Archive for January 29th, 2010

Track and field hoping to produce champions

Story and photo by Daniel Gaona

Like always, Pima Community College women’s and men’s track and field coach Greg Wenneborg has high hopes entering the season. Among those hopes is a big one: crown another individual national champion.

For three straight years Pima has had one athlete win a title. Last year it was Aurora Trujillo in the 3000 steeplechase and the year before it was Jeremiah Korn in shotput. Nicole Smith had a hat trick in 2007, winning the high jump, long jump and triple jump titles.

“We’re trying to keep the streak alive and I think that could be the story for the year if everything goes well,” Wenneborg said.

For the teams overall, he wants both to finish top 10 at nationals. The women have managed to do so the last three years and Wenneborg feels this could be the year for the men.

He said the roster exploded with talent and there are currently more than 75 athletes on it.

“We’re dealing with trying to manage a lot of student athletes but we’re really excited because we seem to be fully loaded in just about every area,” Wenneborg added. “We have very few weaknesses this year.”

Wenneborg feels the Aztecs will excel in jumping events this year. He credits jumps coach Chad Harrison’s brilliant recruiting for bringing in talent.

“I think the jumps are going to be enormous for us and they’ve been a non-factor in previous years,” he said.

Wenneborg also thinks the team’s speed will stand out on the national level.

“I think the sprints are going to post some national class times,” he said.

Among the sprinting events is the men’s 4×400 relay, made up of sophomores Stephan Bullard, Chris Phillips and Phillip Hobart. There is still one more spot to be filled in place of Johnathan Lopez, who will miss the season with a knee injury but Wenneborg believes they can shatter the school record.

“We believe they can break the school record by maybe more than four or five seconds,” he said. “Doing that in a sprint event is amazing.”

Bullard is most likely the top athlete on the men’s side. Aside from doing the 4×400 he will also compete in the 800-meter dash. Last year at nationals he placed fourth in that event and his 1:51.6 broke the school record.

“I think I peaked beautifully and the season went very well, I did get fourth in the nation but I want to expand on that,” Bullard said about last season. “I hope to get sub 1:50 this year and hopefully win the national title. I want to build up my strength and stay strong and injury free.”

Wenneborg said heptahlets and decathletes are also stepping up for the team this year. The women compete in seven events and the men compete in 10.

Stephanie Montano is looking forward to having a breakout season after setting a lifetime personal record in pole vault at a UA winter meet.

“This is my first season doing heptathlon in general and I just want to excel in things that I am good at,” she said. “Hopefully I can do well in the running events but I have to work on the jumps.”

Central Arizona College will be a heavy favorite to win the region, according to Wenneborg. He said Mesa Community College and Paradise Valley Community College would be Pima’s main competition.

“We will beat Central Arizona in some events but as a team I don’t know if we are there yet,” he added. “We’re all shooting to have them looking over their shoulder for one of us to be region champion.”

Athletic Voice: Experience will power Colts

By Daniel Gaona

After both came close to going undefeated in the regular season and both survived the playoffs as the No. 1 seeds, the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints will face off in Miami for Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7.

The Saints clinched their first ever NFC Championship with a 31-28 overtime win against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 24. New Orleans exploded to an impressive 13-0 start before losing its final three games. The disappointing finish left fans concerned but it didn’t daunt the team.

In the AFC, the Colts have found their way back to the Super Bowl for the second time in four years. The 30-17 win over the high-flying New York Jets could be deemed as revenge for ending Indianapolis’ perfect season at 14-0.

Nevertheless, first-year Colts coach Jim Caldwell was the one who decided to rest players in the final two weeks, also causing some worry.

New Orleans’ trademark is an explosive offense. In just two postseason games, the Saints have led the league with 76 points.

The offense, led by quarterback Drew Brees, was the top scoring team in the regular season as well with 510 points. It also averaged more than 400 yards a game in the regular season.

The Saints can also play defense. New Orleans survived off blitzing schemes against Arizona and Minnesota, and its defense was constantly in the quarterback’s face.

Indianapolis is loaded on both sides of the ball. Peyton Manning is arguably the best quarterback to play the game and he is the heart and soul of the team. He threw for 4,500 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark were two of his favorite targets in the regular season; both had 100 receptions and 10 touchdowns. However, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie have been the two top receivers in the playoffs. They combined for 360 yards and three touchdowns in two games.

Combining the Colts’ lockdown defense with their powerful offense is a deadly combination, especially late in the game when the entire team is clicking.

The game might be close, but from what I see the winner is easy to pick. Experience will be a factor and only one mistake could make a difference.

The Colts won three years ago in Miami and they are going to win again. Manning was named the regular season MVP, but he won’t be happy until he hoists the Lombardi trophy once again.

Editor’s pick: Colts 34, Saints 24.

PCC opposes bill allowing armed faculty

 By D.J. Ochoa

Pima Community College officials oppose a state proposal that would allow college faculty members to carry guns on campus.

Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, introduced a bill that would let faculty members who have concealed weapon permits bring their weapons onto community college and university campuses.

State-issued concealed weapon permits require a background check. Permit holders must show they know how to handle a firearm and have some training on when deadly force can be used.

“It’s a long-time goal of mine to make sure there are no defense-free zones where criminals know they can go into an establishment and there’ll be no law-abiding citizens there that can legally protect themselves,” Harper said.

The veteran legislator said his proposal would protect college students and employees.

However, PCC administrators doubt that armed faculty members would mean a safer campus.

“It seems to me that the likelihood of having a deranged person walk into a specific classroom and pull out a gun and aim it at a faculty member or other people is quite low,” Chancellor Roy Flores told Capitol News Media.

PCC Department of Public Safety Chief Stella Bay said the bill would not increase safety in any way.

“PCC has opposed similar legislation in the past and opposes this bill,” she said via e-mail. “It is the view of PCC that a weapons-free college is the safest environment for students and employees.”

Bay firmly believes that any threatening situation that occurs on school grounds should be handled by PCC’s Department of Public Safety.

“PCC Department of Public Safety personnel are trained in the use of firearms and are dedicated to ensuring safety at college facilities,” she said. “They should be the only people allowed to carry weapons at college facilities.”

PCC ENROLLMENT BOOMING

Photo by Gabi Pina

Pima Community College students register for classes at West Campus. College officials say enrollment, which normally dips slightly in the spring semester, has increased by double digits this year.