The Official Blog of OC Athletics
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Wes McKinzie talks to OC basketball coaches Stephanie Findley and Dan Hays as the Lady Eagles and Eagles prepare to open the season Saturday in their annual Homecoming games. Click here for a written preview of both teams.
This edition of the Eagle Eye Podcast also includes news about the golf team’s latest accomplishments and the upcoming regionals for cross country and soccer.
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Monday, June 05, 2006
WES McKINZIE, Blog Host
Here is one man’s opinion on the top five stories of the year in OC Athletics ...
1. Continued golf excellence
The OC golf team spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the country and knocked off a number of NCAA Division I schools along the way. The only two regular-season tournaments the Eagles lost in the spring were runnerup finishes to UCLA and Baylor. Though a tough back nine on day two of the NAIA tournament meant a third-place national finish, it speaks volumes about the program’s premier status that placing third was a disappointment. In an unparalleled run of success in OC’s rich athletic history, the golf team has now placed in the nation’s top four for seven straight years.
2. Scintillating Senior Night
There have been plenty of memorable nights in the Eagles’ Nest in recent years as the men’s and women’s basketball programs enjoy one of the most successful eras in school history. But February 25 stands out on the WOW! meter. The Lady Eagles had conference champ OCU on the ropes before Alexander Kotta banked in an improbable three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to OT, where the Stars scraped out the win. The men’s game had no such drama, but it was plenty exciting. The Eagles dominated from the start and won by 37 points, equaling OC’s biggest win ever over OCU. The game probably gave OC the lift it needed to get in position for the national tournament.
3. Tennis makes net gains
One of OC’s top programs in recent years enjoyed a renaissance this season. The men’s tennis team won the Sooner Athletic Conference championship for the first time since its 2003 national championship season while the women’s tennis team placed second in conference and advanced to the national tournament after a one-year absence.
4. Young bloods
Freshmen Tara Collins and Jordan Powell made instant impacts on the cross country and track scenes. Collins led the women’s cross country team to its first conference and region team titles, then became OC’s first female cross country All-American since Peggy Murphy in 1991. In the spring, she twice broke the indoor school record in the 5,000 meters and finished ninth in the event at nationals. Powell placed in the top 10 at both indoor nationals (seventh in the mile) and outdoor nationals (eighth in the 1,500 meters).
5. Class acts
Some might scoff at having an academic note in the year’s top five sports stories. And, granted, another championship or big national splash would have made the list. But the success of the year demonstrates how important the “student” in “student-athlete” is at OC. The men’s and women’s tennis teams and the men’s cross country team all earned recognition as NAIA Scholar Teams. And no school had more NAIA Scholar-Athletes in basketball than OC’s six women and seven total. Overall, a record 30 OC athletes earned scholar-athlete recognition this year.
Honorable mention: New soccer coaches come on board; Heath, Lynn earn SAC coaching honors; Eagles scare OSU in hoop exhibition.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Tyler Hancock and Justin Fletcher discuss the 2005-2006 basketball seasons and look forward to next year.
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Wednesday, March 15, 2006
WES McKINZIE, Blog Host
Tough first-round loss for the Lady Eagles. They didn’t have a defensive answer for Montana State-Northern in the first half. But when OC cut the deficit from 22 to two, a comeback win seemed like it was in the bag. Credit the Skylights, though, for holding on.
Given the distance between OKC and Jackson, OC had a solid fan contingent on hand. That was good to see. A number of family members and other fans made the trip, and they were joined by the Delta Faucet local folks who adopted the Lady Eagles this week.
It’s nice to see Montana State-Northern have success here, though you hate to see it happen at OC’s expense. The entire team suffered injuries, including a couple of serious injuries, in a van crash back in November. The Skylights fought through the physical and mental pain to get to nationals, and played great against the Lady Eagles in their biggest game of the year.
OC says farewell to five seniors, including four-year starters Lauren Decker and Tasha Turney. Carrie Mills, Chelsee Truesdell and Carlissa Plowden also played their last games in an OC uniform. They were successful in both the athletic and academic arenas ... and they’ll represent OC well in their future endeavors.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
WES McKINZIE, Blog Host
It’s the day before the Lady Eagles’ opening game. Lunch at Quizno’s was followed by a trip to Oman Arena to play with Special Olympics kids (click on the links below to see some photos). Returnees Katie Fariss and Chelsee Truesdell reconnected with kids they played with last year at this special event.
Practice followed at a local church gymnasium, highlighted by Charlotte Heron’s dunk of a small rubber ball. Yes, a dunk. Of a ball maybe four inches in diameter, but it was a dunk all the same.
After practice, the team helped judge a pie-tasting contest and a Pi poster contest (yep, 3.14) at a local Sonshine School.
The day concluded with the annual Banquet of Champions at the Carl Perkins Civic Center. It was quite the shindig; the city of Jackson rallies around this tournament with a bunch of corporate sponsors and volunteers.
Delta Faucet is OC’s corporate sponsor; they’ve done a fabulous job and made the team feel at home.
Photos:
Katie Fariss at the Special Olympics event
Chelsee Truesdell at the Special Olympics event
Jordan Findley and Abbie Tiffany at the Special Olympics event
Friday, March 10, 2006
OC’s first athletics podcast features interviews with women’s basketball coach Stephanie Findley and men’s basketball coach Dan Hays. They discuss the upcoming NAIA national tournaments.
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