Mandy Pearson Named Women's Basketball MIAC MVP (St. Paul, Minn.)— Mandy Pearson (Jr., Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins HS) was named the MIAC Most Valuable Player as announced by the league office.  Pearson was also voted to the MIAC All-Conference Team. It is the second consecutive season that she has been named to the all-conference team, and third year that she has been honored with conference postseason awards.  She becomes the first Concordia player to win MVP honors since Michelle Thykeson won the award in 1990. She becomes only the fourth player in school history to receive league MVP honors. She joins Jessica Rahman (Beachy), Jillayn Quaschnick and Thykeson in the elite club of Cobber athletes to win the MVP award.  She helped lead the Cobbers to their best record since the 1990-91 season. The team finished with a 21-7 mark and made it all the way to the MIAC playoff championship game, a first in school history. Concordia also set a school record for biggest improvement in one season. The Cobbers improved a full seven games from the 2002-03 season. (Complete MVP Details)

Men’s Basketball Final Record: 18-7 Overall, 14--6 MIAC (3rd Place) Upcoming Events: End of Season Latest News and Notes: Four Cobbers Earn MIAC Postseason Awards (Complete List of MIAC Men's Basketball Postseason Awards)  (ST. PAUL)--- Four Concordia men's basketball players earned MIAC postseason honors as announced by the MIAC office. Josh Downey (Sr., Bigfork, Mont.) and Soren Nelson (Jr., Twin Valley, Minn./Norman County East HS) were named to the MIAC All-Conference Team, while Nate Ohme (Sr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) was placed on the MIAC All-Defensive Team and Joe Bueckers (Sr., Pine River, Minn./Pine River-Backus HS) was named to MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team. It is the first time in all four players' careers that they have earned postseason honors. The quartet of award winners helped the Cobbers to their best season since the 1995-96 campaign. Concordia finished the season with an 18-8 overall mark and a 14-6 record in the MIAC. The team finished third in the MIAC regular season, and defeated St. Thomas in the first round of the conference playoffs before losing to Macalester in the league semifinals. Downey was the team's leading scorer in 2003-04. He finished the season with a 15.1 points per game average, which placed him 12th in the conference in scoring. The team’s outside shooting threat, he finished fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (51.1%) and fourth in 3-point baskets made (45). Downey scored in double figures in 21 of the team’s 26 games. He scored a career-high 32 points in the Cobbers’ game against Hamline on February 14. Nelson led the team in scoring for most of the season. He finished second at the end of the year with a 14.3 points per game average. He was 13th in the conference in scoring in league games. He also finished 12th in the MIAC in rebounding (5.4 rpg), 11th in free throw percentage (79.5%) and sixth in blocked shots (20). Ohme was the unsung hero of the Cobbers this season. He was assigned to guard the best player on the opposing team, and was in charge of “quarterbacking” the team from the floor. He helped Concordia limit MIAC foes to just 65.1 points per game – fifth best in the conference. Led by Ohme, the team’s perimeter defense was ranked third in the MIAC in opposing team’s 3-point field goal percentage (36.0%). Bueckers is the final member of the team to be recognized for his outstanding play during the season. He was the team’s point guard and finished third in the MIAC in assists (73). He was also second in assist-to-turnover ratio. Bueckers broke the school record for highest free throw percentage in a career. He made 89.2% of his foul shots, which eclipsed the old mark of 84.9% held by Kris Gulsvig from 1974-77. He also finished with 195 assists and only 122 turnovers in 50 games at the point for Concordia.

Women’s Basketball
Final Record: 21-7 Overall, 17-5 MIAC (4th Place)
Upcoming Events: End of Season

Latest News and Notes:
Mandy Pearson Named Conference MVP; Four Others Receive Postseason Honors.
(Complete List of MIAC Women's Basketball Postseason Awards)
(St. Paul, Minn.)— Mandy Pearson (Jr., Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins HS) was named the MIAC Most Valuable Player as announced by the league office. Four other Cobber players also received MIAC postseason honors. All five Concordia starting players received a postseason award.

Pearson was also voted to the MIAC All-Conference Team. It is the second consecutive season that she has been named to the all-conference team, and third year that she has been honored with conference postseason awards.

Joining Pearson in the parade of conference postseason winners were Debbie Slack (Sr., Evansville, Minn.), who was named to the MIAC All-Defensive Team, and Annie Keeley (Fr., Grafton, N.Dak.), who garnered MIAC All-First Year Team honors. Slack, Keeley, Beth Drager (Sr., Wood Lake, Minn./Lakeview HS)and Jamie Visness (Jr., Hallock, Minn./Kittson Central HS) were all named to the MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team.

Slack was one of the leaders of the Concordia defense that allowed opponent’s an average of only 60.5 points per game which was the third best mark in the league. Concordia also finished the year by holding their foes to under 50 points on five different occasions in 2003-04. The team also led the MIAC in opponent’s field goal percentage. The Cobbers limited conference teams to just 35.7% shooting from the floor.

Slack finishes her career seventh on the school’s all-time rebounding list. She grabbed 719 rebounds in the 88 games she played for Concordia.

Keeley gave Concordia another player to handle the ball, and allowed Pearson to have someone to give her key breaks during the course of a game. She becomes the seventh Concordia player to be named to the league’s all first-year team since the conference first started the honor back in the 1993-94 season.

Keeley was second on the team in scoring with a 10.9 points per game average. The diminutive Keeley also finished the year as the team’s third leading rebounder (4.0 rpg). She was ranked 14th in the league in 3-point baskets made (32) and, unbelievably, 15th in offensive rebounds (46). Keely also factored among the top players in the league in scoring, 3-point field goal percentage and assists.

Beth Drager capped her senior season by being named to a conference postseason award team for the first time in her career. She led the league in blocked shots (3.30 blocks/game) and was 11th in the nation in that category.  She was the team’s fourth leading scorer, averaging 7.6 points per game. She scored 206 points on the year, which is almost as many as her previous three seasons combined. She posted career-best numbers in every offensive statistical category, and finished 17th in the MIAC in field goal percentage (45.6%).

She finished her career with 157 blocks. That total is only one off the school’s all-time mark of 158 held by Ann Mehrkens (’97).

Jamie Visness rounds out the quintet of Cobber award winners. Visness earns all-conference honorable mention honors for the second consecutive season. She finished the year third on the team’s scoring list (10.0 ppg). She was among the league leaders in 3-point field goal percentage (33.7%) and 3-point field goals made (29). She scored in double figures in 11 of the team’s 28 games and tallied a season-high 22 points in the Cobber’s game against St. Mary’s on January 19.
 

Men’s Hockey Final Record: 5-17-3 Overall, 4-10-2 MIAC (7th Place) Upcoming Events: End of Season

Women’s Hockey
Current Record: 8-12-0 Overall, 7-11-0 MIAC (6th Place)
Upcoming Events: End of Season

Latest News and Notes:
Lindsay Czarnecki is Lone Cobber Honored in MIAC Postseason Awards.
(Complete List of MIAC Women's Hockey Postseason Awards)
(ST. PAUL)---Lindsay Czarnecki (Jr., Riverside, Cali./Riverside Poly HS)  earned MIAC All-Conference honors as announced by the MIAC office. Czarnecki led the Cobbers in scoring in 2003-04 and finished 11th in the MIAC in goals scored this season. Czarnecki earns postseason honors for the second consecutive season. Last year she was named to the MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team. She becomes the 11th player in the history of the women's program to be selected to the MIAC All-Conference Team.

Czarnecki finished the season with 14 goals and eight assists in Concordia's 20 games. She scored 11 goals and tallied seven assists in the team's 18 MIAC games. Both goal totals are team highs, and her assist marks are tied for second on the team. Czarnecki scored a goal in ten of the games this season and netted two goals in four different games.

Czarnecki now has 45 points in her first three seasons as a Cobber. Her previous season-high point total before this year was 16 points, which she put up in 2002-03.
 

Women’s Swimming and Diving Recent Results: 7th Place at MIAC Championship Meet - Complete Results Upcoming Events: End of Season

Men’s Tennis
Recent Results: No Recent Results
Upcoming Events: at St. Mary's on Saturday, March 13 at 3:00pm.

Latest News and Notes:
- No Recent Results
 

Women’s Tennis Recent Results: No Recent Results Upcoming Events: at St. Mary's on Saturday, March 13 at 10:00am; at St. Kate's on Sunday, March 14 at 10:00am  Latest News and Notes: - No Recent Results

Men’s Track and Field
Recent Results: 10th place at the MIAC Championship Meet - Meet Results
Upcoming Events: at the St. John's Invite on Saturday, March 27 at 11:00am

MIAC Championship Meet Review:
(Complete Coverage of the MIAC Men's Championship Meet)
Cobbers Finish 10th at MIAC Championship Meet.
Sparked by the inspiring running of Ben Nylander (Sr., Lisbon, N.Dak.), Concordia improved four points ahead of their seed total and finished 10th at the MIAC Indoor Championship Meet.

Nylander captured the only title of the meet for the Cobbers. He ran a 2:33.96 in the 1000 meters to capture the race by almost two full seconds. His time is a personal-best and the eighth fastest time in the event in school history. Nylander backed up his performance in the 1000 meters with a third-place finish in the 1500 meters. He put up a time of 4:01.72, which was less than a second out of second place. That mark is also a personal record and is the fifth fastest time recorded in that event in the history of the school.

Kyle Halliday (Jr., Willmar, Minn.) posted two "top ten" finishes. He finished fifth in the 800 meters and seventh in the 600 yards. His ran a 1:58.25 in the 800 meters and clocked a 1:15.60 in the 600 yards.

Nick Myran (Jr., Kenyon Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) continued his comeback after an injury cost him most of the indoor season. Myran ran in only one individual event. He placed sixth in the 1000 meters in a time of 2:37.26. He also anchored the distance medley relay team that finished sixth in a time of 10:52.53. That mark is ninth fastest in school history. The other three members of the relay team were; Dan Bye (Fr., Mankato, Minn./Mankato Loyola HS), Jay Prince (So., Bemidji, Minn.) and Dustin Blum (Jr., Le Center, Minn.).

Nylander, Halliday and Prince teamed with Greg Moss (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain HS) in the 4x400 meter relay and finished with a time of 3:28.04, the fifth fastest ever run by a Cobber quartet.

Luke Draxten (So., Fergus Falls, Minn.) was the only Cobber notable in the field events. The sophomore placed eighth in the high jump with a leap of 5-10 1/2.
 

Women’s Track and Field Recent Results: 3rd Place at the MIAC Championship Meet - Meet Results Upcoming Events: at the St. John's Invite on Saturday, March 27 at 11:00am MIAC Championship Meet Review: (Complete Coverage of the MIAC Women's Championship Meet)  (Collegeville, Minn.)-- Concordia finished in the third place at the MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championship Meet, a single point out of second place. The Cobbers scored a total of 93.0 teams points and fell just shy of Gustavus, who finished the meet with 94.0 points. St. Thomas won the meet with a total of 146.0 points.  Concordia earned their sixth "top three" finish at the indoor championship meet in the past seven seasons.  The Cobbers were led by the 4x400 meter relay team, the sprint tandem of Angie Pfeiffer (Colman, S.Dak./Colman-Egan HS) and Alissa Bilden (Fr., Miles, City, Mont./Custer County HS) and the pentathlete duo of Nicole Plante (Jr., Fort Benton, Mont.) and Renee Splichal (Garrison, N.Dak.).  The Cobber 4x400 meter relay team of Bilden, Britt Berger (Fr., Kalispell, Mont./Flathead HS), Kelly Olson (Fr., Minot, N.Dak./Minot Ryan HS) and Pfeiffer combined to win the event in a time of 4:01.40. That mark is only .40 off the national provisional qualifying time of 4:01.00. It is the first time since the 1995 season that the Cobbers won the event at the conference indoor meet. It is the fastest time of the season and third fastest in school history.  Pfeiffer won the 400 meters and placed third in the 55 meters and the 200 meters.  She set school records in the 55 meters and 200 meters. Her time of 7.34 in the qualifying heat broke her own school mark, set last season, by .04. She also broke her own school record in the 200 meters by running a 25.94. That time is just .01 faster than the mark she set last year.  Bilden pulled off one of the surprise performances of the meet by finishing second in the 600 meters. Her time of 1:40.03 is a personal record and is the fastest run by any Cobber in the event this season.  Plante finished second in the pentathlon with a personal best score of 2,985 points. That total is the second highest in school history. Splichal placed third in the event with a total score of 2,899 points. That mark is a personal best and also the fifth best mark in school history. Splichal also finished fifth in the pole vault with a height of 10-1 1/4.  Lisa Owen (Sr., Mineral, Virg./Minot (ND) HS) gave the Cobbers quality points in the distance events. She finished fourth in the 1500 meters and fifth in the 1000 meters. She ran a 3:04.93 in the 1000 meters and a 4:48.13 in the 1500 meters. Her time in the 1500 is a personal best and the fifth fastest time in school history. She bettered her season-best mark in the event by over nine seconds.  Natalie Hanson (So., Rogers, Minn./Elk River HS) saved her best performance in the 800 meters for the championship meet. The sophomore ran a 2:22.60 and finished fourth. She beat her season-best time by over 10 seconds.  The distance medley team paced the Cobber relay units. The squad of Jen St. John (Jr., Billings, Mont./Billings West HS), Olson, Hanson and Owen clocked a 12:53.54 which placed them third in the event. The mark is 40 seconds faster than the previous season-best and is the fourth fastest time run in school history.

Wrestling
Dual Meet Record: 6-7
Upcoming Events: End of Season
 

Baseball Record: 4-5  Recent Results: in Florida for Spring Break - Complete Results Upcoming Events: UW-Superior at Concordia on Friday, March 26 at 1:30pm and Saturday, March 27 at 1:00pm Latest News and Notes: - Ryan Hebrink (Sr., Sacred Heart, Minn./RCW HS) surpassed Chris Coste as the school's all-time home run leader during Concordia's spring break trip to Florida. He hit four home runs over the course of the first 10 games and has now hit 23 on his career. Coste's old school record was 19, which he set from 1993-95. Coste is currently playing in the Boston Red Sox organization.  - First-Year outfielder Chris Klabo (Brainerd, Minn.) led the Cobbers in hitting during the team's southern swing. Klabo collected 12 hits and had a .429 average in the eight games that he saw action. Of those eight games; he hit safely in seven, collected multiple-hit games five times and had six doubles. He currently has a three-game hitting streak and is 6-for-11 during that stretch.  - The Johnson brothers made successful starting debuts for Concordia. In the Cobbers' 9-4 win over Clarke College on March 3, older brother Scott (Jr., LeSueur, Minn./LeSeur-Henderson HS) went 1-for-2, scored two runs and drew two walks. Younger brother Zach (Fr., LeSueur, Minn./LeSeur-Henderson HS) pitched a complete game and recorded his first collegiate victory.

Fastpitch Softball
Record: 2-8
Recent Results: in Florida for Spring Break - Complete Results
Upcoming Events: MSU-Moorhead at Concordia on Thursday, March 25 at 4:00pm

Latest News and Notes:
- The Cobber fastpitch softball team completed their Florida trip with a 2-8 mark. Despite their record, Concordia played some of their best softball in recent history. Stacey Holm's team boasts five pitchers and has 16 new players on the roster. It is the first time in the history of the program that they have as many pitchers and as many new faces on the team.

- Gretta Stritesky (Jr., Ogilvie, Minn./Ogilvie HS) picked up one of the two Concordia wins. She pitched in 22.1 innings and came away with a 0.81 ERA. She only allowed 14 hits and only one extra base hit. She struck out 10 and pitched three complete games.

- Two newcomers made their mark for the Cobbers down in Florida. Pitcher Lindy Sparby (So., Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori HS) and outfielder Kelli Neiss (Fr., Rice, Minn./Sauk Rapids HS) both had success in the team's first ten games. Sparby did not allow an earned run in 13.1 innings of work and picked up one of the two wins for the Concordia pitching staff. She struck out nine and did not allow an extra base hit. Sparby is the sister of Tracy Sparby ('96) who was an all-conference first baseman for Concordia in 1996.

Neiss won the leadoff spot in the batting order and led the team with a .314 average. She also led the team in on-base percentage (.351) and slugging percentage (.457). She hit safely in six of the 10 games, and her highwater mark was a 3-for-4 outing against Eastern University. In that game she collected three hits, drove in four runs, stole a base and had two doubles.
 

Please Note: The views written in this piece are the work of the writer and and do not necessarily reflect the views of Concordia College. They are not meant to harm or disrespect any of the athletes or school. It is merely an attempt to give the reader a different perspective into the world of Concordia athletics. Different Perspective Index: November 25 - December 2 - December 9 - January 28 - February 4 - February 11 - February 18 - February 25 "Nice Guys Finish First" by Jim Cella March 10, 2004 It's been a busy couple of weeks in the land of the Cobbers. The men's and women's basketball teams wrapped up their exciting playoff runs, the postseason conference awards were handed out and the baseball and softball teams started their season with a handful of games in Florida (and for the fourth straight year, they conveniently forgot to bring along the SID!). The high school basketball tournaments have also started, and for the next two weeks these games will turn Memorial Auditorium into a modern-day Hoosiers set.  The biggest news of the past fortnight was the announcement of women's basketball player Mandy Pearson as the conference MVP. Pearson is only a junior and plays the game with the passion and work ethic that is rarely seen in today's "it's all about me" society. She deserved the award, and it was nice to see the coaches show a rare instance of good judgment and give an award to the deserving candidate. That didn't stop the women's and men's coaching committees from completely losing their minds by not voting either Jessica Rahman or Duane Siverson as Coach of the Year. Both Cobber coaches took teams that were slated for the extreme middle of the pack and coached them into overachieving. To prove my point more concretely, the women's team went from 13-13 in 2002-03 and losing in the first round of the playoffs to 21-7 this season and losing in the championship game of the conference tournament. The men went from 9-15 and finishing in a tie for seventh last year to 18-8 and third place in 2003-04.  In both instances, Concordia’s teams had the biggest turnaround in the league from a year ago and both teams played with class and dignity. Yet both coaches were slighted. Oh well, anyone who knows anything about MIAC basketball understands who the real coaches of the year should have been. This week's column was not intended to be a whine session so I will stop my rant. For me, the biggest news of the past two weeks came at the MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. It wasn't the fact that the women's team had an unbelievable performance to reach up and capture third place or that Angie Pfeiffer broke two more school records or that the 4x400 meter relay team won the event with three freshmen and one sophomore. No, the biggest news came when the old adage "nice guys finish last" was finally laid to rest. I can now start doing all the other things I thought to be absolute truths. After I get done writing, I am going to go out and run with scissors and then sit as close to a TV set as I can. Because guess what? I won't immediately impale myself on the scissors, I won't go blind after one minute of close-up TV viewing and nice guys DO finish first! To prove my point, I want to introduce you to Ben Nylander. Ben is listed as a senior in the track roster, but will be back for a fifth season because an injury forced him to miss the cross country and track season in his sophomore season. He has labored through injuries and "if onlys" for four long years. He has paid more dues than a journeyman actor who wins an Academy Award in the final film of his career. He entered this track season having never finished higher than fourth in any championship meet race in his career. In his second-to-last MIAC Indoor Championship Meet, Ben went out and won the 1000 meters. He out-dueled the field to win the event by over a half a second. Not only did he fulfill the promise of his deep down expectations in winning the race, but he beat his arch rival from St. Olaf in the process. He beat a runner whom he had never beaten before and who beat him in the 1500 meters just the day before. And after the race what did Ben do - gloat in winning or raise a single finger to show everyone who won the race? Not likely. He went over to the runner-up, shook his hand and apologized for accidentally elbowing him in the course of the race. If you haven't guessed it by now, Ben is the nice guy who overcame the odds and finished first. He is probably the nicest athlete I have ever had the distinction to "get to know" in my 12 years at Concordia.  My office, until I move later this week, sits in the lobby of the athletic building at Concordia. I get to see every athlete and student who passes by my door. Almost all the athletes I know will say hello and then shuffle past. I usually have to yell at them so they can hear my return as they walk down the hall. Not Ben. He never fails to stop, smile and say hello. The thing that always gets to me is that I have never, and I honestly mean never, seen Ben without a smile on his face. He could have failed an exam, totaled his car in an accident and broken up with his girl friend all within the hour before I see him, but when he passes by my office he always smiles and says hello. It makes me feel good to see someone you can point to and say to all the athletic naysayers, "see not every athlete is completely self absorbed and only worried about where the next party is."  Ben grew up in Lisbon, N.D. - a town towards the southeast corner of the state, about 75 miles southwest of Moorhead (fun fact of the day - Lisbon is located about eight miles due south of Buttzville, N.D. - I didn't make that up (click here) and no, I never knew there was a town called Buttzville either. Maybe I should call ESPN and they can make a commercial about who cheers for the Buttzvillians).  He played baseball and basketball growing up, buttz it wasn't until a little prodding from his older sister that he decided to go out for the cross-country team in junior high. That is when he decided to get serious about running, and as he puts it "that's when running was fun and didn't seem like a punishment." After that it was all up hill. I have yet to cross that point when running is fun and not a punishment for being out of shape. I have always admired people who can run long distances and act like they just walked down a flight of stairs. My older brother and my niece ran cross-country and they always acted like it was a joy to go out and run farther than 100 yards. I could never run more than the length of a soccer field without bending over in pain and threatening to cough up a lung. To this day, I can't understand why someone would run for the fun of it, without chasing a ball or trying to make a basket. I don't understand "those" people but I admire them immensely. I know the commitment and effort it takes to maintain your workout regimen and to push your body and mind to another level.  Ben is the type of person who makes training look a lot easier than it really is. He trains between 70-78 miles a week and will sometimes bite off an 18-mile training run in one day - and he does it with a smile on his face. And if he knows you, he will probably stop and say hello. Once running became fun, he started to excel. He finished seventh in the state cross country meet during the fall of his senior year of high school, and then won the 3200 meters at the state track meet in the spring. He was then forced to make a choice for college. He could go with the safe bet, and run for in-state institutions UND or Mayville State, or he could venture east and attend the unknown out-of-state Concordia.  "Garrick (Concordia head cross country and track coach Garrick Larson) was the reason I came to Concordia," reminisced Nylander. "I was recruited by UND and Mayville State, but Garrick really made me feel welcome and wanted - he really let me know that the school would love to have me as an athlete, as a student. That meant a lot...and still does." Ben ran cross-country and track his first year, but then was sidelined with an injury his entire sophomore season. After coming back last year, and placing fourth in the 1000 meters at the conference indoor meet and sixth in the steeplechase at the conference outdoor meet, he has reaped the rewards of having stayed healthy this season. His "never say die" attitude and cheerful demeanor have given him one conference title and he has set his sights higher in the spring. His goals for the outdoor campaign are to break the school record in the 1500 meters (3:54.62 set by Kevin Mears in 1980) and provisionally qualify for the national meet in the steeplechase. If I were a betting man, and I am not (writer's note: that last phrase was added for Mr. NCAA rep as per request from Rick Neuheisel's attorney), I would not bet against him achieving both feats.  He will return next year to finish off his degree and compete as a "super" senior. He could finish earlier if he wanted to, but the allure of being around Garrick and the rest of the team for one more season is too strong. It's a good thing too, because Concordia needs more people like Ben Nylander around the campus. Other students need him around so they will know you don't have to walk around campus, head down, looking at the sidewalk as if everyone you come across is out to get you. Other athletes need him as a role model so they can see you don't have to be a jerk when you get ready to compete. The team needs him as a spokesman of what an athlete can achieve if he believes and perseveres.  When asked what he will remember most about Concordia, Ben - true to form - answered "the trips the team took and the people I met." You could see the gleam in his eyes as he started to remember all the great times he has shared with teammates and friends over the past four years. One of his biggest adventures happened last week while the team was out in California for a week of training. Ben and the rest of the Cobbers had the chance to be part of the audience for a taping of the gameshow "The Price is Right." As luck would have it, or maybe it was just the beginning of nice guys week, Ben got called down to contestants row on the very last segment of the show. He didn't win a chance to get up on stage and play a big money game with Bob Barker, but he did get - in his own words - "some really neat parting gifts." Chalk that up as another bullet point in my argument that nice things can happen to nice people. Part of my job as sports information director is to be on-call at most home games or meets. I have to make sure that all the necessary information gets to the right people, and if any media people are attending, make sure they have everything they need to make Concordia look really good. I rarely have an opportunity to stop what I am doing, and go out of my way to openly root for an athlete during a competition.  This has changed in the past year. Whenever I got the chance to see a track meet in person or get the results over the internet, the first thing I looked for is how well Ben did in his events. I desperately wanted to be able to tell people the story of how nice guys do finish first. After Saturday, I can sit back and smile, knowing that every once in awhile good people get what they deserve. And after writing this column, I hope that other people will come to appreciate what Ben has accomplished as an athlete and as a person.   If you don't know who Ben is, find your way to the track or look for someone running outside. If the runner has an ear-to-ear grin that makes you smile back, chances are you found Ben - and more than likely, he is in the process of disproving another myth.  I wonder if he has ever watched a pot boil... From under the table and dreaming, that's the end of this week's different perspective - no ifs, ands or buttz about it!

 
 

To subscribe to the Cobber Athletic E-Mail Newsletter, featuring regular updates on Concordia athletics, simply click on the address below and type "Subscribe Cobbers" as your subject. sid@cord.edu

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This page is maintained by the Concordia Sports Information Office -sid@cord.edu