1994_10 The Daily Collegian October 1994

              Thursday, October 27, 1994
Cream of crop
tarns to mush
fough times have hit col¬
lege football here in Caliior-
nia. With only one Division I
team currently in the Top 25
(USC, No. 25) and just one
other team that has a win¬
ning percentage over .500
(Pacific, 4-3) Golden State
football fans have not had
much to cheer about
Was it just last season that
California sent four teams to
bowl games?
The cream of the crop so
far has been 5-2 USC. Last
Saturday's 61-0 blowout
against Cal was their third
win in a row arid propelled
them bade into the Top 25. At
second place in the Pac-10
many Trojan fans are think-
ing Rose Bowl. But with
games against Arizona,
Washington State, and Notre
Dame coming up, a bowl in¬
vitation is not exactly etched
in stone.
The second best team in
the state this year could very
well be our own Bulldogs.
But, at 4-4, this season has
been somewhat of a down
one considering the accom¬
plishments made by recent
Bulldog teams. Injury after
injury has made for a frus¬
trating season. An embarrass¬
ing 42-7 loss to Air Force this
past weekend puts a bowl
invitation in serious jeop¬
ardy.
Three other California
teams are experiencing nigh -
mare seasons as they dwell at
or near the bottom of the Pac-
10. No team has had a tougher
time than UCIA (2-6, 0-5),
losers of six straight Last
yearVPac-lO co-champ has
gene from first to worst in
less than a year.
When Cal's starting quar- .
terback Dave Barr went down J
I with a season-ending injury
two weeks ago a disappoin -
ing season looks to be turn¬
ing into a downright disas¬
trous one. Last year's Alamo
Bowl champs were humili¬
ated by USC last weekend
and more of tne same could
be on the way. The Golden
Bears (3-4, 2-2) still have to
face WSU, Arizona, and
Washington.
Stanford was a team mat
many expected to come back
strong from last year's un¬
characteristic 4-7 record. But
at this point the Cardinal (2-
4-1,1-3) appears to be well on
their way to an even worse
season.
FSU'spartnerintheWAC,
San Diego State, is also hav¬
ing a tough time of it After
See Football, Page 7
Women ready to hoop it up in c94
By Chad Holcomb
"Here they come; a three-
on-two fastbreak, a dish, and
an uncontested lay-up puts the
'Dogs on top."
Sounds like ifs that time of
year again for some basketball,
and tne Fresno State women's
basketball team is gearing up
for another tough and challeng¬
ing season.
The FSU Bulldogs will be
looking forward to taking on
their fellow Western Athletic
Conference foes again this sea¬
son with a fresh start and some
very valuable experience.
The most valuable asset to
the team is head coach Linda
Wunder, who is in her second
season here leading the Bull¬
dogs. Wunder and her 'Dcgs
of '93-'94, finished conference
play in a three-way tie for fifth
place, posting a 5-9 record, 13-
15 overall, and a semi-final
appearance in the WAC tour¬
nament. .
"Last season was a learning
year for everyone, the staff and
the players," said Wunder.
Wunder is definitely no un¬
seasoned coach as FSU is her
third head coaching job.
Wunder was.last at Miami
(Ohio) University where her
six-year span led to a 105-64
record and a Mid American
Conference championship.
Her first job was '85-'87 at Wis-
ccnskvStevens Point where she
left with a 42-9 mark.
"It would be a challenge to
build a team in a tough confer¬
ence like the WAC," said
Wunder. "It was a good-oppor¬
tunity to coach a team at a high
level and it was time for a new
challenge."
This year's squad is very di¬
versified but they are all in the
same boat as far as the new pro¬
gram that Wunder brought with
her. The T)ogs are featured with
nine letterwinners returning
from last season, as well as three
starters and some newcomers
to the team from transfers and
freshman.
One Bulldog that may as¬
sume the leadership role on the
court is senior guard/forward,
Kari Jorgensen who led the'
'Dogs last season with 12.1
points per game, 4.6 rebounds
per game, and a total of 61 steals
on the season. This put her sev¬
enth in the conference in points
and fourth in steals, helping her
to be Voted onto the A11-WAC
team last season.
Also returning this season to
aid in the effort to lead the Bull¬
dogs to the top is junior guard
StaciOddo. Oddo was also atop
the statistics for the Bulldogs
last season averaging 32 assists
per game. Oddo is one for per¬
centages as she is last season's
as well as the FSU career leader
in 3-pt. percentage.
Senior guard Kristi Fulton is
one to be reckoned with behind
the three point line. This threat
had 51 three-pointers last season
and a 367 shooting percentage.
^We have a lot of leaders on
the team. Kari [Jorgensen] and
Kristi [Fulton] are returning se¬
niors and they know what to
Aaron Riggs»- Sports Information
Senior forward Kari Jorgensen led all
Bulldogs in scoring (12.1 points per game)
and rebounding (4.6 per game) laet season.
expect," said Wunder. fense," the inscription on their
The 'Dogs, who will begin    practice shorts, the women's
their year with an exhibition    basketball team is coming to-
game against the Latvian team
Nov. 22 here in Fresno, are fo¬
cussing on making this season a
more consistent one. With "De-
gether with their seniors and
returners, as well as the new¬
comers fitting into a\new
Wunder program.
Gotf tees-off season at Fresno Lexus
Todd Warshaw - Sports Information
The Freaho State golf team hoata Its 32nd"
Fresno Lexus Golf Classic thla weekend. \
Long-distance hit¬
ting contest starts
today in 32nd
Fresno Lexus Golf
Classic
-»«
By Dennis R. Claborn
The Bulldog golf team will get
their first chance of the year io see
if their experience, strengths, and
leadership will be enough to com¬
pete with some of the best in the
nation.
Tomorrow morning the Bull¬
dog golf team will tee-off their
1994-95 campaign as they com¬
pete in the 32nd annual Lexus Golf
Classic at the San Joaquin Country
Club.
The Lexus Golf Classic will fea¬
ture four of the country's top-30
teams, including No. 7 Oklahoma,
No. 25 New Mexico. No. 29
Pepperdine and of course, the 21st-
ranked Bulldogs. C
This year's Bulldogs are led by
experienced Jon Bettencourt who
was named All-American last year
and competed in the All- American
tournament last weekend in El Paso.
Bettencourt shotacareer-low aver¬
age of 72.9 per round last year and
feels he can compete with anyone
in the country.
The Bulldogs will turn to team¬
mate John Barss for strength down
the stretc h, or should I say ''down
the Fairway." Barss, a junior from
Visalia, was last year's WAC and
NCAA Long-Ball Champion, driv
ing the ball well over 340 yards.
According to coach Mike Watney,
"Barss hits the ball farther than
most guys on the IPGAJ tour."
The Bulldogs' leadership is en¬
gineered by coach Watney, who
has led the Bulldogs to 14 WAC&
Big West titles in his 16-season
tenure at FSU and doesn't antici¬
pate this season to be any different
from last year's season, which saw
the 'Dogs capture the WAC title.
The Bulldogs haven't won the
Lexus Classic since 1990 and
haven't produced a individual win¬
ner since 1977 when Dana Booth
put together a 3-round, 36-hole
score of 216.
The Brigham Young Cougars
shot an 869 last year to capture the
Lexus Classic tide, just edging out
the third-place 'Dogs by seven
strokes.
However, the Cougars won't be
in town this year to defend their
title. Other teams involved in the
tournament will include UCLA,
USCi San Diego St. and Hawaii.
Tee-off time for the 'Dogs will be
Friday morning at 7:15 a.m