Stories

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.”

By Brian Vigna | bvigna@flagler.edu

Flagler College has officially applied to the Peach Belt Conference, finally letting student athletes and coaches know where their programs are headed.

The move is a major decision and will determine not only the teams Flagler will face in the coming seasons, but also what the postseason situation will be.

Another important aspect of the new conference is the location, moving us to the Southeast Region, as opposed to the South Region. The change will affect the teams we face in coming seasons, but Flagler will still be able to play any Div. II school in Florida, as well as Georgia and Alabama.

By Kathy Novak | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Women’s volleyball has spiked back with three wins this past weekend at the Carson Newman College October Volleyball Tournament in Jefferson City, Tenn.

It’s a strong rebound after Lady Saints volleyball stumbled with three consecutive losses in what has been a promising season. The team is still cruising, though, and has a 15-8 record.

At the tournament, the Saints blanked their entire brackett with wins over USC with a 3-0 win (25-13, 25-21, 25-22), North Greenville with a 3-0 win (25-18, 25-11, 25-16) and Clark with a 3-0 win (25-14, 25-9, 25-17).