Monday August 27, 2001 |

Farmer named candidate for Doak Walker Award

UA sophomore halfback Clarence Farmer was named to the preseason Doak Walker Award list, making him one of 43 candidates for the prestigious postseason honor given to the nation's top collegiate running back.

Farmer, who rushed for 666 yards last season as a true freshman, earned Freshman All-America honors and became UA's all-time leading freshman rusher.

Head coach John Mackovic is no stranger to the award, having helped Ricky Williams win it in 1997 with the Texas Longhorns. Offensive coordinator Rick Dykes also coached "Bam" Morris and Byron Hanspard to the award while at Texas Tech in 1993 and 1995, respectively.

UA's first game against San Diego State will pit Farmer against another preseason Doak candidate, Larry Ned. He will also square off against fellow nominees Delvon Flowers (Arizona State), Joe Igber (Cal), Sultan McCullough (Southern Cal), David Minnich (Washington State) and Ken Simonton (Oregon State). Seven running backs from the Pacific 10 Conference overall were named to the list.

"The preseason candidates for the 2001 Doak Walker Award are not only being recognized for their excellence on the field but also for their achievements in the classroom and in the community," said Randall Goss, chair of the SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors. "We look forward to watching the progress of each of these outstanding student-athletes this fall."

The award will be presented live on the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show Dec. 6.

Klein high on recruiting class

After finishing last season with a 3-15-2 record and earning no wins in the Pac-10, UA soccer head coach Kathy Klein is hoping this season's recruiting class is going to make an immediate impact on the Wildcats.

"We have a whole different feel, a whole different look this year," Klein said. "We're kind of melding the old with the new. We're vastly improved ... much faster, more athletic. We are definitely faster this year and proud of it. This is our first true recruiting class where we had the absolute pick of the country to choose the kids that we would hope that we could hang our hat on. I think our recruiting class has been better than we had anticipated."

Among Klein's recruits were goalkeeper Kelly Pakula from Chino Hills, Calif., forward Candince Wilks from Altandena, Calif., midfielder Courtney Moseley from Redondo Beach, Calif., midfielder/forward Vanesha Bailey from Las Vegas, Nev., forward Cassie Daniels from Torrance, Calif., defender/midfielder Heather Nelson from Tucson, forward Kelly Nelson from Lakewood, Calif. (will be redshirting), defender/forward Courtney Russell from Glendale and defender/midfielder Lindsey Peeples from Arcadia, Calif.

Current Wildcats wear down alumni in 5 games

This year's Wildcat volleyball team looked forward to showing the alumni that youth takes experience every time.

The No. 6 ranked UA team defeated the UA volleyball alumni team 30-19, 21-30, 30-19, 21-30, 15-9.

The current Wildcats took advantage of their youth by forcing the older team to run all over the floor.

"We tried a lot of short tips because we knew they don't like to move," middle blocker Stefani Saragosa told the Arizona Daily Star.

The Wildcats led the entire first game, and the alumni team was searching for help.

UA associate head coach Charita Johnson and volunteer assistant Kevin Jones joined the alumni squad in the second game and quickly made a difference.

Despite adding a pair of players after a noncompetitive first game, the alumni ended up losing to the Wildcats in five games at McKale Center.

The game was played under the new rules format implemented by the NCAA this year.

The alumni squad, featured Barb Bell, Michelle Bartsch Malis, Marisa DaLee, Allison Napier and a few current Wildcats to round out the squad.