MMA Plants Roots in Auburn
Over the past few years, men of all ages, shapes and sizes have migrated from fighting sports such as kickboxing and wrestling to mixed martial arts.
Over the past few years, men of all ages, shapes and sizes have migrated from fighting sports such as kickboxing and wrestling to mixed martial arts.
Thirty-three Auburn student-athletes were named to the 2009 SEC First Year Student-Athletes Academic Honor Roll.The awards were announced July 16 by the SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.
Three Auburn football players were named to the SEC Coaches Preseason All-SEC Coaches' Team on July 16.
On June 27, Lyndsey Jordan won the Collegiate Reining Championships at the 2009 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) after being chosen as one of the top 12 collegiate riders in the country.It was an exciting accomplishment for the Kentucky native as she represented Auburn with her win."It was challenging, but a lot of fun," said Jordan, a senior western rider and communications major.
Auburn's Cross Country team is training to build their endurance and work out the kinks, while other teammates are in Europe breaking records this summer."Cross country is a beast of its own because of the weather, the terrain and the certain pain of racing," said Scott Novack, a senior in chemical engineering.
Colleges across the country are losing or are in danger of losing sports teams because of financial cuts, but Auburn is in the clear.
The Auburn women's soccer team is gearing up for the upcoming season. They said they have a strong, experienced group of seniors, specific goals and highly anticipated recruits."I'm excited to think that this could possibly be our best season ever," said Jenni Prescott, a senior in early elementary education.
Although Auburn women's basketball head coach Nell Fortner has a list of accomplishments longer than a three-point shot, she still looks to those around her to improve the game, welcoming opinions and seeking advice from staff and players, alike."She shows great respect for her staff and team," said assistant coach Kerry Cremeans.
When an Auburn fan thinks of sports, football comes to mind, though it has been 52 years since the team has won a national title.After football, fans think of basketball and baseball, two teams who have never won a national championship.What most fans don't realize is aside from the swim team, the Auburn Equestrian team is arguably the most successful team in recent years, with two National Championships in the past three seasons.With an overall National Championship in 2006 and a Hunt Seat National Championship in 2008, the equestrian team is preparing for the fall, with hopes for its third national title, said Chelsea Anheuser, senior hunt seat rider majoring in marketing."I think the main goal is always to strive to be National Champions again," Anheuser said.
As the Auburn Football team prepares for the upcoming season with a new coaching staff, the starting quarterback position is still up for grabs.Neil Caudle and Kodi Burns are focusing on practice and working hard this summer, not who the starter will be."I'm not really worried about it," said Burns, a junior majoring in exercise science,. "I just go to practice everyday and work hard.
Auburn's fans are some of the most enthusiastic in the nation when it comes to supporting their team, so it's no wonder the school celebrates a day just for them. Auburn's annual Fan Day is scheduled for Sunday, Aug.
Scott Carr, recently named Auburn University's senior associate AD, external affairs, will leave his eight-year stint at Southern Miss and move to Auburn July 2.As senior associate AD, Carr must demonstrate experience with marketing, media relations, game atmosphere, contracts and sponsorships."At Southern Miss, I oversaw the marketing department and served as the main liaison with ISP Sports," Carr said.
Tiger Podcasts are giving Auburn athletics a new way to reach out to fans.Podcasts are multimedia files that can be downloaded to a computer or other device such as an iPod or other mp3 player, according to the Auburn Tigers Web site."I think it's just an easier avenue of information for all of our athletics," said Rod Bramlett, lead announcer and director of broadcast services for the Auburn ISP Sports Network.
For some, it's an old sweaty hat. For others, it's a ritual before every game. But for nearly all athletes, superstitions are standard.It's strange, really.
Coming in with pride and respect for the players, Jeff Lebo created a new atmosphere to build a team from the ground up.Lebo said he had many thoughts about the upcoming season."I'm pleased with the kids that we have coming in," Lebo said.
Rising senior Candace Schepperle finished 70th out of the 156-player field at the U.S. Women's Open last weekend, according to Auburn Athletics' Web site.After carding an 8-over-par 79 in the final round, Schepperle finished with a tournament total 22-over-par 306.The U.S.
This year's special teams unit is working together this summer to become more consistent while making sure to get its timing down."In order to get all of the timing down just right, from the snap to the hold to the kick, it just takes a lot of practice and working with each other repetitively," said placekicker Wes Byrum, a junior in business.As a unit they are working mostly on the new protection scheme they have, as well as the new punt formation, said punter Clinton Durst, a red-shirt junior in human resource management.He said the special teams unit has a period of time at the beginning of practice where they do nothing but get everyone on the same page with formations and timing.Josh Harrison, a red-shirt freshmen long snapper, will be playing his first season this fall.
Two former stand out basketball players reached new pinnacles in their respective careers as Whitney Boddie and DeWanna Bonner were drafted into the WNBA on April 9.The two players helped lead the Auburn women's basketball team to an 30-4record and its first SEC title in 20 years. Bonner was selected fifth overall in the 2009 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury.
Auburn athletes spend all year showing off their skills, but it is the extra time that is put in that gives them the edge.
The men's golf team will soon be welcoming a new face to the team as Nick Clinard, former head coach at the University of Central Florida for eight years, joins the Tigers as their new head coach.Clinard hopes to bring both passion and experience to Auburn's program, but also making sure to keep a strong recruiting mindset and a determination to succeed."I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed, and I'm going to stick with what I know how to do, and that's recruit, and coach, and get the former players involved in our program and get the donors and boosters behind what we're going to do," Clinard said.