With the semester wrapping up, this will be my last post on my blog. I hope that some of my posts have provided some insight into what Division I athletics is really about.
Growing up, it was never my dream to go on and play college sports. I always played for the love of the game, and put in the hours on end because it was something that I enjoyed doing. I can not thank my parents enough for not pushing me towards collegiate athletics. They have always been supportive in all of my decisions, but it was never a topic of discussion that I needed to play a college sport. They wanted me to make my own decision on whether I wanted to continue my career, and it was pressures off when I was choosing a college. They have always looked out for my best interests, and they have always been my biggest fans.
I would not be where I am today without the neverending support of my family and friends. I have had so many coaches over the years, and they have always been there for me in whatever my endeavors have been.
Playing a collegiate sport is not a decision that should be taken lightly. It is the most time consuming, stressful, and aggravating thing that I have ever done. You put in hours upon hours and it can feel like it is never going to end. It is also the most fun, exhilarating, and overall best experience I have ever had. I would not trade the 5:30am workout alarm clock for anything. The people that I have met, and the experiences that I have had make everything worth it in the end. I have met some of the most amazing people through collegiate athletics, and taken some of the most amazing trips.
When deciding if a Division I sport is right for you, there are so many things that you should keep in mind. Make your decision from your heart, and follow what your gut instincts are telling you. It is too big of a commitment to be unhappy, and college is supposed to be the best four years of your life.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Football Wrapup:
With the college football season winding down, it is down to crunch time and some do or die situations for teams to earn the possibility to continue their season and get a bowl bid.
For college football week 13, the top 7 teams held their spots all with wins this past weekend. It looks something like this: 1. Florida 2. Alabama 3. Texas 4. TCU 5. Cincinnati 6. Boise State 7. Georgia Tech 8. Oregon 9. Pittsburgh 10. Ohio State.
The margin between Florida and Alabama is close, and the true number one will be determined when the teams will play each other for the SEC title on December 4th. If both teams remain undefeated until then, that game will be seen as the national semifinal contest. The number 1-6 teams all hold undefeated records, and these final games will determine the outcome of their seasons.
LSU dropped the most spots this week going from number 8 to number 15 after a disappointing loss to unranked Ole Miss 25-23 this past weekend. Iowa brought themselves up 2 spots from number 13 to number 11 after shutting out Minnesota.
Top ranked Florida will take on in-state rival Florida State this weekend, the the rivalry will be sure to fuel some addrenaline and we will be sure to see a good game there. Number 2 Alabama will take on unranked Clemson before the two teams meet of for the championship game. Number 3 Texas also has a challenge ahead of them this weekend as they also take on another in-state foe with Texas A&M.
The best in-state rivalry we should be looking for this weekend is the number 8 Oregon taking on number 16 Oregon State. It will be a battle for increases in rankings, and it will bring some interesting results.
With the season coming to an end, you will see teams, especially those who are senior dominated, pull some victories out of no where. You will see teams leaving it all on the field because now is the time where you have to give it everything you've got if you want your season to continue. This weekend will make it or break it for quite a few teams, and their preparation and determination will take them a long way.
For college football week 13, the top 7 teams held their spots all with wins this past weekend. It looks something like this: 1. Florida 2. Alabama 3. Texas 4. TCU 5. Cincinnati 6. Boise State 7. Georgia Tech 8. Oregon 9. Pittsburgh 10. Ohio State.
The margin between Florida and Alabama is close, and the true number one will be determined when the teams will play each other for the SEC title on December 4th. If both teams remain undefeated until then, that game will be seen as the national semifinal contest. The number 1-6 teams all hold undefeated records, and these final games will determine the outcome of their seasons.
LSU dropped the most spots this week going from number 8 to number 15 after a disappointing loss to unranked Ole Miss 25-23 this past weekend. Iowa brought themselves up 2 spots from number 13 to number 11 after shutting out Minnesota.
Top ranked Florida will take on in-state rival Florida State this weekend, the the rivalry will be sure to fuel some addrenaline and we will be sure to see a good game there. Number 2 Alabama will take on unranked Clemson before the two teams meet of for the championship game. Number 3 Texas also has a challenge ahead of them this weekend as they also take on another in-state foe with Texas A&M.
The best in-state rivalry we should be looking for this weekend is the number 8 Oregon taking on number 16 Oregon State. It will be a battle for increases in rankings, and it will bring some interesting results.
With the season coming to an end, you will see teams, especially those who are senior dominated, pull some victories out of no where. You will see teams leaving it all on the field because now is the time where you have to give it everything you've got if you want your season to continue. This weekend will make it or break it for quite a few teams, and their preparation and determination will take them a long way.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
1997 Tennessee Lady Vols:
The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team has been known as one of the best women's basketball programs of all time. The 1997 season saw the Lady Vol's go 39-0, and claim the national title for the third consecutive time. ESPN titled the game one of the top 10 moments in women's sports history. They won the National Championship in convincing fashion defeating number 4 Louisiana Tech 93-75. The Lady Vols' played 12 games against top 20 teams, and handled all 12 teams easily. Head Coach Pay Summit is known as one of the best coaches of all time. Even more impressively, the Lady Vol's played only one game where they won by only ten points, and besides that all games were won by a margin of at least 15. The Lady Vol's were led by Chamique Holdsclaw, who garnered multiple post season awards.
The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team is one of the most dominant teams of all time, and is right up the with the UConn women's basketball team as the national powerhouse team. The Lady Vols have made it to the NCAA tournament every year since the NCAA sanctioned women's sports in 1981. The Lady Vols have won 14 SEC titles, 13 SEC tournament championships, has made 18 Final Four appearances, and won 8 National Championships.
The Lady Vols have been coach by Pat Summit for over three decades. She has over 1000 victories at Tennessee, and has won an impressive 91% of her home games.
What is also impressive about the Lady Vols is the rigorous schedule that they face each year, yet continue to have such success. The Lady Vols play on average 47% of their games against ranked opponents. Last season was the first time in over a decade the the Lady Vols suffered double digits in the loss column. After winning the National Championship in the 2007-2008 season and graduating all-american Candace Parker, the Lady Vols had a rebuilding year.
Currently the Lady Vols find themselves again in the top 10, and you can be sure that they will be yet again, a team to beat this season.
The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team is one of the most dominant teams of all time, and is right up the with the UConn women's basketball team as the national powerhouse team. The Lady Vols have made it to the NCAA tournament every year since the NCAA sanctioned women's sports in 1981. The Lady Vols have won 14 SEC titles, 13 SEC tournament championships, has made 18 Final Four appearances, and won 8 National Championships.
The Lady Vols have been coach by Pat Summit for over three decades. She has over 1000 victories at Tennessee, and has won an impressive 91% of her home games.
What is also impressive about the Lady Vols is the rigorous schedule that they face each year, yet continue to have such success. The Lady Vols play on average 47% of their games against ranked opponents. Last season was the first time in over a decade the the Lady Vols suffered double digits in the loss column. After winning the National Championship in the 2007-2008 season and graduating all-american Candace Parker, the Lady Vols had a rebuilding year.
Currently the Lady Vols find themselves again in the top 10, and you can be sure that they will be yet again, a team to beat this season.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
1970's football:
1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers:
The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team completed their season at 13-0. The team averaged an impressive 39 points per game, and their defense was equally impressive. The Cornhuskers played Oklahoma on Thanksgiving Day in 1971, and defeated them 35-31 in what has been tabbed the "game of the century." Nebraska concluded their season in the Orange Bowl, where they defeated Alabama in impressive fashion 38-6.
Another notable Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the 1995 squad. They finished the season 12-0, after playing a very tough schedule. The schedule saw them facing 4 other teams who were in the top ten. Their offense is said to be one of the best of all time, as they averaged over 50 points per game.
1972 USC Trojans:
Just one year after the Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrated an undefeated season, the USC Trojans marched in and accomplished the same feat, going 12-0. The Trojans were the first team to ever be name number one in all media and coaches ballots. The team averaged 43 points per game, and also dominated on defense allowing on average only 12 points per game. The Trojans ended their season with a convincing win in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State taking the game 42-17.
The 1970's was a great era for college football, and the game really saw a lot of advancements in the offensive and defensive sides of the game. 1976 saw the longest collegiate field goal to date, when Ove Johansson kicked a 69 yard field goal for Abilene Chrisitian. This was followed in 1977 with a 67 yard field goal being kicked on two separate occasions, once by Texas and once by Arkansas.
The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team completed their season at 13-0. The team averaged an impressive 39 points per game, and their defense was equally impressive. The Cornhuskers played Oklahoma on Thanksgiving Day in 1971, and defeated them 35-31 in what has been tabbed the "game of the century." Nebraska concluded their season in the Orange Bowl, where they defeated Alabama in impressive fashion 38-6.
Another notable Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the 1995 squad. They finished the season 12-0, after playing a very tough schedule. The schedule saw them facing 4 other teams who were in the top ten. Their offense is said to be one of the best of all time, as they averaged over 50 points per game.
1972 USC Trojans:
Just one year after the Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrated an undefeated season, the USC Trojans marched in and accomplished the same feat, going 12-0. The Trojans were the first team to ever be name number one in all media and coaches ballots. The team averaged 43 points per game, and also dominated on defense allowing on average only 12 points per game. The Trojans ended their season with a convincing win in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State taking the game 42-17.
The 1970's was a great era for college football, and the game really saw a lot of advancements in the offensive and defensive sides of the game. 1976 saw the longest collegiate field goal to date, when Ove Johansson kicked a 69 yard field goal for Abilene Chrisitian. This was followed in 1977 with a 67 yard field goal being kicked on two separate occasions, once by Texas and once by Arkansas.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Penn State Nittany Lions
The current Penn State Nittany Lions Women's Volleyball team has an extremely impressive streak going currently. They have won 82 straight games, and are back to back national champions. The Nittany Lions have been ranked number one all season for the past two years, and have produced countless all americans. They have easily handled all other teams they have faced in the top ten. They are currently tied for second in the NCAA women's history books for consecutive wins, tied with North Carolina Women's Soccer. They will play this coming weekend for the most consecutive wins all time for women's sports. Not only are they closing in on the women's record, but they sit only 6 games away from breaking the NCAA all-time record set by John Wooden and UCLA (discussed earlier) with 88 consecutive victories. Their roster last year saw 4 of the 6 starters earning first team All-American honors, with the other 2 starters being named to the second team. The Nittany Lions have not lost a game since October 8, 2006.
Last season, the Nittany Lions defeated Stanford in the National Championship game 3-0. The season, the Nittany Lions are just two wins away from taking the Big 10 title and clinch its seventh straight outright title. A win tonight will also see Penn State breaking the North Carolina women's soccer team current record of 92 straight victories. The Nittany Lions tied the record last weekend with a win against Northwestern. Penn State has been the unanimous number one vote on the rankings all season, and received 60 number one votes in the latest poll. This says a lot about the Nittany Lions, since 3 other Big 10 teams also find themselves in the top 15. Illinois is number 5, Minnesota is number 12, and Michigan is number 14. Head coach Russ Rose has been very successful and has built a volleyball empire at Penn State. It is one of the most respected collegiate programs in the nation, and they are well on their way to a third straight NCAA title.
Last season, the Nittany Lions defeated Stanford in the National Championship game 3-0. The season, the Nittany Lions are just two wins away from taking the Big 10 title and clinch its seventh straight outright title. A win tonight will also see Penn State breaking the North Carolina women's soccer team current record of 92 straight victories. The Nittany Lions tied the record last weekend with a win against Northwestern. Penn State has been the unanimous number one vote on the rankings all season, and received 60 number one votes in the latest poll. This says a lot about the Nittany Lions, since 3 other Big 10 teams also find themselves in the top 15. Illinois is number 5, Minnesota is number 12, and Michigan is number 14. Head coach Russ Rose has been very successful and has built a volleyball empire at Penn State. It is one of the most respected collegiate programs in the nation, and they are well on their way to a third straight NCAA title.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Greatest Teams in History: 1968 UCLA Bruins
UCLA head coach John Wooden has been recognized as one of the best coaches of all time. UCLA won 10 national championships under Wooden, and one of the best teams of all time is known to be the 1968-69 team. The Bruins started the season 25-0, and finished the year with only one loss. Though there have been teams to finish the season undefeated, the '68 Bruins had one loss against Houston. The Bruins went on to win the national championship in convincing fashion winning 101-69 and 78-55 in the semifinal and national championship games. The Bruins were paced by Lew Alcindor, who was noted as the best college basketball player at the time, averaging 26 points and 16 rebounds each game. Three other players averaged in double digits for points, and 5 of these players were drafted by the NBA after their careers with UCLA were finished.
To go undefeated during a college basketball season speaks a lot of your abilities and team comrodory. Collegiate basketball always has its ups and downs, and teams are faced with injuries and needing to replace star players. The Bruins completed an undefeated season even with their star, and NCAA great Lew Alcindor out with an injury. This also speaks wonder about what this team was really made of, because they were ablet to easily win games with their leading scorer on the bench.
Other teams have finished an NCAA season with an undefeated record, but the fact that the Bruins did it, and won 13 National Titles in 14 years, speaks about the greatness that was in their program, and also speaks highly of what head coach John Wooden brought to that university.
To go undefeated during a college basketball season speaks a lot of your abilities and team comrodory. Collegiate basketball always has its ups and downs, and teams are faced with injuries and needing to replace star players. The Bruins completed an undefeated season even with their star, and NCAA great Lew Alcindor out with an injury. This also speaks wonder about what this team was really made of, because they were ablet to easily win games with their leading scorer on the bench.
Other teams have finished an NCAA season with an undefeated record, but the fact that the Bruins did it, and won 13 National Titles in 14 years, speaks about the greatness that was in their program, and also speaks highly of what head coach John Wooden brought to that university.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Women's Basketball Preview:
With men's and women's basketball underway, after giving a preview of NCAA Men's basketball, it only seemed appropriate to preview women's basketball as well. Just like the men, there are some powerhouse schools for women's basketball, and the first team that will come to mind when most people talk about NCAA women's basketball is the University of Connecticut or UConn. Stanford and Ohio State have been known to produce some very successful team, along with Oklahoma and the ever-famous Tennessee.
The AP Top Ten looks like this:
1. Connecticut
2. Stanford
3. Ohio State
4. North Carolina
5. Notre Dame
6. Tennessee
7. LSU
8. Baylor
9. Xavier
10. Texas
Unlike the men, the ESPN/USA Today top ten lineup looks very different than the Associated Press:
1. Connecticut
2. Stanford
3. Ohio State
4. Baylor
5. North Carolina
6. Duke
7. Notre Dame
8. Oklahoma
9. Tennessee
10. Michigan State
Connecticut was the unanimous number one selection in both polls, and at their season opener against Northeastern they proved that they are going to be tough to hang with, winning 101-35. They will be challenged throughout their season, as they will take on a number of opponents who also find themselves in the top 10. Connecticut has produced some outstanding players over the years, and one of the most notable is Diana Taurasi, who was named MVP of the WNBA last year.
Tennessee has always been looked at as a women's basketball powerhouse. With names like Candace Parker in their alumni list, it is easy to see how they always have success. Head coach Pat Summitt is one of the most respected collegiate coaches, and with someone like that on staff, the Lady Volunteers are bound to have another great year.
The AP Top Ten looks like this:
1. Connecticut
2. Stanford
3. Ohio State
4. North Carolina
5. Notre Dame
6. Tennessee
7. LSU
8. Baylor
9. Xavier
10. Texas
Unlike the men, the ESPN/USA Today top ten lineup looks very different than the Associated Press:
1. Connecticut
2. Stanford
3. Ohio State
4. Baylor
5. North Carolina
6. Duke
7. Notre Dame
8. Oklahoma
9. Tennessee
10. Michigan State
Connecticut was the unanimous number one selection in both polls, and at their season opener against Northeastern they proved that they are going to be tough to hang with, winning 101-35. They will be challenged throughout their season, as they will take on a number of opponents who also find themselves in the top 10. Connecticut has produced some outstanding players over the years, and one of the most notable is Diana Taurasi, who was named MVP of the WNBA last year.
Tennessee has always been looked at as a women's basketball powerhouse. With names like Candace Parker in their alumni list, it is easy to see how they always have success. Head coach Pat Summitt is one of the most respected collegiate coaches, and with someone like that on staff, the Lady Volunteers are bound to have another great year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)