Sports

With a 9-5-2 record, Saints look to strong showing in post-season

By Matthew Boyle | mboyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Matthew Boyle

PHOTO CAPTION: The Saints are winning again, and as the season ends, they’re aiming for a a playoff spot.

The Flagler College men’s soccer team is fighting for a playoff spot at the end of this season, but no spot is guaranteed regardless of their positive results this season.

Flagler College Athletics have no conference affiliation as of now, which makes reaching the playoffs difficult even with a winning season. Teams that are affiliated with a conference have a much more probable chance of reaching the playoffs as each conference guarantees one spot in the playoffs to a member.

Saints players graduate this year, leaving with great memories

PHOTO CAPTION: Four seniors will leave the Flagler volleyball team this year after another successful season.

By Kathy Novak | gargoyle@flagler.edu

As the volleyball season comes to a close, it is the last for some of our fellow Saints. With only five more contests left prior to the Div. II post-season contests, four seniors — Jessica Wedemyer, Sarah Spraggins, Kelly Boese and Leah Melton, with a combination of 36 years of experience — are pushing to finish out their last season as their best.

Although they have been pushed through a tough season, the ladies still have full confidence in themselves, and their fellow teammates to pull through.

By Chelsi DeCuba | gargoyle@flagler.edu

The Flagler College Women’s Golf team is working hard to accomplish their goal of making it to Nationals this year.

The golf team is currently in pre-season play and they are taking advantage of the time they have to prepare.

They recently competed in The Saint Leo Invitational where they finished in sixth place.

Junior Laura Martellino tied for 35th place in the tournament after carding a 25 over 169.

By Patrick Varney | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Men’s CC

The Flagler men’s cross country team also competed Oct. 17 at the at the Hatter Invitational in Deland. The men placed placing 7th out of 13 teams, and Flagler standout Ryan MacManus also placed 7th in the 102-man field. He finished the 8K race with a time of 27:23.

With this run MacManus made the course’s top 10 best times. Alex Bonus finished 36th, Ben Joslin finished 45th, and Evan Roszkowski finished 60th.

By Kate Shoaf | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Meg’s Stats

• Age: 20
• Hometown: Maitland, Fla.
• Favorite Movie: “Zoolander”
• Favorite Food: Ice cream
• High School: Orangewood Christian
• Quote: “I’m glad that I not only have the opportunity to be a student
  here at Flagler College, but also to be an athlete.”

Crohn’s threatened athletic career, but determination overcomes

By Lindsey Williams | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Like most college athletes, determination and winning are the name of any game. But unlike most athletes, the balance between fighting a disease and fighting to win have become part of the game for one Flagler cross country runner.

Ryan MacManus has found himself competing on two fronts ever since being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease.

Crohn’s Disease is a lifelong inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Parts of the digestive tract get swollen and have deep sores called ulcers. Painful abdominal cramps, fatigue and fever are common symptoms.

With a tough schedule remaining, the 5-8 team has a chance to go .500

By Chelsi de Cuba | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Katherine Huber

PHOTO CAPTION: Freshman goalkeeper Kaitlyn Goffe makes a save in goal in a recent match. The women’s soccer team has been adjusting to the Div. II competition. With more than half of the season gone, the team is struggling for wins and is well under .500.

Flagler College’s women’s soccer team is halfway through their season and continues to stay competitive despite a tough schedule that has them with a 5-8 record.

The team’s schedule was put together in anticpation of a move to the Sunshine State Conference.

However, Flagler College Athletics is now applying to the Peach Belt Conference.

“Our goals are just to be competitive with our schedule with the recent [planned] move to Peach Belt. Things have kind of changed because most of our teams are Sunshine State,” Coach Teddy Meyer said.

Pre-season tournament gives team early test

By Kate Shoaf | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Mary Elizabeth Fair

PHOTO CAPTION: The women’s tennis team has been practicing in anticipation for what they hope will be a successful season. Tournaments like the Wilson/Intercollegiate South Regional Flagler played earlier this month are a great preparation.

Women’s tennis has begun warming up for their season after participating in the 2008 Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s South Regional at the Beerman Tennis Complex at Florida Southern College. Other schools that participated in this event were Florida Southern College, University of West Florida, Nova Southeastern University, Valdosta State University, Lynn University, Barry University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Saint Leo University, Rollins College, University of Montevallo and Florida Tech.

In this pre-season meeting the players had a chance to practice in a game atmosphere and were able to check out their future competition.

Saints see team with six freshman not as bad sign, but exciting challenge

By Kathy Novak | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Kathy Novak

PHOTO CAPTION: The team has been practicing individually as well as holding group workouts in an attempt to work younger team members into the coach’s system.

“I want our team to work hard … but with commitment as a group … be the best you can be – on and off the court,” said Flagler College women’s basketball Coach Sherri Abbey-Nowatzki.

Having been a coach for 15 years before her start at Flagler, Abbey-Nowatzki knows what it is going to take for this team to reach the top.

At the start of her third season here at Flagler, Nowatzki has had the Lady Saints under a “full-fledge, year round commitment.”

When asked what the Saints’ preseason has looked like these past six weeks, Nowatzki replied, “They have been putting in NCAA mandated 8 hours a week. These hours consist of a combined conditioning, weight training, two hours skill work and individual instruction.”

Eric Downs has led the men’s golf team, staying competitive with ivy elite

By Patrick Varney | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by John Jordan

PHOTO CAPTION: Flagler recently competed in the Shark Invitational where despite rainy conditions and several postponments the team faired well against larger schools like Rutgers.

The Flagler men’s golf team traveled to New Haven, Conn. this past weekend to play in the MacDonald Cup at the Yale Golf Course.

Flagler tied for sixth overall with Harvard University while their star player, Eric Downs, placed fourth.

Downs, a junior from West Palm Beach, has been a standout this year placing well amongst Ivy League schools like Harvard, Dartmouth and Yale.

“It was a fun course that was very different than most I’ve played on,” said Downs.

“It had a lot of woods and it was really cold out. It was a good experience because of the prestigious teams I played against. They offered good competition on one of the best courses I’ve ever played.”