By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
Published November 15, 2005
GAINESVILLE - At a time when the NCAA and member schools are looking for ways to improve academics among student-athletes, swimmer Justin Zumsteg and point guard Sarah Lowe are proving you can be both a scholar and an athlete.
The seniors are among 16 finalists for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Zumsteg and Lowe will interview this weekend in Birmingham, Ala., in the final competition before the scholarships are awarded. Zumsteg is majoring in physics and astronomy and plans to earn a master of philosophy in medical anthropology at the University of Oxford in England. Lowe is majoring in political science and Spanish.
"It was an honor to find out I was a finalist; that's kind of been my goal all along," Zumsteg said. "My goal was to get to this stage of the competition, where I'm going to meet the other candidates. And however it goes, it'll be great to have met two Rhodes Scholars or to be one myself. But I'm really looking forward to this weekend."
Zumsteg considered applying three years ago. The process is lengthy, including eight letters of recommendation, but Zumsteg, who earned a 1,580 on his SAT, said it's well worth it.
"He's a fifth-year senior and he's been a great role model for our athletes, not only the swimming athletes, but other athletes on campus as well," assistant coach and former Gator swimmer Anthony Nesty said.
Lowe will miss UF's season opener against St. Francis on Friday night and Saturday's game against Seton Hall, but you won't hear coach Carolyn Peck complaining. "Sarah is a tremendous young woman," Peck said. "She's done a lot of things for this university that doesn't necessarily involve playing basketball. She's volunteered and worked in several different organizations, she carries a 3.90-plus GPA in her four years and she's just relentless."
REST THE WEARY: Fresh off its 30-22 loss to South Carolina and with an open date before hosting Florida State next weekend, the football team took Monday off. The Gators will practice today, Wednesday and Thursday, then take a three-day weekend. Meanwhile, disgruntled fans are expressing themselves on thefirecoachmeyer.com Web site.
TITLE RUN: All season, cross-country coach Jeff Pigg has geared his team's training and competitions toward one goal: advancing to the NCAA Championships. With its third-place finish in the NCAA South Region last weekend, the Gator squad is one of 13 teams to earn an at-large bid to the meet, which will be held Monday in Terre Haute, Ind.
This is the second straight time the men's team has advanced to the championship meet, but unlike last season, it isn't just happy to be going.
"It's hard to say (expectations), but I'd like to be a top 10 team," Pigg said. "We could run really, really well and be 15th, 16th or 17th. But getting back there for a second time, our goal wasn't just to get there, but for us to go there and compete well. ... The one thing I do know, I don't know how we'll finish but I know our guys will give everything they've got. I know at the end, we'll be very proud of what we've accomplished and we'll be most proud of the way they went about it."
Sophomore Henok Lechebo ran a 30:34.07 in the region, the fastest time by a UF runner on the UF golf course and the 10th-fastest time overall.
MAKING A CASE: After winning its 15th consecutive SEC regular-season title, the volleyball team is preparing for this weekend's SEC tournament. The Gator mission is twofold: win its 12th tournament title in 14 years; and make one last push to be among the seeded teams when the NCAA Tournament begins Dec.1.
"Keep winning, that's the only way you can do it," coach Mary Wise said. "As long as you continue to win, at least when your name comes up on the board you can make a strong argument. We know they put a whole lot of stock in the RPI, and that's a statistic based not only on your winning percentage, but the winning percentage of your opponents. ... In women's volleyball we don't have the luxury of so many matches on television that the committee is watching. We really are stuck with just looking at numbers. And a win is a win; that's the best argument you can have for your program."
Florida (25-2) will play Georgia in the tournament's opening round in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Friday afternoon. The Gators are 38-0 vs. the Bulldogs under Wise, but Georgia did take Florida to five games in the tournament last season. Florida has won four straight and 19 of its past 20 matches.
TIPOFF TIME: The women's basketball team will play one final preseason game tonight before opening the season Friday. With Lowe out of the lineup, the Gators will start freshman Sha Brooks at point. Peck said the early season Seton Hall Classic is a benefit for her team with five freshmen.
"I like tournaments just from the sense that it helps you prepare for the tournaments you want to be playing in in March," she said. "That kind of experience, especially for freshmen, is good. And going on the road, too. This will be a new experience for this group. I have to continue to compliment our seniors because they've done a very good job of showing good leadership. And now to demonstrate that and the importance of staying focused when you're on the road and for the freshmen to follow that lead. When you go on the road, you still have to do study hall, you still have to do scouting reports, you have to get game ready and you're not sleeping in your own bed. And that's going to be new for these freshmen."
--Antonya English covers Florida athletics. She can be reached at 813 226-3389 or english@sptimes.com
