Paul Sherar - Chief Photographer

Sophmore forward Joanie White battles Davidson Wildcat opponents in the first round of the SoCon Tournament. The Mountaineers went on to defeat the Wildcats 64-63, advancing into the second round.

Hiring freeze may impact search for coach

Chris Boyce - Sports Beat

The decision on who will take over the helm of the Appalachian State University women’s basketball program will hopefully be determined in the next month, said Appalachian State athletics director Roachel Laney Tuesday.

The search committee mulling over the decision has met and will continue to meet until a short list of coaching candidates has been produced, said Laney.

“We would like to bring in a new coach as soon as possible,” said Laney, who was not concerned with recruiting factors.

“We’ve brought in three new athletes for next year, so we only have one scholarship left to give. It’s important, but not a concern.”

Appalachian State athletics officials were shocked last February when the Mountaineers coach of five seasons, Barbie Breedlove, announced her resignation effective immediately after the end of the season.

Breedlove cited health concerns as the motivation for her stepping down and hoped to find another position with the university.
Breedlove compiled a 52-80 record over her tenure.

The departure of Breedlove leaves officials scrambling for a replacement.

Laney refused to comment on whether or not he felt the next Mountaineer women’s coach would be a current or former assistant or whether the candidate would be from inside or outside the organization.

The budget cuts and current hiring freeze might be a factor in the timetable to hire, but Laney is hopeful it can be done over the next month.

“We’re looking at the next two weeks with the budget cuts,” said Laney. “So it’s further than two weeks out, but it is a position that has to be filled.”

James Nix - The Appalachian

ASU freshman Erez Cohen claimed the No. 1 singles’ seed, winning two sets, 6-4 and 10-8 to High Point University’s Jakob Windage.

Mountaineers top .500 mark with win over High Point

James Nix - Sports Beat

The Appalachian State University men’s tennis team defeated High Point University Monday in Boone and bumped itself to winning record status.

The Mountaineer’s swept High Point in doubles then won five out of the six singles matches to walk away with the 6-1 victory.

“We’re eight and seven now,” said Appalachian tennis coach Bob Lake. “That puts us above .500, which is big.”

After suffering a loss to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga last weekend, Appalachian can use this win to push itself further into the second half of the season.

Appalachian’s Alon Cohen said many of the teams the Mountaineers have beat this season have been of a lower caliber, but High Point was different.

“The win gives us much confidence because it is of a higher caliber,” said Cohen. “It also gives us confidence that we have a winning record now.”

Appalachian can now use that confidence to help keep its winning record.

In doubles, Erez Cohen and Doug Ormsby at the No. 1 spot, Ben Shuster and Alon Cohen at the No. 2 spot and Robbie Ormsby and Jason Nuis at the three spot all won 8-6.

The three doubles wins added one point to the overall score.

In singles, Erez Cohen battled from behind at the No. 1 spot. Jakob Widange took the first set 6-3, then Cohen took the second 6-4. Cohen then won the tiebreaker 10-8.

At the number two spot, Mike Fahlgren picked up High Point’s only win over Robbie Ormsby, 6-3, 6-4.

At three, Doug Ormsby won his first set easily 6-2 and then held out in the second to defeat Thomas Sjoberg, 7-5.

Shuster won his first set in a tiebreaker against Adrian Martinez at the four spot and then overcame Martinez in the second 6-2.

Alon Cohen won easily at the No. 5 spot against Neil Hammell, 6-0, 6-1.

Jacob Stapleton also won easily at the No. 6 spot over Casey Degnan, 6-0, 6-2.

Appalachian had already secured the win before Erez Cohen finished his match, but the team leader continued to fight from behind and pulled in the victory for himself.

Monday’s match was the third match the team played in Boone, which keeps the team undefeated at home.

Appalachian defeated Lees-McRae College in its first home match in February and pulled off a win last week against the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

The team spent the first half of the season on the road, and its first two home games indoors. Now as the weather warms, the Mountaineers have a chance to play opponents on the courts on which they train.

“These courts are the courts we train on,” said Cohen. “It feels very comfortable to play here.”

Now with High Point out of the way, Appalachian looks to Furman University, which it will take on today at 2:30 p.m.

The Paladins come to Boone hot off a five game winning streak, which leaves them undefeated in the Southern Conference.

“We have a little momentum going into [Furman],” said Lake.

Appalachian will return to the road to play East Tennessee State University and Davidson College after the Furman match, then return to Boone for four games to close out the season.

Chris Boyce - Sports Beat

Six top-place finishes headlined Appalachian State University track and field’s trip to the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem last weekend.

The single-day event took place March 23 and featured a 10-team field, including Boston University, Buffalo, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Ohio Northern.

Leading the Mountaineer women’s team was freshman Jennifer Claud, who finished first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.80 seconds.
The Greensboro native added a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter dash to her impressive outing.

Suzanne Makinson claimed first place in the pole vault with a height of 11 feet and 11.75 inches. Makinson finished third in the 49er Classic in mid-March.

Pacing the men’s squad was Ryan Linebarger, winner of the 400-meter hurdles with a mark of 54.41 seconds. The senior from Newton also added a third-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.03 seconds.

“He’s been holding his own,” said Appalachian State head track and field coach John Weaver. “He’s more of an endurance runner than a sprinter, and he still has some things to iron out, but he did well.”

The Mountaineer men’s relay team also tasted victory, claiming both the 4x100-meter race and the 4x400-meter event.

Ronda White finished second in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.0 seconds while her sister Tondra claimed third place with a mark of 15.01 seconds.

In the distance events a pair of third place finishes highlighted the women’s team performance.

Katie Sujkowski ran her first 1500-meter event, coming in third with a time of 4:43.12. Junior Sarah Primeau also landed a third place spot with her time of 10:30.71 in the 3000-meter race.

Weaver was happy with his team’s showing in the Mountaineers’ third meet of the young outdoor track and field season.

“We’re pretty pleased,” said Weaver. “It’s early in the season, and we’ve had some improvements in some of the field events. We’ve shown some good speed in the running events. It was a cool day so it was harder for the sprinters to warm up, but we did a good job. Some of our athletes were able to move up to into the top rankings of the SoCon after this meet.”

Claud’s performance in the 200-meter was a pleasant surprise for the Mountaineers.

“She’s doing well,” said Weaver. “She had a great career in high school, so it’s expected from her.”

The meet introduced the Appalachian State women’s squad for the first time to the steeplechase, a new NCAA requirement in championship events.

The 3000-meter race, in which 30-inch water barriers are placed every 50 meters around the track, was a first for the women’s team since it became required.

Sophomore Alisha Little and freshman Kristen Trexler became the first Appalachian State female athletes to compete in the event. Little became the first Appalachian State woman to win it, with a time 12:07.12 while Trexler finished fourth with a mark of 12:36.81.

And although it was a new event for the Appalachian State women, it wasn’t one they were unprepared for. “We set up regular hurdles on the track and also used the sandpits to help train them for the race,” said Weaver.

Up next for Appalachian State is the Raleigh Relays, hosted by North Carolina State University Friday and Saturday.