There was a lot of uncertainty heading into the season for the Hurricanes men’s tennis team. A new coach and only two returning starters highlighted overshadowed the potential talent of the Miami players. However, one of those starters has offered the ‘Canes consistent results.
Andrew Golub, who has represented Miami in No. 2 singles and doubles for most of the season, helped solidify Miami as the team to beat in the upcoming Big East tournament. Golub has won several crucial matches down the stretch to give Miami a No. 25 ranking and a comfortable cushion in the conference standings.
In his prep career, Golub ranked as high as No.19 in the nation and received numerous accolades both in the state and national level. Among those accolades was a second place finish in the state championships and an eighth-place finish in the National Clay Courts Championships.
Now in his senior year, Gloub has continued to flourish each time he steps on the court. Earlier this season, Golub upset Toni Gordon of Texas Christian University in dramatic fashion to give the Hurricanes an unexpected victory. That win came on the heels of another upset over a ranked opponent, when Golub beat No.84 Sander Koning of Clemson University.
“[The win was] unbelievable for my confidence, but more so for my team, said Golub after the TCU match. “It’s my senior year and I am more concerned for my team.”
Golub’s head coach, Bryan Getz, points to the senior’s biggest improvement coming in doubles play. Golub used that improvement to his advantage March 2, when he teamed up with Colin Purcell to upset the nation’s No. 2 doubles tandem of Amer Delic and Michael Calkins from the University of Illinois.
“This year, he has done an unbelievable job at the No.2 spot,” Getz said. “His singles game has improved but I think his doubles game is what has improved the most. Moreover, he has done an amazing job as the team captain and providing leadership for the young guys on the team.”
To achieve these successes, Golub has been forced to overcome just as many hurdles. Golub transferred to Miami for his junior year after playing at Arizona State University the first two years of his collegiate career. Later that spring, Golub suffered a wrist injury during a match and struggled with the effects of his injury. However, as evident in his play this year, Golub took these obstacles in stride and managed to remain focused on improving his tennis game.
“I injured my wrist while hitting a volley against Notre Dame,” Golub said. “I then lost eight matches after the injury but recovered to win seven matches in a row.”
Tennis seems to be a ubiquitous sport in the Golub household as Andrew also has an older brother who played tennis for Florida State University. However, Golub says he does like to spend time away from the sport, exchanging his tennis racket for a putter.
In the meantime, the putter will have to stay in the golf bag, because Golub is focused on inflicting more damage with his tennis racket.

Sandeep Konka can be reached at skonka33143@hotmail.com.

Women’s golf
For the 19th consecutive year, and the 20th in the 33-year history of the tournament, the University of Miami will host the Ryder/Florida Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship, April 4-6, at Don Shula’s Golf Club and Resort in Miami Lakes, FL.
Competition will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday with Sunday’s final round beginning at 8:00 a.m. Admission is free.
The tournament features the best women’s collegiate golf in Florida, as 14 schools from the state come together for three rounds to determine the state champion.
This season’s championship will feature four teams ranked among the top-86 teams in the nation including defending champion and No. 21 ranked Florida State, 25th-ranked South Florida, No. 73 Miami and No. 86 Florida Atlantic. Rounding out the field are Barry, Bethune-Cookman, Florida International, Florida Southern, Jacksonville, Lynn, Nova Southeastern, Rollins, Stetson and UCF.
Miami, which has won the state title eight times, has been led this season by the duo of junior Camilla Hilland and sophomore Tina Miller.
Hilland, the defending individual champion, has finished in the top-20 in five of six starts this year including a victory at the John Kirk/Lady Panther Invitational during the fall season. She currently ranks 77th in the nation by Golfweek and has a team-best 74.6 stokes per round average.
Miller recorded her first career victory at the UCF Kat Invitational earlier this spring. She has five top-20 finishes this season and ranks second on the team with a 75.5 stoke average.
Other top individuals competing this weekend at the par-72, 6,317-yard course will be last season’s runner-up and 28th-ranked Kristin Tamulis of Florida State and 83rd-ranked Fany Schaeffer from South Florida.

Swimming and Diving
University of Miami diver Miguel Velazquez finished competing in the NCAA Championships Saturday night in Austin, Texas and left with All-American honors for the second year in a row.
The final event for the Gulliver Prep product was the men’s platform dive, in which he finished 10th overall with a score of 434.35.
Velazquez placed fourth-place Friday night in the men’s three-meter dive with a score of 624.95 to earn All-American designation.
“I was pleased particularly in the three-meter where he had his best performance,” coach Randy Ableman said. “He’s getting better and we’re making big plans for next year.”
Thursday, the Miami sophomore finished 17th overall with a score of 283.25 in the one-meter dive.

It turns out that the University of Miami had a star born right into its family and didn’t even know about it.
Freshman Melissa Applebaum, who grew up in Coral Gables, has been an instrumental part of the UM women’s tennis team, who currently hold a No. 19 ranking with a record of 13-4. Applebaum has enjoyed Miami’s success, but says the team has bigger goals in mind.
“One of our goals for the rest of the year is to finish strong,” Applebaum said. “Hopefully we will be able to host the NCAA regionals.”
The ‘Canes come off of a weekend in which they faced three schools from the state of Virginia. Miami dropped the first match of the weekend to Virginia Commonwealth, but bounced back to take the next two matches over Richmond and Virginia Tech.
“The trip to Virginia was good and we played tough all weekend even during the loss to VCU,” Applebaum said. “The win against Richmond really gave us confidence to go up against Virginia Tech and from there we steamrolled.”
Applebaum has experienced a winning touch dating back to when she was seven, the age when she first picked up a tennis racket. In high school at Gulliver Prep, Applebaum was the No. 1 ranked high school player in Florida. She also beat a ranked pro at the NASDAQ 100 tournament.
The freshman doesn’t list either one of those feats at the top of her list, however.
“I think the greatest moment so far in my career was when I won the doubles championship at the Easter Bowl last year,” Applebaum said. “I really got to make a name for myself.”
Applebaum, who has been ranked as high as No. 11 in the nation, chose Miami due to a couple of important factors.
“At first I wanted to go away, but when I began traveling and looking at schools, I realized I didn’t want to be in the cold weather,” Applebaum said. “I decided on Miami because of the weather, because I am close to my parents, and also because Paige [Yaroshuk] was the right coach for me.”
Applebaum was offered full rides from a variety of schools all across the country. Georgia, USC, UCLA, Duke, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt are just a few that were after her.
Nearing the completion of her first year on the college level, She says she will never forget her high school tennis days being at the very top in the state of Florida.
“Being No. 1 was a great experience because the team was behind me out there everyday,” Applebaum said.
Applebaum’s favorite player of all time is a household name and one that is a favorite among many tennis fans.
“I love Steffi Graf,” Applebaum said. “I mean who wouldn’t like her with that forehand of hers!”
Applebaum, who is leaning towards a major in communications, hopes to one-day walk in Steffi’s shoes, but after she attains her degree.
“My college education is very important to me,” Applebaum said. “Hopefully one day down the road I will be able to go pro.”
The Hurricanes return to Virginia this weekend to face Old Dominion University. Like most weeks, Applebaum has a strong opponent awaiting her.
“ODU is a team with a strong No.1, so it will be a test for me,” Applebaum said. “But I think the team is ready and we feel strong about the match.”

Doug Kroll can be reached at Dstorm13@aol.com.

University of Miami coaches knew something had to change after the offensive line gave up eight sacks in a 58-play scrimmage Saturday.
Monday’s practice resulted in the coaches tinkering with the starting lineup to see if they could improve the struggling unit that lost center Brett Romberg and guard Sherko Haji-Rasouli to graduation.
“We’re definitely a work in progress on the offensive line,” head coach Larry Coker said.
Coaches promoted sophomore Eric Winston, who switched to the line from tight end prior to spring practice, to the starting left tackle position Monday.
Carlos Joseph, the starter last season at left tackle, moved to right tackle. Joseph struggled at times last season and the coaches hope Winston will emerge as a force on the left side of the line.
“[Winston] is going to be a fantastic player,” offensive line coach Art Kehoe said. “He’s got work ethic, toughness, size, and intelligence. He’s got the whole package.”
Joel Rodriguez, who has worked as the first team center during spring practice, moved to left guard on the second team, while right guard Chris Myers took over Rodriguez’s snapping duties on the first team. Vernon Carey moved from right tackle to right guard and Joe McGrath remained at left guard.
“I think Joel is more than capable of being the starting center,” Myers said. “I’m just going in and working as his backup right now.”
Kehoe also emphasized that Rodriguez wasn’t being punished.
“It’s not a demotion,” Kehoe said. “We want to make sure we’ve got the best five and make sure that we’re versatile.”
Kehoe emphasized that Carey, Joseph, McGrath, Myers, Rodriguez, and Winston are
the top six offensive linemen. Figuring out who starts and at what positions, however, could pose a problem.
“We’re just going to keep moving guys around until we find the right deal,” Kehoe said. “We’re seeing where they fit in, in case guys get injured, we can see if they can play other positions.”
Coker said that the coaches would like to keep this line-up in place through Saturday’s spring game at the Orange Bowl.

OTHER NEWS
Coaches guarded tailback Frank Gore in practice Monday because he has a bruised shoulder. They hope Gore, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, will return to practice later in the week… Wide receiver Akieem Jolla practiced in full pads for the first time this spring. He said his groin injury has healed about 70 percent of the way… Redshirt freshman Brandon Meriweather suffered a high ankle sprain in Saturday’s scrimmage and will stay sidelined the rest of the spring.
The Hurricanes annual Spring Game takes place at the Orange Bowl on Saturday at
10 a.m. The game is open and free to the public.

Nate Johnson can be reached at NPJ44@aol.com.

After the Miami Hurricanes baseball team wiped Georgia Tech out of the top ten last weekend, defeating FAU seemed like a less formidable task. However, the Owls, who entered the contest with a 27-7 record, had other ideas.
The No. 17 Owls, who once held the NCAA record with 34 consecutive victories, showed up with their game faces on and handed the Hurricanes their fifth loss of the season in a 5-3, 13-inning affair in front of 1,647 fans at Mark Light Stadium on Wednesday night.
FAU scored two runs in the top of the 13th to seal the victory for the Owls and end Miami’s eight-game winning streak.
“We missed a lot of opportunities,” UM head coach Jim Morris said. “We have been winning these types of games all along and this one got away from us.”
Miami came out completely flat after last weekend’s sweep on both sides of the ball. Starting pitcher Ryan Dixon pitched effectively but FAU capitalized on a Hurricanes error to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Then, the Owls followed with a two run blast in the third to take a 3-0 lead.
“FAU came out and played great tonight,” Morris said.
FAU starter Danny Core would get a no decision in the game. Core had an impressive 5-1 record coming into the game with a 1.31 ERA.
Miami could not do anything with Core until the Hurricane offense woke up in the bottom of the fifth. That was when Miami shortstop Paco Figueroa drove in two runs with a double down the left field line.
In the Hurricane seventh, catcher Erick San Pedro walked with two outs and second baseman Adam Ricks moved him over to third with a single to center field before Core got out of the inning by striking out Paco Figueroa, protecting the Owls 3-2 lead.
The ‘Canes came up strong in the eighth inning when designated hitter Ryan Braun, named the NCBWA’s Hitter of the Week Tuesday, once again connected late in the game with a double to drive in Richard Giannotti.
Miami also blew another opportunity in the bottom of the ninth. With men at the corners and no outs, the ‘Canes were unable to score, sending the contest into extra innings.
“We had an opportunity to win the game with guys on first and third in the ninth,” Morris said. “We have to put the game away right there.”
This weekend UM will face a tough Oral Roberts Baseball squad at Mark Light Field. The series begins tonight at 7pm followed by a 5pm contest tomorrow. This is a change from the originally scheduled 7pm start. The teams will conclude the series on Sunday afternoon at 1pm and all games will be played at Mark Light Stadium.
“We are going to look past this game,” Morris concluded. “We’ve got to move on.”
Ryan Ellis can be reached at msgnyc@yahoo.com

The Miami Hurricanes took advantage of the chance to improve their position in the national rankings and earn respect from their critics this past weekend. But the challenges are far from over for head coach Jim Morris’s club.
The Hurricanes host a dangerous Oral Roberts squad this weekend at Mark Light Field. This series comes one week after a sweep over No. 2 Georgia Tech that vaulted the Hurricanes into the top 10 in both national polls. Miami, who has won eight games in a row, carries a No. 7 ranking in Collegiate Baseball and are No. 9 in Baseball America.
Unranked in the preseason by Baseball America, the Hurricanes were looking for recognition after beating one of the premier programs in the country. Despite moving up six spots in both polls, Morris wants a permanent spot in the top eight by the end of the season, which would guarantee the ‘Canes the right to host an NCAA Regional next month.
“I think this weekend showed the voters that we are a legitimate team,” Morris said. “We aren’t where we want to be though, and we have half the season to get into the top eight.”
The Hurricanes have been led by a variety of unexpected players so far, including freshman Ryan Braun. Braun was named National Hitter of the Week after going 9 for 19 (.474), hitting two home runs and driving in 12 runs from March 24-30.
Braun leads the team with a .390 batting average, nine home runs and 34 RBI. To most of the Miami fan base, Braun has come out of nowhere, but Morris learned what he had in Braun this past winter.
“We always considered Ryan an outstanding prospect but he struggled during the fall,” Morris said. “It wasn’t until winter ball that everything began to click for him. Now he’s getting some national attention.”
But Braun refuses to take all of the credit for the Hitter of the Week honor.
“Obviously it is a tremendous honor and I am grateful for it,” Braun said. “I look at it as a tribute to the team though. Without guys getting on base for me I wouldn’t be able to drive in so many runs.”
Braun feels that the criticism the ‘Canes received during the preseason about their youth and inexperience has motivated the team to prove all of the doubters wrong.
“Having people say that we’re too young was definitely motivating for us,” Braun said. “What people don’t realize about us is that we work hard on and off the field. Some teams have talent but they don’t put in the time that it takes to win.”
This weekend the ‘Canes will try to keep Oral Roberts from knocking them out of the top 10. The Golden Eagles are led by freshman pitcher Taylor McIntyre, who was named Mid-Continent Pitcher of the Week last week. He leads the conference in earned run average (0.70) and has won his last two starts.
On the offensive side junior outfielder MattVanDerBosch, who was named Player of the Week in the conference, paces the Golden Eagles.
With all of the attention the Hurricanes have been receiving, the strong possibility remains that Miami could become complacent with their current position and slack off a bit. But Morris says he’s taking precautions to ensure that won’t happen.
“I keep talking to them and reminding them how long the season is,” Morris said. “I have to rely on the older players like Jim Burt and J.D. Cockroft to provide leadership to the younger players who haven’t been here before.”
The only area of concern for the ‘Canes thus far has been the pitching staff. Brandon Camardese was roughed up in an inning of work on Sunday and as a whole, Miami pitchers struggled against the big bats of Georgia Tech.
But Morris says he is satisfied with the way the pitchers have been performing throughout the season, and is confident that Camardese can bounce back.
“Brandon didn’t get to pitch the previous two Sundays because of rainouts so he may have been a little rusty,” Morris said. “He should be able to pitch well this Sunday though. There are certain areas where pitchers could improve but I am pleased with their overall effort.”
With a busy week looming ahead for the Hurricanes and an Oral Roberts team that is hoping to catch the ‘Canes by surprise, Morris has kept his players focused on the task at hand.
“We have a simple goal for this week and that is to win every game,” Morris said. “If we play well then that won’t be a problem.”

Eric Kalis can be reached at elk777bc@hotmail.com.