At one point this season, it seemed like every key player on Miami was bitten by the injury bug. That said, the ‘Canes still found a way to obtain the No. 1 seed for this weekend’s Big East Championships.
For sophomore Todd Widom, this is exactly where the team wants to be.
“Our goal at the beginning of the year was to win the Big East,” Widom said. “We’re favored to win as the number one seed.”
Over the course of the season, several of the team’s top players went down with leg injuries, forcing head coach Bryan Getz to fill in the missing holes.
“We’re a little thin because of injuries,” Getz said. “But the guys that are healthy have been working hard and we’re ready to go this weekend.”
Although injuries threaten to slow the Hurricanes down, the team still feels that it is team to beat, especially on their court.
“Even with our injuries and going up against our two biggest rivals, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame, we still expect to win it,” Getz said.
The Hurricanes finished the dual meet season with a 12-7 record and Getz feels that this year has been very rewarding.
“We’ve done it with basically six guys all year, which is very abnormal for college tennis,” Getz said. “Usually teams will have eight or nine guys and with the schedule we’ve had, I think this season was a success.”
Widom, who carries a No. 22 ranking into the tournament, hopes he can use this weekend’s matches to improve his game even more.
“For me this year has been mediocre, but I’ve been putting in the hours on the court and hopefully I’ll peak at the right time,” Widom said.
As if the team needed any more adversity this season, junior Luis Manrique lost his grandfather recently. Manrique took a couple of days off but should be able to participate this weekend.
“I’m getting back into it and hopefully I’ll be ready to go,” Manrique said.
Manrique has been impressed with the team effort in the regular season, especially in helping each other overcome the injury plague.
“With the different injuries plaguing us at different times during the year, players keep coming up big when we need them to,” Manrique said.
The Hurricanes are in a weird position heading into this weekend. Not many teams are able to grab the top seed and yet still be considered an underdog. Neverthless, the No. 27 ‘Canes look to “upset” their biggest rivals this weekend and Getz is looking forward to what the tournament has in store for his squad.
“Other teams know that we are down on players, but are goal has been to win the Big East Tournament from the beginning, and our expectations haven’t changed,” Getz said. “Our young guys have gotten a lot of exposure this year, and we hope to build on it.”

Douglas Kroll can be reached at elk777bc@hotmail.com.

The Miami Hurricanes could not have entered the Big East Tournament on a better note.
The ‘Canes defeated Notre Dame 6-1 in their final match of the regular season, which was good enough to vault them back into the top 20. However, now it’s time for the real season, according to head coach Page Yaroshuk.
“The season is far from over,” Yaroshuk said. “The most important part of the season is in front of us.”
Miami holds the No.1 seed in this weekend’s tournament at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center, finishing the regular season with a 15-5 record and a No. 19 ranking. The Hurricanes await the winner of the Virginia Tech-Rutgers first round match. The goal is nothing short of another conference title for Yaroshuk’s squad.
“They understand that they’re in control of their own destiny,” Yaroshuk said. “Every time we step out onto the court we have the talent and the ability. They step out and they play aggressive tennis, and they play to win rather than not to lose. This team could go very far in the NCAAs.”
Several ‘Canes have elevated their games as of late, including the doubles pairing of freshman Melissa Applebaum and sophomore Megan Bradley, who have won their last eight matches. Sophomore Staci Stevens has also contributed with eight consecutive singles victories.
As a whole, the Hurricanes are red hot with victories in four out of their last five contests, including wins against No.72 Old Dominion and No.65 Virginia Tech.
Still, Yaroshuk isn’t entirely satisfied with the team’s effort.
“We’re playing better tennis at every position than we were playing four weeks ago, but they all need to step up,” Yaroshuk said. “They all need to improve their level of tennis.”
At the same time, Yaroshuk knows there are two things that can be counted upon with the team.
“The talent’s here,” Yaroshuk said. “The talent’s always been here. The work ethic has always been here.”
Much of Miami’s success can also be attributed to sheer toughness. All season long, the Hurricanes have played through injuries and displayed heart, something Yaroshuk is proud of.
“No matter how much talent you have, you can’t be successful if you’re not out on the court. In the past, soreness has kept our kids off of the court,” Yaroshuk said. “With this group of girls, they’ve played through soreness, and that’s what you have to do as an elite athlete.”
“I think this year just being healthy, being on the court for every match and not having any players sit out due to injuries has really helped the program.”
The Hurricanes look to continue their hot play as the team sets its sight on the NCAA tournament. Miami has been ranked as high as No. 13 this season, and Yaroshuk sees the ‘Canes as one of the nation’s best.
“I think we can give any team a run for their money,” Yaroshuk said.
Miami plays its first game of the Big East Tournament tomorrow at 9 AM. The championship match will be played Sunday at noon.

Adam Aizer can be reached at Aizersgotflava@aol.com

Members of the South Florida media were able to pretend that they were Major League sluggers last Thursday thanks to former White Sox and Marlins pitcher Alex Fernandez.
Fernandez, who pitched for UM in the late 80s, was at the Boys and Girls Club in Coconut Grove to promote the latest line of Nike baseball bats, which the Hurricane baseball team used last weekend against Florida State. The Miami native pitched batting practice to all of the reporters in attendance, and the two reporters who hit the most home runs were rewarded for their efforts.
The 33 year-old pitcher had 107 wins in 10 full seasons in Chicago and Florida. His best season was in 1993 with the White Sox, going 18-9 with a 3.13 ERA.
Fernandez now spends his time pursuing a career in real estate, but is still involved with baseball in Florida.
“I enjoy spending my time coaching my Little League team,” Fernandez said. “Doing that and working in real estate building homes takes up most of my time.”
Fernandez was connected to Nike during his playing days, as he always wore Nike gear on the mound. That was how he got in touch with the famous company to help promote the new product.
“I’ve had a friendship with Nike since my playing days,” Fernandez said. “They asked me to come out here and help them out and I was happy to.”
As far as the bat itself, Fernandez got a chance to try it out after the reporters finished their swings, taking a few hacks which resulted in about eight or nine home runs, somewhat impressive for a pitcher.
“I think the bat is a good product,” Fernandez said. “I can’t really compare it to the other bats, but I would definitely say that this is a high quality product.”
For the record, sports editor Jeremy Marks-Peltz and yours truly competed in the home run derby. Marks-Peltz put up a goose egg, while this reporter managed to hit one ball out of the park.
After failing to homer, Marks-Peltz went on an expletive-laced tirade. As a favor to the sports editor, his abundant vulgarity will not be printed here.
Fernandez, whose language was appropriate for family viewing, also talked about his experiences at UM, which produced a lifetime of memories for him in only a year and a half.
“I had a great experience at Miami as both a student and a ballplayer,” Fernandez said. “I am still a huge Hurricanes fan.”
Fernandez has taken time from his busy schedule to follow this year’s baseball team. He feels that the team has a chance to go a long way.
“I’ve been able to catch some of the games and keep track of how they have been doing,” Fernandez said. “They have had a few bad breaks so far, but I still think that they have a good chance to get to Omaha.”
Fernandez said he was glad to be able to come out and joke around with the media, and enjoyed watching some of us hit, or attempt to hit his pitching.
“Overall, I had a really good time,” Fernandez said. “It was fun watching media guys who haven’t picked up a bat in a long time take some swings and I hope everyone else had a good time.”

Eric Kalis can be reached at elk777bc@hotmail.com

The University of Miami did not enjoy the same success in 2002-2003 as the program did the year before. In fact, when a football national championship and 24-win season for men’s basketball is followed by a surprising loss in the Fiesta Bowl and the hoopsters worst season since 1993-1994, it wouldn’t be out of line to call it a disappointing year for UM athletics.
But each year, Hurricanes in every sport provide many magical moments for fans to cherish long after the year is over. And this season is no different, as all of the squads supplied several memories to add to the storied tradition that is University of Miami athletics.
Here at The Hurricane, we had a lot of fun covering all the bases in 2002-2003, and experienced many moments that won’t be forgotten in our minds. While we would like to use this space to list all of the great UM athletic achievements over the past 12 months, there is only room for a select group.
So without further ado, we roll out our “Top 10 Hurricane moments in 2002-2003.”

1

Wide Left!! – For the fourth time since 1991, a Miami-Florida State match up came down to a final Seminoles field goal attempt. And for the fourth time, the ‘Noles missed the field goal. The unlucky goat was Xavier Bettia, but this time, Bettia’s 42-yard attempt landed to the left of the field goal post, giving UM a 28-27 victory at the Orange Bowl.

2

The new kids in town- In just their second year of existence, the Miami volleyball squad reeled off 26 consecutive victories during the regular season, then advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

3

Dejection in Tempe- A heavy favorite to repeat as national champions, the ‘Canes instead fell in double overtime to Ohio State 31-24 at the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. The game wasn’t without controversy, as a questionable pass interference call against UM’s Glen Sharpe in the first overtime extended the game for the Buckeyes.

4

Oh, Darius!! – In a year full of lowlights, Darius Rice’s improbable last second shot against UConn gave a national TV audience something that won’t be forgotten for a long time. Rice’s buzzer beating three-pointer knocked out the No. 6 Huskies 77-76 at the Convocation Center Jan. 20, putting the finishing touches on a 43-point night for the junior.

5

One basketball team was NCAA bound- Thanks to an impressive run in the Big East Tournament, which included a 77-74 upset over No. 2 seed and host Rutgers, the ‘Lady Canes earned their first NCAA berth since 1998.

6

Taking the sting out of Georgia Tech- The Yellow Jackets came to Mark Light Field in March as the No. 2 team in the nation, and left after getting the broom treatment from Miami. The Hurricanes scored 37 runs in the three victories.

7

Chomp this!! – In their first regular season meeting since 1987, the Hurricanes football squad annihilated Florida 41-16 at The Swamp Sept. 7. UM ran away with the contest thanks to four TD passes from Ken Dorsey and 204 yards rushing from Willis McGahee.

8

Men’s Tennis pulls off major upset- The road to a Big East No.1 seed went into full swing when the ‘Canes shocked No. 10 Texas A&M Feb. 9 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.

9

Women’s Hoops sweeps three-game Big East road trip- An 80-70 victory over then No. 17 Notre Dame in South Bend gave Ferne Labati’s squad a 3-0 record during the always challenging January conference road swing. The trip also solidified the arrival of Tamara James.

10

Greggs and Williams set school records-A successful year for UM track and field reaches it’s high point when sophomore Lauryn Williams broke the indoor 60-meter dash mark and her teammate, freshman Charlette Greggs, shattered the 200-meter record at the Arkansas Meet in February.

When Florida State came into town last weekend to Mark Light Stadium, the Miami Hurricanes knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task. The situation wasn’t new for Miami as they cleaned up with No. 2 Georgia Tech earlier in the season despite their highly touted pitching staff.
The difference this weekend was that FSU played like a team ranked second in the nation.
The Seminoles took care of business, winning two games and tying one in Coral Gables. FSU took Friday’s game 4-2, won Saturday 6-4, and scratched out the 7-7 tie due to an FSU flight curfew on Sunday despite trailing in both the eighth and ninth innings of the game.
“The Seminoles played well enough to win,” head coach Jim Morris said. “We made some mistakes and didn’t get the job done.”
The ‘Noles scored just four more runs than Miami over the course of the weekend, but when it was clutch time, FSU buckled down. Against one of the best pitching staff’s and defensive squads in the nation, Miami’s bats were hard pressed to put hits up on the board.
Despite UM’s inability to come through in the end, Florida State head Coach Mike Martin was fully impressed with the ‘Canes effort.
“Boy that’s a great looking baseball club,” Martin said Friday. “They got a lot of young players but they do not play like freshman. Games like these are why I believe that Miami vs. FSU is the best rivalry in college baseball.”
Martin’s comments came after Brian Barton’s bottom of the ninth frozen rope to the gap in left center field, with two men on base, was run down by speedy Seminole center fielder Matt Sauls to end the game. The catch marked one of many defensive highlights that kept Hurricane runs off the scoreboard.
“I thought it was a double,” Martin said. “I truly thought they had tied the game and I was thinking who the next hitter was going to be and then boom, he caught it.”
Morris had a similar reaction.
“I thought for sure it was going to fall in for a double,” Morris said. “Brian hit the ball well and that’s all you can ask in these types of situations.”
Some foul-ups on the base paths also cost Miami Friday when two base runners were thrown out on strike ’em out, throw ’em out double plays to end innings.
Despite base running mistakes, UM pitching and defense kept Miami in the first two contests. However, shortstop Paco Figueroa committed two costly errors Sunday.
With the FSU series behind them, the ‘Canes look to the future. The future however, holds three more games this weekend against the Seminoles in Tallahassee. The question will be whether or not the ‘Canes can make the adjustments needed to notch the victories against FSU in their own stadium.
The disappointing weekend might leave UM fans wondering where this puts the squad in the big picture.
When the new rankings came out this weekend, the Baseball America poll dropped Miami (28-9-1) from 12th to 16th, but that would still be enough for Miami to host an NCAA regional at Mark Light Field. If the ‘Canes want to hold onto one of the top 16 spots, the players know what they have to do.
“We should have won that game,” shortstop Ryan Braun said after Friday’s loss. “You just have to keep going and come out strong the next day.”
As an omen to how last week’s games were going to go for Miami, Morris wrecked his brand new Porsche before the series opener.
“Losing the game hurts more than losing the car,” Morris said. “You can always get a new car.”
Miami will try to get a new car this weekend at Dick Howser Stadium.

Ryan Ellis can be reached at msgnyc@yahoo.com