Students learn about African cultures, practices

Allison PriceStaff Writer

The African Student Association (ASA) hosted their Afro Week event with celebrations taking place every day of the week.

“This is to inform students of African culture with different events,” sophomore

and president of ASA Joseph Wezuobu said. “Everyone is welcome and we want students to learn.”

This is the third year that ASA has had an event similar to Afro Week, and every year they showcase a different country Wezuobu said.

“This is really cool and it is shows different parts of Africa with different food,” freshman Amisha Singleton said. “It lets people experience what the food tastes like and what the [culture] is like.”

Monday started off Afro Week with a movie in the Super Slab and ASA provided lemonade.

“The movie was based on a true story about a South African [man] who worked in a factory and coached a soccer team,” Wezuobu said. “The man is later on accused of being involved with terrorist attacks when he really wasn’t involved.”

Tuesday’s event was “I Bleed Africa” that took place in the UC lobby with food and general info about different

African countries. There were posters with facts about several African countries, Wezuobu said.

“This was mainly about getting to know different African countries,” senior and ASA historian Ida Kweifio said.

“Taste of Africa” was the event on Wednesday and it was a way for students to try traditional African dishes, Kweifio said.

“Chartwells cooks our food, and we served dishes like meat pie and jollof

Page two Run for recovery Survey geared for first-years Education of ASU about Africa

Page three Auditorium revamp MAPs

Page four Family Day celebrations

Page five ACU Upset

Page six Cross country Volleyball

Visit www.asurampage.com

Volume 79 Issue 5 Sept. 28, 2012

RAM PAGE

Photo by Rio Velasquez

Sophomore Angel Chavez participates in “Afro Week” by eating lunch during an event at the University Center.

Page 3 New system in place Survey Advice

Page 4New face in townPage 5Unexpected win

See AFRICAN pg. 2

National Museum Day

Photo by Tim Peevy

National Museum Day is Saturday, Sept. 29 and is sponsored by the Simthsonian Mu-seums.

Several museums across the nation are participating in the holiday.

In San Angelo, Fort Concho National His-toric Landmark, San Angelo Railway Museum, San Angelo Nature Center and San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts will be offering free ad-mission to anyone that visits with a Museum Day ticket.

The holiday is inspired by the Smithsonian Museums, which offer free admission every day.

According to Smithsonian.com:

• OnlyanofficialMuseumDayLive!ticket is eligible for free entry. Of-ficialticketscanbefoundhereontheMuseumDayLive!Website.

• One ticket per household, for two people.• A ticket will gain entry to only one of

the participating museums, excluding parking and special events and exhibits.

• If museum reaches capacity, museum has the right to limit the number of guests until space becomes available. This is one of the cannons on display at Fort Concho that visitors can see on National Museum Day.

Dillon BrollierManaging Editor

Accident at the library

A female student was hit by a vehicle in the Porter Henderson Library Wednesday morning at about 9 a.m.No official condition was given for the

female student at the scene. Eye witnesses say that the student was

riding her bicycle when a motor vehicle did not stop.

“I was riding my motorcycle behind the car whenever I saw her crossing the road going toward the sidewalk,” freshman Carl Stanush said. “From what I saw he was goingaboutfivetoeightmilesperhourandendeduphittingher.ThebikeflewoutandI saw her fall to the ground.”ASU Police Lt. Marc West confirmed

Stanush’s account adding that no condition for the student was given. She was however carried off in a neck brace.

Stanush said he is a “MT basic minus my national registry test ” and assisted at the scene by “holding the neck (of the victim) in place that way she would not end up damaging her spine anymore.”

Staff Report

ASU students open their eyes

Correction

There was an error in the 9-21-12 edition oftheRamPageinourChick-fil-Astory.At the time of last week’s publication Dr. Kornasky’s petition had nearly 50 signatures from faculty and staff on campus, a much larger number than the reported three percent in the article.

Friday, Sept. 28 , 2012Page 2 NEWSEvents Calendar

Get involvedon campus!

Here’s what’s going on this week.

Friday, Sept. 28

Art Exhibit: “Fistula and Fissure” by Joseph ShoresAug. 31 through Sept. 28 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Carr Education-Fine Arts Building, room 193

Volleyball: Rambelles at Eastern New Mexico7 to 10 p.m.

Soccer: Rambelles at West Texas A&M7 to 10 p.m.Canyon, Texas

Saturday, Sept. 29

SARL 8th Annual Let It Go Recovery Rally & Run8 a.m.Avenue D and Orient San Angelo, Texas 76903

Cross Country: ASU at Grass Route Grand Prix12 to 3 p.m.Austin, Texas

Volleyball: Rambelles at West Texas A&M2 to 5 p.m.

Football: Rams at Eastern New Mexico3 to 6 p.m.Greyhound Football Stadium, Portales, N.M.

Sunday, Sept. 30

Golf: ASU at University of Central Oklahoma Invitational

Play It Again- West Texas Jazz Orchestra2 p.m.San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, One Love Street

Soccer: Rambelles at Eastern New Mexico2 to 5 p.m.Portales, N.M.

Monday, Oct. 1

UCPC 40th Birthday Bash4 p.m. to Oct. 2, 8 p.m.Super Slab

Tuesday, Oct. 2

Student Social Work Association (SSWA) Monthly Meeting5:45 to 6:45 p.m.Academic Building Room 113

Volleyball: Rambelles at Tartleton State7 to 10 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 3

Music: Student Recital4 p.m.Carr Education-Fine Arts Building, Eldon Black Recital Hall

Soccer: Rambelles vs. Incarnate Word4 p.m. to 7 p.m.San Angelo, Texas

Cyclocross Series 20126:30 p.m.Varsity Softball Complex

Thursday, Oct. 4

Starting Your Own Busi-ness? What You Need to Know!6 to 8:30 p.m.Rassman Building, room 100

Submit event requests by 5 p.m. Tuesday for Friday publication to rampage@angelo.edu

$1.50DRAFT BEER

midnightrodeosanangelo.comrice which are popular traditional dishes,”

Wezuobu said.Thursday was cultural awareness day and

students could ask a panel, which consisted of different ethnicities, questions about their culture.

“We ask them how they grew up and they provide their side and share experiences they went through,” Wezuobu said. “This is a way to show the difference between cultures and eliminate typical stereotypes.”

Today caps off Afro Week but ASA looks at it as a one final celebration with an interactive activity he said.

“Friday’s event is named t-shirts and desserts,” Wezuobu said. “We will provide plain white t-shirts, paint and markers [for participants] to decorate shirts while [eating] carrot cake or ice cream.”

Singleton said that student organizations should try to have more of these events for students to attend.

“I enjoy the music that are at the events,” freshman Lucas Pérez said.

ASA wants to hold more of these events to encourage students to learn about the cultures surrounding us, Wezuobu said.

“[ASA] doesn’t want to sit there and give a lecture about the different countries and facts,” Wezuobu said. “We want to make it interactive and fun.”

Keep checking Ram Page for more events hosted by the Multi-

cultural Center!

African-inspired events held to educate studentsContinued from page 1

Local program hosting run, prizes and raffles for participants

Allison PriceStaff Writer

The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council of the Concho Valley (ADACCV) is hosting tomorrow the eighth annual Let It Go Recovery Rally and Run at 8 a.m.

“This is a way for us to celebrate recovery,” CEO of ADACCV Eric Sanchez said. “This is an event to show that recovery is possible.”

Sanchez said he began this event eight years ago, and this year, ADACCV has added the running portion.

“Traditionally, we have only hosted the rally and balloon release,” said Angelina Osornio, program development director for ADACCV. “This year we are holding the run, and it is appealing to a larger part of the community in San Angelo.”

According to www.roadlizards.org, there will be a one-mile run/walk and

5K with the event beginning at El Paseo located on the corner of S. Oakes and E. Avenue D.

“September is National Recovery Month, and we want to commemorate those who have recovered,” Osornio said. “There is a tendency that people think you can’t recover from addiction. It is possible to recover with [the right] treatment.”

According to www.roadlizards.org, there will be a balloon release towards the end of the event as a symbol of letting go of addiction.

“There are different colored balloons at different financial levels,” Osornio said. “Balloon pledges cost $2, $5, $10, $20 and [amounts] over $20. You can write a little message, name or date on the balloon, and then [the balloons] will be released all at once.”

There is pre-registration for the race, but one can also register the day of the rally and run Sanchez said.

“The one mile run is $10 if you pre-register and $12 on [Saturday],” Sanchez said. “The 5K costs $15 if you pre-register and $17 on [Saturday].”

There will be raffle prizes offered, and for every $5 spent on a balloon pledge, participants are given a raffle ticket, Osornio said.

“The raffle prizes we have this year are a Craftsman tool set and tool box, an iPod touch and a [Fijifilm] digital camera,” Osornio said.

The ADACCV has set a goal of raising $5,000 at this event, Sanchez said.

“We want to raise $5,000 and the proceeds will go to help [fund] our detox expansion project,” Osornio said. “We want to [add] a 13,000 square foot expansion on our building for detox services.”

Anyone who signs up for the race will receive a free t-shirt and any volunteers who help will also receive a t-shirt, she said.

“The rally is free, but we will be accepting donations throughout the event,” Osornio said.

Students will be able to volunteer at the event and/or participate in the one-mile or 5K, Sanchez said.

“We do need volunteers to help set up the event the day of,” Sanchez said. “You can contact Angelina or Chelsea [Doherty] for more information.”

For more information about the event or how to become a volunteer, contact Angelina at angelinao@adaccv.org or Chelsea at chelsead@adaccv.org or call 325-224-3481.

Running for recovery, fundraising for project

Campus plan helps freshmen adjust to college, life in the future

Dillon BrollierManaging Editor

Incoming freshmen on campus have many challenges that must be faced in the world of college life.

ASU has many different programs that help guide first-year students through the choppy waters of college life.

Making Achievement Possible Works is one such program on campus that looks to help struggling students

get through their first year of college. “It allows us after the students take

their initial survey to kind of get a snap shot of how they are doing as a student,” Travis Taylor, Map Works director and area coordinator for Texan Hall said. “Are they adjusting well, are they succeeding in certain areas, what are their weaknesses in other areas and allows us to allocate our efforts to the students that need them most.”

Residential Programs and the College of Arts and Science have teamed up to make this program work at ASU, Taylor said.

The program is only for first time freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, and students are strongly encouraged to take the survey, Taylor

said. “By taking the initial survey, that is

what enrolls students in the program,” Taylor said.

The results are used to recognize what the student will need and what department can render the best aid.

“The MAP-Works survey’s results will be used to better inform your hall staff and academic advisor about your progress,” Taylor said in an e-mail to first year students. “They will use the information during their meetings with you to help customize a success plan that will ensure that you meet your goals here at ASU.”

The survey was sent out to all first year freshmen in an e-mail.

Proven system helps guide first year students

See SURVEY pg. 3

The survey for first-year students can be found at: https://angelo.map-works.com/Login.

Friday, Sept. 28, 2012Page 3 NEWS

120395

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The theatre department this se-mester is undergoing some changes in department affiliations and will also be presenting the upcoming rock opera show “The Who’s Tom-my.”

Professor of Theatre and Direc-tor of University Theatre Dr. Bill Doll said his goal this semester is to survive.

Doll said with so much going on it tends to create a chaotic atmo-sphere, but he said he is also excited about the transition into the Visual Arts and Music department.

“It makes more sense to be with the Visual Arts and Music depart-ment because they are so similar; it gets the students better prepared for the public eye on a different lev-el,” Doll said.

The auditorium has recently been repaired after being closed for four years, Doll said. It was deemed unsafe after the fly system began to fall apart.

A fly system is what allows for objects, curtains and people to be lifted into the air on stage through

the use of pulleys and weights, he said.

The fly system for the Modu-lar Theatre broke because it was overused, he said. It has now been replaced, and students are looking forward to using it again.

Doll said he is living the dream and loves to teach and pro-duce plays.

This October will bring the rock opera show “The Who’s Tom-my,” which follows the life of a young boy who suffered from a horrific childhood, but through the power of rock and roll and an uncanny knack for pinball he be-comes an international pinball su-perstar.

Bernardino ‘Chito’ Hernandez, who plays the star role of Tommy, said he was all over the stage.

“It’s a very big production with different colored lights, fog, and amazing costume,” he said. “It’s a concert in theatre form.”

Another cast member said the show is unique.

“It’s a very different kind of show and something that ASU has never seen before,” dancer Heather Walker said.

The cast has worked hard re-hearsing four hours Monday through Saturday,” said Mike Bur-nett, Assistant Professor of Theatre/

Assistant Director.Everyone wants to be able to

perform to the best of their abilities, Burnett said.

One highlight from the show is the costumes that are time-period specific, he said.

“The show takes place in the 1940s through the 1960s so towards the end the wardrobe is more psy-

chedelic,” a student said. The performance will feature the

rock band, The Who’s, famous song “Pinball Wizard,” a cast member said. “It will highlight the ending of the show when pinball machines will be brought on to the stage and Tommy will be hoisted into the air.

The show will be Oct. 12, 13, 19, 20 and 21 in the ASU auditorium.

Auditorium ready for first show in nearly four years

Adriana IbarraContributor

Photo by: Rio VelasquezFans of the classic rock band, The Who, will recognize the story for “The Who’s Tommy”. It is the story told in the song “Pinball Wizard” off of their 1969 rock opera album,“Tommy”.

Rock opera is reinvented in rennovated auditorium

While there are no formal meetings for the Map Works program, those involved with the program are in constant contact with students, Taylor said.

Map Works officials spread the word and allow those students who may be struggling to seek someone they can confide in or someone that can help them.

Junior Ares Parker is the

student representative to the Maps Works program and could be seen in a different light by students when compared to other mentors.

“Students seem to respond to him better because he am still around their age, Parker said. “I am their peer and I think they might open up and be more willing to accept my advice than from professional staff because I am in their shoes right now.”

Among some of the biggest struggles that Parker said he has

seen are students meeting the cost to attend a university.

“A lot of issues are financial,” Parker said. “Some students don’t understand how to go about getting financial aid and getting the most out of it, or sometimes they need help just finding a job.”

While Map Works is offered at ASU, it is not an original creation by the university.

“Map works is a product that we purchase off the market; it is for sale for any university,” Taylor

said. “It has been around for nearly 26 years now, and the exceptional thing about the tool is that it remains current.”

Parker said that working with the Map Works program gives him the opportunity to help new students.

Parker said he wants to help students get to where they want to be in college. “I want them to have the ability to fight back and not give up.”

Surveys give new college students a helping handContinued from page 1

Friday, Sept. 28, 2012Page 4 FEATURES

Family Day and Rambouillet Rams

During Family Day, face painters were set up at tables with blue and yellow paint to represent the ASU colors.

Photo courtsey of Multicultural Center Clayton Banister hung out with Dominic VII and Dominic VIII during Family Day.Photo courtsey of Multicultural Center

Lorina Soza (center) is an office coordinatior for the Multicultural Center and she is also the head of the First-Generation Host Family Program. The five students (above) participate in the Host Family Program.

Photo by Rio Velasquez

The Ram Band and Angelettes performed for students and their families.

Photo courtsey of Multicultural Center

Roscoe, Bella and Dominic VIII are all ASU mascots.Photo courtsey of Multicultural Center

Family members were welcomed to check out campus and attend

the several events that were planned for the weekend. Photo courtsey of Multicultural Center

Photo courtsey of Multicultural CenterLisa Quintanilla comes to family Day with her host family.

• DominicVIIIwasbornMarch3,2012andhasbeentrainingwithnine-year-oldtwinsistersKellyandKim-berlySalisburytolovepeoplesincehewasfour-weeks-old.

• Today,DominicisaregularfixtureatASUactivities,rangingfromtheOfficialRingCeremonytooutdoorathleticevents.

• TheramisanappropriatesymbolfortheuniversityandtheregionbecauseSanAngelohaslongbeenthecenteroftheTexaswoolandmohairindustryandthehomeoftheTexasSheepandGoatRaisersAssocia-tion.

• Until1964,theramwentbyavarietyofnames,butthatyearthestudentbodyheldanelectiontodecidehispermanentmonikerandDominicwonout.

• ASU’sAgricultureDepartmentmaintainsaherdofRambouilletsheeponitsranchlandsoutsideoftown.

• EachDominicisthesonofthepreviousDominicse-lectedfromtheherd,baseduponhisdemeanorandthesweepofhishorns.

Dominic’s Dynamic DetailsThe RAMS Mentor Program and the First-Generation Host Family Program held a

Family Day breakfast in the pit outside of the University Center.

Photo by Rio Velasquez

Facts courtesy of Corey Owens

Page 5 Friday, Sept. 28, 2012OPINION

PUBLISHING POLICYPublished every Friday and available to students, one copy per student, the stu-dent newspaper of Angelo State University is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all decisions concerning its contents. Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board.Ram Page welcomes all letters. Please include your name, classification/posi-tion and a phone number and/or e-mail address for verification purposes. Letters must be signed and be no more than 350 words. The paper reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws governing obscenity, libel and privacy. Deadline is 5 p.m., Monday. Submission does not guar-antee publication. Letters may be mailed, e-mailed or submitted at the newspaper’s office, Room 324 on the third floor of the Porter Henderson Library. Opinions in let-ters are not necessarily those of the staff, nor should any opinion expressed in a public forum be construed as the opinion or policy of the administration, unless so attributed.

Ram Page Staff

2012-2013A n g e l o S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

Editor: Sawyer RicardManaging Editor: Dillon BrollierCopy Editor: Lisa DeesFeatures Editor: Allison PriceStaff Writer: Stephen CoganPhotographer: Tim PeevyPhotographer: Rio VelasquezCirculation Manager: Mariah PowellAdvertising Manager: Kaitlynn Glendinning Adviser: Dr. Cathy Johnson

Ram PageASU Station #10895

San Angelo, Texas76909-0895

Editor: rampage@angelo.edu Managing Editor: rampagenews@angelo.edu Features Editor: rampagefeatures@angelo.edu Advertising: rampageads@angelo.edu

Editor: (325) 942-2323 Newsroom: (325) 942-2134 Advertising: (325) 942-2040 Fax: (325) 942-2551

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Ram Page

College football has evolved to the point where a great team is as important to the school’s cul-ture as its academics.

If I were a school representative telling teen-agers the pros of coming to ASU, I’d mention the great teachers, the intramural sports programs, the first-class library and the multicultural cen-ter.

Then, I’d just toss into the conversation that the football team just upset their lifetime rival on their goodbye tour of the Lone Star Confer-ence, as Abilene Christian University will be joining the Southland Conference next year.

This past weekend, Head Coach Will Wagner and his staff crafted a strategy that was executed to perfection by their players, and the result is a tale that students at ASU will remember forever.

I wrote a preview for the game in the previous Ram Page, and as I wrote it, I thought to myself, “It’d be really awesome if they actually pulled off this upset.”

ASU went up against ACU and its star quar-terback Mitchell Gale were coming into their house on ASU’s Family Day game with a cocky swagger that they’d steamroll the Rams.

Gale had been appointed as the favorite to be the NCAA Division II Offensive Player of the Year. Wagner, the stoic defensive-minded gener-

al, wasn’t going to let that happen to his troops.The football coach is always under pressure no

matter what the team’s record is and after a dis-appointing 1-2 start, Wagner wasn’t going to let it be 1-3, and neither were his players.

The Rams pulled it off by being tougher than the Wildcats and forcing their rushing attack to be virtually useless. The Wildcats had 19 rush-ing attempts that yielded nine yards.

In essence, the Wildcats averaged 18 inches or an arm-length per play. The Rams, with each tackle, with each time they plugged a gap or slammed a lane shut, said that if the Wildcats were going to beat them, they’d have to do it in the air.

ACU was content with trying, but didn’t factor in the Rams’ pass rush that unleashed wild dogs on the Wildcats’ quarterback, sacking him seven times and constantly pressuring him.

Gale passed for 308 yards and three touch-downs, but his 17/46 completion rate resembles the accuracy of a sawed-off shotgun as he couldn’t hit his receivers or escape from the Rams’ defen-sive line.

The Rams front four mauled ACU’s offensive line which allowed freshman linebacker Rush Seaver to sack Gale 2.5 times and pick up eight tackles on the way to winning Lone Star Confer-ence’s Defensive Player of the Week award.

The Rams kept the ball away from Gale by establishing their strong running game with 36 rushing attempts for 132 yards and three touch-

downs.By possessing the ball for nearly 40 minutes,

the Rams dictated to the Wildcats that they would tame the pesky felines who had won the previous seven games in the rivalry.

ACU controlled the game early in the first quarter and obtained a 9-0 lead.

Each time ACU thought they were in control of the game, the Rams would make a key play.

After the Rams scored to make it 9-7, Gale completed a pass to Demarcus Thompson for 57 yards, then junior defensive back Courtney Moore proceeded to force a fumble on the play and get the ball back for ASU.

Gale completed a 29-yard pass on a second quarter drive, and the Rams forced a punt three plays later.

The next ACU drive, a Seaver sack forced a 42-yard field goal try that missed.

The next ACU drive, two incompletions fol-lowed by two more sacks forced another punt.

The next ACU drive was a three-and-out. I’m sensing a pattern, aren’t you?

Despite all their struggles though, the Wild-cats had a chance to win it with 2:43 left in the game and down 28-23. One touchdown wins it, and they’ve done comebacks before.

But not on Ryan Clapsaddle’s watch.The freshman intercepted Gale’s pass on the

second play of the drive, That’s how you pull off an upset, and that’s

how ASU plays football.

ASU’s stunning win proves team’s ability

“Not really. I’m more of an android

guy.”

Alex Recendiz

Sophomore

Were you excited about the release of the new iPhone 5?

Share your thoughts onissues and let us know what’s happening on campus.

columnsletters to the editor

commentswww.asurampage.com

Stephen CoganStaff Writer

“Not really. There is always a new

iPhone.”

Whitney Kelley

Junior

“I guess that’s pretty cool. I don’t have one though.”

Isreal Cruz

Freshman

“No, I’m not really into technology.”

Martha Abila

Freshman

“I want to get one, but I wouldn’t know

how to use it.”

Jesus Martinez

Junior

Friday, Sept. 28, 2012Page 6 SPORTS

Tough games against strong rivals next test for ‘Belles

Stephen CoganStaff Writer

The ‘Belles started their season on the right foot by winning their first five conference matches and now look to continue that streak with two matches on the road against confer-ence rivals.

The ‘Belles will face off against Eastern New Mexico State University on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in Portales, N.M. to begin the saga.

Then, they will drive to Canyon for a 2 p.m. game against the reigning conference champi-ons, West Texas A&M University Sept. 29.

Many are looking ahead to the West Texas A&M match because the ‘Belles were the run-ner-up in the conference championship to them, but junior Shelbi Goode said she is not fast-for-warding anything.

“There’s a lot of hype around this weekend because we play WT (West Texas A&M) on Sat-urday,” Goode said. “But, for me, it’s more about taking one match at a time. We play at Eastern (New Mexico) first, and we can’t overlook them.”

The two-time Lone Star Conference Player of the Week has dominated opponents with her conference-leading 179 kills, and she said she knows how much the West Texas A&M match means to the team and the season, but Eastern New Mexico comes first.

Eastern New Mexico is 1-3 in conference matchups and has a 5-8 overall record at this point in the season.

However, as Goode mentioned, the hype around Saturday’s game against West Texas A&M is abundant for several reasons.

The last time ASU beat West Texas A&M in volleyball was Oct. 2, 2004.

Since then, the ‘Belles have lost 11 straight matches in the past eight years while West Tex-as A&M has dominated the Lone Star Confer-ence.

West Texas A&M currently has won six con-secutive Lone Star Conference Championships in volleyball.

For the past two years, the ‘Belles have been eliminated in the conference tournament by West Texas A&M.

West Texas A&M has a 13-1 record while the

‘Belles have a 12-2 record and neither team has lost a conference game.

The two teams mirror each other in several statistics.

Both teams have individual play-ers in the top five leaders in digs, as-sists, kills, hitting percentage and points.

In team categories, ASU and West Texas A&M finish one and two re-spectively in assists, kills and hitting percentage.

In the opponent’s hitting percent-age, West Texas A&M and ASU finish one and two respectively.

The ‘Belles veterans remember the losses against West Texas A&M, and they want to flip the scenario around.

“I think knowing that we haven’t beaten them before and that we real-ly really want to is a really big drive for us,” senior captain Katie Coleman said. “We’ve all been working towards this, at least the seniors have, for years so this is a really big deal for us.”

Coleman said she believes that should the ‘Belles win, the confidence gained from that win could help the team out later in the season.

Whether they win or lose against West Texas A&M, the Belles’ next opponent will be Tarleton State University in Stephenville for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday Oct. 2.

“I’m going to take it one match at a time, one set at a time, and just stay focused,” Goode said. “I know it’s going to be a long weekend, but I’m preparing myself mentally.”

Photo by: Rio Velasquez

Photo by: Rio Velasquez

Junior Shelbi Goode has contributed to the ‘Belles this season, with 179 kills.

Senior Katie Colman has been a steady presence in her four years at ASU.

No. 11 ‘Belles set to prove themselves against conference-best West Texas A&M

ASU’s cross country season will attend their third event on Friday, Sept. 28 at the second an-nual Grass Route Grand Prix in Austin.

The teams will run on the Hancock Golf Course with the women’s 6K starting at 10:35 a.m. and the men’s 8K race following afterward at 11:15 a.m.

This will be the first time that ASU has par-ticipated at the Grass Route Grand Prix.

The women’s team has made the top 10 in the preseason poll made by the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Associa-tion (USTFCCCA) and ranked seventh in the South Central Regional Poll.

The women and men are coming off a third and fourth place finish respectively in the Lone Star Conference Tournament and look to im-prove.

“We’ve been doing really well,” sophomore Dylan Littlejohn said. “We’ve been improving basically the entire year, we’re a lot better than last season and we’ve got a couple new freshmen doing well. Personally, I’m running a lot faster times than I was last year.”

Littlejohn said he followed his offseason training regiment as closely as possible and rest-

ed so he wouldn’t overwork his body.“[My] main concern is staying healthy

throughout the entire season,” Littlejohn said. “If you include summer training, we’re working out for five months basically. We get about two weeks off between track and summer training for cross country, so the main thing is just stay-ing healthy and getting better.”

Littlejohn’s personal best in the 8K was 27:07 at Lone Star Conference Championships on Oct. 22, 2011.

Littlejohn said his main goal for this season is to get better and he has a desire to be picked for All-Conference this year.

“I would love to do really well in conference,” Littlejohn said. “All-Conference would be a re-ally good achievement and possibly All-Region as well.”

The top 15 performers are chosen for All-Conference and four of the previous year’s mem-bers were seniors and will not be back to com-pete against Littlejohn.

Freshmen in cross country have a harder ob-stacle than upperclassmen because their bodies have to get used to the amount of running that is required of them.

Freshman Chastity King said that the big-gest change from high school to college is getting used to the increased workload.

“It’s a huge step up from high school,” King said. “It’s not even close. College is just so much more extreme than high school. The meets are double in the amount of distance you run. I’m not used to this many miles yet.”

King said she wants to be the best she can and help the team win, but as for personal goals, she wants to finish the season, get used to the amount of running her body has to do and then look to beat her times and set goals for the next season.

Then there is the senior veteran runner Kami Orsak, who has come into a leadership role through the years.

“We have three seniors including myself now,” Orsak said. “We’re all kind of doing our part to keep the team together and to be positive role models for the incoming people.”

As a leader, Orsak has to answer a lot of questions from younger teammates.

“They ask us a lot of question about school and life and work out,” Orsak said. “We techni-

cally only have one freshman, but we have two new girls on our team and everyone else is re-turners. We all kind of stick together like a fam-ily.”

The cross country teams have not had an individual finish higher than 15th at an event, but Littlejohn said he isn’t too worried about the teams.

“We’re only half way through the season though,” Littlejohn said. “Still have a lot of time to get better.”

ASU cross country takes off on new season

“It’s a huge step up from high school. It’s not even close. College is just so much more intense than high school.

- freshman Chastity King

Cross Country Schedule

Grass Route Grand Prix9-29-12

Austin, TX

Blue and Gold Invitational10-9-12

San Angelo, TX

LSC Championships10-20-12

Lawton, OK

South Central Regional11-3-12

Denver, CO

Mens top finisher at Texas Tech Invitational

Dylan Littlejohn - 26:46.12

Womens top finisher at Texas Tech Invitational

Emeline Crutcher - 20:18.18

*All times are to be determined

Loss of seniors allow for new era in cross countryStephen Cogan Staff Writer