For the past two seasons, Miami Hurricane pitcher Kiki Bengochea has worked his way up in the UM pitching rotation while being tutored by some of the staff’s aces. With his junior season about to begin, Bengochea is not only moving into the role as Miami ace, but also into the role of mentor.
Bengochea headlines a young, but talented group of starting pitchers for the Hurricanes, who begin defense of their national title tonight against Tennessee at Mark Light Stadium. Although fellow junior Troy Roberson will be on the mound tonight, there’s no doubt whos is Miami’s top choice with the game on the line. The 6-2 junior is looking forward to being that man.
“I take the responsibility with open arms,” Bengochea said. “Over the years, I’ve seen guys like Tom Farmer and Brian Walker take those leadership roles and do something positive with it and I just hope that I can teach the young guys what it takes to go up to Omaha (Neb., site of the College World Series).”
After a successful three-year career at nearby Christopher Columbus High, Bengochea, who will start tomorrow afternoon’s matchup with the Volunteers, arrived at the University of Miami, almost immediately earning a spot in the starting rotation. Bengochea started 15 games for the Hurricanes in 2000, posting a 5-5 record with a 3.90 ERA.
After putting up those solid numbers, Bengochea was counted on to be a focal point of the 2001 squad, and the right-hander did not disappoint. On Feb. 24, Bengochea delivered Miami’s lone complete game of the season, shutting out FIU 2-0. He also delivered several other strong performances before finishing the year 9-4 with a 4.10 ERA, striking out 89 batters while giving up just 38 walks. Bengochea credits much of his success to some of the veterans that helped teach him.
“When you heave leadership from guys like Brian Walker and Tom Farmer, who take the time to come up and teach you the ropes, it’s nice to know what you have to do rather than be the typical sophomore or freshman who looks new out there,” Bengochea said.
He returns to action at UM after spending his second consecutive off-season pitching for Team USA. In 59 innings with the team, Bengochea compiled a 6-1 mark while maintaining a miniscule ERA under one. According to UM coach Jim Morris, Bengochea’s success with both the Hurricanes and Team USA brings high expectations for 2002.
“Kiki’s been around for a while and he’s had a strong summer with the USA team,” Morris said. “Therefore, we’re counting on him to be the anchor of the pitching staff, but he’s talented enough to do that.”
Pitching Coach “Lazer” Collazo, who has been impressed with Bengochea’s growth the past two seasons, also places a heavy burden on his ace this year.
“He’s got to be the workhorse of the staff,” Collazo said. “He’s a guy who we’re counting on seven strong innings every time he goes out there.”
Bengochea headlines a pitching staff that includes Roberson, who missed all of 2001 following elbow surgery, and sophomore T.J. Prunty, whose 1.29 ERA led the staff last season. Sophomore Dan Touchet and freshman Brandon Camardese may also see some starts. Although the staff hasn’t piled up much experience, Bengochea expects them to pile up some victories.
“We should expect a lot of good things from our staff,” Bengochea said. “When healthy, Troy is one of the best out there and T.J. is a top prospect in the country.”
Overall, Bengochea is very enthusiastic about taking over the No. 1 role and is just looking forward to starting the 2002 campaign.
“I’m really excited for the season,” Bengochea said. “We got a great bunch of guys and it’s just fun to finally come out here.”

The 2002 Miami Hurricane baseball team has its work cut out for itself if they intend to repeat as National Champions.
Following their triumphant victory in Omaha, Neb., site of the College World Series, the Hurricanes lost a school record 13 players to graduation and the Major League Baseball Draft. That number included five position starters and three starting pitchers, forcing this year’s squad to rely on a number of newcomers.
The Hurricanes begin the 2002 season ranked No. 2 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll. UM coach Jim Morris has put together an extremely difficult schedule that includes many ranked teams.
Miami begins the season on Feb. 1 with a three-game series against No. 25 Tennessee, one of last year’s opponents in the College World Series. No. 4 Florida State, No. 10 Cal State Fullerton, No. 19 Georgia Tech, No. 23 Florida and No. 24 Rutgers all appear on the Hurricanes’ schedule. UM will also take on the likes of Florida Atlantic and Florida International – teams that have always put up a good fight.
“It has been a great off season celebrating our championship,” Morris said. “The party is now over. It is time to tee it up against the toughest schedule in Miami baseball history.”
The Hurricanes return four starting position players, led by shortstop Javy Rodriguez. Rodriguez was not drafted after his junior campaign despite leading the nation with 66 stolen bases and leading the team with a .382 batting average last season.
Junior third baseman Kevin Howard (.336 average in 2001) solidifies the left side of the infield. Kevin Mannix (.328 average in 2001) returns in right field while Danny Matienzo (.324 average and 13 HR in 2001) will move from designated hitter to the catcher spot. These players will try and use their experience to help their younger teammates.
“It’s going to be a lot more difficult to get back to Omaha this year with our lack of experience, but we do have the talent to do so,” Howard said. “Us veterans need to step up as leaders and help ease the younger players’ transition.”
Morris expects at least two freshmen to crack the opening day lineup. Freshmen Paco Figueroa and Joey Hooft are still battling for the starting second base position, with Hooft likely to start against Tennessee. Figueroa’s twin brother, Danny, is the leading candidate for centerfield.
“Every day at practice is an open battle for starting positions,” Morris said. “Our expectations are extremely high, and nobody’s position is safe. It is very important that we have leadership from our older players.”
The starters in left field and first base are being solidified with sophomore Jim Burt and Matt Dryer, respectively. Sophomore Haas Pratt can play at first, but will start at designated hitter.
Morris noted that the team will need to manufacture more runs this season, as the Hurricanes lost a lot of speed and power from their championship run last season.
“We will have to find different ways to win this season,” Matienzo said. “We want to go back to Omaha and win the World Series. Miami has never repeated as National Champions. We have the talent to change that.”
Pitching may be a question mark for the Hurricanes entering the 2002 season, as Miami lost the starting trio of Tom Farmer, Brian Walker and Chris Sheffield. All three were drafted in the first ten rounds of the MLB Draft.
Preseason First-Team All-American Kiki Bengochea (9-4 with a 4.10 ERA in 2001) leads an inexperienced starting rotation that has a lot of potential. Bengochea spent this past summer playing with the USA National Team, totaling a 6-1 record with a 0.61 ERA.
Troy Roberson is back after missing the majority of the last two years following elbow surgery. Roberson was 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA as the Hurricanes No. 2 pitcher in 2000 when he was hurt, and will try and pick up where he left off.
Even while rehabilitating in 2001, Roberson was selected in the 28th round of the Draft by the Texas Rangers
T.J. Prunty, a former quarterback for the football team, shores up the starting rotation. Prunty came out of the bullpen in 2001, accounting for a 1.29 ERA in 11 relief appearances. Despite the loss of last year’s starters, Morris is confident in his 2002 crop.
“Roberson has thrown better than anyone on our staff at this time,” Morris said. “On any given day, our starting pitchers can beat any team in the country.”
The bullpen, one of the most dominant in the nation from 2001, remains mostly in tact, and is led by sophomore closer George Huguet (14 saves, 2.03 ERA). Luke DeBold is the capable set-up man, compiling a 1.74 ERA to go along with his 67-to-7 strikeouts to walk ratio.
The UM bullpen was so good, it helped the ‘Canes to a 48-0 record when they led after six innings last season.
Morris said he feels that being ranked No. 2 puts a lot of pressure on a young team and warned fans to not be surprised if the Hurricanes dip in the rankings early in the season. But preseason rankings mean nothing to Morris and his club. They have only one thing on their minds – Omaha.
“No matter what, our goal is to get back to Omaha and win the College World Series,” Morris said. “The standard has been set at Miami for many years. If you are not back in Omaha, the season is a disappointment.”

SWIMMING AND DIVING
The 2002 University of Miami swimming and diving team will travel to Boca Raton for a dual meet with FAU tomorrow. The Hurricanes previously hosted the Owls at the Norman Whitten Student Union Pool in Coral Gables on October 27th, 2001. The women won 161-137 while the men lost 149-106. For the UM women, junior Christine Williams has the fastest time this season in the 50-yard freestyle with her 24.05-second performance at the Pittsburgh Invitational on November 16th. At the same meet, Williams also recorded the fastest time in the 100-yard free (51.77) this season. Sophomore standout Manon van Rooijen recorded the fastest time in the 200 free (1:51.10) in Pittsburgh and holds the fastest time in the 500 free (5:07.30) from the Gator Relays meet in Gainesville on October 20th. Junior Elaine Schwartz has the fastest times in the 1000-yard freestyle (10:33.71) and 400 IM (4:26.38) while sophomore Courtney Caples has the best times in the 100 breast (1:05.70) and 200 breast (2:20.84).

MEN’S TRACK
Senior Jabari Ennis finished sixth in the pole vault with a mark of 4.75 meters (15-07.00) to lead the University of Miami men’s track and field team at the Blue Heaven Track and Field Rumble in Chapel Hill, NC last Saturday. Overall the Hurricanes had three athletes record top-10 finishes. Senior Jeff Gaulrap finished eighth in the 5000-meters (15:19.75) and senior Gus Martin took seventh in the 60-meter hurdles (8.07).

WOMEN’S TRACK
Freshman Lauryn Williams won the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash, and senior All-American Kareen Clarke won the triple jump to lead the 15th-ranked University of Miami women’s track and field team at the Illinois Women’s Invitational in Champaign, IL last Saturday. Williams, who has the fastest time in the United States and seventh fastest time in the world in the 60-meters this year, took first in the 60-meters with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 7.38. All-American Kareen Clarke recorded her third consecutive meet victory in the triple jump outdistancing her nearest competitor by nearly two feet. Clarke, who has the top jump in the nation this season, registered an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 12.67 meters (41-07.00). Clarke also finished second in the long jump with a jump of 5.95 meters (19-06.25). Miami dominated the 400-meters taking four of the top five positions. school-record time of 55.30.

After three consecutive victories in the city of Miami, the Hurricanes hit the road for a Big East matchup with Villanova. To say the least, things weren’t as pleasant up in Philadelphia, Pa.
Miami fell to the Wildcats in convincing fashion, 80-52, at the Pavilion. The loss dropped Miami’s record to 13-7(6-4 Big East) and marked the fourth straight time the Hurricanes lost to Villanova. Head coach Ferne Labati said the result was a factor of Miami’s 19 costly turnovers.
“We turned the ball over 11 times in the first half and that is what killed us,” Labati said. “We have 10 games left that will determine postseason play, and the only way we will some of them is if we stop turning the ball over.”
Villanova scored early and often in this one, jumping out to an 18-5 lead, and behind Katie Davis’s four three pointers, led 32-20 at the break. Miami, came out of the second half shooting 46 percent, but were still outscored 17-6 early in the second half. Labati said although Miami’s offense improved in the final 20 minutes, other factors of their game did not.
“The problem in the second half was that our defense and rebounding killed us,” Labati said. “We did a better job offensively, but we couldn’t get it done on the glass.”
Villanova shot a sizzling 61 percent in the second half, and overall hit 51 percent of their field goals, while Miami countered by knocking down 40 percent of their shots. The Wildcats hit 44 percent of their three’s, in large part to Davis, who racked seven of her 11 attempts behind the arc, finishing with a career-high 28 points. Villanova also turned the ball over just 13 times, while scoring 29 points off the Hurricanes turnovers.
Miami’s one positive was the play of junior Meghan Saake, who scored 16 points on 5-8 shooting, while grabbing six rebounds. Sophomores Chanivia Broussard posted 15, but Labati was not satisfied with Broussard’s play, as well as many of her teammates.
“Saake was our one bright spot because she played hard on both ends of the court,” Labati said. “We gave Chanivia some good looks, but she has to step up, get some rebounds, and not turn the ball over.”
“We couldn’t get any kind of shots for Shaquana (Wilkins), and we she had the ball, she was turning it over too much.”
The Hurricanes return to the Knight Sports Complex for another key Big East matchup against Pittsburgh tomorrow at 3:00. The Panthers are just 1-7 in Big East play, but Labati still expects a battle.
“We have to be focused for 40 minutes, because that’s the only way we’ll beat them,” Labati said. “Tommorow’s game could be the turning point of the season.”

Soccer Playoffs:

Women’s Independent Championship:
Knee Breakers- 2
UMSM Women- 1

UMSM- 2
Almost Legal- 1

Latin America F.C.- 3
ISUM- 1

Alpha Sigma Phi- 2 (PK)
Zeta Beta Tau- 1

Lambda Chi Alpha- 1
Alpha Epsilon Pi- 0

January 28, 2002
Panhellenic Championship:
Delta Phi Epsilon- 2
Delta Delta Delta- 0

Men’s Independent Championship:
UMSM- 2 (PK)
Latin America F.C. – 1

Fraternity Championship:
Lambda Chi Alpha- 4
Alpha Sigma Phi- 1

Women’s Overall Championship:
Knee Breakers- 2
Delta Phi Epsilon- 0

Men’s Overall Championship:
UMSM- 1 (OT)
Lambda Chi Alpha- 0

On Tuesday January 29, 2002 the Intramural Women’s Soccer Championship game was played on the Yaron Fields at 9:30 p.m. The contenders this year were the women’s open champion Knee Breakers (a.k.a. The Women’s Soccer Club) and the Panhellenic Champion Delta Phi Epsilon. Both teams held undefeated records coming into the match on Tuesday. The first score of the game came in the middle of the first half when the Knee Breakers put together a nice passing set going down the left side of the field. The score came when Chelsea Brewer gave a nice crossing pass to Carrie Readey in front of the goal and the score was made. Later in the half Delta Phi Epsilon had a chance to tie things up before heading into halftime with a penalty kick. Tiffany Tupler, the Knee Breakers goalie, came through and saved the ball to keep her team ahead 1-0 heading into halftime. Towards the end of the second half the Knee Breakers struck again. Mary Lisec was able to get her ball past the goalie this time. The final score 2-0 Knee Breakers. Congratulations to the 2002 Intramurals Women’s Soccer Champion the Knee Breakers.
Congratulations to the Knee Breakers and UMSM as the 2001 Intramural Soccer Champions!
January 28, 2002:
UMVC- 2
Eaton- 0

Wild Sets- 2
Maniacs- 1

Eaton- 2
Walking Wounded- 1

UMVC- 2
Wild Sets- 0

January 29, 2002:
Kappa Sigma- 2
Phi Delta Theta- 0

Sigma Alpha Mu- 2
Pi Kappa Alpha- 0 (Forfeit)

Phi Delta Theta- 2
Sigma Alpha Mu- 1

Kappa Sigma- 2
Pi Kappa Alpha- 0 (Forfeit)

Sigma Phi Epsilon- 2
Sigma Chi- 1

Lambda Chi Alpha- 2
Alpha Sigma Phi- 0

Lambda Chi Alpha- 2
Sigma Phi Epsilon- 0

Sigma Chi- 2
Alpha Sigma Phi- 0

Darius Rice finds it difficult to go unnoticed on and off the court.
Not only does he share the last name of NFL legend, Jerry Rice, but he also wears red Jordan’s as opposed to the teams’ choice of green shoes.
More notably, however, is the fact that Rice is an All-America candidate and an ominous force of the Hurricane men’s basketball team for the second consecutive season.
He is also one of 30 preseason nominees for the 2001-02 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award.
At a towering 6-10, the sophomore starter ironically excels at the small forward position. He is explosive all over the court, but outside shots are his specialty. This season Rice is one of the Big East’s top three-point shooters.
“Rice obviously contributes to the offensive effort, averaging an impressive 15.2 points per game, but it doesn’t stop there. He is really expanding his game and becoming a very well-rounded player,” UM coach Perry Clark said.
This type of talent, according to Rice, didn’t come naturally with his adolescent growth spurt. Instead he perfected his technique by practicing with thousands of shots per day.
“I would just shoot- in the paint, out of the paint- all day long. Repetition helped me reach this level. You know how they say ‘practice makes perfect’, well it’s true,” said Rice.
His height, on the other hand, happens to be a natural advantage.
“I appreciate my height the most on defense. When I guard other players it’s easier for me to get in their faces. I guess I am a step ahead,” said Rice.
He leads the team in scoring and three-point field goal percentage and is also ranked second in rebounding.
Against Villanova, Rice posted his second-straight 30-point game and had 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal.
As for the loss to Boston College, Rice is over it. He was held to 16 points and went 1-for-9 from 3-point range. Focusing on the next challenge en route to the Final Four is more important.
This Saturday the Hurricanes will face Caron Butler and the UConn Huskies, who are 14-3 overall and 6-0 in the Big East. In last month’s match-up, the ‘Canes came up short 75-76.
“The UConn game is a huge threat to us. Butler and I will be going head to head,” said Rice. “We can’t be satisfied with an 18-3 record, but it’s also a very long season. We have the opportunity to pick up the rest of our games and make it to the postseason,” Rice said.

Just when their fan support was slowly increasing, the Hurricane men’s basketball team did something Tuesday night they had not done the entire season – lose at home.
Miami couldn’t match Boston College All-American guard Troy Bell and his seven points in the last two minutes, as the Hurricanes fell for the first time at Miami Arena this season, 70-65, in front of 5,174 fans.
Trailing 65-63 with less than two minutes remaining, Bell, who had been held scoreless for almost the entire second half, hit a three-pointer to give the Eagles (15-5, 4-3 in Big East) the lead. Miami (18-3, 5-3) missed its final six shots from the field, as Bell and forward Andrew Bryant each hit two free-throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Bell led all scorers with 25 points and guard Ryan Sidney scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Forward James Jones led the Canes with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Miami also connected on 25 of 26 shots from the free-throw line, but shot a poor 29.8 percent from the field.
“I think we tried doing the things we’re so used to doing like fast-break jump shots and trying to work the ball inside to guys like John Salmons,” UM head coach Perry Clark said. “They picked up on this and took that away. We just didn’t do a great job of recognizing what was available to us down the stretch.”
After trailing by as many as 10 points, the Canes used a 17-2 run to take a 56-51 lead with 9:49 remaining in the game. Down the stretch, Miami missed key three-point shots that would have put the game away and were held without a field goal for the final 6:16.
“I think we really didn’t have any flow or continuity at the end of the game,” UM forward James Jones said. “Everybody kept going for the dagger and we just let them back in it.”
Coming into the game, the Hurricanes had won four conference games and moved up to No. 15 in the Associated Press Poll. The Eagles had been ranked as high as No. 10 after a 12-1 start, but had dropped four of their last six games, including an 88-78 loss to top-ranked Duke.
“We can’t get caught up with how good our record is and how great our season’s gone so far,” Darius Rice said.
Rice epitomized the Hurricanes’ shooting woes, converting on only 1-of-9 three-point shots.
“We have to stay humble and go out and compete hard every night.”
Miami’s next competitor won’t be any easier as the ‘Canes will face No. 17 Connecticut tomorrow night at Miami Arena. Miami will try to avenge its 76-75 loss earlier this month at Storrs, Connecticut. After Tuesday’s defeat, the ‘Canes desperately need a victory if they want to maintain any chance of winning the Big East.
“We have to look forward to UConn now,” Rice said. “We have to try and knock them off and hope for two more losses to try and get back in this thing. We can’t dwell on it. We’re hurt now, but tomorrow’s a new day.”