Savage back, poised for big year

By: Anthony Esparza

Photo courtesy of: NMSU Athletics Department

Donte Savage was disappointed to say the least when he was deemed academically ineligible for the 2011 football season, which would have been his senior year.

The 6’2’’ defensive end from Portland, Ore. was coming off a junior season in which he tallied 36 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups. As a sophomore, Savage had 53 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked punt. 

The momentum Savage gained in those two seasons came to an abrupt halt when he received the news he would have to sit out the 2011 season because of academic issues.

“It was a hard pill to swallow, but it was my fault,” Savage said. “I didn’t take care of my academics, but it was a good lesson for me. It made me more humble and it made me take school more seriously.”

Savage’s absence had a noticeable impact on the Aggie defensive line last season, but other players stepped in to try to fill the void. One of which was Stephen Meredith, who played in 12 games as a true freshman. Meredith recorded 21 tackles last season, eight of which were solo efforts.

With his academic situation now resolved, Savage returns as a redshirt senior in 2012 and is ready to pick up where he left off two years ago. NMSU head football coach DeWayne Walker is impressed with what he has seen from Savage in spring practice.

“I think he’s doing a better job rushing the passer. He seems quicker and faster, and he just seems more mature,” Walker said. “If he continues to play like he is, I think he’ll be one of the better defensive ends in our conference.”

Savage has proven to have the talent to be one of the elite defensive players in the Western Athletic Conference. He was named to Phil Steele’s postseason All-WAC Team in 2009, and won a WAC Defensive Player of the Week award in 2010.

Savage said he has a lot to make up for this season, but is on the right track to accomplish his goals.  Savage has used spring practice as an opportunity to return to football shape and develop good relationships with the younger players on the defense.  

“I’m one of the older guys on the team. The guys I came in with have all graduated, so I’m trying to build a good relationship with the new guys,” Savage said. “Everything is going good, and I like the new players and everybody. I hope we can gel before the season comes, so we can get the show going.”

Consistency is key for Aggie women in WAC Tourney

By: Anthony Esparza

Senior Natalia Salum. Photo by: Zack Ponce

The New Mexico State women’s tennis team enters the 2012 Western Athletic Conference Tournament having won four of its last six regular season matches.

In addition to going into the tournament with momentum, the Aggies are hopeful being the host school will provide a competitive advantage over their opponents.

“It’s better for us because we get to sleep in our own beds, play in our own facility and not have to adjust to altitude or time changes,” said NMSU women’s tennis coach Ivan Fernandez. “That definitely gives us a little bit of an advantage as far as being a little bit better rested and prepared for the conditions here at NMSU and in Las Cruces, so we like our chances.”

NMSU finished the regular season fourth in the conference standings with an 11-7 overall record and a 1-2 mark in WAC play. The Aggies are anchored by senior co-captains Natailia Salum and Manon Sylvain. 

Although there are a few pre-tournament jitters, Fernandez said the team is excited to be hosting the tournament and ready to compete.

“As always it’s a little nerve-wracking going into the championships knowing that whoever wins gets an NCAA bid, but they’re excited and they’re pumped up,” Fernandez said. “The two seniors are seeing the light of the end of the tunnel knowing this is their last few matches in an Aggie uniform, so they’re excited and ready to play hard.”

The tournament field features two teams ranked in the top 50, which means the Aggies will need consistent play over the next four days to make a run at the championship.

The No. 48 ranked Fresno State Bulldogs finished atop the WAC and earned the top seed in the tournament.  The Bulldogs are led by sophomore Marianne Jodoin, who was named WAC Player of the Year last year as a freshman.

Hawaii is ranked No. 58 in the country. Senior Barbara Pinterova plays in the No. 1 slot for the Wahine, while Jamie Pawid holds down the No. 2 spot. Pinterova and Pawid switched slots early in the season, and both players have benefited from the change.

San Jose State compiled a 12-match win streak midway through the season, which included a 4-3 home win over NMSU. However, the Spartans dropped three straight matches to end the regular season.

Those are the three teams ahead of NMSU in the tournament seeding. Ending the season on a high note and being the host school for the tournament are certainly advantages for the Aggies heading into the tournament. However, consistency will be the key that opens the door to the NCAA Tournament for the Aggies.

“We really need to have everybody play good matches every day,” Fernandez said. “It’s a lot to ask for when you have six girls out there at the same time, but in order to compete with these good teams, we have to have a good day from every single one of the girls on the team. If they can all come out and give it everything they have, I know the matches will go our way.” 

2012 WAC Tennis Tournament Schedule
Thursday, April 26
Women’s Quarterfinals
Match 1 - No. 1 Fresno State vs. No. 8 Louisiana Tech, 9 a.m.
Match 2 - No. 4 New Mexico State vs. No. 5 San Jose State, noon
Match 3 - No. 3 Idaho vs. No. 6 Utah State, 9 a.m.
Match 4 - No. 2 Hawai‘i vs. No. 7 Nevada, noon

Friday, April 27
Men’s Quarterfinals
Match 1 - No. 4 New Mexico State vs. No. 5 Nevada, 9 a.m.
Match 2 - No. 3 Hawai‘i vs. No. 6 Utah State, noon

Women’s Semifinals
Match 5 - Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 9 a.m.
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, noon

Saturday, April 28
Women’s Championship
Match 7 - Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 10 a.m.
Men’s Semifinals
Match 3 - No. 1 Fresno State vs. Winner Match 1, 1 p.m.
Match 4 - No. 2 Idaho vs. Winner Match 2, 1 p.m.

Sunday, April 29
Men’s Championship
Match 5 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 10 a.m.

Nothing to lose

Aggie men embracing underdog role 

By: Anthony Esparza

NMSU senior Matej Stakne. Photo by: Zack Ponce

It has been an unpredictable season for New Mexico State men’s tennis team, which makes the men’s bracket of the 2012 Western Athletic Conference Tournament all the more intriguing for the Aggies.

The Aggies finished the regular season at 8-14 overall and 2-3 in the WAC. Despite having to rearrange the lineup throughout the season, NMSU men’s tennis coach Carlos Vargas is pleased with the team’s resilience as it enters the WAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed. .

“I’m happy with the way the guys are working, and I also like the way we have gradually continued to improve,” Vargas said. “Even though we’re a little short-handed, the guys in it are working hard and have played very well for us.”

NMSU goes into the WAC Tournament riding a three-match win streak. The Aggies are led by senior Matej Stakne and junior Luis Ramirez. Stakne plays in the No. 1 slot in the lineup and Ramirez is slotted at No. 2.  However, it will take a full team effort for NMSU to challenge the top-seeded Fresno State Bulldogs.

Fresno State has proven to be the team to beat in the WAC. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 34 in the country, and have three seniors on the roster. Fresno State is 17-4 overall and 5-0 in WAC play. The team’s success is largely due to its senior trio.

“Fresno State has separated itself from the pack. They’re going to be a solid No. 1 seed in the tournament,” Vargas said. “After them, it’s really anybody’s match. I think from 2-5 it’s pretty much anybody’s game. All of those teams are pretty close to each other.”

With Fresno State holding the No. 1 seed, the 2-5 seeds feature Idaho, Hawaii, NMSU and Nevada. The Aggies played all three squads this season.

NMSU lost to Idaho and Hawaii during the regular season. The Aggies fell to Idaho 5-2 in Las Cruces, and were edged 4-3 by Hawaii in Fresno, Calif. NMSU fared better against Nevada, defeating the Wolf Pack 4-3 in Reno, Nev.

Despite the ups and downs of the regular season, Vargas said the Aggies are confident and eager to step on the NMSU Tennis Center courts and compete against their WAC foes.

 “We’re the fourth seed, so on paper we’re not supposed to win the tournament or even make it to the finals, but we know better,” Vargas said. “We’re not underestimating ourselves, and we know what we’re capable of doing if we’re all on the same page and play to our full potential.” 

Friday, April 27
Men’s Quarterfinals
Match 1 - No. 4 New Mexico State vs. No. 5 Nevada, 9 a.m.
Match 2 - No. 3 Hawai‘i vs. No. 6 Utah State, noon

Women’s Semifinals
Match 5 - Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 9 a.m.
Match 6 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, noon

Saturday, April 28
Women’s Championship
Match 7 - Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 10 a.m. Men’s Semifinals
Match 3 - No. 1 Fresno State vs. Winner Match 1, 1 p.m.
Match 4 - No. 2 Idaho vs. Winner Match 2, 1 p.m.

Sunday, April 29
Men’s Championship
Match 5 - Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 10 a.m.

Aggie seniors enjoying final season

By: Anthony Esparza

The two seniors on the New Mexico State women’s tennis team have come a long way since arriving to Las Cruces.

Natalia Salum and Manon Sylvain are approaching the end of their Aggie careers, but both have left their mark on the program with their presence on and off the court.

“When you recruit these players from overseas it’s really hard to know what you’re going to get all the time, because we don’t get an opportunity to actually go to France to recruit them,” said NM State women’s tennis coach Ivan Fernandez. “Both of them have definitely exceeded my expectations and they’re going to be very hard to replace next year.”

Salum was born in El Paso, Texas and grew up in Durango, Mexico. Before becoming an Aggie, Salum was the top ranked junior tennis player in Mexico for two consecutive years. Salum said the relatively short distance between Las Cruces and Durango made the transition to college life easier.

“The change wasn’t that hard, because Mexico is not really that far away,” Salum said. “I knew my parents were pretty close if I needed anything, so that was nice.”

As a freshman, Salum and her partner, Laura Boguet, posted a  17-8 record in doubles play. The duo won the Aggie Fall Invite doubles championship and compiled a strong performance in the ITA Central Region Championships.

Salum finished her sophomore season with a record of 11-18, but finished the season on a high note. She went 3-1 in the month of April and defeated players from Hawaii, Fresno State and Utah State. Salum was also awarded Academic All-WAC honors.

After starting her junior season at  1-4, Salum rebounded to win 11 of her last 12 matches to finish the regular season with 12 wins. She also won eight consecutive singles matches during that span.

Salum’s senior campaign has an impressive one. She currently sits at 11-4 overall and holds an impressive 8-2 mark at the No. 4 spot.

“To be honest, Natalia has come the longest,” Fernandez said of Salum’s progression over the past four years. “When I recruited her she was a young 17-year-old, and she’s really grown into a great team leader and team player. She’s really accepted her role as one of the co-captains this year amazingly.”

In addition to becoming a better tennis player, Salum said she has grown as person during her time at NM State.

“Being here has really made me more independent,” Salum said. “I think I have grown up a lot on and off the court since I came here as a freshman.”

Sylvain’s journey to Las Cruces began in Valence, France. She competed in numerous international tournaments, and was selected to represent France at the Nike Tour Tournament in Paris, where she reached the semifinals. The language barrier made the move to Las Cruces difficult at first.

“It was tough, because when I first got here I didn’t speak any English,” Manon said. “But after I learned the language and got comfortable here, everything worked out great.”

After redshirting her freshman season, Manon quickly established her position on the team as a sophomore. She posted a 14-15 record and was named Second Team All-WAC Doubles, Academic All-WAC and ITA Scholar Athlete.

Sylvain returned her junior season and continued her success. She finished the year will 11 wins, playing primarily towards the top of the singles lineup. Sylvain ended the year by being named to the WAC All-Tournament Team.

Sylvain is 7-7 this season and has played at the No. 1 spot all year. She and her doubles partner, Williams, have a 5-4 record this spring.

“When she first got here she barely spoke any English,” Fernandez said. “It’s been a huge transition, and it’s great to have seen her personality come it in a foreign language.

Although her collegiate playing career will end after the season, Salum will return to NM State next semester to finish her degree. Salum has always wanted to coach the game, and she will get her opportunity next year when she becomes a student-assistant for the team.

When the semester ends, Sylvain plans on moving t Mexico, where she will enroll in graduate school. Having earned academic honors every year she played at NM State, Sylvain should not have any problems getting accepted.

Salum and Sylvain each have a list of goals and aspirations for the future, but they still have business to take care of on the tennis court. The Aggies play New Mexico on Saturday before hosting the WAC Tournament, which starts on April 26.

From Croatia to Cruces

Tennis has taken Aggie star to new heights

By: Anthony Esparza

Photo by: Zack Ponce

The game of tennis took Matej Stakne from the lush green island of Rab, Croatia, to the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert in southern New Mexico.

After being told he was too small to play soccer, Stakne picked up a tennis racket when he was seven years old.

Over the next ten years, Stakne evolved into one of the best young players in Croatia. He was ranked in the top 10 in the Boys 18-and-under age group. When he moved up to the Croatian Men’s Open Division, he won more than 20 tournaments and was ranked in the top 30. However, at age 17, Stakne faced the important decision of either perusing his college education in Croatia or moving elsewhere.

“First of all, I wasn’t sure what to study over there,” Stakne said. “Plus I had been playing tennis for ten years already and I thought it would be nice to continue. I thought I was too young to quit, so the United States was a perfect opportunity to do that.”

Stakne had connections to New Mexico State long before deciding to become an Aggie. His coach was the father of former NM State tennis player Stjepan Beg. He was also scouted by former Aggie tennis coach Don Ball.

Ball told Stakne about the university, the tennis facility and the warm weather in Las Cruces in an attempt to convince the young Croatian to become an Aggie. Stakne liked what he heard and decided to pursue his college education and tennis career at NM State. The transition from Croatia to New Mexico was difficult at first.

“I was really homesick at the beginning, because it’s completely different,” Stakne said. “I’m from an island and here it’s a desert, but now I like it, it’s cool. “

Stakne went 12-8 in singles play his freshman season at NM State and was one of five Aggies to win ten or more matches in 2009. His win in the Western Athletic Conference Championship quarterfinals clinched the match for the Aggies, and the team advanced to the semi finals.

Stakne got off to quick start his sophomore season, going 7-1 in the month of September. He went on to finish the season with a 16-11 record and helped the Aggies defeat No. 23 Arizona and No. 43 New Mexico in the process. Stakne performed at a high level off the court as well. He was named an International Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete and received Academic All-WAC honors.

As a junior, Stakne continued being consistent on the court and in the classroom. A five-match win streak earned him WAC Player of the Month honors in November. He finished the year with a 7-6 singles record and a 9-9 mark in doubles matches. Stakne also earned ITA Scholar Athlete and WAC All-Academic honors for the second straight season.

NM State tennis coach Carlos Vargas moved Stakne up to the No. 1 position in singles competition at the start of the 2011-2012 season. The promotion fueled Stakne to elevate his game to another level, because he would be facing the opposing teams’ best player.

Vargas said Stakne has provided the Aggies with a steady and solid approach in his four years on the team.

“He is not one who is going to blow the other guy out of the court, but he’s not one that is going to go down easy either,” Vargas said of Stakne. “If there is one thing you can count on, it’s that he is going to be one of the last ones coming off the court. He always has been.”

Although Stakne’s tennis career as an Aggie will come to end after this season, he plans on staying at New Mexico State to pursue his master’s degree. He said he would also be interested in helping Vargas coach the team.

Stakne’s decision to start playing tennis at the age of seven has taken him to new heights in his athletic and academic careers. The sport also introduced him the city of Las Cruces, a place he has become very comfortable in.

“I think it’s a nice place to live, because of the weather mostly,” Stakne said. “We are in March and we are wearing shorts. Back home I would freezing at this time.”

In a league of their own

NMSU Cheer shines under national spotlight 

By: Anthony Esparza

Photo courtesy of: NMSU Cheer

In just four years, the New Mexico State cheer squad has become one of the top programs in the region.

NMSU took second place in the large coed division at the USA College National Championships in Anaheim, Calif. last month. More than 100 teams competed at the two-day event including Boise State, Hawaii and Weber State. 

“This is my fourth year coaching and every year we have made progress by leaps and bounds,” said NMSU Cheer coach Jessica Franklin. “This year really solidified the NMSU Cheer program as a collegiate team.”

Franklin, who was an Aggie cheerleader from 2000-2005, said the team did not start competing until she took over the program four years ago. Since then, the program has competed on a yearly basis in addition to its regular appearances at Aggie sporting events.

NMSU Cheer spends the summer learning chants and stunts that will be performed at Aggie games during sports seasons. The team then begins working on its competition routine in October.

The team practices three times a week in addition to cheering at football, volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball games. NMSU cheer also attends pep rallies and various university events throughout the year. 

Overall, the team makes over 90 appearances each year to go along with a full schedule of classes.

Similar to other college sports programs, success provides the cheer team with a distinct recruiting advantage.   

This advantage is especially important for NMSU, because New Mexico is one of 12 states in the country that recognizes cheerleading as a sport at the high school level.

“We have already begun working on tryouts and having clinics for our tryouts,” Franklin said. “We will be receiving more talent this year than we ever have from New Mexico, California, Colorado, Arizona and Texas.”

In addition to success and national exposure, competition provides NMSU Cheer with something they can call their own.

“What is different about cheerleading is that they have many jobs that they must attend to,” Franklin said. “Competition is the one thing that is just for them, and the one thing they don’t have to share with anyone else.”

It was a memorable season for NMSU Cheer. The team traveled to Las Vegas for the Western Athletic Conference Tournament and to Portland Ore. for the NCAA Tournament. The cheer squad also traveled to Albuquerque to perform before the awards ceremony at the State Cheerleading Competition.

However, the pinnacle of the season for NMSU Cheer was the two-and-a-half minutes the spotlight was on them at the USA College National Championships.

“There is no feeling like doing a two-and-a-half minute routine and walking off the floor with absolutely no regrets, and knowing that you just did the routine of your life,” Franklin said. “One full year of preparation for two-and-a-half minutes.”

Photo courtesy of: NMSU Cheer

Announcement

Tryouts for the NMSU Cheer team and Pistol Pete are on April 27 and 28 at the Pan American Center practice gym. There is a $35 tryout fee that is due the day of the event.

Students trying out for Pistol Pete must prepare a two-minute skit to music that reflects crowd involvement, personality and school spirit.

If you have any questions or would like more information contact Jessica Franklin at jessifra@nmsu.edu