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A spirit that is not afraid

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The State Press

Golf teams to compete at SEC Championship

Auburn's men and women's golf teams will compete in the 2009 SEC Championship this week, which kicks off on Friday.The women's golf team will head to the University Club in Blythewood, S.C., while the men's team will go to the Frederica Club and Sea Island Golf Club in Sea Island, Ga.



Antonio Coleman, No. 52, gets in the face of Alabama's John Parker Wilson during last year's Iron Bowl. The 2009 game will now be held the day after Thanksgiving. Rod Guajardo / Assistant Photo Editor

CBS moves Iron Bowls to Friday

The Friday after Thanksgiving has been labeled "Black Friday," as the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, but for the next two years it will also be home to the Iron Bowl.In a move that Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs said was made to fulfill contractual obligations, CBS and the Southeastern Conference have scheduled the 2009 and 2010 matchups for a day earlier than previously slated.Those in favor of the move said, while the date may inconvenience some fans and shoppers, the game will now be televised to a broader, national audience instead of the previous regional broadcast.This year's game will kickoff Nov.

Contributed / EASports.com

Video game sales increasing

The seemingly recession-proof gaming industry will be watching how well its summer sports-related video game releases fare in sales after a 3 percent increase in overall sales from 2007 to 2008."Video gamers are a loyal group, and they will do what they need to get the games," said Mike McEwen, assistant store manager for the GameStop in TigerTown.

Paul Nix

Former baseball coach Paul Nix dies

Former Auburn baseball coach Paul Nix Monday died at the age of 76. Nix coached Auburn for 22 years from 1963-1984, longer than any coach in school history.Nix went 515-376 while at Auburn, taking the Tigers to the NCAA College World Series twice.

The Auburn Plainsman

Auburn lacrosse knocks off Bulldogs and Tide to remain undefeated

The Auburn University club lacrosse team entered last weekend with a perfect 7-0 record and a grudge to settle with the Georgia Bulldogs.After losing to UGA last year, the Tigers were looking for some much- needed revenge Saturday and a number one seed in the Southeastern Lacrosse Conference tournament.The game started out well for Auburn, as it jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first quarter on a JJ Arminio goal.The Tigers controlled the pace of the first half by winning five out of nine faceoffs.Auburn's fortunes changed, however, as UGA came back to take a 5-2 lead into the half.The game looked grim for Auburn, as it couldn't seem to put any offense together in the second quarter."We had a little trouble putting the ball in the net during the first half" said attackman Mike Hoffman.The second half started off with a bang.The Tigers rallied behind goaltender Alex Crawford, whose second half performance was nothing short of spectacular, and put in four goals to reclaim the lead at 6-5.From that point on the game was extremely close.

Bonner

Bonner, Boddie selected in WNBA Draft

Auburn's DeWanna Bonner and Whitney Boddie were selected by the Phoenix Mercury and the Sacramento Monarchs, respectively, in the WNBA Draft Thursday.Bonner was taken in the first round as the fifth overall pick, and Boddie was selected in the second round, 20th overall.

The Auburn Plainsman

Jordan-Hare improves guest security with texting service

Auburn University Athletics will be offering the service of GuestAssist at Jordan-Hare Stadium beginning this fall.GuestAssist provides instant two-way, text message-based communication between ticket holders and event staff, allowing for improved management of safety, security and guest services."Text messaging is perfect for how loud our stadium stays," said Matt Rosenwald, senior in business management.

The Auburn Plainsman

Finney's homers lift Tigers over Hogs

The Auburn softball team took its series against Arkansas 2-1 Sunday, bringing its record to 27-13 overall and 7-7 in the Southeastern Conference.The 5-4 win was secured by Myesha Finney's two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning.The teams split the double header Saturday, with Auburn winning the opening game 4-3, but losing the second game 4-2."Myesha played outstanding against Florida in our last series," said Auburn head coach Tina Deese.

The Auburn Plainsman

Tigers score 11 runs late to win Bulldog series

The Auburn baseball team defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 12-10 Sunday afternoon in Starkville to make their record 20-10 overall and 6-6 in the Southeastern Conference.The Tigers were down by six runs in the bottom of the fourth.Auburn answered with 11 runs, scoring six runs in the fifth, two in the seventh and three in the eighth to claim its first series win at Mississippi State since 2003."We were down 8-2 early, and it looked like we didn't have anything going, and we were playing poor baseball," said Auburn head coach John Pawlowski.

Sullivan Britnell, a  7-year-old cystic fibrosis patient, swam 50 meters in the Laps for Cystic Fibrosis event in Auburn Saturday. JD Schein / Photo Editor

Laps for CF a success

The cheers echoing from the Martin Aquatics Center Saturday morning were not just in spirit of Auburn's NCAA swim team.Instead, the encouraging sounds were for 7-year-old Cystic Fibrosis patient Sullivan Britnell as he swam a 50-meter lap, finishing up the Laps for CF event.Saturday marked Auburn University's fifth year participating in Laps for CF, an organization and event founded because of one patient's efforts to help raise money for research, as well as a financial support for families who struggle with CF.Emily Schreiber, 16, from Birmingham, was diagnosed with CF when she was 9 years old, and, at this age, she started the foundation Laps for CF.What began as her pledge to swim laps for each individual and business's donation to the cause has now turned into an event involving the community and swim and dive team, like Saturday's event held at Auburn."The swim team, they are all such great athletes," Schreiber said.

Auburn Basketball

Bonner heading to WNBA draft

To top-off a truly incredible season, senior DeWanna Bonner is one of 15 top WNBA prospects invited to attend the 2009 draft, at the NBA Entertainment studios in Secaucus, N.J."I am excited, I am nervous, a lot of different emotions right now," Bonner said last week.

The Auburn Plainsman

Auburn staff shows football can be fun again

When did Auburn football start looking like the set of Rush Hour?We knew the coaching staff would be totally revamped after the departure of Tommy Tuberville and the Good Ole Boy network, but when did Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker come to The Plains to coach 'em up?Whereas practice in the Tommy Tuberville era was akin to Cool Hand Luke - quiet, sincere and methodical - the 2009 staff looks more like a Judd Apatow film - smart, witty and high-energy.With the exception of the field general himself, Gene Chizik, the rest of the coaching staff appears more Robin Williams and less Marlon Brando.Both styles can get the job done, but this group of high-energy jokesters seem to relate to a younger team playing looser than any in more than a decade.Assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor embodies the seismic shift of attitude on the gridiron.Taylor, hat always turned backward, is a show in himself.