahoney had been part of the Lady Tigers' five, Memphis would have taken second place instead of finishing sixth. "I think Meghan is ready for this," Bruun said. "She has been frustrated with the injury since November. She hates that she hasn't been able to finish tournaments. I think she is out to prove that she is one of the better players in this conference, and if she was healthy, watch out. It is just kind of a challenge that Meghan has with herself. I think she is going to play really well. "With the lack of practice, it is so impressive how well she's been playing. She shot two 74s at Southern Mississippi, and that was with maybe three hours of practice before the tournament. That's pretty good. You know right there that she is a pretty good player." The Lady Tigers' No. 3 golfer will be Kathryn O'Rourke. The sophomore finished tied for 28th at the Lady Eagle Invitational with a 79-75-79--233, her lowest three-round total since shooting a 225 to lead the Lady Tigers at the Lady Paladin Classic in the fall. "Kathryn has made such improvement the last two weeks," Bruun said. "She has really found her swing again. She is getting her confidence back. She is playing great, and getting competitive again." Junior Bernie Rosero has struggled in the spring, shooting her lowest three-rounds of 2005 at the Lady Eagle Invitational with an 80-84-81--245, but took first place in the Lady Tigers' qualifiers to take the No. 4 spot in the rotation. "Bernie struggled the last few tournaments, but she played awesome last weekend," Bruun said. "We kind of had a qualifier and she shot 1-over at Windyke and is just playing really solid. She is hitting her driver fantastic, which she will need at Germantown where it is very straight and very long." Taking the final spot in the Memphis lineup is sophomore Cameron Barber. The Lone Tree, Colo., native beat out sophomore Ashley Burross by one stroke in the team qualifiers. Burross finished second on the team at the Lady Eagle Invitational, beating her previous three-round tournament low by 19 strokes "It's not something you want to do as a coach," Bruun said. "I knew I was going to let someone down, and that is hard when six people deserve to play. A decision had to be made, and I felt that was the best decision for the team this week. I had to really look back at scores and look at how they have competed at our conference golf course. It came down to where Cameron and Bernie have done better. From September until two weeks ago, they have had the better scores." But Bruun credits Burross for having an impact on the way the team is competing entering the tournament. "She has really made everyone better these past couple weeks," Bruun said. "I really think she is the reason that everyone has stepped it up the last couple weeks. She stepped it up and made an impact. She came out and played great golf and pushed her teammates, so she has a lot to do with how much better we have gotten in the last three weeks." And with any luck, the Lady Tigers will continue to improve and raise some eyebrows on their home turf at the C-USA Championship. Seed Team Nat. Rank (Golfstat) 1. Tulane University 13 2. East Carolina Univ. 28 3. TCU 32 4. USF 42 5. Louisville, Univ. of 49 6. UAB 67 7. Southern Mississippi 104 8. Memphis, Univ. of 123 9. Cincinnati, U. of 159 10. Saint Louis Univ. 329

04/16/05		No. 30 TCU shuts down the U of M (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 16, 2005 Texas Christian University got a three-run home run by Matt McGuirk and a two-run blast by Keith Conlon as the No. 30 Horned Frogs breezed to a 10-2 win over Memphis Friday night in Conference USA action at Nat Buring Stadium. Horned Frogs starter Lance Broadway had a solid performance, posting eight strikeouts and holding Memphis to just one run in seven innings. TCU got on the board in the second on a J.J. Estrada homer, and then posted a five-run third to put the contest out of reach. Chad House drove in the Tigers' lone earned run on a single in the third inning.

04/15/05		#30 TCU Routes Tigers, 10-2 -- Freshman Chris Newsom posts three hits in loss (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - #30 TCU (23-11, 10-3 C-USA) 015 002 020 - 10 13 2 MEMPHIS (8-23, 2-11 C-USA) 001 000 001 - 2 7 2 Thirtieth-ranked TCU got a three-run home run, by Matt McGuirk, and a two-run blast by Keith Conlon in a five-run third inning as the Horned Frogs breezed to a 10-2 win over Memphis Friday night in Conference USA action at Nat Buring Stadium. Horned Frogs starter Lance Broadway had a solid performance, posting eight strikeouts and holding Memphis to just one run in seven innings. TCU got on the board in the second on a J.J. Estrada home run to left, and then posted the five-run third to put the contest out of reach. Memphis used a pair of infield hits to score a run in the third. Cory Barton led the inning off with an infield single and moved to third on a two-out double that fell on the left field foul line by Chris Newsom. Chad House then drove in the Tigers lone earned run of the evening on a single in the hole between shortstop and third base. McGuirk, who finished the night 3-for-5 with five RBI, put TCU up 8-1 with a two-run single in the sixth. The Frogs then put up a pair of unearned runs in the eight for a 10-1 advantage. Memphis benefited from a TCU throwing error on a groundball by House. Newsom, who had walked the previous at-bat, was able to score all the way from first on the play to cap all scoring. Newsom and House were the lone Memphis hitters to record multiple hits. Newsom went 3-for-5, while House was 2-for-3. Conlon registered a perfect 5-for-5 night with three RBI. He and McGuirk combined to go 8-for-10 with eight RBI and three runs scored. Stuart Musslewhite, a senior transfer from league member Houston, and Kyle Dahlberg also had two hits each. Broadway picked up his eighth win of the year, while Daniel de Armas falls to 2-1 for Memphis after giving up eight runs on 10 hits in six innings of work. Memphis and TCU will take to the field for game two on Saturday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at "The Nat".

04/15/05		Lady Tigers Squeak By UNC Wilmington, 4-3 -- Memphis finishes regular season against East Carolina, Saturday (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis won four of six singles matches to rally to a 4-3 victory over UNC Wilmington in non-conference women's tennis action Friday at the varsity courts. The Lady Tigers improved to 5-11 on the season, while the Lady Seahawks now stand 12-7 heading into Saturday's regular season finales. Memphis will finish its regular season against East Carolina, Saturday, in Wilmington. Singles 1. Marlene Dirnstorfer (UM) def. Lindsey Hess (UNCW), 5-7, 7-5, 7-4 2. Sallie Kiser (UNCW) def. Andrea Feichtinger (UM), 6-4, 6-0 3. Brooke Cowie (UM) def. Cary Wyeth (UNCW), 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4 4. Kristin Noble (UM) def. Cassie Martin (UNCW), 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 5. Christina Wieser (UM) def. Lauren Filliettaz (UNCW), 6-4, 6-0 6. Katie Carlson (UNCW) def. Alex Tjioe (UM), 6-4, 6-3 Doubles 1. Brooke Cowie-Marlene Dirnstorder (UM) def. Sallie Kiser-Kristin Mears (UNCW), 8-6 2. Lindsey Hess-Cassie Martin (UNCW) def. Andrea Feichtinger-Alex Tjioe (UM), 8-0 3. Lauren Filliettaz-Cary Wyeth (UNCW) def. Kristin Noble-Christina Wieser (UM), 8-6

04/15/05		Riendeau Breaks Lady Tiger 1500m Record for Second Time in Three Races -- Finishes 13th in talented field at Sea Ray Relays (GoTigersGo.com)
		Knoxville, Tenn. - For the second time in three 1500m races this spring, sophomore Daniele Riendeau broke the Lady Tiger school record in her specialty event as she eclipsed her previous mark at the Sea Ray Relays, hosted by the University of Tennessee. Riendeau's latest record-setting performance came in a time of 4:32.56, Friday afternoon in Knoxville, and broke the prior mark of 4:35.65, which she set three weeks ago at the LSU Tiger Relays. The Ottawa, Ontario native finished 13th in the exceptional field of 39 1500m competitors at Sea Ray. "Daniele ran an excellent race today." said Women's Distance Coach Jonas Holdeman. "Her splits were even and she was very smart. She is exactly where we want her to be right now, and should have a solid chance at a Regional qualifying time by the end of the season." Riendeau's current time is just under five seconds off the NCAA Regional qualifying standard of 4:27.80 seconds. Fellow sophomore Mary Claire Dake was the only other Lady Tiger to compete at the Sea Ray Relays. The Knoxville native, who typically runs the 3000m steeplechase, competed in the 800m, finishing with a time of 2:20.91. Becca McMahon had been scheduled to run the 800m, but was scratched due to an injury. Riendeau, Dake and McMahon were the only U of M athletes to travel to Knoxville for the weekend. The remainder of the Memphis women's and men's squads will be in action Saturday. Lady Tiger hurdlers Josetta Brooks and Ashley Stewart will run the 400m hurdles at the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational, hosted by Western Illinois University, while the entire men's team and the rest of the women's team are scheduled to compete in the Jace Lacoste Invitational at Mississippi State University. Results and recaps for both the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational and the Jace Lacoste Invitational will be posted at gotigersgo.com following the completion of the meets tomorrow.

04/15/05		Tigers Head to Conference USA Championship in Gulfport -- Event to be held at Jack Nicklaus course, The Grand Bear (GoTigersGo.com)
		This Week The Tigers head to Gulfport, Miss. for the Conference USA Championship. The three-day, three-round tournament will be held at the Grand Bear from April 18-20 and will be co-hosted by Southern Miss and Conference USA. TCU is the four-time defending champion of this event. Tournament Format There will be 18 holes played on each day from Monday-Wednesday, April 18-20 with a practice round preceding the tournament on Sunday, April 17. Tournament Field (14) Charlotte, Cincinnati, DePaul, East Carolina, Houston, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Saint Louis, Southern Miss, TCU, Tulane, UAB, USF The Course Part of the Grand Casino complex in Gulfport, Miss., The Grand Bear was designed by Jack Nicklaus (a signature course) and sculpted out in the middle of a Mississippi forest. It features Bermuda grass throughout, tall pine trees around the secluded fairways, as well as natural wetlands. The course is said to have the feel of Augusta and the excitement of Pinehurst. The par 72 course is over 7,200 yards in length. The course opened in 1999 and in 2000 was given the honor of being "one of the top 10 new courses you can play" by Golf Digest. About Memphis After three straight tournaments in which the Tigers did not live up to expectations, Memphis put forth an excellent performance to finish second at their final regular season tournament of the year last weekend, the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. The Tigers trailed host Auburn by just three strokes entering the final round before the nationally-ranked Tigers shot the low team round of the tournament in the final round to run away with the team title. Freshman Ian Rochester became the fourth different Memphis golfer, and the third different freshman, to win an individual title this year at the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. Rochester was one of just two players to finish the tournament under par. Helped by his first round of seven-under 65, Rochester won the tournament by one stroke and joined fellow freshmen Keven Fortin-Simard and Andy Shiels as freshman individual medalists this year. The second place finish is the second such finish of the year for Memphis to go along with three tournament victories during the fall season. Memphis won the Radrick Farms Intercollegiate, its own Memphis Intercollegiate, and the Missouri Bluffs Challenge, while the Tigers finished second at the Rice Intercollegiate and the Billy Hitchcock. Fortin-Simard has finished in the top 10 in four of the Tigers' nine tournaments and in the top five in three of the nine, the most on the team in both categories. Memphis has had at least one top 10 finisher in six of its nine tournaments. Fortin-Simard leads the active members of the team with a 73.7 stroke average. Shiels is second at 74.8 while Rochester used his win to improve his average to 74.9. Rochester leads the team in spring scoring average at 74.6. Memphis individuals own seven rounds of below 70 this year, four of which came in Missouri. Tiger individuals have put together 25 subpar rounds over their nine tournaments. As a team, Memphis has four rounds below par out of 26. Starting Lineup for Conference USA Championship (Number of starts in parenthesis) 1. Keven Fortin-Simard (10) 2. Ian Rochester (7) 3. Andy Shiels (10) 4. Justin Miers (8) 5. Robbie Greenwell (5) Lineup Tidbits - For the first time this year, the starting lineup will be exactly the same as it was in the previous tournament, both in terms of the members and order. - This will be the third time that this combination will be used, but only the second that all five members of the lineup are in the same sequential order. This lineup combination was used at the Conrad Rehling Invitational and the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. - Keven Fortin-Simard and Andy Shiels have both started every tournament this year. - Ian Rochester, who is coming off an individual tournament win, will be making his seventh straight start. - Justin Miers will be making his fourth straight start. He started the four fall tournaments before sitting out the first two of the spring. - Robbie Greenwell will be making his fifth start and second straight. Four have now come in the spring and one in the fall. - Memphis will be starting four freshmen in the lineup for the fourth time this year. There have been at least three freshmen in the lineup for all eight of 10 tournaments this year. - All five members of the starting lineup were not members of the team last year. Justin Miers, the lone non-freshman in the lineup, is a junior transfer. Comeback Kids Memphis has had to rally from a deficit entering the final round to win in all three of its tournament victories, and came just one stroke shy of doing the same at another. The Tigers have moved up the leaderboard in the final round in five of their nine tournaments and have held their spot in the other four. Memphis has never fallen below their leaderboard position from the second to third rounds this year. Listed below is Memphis' place and deficit entering the final round in its tournaments along with the Tigers' finish and margin of victory or deficit at the end of the tournaments. Tournament Entering Final Round After Final Round Michigan 2nd, 2 shots back T1st, 7 shots ahead Memphis 2nd, 4 shots back 1st, 7 shots ahead Missouri 3rd, 2 shots back 1st, 9 shots ahead Wilmington 11th, 26 shots back 11th, 30 shots back Rice T4th, 6 shots back 2nd, 1 shot back St. Croix 10th, 16 shots back 10th, 18 shots back Alabama 8th, 31 shots back 6th, 37 shots back LSU 17th, 43 shots back 17th, 56 shots back Auburn 2nd, 3 shots back 2nd, 24 strokes back Save the Best for Last Memphis has waited until the final round to shoot their best team score of the tournament in six of their nine tournaments. The only tournaments that they did not shoot their best score in the final round were the Radrick Farms Intercollegiate, the St. Croix Collegiate Classic, and the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. Tournament Could Have Impact on Rankings Although the new Golfweek/Sagarin District rankings have not come out since the conclusion of the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate, the Tigers are sure to benefit from their second place finish. Of the 12 teams in the tournament field, nine, including the Tigers, were from the Southeast Region. Memphis, which was ranked 12th in the region heading into the tournament, need to be in the top eight to be assured of NCAA Regional bid. Tigers Drop out of NCAA Regional Threshold According to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin District rankings, Memphis is currently ranked 12th in the Southeast Region. They were previously ranked seventh in the region. These rankings are unofficial, however they are very close to the actual committee rankings. These rankings do not include the Tigers last tournament in which they finished second. There are a fixed number of teams from each region that are guaranteed a berth in the NCAA Regionals, with remainder of berths coming from at-large teams and automatic berths from conference champions. The top eight teams in the Southeast District are guaranteed a berth in the NCAA Regionals. Southeast District Rankings 1. Georgia 2. Florida 3. Auburn 4. Tennessee 5. South Carolina 6. Georgia State 7. Alabama 8. UCF 9. LSU 10. Vanderbilt 11. Ole Miss 12. Memphis Subpar Drought Ends After the Tigers stretched the streak of having no golfers shoot at or below to six straight rounds, Keven Fortin-Simard ended that dubious streak by shooting an even par 72 in the final round of the LSU Spring Invitational. It was the first Tiger round at or below par since the second round of the St. Croix Collegiate Classic over a month ago. The Tigers then promptly ended the subpar-less streak with Ian Rochester's 65 in the first round of the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. They have now had at least one subpar round in three straight rounds. Rochester Sets Personal Best Freshman Ian Rochester set a personal best with his round of seven-under 65 in the first round of the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. It was the lowest round in relation to par this year by a Tiger golfer and tied for the lowest overall. Andy Shiels also shot a 65 at the Missouri Bluffs Challenge in October, but that was on a par 71 course. Some other accomplishments from the 65 are listed below. - Was the second-lowest round in Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate history, with a 62 by Mississippi State's Alex Rocha in 2000 being the only better round. - Missed the course record of 64 at the Auburn University Club by just one stroke. - Was the second-lowest round in school history. - His 36-hole score of 137 was just two strokes shy of tying the school record in that category. Shiels Sets School and Course Record Freshman Andy Shiels set a new school record for the lowest score in a tournament when he shot a 205 (8-under) to win the Missouri Bluffs Challenge in October. The 205 surpasses the 206 shot by Tim Roop at the Glenn Red Jacoby in 1990. Shiels also set a course record at the Missouri Bluffs Golf Club with his final round of six-under 65. That round is also the second-lowest round in school history and lowest by a Memphis golfer this year. Tigers Freshmen Ranked Second in Country The Memphis freshman class has climbed from sixth to second in the country in Golfstat's Top 25 Freshman Class Impact Rankings. This ranking attempts to measure the contributions of freshmen to the team's overall success. Memphis, which has had two freshmen, Keven Fortin-Simard and Andy Shiels, in its lineup for all nine tournaments this year, has a relative strength ranking of 447.796 out of a possible 1000. Memphis has had at least three freshmen in the starting lineup in its last six tournaments as Ian Rochester has also started the last six. The Tiger freshmen in the starting lineup are averaging a combined 74.45 strokes per round. The freshmen have been ranked no lower than seventh for the entire year and were ranked first in the first rankings that came out following Memphis' first tournament. Three Straight a First For the first time in the history of the program, Memphis won three straight tournaments this past fall. The only other time that Memphis had won even two in a row was back in the fall of 1990 when the Tigers won both the Hillman Robbins Memorial Intercollegiate in Memphis and the Dixie Intercollegiate in Columbus, Ga. The tournaments were respectively held on Oct. 9-10 and 19-21, 1990. Ironically, current head coach Grant Robbins was a redshirt freshman on the that season's team. Even more ironic, the individual medalist in both of those events was Memphis native Shaun Micheel, who competed collegiately for Indiana. The 1990-91 season was also the only other season in which Memphis won more than one tournament in a season until this year. Fortin-Simard Shatters Pair of Course Records Freshman Keven Fortin-Simard not only shined in tournament competition this past fall, but he also put some impressive numbers in qualifying. While practicing and qualifying for the Memphis tournaments this year with his teammates, Fortin-Simard broke two Memphis-area course records. He shot 64's at both Whispering Woods and Quail Ridge over the fall. Tigers Sign Three Head coach Grant Robbins announced the signings of three student-athletes to national letters of intent for the 2005-06 school year. Brad Benjamin of Rockford, Ill., Jeff Hall of Franklin, Tenn., and Josh Ray of New Braunfels, Texas will all attend Memphis and play golf beginning next fall. Benjamin, from the same hometown as current freshman Andy Shiels, is currently ranked #47 in the Golfweek/Titleist Junior Rankings for the Class of 2005 and is also the top ranked junior in Illinois by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Hall is ranked #129 in the same rankings by Golfweek while Ray will be a third-generation student-athlete at Memphis as both his grandfather and father both played football and the U of M. All three individuals have played on a national level with the American Junior Golf Association. About the Tournament Field Charlotte: The 49'ers finished five strokes behind Memphis at both teams' last tournament, the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. They led Memphis after one round by the Tigers passed them in the second and never looked back. Charlotte has two tournament titles this year, both in tournaments that they hosted. They have finished first, second, and third, respectively, in their last three tournaments. Andrew DiBitetto and Matt Mincer leads the Niners in stroke average at 72.7 and 72.9, respectively. One of the two has been the top Charlotte finisher in six of its 10 tournaments. Finishes: Raines Development Intercollegiate (Francis Marion) - 5th of 13 Adams Cup of Newport (Rhode Island) - 3rd of 13 Franklin Street Partners Invitational (North Carolina) - 5th of 9 Duke Golf Classic (Duke) - T10th of 14 49'er Collegiate Classic (Charlotte) - 1st of 15 UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (UCF) - 4th of 18 St. Croix Collegiate Classic (Xavier) - 8th of 17 Birkdale Collegiate (Charlotte) - 1st of 15 Furman Intercollegiate (Furman) - T2nd of 20 Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate (Auburn) - 3rd of 12 Cincinnati: The best finishes of the year for the Bearcats were a second and a sixth place finish. Cincinnati finished in a tie for 13th place in their last tournament. Adam Fluty leads UC with a 75.3 stroke average and has one top 10 finish, while Geoff Newman is second at 75.6 and also has one top 10 finish. Finishes: Butler Fall Invitational (Butler) - T6th of 14 EKU Colonel Classic (Eastern Kentucky) - 10th of 12 Dayton Fall Invitational (Dayton) - T4th of 5 Mission Inn Collegiate Classic (Winthrop) - 15th of 20 F&M Bank Intercollegiate (Austin Peay) - 16th of 16 Emerald Coast Collegiate (West Florida) - 12th of 13 EKU Spring Intercollegiate (Eastern Kentucky) - T13th of 16 UC/UD Golf Invitational (Dayton, Cincinnati) - 2nd of 6 Billiken Invitational (Saint Louis) - T13th of 18 DePaul: The Blue Demons have one tournament title this year, which came at the Ironhorse Intercollegiate during the fall. Their next-best finish this year is a fourth place showing. Matthew McMahon has been the top DePaul finisher in eight of nine tournaments and also leads the Blue Demons in scoring average at 70.2. He has three top 10 finishes and one individual medal this year. Finishes: John Piper Intercollegiate (Bowling Green) - 15th of 16 John Dallio Memorial Invitational (DePaul) - 10th of 13 Ironhorse Intercollegiate (Eastern Illinois) - 1st of 9 The Tillinghast (St. John's) - T4th of 7 Rice Intercollegiate (Rice) - 14th of 15 CSU Spring Kickoff Tournament (Charleston Southern) - 7th of 17 Dick Wittcoff/USF Invitational (USF) - 15th of 17 Fidelity National Title (Cal Poly) - 13th of 17 Billiken Invitational (Saint Louis) - T11th of 18 East Carolina: The Pirates will be coming off nearly a two-week layoff since their last tournament. ECU played its best golf of the year at two of its home tournaments, logging first and second place finishes. The Pirates also have a fourth and fifth place finish to their credit this year. Adam Howell leads ECU in scoring average at 74.1 and also has an individual medal to his credit. Robin Smith is third at 74.8 and he owns a first and a second place finish. Finishes: Mid Pines Intercollegiate (UNC-Greensboro) - 7th of 17 Raines Development Intercollegiate (Francis Marion) - T10th of 13 Adams Cup of Newport (Rhode Island) - 9th of 13 Franklin Street Partners Invitational (North Carolina) - 9th of 9 Pirate Fall Intercollegiate (East Carolina) - T2nd of 17 Fall Beach Classic (South Alabama) - T5th of 12 UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (UCF) - 16th of 18 Palmetto Invitational (South Carolina-Aiken) - 7th of 12 Bradford Creek Intercollegiate (East Carolina) - 1st of 18 Pinehurst Invitational (East Carolina) - T7th of 12 Forest Oaks Intercollegiate (UNC-Greensboro) - 4th of 12 Houston: The Cougars have two tournament titles this year, one of which they tied for first in. They also have a pair of second place showings and all together have six top five finishes. They are coming off a 14th place finish in their last tournament, which featured several nationally-ranked teams. Ricky Romero leads the Cougars with a 73.8 stroke average while Pablo Acuna is second at 73.9. Houston also has two different individual medalists this year in Jordan Irwin and Zach Mowbray. Finishes: Mean Green Classic (North Texas) - 1st of 14 Kansas Invitational (Kansas) - 4th of 13 Club Glove Invitational (Pepperdine) - 12th of 12 Squire Creek Intercollegiate (Louisiana Tech) - 2nd of 17 Del Walker Invitational (Long Beach State) - T6th of 12 Louisiana Classics (UL-Lafayette) - T10th of 15 Palmetto Invitational (South Carolina-Aiken) - T1st of 12 Hall of Fame Invitational (Houston) - T16th of 19 Border Olympics (Texas A&M) - 5th of 11 First Tee/UALR Collegiate Classic (UALR) - 2nd of 16 Morris Williams Intercollegiate (Texas) - 14th of 15 Louisville: The Cardinals own the most team tournament victories of any team in the field with four wins, two in the fall and two in the spring. They have a third place finish and three fourth place finishes to the credit as well. They also have three different individual medalists. Derek Fathauer leads the Cards in scoring average 72.8 and he has five top 10 finishes and one individual medal. His brother Daryl is second at 72.9 and six top 10 finishes as well as an individual medal. Finishes: Mid Pines Intercollegiate (UNC-Greensboro) - 4th of 17 Cardinal Intercollegiate (Louisville) - 1st of 19 Memphis Intercollegiate (Memphis) - 4th of 16 Xavier Invitational (Xavier) - 4th of 19 Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions (Tennessee) - 5th of 15 Fall Beach Classic (South Alabama) - 1st of 12 UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (UCF) - 3rd of 18 Louisiana Classics (UL-Lafayette) - T4th of 15 Jim Hackler Invitational (Coastal Carolina) - 5th of 12 First Tee/UALR Collegiate Classic (UALR) - 11th of 16 Forest Oaks Intercollegiate (UNC-Greensboro) - 1st of 12 Marshall Invitational (Marshall) - 1st of 16 Marquette: The Golden Eagles own two tournament titles this year, one coming in the fall and one in the spring. They also have a second and a pair of fourth place finishes. Ted Gray leads Marquette with a 73.4 stroke average and he owns a second place individual finish. Kyle Murphy is second at 74.1. Finishes: John Piper Intercollegiate (Bowling Green) - 1st of 16 Northern Intercollegiate (Wisconsin) - 5th of 13 Cardinal Intercollegiate (Louisville) - 2nd of 19 Xavier Invitational (Xavier) - T9th of 19 49'er Collegiate Classic (Charlotte) - T8th of 15 Bethune-Cookman Spring Invitational (Bethune-Cookman) - 1st of 12 St. Croix Collegiate Classic (Xavier) - 9th of 17 Naples Invitational (Florida Gulf Coast) - T4th of 12 El Diablo Intercollegiate (Marshall) - 12th of 19 vs. Wisconsin (Orlando, Fla.) - L, 285-293 Pinehurst Intercollegiate (East Carolina) - 4th of 12 Marshall Invitational (Marshall) - 13th of 16 Saint Louis: The Billikens are coming off a third place showing in their last tournament, their own Billiken Invitational. They also have a second place finish back in the fall. David Perritt leads the Billikens in scoring average at 74.6 strokes per round. He has a pair of top 10 finishes. Finishes: Harris Fall Classic (SEMO) - 6th of 11 Kansas Invitational (Kansas) - 12th of 13 John Dallio Memorial Invitational (DePaul) - 2nd of 13 Missouri Bluffs Challenge (Missouri) - 11th of 13 SMS Fall Invitational (SMS) - 8th of 13 Shangrila Shootout (Oral Roberts) - T10th of 14 49'er Collegiate Classic (Charlotte) - 5th of 15 William & Mary Invitational (William & Mary) - T8th of 18 Branson Creek Invitational (SMS) - 7th of 10 Billiken Invitational (Saint Louis) - 3rd of 18 Southern Miss: After beginning the spring season very well with a third, fourth, and pair of fifth place finishes, the Golden Eagles staggered a bit at the end, finishing 14th and 10th in their last two tournaments, the last of which was a rain-shortened one. USM's best finish of the year was a second place showing in their first tournament of the year. Justin Elliot has been the top Golden Eagle finisher in two of the last four events. Finishes: Fairway Club Invitational (Nebraska) - 2nd of 12 Raising Cane Classic (Southern Miss) - 8th of 16 Memphis Intercollegiate (Memphis) - 9th of 16 Squire Creek Intercollegiate (Louisiana Tech) - 10th of 17 Fall Beach Classic (South Alabama) - 3rd of 12 Tulane Invitational (Tulane) - T3rd of 14 Hyatt Plantation Club Intercollegiate (Georgia State) - T4th of 9 Homewood Suites Intercollegiate (South Alabama) - 5th of 13 Pinehurst Intercollegiate (East Carolina) - 5th of 12 LSU Spring Invitational (LSU) - T14th of 17 ASU Indian Classic (Arkansas State) - 10th of 15 TCU: The only team in the field to be ranked in the national rankings, the four-time defending tournament champion Horned Frogs enter the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the field, having won their last tournament as well as a dual match. Playing against nationally-ranked teams in nearly every tournament this year, TCU has its one tournament win as well as a second and a fifth place finish as its best showings this year. J.J. Killeen leads TCU with a 71.8 stroke average and three top 10 finishes. Colby Beckstrom has a 71.9 average and two top 10s. Finishes: The Ridges Intercollegiate (East Tennessee State) - 2nd of 15 NCAA Ping/Golfweek Preview (Loyola, Md.) - 7th of 15 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Alabama) - T7th of 12 The Prestige at PGA West (UC-Davis, Stanford) - T7th of 16 Carpet Capital Collegiate (Georgia Tech) - T8th of 18 Taylor Made/Waikoloa Intercollegiate (Hawaii-Hilo) - T6th of 21 Southern Highlands Collegiate (UNLV) - T10th of 15 Hall of Fame Invitational (Texas) - T5th of 19 National Invitational Tournament (Arizona) - 1st of 14 vs. Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.) - W Tulane: The Green Wave has not competed since the LSU Spring Invitational nearly three weeks ago. They finished tied for 14th at that event. Their best finishes of the year have been a second and a pair of fifth place showings. Michael Thompson leads the team with a 72.7 scoring average. He has five top 10 finishes and two individual medals. Chris Wheeler is second at 72.9 with a second place finish and four top 10s. Finishes: Raising Cane Classic (Southern Miss) - T2nd of 16 Memphis Intercollegiate (Memphis) - 7th of 16 Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions (Tennessee) - 12th of 15 University Club Intercollegiate (LSU) - 10th of 14 Turtle Bay Intercollegiate (Hawaii) - 10th of 19 UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (UCF) - 5th of 18 Tulane Invitational (Tulane) - 7th of 14 Conrad Rehling Invitational (Alabama) - 5th of 12 Homewood Suites Intercollegiate (South Alabama) - 9th of 13 LSU Spring Invitational (LSU) - T14th of 17 UAB: The Blazers' best finish this year was a third place showing at the Conrad Rehling Invitational last month. That was one of two top five finishes that UAB has this year. Blazer individuals have three top 10 finishes on the year and Ryan Thomas owns two of them, which were both top five finishes. He also leads UAB in stroke average at 74.2. Finishes: Inverness Intercollegiate (Toledo) - 12th of 13 Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate (Vanderbilt) - T4th of 15 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Alabama) - 11th of 12 Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions (Tennessee) - T14th of 15 University Club Intercollegiate (LSU) - T12th of 14 SunTrust Gator Invitational (Florida) - 7th of 15 Mercedes-Benz Collegiate (North Florida) -15th of 17 Conrad Rehling Invitational (Alabama) - 3rd of 12 Oregon Duck Invitational (Oregon) - 13th of 16 Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate (Auburn) - 5th of 12 USF: South Florida owns one tournament title this year, which came of their own Dick Whittcoff/USF Invitational. They also have a third, fourth, and fifth place finish. The Bulls are a very balanced team, as four different golfers have been the team's top finishers in USF's six spring tournaments. Both Pablo Ceron and Brad Quiri have been USF's top finisher twice in spring tournaments. Finishes: Raising Cane Classic (Southern Miss) - 4th of 15 Adams Cup of Newport (Rhode Island) - 12th of 13 Memphis Intercollegiate (Memphis) - 15th of 16 Gary Koch/Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate (Florida) - 10th of 15 Fall Beach Classic (South Alabama) - 8th of 12 UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (UCF) - 6th of 18 Dick Whittcoff/USF Invitational (USF) - 1st of 15 Palmetto Invitational (South Carolina-Aiken) - 3rd of 12 Homewood Suites Intercollegiate (South Alabama) - T6th of 13 LSU Spring Invitational (LSU) - 16th of 17 ASU Indian Classic (Arkansas State) - T5th of 15 Other Tournament Facts - Memphis has competed against nine teams in the field in other tournaments so far this year (number of other tournaments listed in parenthesis). Those teams are Charlotte (2), DePaul (1), Louisville (1), Marquette (1), Saint Louis (1), Southern Miss (2), Tulane (3), UAB (2), and USF (2). - When competing against these nine teams above, the Tigers are 8-7, meaning they finished above the other teams eight times and below them seven times. - Two teams in the field played in last season's NCAA Regionals, those being TCU and UAB. TCU qualified for the Central Region and UAB for the Eastern. TCU advanced to the NCAA Championships. - The field features two teams that are currently ranked within the NCAA Regional threshold in their respective regions by the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Those teams are Louisville and TCU. - TCU is the only team in the field ranked in the Top 25 in at least one poll or ranking. Up Next If the Tigers qualify for an NCAA Regional, they will play again May 19-21 at one of three possible sites: Nashville, Tenn., South Bend, Ind., or Stanford, Calif.

04/15/05		Men's Soccer Releases 2005 Fall Schedule -- Schedule includes three top-15 teams (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Three top 15 teams headline the University of Memphis men's soccer team's 2005 fall schedule released Friday. The Tigers will face new Conference USA foes No. 8 University of Tulsa and No. 11 Southern Methodist University as well as travel to meet No. 16 Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. After entering the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history, Memphis hopes to make a repeat appearance with a stronger schedule. "We believe we have put in the games that will maintain a RPI standard that would allow us to go to the NCAA tournament if the results are favorable," said head coach Richie Grant. "It was very frustrating last year to be 8-1 in conference games and not have a strong RPI. I think most years when you finish 8-1 in C-USA you'd have a top 20 RPI without a doubt. It just so happened that conference teams didn't do so well in their non-conference games last year. The expectation is that this conference will be one of the top two to four conferences in the country." As the returning C-USA regular season and tournament champions, Memphis will face an entirely revamped conference schedule. Gone this year from C-USA are Charlotte, Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville Marquette, Saint Louis and South Florida. Taking their place to join Memphis, East Carolina and UAB are Tulsa, SMU, South Carolina, Kentucky, Marshall, Florida International and Central Florida. Five of the seven incoming schools competed in the NCAA Tournament last year. "I'm really pleased with the quality of the schedule this year," Grant said. "We have a brand new Conference USA schedule, and we've been very fortunate that it has remained consistently strong. The difference in the conference schedule this year is that they are now Friday-Sunday matches, so the schedule has become a little more challenging in terms of conference games going back-to-back so quickly." To prepare for the Friday-Sunday conference matches, the Tigers will play some tough games in the month of September including a couple Friday-Sunday non-conference match-ups. One of these match-ups will take place against regional foes Drake and Creighton in a tournament in September. . The Tigers will also play three exhibition games in August to prepare for the season, instead of the two games that have been played the last few years. Memphis will face cross-town rival Christian Brothers University as well as Southwest Missouri State and Lambuth University. "With playing Friday-Sunday every weekend, it gave us less opportunity to add games throughout the season," Grant said. "So we're pleased to have an additional preseason game this year." The Lambuth game will be a reunion for Grant who served as the team's head coach from 1995-99 before coming to Memphis. "Lambuth was a game that was always on the schedule here when I used to coach there," Grant said. "They are a strong NIA program. Between them Southwest Missouri and CBU, we should have had three good opportunities to find out where we are at as a team." Aug. 20 Lambuth (Exh.) Mike Rose 7 p.m. Aug. 23 SMS (Exh.) Springfield, Mo. 7 p.m. Aug. 27 CBU (Exh.) Mike Rose 7 p.m. Sept. 3 Centenary Mike Rose 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5 Oral Roberts Mike Rose 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 Evansville Evansville, Ind. 7 p.m. Sept. 16 Creighton Omaha, Neb. 7 p.m. Sept. 18 Drake @ Omaha, Neb. 2 p.m. Sept. 24 Vanderbilt Mike Rose 7 p.m. Sept. 30 Tulsa * Tulsa, Okla. 7 p.m. Oct. 2 SMU * Dallas, Texas 1 p.m. Oct. 7 South Carolina * Mike Rose 7 p.m. Oct. 9 East Carolina * Mike Rose 1 p.m. Oct. 15 UAB * Birmingham, Ala. 7 p.m. Oct. 21 Kentucky * Lexington, Ky. 7 p.m. Oct. 23 Marshall * Huntington, W.Va. 2 p.m. Oct. 28 Florida International * Mike Rose 7 p.m. Oct. 30 Central Florida * Mike Rose 1 p.m. C-USA Championship TBA * C-USA Teams All times are local to site.

04/15/05		Another one declares -- Ex-Hamilton star won't be Tiger unless he pulls out of draft (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 15, 2005 He never misled anybody. All along, Shawne Williams said the NBA is a venture he would seriously consider. So it was no real surprise Thursday when the University of Memphis signee told The Commercial Appeal he intends to forgo college and enter the June 28 draft. "I'm going to declare," Williams said in a telephone interview from New York, where he is preparing for Saturday's Jordan Classic All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. "It's about taking care of my family." Williams said he doesn't plan on signing with an agent and that he will maintain his amateur status in case he decides to withdraw from the draft by the June 21 deadline. Still, the 6-9 forward from Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute Prep via Hamilton High made it clear his intention is to be a professional and never play for the Tigers despite the latter being an admitted life-long dream. "But it's not like I'm a lock (for the first round), so it's not guaranteed that I'm going to go for sure," Williams said, insisting he is keeping all options open. "But I know I am going to declare." Williams, listed as the No. 2 prospect in the nation by PrepStars.com, was considered the prize of John Calipari's incoming recruiting class that ranks among the top five nationally. Now, he is the fourth Tiger commitment in four years to declare for the NBA Draft before enrolling at the UofM, joining Qyntel Woods (2002), Amare Stoudemire (2002) and Kendrick Perkins (2003). Whereas those previous three were all locks for the first round, Williams's situation is more complicated. The 19-year-old said he's been told by some he will be a first-round selection, but acknowledged having no assurance. This is important because first-round picks are offered guaranteed three-year contracts, while second-rounders are promised nothing. There are 30 picks in the first round. For what it's worth, NBADraft.net has Williams slotted at 40th. "Every scout has told me he has first-round talent, but that doesn't mean he's a definite to go in the first round," said Chris Chaney, who coached Laurinburg Institute Prep to a 40-0 record this season. "Most people I talk to say Shawne needs to go to college at least for a year and see what happens. So in my opinion, he's taking a chance. "Everybody says there's no doubt he's an NBA player," Chaney added. "But now? They don't know." Not counting Williams, the Tigers still have six newcomers -- including walk-on Andre Allen -- committed to join the program next season. Chaney said Thursday his other three Memphis signees -- Antonio Anderson, Kareem Cooper and Robert Dozier -- are each qualified academically and planning to move to the UofM campus early this summer. Detroit standout Chris Douglas-Roberts is expected to do the same, leaving Ricky Sanchez, a 6-11 native of Puerto Rico, as the only question mark. Regardless, the Memphis staff now has a scholarship to give if it chooses. Calipari and company will be back on the road recruiting today, and they may sign a late prospect even though that was not the original plan. A voicemail left on Calipari's cell phone Thursday requesting comment was not returned. But in previous conversations, the fifth-year Memphis coach had expressed optimism about the situation, while always seeming prepared for this scenario. "It's going to be his decision," Calipari said late last month. "Some kids make good decisions. Some kids make bad decisions. So I just hope he makes the right decision, whatever that is." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365 --------------------------------------------------------- Some key dates in the basketball career of Shawne Williams: March, 2003: Williams's junior season at Hamilton High ends with a loss in the state semifinals. July, 2003: A month after saying that he's definitely not going to the University of Memphis, Williams commits to the UofM. November, 2003: Williams signs a letter of intent to play for the Tigers, but because of poor grades is ineligible to play as a senior at Hamilton. Though no one says so at the time, Williams's high school career in Memphis is over. February, 2004: Williams transfers to Laurinburg Prep in North Carolina. June, 2004: It becomes apparent that Williams will not go to the UofM in the fall and will instead spend another year at Laurinburg improving his academics. November, 2004: Williams signs with the UofM for the second time. April, 2005: Williams says he will enter the NBA Draft, although he won't hire an agent and may still decide to become a Tiger.

04/15/05		Former players aim to help Finch -- Golf event will raise funds for coach (Commercial Appeal)
		By Jason Smith Contact April 15, 2005 Several of Larry Finch's former players will gather at Quince Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Monday morning to tell the city the legendary former Tiger basketball coach needs its help. "We really want to make Memphis aware that Coach is at this (rehabilitation center) and he's doing better, but he needs our help," said Ken Moody, who played for Memphis during Finch's first season as head coach in 1986. "As former players, we think we should take the lead role because he's done so much for all of us." Finch, Memphis's all-time winningest head coach, has been in and out of at least two other rehabilitation centers since suffering a stroke in 2001. Moody, currently the city's deputy director of recreation services, will announce Monday that he and several other Tiger players have put together a benefit golf tournament in hopes of raising money to help with Finch's medical bills. "I just know that what it's going to cost for him to continue to stay there and make progress will be a challenge for he and his wife to afford," Moody said. "We just want to help him only worry about getting better and not have to worry about finances. "I started going to visit Coach about four months ago, and he's doing much better. He's talking much better, and he's doing rehab where they're teaching him to stand on his own and maybe even take a few steps on his own. He's making tremendous progress." The tournament, a four-man scramble open to anyone interested, will take place April 29 at The Links at Galloway. The entry fee is $125 per person. "When Moody told me about helping Coach, I was more than happy to be a part of it," former Tiger point guard Elliot Perry said Thursday. "Coach made us better men. You look at all the people he coached, and I think every one of us would say the same thing: 'He raised men.'" Moody said the same of Finch, calling him a father to those he coached. "I played one year for Dana (Kirk) and one year for Larry, and not to slight Dana in any way, but as far as caring for us as young men and raising us, (Finch) was definitely committed to that, to our dissatisfaction in some cases. But at that time we were young guys who didn't realize what he was trying to prepare us for." For more information about the tournament, e-mail Moody at moodykenneth@bellsouth.net, or call 454-5216. -- Jason Smith: 529-5804

04/15/05		Tough TCU awaits
		The Tiger baseball team, which has lost nine straight, will play host to TCU in a three-game series that begins tonight at Nat Buring Stadium. Memphis will get no help in its attempt to break the program's longest losing streak since 2000. TCU (22-11, 9-3 in C-USA) will start one of the nation's top pitchers, righthander Lance Broadway, in the opener. Broadway is 7-1 with a 1.56 earned-run average and has struck out 77 in 58 innings. He has been named to the Roger Clemens Award watch list. The Tigers (8-22, 2-10) are in a tailspin that may keep them from earning a spot in the C-USA Tournament next month. Memphis and Saint Louis are tied for 11th in the 12-team league. Only the top eight make the tournament. "Our target at the beginning of the season was 15 (C-USA) wins because teams with 15 wins usually make the tournament," said Tiger senior outfielder/designated hitter Ryan Martin. "The way the numbers are shaping up now, we may be able to squeeze in 13." That might be enough to earn a berth, but with 18 league games left -- including nine on the road -- the task will be difficult. In Memphis's favor is a schedule that has the Tigers playing series against three teams -- Saint Louis, Cincinnati and East Carolina -- that are struggling, too. The trio is a combined 9-26 in league play. "If you look at it numbers-wise," Martin said, "we aren't out of the race yet."

04/15/05		Softball team adds pieces -- Tipton-Rosemark ace is program's 1st signee (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 15, 2005 It'll be playing games at a new on-campus stadium a year from now, but the University of Memphis women's softball program remains a work in progress. It named a head coach in January, signed its first player this week and is scheduled to start construction on a softball stadium in the summer. For coach Windy Thees, this week has marked another milestone in the program's startup with the signing of players to National Letters of Intent. Tipton-Rosemark Academy pitcher Lyndsey Sterling became the program's initial signee Thursday. Sterling has been a member of The Commercial Appeal's All-Metro team the past three seasons. She is coming off a week in which she went 5-1, struck out 38-of-110 batters faced and allowed only one earned run. Thees will have 71/2 scholarships to offer her first year and is hoping to assemble a team of 15. The UofM will open its season Feb. 11, 2006 at the Ole Miss tournament in Oxford, Miss. She said during the recruiting process that players have expressed excitement about "being part of the first Memphis softball team." "I've told them their (team) picture will never come off the wall," Thees said. "Most are very excited with the opportunity to come here and start something special." Thees, who served as head coach at Division 2 Georgia College & State University from 1999-2004, expects to add several junior college players during the signing period, which began Wednesday. She said an on-campus tryout will be held next week. She'll also take a look at Melissa Nance, a Lady Tiger volleyball player. Nance pitched a one-hitter to lead her high school to the 2002 Class A state softball title in Indiana.

04/14/05		Losing streak extended to nine games (Daily Helmsman)
		Matt Laurie Sports Reporter April 14, 2005 University of Memphis head baseball coach Daron Schoenrock knew his first year on the job might be filled with growing pains. However, over the last two weeks and nine games, he may be feeling just pains. "I'd feel a lot worse if the team wasn't playing hard," Schoenrock said. Schoenrock was as positive as he could be Thursday during practice. His Memphis team (2-10 in Conference USA, 8-22 overall) extended its losing streak to nine games after a 8-4 loss to Austin Peay Wednesday night at Nat Buring Stadium. The losses come after two wins against the University of South Florida and Murray State in late March. Since the wins, they have been 0 for April and have been outscored by their opponents 83-42 during the streak. The run differential shows the lack of production on the mound and at the plate, a combination that is deadly to any baseball team. "Right now we're just having trouble getting both of them to work at the same time," said junior pitcher Tim Senter. One of the most telling stats is the batting average of the Tigers and their opponents. On the season, Memphis is hitting .289 while their opponents are at .322. The difference in slugging percentage is even more staggering. While the Tigers have a .391 percentage, opponents are slugging .494. These stats measure production over the entire year, however one of the reasons for the losing is poor hitting in clutch situations. "We're just not making competitive swings in competitive moments," said sophomore first baseman Adam Amar. The pitching rotation and bullpen have had their troubles as well. The team's earned run average has elevated to 7.22 during the losing streak. In relation to that, the Tigers' opponents are missing bats with more consistency, allowing 4.98 runs per nine innings. Only Senter has an ERA below five, but in 11 appearances he is 0-4 However, Senter isn't frustrated about being winless with the best ERA on the team. "More or less whether I win or not, I'd rather do my job and give my teammates a chance to make plays," he said. Their chance to make plays this weekend may be limited. They get set to face TCU (9-3, 22-11) -- currently third in C-USA -- for three games starting tonight at Nat Buring. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. "They're loaded with tremendous arms and talent that is probably in the top of our league," Schoenrock said. "I fully expect our guys to play with passion this weekend and they will." Nat Buring hasn't been friendly to the team that calls it home. In 12 games this year, Memphis has only won two of them, and no one seems to know why. "I don't know what to attribute that to," said Schoenrock. However, the first year head coach said establishing a winning tread at home is important to the success of the team. For a team still waiting to reach double-digit wins more than halfway through their season, there is a bright side. In the past two weeks, twice they have held leads going into the seventh innings and also held two leads going into the fifth innings only to give them away. "We always get a good lead in the beginning and I guess we sit down on the lead," Amar said. Overall, the team gave off positive vibrations. "We're going to keep fighting and keep playing hard," Senter said. "We never give up on (the season)."

04/14/05		Williams will test NBA draft waters (Daily Helmsman)
		Ben Cowens contact April 14, 2005 Highly touted U of M basketball signee Shawne Williams will make himself available to the NBA draft, according to The Commercial Appeal. The Laurinburg (N.C.) Prep product was expected to highlight an impressive recruiting class for head coach John Calipari. Rivals.com ranked Williams the No. 19 prospect in 2004, the year he originally signed with the Tigers. When he didn't qualify academically, Williams returned to Laurinburg as a fifth year senior and signed a second letter of intent with Memphis. Collegesports.com ranked the 6-9 forward as the nation's No. 17 prospect in 2005. Williams won't initially sign with an agent, allowing him to retain amateur status if he withdraws his name from consideration. The early entry withdrawal deadline is June 21, exactly one week before the draft. "It's not like I'm a lock (for the first round), so it's not guaranteed that I'm going to go for sure," Williams told The Commercial Appeal. "But I know I am going to declare." In the latest nbadraft.net mock draft, Williams is projected as the 40th pick.

04/14/05		Tiger Baseball Set for League Series with Nationally-Ranked TCU -- Tiger Scholarship Fund Barbecue dinner to be held prior to Friday night's contest (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis baseball will look to snap its current nine-game losing skid this weekend when the Tigers play host to #30 (NCBWA) TCU in a three-game C-USA series. First pitch for Friday night's series-opener at Nat Buring Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. The University of Memphis' Tiger Scholarship Fund will hold a barbecue dinner at 5 p.m. before Friday's game and Tiger head baseball coach Daron Schoenrock will greet fans and supporters. All fans purchasing tickets for the game are welcome to attend. Also University of Memphis Athletic Director R.C. Johnson will throw out the game's ceremonial first pitch. TCU will be the Tigers' second ranked opponent in three games. The Horned Frogs are currently 22-11 overall and 9-3 in league pay after sweeping USF last weekend. Ranked 30th in the latest NCBWA Division I poll, TCU has won six of its last seven contests coming into the weekend. The Frogs were tabbed to finish second in this year's preseason poll and has lived up to the billing, ranking second in the conference, midway through the season. TCU is 4-0 among ranked opponents this year, including defeating No. 7 Rice, 2-1. Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle's talented bunch has earned C-USA weekly honors three times this season, including last week. Sophomore Kevin Conlon picked up the honor after going 10-for-15 in the week. The Frogs are led offensively by preseason All C-USA selection Shelby Ford who is hitting .368 with a team-high 42 hits and 24 RBI. Chad Huffman, also a preseason All C-USA selection is hitting at a .320 clip. Six TCU players are hitting above .300 and the team is hitting .298. Pitching has been the strength of the TCU game plan. They hold a 4.16 ERA and have held opponents to a .247 average at the plate. Clemens Award Watch List member, Lance Broadway leads the team with a 7-1 record and 77 strikeouts in just 57.2 innings. Batters are hitting just .189 against him. Tim McGough (0.74) and Broadway (1.56) are ranked one and two, respectively in the league in ERA. Broadway, Brad Furnish and McGough hold the top three spots in Conference USA in the opposing batting average category. The Frog pitching staff has a league-best 304 strikeouts in 32 games (9.5/game). Memphis dropped its ninth-straight game against Austin Peay on Wednesday night, 8-4. The Tigers have yet to pick up a win in the month of April and have suffered six consecutive league losses. They continue to battle, however, led by Ryan Martin. The senior DH leads the Tigers in nearly every offensive category. He has team highs in batting average (.347), hits (41), RBI (38), double (10), home runs (6), total bases (71) and slugging (.602). Martin ranks in the league's top-10 in slugging, RBI and total bases. The Horned Frogs swept the Tigers in last year's series in Ft. Worth and leads the all-time series 5-2. Memphis won the series the last time it was played in Memphis, in 2003, two games to one. The series dates back to the 1994 season when the two institutions met for the first time in the NCAA Tournament. TCU defeated Memphis in the first-round, 11-3. Friday night's is Student Night. All students in attendance can register to win a $500 book scholarship. Memphis Tigers wristbands will also be given away to the first 100 students. Saturday is two-for-one and military/emergency service appreciation. All military and public service will receive free admission with ID. Sunday's series finale is "True Blue" day at the Nat. Wear your Tiger blue and receive $2 admission. Pom poms will be given to the first 100 fans.

04/14/05		Men's Tennis Closes Regular Season With Sweep -- Downs UALR, 7-0 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's tennis team (12-10) wrapped its 2004-05 regular home season with a 7-0 victory over UALR on the University of Memphis varsity courts, Thursday. Memphis opened the match with a trio of 8-3 victories in doubles play to go up 1-0 early in the match, sweeping all three doubles matches. Senior Marten Tamla then made it 2-0 Memphis with his sixth straight singles victory, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 3. Fellow senior Mark Finnegan, also playing in his final home match of his two-year Tiger career, made the score favor Memphis, 3-0, when his opponent was penalized a point for throwing his racket, ending a match that saw Finnegan's opponent battle off five match points, only to fall 6-4, 7-5. Senior Alex Bucewicz then closed out the win with a come-back 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win to give Memphis its 12th victory of the season. Senior Scott Felsenthal and juniors Alex Jago and James Spence rounded out the victory with wins at No. 6, 4 and 2 singles, respectively. Memphis will now prepare for the Conference USA Tournament, to be held next Thursday through Sunday at Louisville. The Tigers are currently the No. 66 ranked team in the country, the fourth C-USA team in the national rankings. If Conference USA seeding follows that latest ranking (which was issues on Apr. 12th and did not include matches from the 13th through the 17th), Memphis would be the No. 4 seed for the league championships. No. 66 Memphis 7, UALR 0 Singles No. 1 - No. 101 Alex Bucewicz (UM) def. Eduardo Autran, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 No. 2 -James Spence (UM) def. Dinko Halachev, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 No. 3 - Marten Tamla (UM) def. Nihal Advani, 6-4, 6-1 No. 4 - Alex Jago (UM) def. Edson Abrao, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 No. 5 - Mark Finnegan (UM) def. Tim Walter, 6-4, 7-5 No. 6 - Scott Felsenthal (UM) def. Ricky Rojas, 7-5, 7-6 Doubles No. 1 - Felsenthal/Spence (UM) def. Abrao/Autran, 8-3 No. 2 - Tamla/Bucewicz (UM) def. Advani/Halachev, 8-3 No. 3 - Finnegan/Jago (UM) def. Walter/Rain Roiges, 8-3

04/14/05		In Change of Schedule, Track and Field Squads Split Up for Three Weekend Meets -- Women send athletes to Mississippi State, Western Illinois and Sea Ray Relays, while men head to Mississippi State (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - In a change of schedule, the Memphis track and field squads will split up for three meets this weekend. The women will send athletes to Mississippi State University for the Jace Lacoste Invitational, to Western Illinios University for the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational and to the University of Tennessee for Sea Ray Relays, while the entire men's team will head to Mississippi State. The men were originally scheduled to attend Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn., but chose to stay closer to home in Starkville, Miss. The shorter trip to the Jace Lacoste Invitational, will allow more Memphis athletes to compete, as the whole team would not have been able to travel to Sea Ray. The women were set to travel to the Lee Calhoun Memorial in Macomb, Ill., along with Sea Ray, and will still have competitors at both meets. However, a majority of the Lady Tiger squad will now travel to Mississippi State with the men. The Lady Tigers headed to Knoxville and Macomb, are distance runners, Mary Claire Dake, Becca McMahon, and Daniele Riendeau will compete tomorrow at Sea Ray and hurdlers Josetta Brooks and Ashley Stewart, who will compete Saturday at the Lee Calhoun Memorial. The Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational is held annually in honor of Lee Calhoun, father of Lady Tiger Head Coach Brenda Calhoun-Cash, who was the Gold Medalist in the 110m hurdles in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games, is a former world-record holder in the 110m hurdles, and was men's track and field coach at Western Illinois. Therefore, Coach Cash chose to take her hurdlers to the meet in honor of her father, one of the greatest hurdlers ever. The three Lady Tigers traveling to Sea Ray will run on Friday, while all athletes heading to Jace Lacoste and the Lee Calhoun Memorial will compete on Saturday. Results and recaps for all three meets will be available at gotigersgo.com following the completion of the respective competitions.

04/14/05		Women's Tennis Wraps Regular Season on the Road -- Lady Tigers to face UNC Wilmington, Friday, and East Carolina, Saturday (GoTigersGo.com)
		WILMINGTON, N.C. - The University of Memphis women's tennis team will wrap up its 2004-05 regular season with a road trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, where the Lady Tigers will face UNC Wilmington and C-USA foe East Carolina in preparation for next weekend's C-USA tournament. The Lady Tigers will face UNC Wilmington, Friday, at 1 p.m. and East Carolina, Saturday, at 9 a.m. The women's team is 4-11 heading into the non-conference match against UNC Wilmington (13-6), a team that has won three straight heading into Friday's competition. The Skyhawks are led by junior Lindsey Hess, who is 12-6 at No. 1 singles on the season, while teaming with senior Sallie Kiser for an 11-5 mark at the top doubles slot. Kiser is 9-5 at the No. 2 spot to round out the top third of the line-up. The middle third consists of sophomore Molly Molony, who is 7-3 at No. 3, and junior Kristin Mears, who is 9-2 at No. 4, to present a difficult, and experienced middle of the line-up. The twosome also plays No. 2 doubles, carrying a 9-3 record into Friday's match. The bottom of the line-up also features a lot of experience, with junior Cassie Martin bringing a 10-3 record to the No. 5 slot, while senior Cary Wyeth is 5-1 at No. 6. Freshman Katie Carlson and Martin are also 5-0 at the No. 3 doubles slot. In all, the Skyhawks do not have a losing record at any of the six singles slots, and have not lost more than five matches at any of the doubles slots in the first 19 matches of the season. A Conference USA contest against East Carolina will follow the UNC Wilmington match on Saturday morning. The Pirates are 13-7 so far this season, and are coming off a 6-1 loss to the College of Charleston. Following that contest, Memphis will find out early next week where the Lady Tigers will be seeded for the Conference USA Championships, to be held next Thursday through Sunday at TCU.

04/14/05		Ole Miss-Tigers papers missing, Rebel AD says -- Boone says he believes they exist (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 14, 2005 University of Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson and then-Ole Miss senior associate athletic director Eddie Crawford signed an addendum to the Tigers-Rebels football contract in June of 2000 calling for additional games in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone, however, said Wednesday that his school cannot find that document. A copy of the addendum, signed June 23, 2000, was obtained by The Commercial Appeal, and it confirms the series extends beyond the original contract that went through 2007. There was confusion -- sparked by local sports talk radio shows -- about the contract ending in 2007. But the addendum shows specific dates and locations for games in 2008 (Sept. 6 at Oxford), 2009 (Sept. 5 in Memphis), 2010 (Sept. 4 in Oxford) and 2011 (Sept. 3 in Memphis). Boone was not the Ole Miss AD when the addendum was signed. "If they've got one, then I'm sure there is one," Boone said. "I know R.C., and I know he wouldn't be going around saying they had one if they didn't." Memphis and Ole Miss have played 54 games in the series, which began in 1921. Memphis didn't win its first game in the series until 1967, but has won two straight. Tiger coach Tommy West is 2-1 against the Rebels. Bill Lofton, Memphis's associate athletic director for finance and management, said the original contract for the latest series between the schools was signed in 1997, updated in 1998 and again in 2000 with the addendum. Johnson said he's never had an indication from Ole Miss there was a problem with the series. "If there was anything to this, Pete would call me," Johnson said. "And he hasn't called." Boone said there were no immediate plans to meet with Johnson. "I don't feel there is a sense of urgency to get together in the next 24 hours just because so much is being made about this on talk shows," Boone said. "We'll talk about it at an appropriate time. Me and R.C. have gotten along wonderfully well in the period of time since I've been here. "I think it's an exciting series. The thing we'll look at is whether this is something we want to make perpetually, or take a break and start all over at a later date. I'm sure we'll talk about it." Staff reporter Marlon W. Morgan contributed.

04/13/05		Baseball Drops Ninth Straight, 8-4 to Austin Peay -- Tigers look ahead to three-game series versus TCU (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Austin Peay (19-13) 001 200 302 - 8 14 1 MEMPHIS (8-22) 000 300 100 - 4 5 4 Ryan Martin knocked his second home run in as many games, but Austin Peay's offense banged out 14 hits while its pitchers held Memphis to just five hits to help the Govs to an 8-4 win to sweep the season series on Wednesday night. An RBI-single by Chris Hyde put the Govs on the board 1-0 in the third and a wild pitch and an RBI-ground ball put APSU up 3-0 in the top of the fourth. But Memphis would finally post its first hit in the home half of the fourth on a looping single to right off the bat of Jordan Tolliver. Martin then belted a three-run blast to knot the contest at 3-3. Things would remain tied until the seventh when Austin Peay put up three runs on a sacrifice fly from Hyde, and back-to-back singles from Chris Poynter and Jake Peterson. The Tigers answered back with one run in the bottom of the frame when Chris Newsom scored on a balk by Gov reliever Devin Thomas. Memphis could get no closer as APSU got a pair of insurance runs in the ninth to put the game away, 8-4. Gov ace Rowdy Hardy picked up the win after coming in for an inning of relief work. Tiger set up man Ryan Fly was tagged with the loss. Martin finished the game 2-for-4 with RBI to lead all Tigers. Jared Walker led the Govs, going 4-for-4. Three other APSU hitters posted multiple hits. Memphis returns to the diamond on Friday night when they host TCU in a Conference USA series opener. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at "The Nat".

04/13/05		Two Early Goals Help Lady Tigers Wrap up Spring with 3-0 Win over Mississippi State -- Memphis wraps up spring season with 5-1-3 record (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Two goals in the first 10 minutes of the game gave the Memphis women's soccer team a strong start and they never looked back en route to a 3-0 win over Mississippi State in their final spring exhibition game on Wednesday night at Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The win gives Memphis a final spring record of 5-1-3 and a 1-0-3 mark against SEC opponents. It also makes them 2-0 this spring against opponents they will be playing during the 2005 season. Shoko Mikami scored both goals in the opening 10 minutes, giving her a total of nine goals for the spring season. She scored her first about five minutes into the game on a header off a cross from Nicky McLeod. The assist was McLeod's third of the spring. Mikami stuck against about three minutes later, putting in another header, this time off a cross from Robyn Smart. The assist was the first point of the spring for Smart, who will be one of two seniors on the team in the fall. Elaine Sedgewick gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead about 10 minutes into the second half with her first goal of the spring. It came off a header from a free kick by Mikami. The assist by Mikami was her third of the spring. Isabel Briones played solid once again in goal for the Tigers as she made five saves to record her fifth shutout of the spring. Memphis had five shutouts out of nine spring contests. "Overall, I thought this game was our best of the spring," said Memphis coach Brooks Monaghan. "We set out to gear this game towards the fall. We thought we did not play that well in our last spring game at Arkansas and during the season, you are going to have those types of games and the key is how you bounce back after those games. I thought we bounced back very well and met the challenge well. It made it very rewarding for everyone and it was an excellent way to end the spring season." The Tigers will play the Bulldogs again this fall. Memphis also defeated UAB earlier this spring, whom they will also play in the fall. Memphis, which currently has signed 11 incoming freshmen for next school year, will open the 2005 season on Sunday, August 28 at home against Tennessee Tech.

04/13/05		Two Former Lady Tigers Named to C-USA All-Decade Team -- Francella and Hunt-McNeil selected to team of 10 (GoTigersGo.com)
		IRVING, Texas - Former University of Memphis women's golfers Meaghan Francella and Kim Hunt-McNeil were named to the Conference USA All-Decade Team on Wednesday. C-USA is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2004-05 sason. In conjunction, the league is naming a Team of the Decade for each of the conference's 19 sports. Francella (2000-02) was a two-time all-conference selection (2001, 2002) and was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2001. The one-time C-USA Player of the Month selection advanced to the NCAA Championship in 2001 after an 11th place finish in the West Regional. She was named to the NCAA East Regional team in 2002. Francella helped the Tigers win the C-USA Championship in 2001 by taking first place individually and also medaled at the Edwin Watts/Carolina Classic in 2001. Her 75.8 career average is the lowest ever at Memphis. Hunt-McNeil (1993-97) is a two-time All-C-USA performer (1996, 1997) and was named the C-USA Player of the Year in 1997. She earned medalist honors in the 1997 C-USA Championship, helping Memphis take first place in the tournament. Hunt-McNeil competed in two NCAA East Regionals (1996, 1997) and was also an All-Great Midwest Conference team selection in 1994. She is inducted into the M-Club Hall of Fame at Memphis. The C-USA All-Decade Team is led by former TCU star Brooke Tull, a three-time C-USA Player of the Year, who was named the Athlete of the Decade. The Women's Golf Coach of the Decade award was won by USF's Susan Holt, who has led the Bulls to five C-USA championships. Voting on the awards was done by each of the league's current women's golf coaches. Tulane had the most selections on the All-Decade Team with three, while Memphis and USF each placed two members on the squad. East Carolina, TCU and UAB each had one representative on the team. C-USA WOMEN'S GOLF ALL-DECADE TEAM ATHLETE OF THE DECADE Brooke Tull TCU 2001-04 Adrienne Millican East Carolina 2001-present Meaghan Francella Memphis 2000-02 Kim Hunt-McNeil Memphis 1993-97 Pam Buff Tulane 1997-2001 Christy Carter Tulane 1995-99 Carolin Landmann Tulane 2000-04 Brooke Mangan UAB 2001-present Angie Connell USF 1996-1999 Kelly Lagedrost USF 1998-2001 C-USA WOMEN'S GOLF COACH OF THE DECADE Susan Holt USF 1995-present

04/13/05		Ian Rochester Named Conference USA Golfer of the Week -- Freshman won individual medal at the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate last weekend (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Freshman Ian Rochester of the Memphis men's golf team was named the Conference USA men's golfer of the week on Wednesday for his performance at the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate last weekend. Rochester became the fourth different Memphis golfer to win an individual title this year with his one-stroke victory at the tournament hosted by Auburn. He is also the third different Tiger freshman to win a tournament this year. Rochester shot five-under 211 (65-72-74) and edged Auburn All-American Lee Williams by one stroke to take home the individual medal. He joins fellow freshmen Keven Fortin-Simard and Andy Shiels as individual medal winners this year. The first round 65 was just one stroke shy of tying to course record at the Auburn University Club and was also the second lowest round in the history of the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. It also tied for the lowest round by a Memphis golfer this year and was the lowest in relation to par (-7) this year. It was also just one stroke shy of tying the school record of 64 for a single round. His 36-hole score of 137 was also just two strokes shy of the school record in that category. Improving his career low round in college by six strokes with the 65, Rochester had 10 birdies in the first round and finished the tournament with 17 overall, four more than the golfer with the next most. For the tournament, he averaged below par on both par 4's and par 5's, and even par on par 3's. A graduate of Cordova High School, Rochester has started Memphis' last six tournaments after not being a part of the starting lineup in the first three of the year. Rochester and the men's golf team will compete at the Conference USA Championship next Monday-Wednesday at The Grand Bear in Gulfport, Miss.

04/13/05		Some hard lessons were learned -- Cal now says tighter reins will be applied on his youngsters (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 13, 2005 It's been two weeks since the University of Memphis's season ended. On a windy Tuesday night in New York, the roller coaster that doubled as Tiger basketball finally came to a halt after five months. The quick recap? Twenty-two wins. Sixteen losses. Eight million twists, one almost every day. There was the demise of Sean Banks, and the maturation of Darius Washington. There was the burglary. The arrest. The fight. The win at Louisville. The loss to Louisiana Tech. The late-season run. The missed free throws, and the tears. The only thing missing was an NCAA Tournament appearance. It was missing for the third time in five seasons, which is the litmus test that proves little went as planned. Either way, John Calipari has had some time to think about it. So we sat down with the coach for a wide-ranging discussion that focused on the past, present and future. Q: How much did this season wear on you, specifically the Sean Banks situation? A: Early on, it was grueling. You're sitting there knowing that you should make a move, but it could wreck a kid's life. That wears on you. You know what you should be doing for the team, but it could wreck the kid's life. And so then you're stretching out every day trying to figure out how to get through. That wears on you. But again, the way it ended, that was rewarding. It became one of the more rewarding years I've had in my coaching career based on the fact that every player got better, and our team got better. It showed them how we have to play, and how you play basketball, and it really turned people on. It's not playing like a pickup game. They want to see how hard you play, that you care about winning, that you make an extra pass, that you play together as a team, that you dive on the floor for balls. I mean, that's what anybody wants to see. But it's hard because they don't know that, that's not what they have in their ears all the time. Q: So is it safe to assume you learned some things this season? A: I'm through thinking that if I let some of these guys on their own they'll do the right thing. They're not ready for that. I have to lead them to the water. I can't lead them to the hill that leads them to the water. Obviously, I can't drink the water for them. But I've got to get them to the water. You look back, and we had a couple of guys who had obviously lost weight and gotten worse (during the summer), and then had absolutely the wrong mentality about the season. It became, "This is what's going to happen for me, and I really don't care about this team." Well, that won't happen this summer. That I can promise you. I've learned from that. To start the season we're going to have five, six, seven guys coming in and combining with five, six, seven guys who have an idea, and there's going to be great structure, and I think we'll have much better leadership. I really think the guys coming back will be better leaders because they just lived what I'm saying to you, and they know it. And so I don't think we'll get caught up in not being a good team. Now we may not be comfortable with each other early. But it won't be because guys don't care. Q: As you know, many Memphis fans measure themselves against Louisville. So when the Cardinals went to the Final Four, there were some who wondered why Memphis hasn't done what Louisville is doing. Is that fair? A: It's their choice, and it doesn't bother me. Obviously, (Rick Pitino's) where he wants to be. They had a heckuva run. I don't begrudge him for that. But that's not how I look at it. I look at where we were when we took over and where he was, and it's not just the records. I mean we went down there and played their team with (Reece) Gaines and, you know what I'm saying? They had guys there. He took over a program that had been to the Final Four and done some things. We came in here, and for that period of time before, the program had struggled, and you know what? It takes time to get it back. Obviously, I'm not a patient guy. So we're not where we want to be. We want to be competing for national championships. But when you look at all that was here that we had to do, we're moving in the right direction. I'm happy with the players we have, and I'm happy with the players we have coming in. But it's hard here. If you look at the number of wins we've had in the past five years, we're probably in the Top 20 in the country. But that's not enough for the town, and I'm fine with that. Q: What should people expect? Can Memphis be held to Louisville's standard? A: It's hard for people here to look and say, "Shoot, we're doing better than Notre Dame, and we're doing better than Michigan and Missouri," but should we be? I'm asking. Should we be? I'm saying that with our staff here and the players we have, that is our goal, to be better than all those people. But should we be? Probably not. When you're talking about the league helping you, and all those things helping those programs that maybe we don't have, OK, we're still doing fine. And I think most people, like I said, I would guess most people like what's happening, the direction and all that. But there may be some who don't. Q: Something many fans don't like are the arrangements at FedExForum. What's your take on that? A: Our season-ticket base is angry. They're angry about how we switched to the building, and how they didn't get the seats down low that they had. Then on top of that, we weren't playing well early. But the reality of it is that we've got to get this right. We have people who have given money to this university for 10 years, and were forced to sit up top. We've got to correct it. We've got to do something. We've got to get our students more active. It's still not where it needs to be. Q: Will you be involved with that? A: It's not my job. But I'll address my concerns. And we all agree that we messed up. We needed to do a better job. But what I've said is that everybody should forgive all of us because this move to this building was new to everybody. No one was aggravating anybody on purpose. Nobody was trying to make anybody mad on purpose. So now what we'll do is go back and say, "OK, what do we do to make this right." Q: Last year at this time you got word that Purdue would be on the schedule. Any new developments for the upcoming schedule? A: Wake Forest would've been one, but I'm hearing Chris Paul is going to go into the (NBA) Draft. Q: So that won't happen unless Paul is at Wake Forest? A: Right. We won't play it unless he's there. So that was a possibility. But you know, when you have Tennessee, Texas, Purdue, Mississippi, Providence, the Preseason NIT and possibly Louisville and Cincinnati. Come on. That would be about the 150th strongest schedule in the country. Q: I know you're being sarcastic, yet you're probably right. Will you try to get somebody to help you schedule for the RPI this season, to avoid another miserable number in that department? A: Yeah. I'm going to. I've got to figure out this RPI. I'm putting together a monster schedule, and they tell me the schedule stinks. It's incredible. Q: Who else, that you know of, will be in the Preseason NIT? A: Duke, UCLA, Alabama, Missouri and about five other schools that have very good teams. Let me just say this: If you can win your first game, your second game will be a bear. It's going to be against a Top 20 team. Q: Do you ever wish your sometimes-hostile relationship with the media wasn't such a story? A: This is the way it is in this city, it's been this way for 25 years, from what everybody tells me. It's not changed, and I'm not changing it. I'm just another spoke in the wheel. But the way I deal with it may be different from what they've ever seen down here. But it's how I deal with it. Now a lot of times I don't deal with it. I just ignore it, and then that becomes the next story. But I tell you, you're defined as well by the people that can't stand you as the people who love you. So it's not like I want everybody to love me. There are some people, if they love me I've got a real problem. I'd be like, "What is wrong with me if this guy loves me?" I don't think anybody is being nasty, but there are some guys who try to be cute, whether it's in print or on radio. They try to be cute, and that's fine. Again, when you're in my position people will try to make their name by coming after me so people will listen to them. And you know what? I understand that. Q: Can you see a day when it will be bliss, your relationship with the media? A: No. It won't be. It can't be. Q: I know you've been out recruiting. How's that going? A: Surprisingly well. But it all comes back to we supersede the league. Do you understand we were on national television as much as anybody in the country? I think it will be the same next year. I don't think it's changing. Previously, we were on national television two or three times. We were on 17 times this season. It's ridiculous. Well, now wherever we go we're involved with kids. Q: There are obviously some big-time prospects in town with guys like Mitchell's Thaddeus Young and Ridgeway's Pierre Niles. I know you can't discuss specifics because of NCAA guidelines. But in general, how do you feel about recruiting as it pertains to this upcoming local class? A: I feel great. ... The guys in the town who we're recruiting know we're recruiting them. We've been recruiting them for a long period. And I'd love to have Memphis kids on this team. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

04/13/05		Missed opportunity (Commercial Appeal)
		Aug. 31, 2004 The fall semester at the UofM begins. Sean Banks arrived back in town less than 24 hours earlier. Already, the Tiger coaching staff seems disturbed by their star's apparent lack of off-season conditioning while he was at home in New Jersey. Sept. 2, 2004 Memphis releases its schedule, and John Calipari immediately expresses concern. "There's a lot of early games that are really going to test us," he says. Then Calipari addresses the task ahead. "Last year may have been our best team because everybody took on roles, but how will this team be? I don't know," Calipari says. "We have a group of good players, but can they be a team? I think so. But right now, I think we have a lot of agendas. The seniors have their agendas. Some of the returning players have their agendas, that 'this is my last year of college' agenda. Then you have the agendas of the young kids coming in. Then you have the agendas of the guys who have been hurt and not played in a while. That's what we've got to eliminate, those agendas. We have to have one agenda, which is this team being good and improving." Oct. 16, 2004 The Tigers officially open practice. Immediately, freshman Darius Washington states the goal. "I'm just trying to get a national championship," he says. Oct. 20, 2004 Calipari is pleased after five days of workouts. "We're becoming a team, after only five practices," he says. "Believe me when I tell you, we were just a collection of players. But we're really coming together right now, so I'm happy." Oct. 28, 2004 The ESPN/USA Today coaches preseason poll is released. Memphis is ranked 23rd. The Tigers are 24th in the Associated Press poll. Nov. 6, 2004 Memphis struggles, but wins its first exhibition, 81-70, over Christian Brothers. "We're not there yet," Calipari says. Meanwhile, during the game the apartment of Clyde Wade, Arthur Barclay, Joey Dorsey and Rodney Carney is burglarized. Fake furs belonging to a stripper are among the items stolen. Nov. 11, 2004 Memphis opens the season with a pounding of Savannah State, 102-40. Still, Banks isn't playing well, nor practicing hard. Calipari calls him out publicly in a postgame press conference. "There are a lot of people who have expectations of me," Banks says. "I got away with (not practicing hard) a lot last year because I was a freshman, and I didn't know any better. But now I know better." Nov. 19, 2004 A night after beating St. Mary's of California in the semifinals, Memphis falls to Syracuse, 77-62, in the title game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Dec. 3, 2004 Memphis wins at Purdue, but it turns out to be a loss. Jeremy Hunt takes a charge, and it's later discovered he has a broken bone in his wrist that will cost him at least six weeks. Dec. 7, 2004 The Tigers return to New York and are again pounded, this time by Pittsburgh. Afterward, there is a lengthy team meeting, with yelling and finger pointing. "There's a lot of jealousy around here, and some people finally just said what they had to say and got it all out," Rice says. "I think it's good, but if it doesn't carry over, then it doesn't mean anything." Dec. 14, 2004 Three days after a loss to Ole Miss, Calipari suspends Banks for a "violation of team rules." The following day, The Commercial Appeal details problems between Banks and Washington. "At some point, they're going to have to come together if they want to win," says former Tiger Antonio Burks. Jan. 6, 2005 After beating Austin Peay, and losing at home to Louisiana Tech and Providence, Memphis closes the non-conference part of its schedule with a loss at Texas. The Tigers are now 7-7. But that's just part of the problem. After the game, Barclay and Banks get into a locker room fight, and Banks suffers a black eye. Upon returning from Texas, sources within the program tell The Commercial Appeal that Banks is in serious academic trouble and could be ruled ineligible. Jan. 9, 2005 Banks plays, and the Tigers open Conference USA play with a 60-46 win over Southern Miss. A few hours after the game, Hunt is involved in a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend during which he allegedly hits her and causes a black eye. Jan. 12, 2005 Hunt is charged with misdemeanor assault, booked and released. His status for the following night's game was questioned, and Calipari answered "Sure" when asked if Hunt would play against Marquette. Jan. 13, 2005 University officials get involved, and Hunt is held out of the Marquette game. The Tigers win without him, 78-68, and beat a Top 25 school for the first time this season while improving to 9-7. Jan. 15, 2005 Memphis loses to TCU on a last-second 3-pointer by Corey Santee. Afterwards, sources within the program tell The Commercial Appeal it was Banks's final game as a Tiger. The next day, Calipari holds a press conference to announce the development. Jan. 19, 2005 The Tigers win at South Florida, but the night is also noteworthy because of the return of Hunt after what was a two-game suspension. Feb. 9, 2005 The Tigers are 17-point underdogs at Louisville, yet they win, 85-68, to give Calipari his 300th career victory. "Today was just our day," Calipari says. "You just have to understand that it was just our day." Feb. 19, 2005 The Tigers beat Southern Miss to improve to 16-10. Now on tap is a four-game stretch against Charlotte, Louisville, Saint Louis and Cincinnati to close the regular-season. Four wins could help Memphis earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Feb. 26, 2005 ESPN GameDay comes to town for the most anticipated 24 hours of Tiger basketball in recent memory. After tailgating all day, a sellout crowd fills FedExForum and watches Louisville close on a 25-5 run to defeat Memphis, 53-44. The Tigers missed their final 14 field goal attempts, and 22-of-23 3-pointers. "That was ugly," Calipari says. March 5, 2005 After losing at Saint Louis, the Tigers return home to close the regular season against Cincinnati. They lose in the final minute, and drop to 16-14 heading into the C-USA Tournament. March 11, 2005 After beating Saint Louis and Charlotte, Memphis gets past South Florida, 81-68, in the C-USA semifinals to set-up a third, and possibly final, meeting with Louisville. March 12, 2005 In one of the best games of the season, the Tigers and Cards go back-and-forth at FedExForum. With Louisville leading by two points and the clock winding down, Francisco Garcia fouls Washington on a 3-point shot as the horn sounds. Washington makes the first free throw, then misses the next two. Memphis loses, 75-74, and secures a spot in the NIT. "I am devastated," Calipari says. "There are a lot of people who are just like, 'I can't believe it.' There are a lot of devastated people in this town right now." March 29, 2005 Without an injured Hunt, the Tigers close the season with a 70-58 loss to Saint Joseph's in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The final record is 22-16. "Is this what we want? No. We want to be in the Final Four. That's why I came here," Calipari says. "But I tell you what, I'm proud of these guys. This has been a rewarding year. It's just a downer, how it finished." -- Gary Parrish

04/13/05		Waiting game -- Williams ready to put the U of M sidelines behind him (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 13, 2005 DeAngelo Williams sat comfortably in a plastic folding chair inside the turf room at the University of Memphis's Murphy Athletic Complex and glanced at his future. Williams, the All-America running back, watched as candidates -- and longshots -- for this month's NFL Draft went through a number of skill, agility and running drills in front of a collection of NFL scouts bearing stopwatches and clipboards. Williams could have been among those running through those important paces had he opted to enter the draft after his record-breaking junior season, one that added to his record-shattering Tiger career. Williams, a 5-10 tailback from Wynne, Ark., rushed for a Conference USA record 1,948 yards last season to boost his school-record career total to 4,062 yards. Had he entered the draft, which will be held April 23-24, Williams likely would have been taken in the latter stages of the first round. But from that sideline chair what he observed -- the impersonal, business-like approach of the next level -- served as confirmation that he made the right decision. In what could be the defining moment of Tiger coach Tommy West's fifth season, Williams told a packed audience at a mid-January press conference that he was returning for his senior year. ''I haven't doubted my decision one bit,'' Williams said. ''It's fun going through college and being with the guys you love, guys you've been here with since you finished your senior year of high school.'' Williams, who suffered a fractured right fibula in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, participated in the Tigers' spring practice, which began in mid-March and ended late last week. What Williams didn't take part in -- except for three token plays in the April 2 Blue-Gray Game -- were the full-contact scrimmages, including several in the 75-plus play range. Being sidelined for those scrimmage sessions may have been the most difficult part of his decision to return. The Tiger coaching staff, not wanting to risk injury, held Williams out of scrimmages. That's not to say Williams didn't attempt to coerce his way into a series or two. ''I understood where the coaches were coming from,'' Williams said. ''There were times when I'd walk up to coach (West) before a scrimmage and before I could say anything he'd say, 'No.' Then he'd call me back over and say, 'You know I still like you, don't you?' ''I'd go, 'Yeah' and look at him thinking I was going to get to scrimmage. Then he'd look back at me and say no again.'' Despite holding Williams from scrimmages, West said it was a productive spring for a player who will get Heisman Trophy consideration. Williams is expected to be more involved in the team's passing game, one that will be directed by a first-year quarterback. ''He got a lot done this spring,'' West said. ''And not just the route running, but the understanding of our passing game. We are going to use him in a lot of different places so (opponents) don't know where he is out there. He won't always be lined up behind the quarterback. ''We are going to move him around probably more than we ever have and get him the ball in a lot of ways.'' Williams, a two-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Year, understands that adding that dimension to his impressive running skills will make him more attractive to NFL teams this time next year. ''I was really focused on the little things during practices, like getting better on pass protection and being able to break down the defense faster,'' Williams said. ''And I was really focused on getting back in shape and making sure my leg was back to 100 percent, which it is. I'm working to get faster than I was last year.'' Running backs coach Jeep Hunter said Williams ''got as many reps as possible'' participating in all the drills except those calling for full contact. ''He was getting everything,'' Hunter said. ''He didn't miss a thing. And we put a special emphasis working harder on pass blocking.'' Williams said what he has enjoyed most about his decision to stay is his schedule falling into place. There was so much uncertainty as he contemplated whether to come out early or to stay. Now, he said, he has a clear vision of the next 12 months, from trying to get the UofM to its third straight bowl to getting himself a higher spot in the 2006 NFL Draft. ''What all people fear, but will never admit, is starting over, starting from the bottom of the barrel,'' Williams said. ''People hate that and I'm one of those people. I admit it. I didn't want to start over. I didn't want to make new friends. I didn't want to have to love more people. ''I'm here and I love everybody here. I know everybody here. I know everybody's tendencies and I know everybody's personalities. And I'm comfortable ... to this day. I didn't want to mess that up.'' -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

04/13/05		College Notes (basketball, baseball) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 13, 2005 Tiger honored:Arthur Barclay, a senior on the University of Memphis basketball team, will be honored as the South Jersey Major Player of the Year tonight at Cherry Hill, N.J. Barclay averaged 2.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 29 starts this year. Tigers fall to Tide:No. 17 Alabama erupted for six runs in the sixth inning to earn an 8-3 win over the University of Memphis in a non-conference game at Tuscaloosa, Ala. Memphis led until the sixth when a bases-loaded two-run RBI-single up the middle by pinch hitter Morrow Thomley gave Alabama (25-10) a 5-3 lead. Senior DH Ryan Martin belted a solo homer over the wall in deep left center field to give Memphis (8-21) a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Martin's home run was his fifth of the year.

04/13/05		Campbell to join Lady Tigers -- Northside standout wants mom able to see her play (Commercial Appeal)
		By Jason Smith Contact April 13, 2005 Mattie Campbell won't have to conquer her fear of flying after all. Her daughter, Northside girls basketball standout Birdie Campbell, will sign a national letter of intent with Memphis at noon today. "My mama wasn't going to get on an airplane to come see me play," Campbell said Tuesday, laughing. "This is somewhere she can drive to." Campbell, a 6-3 center who averaged about 16 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Lady Cougars this season, chose the Lady Tigers over Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State. "I chose Memphis because it's somewhere my mom, my family and my (Northside) teammates can come see me play," said Campbell, one of a half dozen or so Shelby-Metro athletes expected to sign letters of intent today, the first day of the late signing period. "I feel like I can fit in with (Memphis). (Head coach Blair Savage) told me she needed a dominant post player like me. I work hard and I'm physical." Lady Cougar coach Donald Holmes called Campbell, who still needs a qualifying score on the ACT, a steal. "She's been a rock, our foundation for the last four years," Holmes said. "The main thing I want her do is just to go and do her best. I want her to excel both athletically and academically." Florida will ink its third signee from Memphis today when Mitchell's Kim Critton, a 5-8 combo guard/forward, signs this morning with the Lady Gators. Critton, who averaged about 19 points per contest for Mitchell this season, will join Craigmont standouts LaToya Bullard, a 5-7 point guard, and 6-4 center Jessica Jackson, who both signed with Florida in November. "Basically Bullard mentioned Kim to (Florida head coach Carolyn Peck) and told her she'd love to play with Kim," Mitchell head coach Harold Wooten said Tuesday. "Once (Peck) came and saw her, she told Kim she was very impressed. She said she didn't need to see any more." A trio of bowlers will sign national letters of intent today with Arkansas State. White Station's Mary Wood and Julie Litton and Craigmont's Denae Strong will sign with the Lady Indians at 3 p.m. at Winchester Bowl. Rebekah Strickland, a 6-3 volleyball standout at Houston High, will sign Friday with Memphis. Strickland, a middle blocker for the Lady Mustangs, was named to The Commercial Appeal's All-Metro and the Tennessee Sports Writers Association's All-State teams this season. Also expected to sign with Memphis this week are Tipton-Rosemark's Lyndsey Sterling and Collierville's Laura Mahoney, a pair of softball standouts who will become part of Memphis's first-ever softball recruiting class. The Lady Tiger softball program begins competition in spring 2006. Meanwhile, Fayette-Ware forward Desmond Yates and Ridgeway point guard Jordan Mincy said they each plan to take several visits in the coming weeks before selecting colleges. Yates, a 6-6 forward, will visit Middle Tennessee this weekend before making trips to Southern California and Ole Miss later this month. Mincy -- a 6-0 point guard whose stock has risen since he recorded a combined 26 assists in three games during Ridgeway's run to the Class AAA state championship last month -- will visit Kent State this weekend. He said he's also considering Chattanooga, Fordham and UNC-Wilmington. -- Jason Smith: 529-5804

04/12/05		Baseball Falls 8-3 to No. 17 Alabama -- Tigers return to the Nat for battle with Austin Peay on Wednesday (GoTigersGo.com)
		TUSCALOOSA, Ala - MEMPHIS (8-21) 101 100 000 - 3 8 1 #17 Alabama (25-10) 001 016 00X - 8 10 0 Memphis put up a valiant effort, but No. 17 Alabama erupted for six runs in the sixth inning to put the U of M upset bid to rest, and earn a hard-fought 8-3 win over the Tigers in non-conference action Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Memphis led the Tide all night, until the sixth when a bases loaded two-run RBI-single up the middle by pinch hitter Morrow Thomley gave Alabama a 5-3 lead in the home half of the sixth. A Tiger error allowed Emeel Salem to score on a Tide strikeout to extend the lead to 6-3. Gabe Scott put the contest away with his second home run of the evening--a towering two-run blast over the scoreboard in leftfield that put Bama up 8-3. Senior DH Ryan Martin belted a solo homer over the wall in deep left centerfield to give Memphis an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Martin's home run was his fifth of the year. Tiger starter Blake Richardson found himself in a jam in the second inning as a pair of Tide singles loaded the bases with two outs. However, Richardson was able to work out of the jam and hold Alabama off the board. The Tigers again struck for a run in top of the third to take a 2-0 lead. Cory Barton looped a single to leftfield to lead off the inning and Chris Newsom drew a walk in the next at-bat. The duo then successfully executed the double steal before Jordan Tolliver looped an RBI-single to center to score Barton. A third-inning homer to leftcenter by Scott put the Crimson Tide on the board and cut the Tigers' lead to 2-1. Memphis answered back in the fourth, as K.K. Chalmers launched a two-out tripled off the base of the wall in the left centerfield gap. Barton came through with a clutch infield single, in the hole at shortstop, to plate Chalmers and put Memphis ahead 3-1. Bama cut into the Memphis lead in the fifth on its second home run of the night, a solo blast to left, off the bat of Evan Bush. Bama reliever Josh Copeland earned the win, allowing four hits and one run in the three innings of work. Richardson took the loss after the Tide touched him up for five earned runs in five-and-one thirds innings Barton led the Tigers offensively with a 3-for-3 night. The Tigers will return to the friendly confines of Nat Buring Stadium on Wed., Apr. 13 when they host Austin Peay at 6:30 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/12/05		Women's Soccer Wraps up Spring Schedule Wednesday at home vs. Mississippi State -- Tigers will play MSU at home during the fall (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - The Memphis women's soccer team will wrap up its spring exhibition schedule with a game against Mississippi State on Wednesday at Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The contest against the Bulldogs, who the Tigers played both last year and will play again in the fall, will begin at 6:00 p.m. The Lady Tigers have a 4-1-3 record so far this spring, winning games against Minnesota, UAB, a team of Japanese All-Stars, and a club team from Indianapolis. They were defeated by the Region III Olympic Development Program Under-17 team. This will be the fourth contest of the spring against a Southeastern Conference opponent. The Tigers have tied each of the previous three games this spring against SEC opponents Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Shoko Mikami leads the Tigers for the spring season with seven goals and a pair of assists for 16 points. Candace Halvorson has three on the spring while Nicky McLeod has two goals. Both Halvorson and McLeod each have two assists as well. Brittany Strung also has an assist. Mississippi State defeated Memphis 2-0 last season in Starkville on September 14, which was the only Memphis loss over a string of six games early in the season. The Tigers and Bulldogs are scheduled to play during the 2005 season on Friday, September 16, also at Mike Rose Soccer Complex, which will be the fourth and final game of a four-game homestand for the Tigers in the fall. The Bulldogs finished the 2004 season with a 9-9-3 overall record and a 5-5-1 mark in SEC play. This will be their final spring game as well. "We are trying to approach this game as an important one because we want to finish the spring on a strong note," said Memphis coach Brooks Monaghan. "Overall this has been a good spring in terms of both performance and improvement. Mississippi State also presents a tough challenge and we will be able to once again see how we currently stack up against an opponent for next year."

04/12/05		Kiss Named C-USA Men's Co-Athlete of the Week -- Senior hurdler receives first weekly conference honor of career (GoTigersGo.com)
		Irving, Texas, - After a record-setting performance in the 110m hurdles at the Mississippi Invitational, Memphis senior Daniel Kiss was named the Conference USA Men's Track and Field Co-Athlete of the Week for April 12. The honor is the first-career weekly award for the Budapest, Hungary native, who was recognized in an announcement by the conference office on Tuesday. For Saturday's meet, Kiss posted a time of 13.80 seconds in the 110m hurdles to break former Olympian Terron Wright's school record of 13.84 and improve upon the C-USA leading and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 14.02 seconds that he had logged a week earlier at the Ole Miss Invitational. The time gave Kiss a second-place finish in the meet, behind only All-American Antwon Hicks of Ole Miss. In addition to the conference recognition, Kiss garnered considerable national attention for his blazing performance. The 13.80 second tally, which is currently the fourth-fastest time in the nation, prompted Kiss' ranking of ninth in this week's Trackwire Dandy Dozen, a weekly power ranking of the top 12 athletes in each NCAA event. After the great showing last weekend, Kiss and several of his Tiger and Lady Tiger teammates will turn their attention to the Sea Ray Relays, which will be held April 14-16 in Knoxville, Tenn. The remainder of the U of M women's squad will travel to Macomb, Ill., for the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational.

04/12/05		Barclay To Be Honored As South Jersey Major Player Of The Year -- The Camden, N.J., native to be recognized at Wednesday's banquet in New Jersey (GoTigersGo.com)
		CHERRY HILL, N.J. - Arthur Barclay, a senior on this year's University of Memphis basketball team, will be honored as the South Jersey Major Player of the Year here Wednesday night. Barclay will be recognized at the 43rd annual Albert J. Carino Boys Basketball Club of South Jersey banquet that will begin at 5:30 p.m. (CT) in Cherry Hill. "This is an unbelievable honor for Arthur," said Tiger head coach John Calipari. "Arthur was a great team leader and gave it his all every day. In addition to what he did on the court, he will also earn his degree and graduate this year. Arthur had some tough moments during his college career, but he bounced back every time a stronger person. He will be successful in whatever he decides to do after he graduates." Barclay averaged 2.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 29 starts this year. The Tigers posted a 19-10 record when he was in the starting lineup. The 6-foot-8 forward grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds twice against Charlotte in the regular season and Virginia Tech in the NIT. He scored a season-high 10 points versus Northeastern in the NIT first round. For his career, Barclay played in 71 games and started 38. He averaged 2.2 points and 3.2 rebounds. The Camden, N.J., native was a member of 2001-02 Tiger NIT championship team and played an integral role in Memphis' postseason runs in 2004 (NCAA Tournament second round) and 2005 (NIT final four).

04/12/05		Tiger Scholarship Fund Member Luncheon to be Held Wednesday -- Will also host a Barbeque Dinner before Friday's baseball game against TCU (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Tiger Scholarship Fund Member Luncheon will be held Wednesday, April 13th on the South Campus Athletic Complex, beginning at 11:45 a.m. The luncheon will feature the University of Memphis head coaches. The quarterly luncheon will begin at 11:45 a.m. and will wrap at 1:15 p.m. and costs $10 per person for the lunch. Tiger Scholarship Fund supporters will have the opportunity to meet other Tiger fans and the coaches will present updates on their teams as the 2004-05 academic season nears completion. The South Campus Athletic Complex is located on Getwell Road, just one block south of Park Avenue. Participants are asked to RSVP to 678-2334 or to email dlarivir@memphis.edu. The Tiger Scholarship Fund drive will also host a cookout prior to the Friday (April 15th) baseball game against TCU. Admission to the ballpark is $5.00 and includes the barbeque dinner for all Tiger Scholarship Fund members. Coach Schoenrock will address the crowd prior to the game. The baseball game with TCU begins at 6:30 p.m. Tiger Scholarship Fund members are also reminded that the Tiger Scholarship Fund Spring Golf Tournament will be held Friday, May 9th, at the Germantown Country Club beginning at 11:30 a.m.

04/12/05		Men's Tennis Match Versus UALR Rescheduled for Thursday -- Match will begin at 11 a.m., free pizza and beverages for fans in attendance (GoTigersGo.com)
		The men's tennis match scheduled for Wednesday has been rescheduled for 11 a.m., Thursday, due to expected rain in the area. The match will begin at 11 a.m. and the Tigers are offering free pizza and beverages to fans who come out for the afternoon's contest. Admission for all Tiger tennis matches is free and the matches are played on the U of M Varsity Courts, located on the corner of Echles and Spottswood.

04/12/05		Five Tigers Seniors to Play Final Home Match, Wednesday -- Match is tenatively on schedule pending rain (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Five Tiger senior men's tennis players will play the final home match of their respective careers when UALR (10-9) comes to town for a non-conference match, Wednesday. The match is tentatively scheduled to Wednesday, although rain is predicted for the Memphis area on Wednesday and the match may be postponed or rescheduled. The Tigers will be looking to rebound after No. 23 Middle Tennessee snapped Memphis' six-match winning streak, 5-1, on Sunday. The match is slated to begin at 2 p.m. on the U of M Varsity courts. Admission to all Tiger tennis matches is free. The five seniors who will be playing their final home match are Alex Bucewicz, Scott Felsenthal, Mark Finnegan, Andrew Olswing and Marten Tamla. Alex Bucewicz The No. 101 ranked singles player in the country, Bucewicz becomes the second Tiger in as many years to earn a national ranking in singles (following current assistant coach Lee Taylor Walker who finished last year the No. 94 ranked player in the country). Bucewicz is one of two Tigers with 12 singles victories on the season, carrying a 12-9 record and a 5-8 mark at No. 1 singles. He is also teaming with Marten Tamla at No. 2 doubles, where the duo is 7-7. In his four years as a Tiger, Bucewicz has an 82-40 singles record. In his senior season, he has been named the Conference USA Men's Tennis Player of the Week two times. Bucewicz is slated to graduate in May with a degree in sports management. He plans on returning to his native Australia for graduate school following graduation. Scott Felsenthal In just one season as a Tiger, Memphis native Scott Felsenthal has already impacted the Tiger program. He teams with junior James Spence at No. 1 doubles, and the duo broke into the national rankings earlier this season, ranking No. 58 in the country. Having already shared a C-USA Player of the Week honor with Spence, Felsenthal also adds an 8-7 mark in singles, including a 5-4 mark at No. 6. He and Spence are 10-9 at No. 1 doubles. He plans on attending law school after finishing his degree in criminal justice at Memphis. Mark Finnegan After earning his first C-USA Player of the Week award earlier this season, Finnegan continues to help Memphis remain one of the nation's best tennis programs. A transfer from Georgia Southern, Finnegan has since gone 27-21 in two seasons as a Tiger after battling a shoulder injury last fall and spring. Finnegan has teamed with junior Alex Jago at No. 3 doubles for a team-best 10-6 doubles mark. The duo won eight of their first nine dual matches of the season, but are looking to snap a two-match losing streak in the UALR match. With plans to graduate with a degree in finance in May, Finnegan hopes to continue his tennis career from a coaching standpoint. He is looking for a graduate assistant coaching position after spending a second summer in New York coaching. Andrew Olswing A contributor to the Tiger program for all four seasons, senior Andrew Olswing is looking to put the wraps on his Tiger tennis career before he enters medical school. A biology major with plans of graduating in December of 2005, Olswing is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society and the National Outstanding Student Honor Society. When he's not prepping for medical school, the Memphis native is helping the tennis team, either at practice, or in matches. A transfer from Bradley University, where he posted a 1-4 mark, Olswing transferred to his hometown Tigers in the fall of 2002. He is considering UT-Memphis for his medical school studies. Marten Tamla The fourth transfer of the senior class, Marten Tamla came to Memphis in the fall of 2003 from UT-Martin, where he was the Skyhawks' No. 1 singles player. He has played at the No. 3 singles slot for the 2004-05 season, posting a 5-1 record at No. 3, and carrying a 6-8 record on the season. With a five-match winning streak heading into the UALR match, Tamla has been a consistent scorer for the Tigers. He also teams with Bucewicz at No. 2 doubles, carrying a 7-7 record. In his two-year Tiger career, Tamla is 27-25 in singles and 24-18 in doubles. A sports management major, Tamla was a member of the Tiger 3.0 club in his first spring dual season in Memphis.

04/12/05		Schilling joins new Indiana-based program -- Calipari assistant 'excited to be going home' (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 12, 2005 It's home. It's faith. It's too much to pass up. So University of Memphis assistant Ed Schilling is leaving John Calipari's staff to instead start academies that will train players and coaches worldwide while emphasizing Christian principles. "I've known I wanted to do this for a long time, I just never knew when it would be the right time," Schilling said Monday. "But I just felt like this was it. I feel like this is what I'm being led to do." Schilling, who just completed his second season with the Tigers, will leave Memphis near the end of the month and relocate his family to Indianapolis, about 30 miles from his hometown of Lebanon, Ind. There, he will help start Champions Training Academies, the first of which is scheduled to open next year. "I'm excited to be going home and to work with the key sports and business leaders of Indiana to establish a world-class basketball training center in the heart of basketball country," Schilling said. "In light of everything that has gone on the last three years with the state of basketball in the U.S. (with teams from the United States losing more frequently in international competition), I feel that this might be the greatest way I can serve the basketball community, the coaches and the next generation of players. I truly believe that these academies are going to have an impact on the success of basketball, not only in this country but around the world." Before arriving at Memphis, Schilling served a six-year stint as the head coach at Wright State, which followed his aiding of Calipari at Massachusetts and with the New Jersey Nets. For the Tigers, the Miami (Ohio) graduate did a portion of the scouting, and coordinated all of the summer camps. Schilling's replacement could be named within a month, though there is no real hurry because assistants Tony Barbee and Derek Kellogg handle most of the recruiting. One replacement possibility would be Ryan Miller, the brother of Memphis Grizzlies star Mike Miller who has been Calipari's administrative assistant on a volunteer basis for two years. John Robic, a former Calipari assistant at UMass, is another possibility. Robic has been the head coach at Youngstown State for six seasons, but his contract is scheduled to expire April 30 and it will not be renewed. Attempts to reach Calipari on Monday were unsuccessful.

04/12/05		Persistence, hard work guide U of M lacrosse team during inaugural season (Daily Helmsman)
		Daniel Ford contact April 12, 2005 Darius Washington Jr. doesn't have to call the FedExForum to schedule basketball games. DeAngelo Williams and Danny Wimprine don't have to pool their money to pay referees to drive to the Liberty Bowl and officiate University of Memphis football games. But that's what John Sandlin is doing. Sandlin is the president of The U of M lacrosse team, who are two games into their inaugural season. As with any club team he's had to overcome some unique obstacles. Sandlin has filed all the proper paperwork, found a head coach, helped to field a team and scheduled several opponents. The only problems these days seem to be coming from The University. "Right now we're having a lot of trouble getting field space to practice," said Sandlin, whose team is accustomed to practicing from 10 p.m. until midnight, because it is the only time made available to them. "We have to share the field with the intramural sports like flag football and soccer. We have to find time between the soccer team practices in the afternoon and the intramural games at night." Intramural sports are given precedence over the first-year lacrosse team and the club team can only use Echles Field when U of M soccer and intramural sports aren't taking it. Having to practice into the wee hours is a frustration for head coach Ryan Pavlicek, but the most upsetting aspect thus far has been in scheduling games. "What we're being told is that those of us who wear University of Memphis on our chests are lower on the totem pole than those just going out and playing recreationally," Pavlicek said. "I go to the intramural people and say, 'We just got a game against a major university, can you make this happen?' and I get, 'Sorry, no.' I don't get an alternative or an alternate solution, I get, 'Sorry, no.'" "We're being given a handshake and a smile and being told we'll do anything we can to help you, but they're not. If you want to help us you would. It's all talk and no walk." The scheduling obstacles are making things tough for the program, which is joining the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference as a full member in 2006. The GRLC is a conference for club lacrosse teams in the southeast. Despite the problems, Pavlicek has managed to schedule several major teams. The Tigers have already played LSU and Ole Miss, losing their inaugural game to LSU 10-8 two weeks ago and beating Ole Miss 8-6 Sunday. The early success is more than even Pavlicek had expected. "It's above and beyond my expectations," he said. "If you asked me for some reasonable goals before the season, they were to start the team and have fun. Winning games wasn't a goal. I would like to win, but I certainly wasn't expecting one this early. But, we got a win in our second game." Pavlicek said about 100 people came to see the team's last game against Ole Miss and Sandlin said with time the crowd will only grow. "It's just fun to watch," Sandlin said. "It's demanding. You have to have endurance like soccer, but toughness like hockey. You end up getting a lot of bruises and stuff. It's been compared to basketball with weapons." Sandlin and Pavlicek have fielded the team with many players who Sandlin played either with or against in high school. Sandlin, a freshman, played three years at White Station High School and Pavlicek said the team definitely has a local flavor. "They're homegrown," Pavlicek said. "They're playing for Memphis and they're just that. They're Memphis born and Memphis bred." The Tigers next game is at home against St. Louis on Saturday. They'll also compete on Sunday at Rhodes College and they travel to Oxford, Miss., for another game against Ole Miss in a couple of weeks. Pavlicek isn't paid to coach the team and the players pay dues to cover the bare minimum for hiring someone to oversee the field during games and other costs. "Our checkbook at the end of the year will say $0," Pavlicek said. "We're putting everything we have back into this program." The sacrifices the players make are showing dividends, but the rewards of playing on a club team can be even greater than beating Ole Miss. Pavlicek himself didn't play lacrosse until his sophomore year at Arizona State. "From there I played for the Czech Republic National Team in the 2002 Lacrosse World Games," he said. "This comes from a guy who never touched a lacrosse stick until college." Pavlicek said the team is always looking for new players and anyone interested in joining should e-mail him at Memphislax@aol.com.

04/11/05		Tiger Baseball Set for Battle with No. 17 Alabama -- Tigers still looking for first win in April (GoTigersGo.com)
		TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Memphis baseball squad will wrap up a four-game road trip with a meeting with the 17th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Tues., Apr. 12. Alabama is the second top-25 opponent for the Tigers this season. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. The Tigers, who are winless in its last seven contests, have yet to win a ballgame in the month of April. Head coach Daron Schoenrock's inexperienced squad is coming off a Conference USA series in which they were swept by UAB. The Tigers are led in hitting by Chad House and Patrick Hope, both of whom are hitting .349. Memphis pitchers have struggled this season giving up a 7.16 ERA. Opponents have hit 32 home runs are hitting .322 against the staff. Chris South, tomorrow's starter for Memphis, has a 6.57 ERA. The redshirt freshman leads the team with 13 appearances, all in relief. Opposing hitters are hitting .412 against him. South earned the win in Memphis last win back on Mar. 29. Alabama brings a 24-10 record into the midweek tilt after taking two of three from No. 9 Ole Miss in SEC play over the weekend. The Tide has now won two consecutive SEC series', including beating No. 4 LSU two games to one two weekends ago. Gabe Scott, who is hitting a blistering .407, leads Bama on the offensive end. Three Tide players are hitting over .300. Evan Bush leads the team in power numbers, with eight homers and 34 RBI. The corner infielder is also slugging .580 on the year. The Alabama pitching staff is one of the better ones The Tigers will face all season. Led by David Robertson's 1.47 ERA and T.J. Large's 1.74 ERA, the Tide pitchers have combined to post 3.15 ERA this season. The staff has fanned 332 batters this year, while holding opponents to a .219 clip. Tuesday's starter, Wade LeBlanc (2-1) was the 2004 NCAA Freshman of the Year. He maintains a strong 2.88 ERA. He has struck out 48 in just 25.0 innings of work. Opponents have scored just eight earned runs when LeBlanc is on the mound, and he has held them to a lowly .138 batting average. Memphis is 4-10 against Alabama dating back to the 1971 season. However, the two teams have not faced each other on the baseball diamond in 21 years. The Tide won the last meeting between the two, 10-6 in 1984. The Memphis-Alabama will be broadcast live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/11/05		Schilling Leaving Post On Memphis Basketball Staff -- The Lebanon, Ind., native to move to basketball ministries position in Indianapolis (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis men's basketball head coach John Calipari announded Monday that assistant coach Ed Schilling will be leaving the Tiger coaching staff effective the middle of April to pursue a life-long dream of combining his faith and basketball. Included in the ministry opportunities is the launch of Champions Training Academies worldwide. "First of all, I want to thank Coach Cal and the Memphis basketball family for all that they have done for me and my family these last two years. I will be forever grateful to Coach Cal for the opportunity that he gave me here in Memphis and the loyal friend that he has been to me over the years," Schilling said. "It is hard leaving the program knowing the positive direction in which it is heading, and the tremendous success that is coming with the returning and incoming players. At the same time, I'm really excited about the opportunity that is in front of me to work with and develop players and coaches throughout the world via the training academy and the coach's ministry duties." The first academy is set to be launched in Indianapolis, Ind., in 2006. "I'm excited to be going home and to work with the key sports and business leaders of Indiana to establish a world-class basketball training center in the heart of basketball country. In light of everything that has gone on the last three years with the state of basketball in the U.S., I feel that this might be the greatest way I can serve the basketball community, the coaches, and the next generation of players. I truly believe that these academies are going to have an impact on the success of basketball not only in this country, but around the world," Schilling commented. "I'm also excited about having more time to work directly with coaches through the Nation of Coaches ministry that has been established with the NABC. With all the experiences my family and I have been through at every level of coaching, I feel like I can be a great resource and support to coaches." Schilling grew up in Lebanon, Ind., where he was the first player to ever participate in a national postseason high school all-star game without averaging over 10 points per game. As a collegian, he was a four-year starting point guard at Miami (Ohio), helping lead the school to a pair of NCAA Tournaments. After graduating from Miami in 1988, he was named the head coach at Western Boone High School, leading the Stars to the most wins in school history in the 1990-91 campaign. From there, he went to Logansport (Ind.) High School. In arguably the most competitive prep conference in the nation, Logansport's basketball program improved each of Schillling's four seasons, winning back-to-back sectional championships while compiling the most wins in more than 20 years. He then went to the University of Massachusetts, helping Coach Calipari's 1995-96 Minuteman squad post a 35-2 record and reach the NCAA Final Four. When Calipari was named the coach of the New Jersey Nets later that year, Schilling joined him as an assistant coach. Schilling's meteoric rise in the coaching profession was chronicled in Sports Illustrated as he became the only coach ever to advance from high school to the Final Four and finally to the bench of an NBA team in a period of 310 days. After his time with the Nets, Schilling returned to collegiate coaching as the head coach at Wright State University in 1997. At the time, he was the second youngest Division I head coach in the nation. Schilling coached six seasons at Wright State, posting a 17-11 mark in 2002 and an 18-11 record in 2001. For his efforts in 2001, he was named the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) Coach of the Year by Collegeinsider.com. Following his stint at Wright State, Schilling joined Calipari's staff at Memphis. In his two seasons on Calipari's staff, Schilling helped lead the Tigers to consecutive 20-win seasons and back-to-back postseason tournament appearances. Memphis won a share of the 2004 Conference USA regular season title and advanced to the 2005 C-USA Tournament title game. "This is an incredible opportunity for Ed, although I don't want to see him leave," Calipari said. "Ed is passionate about his faith and the game of basketball, and this will allow him to combine both of those desires. "Ed was a tremendous addition to our staff, and he played an integral role in the program's success the past two years. He is an excellent coach, but more importantly, he has been and will continue to be a dear friend. We will miss him here in Memphis, and we wish Ed all of our best in his new endeavor." Schilling was inducted into the Five-Star Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and is the co-author of two books--Guard Play, which was co-authored with Steve Alford, and Five Star Basketball, which was written with Howard Garfinkel. He also has four basketball instructional videos. Schilling and his wife, Shawn, also an Indiana native, and their three children--Ana, 10, Eddie, 4, and Natalie, 2--will make their home in Indianapolis.

04/11/05		Sports Digest (baseball, golf, track, tennis) (Commercial Appeal)
		Briefly: Host UAB (22-10, 7-5) completed a weekend sweep of the University of Memphis (8-20, 2-10), beating the Tigers 17-12 in Conference USA baseball. Adam Amar hit a two-run homer for Memphis in the fourth, his fifth of the season. He finished the game 2-for-4 with three runs batted in. University of Memphis golfer Ian Rochester, a freshman from Cordova, won medalist honors at the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate in Auburn, Ala. He finished with a 2-over 74 and a 211 total, edging Auburn's Lee Williams by a stroke. As a team, the Tigers finished in second at 885, 24 strokes behind Auburn. ... U of M hurdler Daniel Kiss set a school record in the 110-meter hurdles at the Mississippi Invitational in Oxford, winning his heat in a time of 13.8 seconds. He placed second overall. Lisa Marie-Hyman won the women's triple jump with a leap of 41 feet, 31/4 inches. ... The Memphis men's tennis team lost a home match to 23rd-ranked Middle Tennessee, 5-1. Marten Tamla beat Kai Schledorn at No. 3 singles, 6-2, 7-6 (5) to give the Tigers their only point. -- From Our Press Services

04/10/05		Men's Tennis Falls Short in Upset Bid -- Tigers fall to No. 23 Middle Tennessee, 5-1 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Despite appearing to have a shot at an upset over a top 25 team in the national rankings, the University of Memphis men's tennis team (11-10) came up just short in a 5-1 loss to No. 23 Middle Tennessee at the Varsity Courts on the U of M campus, Sunday. Middle Tennessee jumped out to an early lead, 1-0, after winning the No. 2 doubles match, 8-5, then winning both the No. 1 and 3 doubles matches in a tiebreak, 9-8. The score became 2-0 Middle Tennessee when Andreas Siljestrom downed Alex Bucewicz at No. 1 singles, 6-3, 6-4. At the time of Siljestrom's win, Memphis was up a set in four other singles matches, but could not put away the Blue Raiders. Senior Marten Tamla scored what would be Memphis' only point with a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win at No. 3 singles before Anant Sitaram gave Middle Tennessee its third point with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Alex Jago at No. 4 singles. But Greg Pollack (at No. 6) and Brandon Allan (at No. 5) would force third sets with second set victories after first set losses, while Marco Born came back from a 6-3 first set loss to win a pair of thrillers, 7-6 (10) and 7-6 (4) over James Spence at No. 2. Pollack and Memphis' Scott Felsenthal would not finish their No. 6 match after splitting two sets since the two were former prep teammates at White Station in Memphis and the match had already been decided. Memphis will wrap its 2005 spring home schedule against UALR, Wednesday, beginning at 2 p.m. It will be just the second home match of the year the Tigers will be able to play outdoors after rain forced two previous matches inside. The UALR match will also mark the final home match for seniors Alex Bucewicz, Scott Felsenthal, Mark Finnegan, Andrew Olswing and Marten Tamla. No. 23 Middle Tennessee 5, No. 73 Memphis 1 Doubles No. 1 - No. 18 Andreas Siljestrom/Marco Born (MT) def. Scott Felsenthal/James Spence (UM), 9-8 No. 2 - Brandon Allan/Kai Schledorn (MT) def. Alex Bucewicz/Marten Tamla (UM), 8-5 No. 3 - Greg Pollack/Anant Sitaram (MT) def. Mark Finnegan/Alex Jago (UM), 9-8 (3) Singles No. 1 - No. 97 Andreas Siljestrom def. No. 101 Alex Bucewicz (UM), 6-3, 6-4 No. 2 - Marco Born def. James Spence (UM), 3-6, 7-6 (10), 7-6 (4) No. 3 - Marten Tamla (UM) def. Kai Schledorn, 6-2, 7-6 (5) No. 4 - Anant Sitaram def. Alex Jago (UM), 6-4, 6-4 No. 5 - Brandon Allan def. Mark Finnegan (UM), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4 No. 6 - Scott Felsenthal (UM) vs. Greg Pollack, 6-3, 5-7, 3-2, dnf

04/10/05		Baseball Outslugged by UAB in Series Finale, 17-12 -- Adam Amar hits fifth homer of season (GoTigersGo.com)
		BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - MEMPHIS (8-20; 2-10 C-USA) 410 330 100 - 12 15 3 UAB (22-10; 7-5 C-USA) 320 500 25X - 17 16 5 UAB broke a 12-12 tie with a five-run eighth to claim a 17-12 win in the series finale Sunday afternoon. The five-run eight was highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of shortstop Ryan Metcalf. Memphis got the high-scoring affair going with four, two-out runs to open the game. Adam Amar ignited the rally with a two-out walk. Robbie Goss singled before Patrick Hope put the Tigers on the board with an RBI-single to center. Goss and Hope scored easily when K.K. Chalmers tripled to the rightfield corner. A run-scoring single by Collin Bastien capped the scoring in the opening half inning and gave Memphis an early 4-0 cushion. The Blazers retaliated with three first-inning tallies of their own to keep the game close. Nathan McCorkle provided the big hit on a three-run blast to right center. The Tigers plated a run in the second on an RBI-single through the hole on the left side by Goss, but a pair of Blazer runs in the home half of the inning knotted the tilt at 5-5. The Tigers opened a tie ballgame up with a three-run fourth inning that gave them an 8-5 lead. Chris Newsom started the rally with a one-out double off the wall in center. Amar then launched his second home run in as many days just inside the rightfield foul pole to give the U of M a 7-5 lead. Goss reached on an infield error and moved to third on a double to left, by Hope. Chalmers drove in Memphis' third run of the innings when his groundout to shortstop brought Goss home. The lead was short-lived as UAB responded with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. A clutch, two-out double by Ward cut the Tigers' lead to one run at 8-7. Cole Helms followed an intentional walk drawn by McCorkle with a three-run blast over the wall in left center to give the Blazers a 10-8 advantage. Memphis won the answerback inning as Eric Smith led off the frame with a double to right centerfield. He moved to third on a ground ball out by Cory Barton and scored on a single by Chad House. Back-to-back singles by Newsom and Amar scored House to tie the contest at 10-10. Hope put Memphis ahead, 11-10, with a looping RBI-double just out of the reach of UAB rightfielder Helms. The Tigers benefited from a wild pitch in the seventh to take a 12-10 lead. Hope led the Tigers offensively with a three-hit day that included a pair of doubles and two RBI. House, Newsom, Amar, Goss and Chalmers also recorded multiple hits in the game. Memphis left 13 runners on base in the game, including stranding eight in scoring position. Drew Jaudon was tagged with the loss for Memphis after giving up seven runs in one-and-one-thirds innings of relief. Eric Roberts picked up the win for UAB after holding Memphis off the board in two-and-one thirds innings of relief work. The Tigers will remain on the road for its next contest. Memphis will battle Alabama on Tues., Apr. 12. First pitch at Sewell-Thomas Stadium is slated for 6:30 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/10/05		Rochester Holds on to Win Individual Medal at Auburn; Tigers Finish Second -- Freshman becomes fourth different individual to medal for Tigers this year (GoTigersGo.com)
		Auburn, Ala. - Freshman Ian Rochester became the fourth different Memphis golfer to win an individual medal this year as he held off a furious charge by Auburn senior All-American Lee Williams on Sunday and won the tournament by one stroke. As a team, the Tigers did not have one of their better days as they shot 12-over 300 but held their second round position and finished second to Auburn at the 12-team Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. Rochester, a native of Cordova and graduate of Cordova High School, posted his worst score of the tournament with a two-over 74 to finish at five-under par 211 (65-72-74). However, it was just enough to hold off a late-charging Williams, who shot what was tied for the low individual round of the day with a four-under 68 to finish the tournament at four-under 212 (69-75-68). Rochester got off to a rough start in his round and was four-over par for the round after five holes. However, he played well the rest of the round, which included birdies on #15 and #16. Playing in the final pairing of the day with Williams, he watched as the Auburn senior birdied the final hole, which forced Rochester to have to make a four-foot putt for bogey to avoid a playoff, which he made. Rochester and Williams were the only players to finish under par for the tournament, as the next closest individuals were at even par. For the tournament, Rochester averaged below par on both par 4's and par 5's and averaged even par on par 3's. He also led the field with 17 birdies, four more than the golfer with the second most. "I feel great especially with the team finishing second," said Rochester. "I didn't hit my driver very well on the front but my short game was really solid and that was what kept me in it today. It was awesome (playing with an All-American in Williams). The back nine was really challenging. I felt the pressure right away and it seemed like he made every putt. But I settled down and kept my composure and was able to knock down the four-footer at the end." "Ian got off to a bad start but got his composure back down the stretch," said Memphis coach Grant Robbins. "He was really solid the rest of the day." Elsewhere for the Tigers, Keven Fortin-Simard turned his worst round of tournament as well with a seven-over 79 but had his best finish since the Rice Intercollegiate back in February as he finished at five-over 221 (72-70-79) and in a tie for 12th. Justin Miers shot the best Memphis round of the day with a one-under 71 and climbed the leaderboard all the way to a tie for 18th at seven-over 223 (80-72-71), improving his score in each round of the tournament. Robbie Greenwell equaled his second round score with a four-over 76 and finished in a tie for 47th at 18-over 234 (82-76-76). Andy Shiels finished the tournament tied for 57th at 22-over 238 (78-81-79). Auburn fired the low team round of the tournament with a nine-under 279 to finish at three-under 861 (283-299--279), 24 strokes ahead of Memphis, which ended at 21-over 885 (295-290--300). The Tigers finished five strokes ahead of third place Charlotte, seven ahead of four-place Ole Miss and eight in front of fifth place UAB. "This was a tough challenge playing a top 10 team on its home course," said Robbins. "Almost every team put up high score today except for Auburn. We knew they weren't going to play like they did yesterday two days in a row. However, we are pleased with the second place finish. It should help us tremendously as we head into our Conference championship and it was a good bounce back after last week." Memphis will head to the Conference USA Championship next week in Gulfport, Miss. The tournament will be held at the Grand Bear April 18-20.

04/10/05		Kiss Sets School Record 110m Hurdles; Improves on Regional Qualifying Time -- Hyman takes triple jump title (GoTigersGo.com)
		Oxford, Miss. - On a beautiful day in Oxford, Miss., the Memphis track and field teams put together several more strong performances at the Mississippi Invitational, hosted by Ole Miss. The top showings from U of M athletes came from Daniel Kiss, who set a school record in the 110m hurdles and Lisa-Marie Hyman, who won the women's triple jump. Kiss, who found himself in the final of three heats away from other top competitors, posted a blazing time of 13.80 seconds to win the section. More importantly, the mark broke Terron Wright's school record of 13.84 seconds and bested his previous Regional qualifying mark of 14.02 seconds, which led Conference USA and ranked 14th nationally as of last week. Kiss' tally gave him a second-place overall finish in the meet. Hyman struggled slightly with steps and timing in five or her six jumps, but still managed to record a leap of 41-03.25" (12.58m) , to take home the victory in the triple jump. The mark also bettered the NCAA Regional standard, though the senior previously qualified for the meet with her school-record leap two weekend's ago. The third highest Memphis finish came from fellow triple jumper Janon Busby, who himself logged a Regional mark after already qualifying last weekend. Busby posted a third-place finish in the triple with a bound of 49-07.75" (15.13m). Above the top three finishers, five U of M women set personal records on the day. Mary Claire Dake finished fourth in the 3000m steeplechase with a personal best of 11:31.53. Sivan Aballi placed sixth in discus with personal best of 142-07.00" (43.47m). Sheena Ohlig placed seventh in the 100m hurdles with a personal best of 14.53. Josetta Brooks placed seventh in the 400m hurdles with a personal best of 1:04.64, and Annette Uzoh set two personal bests on the day with tosses of 42-00.50" (12.81m) in the shot put and 147-06.00" (44.96m) to place ninth and 16th, respectively. Chen Edri and Nora Nemere also scored for the Lady Tigers in the meet, as Edri finished fifth in the high jump with a leap 5-05.00" (1.65m), and Nemere placed eighth in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 12:19.46. The U of M women finished with an eighth-place total of 28 points. On the men's side, five additional Tigers logged scoring performances in the meet. Heading the list was Norbert Gulyas, who placed fourth in the discus with a toss of 156-01.00" (47.58m), and also set a season-best in the shot put with a toss of 47-07.75" (14.52m). Following that, Brandon Winbush recorded a mark of 23-06.25" (7.17m) to place fifth in the long jump. Gary Nemeth placed sixth in 100m with a season-best time of 10.57. Jason Morgan placed seventh in the javelin with a throw of 154-03.00 (47.02m), and Willie Green was eighth in 100m with a time of 10.67. The U of M men finished the day with a ninth-place total of 37 points. The Memphis squads will now have a short week of preparation before splitting up for two meets next weekend. Portions of both the Tiger and Lady Tiger teams will head to Knoxville, Tenn., for the Sea Ray Relays, hosted by the University of Tennessee Thursday-Saturday, April 14-16. The remainder of the Lady Tiger squad will take the road for Macomb, Ill., for the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational, which is hosted by Western Illinois University in honor of Lee Calhoun, the father of U of M Women's Head Coach Brenda Calhoun-Cash.

04/10/05		Tiger Notes (baseball, golf) (Commercial Appeal)
		By From Our Press Services April 10, 2005 Tigers falter, lose sixth straight BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Memphis could not overcome an early deficit on Saturday as UAB claimed a 6-3 win for the second consecutive day in the Conference USA series. Memphis falls to 8-19, 2-9 in C-USA with its sixth straight loss. UAB took hold of a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Clint Toomey reached on an infield error and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Levi Patmon. Third baseman Zac Ward singled, but Tiger leftfielder Chad House was able to throw Toomey out at the plate to save an early run. But Memphis was not able to hold UAB as Nathan McCorkle followed Ward's single with an RBI double deep in the right-centerfield gap. Cole Helms then posted the Blazers' third straight hit, scoring McCorkle on an RBI single to rightfield. An Adam Amar solo home run in the second put the Tigers on the board and cut the Memphis deficit to 2-1. The Blazers responded with three runs in the second to take a commanding 5-1 lead. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS Memphis golf in second: Memphis shot the lowest team round of the day to move from third to second place while freshman Ian Rochester shot even par 72 to remain in the lead at the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate in Auburn, Ala. The Tigers shot a two-over par 290 (585 total) as a team and trail first place and nationally ranked Auburn by just three strokes heading into the final round today. Rochester, who led by four strokes after one round, now leads a second-place trio by five strokes.

04/10/05		All in all, West satisfied with spring work -- Tiger coach decides to ditch last practice (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 10, 2005 Another day wasn't going change University of Memphis football coach Tommy West's evaluation of his team, so with one of 15 NCAA-allotted practices remaining late last week, he called it a spring. He'd watched junior Patrick Byrne, the co-MVP of the Blue-Gray Spring scrimmage, make a strong case for the starting quarterback job in a battle with redshirt freshman Will Hudgens and freshman Billy Barefield. If the season started next week, instead of Sept. 5, West said Byrne would be the starter. He'd watched his offensive line -- which lost four starters -- make progress and show an aggressive, physical side he covets. He'd seen a receiving corps that also incurred heavy personnel losses get big plays in scrimmages from returnees Maurice Avery, Mario Pratcher and Ryan Scott and redshirt freshman Carlton Robinzine. Pratcher shared Blue-Gray scrimmage MVP honors. And he'd seen running back Joseph Doss take advantage of all-America tailback DeAngelo Williams being held out of scrimmages, impressing the staff with his toughness, intelligence and strength. Defensively, noseguard Ryan Williams, a redshirt freshman, was what West termed ''a pleasant surprise'' on a line he is expecting more from when preseason workouts begin in August. It's a group that lost Albert Means, expected to be taken in this month's NFL Draft, and David McNair. At linebacker, where the Tigers return starters Quinton McCrary, Carlton Baker and Tim Goodwell, West said he saw improvement, but not enough ''to win games there.'' And at defensive back, the grade may have been incomplete, with cornerbacks O.C. Collins and Brandon McDonald missing most of the spring with knee injuries. Collins, a returning starter, missed all but the first few workouts and McDonald all but the final two. ''We made progress on both sides of the ball,'' said West, who'll begin his fifth season when the Tigers open against Ole Miss at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Labor Day. ''But we've got a ways to go.'' West said the Tigers were not where he had hoped they'd be at quarterback after the spring. While Byrne was a pleasant surprise, West said he'd like to welcome a mentally tougher Hudgens when practice resumes in August. The strong-armed Hudgens missed his freshman season recovering from a torn ACL. Barefield, a running threat, completed high school early and enrolled in January. While Memphis won't have the luxury of Danny Wimprine at quarterback, it will have Williams, a Heisman Trophy candidate, back for his fourth season. Williams rushed for a school-record 1,948 yards last year, but was held out of all but three plays of spring scrimmages to avoid injury. In his absence, Doss got the bulk of the carries and ran hard. ''At running back we're deep as we've ever been with DeAngelo and Doss and (Jamarcus) Gaither and Brian Davis,'' West said. ''And we've got two good running backs (T.J. Pitts and Miguel Barnes) coming in.'' Avery, Pratcher and Scott had solid springs, but West said he was particularly impressed with the efforts of Taz Knockum, a former running back making the move to receiver. ''Probably the most improved guy was Taz Knockum,'' West said. ''He's going to play. Taz may be one of our best blockers at wide receiver and he caught the ball well. He really did well blocking. He'll definitely be in that rotation.'' The Tiger defense struggled last season, finishing 10th in Conference USA in pass defense and seventh in total defense, a situation that had West closely monitoring the unit this spring. He said his front three -- Marcus West, Ryan Williams and Rubio Phillips -- played consistently in the spring, but there needs to be more production behind them. ''D-line wise I think we are working hard, but we've got to make more plays,'' West said. ''We've got to get off of blocks. We have a tendency to stick on blocks and not get off and make tackles. They've got to do their job and make tackles." In August, West expects competition at linebacker and in the secondary, where several newcomers -- including freshman Deante Lamar and junior college transfer LaKeitharun Ford -- will push for playing time. ''At linebacker I think we're better, but we're not good enough to win games there,'' West said. ''We've got to continue to improve in the fall. We've got to do our job when we blitz, we've got to make things happen. We don't make a lot of things happen at linebacker right now.'' -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

04/10/05		Sound off (basketball, football) (Commercial Appeal)
		Memphis a winner in women's tournament Maybe the biggest winner in last week's Final Four women's tournament was not Baylor but Memphis. Our own Lynn Parkes, associate athletic director at the University of Memphis, was the chairman this year and did a marvelous and unique job. All teams in the Final Four were 1 or 2 seeds. Two of the teams had never been to a Final Four before, but ended up in the finals, and pulled in over 30,000 fans. As she has done in her job at UofM for years, Lynn handled this huge and public task with integrity and humility. Nice going, Ms. Parkes! Nancy Knous Memphis Tigers don't need Rebels The University of Memphis football team goes to consecutive bowl games and beats Ole Miss two years in a row. Now the Rebels see the handwriting on the wall and want to end this longstanding rivalry. My advice to those Rebel fans: Don't go away mad, just go away. John Jacobs Memphis Tigers are nationally recognized I just finished reading Scott Benton's letter and wondered if he has any real affection for the University of Memphis. The fact is that the Memphis program under John Calipari is in the top 20 in wins over his tenure. He resurrected a program from poor recruiting, a rapid downfall and a coach who spent more time with coeds than he did with his team. We are nationally recognized and play more national TV games than most schools. The Tigers paid for their early season mistakes by not getting an NCAA bid. But don't kid yourself, we're one of the best 25 teams in the country right now. We demolished a Final Four team on its home floor and it took an incredible shooting night from 3-point land to beat us in the conference final. If you claim to be a fan, be a fan. If you claim to be a supporter, be a supporter. I don't think Mr. Benton is truly either based on his comments. Although he does seem to be like many alleged supporters of MY university, a great critic and closet wannabe basketball expert. We'll be all right in the long run under coach Cal despite the constant complaints of people like Mr. Benton. John T. Stacy Olive Branch

04/09/05		Spring Schedule Ends with Shutouts Over Furman and UAB -- Britcher and McCarty both score in 2-0 victory over Furman (GoTigersGo.com)
		BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Two shutout performances by the University of Memphis men's soccer team ended the squad's spring schedule on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Furman University and a 0-0 scoreless tie against UAB. In the first match-up with the UAB Blazers since the Tigers won a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory in the Conference USA Tournament Championship, the two teams battled through two intense, scoreless halves. Both teams showed fatigue in the nightcap of the doubleheader after both played afternoon games with Furman. Memphis goalkeeper Gavin McInerney played the entire game against the Blazers and blocked several game winning chances. "I was very pleased at the end of the UAB game to not concede," said Memphis head coach Richie Grant. "Gavin McInerney was the reason they didn't score. It's always nice to get a performance like that when the team is under pressure. We were very tired from first game that we played in the heat, but Gavin was the difference for us." The Tigers won the early game against Furman on a game-winning goal from Jared Britcher. Off a corner kick by Dayton O'Brien, Britcher headed in the cross early in the first half to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. "It was a very good finish on Dayton's corner," Grant said. "Jared had great movement to get open. He was a big contributor tonight with two solid games and not just in goal scoring. Jared has really had a breakout spring. I think his teammates really respect what he can do. He's been a very good player this spring." Marcus McCarty later added an insurance goal late in the second half on O'Brien's second assist of the game. Memphis goalkeeper Tyler Strom recorded the complete-game shutout. "All three teams should be really pleased to play some quality games in the spring," Grant said. "These games really represented the games played in the fall. The UAB game was very competitive, and I am pleased to get a game of that caliber in the spring. The game truly created the atmosphere of a Conference USA game in the fall." Furman 0 0 -- 0 Memphis 1 1 -- 2 MEM goals: Jared Britcher (Dayton O'Brien), Marcus McCarty (Dayton O'Brien) Memphis 0 0 -- 0 UAB 0 0 -- 0

04/09/05		Men's Tennis to Host No. 23 Middle Tennessee, Sunday, at Noon -- Battle of two ranked, in-state foes set to begin at noon (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The No. 73 University of Memphis men's tennis team (11-9, 3-1 C-USA) will host No. 23 Middle Tennessee (13-6) in non-conference action, Sunday, beginning at noon, on the University of Memphis Varsity Courts located on the corner of Echles and Spottswood. Admission to Tiger tennis matches is free. Fans are invited to join the Tigers at Sunday's match, where some Tiger tennis merchandise will be given away to those in attendance. Memphis carries a five-match winning streak into Sunday's match, following a 4-1 win over Southeastern Louisiana and a 6-0 win over Murray State, Thursday. In that two-match day, junior James Spence picked up a pair of wins at No. 1 singles, while senior Alex Bucewicz, the No. 101 ranked singles player in the country, also added a pair of singles victories at the No. 2 spot. Senior Marten Tamla rounded out the two-wins in a day trio with a pair of wins at No. 3 singles. The match will be tough from the start, as the Blue Raiders feature two doubles teams that were each nationally ranked until this last weekend. The duo of Andreas Siljestrom and Marco Born are the 14th ranked team in the country, while the team of Brandon Allan and Kai Schledorn responded to falling out of the national rankings with an 8-5 win at No. 1 doubles over the No. 26 ranked team of Scott Brown and Jason Pinsky from Vanderbilt in a non-conference match on Wednesday. The Blue Raiders will face UALR, Saturday, before traveling to Memphis for Sunday's match. The match-up with the Blue Raiders will be a special one for Tiger head coach Paul Goebel, as Goebel graduated from the program in 1995. A four-year all-conference honoree for the Blue Raiders, Goebel was 99-59 in singles and 96-42 in doubles. He was an All-American in 1994 and spent one season as a student assistant coach at MTSU before spending four years as a Tiger assistant coach to Phil Chamberlain.

04/09/05		Tigers Close Gap, Move up to Second; Rochester Continues to Lead After Second Round at Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate -- Fortin-Simard also tied for second, five strokes behind Rochester; Tigers trail Auburn by three (GoTigersGo.com)
		Auburn, Ala. - Memphis shot the lowest team round of the day to move from third to second place while freshman Ian Rochester shot even par 72 to remain in the lead at the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate. The Tigers shot a two-over par 290 as a team and trail first place and nationally-ranked Auburn by just three strokes heading into the final round tomorrow morning at the Auburn University Club. Rochester, who led by four strokes after one round, now leads a second place trio by five strokes. Memphis, which trailed third place Charlotte by five strokes and first place Auburn by 12 entering second round play, shot the best round of the day by two strokes and now leads Charlotte, which is now in third place, by nine strokes. The Tigers (295-209--585) are at nine-over par for the tournament and bested Auburn's second round score by nine strokes. Rochester, who came within one stroke of setting the course record in his first round yesterday, came within just two strokes of equaling the school record for a 36-hole score with his 72. The Cordova High graduate remains at seven-under par at 137 (65-72), which ties three former Tiger golfers as the second lowest 36-hole score in school history. It is the best 36-hole score on the team this year as well as the best 36-hole score in relation to par this year. Just behind Rochester in second place and tied with two other golfers is Keven Fortin-Simard who fired a second round of two-under 70 and is now at two-under 142 (72-70) for the tournament. His 70 gave the Tigers two straight rounds with a golfer shooting a score below par after a drought of such that spanned over the last eight competitive rounds for Memphis. Rochester and Fortin-Simard are two of only four golfers in the field under par. Justin Miers carded his first round of par or below since the Missouri Bluffs Challenge back in October with a round of even par 72, helping him erase the memory of yesterday's 80 and enabling him to climb the leaderboard to a tie for 29th place at eight-over 152 (80-72). Robbie Greenwell also improved his first round score by six strokes with a four-over 76, moving him up the leaderboard as well to a tie for 51st with a score of 14-over 158 (82-76). Andy Shiels was the only Tiger to shoot a higher score in round two than round one as he fired an 81 and is now at 15-over 159 (78-81). "Keven and Ian continued their tremendous play today and two of our other golfers improved their scores from yesterday and played much better today," said Memphis coach Grant Robbins. "We will need to continue the momentum we gained today in tomorrow's final round. Auburn is a great team and any one of their players is capable of putting up a low score so we'll have to come ready to play tomorrow. However, we have been in this position before (second place going into the final round) so that is in our favor." Memphis has rallied from behind entering the final round to win each of its three tournament victories this year. The Tigers were two strokes, four strokes, and two strokes out and in second, second, and third place, respectively in their three titles earlier this year.

04/09/05		Volleyball Celebrates 27-10 Season With Year-End Banquet -- Emily Steckel and Christen Clayton earn Coaches' Awards following 2004-05 season (GoTigersGo.com)
		The University of Memphis volleyball team celebrated its 27-10 season and the careers to two Tiger seniors at its year-end banquet in the Fogelman Executive Center on the University of Memphis campus, Saturday night. Captains for the 2004 season, senior Heather Watts and sophomore Melissa Nance, were each honored, while sophomore Jennie Toronto received the team spirit award. Junior middle Fehi Tuivai, who worked her way into the Tigers' starting line-up in her second season in Memphis after transferring from Eastern Washington, earned the Team Most Improved Award. Liberos Emily Steckel and Christen Clayton rounded out the team awards, receiving the Coaches' Award after backstopping the Tiger offense to another record-breaking season. Also honored were seniors Tiara Gilkey and Heather Watts. Gilkey finished her Tiger career as a two-time all-conference honoree, earning second team honors in 2004. She capped her career with over 1400 kills and is in the career top 10 in kills, attempts and digs. The senior from St. Louis, Mo. was a two-time C-USA Player of the Week honoree her senior season and was an integral part of Memphis' first-ever C-USA Tournament Championship team in 2003. She and Watts were each named to the C-USA All-Tournament team as juniors. Watts caps one of the most award-filled careers in Memphis history. She finished her four-year career second in career assists and digs and over her four year career as a starter, Memphis averaged a record of 25-10. She was a two-time Academic All-American, an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, a Coca-Cola Community All-American and was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship worth $7,500 back in March. The current president of the University of Memphis Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Watts is currently spearheading a fundraising drive in the athletic department for goods and food stuffs to donate to the Ronald McDonald house.

04/09/05		Baseball Drops Second Straight 6-3 Decision to UAB -- Tigers look to salvage a win in series finale (GoTigersGo.com)
		BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - MEMPHIS (8-19; 2-9 C-USA) 010 001 010 - 3 8 1 UAB (21-10; 6-5 C-USA) 230 100 00X - 6 9 1 Memphis could not overcome an early game two deficit as UAB claimed a 6-3 win for the second consecutive day in the C-USA series. Memphis falls to 8-19 with its sixth straight loss. UAB took hold of a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Clint Toomey reached on an infield error and moved to second on a sac bunt by Levi Patmon. Third baseman Zac Ward singled through the side, but Tiger leftfielder Chad House was able to throw Toomey out at the plate to save an early run. Memphis was not able to hold UAB as Nathan McCorkle followed Ward's single with an RBI-double deep in the right centerfield gap. Cole Helms then posted the Blazers third straight hit, scoring McCorkle on an RBI-single to rightfield. An Adam Amar solo home run in the second put the Tigers on the board and cut the UAB deficit in half at 2-1. The Blazers responded with three runs in the home half of the second to take a commanding 5-1 lead. A leadoff double by J.R. Bond and a walk by Ryan Metcalf put two Blazers on before Toomey lined a two-run double into the rightfield corner. Levi Patmon brought him home on a groundout to put UAB on top 5-1. Memphis got a run back in the sixth after Ryan Martin roped a triple off the top of the left centerfield wall and scored on a groundball out by Robbie Goss. Toomey struck again, in the fourth, and gave the Blazers a 6-1 advantage with a run-scoring double. Down by five runs, Memphis continued to battle in the eighth. House drew a walk and Martin then lined a two-out double to the gap in right centerfield to score House from first to cut into the lead 6-3. Neil Schenk struggled in his starting role, giving up five runs on five hits in one-and-one-thirds innings. Tim Senter had perhaps his strongest outing of the season in relief of Schenk. The side-armer retired 11 Blazers in a row from the fourth to eighth innings and struck out four in six-and-two-thirds innings of relief action. Jeff Brown picked up the win for UAB after scattering eight hits in eight innings. Eric Roberts worked a scoreless ninth to record his seventh save of the year. House and Martin led the Memphis offense as each posted multiple hit performances. Memphis and UAB will meet for the series finale on Sunday, with the first pitch coming at 1 p.m. at Young Memorial Field. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/09/05		Long Ball Sends Tiger Baseball to 6-3 Defeat -- Tigers drop fifth straight contest (GoTigersGo.com)
		BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - MEMPHIS (8-18; 2-8 C-USA) 201 000 000 - 3 7 0 UAB (20-10; 5-5 C-USA) 001 400 10X - 6 11 0 Memphis scored the first three runs of the game, but UAB stormed back to score the next six and hand Memphis a 6-3 loss in Conference USA action Friday night at Young Memorial Field. For the third time in four league games, the Tigers were hurt by the long ball, as UAB catcher Rush Knight's fourth-inning blast proved to be the game-winning hit for the Blazers. Memphis jumped on Blazer starter Cole Helms early with a pair of first-inning runs. Leadoff hitter Jordan Tolliver and freshman Chris Newsom led off the contest with consecutive walks. The Tiger seniors then came through to give Memphis a 2-0 lead. Senior leftfielder Chad House laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Tolliver and Newsom to third and second, respectively. Ryan Martin then ripped a single through the right side to plate both runners. An RBI-single in the third inning by Cory Barton scored Robbie Goss and gave the Tigers a 3-0 cushion, but UAB was able to answer with a run of their own on a run-scoring single by Levi Patmon to cut the Memphis lead to 3-1 in the home half of the third. Memphis did not help its cause, leaving seven runners on base in the first three innings, including leaving the bases jammed in the first and third. They also left a runner in scoring position in the second. Tiger hurler Daniel de Armas ran into a bit of trouble in the fourth, as UAB rallied for four runs. Blazer first baseman Nathan McCorkle, Helms and Seth Rollin posted consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. Knight then dealt Memphis the big blow when he lifted a de Armas offering over the rightfield wall for a three-run homer to put the Blazers on top 5-3. UAB added an insurance run in the seventh after Zac Ward doubled to the leftfield corner and McCorkle knocked him in with a single to center. Adam Price (4-3) earned the win for the Blazers after coming on in relief of Helms in the fourth inning. Price finished the game with six strikeouts and allowed just two Memphis hits in six innings. de Armas was the losing pitcher for the Tigers after giving up six earned runs in six-and-two-thirds innings. Memphis and UAB will continue the series with game two on Saturday, at Young Memorial Field. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/08/05		Women's Tennis Shorthanded at Murray State -- Memphis falls to Murray State, 6-1 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis women's tennis team (4-11) was short-handed in a 6-1 loss at Murray State, Friday. The Lady Tigers rallied to win the No. 1 doubles match, 9-7, as the team of Marlene Dirnstorfer and Andrea Feichtinger down the duo of Jennifer Ward and Casady Pruitt. But the Lady Tigers would only have enough healthy players to play one other doubles slot, where the duo of Kristin Noble and Alex Tjioe lost 8-3. Since the Lady Tigers had to default the No. 3 spot, the Racers won the doubles point to go up 1-0. Sophomore Christina Wieser would get Memphis its first point when her opponent had to retire, down 2-3. But with a Lady Tiger default at No. 6, Murray State would be up 2-1and would use victories at 1, 2, 3 and 5 singles to complete the win, 6-1. Memphis will complete its 2004-05 regular season with a trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, where the Lady Tigers will face UNC Wilmington, Friday, and East Carolina, Saturday. Murray State 6, Memphis 1 Singles No. 1 -- Anna Lask def. Marlene Dirnstorfer (UM), 6-1, 6-1 No. 2 -- Jaclyn Leeper def. Andrea Feichtinger (UM), 6-1, 6-2 No. 3 -- Jennifer Ward def. Kristin Noble (UM), 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 No. 4 -- Christina Wieser (UM) def. Casady Pruitt, 3-2, retired No. 5 -- Christina Hall def. Alex Tjioe (UM), 7-6, 6-2 No. 6 -- Whitney Robards def. Kathrin Kohl (UM), default Doubles No. 1 -- Dirnstorfer/Feichtinger (UM) def. Ward/Pruitt, 9-7 No. 2 -- Leeper/Lask def. Noble/Tjioe (UM), 8-3 No. 3 -- Robards/Tami McQueen def. Kohl/Wieser (UM) default

04/08/05		Lady Tiger Basketball Wraps Season at Banquet -- Jennifer Sullivan Named Team MVP (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Lady Tiger basketball team wrapped up its first season under head coach Blair Savage with a banquet at the Holiday Inn on the U of M Campus, Friday. Senior Jennifer Sullivan was named the team MVP, after finishing second on the team in scoring and third in rebounding and finishing her career having started 74 straight games while fellow senior Victoria Crawford, who capped her Lady Tiger career with 1,299 points, was named Ms. Offensive in a vote of her teammates a night before she joined the Lady Tiger track team to travel to Ole Miss for a meet, Saturday. Crawford has already qualified for the NCAA Regionals in the triple jump with the track team. Freshman Jessica Hall was named Ms. Defensive, after routinely drawing the defensive assignments on the opponent's toughest guard, while fellow freshman Marie Reid was named Most Improved. Senior Kaneshi Hart rounded out the team-voted awards by receiving the Lady Tiger Award for best exemplifying all the qualities of a Lady Tiger. Hart returned to the team following a one-year absence and solidified the Lady Tiger post game while mentoring the younger post players on the roster as she worked on a second degree. Senior Raven Rogers received the Les Phillips Award, given annually in memory of the Lady Tiger fan to the Lady Tiger who demonstrates the most Lady Tiger spirit in supporting and cheering on her teammates. Rogers became just the 15th player in Memphis history to surpass the 600-career rebound mark, finishing with 617 in her four-year career. She also ranks in the career top 10 in career three pointers made and attempted. Two of the four Lady Tigers have already received one bachelor's degree (Victoria Crawford and Kaneshi Hart) and will receive a second one in May, when their other two teammates (Raven Rogers, Jennifer Sullivan) will receive their bachelor's degrees. Off the court, Memphis women's basketball posted its highest-ever team GPA (3.088) during the fall semester and had six student-athletes named to the Tiger 3.0 Club (Jessica Hall, Marie Reid, Gresh Gorman, Raven Rogers, Megan Gooch and Devin Necaise). In addition, all three Lady Tiger freshmen were named to the Dean's List with Gorman and Hall turning in perfect 4.0s in their first collegiate semester.

04/08/05		Rochester Shoots 65 to Lead Field; Team in Third After First Round in Auburn -- Freshman misses course record by one stroke, ties for lowest individual round of the year (GoTigersGo.com)
		Auburn, Ala. - Freshman Ian Rochester shot a career best seven-under 65 and leads the field by four strokes after one round of the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate on Friday. As a team, the Tigers shot a seven-over 295 and are in third place after one round. Memphis is five strokes behind second place Charlotte and 12 behind first place and host Auburn. Rochester, a graduate of Cordova High School whose previous career best at Memphis was a 71 earlier this year, shot a 32 on the front nine and a 33 on the back at the Auburn University Club. The 32 was the best of any player on the front by two strokes and the 33 on the back was matched by only four other golfers. The 65 is tied for the best round by a Memphis individual this year, matching the 65 put up by Andy Shiels in the final round of the Missouri Bluffs Challenge in October. Shiels won individual medalist honors at that event. The 65 is also tied for the second best round in school history with Shiels, just one stroke shy of tying the record of 64. The seven-under score is also the lowest single round score in relation to par this year for the Tigers, as Shiels' 65 occurred on a par 71 course. Rochester had 10 birdies and was actually at nine-under par until he double-bogeyed the final hole, which caused him to miss the course record at the University Club by just one stroke. It was also the second lowest round in the history of the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate, topped only by Alex Rocha of Mississippi State, who shot a 62 in 2000 at the Saugahatchee Country Club, the previous home course of this tournament. "Ian did everything well today," said Memphis coach Grant Robbins. "He hit the ball well, made a ton of putts, and hit most of the fairways and greens in regulation." "On 18, I was feeling real good over my driver and just pulled it left," Rochester said. "I punched out and had a bad lie and then three-putted. I played well. Every putt that I looked at, I felt real confident and felt like it was going in. I was hitting the ball well. It was just one of those magical days where everything was clicking. I feel like all the hard work I have been doing paid off." Also in the top ten for the Tigers is freshman Keven Fortin-Simard, who shot an even par 72 (35-37) and is tied for seventh with four other individuals. Andy Shiels had a tough front nine, carding a 43 on the opening half but rebounded with a 35 on the back to finish at six-over 78 where he is tied for 42nd. Justin Miers is the next Tiger on the leaderboard as he shot eight-over 80 (40-40) and is tied for 54th. Robbie Greenwell had a forgettable 10-over 82 that was not counted toward the team score. The Tigers lead fourth place Ole Miss by three strokes and UAB and South Alabama, who are tied for fifth, by four strokes. Tournament leader Auburn has four individuals in the top 10. "Keven played solid on a tough course, which played long because it was so wet. We will have to consistently drive the ball well and keep it in play," said Robbins. "We also will have to get production from our three, four, and five players. Keven and Ian are playing solid right now so I am pleased with that and that we still in contention in a good field, especially coming off last week's performance. To bounce back like this is really encouraging. However, we can't count on a 65 every round. We need to have more balance throughout the lineup."

04/08/05		Tupelo High Standout Signs with Men's Soccer -- Elkins is Tigers' 10th player signed for 2005 season (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's soccer team announced today the signing of Tupelo High standout midfielder Patrick Elkins for the 2005 season. The Tupelo, Miss., native attended the highly respected IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Fla., during his junior year. The residency program provides specialized and expert guidance in soccer training, fitness training and mental training. "Patrick has really benefited from being at the IMG Academy in Florida for a year," said Memphis head coach Richie Grant. "That's a first class environment where they work on their skills throughout the day." Elkins is also a club teammate of another Memphis signee, Tripp Parkins. The two compete together on the Jackson Futbol Club coached by Eric Johnson. "Coach Johnson does a great job with them," Grant said. "I believe he has prepared those two players very well to come in and have an impact here at Memphis." At Tupelo High School, Elkins led the team with 24 goals in his senior season. Ranked ninth in the nation by Soccer America, Tupelo finished the year 14-1-0 under the guidance of head coach Mark Enis. Elkins also played baseball in high school. "Patrick has a great knowledge of the game and is a very skillful player," Grant said. "He seems most comfortable playing in midfield, and he's a player I think that will have a chance to compete as a freshman."

04/08/05		Tigers Face UAB in Rematch of C-USA Championship -- Memphis takes on Furman in first game of spring doubleheader (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - In a rematch of the Conference USA Tournament Championship game, the University of Memphis men's soccer team will take on UAB in a spring exhibition on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Sports First 1996 Field in Birmingham, Ala. As part of a doubleheader, the Tigers will also face Furman University at 2 p.m. "I'm really pleased to have two more games," said Memphis head coach Richie Grant. "We're excited for the opportunity to play Furman who has been traditionally a strong NCAA team. Obviously we are very familiar with UAB's program. We believe those two games will give us the quality that we need to finish out the spring. `It's nice to play MLS teams, it's nice to play seven sides, it's nice to play Colaiste Ide, but really we need to be preparing to play top 20 quality college competition for next year and that is what UAB and Furman are." Memphis has never faced Furman in the regular season. The Paladins finished 6-10-2 in 2004 and 2-5-0 in the Southern Conference and has made six NCAA postseason appearances with the most recent coming in 2002. The Greenville, S.C., school is coached by Doug Allison. The Tigers finished 2-0 against UAB in 2004 in their run for both the C-USA Regular season and Tournament championship. On Oct. 27, Memphis beat a then No. 17 Blazers team at home, 2-0, clinching the No. 1 seed in the C-USA Tournament. The Tigers then faced the No. 2 seeded UAB team in the tournament championship game. Down 2-0 at the half, Memphis pulled off an amazing comeback, scoring three-straight goals to win 3-2 and earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. When the opportunity arose to face the Blazers in the spring along with Furman, Grant said he immediately took it. "I don't think either coaching is thinking that there is psychology there because we play each other in the fall," Grant said. "I think we both see it as another good, tough spring game. The more opportunities we get to put our players in those situations, the better for us." The Tigers are enjoying a successful spring, compiling an 8-2 record. Memphis enters the exhibition doubleheader after winning the Fifth Annual Tim McCage 7v7 Tournament last Saturday for the first time in the program's history. After a three-year drought, the U of M also won the Memphis Cup by beating Christian Brothers and Rhoades College in February. "We've had really solid performances from the team this spring," Grant said. "I think what has been most evident and outstanding is the way the team has gone about their training after their break. I think they look very focused and very hungry for the type of success they got last fall. It's been great to watch a team that works so hard because they want to accomplish more."

04/08/05		Tiger-Rebel grid future is hot topic (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 8, 2005 University of Memphis athletic director R. C. Johnson said Thursday he has not been contacted by Ole Miss officials about discontinuing the Tigers-Rebels football series, which is scheduled to run annually through 2011. Talk of a possible termination of the series -- after 2006 -- dominated local radio sports talk shows Thursday. It also was a widely discussed topic on various Internet message boards. Memphis and Ole Miss have played 54 times since 1921 with the Rebels holding a 42-10-2 advantage. Memphis has won two straight in the series and opens at home against Ole Miss on Sept. 5 on ESPN. Johnson said Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone had not spoken to him about the possibility of the series being discontinued. Bill Lofton, Memphis's associate athletic director for finance and management, said the contract between the schools runs through 2011 -- rotating annually between Memphis and Oxford -- and includes a $200,000 per-game buyout by the school desiring to drop the series. Boone was unavailable for comment Thursday. Langston Rogers, Ole Miss associate athletic director for media relations, said Thursday it was his understanding the series had two years remaining. Johnson said Boone made a trip to Memphis about two years ago. "I remember both of us talked about how important it was to all of us," Johnson said. "I haven't heard anything about it (possibly being dropped) until (Thursday). "I think it's a great series. And when both teams win games in the series it becomes a rivalry. This is a rivalry." Since 1993 the teams have played eight times, with each winning four. "It's a huge game in terms of fan interest," Johnson said. "And this year, with national television, it's become more of a national game." Memphis won last year's game in Oxford, 20-13, before 61,112, one of the largest crowds in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium history. Tiger coach Tommy West, who is 2-0 against the Rebels, said he had heard discussion about the series being dropped -- and Ole Miss possibly replacing Memphis with Tulane -- but said he "didn't think a whole lot about it." "I know the Ole Miss people and I don't think they are the kind of people that would up and break a contract," West said. "I don't think there's a whole lot to it."

04/08/05		Tiger Notes (baseball, track, basketball, golf, volleyball) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 8, 2005 Injured lefty itching to get back in rotation When the University of Memphis opens a three-game Conference USA baseball series vs. UAB tonight in Birmingham, Tiger left-hander Brandon Rowan will be in the dugout. He won't throw a pitch this weekend, but the fact he's making road trips is an encouraging sign for a team that could use his experience and talents. Rowan hasn't played this season while recovering from a ligament strain in his pitching elbow. Rowan, a senior, was expected to be a member of the team's three-man conference weekend rotation, but he suffered the injury as the season opened. "I'm ready to pitch," he said. "It's been frustrating (being sidelined). I'm senior captain and me and (Stephen) Gostkowski were our pitchers with the most experience and I haven't thrown an inning." Rowan said he felt something strange in his elbow after throwing about 20 pitches in a light bullpen session before his first scheduled start during the Service Academies Classic in Millington. He said the pain in his elbow gradually got worse. But about six weeks of rehabilitation have brought him to the brink of a return. He's scheduled to pitch in Tuesday's game at Alabama. Rowan started eight games as a sophomore and pitched exclusively in relief last season. He has a 4-4 career record with a 4.63 ERA and two saves. "He has pitched short spurts pain free and right now we're in the process of building stamina in his arm," said coach Daron Schoenrock. "We're getting closer and that'll be a big help." Seven conference weekends are left starting with tonight's series against UAB (19-10 overall, 4-5 in C-USA). Memphis (8-17, 2-7) is 10th in the C-USA standings. The top eight teams in the 12-team league advance to the conference tournament, set for May 25-29 at Southern Miss. Briefly Back to Oxford: The Tiger track teams will return to Oxford, Miss., Saturday to participate in the Mississippi Invitational and attempt to add to their list of NCAA regional qualifiers. Last weekend in the Ole Miss Invitational, Tigers Daniel Kiss, Janon Busby and Brandon Winbush qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, giving the UofM five qualifiers for the NCAA Regional May 27-28 in Bloomington, Ind. Lady Tigers Lisa-Marie Hyman and Victoria Crawford qualified two weekends ago in the triple jump at the LSU Tiger Relays in Baton Rouge, La. Kiss leads C-USA in the 110-meter hurdles (14.02 seconds) and Busby in the triple jump (50 feet, 3/4 inch). Winbush ranks fourth in C-USA in the men's long jump (24 feet, 1 inch). Hyman's leap of 42 feet, 3/4 -inch in the triple ranks seventh nationally. In the hunt: The UofM women's basketball team, which signed two players in November's early period, isn't expected to sign any players to National Letters of Intent Wednesday, the start of the spring signing period. But the Lady Tigers remain in the hunt for junior college point guard Renee Taylor, who made an official visit to the UofM last fall and is visiting national champion Baylor this weekend. Taylor led Monroe Community College of Rochester, N.Y., to the NJCAA Division 2 championship last month in Phoenix. Taylor scored a game-high 20 points to lift Monroe to a 64-46 win over Illinois Central College and earned MVP honors. It was the second straight year she had been named national tournament MVP. Monroe finished 31-3 to win its third national title in five years. The Lady Tigers signed 6-2 post player Sherika Montgomery of Plantersville, Miss., and 5-8 guard Paris Leonard of Wooddale during the early period. Miscellany: The men's golf team will play in its final regular-season tournament beginning today at the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate at Auburn, Ala. Memphis finished third last year. ... Ex-Lady Tiger volleyball player and assistant Jenni Rosselli has been named head volleyball coach at Community Colleges of Spokane, her junior college alma mater. Rosselli was a junior college all-American before playing at Memphis in 1997 and '98. -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

04/07/05		Sophomore golf trio scores low (Daily Helmsman)
		Matthew Laurie Sports Reporter April 07, 2005 The spring golf season hasn't been kind to The University of Memphis women's golf team. Before this week, the Lady Tigers finished 15th out of 18 twice and 16th out of 18 once in the three tournaments since the beginning of the calendar year. It seemed as if it was going to be a long season for the Lady Tigers. However, the team may have turned a corner early this week at the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagle Invitational. Memphis finished in sixth place in the three-round tournament of 13 schools that ended Tuesday. Three sophomore players shot career lows over the tournament: Ashley Burross, Stacey Tate and Meghan Mahoney. Tate's career low of 215 was good enough for tournament individual medalist and on a greater scale, good enough for the lowest three-round tournament score in Lady Tiger golf history. "Stacey played with an excitement and confidence that I expect her to play with each and every day," said head coach Jenny Bruun. "It was so fun watching her as she won her first collegiate title and I couldn't be happier for her." It took three top five finishes until Tate finally reached the top of a leaderboard in a tournament. This season she has finished fifth, third and second in tournaments, but was unable to rise above the rest. "It was quite a shock," said Tate, who came back from three shots down during the final round to capture the medal with a final score of 2-over par 215 (71-73-71). The previous record low for Memphis was also the last time the Lady Tigers had an individual medalist. Jennifer Jaszek was the last of eight golfers to shoot a 219. She hit the mark in 2002. Meghan Mahoney -- the team's No. 2 golfer -- has been battling back problems all year and forced her to play as an individual in the Golden Eagle Invitational, which meant her round scores could not be tallied with the team's. "Going into this tournament I wanted Meg to be able to have the opportunity to play and compete, but not feel so much pressure to complete the tournament if her body would not allow her to, so that is why I put her in the individual position," Bruun said. The lack of pressure may have helped Mahoney shoot a 15-over par 228 (74-74-80). That would have been the second best final score of Memphis' tournament. The score was also good for a career low, besting her previous low by one stroke. Burross beat her personal best of 251 by 19 strokes, shooting a 20-over 232. "Ashley Burross has traveled to our last two tournaments and she has been extremely steady," Bruun said. "She really came up big for our team this past weekend and for her to shoot her lowest 54-hole total by 19 strokes is incredible" However, to have three players shoot career lows and finish in sixth place shows the amount of improvement that is needed. "This team is young and whenever you have a young team there is going to be some inconsistencies and some stepping stones in order to get to the top," Bruun said. "To win a golf tournament you need lots of things to go your way. We currently have the ability to win a golf tournament and finding my strongest five players that week and getting all of them on the same page at the same time is what I am striving to do." However, Bruun said her players have picked a right time to peak. The Conference USA tournament starts April 18.

04/07/05		Tiger baseball looking to turn season around (Daily Helmsman)
		Tim Miller Sports Reporter April 07, 2005 As far as The University of Memphis baseball team is concerned, a little rain never hurts. The Tigers, whose Wednesday game with UT-Martin was cancelled due to a steady downpour throughout most of the day, received a much-needed break at this, the midway point in the season, and a chance to reflect on their 8-17 record. It hasn't been an easy going for the ball club the past couple of weeks. The Tigers are on a four game skid after being swept by Southern Miss last weekend and have lost eight of their last 10. According to Chad House, a senior outfielder for the U of M, it's not a lack of effort that's hurting the team. "We're all giving 110 percent out there," he said. "Things just aren't going our way right now. Our record doesn't show it, but we're real close to being a good team." In addition to being a young team, the Tigers have been an injured team, which has hurt them in the win column. Senior captain and right fielder Jordan Hart, who has only played in 12 games, is out for the season with a torn patella tendon that he suffered against Mississippi State on March 15. His absence hasn't gone unnoticed. "He's the heart and soul of this team," head coach Daron Schoenrock said. "He has a football mentality, and it's tough to lose him." The pitching staff has been hit hard by injuries as well. Nick Bradshaw, right-handed starter, has been limited to 14.0 innings of action because of a small tear in his shoulder that he suffered last season. Schoenrock said it normally takes him two weeks to recover after a start. Senior pitcher Brandon Rowan is out with an elbow strain and hasn't seen any action. If The U of M is going to turn it around in the second half of the season, they will have to get more production form the pitching staff that is still healthy. The Tigers have a team ERA of 6.79, which ranks second to last in Conference USA. Only junior college transfers Drew Jaudon and Tim Senter are giving up less than five runs per nine innings. The staff has also given up a 28 home runs, which is the most in the conference. Adding to the pitching woes have been the problems in the field. In 25 games, the team has committed 59 errors, putting them right on track to break the school's single season record of 112 errors that was set in 1994. The Tigers' fielding percentage of .941 ranks last in the conference. The fielding blunders certainly haven't helped the pitching staff's confidence. Senior reliever Ryan Fly has given up 18 runs, but only 11 of them are earned. Blake Richardson, a senior starter, has been tagged with six unearned runs during his 19 innings on the mound. Of the 20 runs given up by Senter, only 9 have been earned. "Errors are part of the game," Senter said. "You can't let it get you down though because the next play your guys might bail you out with a double play." Defensively, the Tigers know they have work to do. "We work on fielding more than anything else," House said. "I'm really happy with the time the coaching staff has put in." Despite the struggles on the mound and in the field, the Tigers have been swinging a hot bat. As a team, they are sixth in the conference with a batting average of .292. House, who leads the club with a .355 average, credits first year hitting coach Jerry Zulli. "He has simplified hitting for us," House said. House said that Zulli has stressed to the Tigers to be patient at the plate. "He's helped us recognize which pitches to swing at and which ones not too," he said. "The ball looks like a beach ball at the plate right now." Regardless of what has happened in the first 25 games, The U of M has lofty goals for rest of the way. "I still believe we can get this team in the conference tournament," Schoenrock said. Only the top eight teams in the conference qualify for the tournament and the Tigers are currently in tenth place with a 2-7 C-USA record. But, if they make up the necessary ground and qualify, they could be a dangerous team. "If we make it, you can throw the records out," House said.

04/07/05		Women's Soccer Announces 2005 Schedule -- Schedule features three games against 2004 NCAA Tournament teams (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Memphis head women's soccer coach Brooks Monaghan on Thursday announced the 2005 schedule for his team. The slate of games for the fall features 18 contests, 10 of which will be played at home, all at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The schedule features three teams that qualified for last season's NCAA Tournament and nine Conference USA games. After a pair of exhibition games in the State of Indiana in late August, the Lady Tigers will open the regular season on Sunday, August 28 at home against Tennessee Tech, who the Tigers defeated last year 2-0, also at home. From there, Memphis takes off for Birmingham, Ala. where they will take on host Samford as well as Evansville at a weekend tournament. The Tigers had a game cancelled against Samford this past year and defeated Evansville at home. The Tigers will then play four straight home games beginning with Tennessee-Martin on Wednesday, September 7. They then take on Missouri State, which will be changing its name from the current Southwest Missouri State, on Sunday, September 11. After just one day of rest, the Tigers take on their first of two straight Southeastern Conference opponents in Ole Miss. Later that week on Friday, September 16, Memphis will welcome Mississippi State to Mike Rose. The Tigers will then wrap up non-conference play with a two-game roadtrip on consecutive Sundays, playing at Middle Tennessee and Southeast Missouri State. The Tigers will begin play in the restructured Conference USA on Friday, September 30 when they welcome Tulane to Mike Rose. That will be followed by a Sunday afternoon game against UTEP to open the month of October. Memphis then travels to East Carolina and Marshall the following weekend before returning home to take on defending C-USA champion UAB on Saturday, October 15. The following weekend, the Tigers will welcome new conference member Central Florida to Mike Rose, which will be the second straight game against a 2004 NCAA Tournament team. The Golden Knights were champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference last season. Memphis will also play Southern Miss in the same weekend. The regular season wraps up with a roadtrip to Tulsa and SMU, with the Mustangs being the final NCAA Tournament team on the Tigers' schedule. The Conference USA Tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, November 3-6. The location has not yet been determined but the top eight teams in the 12-team league will qualify for the event. "We are very happy with our schedule," said Monaghan. "We feel that our non-conference games, combined with the work and improvement that we have seen this spring, will prepare us well for a much-improved Conference USA schedule. The league will be stronger than in the past and our conference schedule should prepare us well for the Conference tournament."

04/07/05		Rosselli Named Head Coach at the Community College of Spokane -- Returns to her junior college alma mater and her home state of Washington to assume head coaching spot (GoTigersGo.com)
		Community Colleges of Spokane announced the hiring of ex-Sasquatch and ex-Tiger player Jenni Rosselli as the team's new head volleyball coach, on Apr. 1st. Rosselli spent four seasons as assistant at the University of Memphis, where she played from 1997-98. She was the Tigers' recruiting coordinator and middle hitter coach. She helped the Tigers to their first-ever appearance in the Conference USA Tournament Finals in 2003. The Federal Way, Wash., native was named the All-American JUCO Player of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA) while at CCS, and was also a first team All-America JUCO honoree from the AVCA. She led the Sasquatch to two runner-up finishes at the NWAACC tournament. Rosselli is married to former Tiger basketball player Aaron Mulvagh. She assumed the coaching and teaching position at CCS on April 1. She replaces Irene Matlock, who won four NWAACC championships and 715 games in 19 years with the Sasquatch. Matlock also coached Rosselli before Rosselli transferred to Memphis. Rosselli holds both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Memphis and was named the Education Department's Student of the Year as a senior.

04/07/05		Men's Tennis Wins Two -- Hosts No. 23 Middle Tennessee, Sunday, at noon (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Forced indoors due to rain and having to play two matches on one day for the first time this season, the Memphis men's tennis team (12-9, 3-1 C-USA) responded with a pair of non-conference victories at the Racquet Club of Memphis, Thursday. Memphis defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 4-1, and Murray State, 6-0. Seniors Alex Bucewicz, Marten Tamla and Mark Finnegan and junior James Spence picked up a pair of singles victories in the two matches, while senior Andrew Olswing and sophomore Garrison Pilant each added one singles victory in the match against Murray State to wrap the afternoon. Against Southeastern Louisiana, Memphis opened with doubles victories at No. 1 and 2 doubles, while the No. 3 team fell 8-6. Up 1-0 in the match, the Tigers then got wins from Spence, Bucewicz and Tamla to decide the match, while Julian Lausao picked up a 7-6, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles over Alex Jago to get Southeastern's lone point of the match. The Murray State match started with just singles play due to court availability, and the Tigers made short work of the Racers, winning all six matches in straight sets en route their 12th victory of the season. Garrison Pilant picked up his first dual singles win as a Tiger with a 6-4, 6-0 decision at No. 6, while senior Andrew Olswing swept Hunter Gardacit, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 5 to round out the shut out. The Tigers next face No. 23 Middle Tennessee, Sunday, at noon, at the HPER Courts on the University of Memphis campus. Admission for that match is free. No. 73 Memphis 4, Southeastern Louisiana 1 Doubles No. 1 - Scott Felsenthal/James Spence (UM) def. Julien Lousao/Olivier Nussbaum, 8-3 No. 2 - Alex Bucewicz/Marten Tamla (UM) def. Ilie Babineivic/Haris Huremovic, 8-4 No. 3 - Paul Birkett/Ondrej Krivka def. Alex Jago/Mark Finnegan (UM), 8-6 Singles No. 1 - Spence (UM) def. Krivka, 6-2, 6-2 No. 2 - No. 101 Bucewicz (UM) def. Nussbaum, 6-3, 6-0 No. 3 - Tamla (UM) def. Huremovic, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 No. 4 - Lousao def. Jago (UM), 7-6, 6-1 No. 5 - Finnegan (UM) vs. Babineivic, 5-7, 1-1, dnf No. 6 - Felsenthal (UM) vs. Birkett, 7-6, dnf No. 73 Memphis 6, Murray State 0 Singles No. 1 - James Spence (UM) def. Fadi Zamjovi, 7-5, 7-6 No. 2 - Alex Bucewicz (UM) def. Chris Morgan, 6-3, 6-2 No. 3 - Marten Tamla (UM) def. Yuri Pompeu, 6-3, 7-6 No. 4 - Mark Finnegan (UM) def. Jeff Lester, 6-2, 6-2 No. 5 - Andrew Olswing (UM) def. Hunter Gerdacit, 6-3, 6-4 No. 6 - Garrison Pilant (UM) def. Craig Jacobs, 6-4, 6-0 Doubles Did not play

04/07/05		Track and Field Teams Head Back to Oxford for Mississippi Invitational -- Look to add to list of regional qualifiers (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Just a week after seeing Tigers Daniel Kiss, Janon Busby and Brandon Winbush qualify for NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at the Ole Miss Invitational, the Memphis track and field squads will return to Oxford, Miss., Saturday, April 9, for the Mississippi Invitational, where they will look to add to their list of regional comptetitors. A total of five Memphis athletes have currently qualified for the NCAA Regional meet, which will be held May 27-28 in Bloomington, Ind., on the campus of Indiana University. Accompanying the three qualifiers for the men are Lady Tigers Lisa-Marie Hyman and Victoria Crawford, who each qualified in the triple jump two weekends ago at the LSU Tiger Relays. Along with qualifying for NCAA Regionals, three members of the group presently sit atop the C-USA rankings and among the top-15 in the nation in their respective events. Leading the contingent is Hyman, who heads the conference list and ranks seventh nationally and fourth in the Mideast Region in the triple jump with a mark of 42.-00.75" (12.82m). Additionally, Kiss and Busby lead the conference in the 110m hurdles and triple jump, respectively, with marks of 14.02 seconds and 50-00.75" (15.26m), while each ranks 14th in the nation in his event. Busby also ranks third in C-USA in the high jump with a mark of 6-08.00" (2.03m). Crawford and Winbush presently hold down the fourth positions in the conference in the women's triple jump and men's long jump, respectively, with leaps of 41-00.50" (12.51m) and 24-01.00" (7.34m). Crawford's mark ranks 18th in the country, while Winbush's leaves him 24th. Other U of M athletes who sit in the top-five in the conference at this point of the season are Daniele Riendeau, Chen Edri, Mary Claire Dake, Sam James and Norbert Gulyas. Riendeau is fourth in the 1500m, Edri is fourth in the javelin and Dake is fifth in the 3000m steeplechase for the women, while James is fifth in the 400m and Gulyas is fifth in the discus for the men. The men's 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams also hold fifth-place conference rankings. A number of additional U of M athletes sit just outside the top-five and will look to improve upon those rankings this weekend. Competition at the Mississippi Invitational is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday morning with the women's hammer and javelin throws. Running events are scheduled to start at 12 p.m. with the women's 5000m. The final event, the men's 4x400m relay is slated for 5:45 p.m. Results for the Mississippi Invitational will be available on the Ole Miss website, www.olemissports.com or the CFPI timing website, www.cfpitiming.com and will be posted at gotigersgo.com following the meet.

04/07/05		Tiger Baseball Hits the Road for League Series at UAB -- Tigers seek revenge after heartbreaking loss to Blazers in 2004 C-USA Tournament (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis baseball team will face yet more road tests as they embark on a four-game road trip that includes a three-game league series at UAB this weekend, followed by a battle with No. 22 (Collegiate Baseball) Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Tues., Apr. 12. The Tigers, who were rained out on Wednesday, look to snap a four-game skid. Memphis has not played since a tough 9-7 loss to Southern Miss in Sunday's series finale. Memphis is led by Chad House, whose .355 average is 12th in Conference USA. The senior has led Memphis in hitting all season long. Senior DH Ryan Martin has a .337 average and his team-high 31 RBI ranks fourth in C-USA. Junior Patrick Hope sports a .344 average and has put together a seven-game hitting streak, his second streak of at least seven games with a hit. The junior Germantown High product hit his first home run of the year and second of his career in the series finale against Southern Miss. UAB is 19-10 on the year after defeating Georgia State, 3-0, in midweek play. The Tigers will try to avenge a 7-6 loss in the C-USA Tournament last year. That loss ultimately ended the 2004 season for Memphis. The Blazers were swept by No. 3 Tulane in last weekend's C-USA action and have dropped two of their first the league series'. Clint Toomey leads UAB in hitting with a .379 average. He also leads the league with a .528 on base percentage. The Blazers have a .286 average from the plate as a team, but have one of the conference's better power hitters in Nathan McCorkle. McCorkle is ranked in the C-USA top-10 with a team-high six round trippers on the year. Zach Ward leads the team and is ranked in the top-10 in the league with 28 RBI on the season. UAB looks to stretch doubles into triples and currently is ranked second in the league with 10 three-baggers. Game times for this weekend's series are as follows: Friday, April 8, 2005 7 p.m. Saturday, April 9, 2005 2 p.m. Sunday, April, 10, 2005 1 p.m.

04/07/05		Tate Named C-USA Women's Golfer of the Week -- First Lady Tiger to earn honor since 2002 (GoTigersGo.com)
		IRVING, Texas - University of Memphis sophomore Stacey Tate was named Conference-USA's Women's Golfer of the Week on Thursday after medaling in the Southern Miss Golden Eagle Invitational. Tate won the Southern tournament with a 2-over 215, which breaks the previous three-round school record of 219. The New Zealand native shot a par-71 in the final round to finish with a 71-73-71=215 (+2), knocking nine strokes off her previous three-round best of 224. Tate is the first Tiger to medal since Jennifer Jaszek in the 2002 Memphis Women's Intercollegiate. Jaszek was also the last Lady Tiger to earn conference player of the week honors.

04/06/05		Men's Golf Plays at Auburn in Final Regular Season Tournament -- Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate will be final tuneup before Conference USA Championships (GoTigersGo.com)
		This Weekend The Tigers will play in their final regular season tournament of the 2004-05 season as they travel to Auburn, Ala. for the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate, hosted by Auburn University on April 8-10. The three-day event will be third straight tournament hosted by a Southeastern Conference institution that Memphis is participating in and the second straight tournament hosted by a school also nicknamed the "Tigers" after LSU's tournament last weekend. It will also be the second tournament played in the State of Alabama that Memphis has played in this year. The hosts won this event last year and have won it in five of past six years and eight of the last 10. Memphis finished in third place last year at this event, just six strokes behind the champion Tigers of Auburn. The event has been in existence since 1988. Tournament Format There will be 18 holes of golf played each day from Friday-Sunday, April 8-10. Tee times begin at 7:50 a.m. on all three days. There will also be a practice round on Thursday, April 7. Tournament Field (12) Auburn, Charlotte, College of Charleston, Georgia State, Illinois, Jacksonville State, Memphis, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Southeastern Louisiana, UAB The Course The Auburn University Club at Yarbrough Farm was designed by former Auburn golfer Bill Bergin and opened in 1999. Located just minutes from the Auburn campus, its fairways are surrounded by many trees and water is visible on 14 of the 18 holes. Situated on 225 acres, the course contains two major bodies of water in Yarbrough Lake and Saugahatchee Creek. About Memphis Memphis staggered to its worst finish of the year in its last tournament, the LSU Spring Invitational. The Tigers finished 17th in the 17-team field in Baton Rouge. This followed a sixth and a 10th place finish in their last two tournaments. Despite their recent adversity, the Tigers still own three tournament victories this year, having won the Radrick Farms Intercollegiate, the Memphis Intercollegiate, and the Missouri Bluffs Challenge during the fall season. They also have a second-place finish at the Rice Intercollegiate, which opened the spring season. In those three tournament victories, the Tigers had three different individual medalists. Keven Fortin-Simard won it in Michigan with a score of 5-under, Allan Thomas shot a 2-under to win the Memphis Intercollegiate, while Andy Shiels shot the lowest score in relation to par of the fall for the Tigers with an 8-under to top the field in Missouri. Fortin-Simard has finished in the top 10 in four of the Tigers' eight tournaments and in the top five in three of the eight, the most on the team in both categories. Shiels has a pair of top 10's and has been the top Memphis finisher in two of Memphis' four spring tournaments. After having at least one top 10 finisher in each of their first five tournaments, Memphis has now been without one in each of the last three. Fortin-Simard, who went eight straight rounds without shooting at or under par, his longest such drought of the year, before shooting even par in the final round in Baton Rouge, leads the active members of the team with a 73.7 stroke average. Shiels is second at 74.2. Justin Miers, who has played in the last two tournaments after sitting out the first two spring tournaments, is third at 75.2. Memphis individuals own six rounds of below 70 this year, four of which came in Missouri, including the lowest round of the year, a 65 by Shiels, which was also the lowest in relation to par at six-under. Tiger individuals have put together 22 subpar rounds over their eight tournaments. As a team, Memphis has four rounds below par out of 23. Starting Lineup for Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate (Number of starts in parenthesis) 1. Keven Fortin-Simard (9) 2. Ian Rochester (6) 3. Andy Shiels (9) 4. Justin Miers (7) 5. Robbie Greenwell (4) Lineup Tidbits - This lineup will be the same as Memphis' last tournament with the exception of Robbie Greenwell, who replaces Lewis Clarke. - These is the same five players that started at the Conrad Rehling Invitational, two tournaments ago, although they will be in different slots for this tournament. That tournament was the only other tournament this year in which this combination of players has been used. - Keven Fortin-Simard and Andy Shiels continue to be the only two Tiger golfers that have started in all of Memphis' tournaments this year. - Ian Rochester will be making his sixth straight tournament start after not starting in Memphis' first three tournaments of the year. - Justin Miers will be making his third straight start after starting all four tournaments during the fall but sitting out the first two spring tournaments. - Robbie Greenwell returns to the lineup after sitting out the last tournament. He will have now started three of the five spring tournaments. Comeback Kids Memphis has had to rally from a deficit entering the final round to win in all three of its tournament victories, and came just one stroke shy of doing the same at another. The Tigers have moved up the leaderboard in the final round in five of their eight tournaments and have held their spot in the other three. Memphis has never fallen below their leaderboard position from the second to third rounds this year. Listed below is Memphis' place and deficit entering the final round in its tournaments along with the Tigers' finish and margin of victory or deficit at the end of the tournaments. Tournament Entering Final Round After Final Round Michigan 2nd, 2 shots back T1st, 7 shots ahead Memphis 2nd, 4 shots back 1st, 7 shots ahead Missouri 3rd, 2 shots back 1st, 9 shots ahead Wilmington 11th, 26 shots back 11th, 30 shots back Rice T4th, 6 shots back 2nd, 1 shot back St. Croix 10th, 16 shots back 10th, 18 shots back Alabama 8th, 31 shots back 6th, 37 shots back LSU 17th, 43 shots back 17th, 56 shots back Save the Best for Last Memphis has waited until the final round to shoot their best team score of the tournament in six of their eight tournaments. The only tournaments that they did not shoot their best score in the final round were the Radrick Farms Intercollegiate and the St. Croix Collegiate Classic. Tournament Could Have Impact on Rankings With this being the final regular season tournament for not only the Tigers but for several other teams in this tournament field as well, this could be an important tournament when considering the Golfweek/Sagarin Southeast District rankings. Of the 12 teams in the field, nine are located in the Southeast District. The top eight teams in the district are guaranteed berths in the NCAA Regionals. As of now, only Auburn and Georgia State are ranked in the top eight. Of the 12 teams in the field, only Charlotte, Illinois, and Southeastern Louisiana are not located in the Southeast District. Tigers Drop out of NCAA Regional Threshold According to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin District rankings, Memphis is currently ranked 12th in the Southeast Region. They were previously ranked seventh in the region. These rankings are unofficial, however they are very close to the actual committee rankings. There are a fixed number of teams from each region that are guaranteed a berth in the NCAA Regionals, with remainder of berths coming from at-large teams and automatic berths from conference champions. The top eight teams in the Southeast District are guaranteed a berth in the NCAA Regionals. Southeast District Rankings 1. Georgia 2. Florida 3. Auburn 4. Tennessee 5. South Carolina 6. Georgia State 7. Alabama 8. UCF 9. LSU 10. Vanderbilt 11. Ole Miss 12. Memphis Par or Below Drought Ends After the Tigers stretched the streak of having no golfers shoot at or below to six straight rounds, Keven Fortin-Simard ended that dubious streak by shooting an even par 72 in the final round of the LSU Spring Invitational. It was the first Tiger round at or below par since the second round of the St. Croix Collegiate Classic nearly a month ago. However, the subpar streak continues as no Tiger golfer has shot a round of below par since that same second round in St. Croix, making it seven straight rounds. Shiels Sets School and Course Record Freshman Andy Shiels set a new school record for the lowest score in a tournament when he shot a 205 (8-under) to win the Missouri Bluffs Challenge in October. The 205 surpasses the 206 shot by Tim Roop at the Glenn Red Jacoby in 1990. Shiels also set a course record at the Missouri Bluffs Golf Club with his final round of six-under 65. That round is also the second-lowest round in school history and lowest by a Memphis golfer this year. Tigers Freshmen Ranked Second in Country The Memphis freshman class has climbed from sixth to second in the country in Golfstat's Top 25 Freshman Class Impact Rankings. This ranking attempts to measure the contributions of freshmen to the team's overall success. Memphis, which has had two freshmen, Keven Fortin-Simard and Andy Shiels, in its lineup for all seven tournaments this year, has a relative strength ranking of 462.989 out of a possible 1000. Memphis has had at least three freshmen in the starting lineup in its last five tournaments as Ian Rochester has also started the last five. The Tiger freshmen in the starting lineup are averaging a combined 74.05 strokes per round. The freshmen have been ranked no lower than seventh for the entire year and were ranked first in the first rankings that came out following Memphis' first tournament. Rochester Fourth in Nation in Fairways Hit As of the latest statistical rankings by Golfstat, only one Memphis individual was ranked in any category. Freshman Ian Rochester, who has started in Memphis' last five tournaments and will be making his sixth straight start in this tournament, is ranked fourth in the country in fairways hit at 87 percent. Three Straight a First For the first time in the history of the program, Memphis won three straight tournaments this past fall. The only other time that Memphis had won even two in a row was back in the fall of 1990 when the Tigers won both the Hillman Robbins Memorial Intercollegiate in Memphis and the Dixie Intercollegiate in Columbus, Ga. The tournaments were respectively held on Oct. 9-10 and 19-21, 1990. Ironically, current head coach Grant Robbins was a redshirt freshman on the that season's team. Even more ironic, the individual medalist in both of those events was Memphis native Shaun Micheel, who competed collegiately for Indiana. The 1990-91 season was also the only other season in which Memphis won more than one tournament in a season until this year. Fortin-Simard Shatters Pair of Course Records Freshman Keven Fortin-Simard not only shined in tournament competition this past fall, but he also put some impressive numbers in qualifying. While practicing and qualifying for the Memphis tournaments this year with his teammates, Fortin-Simard broke two Memphis-area course records. He shot 64's at both Whispering Woods and Quail Ridge over the fall. Tigers Sign Three Head coach Grant Robbins announced the signings of three student-athletes to national letters of intent for the 2005-06 school year. Brad Benjamin of Rockford, Ill., Jeff Hall of Franklin, Tenn., and Josh Ray of New Braunfels, Texas will all attend Memphis and play golf beginning next fall. Benjamin, from the same hometown as current freshman Andy Shiels, is currently ranked #47 in the Golfweek/Titleist Junior Rankings for the Class of 2005 and is also the top ranked junior in Illinois by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Hall is ranked #129 in the same rankings by Golfweek while Ray will be a third-generation student-athlete at Memphis as both his grandfather and father both played football and the U of M. All three individuals have played on a national level with the American Junior Golf Association. About the Tournament Field Auburn: The host Tigers are ranked ninth in the latest Golfstat rankings and sixth in the latest Golfweek rankings. They are the defending champions of this event but are yet to win a tournament this year although they own two second place finishes and have finished in the top five in five of their eight tournaments while competing against nationally-ranked competition in all of them. All-American Lee Williams has been the top Auburn finisher in three of the Tigers' last four tournaments. Finishes: Topy Cup (Tanagura, Japan) - 2nd of 11 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (UAB) - 3rd of 12 University Club Intercollegiate (LSU) - 7th of 14 Carpet Capital Collegiate (Georgia Tech) - 6th of 18 John Burns Intercollegiate (Hawaii) - 5th of 21 Southern Highlands Intercollegiate (UNLV) - 14th of 15 Schenkel/E-Z Go Invitational (Georgia Southern) - 2nd of 15 Hootie at Bull's Bay Intercollegiate (College of Charleston) - 3rd of 15 Charlotte: The 49'ers have two tournament titles this year, both in tournaments that they hosted, and are coming off their second tournament title and a second place finish in their last two tournaments. This will also be Charlotte's final tournament prior to the Conference USA championships. Andrew DiBitetto and Matt Mincer leads the Niners in stroke average at 72.7 and 72.9, respectively. One of the two has been the top Charlotte finisher in six of its nine tournaments. Finishes: Raines Development Intercollegiate (Francis Marion) - 5th of 13 Adams Cup of Newport (Rhode Island) - 3rd of 13 Franklin Street Partners Invitational (North Carolina) - 5th of 9 Duke Golf Classic (Duke) - T10th of 14 49'er Collegiate Classic (Charlotte) - 1st of 15 UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (UCF) - 4th of 18 St. Croix Collegiate Classic (Xavier) - 8th of 17 Birkdale Collegiate (Charlotte) - 1st of 15 Furman Intercollegiate (Furman) - T2nd of 20 College of Charleston: The Cougars have finished in last place in each of their last six events. Rand Williams leads the Cougars in scoring average at 75.1 while Tim Tang and Kellen Altman are both just behind him at 75.3 and 75.4, respectively. Finishes: Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate (Vanderbilt) - 8th of 15 Stonebridge Invitational (SMU) - 15th of 16 Gary Koch Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate (Florida) - 15th of 15 University Club Intercollegiate (LSU) - 14th of 14 SunTrust Gator Invitational (Florida) - 15th of 15 Seminole Intercollegiate (Florida State) - 12th of 12 Conrad Rehling Invitational (Alabama) - 12th of 12 Hootie at Bull's Bay Intercollegiate (College of Charleston) - 15th of 15 Georgia State: The Panthers own one tournament title as well as two second and two third place finishes this year. They are ranked 17th by Golfweek and 24th by Golfstat. They have two straight top five finishes in their last two tournaments. Steve Tiley, who was the individual medalist at the Conrad Rehling Invitational two weekends ago, leads GSU in stroke average at 71.62 while Ty Harris is second at 72.25 while also having an individual tournament win to his credit back in the fall. Finishes: Radrick Farms Intercollegiate (Michigan) - 4th of 14 Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate (Vanderbilt) - 1st of 15 Gary Koch Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate (Florida) - 2nd of 15 Nelson Invitational (Stanford) - 3rd of 16 Hooters Collegiate/Match Play Championship - T7th of 16 SunTrust Gator Invitational (Florida) - 6th of 15 Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate (North Florida) - T12th of 17 Hyatt Plantational Club Intercollegiate (Georgia State ) - 3rd of 9 Conrad Rehling Invitational (Alabama) - 2nd of 12 Illinois: The Fighting Illini have a pair of third place finishes as their best performances this year, one of which came at their last tournament, the Naples Invitational in Florida. Garrett Chaussard leads the Illini with a 72.3 scoring average. He has five top 10 finishes in his seven tournament starts along with an individual medal. Finishes: Inverness Intercollegiate (Toledo) - 7th of 13 Northern Intercollegiate (Wisconsin) - 3rd of 13 Windon Memorial (Northwestern) - 8th of 18 Alistar McKenzie Invitational (California) - 6th of 15 Big 10/Pac-10 Challenge (Oregon) - 14th of 14 Illinois State (Dual Match) - W, 8-1 Puerto Rico Classic (Purdue) - 17th of 18 Naples Invitational (Florida Gulf Coast) - 3rd of 12 Jacksonville State: The Gamecocks won their first tournament of the year at their own Grub Mart Intercollegiate three weeks ago. The tournament title was their first top five finish of the year. Three JSU individuals finished in the top 10 at that tournament, after they had just three previous top 10 individual finishes the entire year. They followed that up with a third place showing at last week's LSU Spring Invitational. Julian Colmenares has been the top JSU finisher in the last three tournaments, as he finished second last week, won the individual title three weeks ago, and also finished tied for third at the Conrad Rehling Invitational. Finishes: Raising Cane Classic (Southern Miss) - 7th of 16 Mission Inn Collegiate Classic (Winthrop) - 7th of 20 Sonic/Chattanooga Intercollegiate (Chattanooga) - 6th of 13 Fall Beach Classic (South Alabama) - 10th of 12 UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (UCF) - 14th of 18 Tulane Invitational (Tulane) - 12th of 14 Conrad Rehling Invitational (Alabama) - 11th of 12 Grub Mart Intercollegiate (Jacksonville State) - 1st of 10 LSU Spring Invitational (LSU) - 3rd of 17 Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have played in the top five in their last two tournaments finished fourth at the LSU Spring Invitational and winning their first tournament title of the year at the Homewood Suites Intercollegiate. Joe Deraney won the individual title at that event as well, his first title of the year. He leads MSU in stroke average at 72.5 and has been the top Bulldog finisher in eight of MSU's nine tournaments. Finishes: Raising Cane Classic (Southern Miss) - 6th of 15 Cardinal Intercollegiate (Louisville) - 3rd of 19 Memphis Intercollegiate (Memphis) - 6th of 16 University Club Intercollegiate (LSU) - T12th of 14 UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (UCF) - T9th of 18 Irish Invitational (Notre Dame) - 6th of 13 Conrad Rehling Invitational (Alabama) - 7th of 12 Homewood Suites Intercollegiate (South Alabama) - 1st of 13 LSU Spring Invitational (LSU) - 4th of 17 Ole Miss: The Rebels have not competed in nearly a month, not since the Conrad Rehling Invitational in Alabama, where they finished eighth. They own two tournament titles, the Raising Cane Classic, which was their first of the year, and the All-South Collegiate Invitational. Jordan Dempsey is the team leader in stroke average at 71.1, which also leads the Southeastern Conference. He owns eight top 10 and six top five finishes. Finishes: Raising Cane Classic (Southern Miss) - 1st of 15 Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate (Vanderbilt) - T4th of 15 Memphis Intercollegiate (Memphis) - 5th of 16 Gary Koch Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate (Florida) - 6th of 15 University Club Intercollegiate (LSU) - 3rd of 14 All-South Collegiate Invitational - 1st of 18 Tulane Invitational (Tulane) - T5th of 14 Seminole Intercollegiate (Florida State) - T8th of 12 Conrad Rehling Invitational (Alabama) - T8th of 12 South Alabama: The Jaguars are currently playing some of their best golf of the year. They finished sixth at the LSU Spring Invitational, which followed a a second place showing at their own Homewood Suites Intercollegiate. They have placed in the top five in two of their last four events. Ben Briscoe leads the team in stroke average at 74.9 while Johnny Caldwell is second at 75.3. Finishes: Raising Cane Classic (Southern Miss) - 15th of 16 Memphis Intercollegiate (Memphis) - 12th of 16 Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions (Tennessee) - 13th of 15 Fall Beach Classic (South Alabama) - T5th of 12 UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (UCF) - T7th of 18 Tulane Invitational (Tulane) - T3rd of 14 Conrad Rehling Invitational (Alabama) - T10th of 12 Homewood Suites Intercollegiate (South Alabama) - 2nd of 13 LSU Spring Invitational (LSU) - T6th of 17 Southeastern Louisiana: The Lions own a pair of second place finish