● friday, march 11, 2011 ● serving texas a&m since 1893 ● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2011 student media

thebattalionthebatt.comAggies battle TigersThe No. 21 A&M men’s basketball team took on Missouri in the Big 12 quarterfi nals Thursday in Kansas City. Prior to the game, the Aggies had defeated the Tigers in seven consecutive games.

inside

sports | 4Gerald PhiriThe senior sprinter gears up for the Indoor National Championships but considers life off the track as the most important aspect.

scene | 3Rock band hails from MidwestIowa-based band happygolovely is headed to Texas to perform on March 17 at The Stafford in downtown Bryan as well as make an appearance at the annual South by Southwest festival in Austin.

b!

communityBlinn College president resignsDaniel J. Holt stepped down from his position as president of three years at Blinn College Thursday. Holt said that his resignation is effective immediately and is partially due to Blinn’s new budget cycle that allows a new president with new ideals to take charge. While Holt said he plans on staying within the fi eld of education, he resigned in order to spend more time with his family. “It has been in the making for a while now, it is time to seek other opportunities and look after things at home,” Holt said. “My family is dealing with a lot and I need to pay more attention to that.” In the time that Holt was president, he initiated several building projects on Blinn and Brenham campus. The Blinn board plans to fi nd a replacement by the beginning of August, allowing the executive council of six vice presidents to carry out Blinn’s daily functions.

Sarah Smith,staff writer

Courtesy photos

Justin Jones, a sophomore electrical engineering major, trains for and runs half marathons with his father.

Aggie father-son duo runs half marathon

Going the distanceTexas A&M University is a

school with many different kinds of people with different hobbies and goals. Justin Jones, a sophomore electrical engineering major and his father have found their interests and hobbies through their hard work and time in the Corps.

“Justin told me last summer he wanted to run, and I advised him based on his fall schedule versus the training regime and experi-ence that this year a half marathon would be best,” said retired Lt. Col. David Jones, class of 1984 and Justin’s father.

Justin and his father completed

the Austin 13.1 mile half marathon on Feb. 20. Justin’s goal is to run a full marathon, 26.2 miles, with his dad in 2012.

“I started training for the Corps and running was a strong point for me,” Justin said.

Training for the Corps as a freshman made Justin realize how good it made him feel to run.

“Last summer Justin told his dad he wanted to train to do a mara-thon, so they began their training,” said Jeanna Jones, Justin’s mother.

After spending a lot of time running, Justin discovered that he enjoyed it and that it was a physi-cal activity that came easily to him.

“I know how hard they have

worked and trained for this goal, and to see that come to comple-tion is a pure joy for this wife and mom,” Jeanna said.

Being in the Corps has been a way for Justin to gain confidence in his running.

“It helped me discover that run-ning was something I loved to do and helped prepare me mentally and physically,” Justin said.

Exercise and fitness has been important to the Jones family and have been a way for them to spend time together.

“This is great opportunity to pro-mote family esprit de Corps, fitness, Texas A&M and the Corps of Ca-dets,” David said.

Jeanna and her youngest son, Bryan, who will be a freshman ma-rine transportation major at Texas A&M University at Galveston in the fall, watched as the father and son duo completed the half mara-thon together.

“Justin proudly wore his Corps of Cadets shirt and got lots of ‘gig’em Aggies’ along the route,” Jeanna said.

The completed half marathon is just the beginning of many more to come for this Aggie family.

“It is great to go out in the com-munity and show pride in your school,” Justin said.

Christine Perrenot The Battalion

Construction

changes campus

bus routes

Texas A&M has been steadily growing and maturing into one of the largest uni-versities in the nation. With the increase in enrollment, the University has responsibili-ties to its students to provide and maintain the level of service offered. While many students see the constant construction on campus as an obstacle on their way to class, they may fail to see the bigger picture of the Vision 2020 plan coming into action.

The current construction on Ross Street where it intersects Spence Street is part of an ongoing facelift along the street. Beginning this fall semester, Ross Street will be closed off to outside traffic between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.; during this time Ross will become a designated bus corridor to ease congestion on the street.

Austin Burgart The Battalion

“All the way down Ross from Fish Pond to Spence Street is too busy,” said Eric Avila, a freshman general studies major. “It’s just a massive buildup of people and vehicles anytime I walk past.”

A proposed change in bus routes accom-panies this project to allow buses to utilize the new road; all existing routes will still remain intact with only three receiving mi-nor alterations. The three routes along Uni-versity (Bonfire, Yell Practice and Gig Em’) will be redirected to run through campus

Aggie cricket team heads to nationals

An internationally diverse organiza-tion, the Texas A&M cricket team is gearing up for the national champion-ship tournament, which takes place over spring break. A&M’s team was recently selected as one of 31 teams in the na-tion to participate in the 2011 American College Cricket Spring Break Champi-onship. These Aggies will enjoy a trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to compete from March 15-20.

The cricket team has incorporated A&M’s legendary 12th man tradition into its own practice. A twelfth player always stands by in the event that any of the 11 players on the field get injured.

“Cricket at A&M started in 2002 when a group of dedicated individuals decided to play cricket during the week-

J.T. Sampson The Battalion

Sign-up◗ If you are intrested in joining the team, contact Pradeep Gudlur, president of the Aggie Cricket Club at 979-450-1472

◗ Find them on Facebook at “Aggie Cricket Club.”

Stephanie Leichtle — THE BATTALION

Construction will help open up roads on campus to aid buses in avoiding traffic.

See Marathon on page 6

See Cricket on page 6See Construction on page 2

transportation sports

Don’t blink because you might miss

the fastest athletes in the nation this

weekend as Gilliam Indoor Track Sta-

dium and the Texas A&M track team

welcome the 2011 NCAA Indoor

Track Championships. Athletes from

across the nation have trained to show

off their best at these championships,

including the A&M team consisted of

10 men and six women.

Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry

expressed confidence in the preparation of his team for the meet and the chances of bringing home the hardware.

“This is where you find out if you can do that,” Henry said. “On each side there are five or six teams that can potentially win [the title]. I hope that team is one like ours, who does things right and has the consistency to win. If you have consistency in the way you treat the event that leads to success.”

The Aggie track athletes have been consistent all season, but face stronger competition as Track & Field News

predicts the men will finish third be-hind Florida and LSU, and has the women in fourth behind first-place Oregon, Arkansas and rivaled-Texas.

The Aggies have built off of record performances and personal bests all season, as the men brought home their first Big 12 title and the women placed a promising second at the conference meet. Henry credits much of the suc-cess to the experience and leadership of the senior group of athletes.

“You have to have been there to know what it’s like and how to win

a title,” Henry said. “The women’s side ran out of bullets at the Big 12 meet [but] this senior group has good maturity and experience. The way our seniors lead by example gets our young guns to step up and perform well.”

Gerald Phiri, senior world-class sprinter, leads by example not only in his work ethic at practice and execu-tion on race day, but also through his confidence leading up to his final chase for a national title.

Adrian O’HanlonThe Battalion

Track team gears up for championship

See NCAA on page 6

NCAA championships

Pg. 1-03.11.11.indd 1Pg. 1-03.11.11.indd 1 3/10/11 6:30 PM3/10/11 6:30 PM

on Ross parallel to the original route. Existing routes will not be canceled and Transportation Services will not be cut in any way unless there is a need to do so.

“We continually evaluate ridership and although we don’t anticipate adding buses to these routes at this time, we are prepared to do so if data indicates a need for a change in the future,” said Debbie Hoffmann, as-sociate director of transportation services. “The planned change simply moves three routes from traveling on University Drive to traveling on Ross Street.”

The plan aims to preserve A&M’s pedestrian-friendly nature through the

belief that excessive vehicular access to many parts of the campus conflicts with use by pedestrians. The high vol-ume crosswalks along Ross pose many hazards to skateboarders, bicyclists and pedestrians that use them. Along with making the central campus closed-off to non-essential traffic, the proposal in-cludes improved pedestrian walkways across University Drive to Northgate, which includes a new walkway spanning from the entrance of lot 30 to Boyett Street. This separate project is scheduled to begin January 2012 and is sponsored by TXDOT.

“That extra crosswalk is really need-ed,” said Brett Baxter, a freshman edu-cation major. “Every night you can see people run across the busy street to get

to Daisy Dukes under the influence of various beverages, it’s an accident wait-ing to happen.”

Another part of the plan recom-mends modifications to the circular drive around Albritton Bell Tower which would create an underpass under Well-born Road in an effort to stop foot traf-fic from having to cross the busy street and railroad to reach West Campus. The other recommendation involves moving Fish Pond from its current location to the grassy area in front of Sbisa Dining Center. The current spot of the fountain will be converted to a more efficient bus stop since it is currently one of the busi-est areas on campus.

the battalionClassified

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Daily MassesMon.- Fri.: 5:30 PM in the ChurchWed. & Thurs.: 12:05 noon in the

All Faiths Chapel on campus

ConfessionsMon. – Fri. 4:30 – 5:00 PM

Wed. 8:30–9:30 PM, Sat. 4:00-5:15 PM, or by appointment.

Worship DirectoryCatholicBaptist

First Christian Church900 South Ennis, Bryan

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CITY – Tim Bardin, Austin Burgart, Rebecca Hutchinson, Amber Jaura, Haley Lawson, Stephanie Massey, Luz Moreno-Luzano, Christine Perronot, Ty Petty, Joanna Raines, Sarah Smith, Connie Thompson, Emily Villani, Katie White.LIFESTYLES – Matt Bizzell, Jennifer DuBose, Ryan Haughey, Steven Olivier, Gabrielle Royal, Ryan Seybold, Joe Terrell, Carolyn Ward.SPORTS – Beau Holder, Sean Lester, Austin Meek, Zach Pappas, Brandon Preece, Mike Teague, Alex Welch.WEBMASTER – Xiaosong Pan.

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thebattalion THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893

THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, Texas A&M University, 1111 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1111.News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. News offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3313; Fax: 979-845-2647; E-mail: metro@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com.Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2696. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Advertising offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901, and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 979-845-2678.Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. Mail subscriptions are $125 per school year. To charge by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express, call 979-845-2613.

Matt Woolbright, Editor in ChiefMegan Ryan, Managing Editor Gayle Gabriel, City EditorRebecca Bennett, Lifestyles EditorDavid Harris, Sports Editor

Jill Beathard, Enterprise EditorEvan Andrews, Graphics ChiefTyler Hosea, Video/Photo Chief

The Battalion Classified Advertising• Easy • Affordable • Effective

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thebattalion 03.11.2011

Todaysunny

High: 73Low: 49

Saturday mostly sunny high: 74 low: 54Sunday 20% chance of rain high: 73 low: 58Monday 20% chance of thunderstorms high: 69 low: 47

fully equipped

2 A&M rodeoA rodeo consisting

of participants from 15 schools will compete from 7 to 10 p.m. today at the Brazos County Expo Center in Bryan.

1 Interview strategies

This workshop, presented jointly with the Recruitment Center, is designed to help employees effectively

deal with the challenges of job interviewing from

8:30 to 11:30 a.m. today at the General Services Complex.

3 Spring break

The week-long student holiday will be from Monday to Friday, March 18. Classes will resume Monday, March 21.

whereoncampus

Stephanie Leichtle — THE BATTALION

Think you know every nook and cranny at Texas A&M? The fi rst people to get the answer correct will have their names published. Send your response with your name, class and major to photo@thebatt.com.

Would you like to suggest a Where on Campus for the staff photographers to consider? Send your suggestion with your name, contact information, class and major to photo@thebatt.com.

First correct responses:

Matt Hill, junior mechanical engineering major

Alex Coleman, senior environmental design

Alex Gatica, sophomore aerospace engineering major

Catherine Saenx, junior entomology major

Ariel Clay, sophomore political science major

The arches on the Quad

rebeccabennettb!, lifestyles editor

Hometown: Niceville, Fla.

Career track: Communication and English double-major

Why I am working for The Battalion: I love learning about all of the diverse and fascinating things Aggies are accomplishing, and it is a joy to get to share those stories with others on campus through my writing and planning the Lifestyles section. I fi nd it inspiring that with the right amount of passion, young people can achieve pretty much anything they put their minds to. It is my hope that by reading The Battalion, others will become more informed of what dreams they, too, are capable of fulfi lling.

The most memorable moment I have had as a student journalist: Getting to meet and interview Lyle Lovett last semester. He is such a genuinely nice person and I could tell just from listening to him that he truly loves A&M. He also used to write for the Battalion, so it was fun that we had that in common to talk about.

d English

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insidethebattalion

howtoapplyIf you are interested in writing or contributing content in The Battalion apply at thebatt.com, or call 845-3313.

The Battalion welcomes any Texas A&M student interested standing or major.

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page303.11.2011thebattalion

sceneb!

In its first trip to Texas, Iowa-based rock band happygolovely will be stop-ping in at 7 p.m. March 17 at The Stafford on Main Street in Bryan before traveling on to a label showcase at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin.

Playing a self-described “catchy pop-rock,” the members of happygolovely are happy to be bringing the band’s sound from the Midwest to the Lone Star State.

“SXSW was the start of this tour, [but] College Station was the first area I contacted,” said lead guitarist Layne Sheetz. “We have built a nice relation-ship with [student radio station] KANM, and it is important for us to connect as much as possible in an area we have developed ties to.”

From forming as an endeavor to write songs to two members’ girlfriends for prom to playing a sold-out show at the House of Blues in Chicago, happygo-lovely has grown from a group of high school friends into an experienced band that’s starting to catch many people’s attention.

Blending piano, guitar and even a cello at times, the members of happy-golovely cite a wide range of musicians from Green Day to David Bazan as being influential in the development of their sound.

“Our music is really a cultivation of our own individual influences ... and I think that these influences end up shin-ing through the songs in very unique and great ways,” said lead singer, guitar-ist and pianist Ben Garrett.

Currently, the band has one full-length album released, Tidal Waves and Hollow Graves. Ranging from soft and introspective in “Lose it All” to upbeat and driving in “The Fight is On!,” Tidal Waves and Hollow Graves is an impressive first effort that highlights the depth of music that happygolovely plays.

The band has also given a special bonus to Aggie listeners, who can access happygolovely.bandcamp.com to download the song “44” from Tidal Waves and Hollow Graves for free.

happygolovely’s interaction with Col-lege Station began last summer, when the band received airtime on student radio station KANM.

“Texas A&M in particular is pretty sweet because we charted really high on KANM in the early fall and have been in contact [with them] ever since,” Layne said. “This show worked out well for an area we really wanted to get to.”

Being students themselves, the mem-bers of the band have to balance the competing demands of schoolwork and music.

“[Being a student and musician] isn’t something I’d recommend to someone without the drive and passion for their

art – it’s often frustrating and trying to have to be so ‘spread thin’,” Garrett said.

Garrett also said, however, it has been very exciting to see the band develop as it has without its members being able to fully dedicate themselves to developing the music.

The strategy happygolovely has fol-lowed for building a fan base is simple, explained drummer and brother of the lead guitarist, Landon Sheetz.

“Basically, we’ve tried to [get our name out there] by simply playing as much as absolutely possible,” he said.

The band’s interesting name was decided upon in 2007 when its members sifted through old movie names to find a good title for their group. The 1951 musical starring Cesar Romero — also the namesake of the band’s spring tour — and Vera-Ellen, Happy Go Lovely¸ was chosen for the band’s name.

As its name seems to imply, hap-pygolovely, while serious about the music, doesn’t mind taking itself lightly. Layne Sheetz noted that the band’s sense of humor is a big strength for them. Whether poking fun on stage at bassist Brent Scheil, who bares a slight re-semblance to teenage heartthrob Justin Bieber, or throwing on a banana suit and running around the audience, the members of happygolovely feel that having a good time is a necessity to the band’s continued success.

Ryan HaugheyThe Battalion

Iowa-based rock band to head to Texas

From the MidwestFrom the MidwestCourtesy photo

entertainmentCharlie Sheen sues Warner Bros.SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Charlie Sheen brought his verbal war against Warner Bros. and the executive producer of Two and a Half Men to the courtroom on Thursday, fi ling a $100 million lawsuit seeking to recoup his salary and wages for the show’s cast and crew. The breach of contract lawsuit alleges production was halted on the CBS sitcom in part to punish Sheen for recent behavior that has included two hospitalizations and a series of interviews in which he has attacked executive producer Chuck Lorre. But the suit and Sheen’s attorney, Marty Singer, said most of the incidents cited by Warner Bros. for fi ring Sheen occurred before his tirades against Lorre.

Lindsay Lohan rejects plea in necklace theft caseLOS ANGELES — Lindsay Lohan rejected a plea agreement Thursday offered by prosecutors that included a guaranteed return to jail in a case involving the theft of a $2,500 necklace. The actress appeared in a courtroom and told a judge she agreed to delaying her case until an April 22 preliminary hearing, when prosecutors will present evidence against her. Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz said he had laid out to Lohan’s lawyer how he would sentence Lohan if she pleaded guilty or no contest to the theft.

Wire reports

Sheen

See happygolovely on page 6

to the Southwestto the Southwest

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Gerald Phiri, senior sprinter, has been de-scribed as talented, religious, hard-working, arrogant, encouraging, positive and blazing fast. He is said to have two personalities; one being the energetic and talkative guy you see on campus and the other a straight-faced and focused animal on the track.

Phiri holds the school record in the 60-me-ter dash, but if you ask Phiri, affectionately known to his friends and teammates as “G,” about his legacy at Texas A&M, he wants to be remembered as more than just an athlete.

Phiri credits much of his personality to his up-bringing as the son of a pastor. He said growing up in a religious home made it easy for him to relate with religious affiliations and events.

“I would like to think that when people think of Gerald Phiri, they think of more than just an athlete,” Phiri said. “We started a Bible study, one for the men and one for the women [and] it’s been nice to have the opportunity to know my other teammates as more than just ‘so-and-so who runs this on the track or the runway.’ I’m not the type of guy that will come up to you and start shoving the word down your throat, but I do think it’s impor-tant that we plant the seed with just a simple act.”

Phiri did not always want to be the track speedster he is today. Born in Zambia to ath-letic parents, Phiri grew up playing soccer and wanting to play professionally. While he still ran track growing up, winning his first race when he was four, he said it was only to com-pare his times to those of his dad, who ran until tearing his Achilles tendon. He attrib-uted part of his greater interest in soccer to the global relevance of the sport and had offers to play semi-professionally for clubs in Europe.

“Everywhere except for the USA, soccer is the king of sports, so I didn’t grow up say-ing I wanted to be a track athlete,” Phiri said. “It wasn’t until I moved to Great Britain that my physical education teacher told me ‘you’re pretty good’ [and] that’s when I really took interest in track. [He] basically asked me to make a decision and I got to a point where I was the best in my division and I decided to give track a go.”

Phiri said he regretted the decision almost immediately but looking back on his career to this point at A&M he is sure that soccer could

not have offered the same character-building experiences.

“Maybe financially I’d have been set, but life isn’t about just the money,” Phiri said. “Track really teaches you lessons of life that another sport cannot teach you. For me personally, it has really shaped my character more than soccer has. It brings you closer to God, I feel because you don’t really have the same team to back you up when things are going wrong.”

A&M Head Coach Pat Henry said he got to know Phiri during the recruiting process only

as well as any other long distance relationship will allow, but something stood out to him about Phiri’s energetic yet calm personality. Henry said he felt Phiri could reach the high-est plateau because of his natural talent and drive to succeed.

“I had a good feel for Gerald in the way he talked about his goals and aspirations,” Henry said. “He was spirited, calm, collected and tal-ented [and] that let me know he would be a good one.”

Phiri has been successful since setting foot

on campus, setting the school record in the 60-meters and earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Big 12 top-scorer in his first season. In his sophomore season, Phiri defended his outdoor Big 12 titles in the 100- and 200-me-ters and was a part of two record-setting relay teams. This year he has matched his career best 60-meter time of 6.59 three different times and said he plans to win every championship possible, both indoor and outdoor.

Henry is a firm believer that Phiri can do just that. Henry said Phiri has shown the con-sistency to win every race he enters.

“He’s done a tremendous job [over his ca-reer],” Henry said. “This year, he will be suc-cessful [because] he has taken track like I coach it to everyone. It’s like a ladder. You have to learn at each step to improve and Gerald has done that consistently. Big meets bring out the best in him. He has set himself up for success this weekend by improving consistently.”

Phiri will compete in the 2011 NCAA indoor track and field Championships this weekend at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium. He is set to vie for national titles in the 60- and 200-meters against loaded fields.

Jessica Beard, fellow Aggie sprinter com-peting in the NCAA Championships, said Phiri sets the example for the rest of the team by his actions on and off the track.

“I really respect Gerald,” Beard said. “We made the world team together and I have nev-er met anyone with such a strong desire in the sport and his faith. He always encourages us in the weight room [and] works really hard. He wants to make everyone better and does that by setting the example.”

Phiri said he is thankful for his success at Texas A&M but plans to finish his degree no matter what comes of his track career. He said he has had several conversations with his par-ents and has debated whether or not to turn professional, but decided that his degree is separate from his athletics.

“I didn’t grow up in the USA, where, ba-sically sports are a reward of how you do in class. Where I grew up it wasn’t like that; you had to take responsibility for both,” Phiri said. “I’m trying to focus more and complete my business degree. A long time ago, I decided that track was going to act as a platform to show God’s glory and what he can do through sport just by dedicating myself on the field and how I treat [everyone] on the field.”

THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY STUDENT MEDIABOARD INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR

Application forms should be picked up and returned to Sandi Jones, Student Media business coordinator, in room 013 of Bldg. #8901 in The Grove (between Albritton Bell Tower and Cain Hall). Deadline for submitting application: 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, 2011.

An equal opportunity, affirmative action employer committed to diversity

EditorAggieland 2012Qualifications for editor-in-chief of the Aggieland yearbook are:

REQUIRED

during the term of office (unless fewer credits are required to graduate);

graduate student) and at least a 2.25 grade point ratio (3.25 if a graduate student) in the semester immediately prior to the appointment, the semester of appointment and semester during the term of office. In order for this provision to be met,

taken for that semester;

PREFERRED

Communication, Law, and Society) and ARTS 203 (Graphic Design I), or equivalent;

the Aggieland or comparable college yearbook.

THE TEXAS A&M STUDENT MEDIA BOARDINVITES APPLICATIONS FOR

thebattalion

Application forms should be picked up and returned to Sandi Jones, Student Media business coordinator, in room 013 of Bldg. #8901 in The Grove (between Albritton Bell Tower and Cain Hall). Deadline for submitting application: 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, 2011.

An equal opportunity, affirmative action employer committed to diversity

Editor

Qualifications for editor-in-chief of The Battalion are:

REQUIRED

the term of office (unless fewer credits are required to graduate);

student) and at least a 2.25 grade point ratio (3.25 if a graduate student) in the semester immediately prior to the appointment, the semester of appointment and semester during the term of office. In

student) must have been taken for that semester.

PREFERREDHave completed JOUR 301 or COMM 307 (Mass Communication, Law, and Society) or equivalent;

position on The Battalion or comparable daily college newspaper, – OR –

newspaper, – OR – Have completed at least 12 hours in journalism, including

JOUR 203 (Media Writing I) and JOUR 303 (Media Writing II) or

SERVING TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SINCE 1893

Summer 2011(The summer editor will serve

May 15 through Aug. 13, 2011)

Fall 2011–Spring 2012(The fall and spring editor will serve

Aug. 14, 2011, through May 12, 2012)

sports thebattalion 03.11.2011

page4

thebatt.comBasketballThe Aggie men took on Missouri in the Big 12 Quarterfi nals Thursday while the women take on Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

baseball | A&M welcomes in

Florida International for a three-

game set this weekend.

softball | The Aggies are set to

play in the Texas A&M Invitational

this weekend in College Station.

women’s golf | A&M travels

to Baton Rouge to take part in the

LSU Classic.

Courtesy photo

Phiri doing it the right way on and off the track

By the grace of GodAdrian O’ Hanlon III The Battalion

Senior sprinter Gerald Phiri owns the school record in the 60-meters.

Pg. 4-03.11.11.indd 1Pg. 4-03.11.11.indd 1 3/10/11 5:30 PM3/10/11 5:30 PM

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PLACE AN ADPhone 845-0569 or Fax 845-2678 The Grove, Bldg. #8901Texas A&M University

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Brand New 4bdrm/4ba luxury cot-tage style home! With fencedyard, full front porch, 3 blocksfrom campus, on bus route,$525/person per month. Call979-314-1333.

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FOR SALE

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TAKE A PIECEOF A&M HISTORY WITH YOUReserve your 2011 Aggieland

The 109th edition of Texas A&M University’s official yearbook — the Aggieland — will chronicle the 2010-2011 school year: traditions, academics, the other education, sports, the Corps, greeks, campus organizations, and seniors and graduate students.

By credit card go online to http://aggieland.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2613. Or drop by the Student Media office, Bldg. #8901 in The Grove (between Albritton Bell Tower and Cain Hall). Cost is $64.90, including shipping and sales tax. Hours: 8:30 A.M. to �4:30 P.M. Monday–Friday.

“We all get along. I

don’t think we’d be where

we are if we weren’t enjoy-

ing each other’s company

along the way,” Layne said.

The happygolovely that

will be rolling into College

Station next week is one

that is focused on refin-

ing its sound and appeal in

order to continue building

a fan base and spreading its

music across the country.

“This is our first time

in Texas,” Garrett said.

“We’re extremely excited

to be welcomed into the

scene.”

The band members said

they love playing live,

claiming it to be a major

strength of the band. They

are primed and ready to

bring their sound to Col-

lege Station.

The ever-concise

Landon Sheetz summed up

the excitement the band

has for its upcoming visit to

Aggieland.

“A big strength is our

live show, so be ready,

College Station,” he said.

happygolovelyContinued from page 3

Through all the training and hard work put forth by Justin and his father, they were able to have a good time together.

“This was a huge com-mitment on both our parts,”

Justin said.Justin and his dad plan

to do another marathon in Houston or Austin in 2012.

“For Justin and me, I look back and am amazed at how the Corps taught and spurred me to lead myself first then others to achievements be-yond what I thought pos-sible,” David said.

MarathonContinued from page 1

“I’ve been in the fast-

est race in college this year

and when I’m running I’m

thinking ‘I can beat this

guy,’” Phiri said. “The races

this year where I’ve lost to

Mookie Salaam [Oklahoma

sprinter and national lead-

er], it’s not so much that

he’s faster than me, it’s just

when a guy beats you out of

the blocks, it’s very hard to

catch him.”

The Aggie women look-

ing to beat opponents out

of the blocks include Jessica

Beard (400-meters, 4x400

relay), Dominique Duncan

(200-meters), Gabby Mayo

(60-meter hurdles), Ibukun

Mayungbe (4x400 relay),

Andrea Sutherland (4x400

relay), and Jeneba Tarmoh

(60-meters, 200-meters,

4x400 relay).

Jessica Beard, senior

world-class sprinter, said this

is a last stand for the seniors

at the indoor championship.

“Winning is by far the

most important thing at this

meet,” Beard said. “We just

want big PR’s but that’s not

enough [to win]. It’s my

senior year so I don’t want

to wait, can’t wait, for an-

other year.”

Competing on the men’s

side are Wayne Davis II

(60-meter hurdles), Prezel

Hardy Jr. (60-meters),

Tabarie Henry (400-meters,

4x400 relay), Tran Howell

(4x400 relay), Bryan Miller

(400-meters, 4x400 relay),

Gerald Phiri (60-meters,

200-meters), Demetrius

Pinder (400-meters, 4x400

relay), Michael Preble

(800-meters, 4x400 relay),

Julian Reid (triple jump),

and Joey Roberts (800-me-

ters).

As the team enters the

meet with several seniors

ready to make a final run at

the indoor title, they will

undoubtedly show confi-

dence in their training and

preparation to get things

done. Phiri said it would be

special for the team to win

the title, but this is the last

chance for this group of se-

niors so they will be dialed

in even more.

“I didn’t come to college

just to run track. I came to

win NCAA titles,” Phiri.

said

The starting gun will sound

at 10 a.m. on today and the

meet will finish around 7:30

p.m. on Saturday.

NCAAContinued from page 1

ends,” said Balakrishna

Ayyagari, a mechanical en-

gineering graduate student.

“From then on, cricket has

grown…with many out-

standing players competing

hard to win the trophy for

their team during the tour-

nament conducted every se-

mester. This talent, passion

and hard work have been

influential in A&M’s success

so far.”

American College Crick-

et started in 2008 and the

first national championship

took place in 2009. A&M is

making its presence known

in the early stages of colle-

giate cricket.

The competing schools

will be divided into four

conferences. The Aggies

will have to overcome Rut-

gers University, the top seed

in their group, as well as

nearby Montgomery Col-

lege, in order to advance

into the playoffs. The Uni-

versity of Houston, Florida

International University,

and Big 12 foe Texas Tech

University are also partici-

pating.

The team is composed of

members from India, Paki-

stan and South Africa. Srid-

har Varadan, an Aggie cur-

rently interning in Austin,

leads the team as captain.

Team members are se-

lected from A&M’s intra-

mural league, which consists

of roughly 100 cricketers

who participate each fall &

spring.

“This being our first time

at the national champion-

ships, we have put together

a very strong team by pick-

ing players from the differ-

ent teams that participate

in our intramural league

system,” said electrical en-

gineering graduate student

Sridhar Varadan. “This will

be the first time we will play

together as a team. If we

can gel well as a unit, our

chances of winning will get

a boost.”

The Aggies said they have

been preparing hard and are

enthusiastic and eager to

meet the challenge. Should

they reach the semi-finals or

finals, they will be playing in

live-broadcasted matches.

“All of us are extremely

proud to be representing

Texas A&M for the first

time at the national level,”

said Vinayakk Mohanaran-

gan, an electrical engineer-

ing graduate student. “We

honestly believe there are a

lot more students out there

who are looking to play

cricket regularly and we, as

a club as well, want to grow

bigger and better in the

coming years.”

Mohanarangan also cited

their recipe for success:

“[We must] focus on doing

the basics right and be 100 per-

cent committed over the dura-

tion of the championship.”

CricketContinued from page 1

national newsDiscovery takes last fl ight

The space shuttle Discovery ended its 27-year career with a successful touchdown Wednesday. Discovery was the last shuttle to be retired from NASA’s 30-year shuttle program. After 39 fl ights, 148 million total miles and 246 crewmembers to pass through its cockpit, Discovery fl ew the longest and farthest of its companions, the Atlantis and the Endeavor.The six astronauts landing in Cape Canaveral observed a larger-than-usual crowd gathered to see the end of the shuttle’s fi nal 13-day voyage. NASA’s next task for the extraordinary vehicle includes months of thorough decontamination before it will be fi t to be sent to a museum. In 1990, the Discovery dispatched the Hubble Space Telescope, in 1995 it rendezvoused with Russia’s Mir station and carried the fi rst female shuttle pilot, and in 1998 carried space hero John Glen on a guest ride into space. After the morale-crippling disasters of the Challenger and Columbia shuttle accidents, NASA started fl ying again. Discovery has consistently been the golden child of the shuttle program, and will continue to be enjoyed and admired by museum visitors and space fanatics of all ages in its retirement.

Alexandria RandolphStaff Writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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