Sports

Adams Credits Team, Fans for Success

By Callie Garrett / Assistant Intrigue Editor | October 8

Wide receiver Darvin Adams, just a sophomore, is already setting records within the Auburn football program as well as in the SEC.According to ESPN, Adams is ranked second in the SEC in receiving yards, catching five passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in Auburn's victory against Ball State.After the West Virginia game, Adams became Auburn's first player to catch three touchdown passes in a game since Alexander Wright in 1989.Adams will not take all the credit for his success this season."It feels good to be the go to man, but all of that is not just me," Adams said.

Rugby Little Sisters Raise Support, Spirits of Club

By Simpson Fletcher/ Staff Writer | October 8

Rugby Little Sisters is a campus organization devoted to supporting Auburn University Rugby Club."This organization is one that is a lot of fun, and there is never a dull moment in the sport of rugby," said Donna Tope, president of Rugby Little Sisters.Not only do they attend all home games and some away games, but every little sister is assigned a "big brother" on the team for whom they provide water and snacks at each game."We also provide Auburn spirit wherever we are," Tope said.As president of the group, Tope coordinates with the president of the AU Rugby Club to discuss game schedules, social gatherings between the team and the little sisters, making sure that each little sister is content and excited about their role in the organization."I spread the word on campus about Rugby Little Sisters and recruit girls to sign up to join the organization," Tope said.Zoey Gay, vice president of the organization, said they provide their big brothers with enthusiasm at each game and have monthly meetings to re-group and discuss upcoming events."I am present at every game making sure every sister has provided her big brother with the essentials and the spirit that is to the fullest," Gay said.The organization is a great way to meet a large number of people.Tope said because the group travels to away games on occasion, the members can experience new places, other universities and other teams they may not have been able to beforehand.Matthew Broadway, a player on the rugby team, said the little sisters do some fundamental things for the team."They help with fundraising, T-shirt sales and putting together social events with the team that usually lead to a tight-knit bond between us and the Little Sisters," Broadway said.

Auburn Travels to Top-Ranked South Carolina, Florida

By Abby Albright / Sports Editor | October 8

The Auburn Soccer Team (5-4-3, 2-2 SEC) defeated Arkansas (6-3-2, 0-3 SEC) 2-1 Friday and fell to No.

Auburn Golfer wins Gary Koch Invitational

By Abby Albright / Sports Editor | October 8

Auburn Men's Golf Team (288-858) packed up its clubs for a road trip to Tampa, Fla., to compete in the 2009 Gary Koch Invitational last weekend.While No.

For the Love of the Game: Senior Jared Rehm Participates in Auburn Wheelchair Athletics

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | October 8

Jared Rehm is bringing his wheels to the courts.Rehm, a senior in philosophy, is Auburn University's first wheelchair tennis player, and was honored as such at the Ball State game two weeks ago."It was a really cool experience," Rehm said.

Tigers Tackle Razorbacks

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | October 8

The Auburn Tigers (5-0, 2-0) will try to get their first 6-0 start since the 2004 season as they travel to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-2, 0-2).The Tigers are coming off a 26-22 conference win against the Tennessee Volunteers last Saturday making head coach Gene Chizik the third Auburn head coach in history to win his first five games, joining Terry Bowden and Mike Donahue."It was a sloppy win, but a win is a win," said senior defensive end Antonio Coleman.

Tigers Equestrian Falls to Gamecocks

By Charley Gaines/ Staff Writer | October 8

Auburn Equestrian Team hit the bar at its first Southeastern Conference meet against the University of South Carolina Friday at the Auburn Equestrian Center.The loss was the team's first of the season."Anytime you're up against an SEC school, it's a pretty big battle," said head coach Greg Williams.The women held strong in the first half of the meet as they competed in Western horsemanship and Equitation over fences events.In the horsemanship event, riders showed their ability to control the horse drawn for the event.Home riders came out of the event with four points out of five and a score of 359.Freshman Western rider Indy Roper, defeated South Carolina's Maggie Fortune on Money with a score of 75.5 against Fortune's 74.The ride also got her one of the four Most Valuable Players awards in the meet.Western riders senior Jessica Jones, sophomore Kristen Hansen and junior Bailey Dymond were the other top scorers in the event.Jones received a 71.5 on Mister, defeating South Carolina's Taylor Singmaster with a 70.5.On Big Bird, Hansen also received a 71.5, defeating Emily Bookwalter's score of 70.

Cross Country earns 9th, 12th places overall at Wisconsin Badger Invite

By Patrick Dever / Assistant Sports Editor | October 8

Auburn Cross Country Team competed in the Wisconsin Badger Invitational in Madison, Wisc., last weekend.The men's team finished 12th overall, and the women's team earned a ninth place finish.Head coach Mark Carroll said the team's performance wasn't what they were expecting."Sickness set us back last weekend, and we weren't quite where we needed to be," Carroll said.Junior runner Ben Cheruiyot led the men, finishing seventh overall with a time of 17:18."Ben really had a good run, as did Scott and Jean-Pierre," Carroll said.Senior runners Jean-Pierre Weerts and Scott Novack finished 28th and 58th respectively.The women's team was led by senior Holly Knight, who ran the race in 17:18, finishing fifth overall.The next two Auburn women to finish were graduate student Stephanie Barnes (31st in 17:50) and senior Laurel Pritchard (70th in 18:49)."Wisconsin was our first real test and exposed us to teams that we will see if we make nationals," Carroll said.Sickness caused the Tigers' men to run a team with less experience than usual."It was good for our younger runners to get experience and exposure to big teams," Carroll said.Carroll hopes to make NCAAs in his first season as head coach."I think we know what we need to do," Carroll said.

Women 'Lax it Up' in South Carolina

By Emily Clever/ Staff Writer | October 8

Auburn Club Women's Lacrosse Team traveled to Clemson, S.C., for the Southern Comfort Tournament.Auburn beat Elon 6-5 in its first game as a team Saturday at 3 p.m.The team lost to Clemson 11-4 and 4-3 Saturday and Sunday, respectively.Virginia Tech, last year's national champions, went on to win the tournament."We beat (Clemson) last year to go to the championship in double overtime," said co-captain Liz Boyd, a senior in economics and supply chain management who has been playing lacrosse for seven years.As a result of the upset, Clemson was its biggest rival at the tournament, Boyd said."Saturday, (Clemson) just got a lead on us," said Meredith Noulis, a defensive co-captain and senior in human development and family studies who has been playing lacrosse since middle school.

A Round of Nine With Nick Clinard

By Patrick Dever / Assistant Sports Editor | October 8

Auburn men's golf has a new face at its helm this season.Nick Clinard assumes the position after eight years as head coach at the University of Central Florida.The Gastonia, N.C., native said he began teaching golf in Dallas."Teaching for Hank Haney originally sparked my interest in coaching, and I thought being a college coach would be challenging and enjoying," Clinard said.Hank Haney is a golf instructor who has coached the likes of Tiger Woods and Mark O'Meara.

Softball Begins Fall Season

By Patrick Dever / Assistant Sports Editor | October 5

Auburn softball began fall ball Thursday against Pensacola Junior College and Georgia Perimeter College.The Tigers defeated Pensacola 6-0 and GPC 2-1. Head coach Tina Deese said it's extremely important to play other teams during the off season."The level of intensity always rises when you play an opponent," Deese said

Tigers Top the Rocky Top and Move to 5-0

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | October 5

The Auburn Tigers (5-0) extended its winning streak over the Tennessee Volunteers (2-3) to five games Saturday, coming away with a 26-22 win in Knoxville, Tenn. Auburn starts the season 5-0 for the first time in the last six seasons, the first time since 2006."I'm just really proud of this football team, we're finding different ways to win every week," head coach Gene Chizik said. "It's really good to see a very young football team come on the road with a coaching staff who had no idea how they were going to react in this type of environment and find ways to win."

Women's Basketball Announces Television Schedule

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | October 5

The Auburn University women's basketball team announced their television schedule this past Tuesday. The Tigers will appear on television at least eight times during the 2009-10 season as part of the Southeastern Conference Women's Basketball Television Package.The Tigers had a combined 30-4 overall record, were regular season SEC champions and saw last year's standout DeWanna Bonner go to the WNBA finals as the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Los Angeles Sparks to claim the Western Conference championship. The women's basketball team went on to the NCAA where they lost in the second round to No. 7 seed Rutgers team, 80-52.

Men's golf starts season at Carpet Capital Collegiate tournament

By Max Newfield / Staff Writer | October 2

The Auburn Men's golf team teed off their season with a number 11 ranking in the GolfWeek/Sagarin poll.The Tigers were awarded the ranking Sept. 22 after finishing fourth in their first tournament of the season, the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, Ga.At the Carpet Capital Collegiate, Auburn beat Alabama and Georgia, the number three and four teams in the nation, respectively.

Knight Runs Past the Competition

By Max Newfield / Staff Writer | October 1

Auburn University junior Holly Knight was named the Southeastern Conference cross country athlete of the week for the week of Sept.

Volleyball Falls to LSU, Prepares for Ole Miss

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | October 1

The Auburn Volleyball (9-5, 1-2 SEC) team played at home for the first time in three weeks as they faced the Louisiana State University Tigers (8-4, 2-1 SEC), losing the match 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 26-24).Auburn led in every set, but were unable to hold a strong LSU attack which scored four points in the last two sets to eventually win the game."Our crowd was phenomenal and they were very encouraging throughout the match," said head coach Wade Benson.

Auburn Ultimate Looks to Host Tournament in Auburn

By Abby Albright / Sports Editor | October 1

The Auburn Ultimate Frisbee Club's fall season has flown into gear.Team captain, Gamble Ruff, a senior in electrical engineering, said the team hopes to travel to two fall tournaments.Ultimate frisbee is a spring sport, but the Auburn Ultimate team conditions through the off season to prepare for the competition.Ruff played in a pick-up Ultimate league in high school and said that experience prepared him to play at Auburn and to lead a team."Gambell is our captain and he knows everything there is to know (about Ultimate)," said team member Trace Pridgen, a sophomore in aerospace engineering.

The History of Jordan-Hare Stadium and Pat Dye Field

By Theadoris Morris/ Staff Writer | October 1

With sellout crowds almost reaching 90,000, Jordan-Hare Stadium has undergone numerous transformations and improvements to welcome home its fans.Nicknamed "The Jungle" by former head coach Tommy Tuberville in August 2001, Jordan-Hare Stadium is ranked as the eighth largest on-campus stadium and the 12 largest stadium in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, according to the Auburn Tigers Web site."The stadium gives Auburn national prestige and respect," said John Varner, library assistant at Ralph Brown Draughon library.The Auburn Stadium, its name from 1939-1949, was dedicated on Nov.

Equestrian Saddles Up to Face South Carolina

By Mary-Glenn Smith/ Staff Writer | October 1

The Auburn equestrian team will ride against South Carolina in a head-to-head meeting at the Auburn Equestrian Center Oct.

Auburn Soccer Prepares to Take on Razorbacks

By Justin Ward/ Staff Writer | October 1

This Friday night the Auburn Tigers soccer team will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks for its first home SEC game.Auburn has outscored opponents 11-5 and lost just once this year while playing in the familiar confines of the Auburn Soccer Complex."We're excited to be home again after being on the road for two weeks," said senior forward Becca Howell.Senior forward Caitlin King shared Howell's enthusiasm for returning home to face Arkansas and Louisiana State University."It's huge just like any sport you have to win your home games and win some road games," said head coach Karen Hoppa.