Sports

As the season winds down, Clark credits young players with success

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.

With pitchers ailing, weight falls on shoulders of Saints’ potent bats

By Devon Jeffreys | djeffreys@flagler.edu

Coming off a 25-27 record in 2007, the Flagler Saints baseball team is primed to improve on a season they believe was not near good enough.

“We were pretty disappointed with last year’s season, a sub-.500 season,” junior pitcher Austin Donmoyer said. “We realize coming into this season that the competition is just going to get harder and harder.”

The Saints are off to a 3-6 start to the 2008 season and have relied heavily on their offense. Leading that offense has been senior first baseman Kenny Ray.

His .359 average is second on the team, and his seven runs scored and seven runs batted in are team highs. Ray is also 4-5 in stolen base attempts.

By Brandon Volbrecht | gargoyle@flagler.edu

St. George: a street, a saint, but do you know what he looks like? But often mistaken for a horse, he is actually a lion.

The newly adapted name for Flagler’s mascot fuels the debate for representation of the saint nickname.
John Jordan, Sports Information director said, “Where the Saints came from; I have never been able to decipher where that ever came from.”

The nickname is commonly confused with the lion that appears on the Flagler College crest.
Why then, are we not the Flagler Lions?

Improved performance by the Saints has helped them close in on .500

By Devon Jeffreys | djeffreys@flagler.edu

When the Flagler Saints Women’s Basketball team entered the winter break with a record of 2-11, it seemed like a nightmare season was imminent.

But riding a current seven-game win streak to improve their record to 11-14, the Saints have been able to salvage the season and get back on track.

“We’re finally on the right track this second semester,” senior point guard Melanie Aguila said. “We played a really hard schedule the first semester so we’re actually now playing as a team and getting our confidence back.”

Saints Coach Sherri Abbey-Nowatzki said the tough schedule put the team on their back, but she’s proud they’ve been able to rebound.

By Kristin Egan | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Transfer student Tony Kirkland continues to prove doubters wrong as baseball’s victorious underdog.
The 5-foot, 9-inch pitcher transferred to Flagler College last fall to play baseball for the Saints.

“The whole reason I even came to this school was to pitch,” Kirkland said.

As a last minute walk-on, Coach Dave Barnett told Kirkland that he would not get a lot of playing time. Kirkland knew all he needed was a chance to prove he could play like he has done in the past.

By Lindsey Williams | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Among Flagler’s newest basketball recruits, they are the youngest — but don’t let that fool you. Kenny Moore, John Pietkiewicz and DJ Ferguson might be fresh to Flagler’s men’s basketball team, but their talents haven’t fallen short of such demands. I sat down with the three Saints stars to find out how well they have adjusted to Flagler basketball.

By Devon Jeffreys | djeffreys@flagler.edu

Flagler Men’s Basketball Coach Bo Clark knew his team would be able to put up points this season, but up until Saturday, he could see it was affecting his defense.

“I think we’re giving up too many points,” Clark said. “That’s one thing that I’ve really addressed with these guys, that is something we need to keep improving. If we don’t pick that up, it could be a long year.”

Clark’s Saints got the message and on Saturday they shut down NCAA Div. II Saint Leo of the Sunshine State Conference, 77-51. The Saints are now 3-2.

A look back at Flagler’s first year competing in NCAA Div. II

By Devon Jeffreys and Brian Vigna | gargoyle@flagler.edu

This December marks the end of Flagler’s first full calendar year in NCAA Div. II and it has been a year to remember.

The major announcement was made that because of a NCAA rule change, Flagler is now a year away from full membership in NCAA Div. II, instead of the three- to four- year probationary period originally expected. Though full membership is just around the corner, conference affiliation is still up in the air as Flagler waits on a decision from the Sunshine State Conference.

From Staff | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Flagler got its first win of the season when it routed Tennessee Temple University 86-60 in the opening round of the Newberry College Classic Friday, but they didn’t stay in the win column long.

Classic host Newberry College, No. 24 in NCAA Div. II, beat Flagler 90-45 on Saturday, and the Saints have now fallen to 1-8 on the season.

The bright spot of the win, and much of Flagler’s season so far, has been Brittney Garmon, who led five Flagler players in double figures with 19 points and added 17 rebounds against Tennessee.

By Brian Vigna | bvigna@flagler.edu

NBA basketball is in full swing in early December, and as the east is finally catching up to the perennial powerhouses of the west, people are already picking this year’s winners.

San Antonio and Dallas are both strong candidates in the western conference, while last year’s biggest story, the Golden State Warriors, are quickly falling behind.