By Brian Vigna | bvigna@flagler.edu
Flagler College’s women’s tennis team began the season with four consecutive losses, which concerns any coach or fan.
But what the coach knew than most fans didn’t is how tough the competition has been in the early part of the season.
After the tumultuous start to the season, the women’s team regained some confidence by defeating Eckerd College and Florida Tech in back-to-back road matches.
By Brian Vigna | bvigna@flagler.edu The intramural football season is coming to an end which can mean only one thing, basketball is just around the corner. For some teams it is merely a good workout twice a week for the last month or so of…
By Brian Vigna | bvigna@flagler.edu
Flagler college recieved news this week that it was not accepted into the Sunshine State Conference.
The decision not to expand means Flagler will have to wait for at least another two years before knowing the final outcome.
What is certain is that the presidents of the conference have voted to continue to study the possibility of expansion and have encouraged members of the conference to continue to schedule games against Flagler.
Flagler will also be filing its annual report to the NCAA on June 1. The committee will review this report and release a decision on whether or not Flagler will be eligible for NCAA post-season play for next year.
By Ryan Day | rday@flagler.edu
The Saints snapped an eight-game winning streak with consecutive losses against Barry and West Georgia to close out the season with a 20-7 record, the program’s first 20-win season since 2004.
In what would be his last collegiate game at Flagler, senior forward Bryan Borstelmann scored 10 points against West Georgia, making for 1,394 career points. He will leave the Saints as the program’s fourth-highest point scorer.
By Devon Jeffreys | djeffreys@flagler.edu
The beginning of the 2008 season hasn’t been easy on the Flagler baseball team, but the Saints know a long season has its ups and downs.
“We just have to realize we had a tough schedule at first and we’ve been playing through some injuries,” senior outfielder Glenn Kiture said. “We just have to keep our heads up and stay positive so the good times can come.”
Suffering through a 10-game losing streak, the Saints secured an extra inning win over Northwood on Friday night to snap their skid.
By Devon Jeffreys | djeffreys@flagler.edu
Flagler soccer coach John Lynch didn’t even have to leave the area to find his top recruit for 2008 and beyond.
Lynch signed Orange Park high school’s William Frandsen last week, filling a major need at the center/midfielder position.
“He’s very athletic,” Lynch said. “Will was at the top of my list. I needed a very athletic center/midfielder who could also defend and I think in Will, we got that. He’s going to be hard to keep off the field.”
By Kristin Egan | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Former Indian River Community College assistant softball coach Kristin Atkinson has been hired to start a new fast-pitch softball program at Flagler College.
“I feel honored to coach the first fast-pitch softball program in Flagler College history,” Atkinson said. “The girls we are going to have will be very competitive and are going to win. Just because it’s a first-year program does not mean that we need to build for the next 10 years. We are going to start off at a very competitive and high level.”
By Brandonian Volbrecht | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Flagler women’s tennis is ready for just about anything this season. The Saints have already been battling some of the nation’s top-ranked NCAA Div. II schools.
The team’s season opener was in Savannah, Ga., against Armstrong Atlantic, the No. 2 team in the nation. Although Flagler went down 0-9, coach Walter Shinn was not worried.
“It was a good match because we got beat badly, but on the court we did pretty well,” he said. “We weren’t intimidated.”
By Devon Jeffreys | djeffreys@flagler.edu
Opening up against the top teams in the country has led the Flagler men’s tennis team to a 0-4 start to the 2008 season, but the team believes the foundation is in place for a good season.
“The score might not show it, but each time we’ve gotten better and better,” freshman David Cotrone said. “It’s not indicative of how we’ve played. It’s helped us get better as we go along.”
Cotrone is playing at the No. 1 position at Flagler despite being one of the youngest players on the team. He has a 1-3 singles record this year against the top players in the NAIA and NCAA Div. II.
By Ryan Day | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Men’s basketball Head Coach Bo Clark has led the Saints to 14 wins in their last 16 games, citing team balance and freshmen playing like seniors for their success.
“We’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Clark said. “As young as we are, we’re playing our games with a lot of confidence.”
After a disappointing 85-72 loss to in-state rivals Embry-Riddle on Dec. 5 and a 3-3 start, any confidence the Saints had was shaky at best. But Clark said their 17-5 record, the Saints’ best since 2003, can be attributed to the overachievement of freshmen guards D.J. Ferguson and John Pietkiewicz.