GymCats wrap up season at Nationals
UA senior Kara Fry and junior All-American Randi Liljenquist finished the 2001 gymnastics season Thursday night at the National Championship in Athens, Ga., a far cry from where they had planned to be.
Fry went into the competition the No. 3 seed in the all-around competition, known as the ultimate test for a talented gymnast. She finished the season tied for 24th place in the all-around finals.
"Nationals didn't go as I had planned - this was not the way I wanted to end my career - but it was still an honor to be able to compete among the best," Fry said yesterday after returning from the meet.
Liljenquist, who will return for her senior season, automatically qualified for the finals after posting a high score on the floor at the NCAA Regionals. She finished 45th in the event Thursday.
Both athletes qualified for nationals without the rest of their team, having to rotate with other teams who had made it as a squad.
"I definitely missed the rest of the team at finals," Fry said. "They definitely played a big role in all of my accomplishments this year."
Fry said the atmosphere at finals was intense.
"I needed the rest of the girls there to cheer me on," she said.
Wildcats fall one game short of 3rd title
The UA men's club volleyball team ended the 2001 season just a game away from its third-straight NIRSA National Championship.
The Wildcats entered the 2001 NIRSA Tournament two weekends ago in Kansas City, Mo., as the two-time defending national champions and odds-on favorites to win their third straight title.
However, Arizona was stunned in a three-game defeat at the hands of Park College, an NAIA Division I school from the Kansas City area, in the open division finals.
The Wildcats went into the final match as the No. 1 seed, having swept their first seven games in the three-day tournament.
However, after winning the first game 25-20, Park College took the next two games 33-31 and 15-9 to complete the upset.
Senior setter Jeff Grobe took home honors as tournament MVP, along with first-team all-division honors.
The season wasn't a total loss for UA. Still the winningest program on campus, the Wildcats finished the 2001 regular season with a record of 46-7. Over the past three seasons, the Wildcats have tallied a 112-13 record.
Wildcats end regular season on sour note
The UA men's tennis team finished a successful regular season Saturday. Unfortunately it ended with a 4-3 loss to No. 38 Arizona State.
However, the loss won't effect the team's chances of making next month's NCAA Regionals.
The No. 34 Wildcats (12-9 overall, 2-6 in Pacific 10 Conference) opened the match by winning the doubles point.
Freshman Whi Kim and sophomore Tom Lloyd won 9-7.
Junior Brian Jackson and freshman Arnaud Agniel clinched the point for the Wildcats with their 8-5 win.
In singles play, Arizona's two freshmen had the only wins.
Hagman won 7-6, 4-6, 7-6(6) over Mirza Duranovic. Kim followed with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-0 victory.
UA's Steven Capriati came into the weekend ranked No. 84 nationally - his first ranking in singles play this year. It was short-lived, however, as ASU's Nic Dubey beat Capriati 6-4, 6-2.
UA's only senior, Jari Niskala, lost the final match of his career at Robson Tennis Center, 7-5, 6-0.
Junior Jarrod Eckermann's 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over sophomore Bruno Aropovic sealed the victory for ASU.
The Pac 10 Championships - which will be held in Ojai, Calif. this weekend - start the postseason for Arizona. After a week off, Arizona will advance to the regionals May 12 at an undetermined site.
Wins over ranked opponents this season will likely sway UA's chances of getting a high seed once the NCAA brackets are announced.
"Beating number 30 California and number 12 Washington were the highlights of my season," Niskala said. "We're ready for the regionals."
