Contact: Nate Weyant, Sports Information Director

407-646-2661

February 13 , 2006

Print Version (.doc)

ROLLINS ATHLETIC HIGHLIGHTS

click on headline to for more information

***MEN'S BASKETBALL TAKES OVER TOP SPOT IN SSC

***WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SETS NEW RECORD WITH 22 ND STRAIGHT WIN

***BASEBALL TAKES THREE OF FIVE CLOSE ONES DURING THE WEEK

***WOMEN'S GOLF KICKS OFF SPRING WITH BIG VICTORY AT UCF INVITE

***WOMEN'S TENNIS SPLITS PAIR OF MATCHES

***MEN'S TENNIS FALLS TO SECOND RANKED ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC

ROLLINS COLLEGE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Joslyn Giles

Senior – Women's Basketball

Winter Haven, Fla.

Power forward Joslyn Giles (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven) posted two big games last week to keep the Tars dream season alive. The senior went for 22 points and seven rebounds in a Rollins win over Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday. She shot 7-14 from the field and 8-12 from the charity stripe in the contest while also gathering seven rebounds. She again led the Tars to victory on Saturday at Lynn University as the Blue and Gold set a new record for the longest winning streak at 22. The Knights just couldn't stop her as she netted 24 points and pulled down five rebounds. This time she knocked down 7-9 from the floor and 10-13 from the free throw line. She leads the team on the season, averaging 16.0 points per game, second best in the SSC.

MEN'S BASKETBALL TAKES OVER TOP SPOT IN SSC

Last week:

Rollins 91, Palm Beach Atlantic 55

Rollins 68, Lynn 66

Record: 18-5; 10-3 SSC (first place) – 7 th in South Region

In November, the Rollins men's basketball team was picked seventh in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll and was asked questions about a rebuilding year. Heading into the heart of the SSC season in early January, the Tars were 9-5 and sitting near the bottom of the conference with a 3-2 mark. Since then, the Blue and Gold have rattled off nine straight victories and are now in sole possession of first place with only four games left on the schedule. During the streak some victories have been blowouts and some have been battles with the Tars getting a taste of both last week, winning big over PBA then manufacturing an amazing comeback for a two point win at Lynn.

Rollins hosted non-conference opponent Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday and rolled to a 91-55 victory. A very balanced Tars attack, that featured four players in double figures, was led by redshirt freshman Kevin Hogan (Pensacola, Fla.) with 15 off the bench. Fellow reserve Isaac Codrey (Winter Park, Fla.) dropped 14 on 5-6 shooting from the field, while starters Jon Smith (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and John Thinnes (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 13 and 10 respectively. Rollins grabbed a 20 point advantage at intermission and never looked back, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half for their eighth straight.

Since downing Eckerd on the road the previous Saturday, the Tars had been looking forward to their trip to Boca Raton in a match-up with fellow SSC leader Lynn. The victor would grab sole possession of the conference lead and gain an edge for the regular season title as the season winds down. It was a tale of two halves as the Tars connected on just 8-21 shots and 6-15 free throws in the first period and were down by as much as 22 points (41-19) before ending the half in a 41-24 hole. After a rousing halftime speech by head coach Tom Klusman, the Tars came out with a barrage of long-range bombs and chipped away at the lead until a Deon Troupe (St. Petersburg, Fla.) trey with 7:22 remaining knotted the game at 59. Senior Nate Rusbosin (Hamilton, Ohio) nailed a three pointer a few minutes later to give the visitors their first lead of the game and set up a wild final two minutes. A Thinnes free throw with 10 ticks left put Rollins ahead 68-66 and they held on for Rollins' biggest win of the year. The Tars shot 68 percent in the second half and held the Knights to just 32 percent. Another balanced offense was led by point guard Jonny Reibel (Chicago, Ill.) with 17 points to go along with a team best seven boards. Thinnes added 16 behind three treys while Deon Troupe netted 12.

Rollins will look to make it 10 in a row Wednesday, February 15 as they will host Tampa to kick off a three game home stand that will include games with Barry and Florida Southern to end the home season. The Spartans and Tars will tip-off at 7:30 with Saturday's contest against Barry set to go at 4 p.m.

Teams are listed in the order they would be seeded
if the SSC Tournament began today.  

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SETS NEW RECORD WITH 22 ND STRAIGHT WIN

Last week:

Rollins 59, Palm Beach Atlantic 39

Rollins 72, Lynn 60

Record: 22-0, 12-0 SSC (first place) 9 th in nation; 4 th in region

The dream season continues as the Rollins women's basketball team continues to give opponents fits with a stifling defense and high octane offense. It was another two win week for the Tars, beating Palm Beach Atlantic at home on Wednesday and downing Lynn on the road Saturday. The victories set a new program mark for longest winning streak, beating the 2003-04 team that ran the table in the conference and advanced to the Sweet 16, and adds to the Tars record of best start to a season.

The Tars are outscoring teams by an average of 22.0 points per game this season and are surrendering just 49.5 points per game, ranking their defense among the nation's best.

Rollins matched-up with a very determined Palm Beach Atlantic squad on Wednesday and had a hard time shaking the Sailfish, holding just a 31-22 lead at the half. The patented defense then kicked in and held PBA in check during the second period, holding them to just 26 percent shooting and 17 points, to score the 59-39 victory. Joslyn Giles (Winter Haven, Fla.) lit up the scoreboard for 22 points on 7-14 shooting from the floor and 8-12 from the free throw line. Larissa McDonough (Ormond Beach, Fla.) added 15 points and a team best nine rebounds.

The Tars then headed South for a clash with SSC foe Lynn as Rollins looked to keep their two game lead in the SSC standings. Rollins put together the type of game they are capable of, leading from start to finish in the 72-60 triumph. The hosts outscored Lynn 28-14 over the games first 10 minutes and went up by as much as 25 late in the second period. The Tars were out-rebounded in the contest, but smooth shooting from the field paved the way for the victory. Giles was again a unstoppable scoring threat, rolling up 24 points behind a 10-13 performance at the free throw line. Point guard Jen Musgrove (Palm Bay, Fla.) also had a big offensive output, adding 12 points and a team best seven rebounds.

The Tars have another big week ahead of them as they host Tampa on Wednesday, February 15 at 5:30, in a game that will have a huge impact on who becomes the SSC regular season champion. Rollins currently has a two game lead over the Spartans with four games left in the season. A Tars victory would ensure Glenn Wilkes at least a share of his 10 th Sunshine State Conference championship. From there, Rollins will welcome Barry to the Aflond Sports Center on Saturday, February 18 at 2 p.m. in what will be another huge SSC contest.

Teams are listed in the order they would be seeded
if the SSC Tournament began today.

BASEBALL TAKES THREE OF FIVE CLOSE ONES DURING THE WEEK

Last week:

Tampa 5, Rollins 2

Rollins 3, Carson-Newman 2 (15 innings)

Rollins 6, Carson-Newman 4

Rollins 2, Carson-Newman 1 (9 innings/scheduled for 7)

Carson-Newman 3, Rollins 2 (12 innings)

Record: 6-4, 0-0 SSC

In their second straight busy week, the young Tars found some success and had to battle through some pitfalls, sandwiching four wins between losses last week. Rollins fell to SSC foe Tampa in a midweek, non-conference game before taking three straight from Carson-Newman. Game one of the series was a marathon, going 15 innings in a 3-2 Rollins win. The two schools came right back the next morning for a doubleheader with Rollins winning 6-4 in the opener and 2-1 in extra frames in the nightcap. Adding to the fact that the Tars and Eagles were matched up evenly, Sunday's final game went 12 innings, but Rollins came up short 3-2.

Rollins clashed with Tampa in a non-conference game on Tuesday at Jack Russell field and fell to UT 5-2 despite a solid start from senior right-hander Eduardo Chile (Miami, Fla.). He threw six solid innings in the loss, allowing four runs and fanning five. Freshmen Anthony Soto (Miami, Fla.) and Jason Cutlip (Casselberry, Fla.) batted in the Tars runs with Soto going 2-4 in the game. Junior Gene Howard (Nahant, Mass.) and senior Brent Magnuson also went 2-4.

The Blue and Gold then opened up a four game set with regional foe Carson-Newman that turned into a 43 inning weekend. Friday's game one set the tone as the schools battled for more than three hours with the Tars coming out on top 3-2 in 15 innings. Sophomore Gary Martoccio (Lutz, Fla.) jacked his second homer of the year in the eighth to knot the game at two. The game ended with Brent Magnuson drew a one out walk and freshman Eugene Martinez (Miami, Fla.) fired a double to the wall in the bottom of the 15 th that plated Magnuson. Martoccio went 2-4 with two RBI while Stefano Foggi (Evanston, Ill.) hit 3-6. Hurler David Nathanson (Maitland, Fla.) threw seven solid innings, striking out seven and allowing two unearned runs.

The Eagles and Tars then played a doubleheader on Saturday with Rollins earning the sweep by scored of 6-4 and 2-1. Martoccio was all over the base paths in game one, going 1-1 with three walks and two runs scored. Freshman Ryan Maddern (New Milford, Conn.) led the Rollins bats, going 3-4 with an RBI while fellow newcomer Tyler Hartman (Deltona, Fla.) went 1-4 with a two RBI double. Game two was scheduled for seven innings, but went the full nine as junior shortstop Ryan McKenzie (Orlando, Fla.) delivered the game winning RBI single. Jon Wano (Arlington Heights, Ill.) threw eight innings, allowing just one earned run with two strikeouts. Freshman Michael Eppich got the win, working the ninth an allowing just one hit. Foggi again led the offense, going 2-5 while Howard and McKenzie each hit 2-4 with an RBI.

Game four of the series was a barnburner as the teams battled for 12 innings with the Eagles coming out on top 3-2. Chile, seeing his second start of the week, had a great outing for the Tars, going nine innings and striking out 13 batters and surrendering one earned run. He also threw 6.2 innings before allowing a hit. Howard led the way, going 3-6 with an RBI single while Foggi hit 1-5.

The Tars will be back in action on Thursday, February 16 at home in Alfond Stadium when they will square off with Bryant. This match-up will have special significance for Rollins head coach Jon Sjogren as he coached at Bryant for 15 seasons before coming to Rollins this season. First pitch is scheduled for 7 pm. Theywill then host St. Thomas on Sunday, February 19 th in a non-conference doubleheader.

WOMEN'S GOLF KICKS OFF SPRING WITH BIG VICTORY AT UCF INVITE

Last week: 1 st of 13 teams at UCF Invitational

The top ranked Rollins women's golf team gained momentum in their quest for a fourth straight NCAA Division II title with a victory at the UCF Invitational on Tuesday to kick off the spring championship season. Rollins shot a final day 301, after carding 298 in round one, for a three shot win over second place Florida International (300-298-598). Host UCF (303-308) and Texas Tech (301-310) each totaled 611 strokes for the tournament and tied for fourth with South Alabama (308-306-614) coming in fifth.

“The course played much tougher today than it did in the first round,” said Tars head coach Julie Garner. “We did a great job taking care of the more difficult holes and not getting down after a bad shot. We knew that it was going to be close coming down the stretch and our ability to take it one shot at a time played a big part in our success.”

Senior Charlotte Campbell (Heathrow, Fla.) led the Tars in the final day, going for an even par 72 after a first round 75 to tie for fourth place with 147 strokes. Mariana De Biase (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) one of four players with the day one lead, carded 77 on day two to finish in sixth place at 148 shots. Vanessa Vela (Bogota, Colombia) tied for 11 th place, firing a pair of 75's for a 150 stroke tournament with Marie-Pierre Bernier ( Quebec, Canada ) tying for 17 th place with rounds of 73 and 80 (153). Catlin Barry (Lowell, Mass.) totaled 155 strokes (78-77) in the competition and tied for 23 rd .

Rollins also had three players compete as individuals in the event. Cristina Gugler (Linz, Austria ) tied for 39 th after rounds of 79 and 80 while Catherine Hicks (Chattanooga, Tenn.) used a final round 76 to tie for 49 th at 161 strokes. Kelly McEnerney (Winter Park, Fla.) finished alone in 57 th place, carding rounds of 83 and 82 (165).

The three time defending National Champion Tars will be back on the course February 26-28 at the Lady Moc Invitational, hosted by Florida Southern in Lakeland, Florida.

WOMEN'S TENNIS SPLITS PAIR OF MATCHES

Last week:

Stetson 7, Rollins 2

Rollins 9, Palm Beach Atlantic 0

Record: 1-1, 0-0 SSC

The Rollins women's tennis team opened the spring season by splitting a pair of matches, falling to Stetson and defeating Palm Beach Atlantic.

Against Stetson, the Tars fell into a 0-3 hole after doubles play and were unable to recover as they lost their season opener to Stetson 7-2 at the Martin Tennis Complex on Wednesday. Sophomores Marnie Mahler (Naples, Fla.) and Sonia Bernal (Bogotá, Colombia) scored the Tars two points as each won their singles match in straight sets.

Tasi Purcell (Orlando, Fla.) and Marnie Mahler, the seventh ranked doubles team in Division II, struggled at the start, but battled back to within a game before ultimately falling 8-6 to Mili Milovanovic and Maja Miladinovic at No. 1 singles. The No. 2 match was also a close battle with Stetson's Catherine Canady and Anna Leonenko defeating Rollins' Sonia Bernal and Anastasiya Shevchenko (Kyiv, Ukraine) 9-7. No. 3 doubles was all Hatters with Samantha Lange and Danielle Mollman scoring a 6-1 win over Silvia Frandji (Orlando, Fla.) and Cassie Webster (Brockport, N.Y.).

Mahler, who is ranked #42 in the nation, made quick work of Miladinovic at No. 2 singles, winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. Bernal was just as successful at the No. 3 slot, taking a 6-3, 6-1 win over Leonenko. Division II's 15 th ranked singles player, Tasi Purcell blanked Milovanovic 6-0 in the first set at No. 1 singles, but fell in the next two frames, 7-5, 7-5 for another Hatters point. Canady bested Shevchenko 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 4 position, Lange defeated Frandji 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5 and Mollman downed Webster 6-3, 7-5 at No. 6 singles.

The Rollins women's tennis team notched their first victory of the young season, defeating Palm Beach Atlantic 9-0 on the road Saturday. The Tars surrendered just two games in doubles competition and had just one singles match go beyond two sets in the dominating victory.

Rollins (1-1) was hot from the beginning as Tasi Purcell and Sonia Bernal teamed to down Kristin Halvorson and Alli Hillman 8-0 in the No. 1 doubles match. Anastasiya Shevchenko and Silvia Frandji downed Mandy Mahrt and Amy Conner 8-2 in the No. 2 match with Cassie Webster and Sam Rothenberger (Mohrsville, Pa.) taking the No. 3 match by default.

Purcell, the 15 th ranked singles player in the nation, made easy work of Halvorson in the No. 1 singles match, winning 6-0, 6-0. Bernal downed Hillman 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 singles with Shevchenko taking the No. 3 match, 6-2, 4-6 (10-6). Frandji scored a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles and Webster completed the sweep with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 5 singles. Rothenberger recorded a victory in the No. 6 by default.

The Rollins women's tennis team will host the University of West Florida on Monday, February 13 in their next match at the Martin Tennis Complex. Play is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

***NOTE - The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) has announced an exciting new event, the 2006 Fila Cup: Alumni Doubles Challenge Cup. This tournament will take place in South Florida March 31 st -April 2 nd in conjunction with the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne. This is a great opportunity to showcase the game of doubles, connect with your alumni and have a chance to earn a $1,000 donation for the Rollins Tennis Program.

The Fila Cup is a pilot program that targets varsity and recreational collegiate tennis alumni from across the country. The draws will consist of 32 men's doubles teams and 32 women's doubles teams. Participants must be at least 35 years old and the combined age of each team must be 75 years old. In addition to the age restriction, at least one player per team must have played varsity collegiate tennis. The entry deadline is March 10 th .

Complete information and entry forms are available on the ITA website at: www.itatennis.com/filacup .  

MEN'S TENNIS FALLS TO SECOND RANKED ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC

Last week:

Armstrong Atlantic 6, Rollins 3

Record: 0-2

Eighth ranked Rollins grabbed a 2-1 lead after doubles, but second ranked Armstrong Atlantic ran away with the match in singles play, downing the Tars 6-3 on Saturday.

The Tars fall to 0-2 on the season while the Pirates improve to 4-0.

Seniors Carlos Custodio (Porto Alefre, Brazil) and David Tafur (Longwood, Fla.) upset the nation's fifth ranked doubles team in Robert Jendelund and Taavo Roos by a score of 8-6 at the No. 1 slot. Brian Compton (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Jonathan Gomez (Diego Martin, Trinidad) gave the Tars another point as they scored an 8-3 win over Paul Bishop and David Secker in the No. 2 match. AASU got on the board with a victory in No. 3 doubles as Kevin Sijmons and Davor Zink downed Adrian Tan (Sydney, Australia) and Mike Compton (Cincinnati, Ohio) 8-3.

In the singles competition it was all Armstrong as they won five of the six matches to run away with the win. The No. 1 match featured a pair of ranked players locked in a back and forth battle as 15 th ranked Zink got the best of 19 th ranked Custodio 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Bishop recorded an upset victory as he downed 48 th ranked Tafur 7-5, 6-2 in the No. 2 match. Rollins scored in the No. 3 match as newcomer Tan came back to beat Jendelund 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Roos defeated Gomez in a very close No. 4 match, winning 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3 while Secker bested Brian Compton 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 in the No. 5 spot. Sijmons was the Pirates sixth point as he beat Albin Hubscher (Plymouth, Minn.) 6-3, 7-6(4) in No. 6 singles.

The Rollins men's tennis team will be back in action on Monday, February 13 as they will host the nation's top ranked team in West Florida. Competition will begin at 2 p.m. at the Tiedtke Tennis Courts on the Rollins College campus.  

NEWS AND NOTES

ROLLINS PROMOTES TOM KLUSMAN TO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 8, 2006) – Long-time Rollins College men's basketball coach Tom Klusman has been named assistant director of athletics for external affairs, announced Director of Athletics Pennie Parker on Wednesday. He will continue to head the Tars men's basketball program while assuming new responsibilities within the department.

“Tom has been a vital link between Rollins and the Winter Park area for many years,” said Parker. “I believe this will be a wonderful relationship for our department and the community at-large. We are very excited about the future of the Athletic Department with Tom overseeing the new external branch.”

As part of his new duties, Klusman will serve as liaison to the Tar Booster committee, serve on various campus and fundraising committees and will develop community relations through departmental initiatives.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Klusman earned his B.A. in Business Administration in 1976 and his MBA in 1978, both from Rollins. He had four standout seasons on the Tars basketball team and still remains on the all-time scoring list, having tallied 1,006 points in his career. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Winter Park High School following college and was named Rollins' head coach in 1980 at the age of 26. Since then, Klusman has built Rollins into one of the premier collegiate basketball programs in the nation.

A member of both the Sunshine State Conference and Rollins Hall of Fames, he has totaled more than 450 victories and ranks 16 th among active NCAA Division II head coaches in total wins. Klusman is a four time SSC Coach of the Year and was twice named the NABC South Region Coach of the Year. In his 26 years at the helm, Klusman has coach four All-Americans, two conference Players of the Year, two SSC Freshman of the Year and 31 All-SSC players. Under his leadership, the Tars have captured four SSC titles, one conference tournament title and have reached the NCAA Tournament three times, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2004.

MORE: http://www.rollins.edu/athletics/tomasstAD.shtml

BOYD COFFIE GOLF TOURNAMENT – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 – NORTH SHORE GOLF CLUB

http://www.rollins.edu/athletics/documents/boydcoffieflyer.pdf

SAVE THE DATE!! – MYERS-MILLER TEAM GOLF TOURNAMENT

The annual Myers-Miller Rollins Team Golf Tournament will be held this year on Monday, April 24th at Interlachen Country Club . 

http://www.rollins.edu/athletics/documents/2006myersmillerflyer_000.pdf