-i^ Jan. 19, 2011 The Gannon Knight • Sports 15 While vou were out

Games of the Week: oting NFL - AFC Championship Game: vs. New Gannon student-attiietes were hard at work York Jets, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, CBS helping their teams add to their win columns.

G/.NNONSPORTS.COM NFL - NFC Championship -The women's basketball team spUt its eight Sophomore Jackie Rzymek (above) swims in Saturaay s meet against Divi¬ Game: vs. Green sion I opponent Canisius College. Rzymel< broke her own pool record in games over semester break. The team's loss the 100-yard butterfly as she was one of four Knights to break records. Bay Packers, 3 p.m. Sunday, FOX against Indiana (Pa.) University snappf^r! ii<: IA. NBA - Chicago Bulls vs. Dallas game State Athletic Cor s Swim teams earn split Mavericks, 8 p.m. Thursday, TNT win streak, its last PSAC West loss came at the By the numbers: hands of !UP on Jan. 24, 2009, when it dropped on heels of Florida trip a 65-52 decision. Junior guard Caitlyn Lowe av¬ By ZACK MCDERMOTT "We swam in 50 meters for 0: The total number of games eraged 11 points per game (y'''-' ■'"^- '■■'"^- "'—:'■■ sports editor long period training," Nelson won by Dinara Safina in her 6-0, stretch. said. "It really helps you aerobi- 6-0 "double bagel" loss to Kim Although the Gannon swim¬ cally and lets you last longer in Clijsters at the Australian Open ming and diving teams had no your races. Compared to a 50- Tuesday, making her the first ■Chnstrnas came early men's basketball classes to wake up for, no home¬ meter pool, our 25-yard pool woman, formerly ranked No. 1, to team as ^t won six of its ■;ver the work to finish and no tests to seems so much shorter when lose by that score. Drea^ '■' '''niehts defeatf study for, the end of semester you're racing in it." break may have served as the Although coach Nathan Wal¬ 2: The number of No. 6 seeds busiest part of the season for the ters helped the Knights prepare left in the NFL playoffs. Only one Knights. both mentally and physically for team has ever won a conference The 6-2 women's team and 3- the tail end of the schedule, he championship game - the Super 3 men's squad, which broke four wasn't the only one that Gannon Bowl XL winner Pittsburgh Steel¬ pool records in Saturday's dual- received advice from while in Fort ers back in 2006. meet split against Division I Can¬ Lauderdale. isius, traveled to Florida for 10 The Knights were given the 10: The number of wins for days from Dec. 29 to Jan. 7 for opportunity to meet gold-medal¬ Miami University after defeating their annual training trip. ist Dana Torres. Torres, who was Middle State Univer¬ Junior Greg Nelson, who is 41 during the 2008 Bejiing Sum¬ sity 35-21 in the GoDaddy.com one of two Knights to hold the mer Olympics, obtained a spot in Bowl Jan. 7. The RedHawks be¬ record for the 500-yard freestyle, her fifth games and became the came the first team to win 10 said that although the team stayed first woman over the age of 40 games after losing double-digit in Fort Lauderdale, the trip was in history to swim in the games the prior season. by no means any vacation. Olympics. "It was definitely some of the "She told us how to prepare 43,321: The attendance of the most difficult training sessions for big meets and to be mentally Texas Class 5A football state we've done since I've been here," tough," Nelson said. "She told us championship game between Nelson said. stories about swimmers at the Pearland High School and Trinity The rigorous training was used Olympics and how they almost High School, higher than 16 of to help the Knights, who have threw up or passed out. She was the 35 NCAA Division I bowl combined for four first-place fin¬ really cool and down-to-earth." games played. ishes, strengthen their aerobic ca¬ Aside from the physical and pacity for the upcoming mental benefits of training in 12 million: The amount, in dol¬ Edinboro Quad Meet Saturday. lars, that pitcher Gil Meche See FLORIDA, page 14 walked away from by deciding to retire with one year left on his * contract with the Kansas City Royals at the age of 32. Zack's Attack Three Stars of the Week: I'm sure that Rex Ryan put a celebratory foot ear of today's athlete. in his mouth Sunday night. I'm just glad it Third Star The Chiefs' Todd Haley refused to shake the wasn't his own foot and didn't happen as a Jackie Ryzmek, women's swim¬ hand of then-Broncos' coach Josh McDaniels result of the ' not-as-close-as-the- ming because he felt Denver ran up the score. scoreboard-says 28-21 victory over the heavily They responded by going 10-6 and winning The sophomore was part of two favored New England Patriots. the AFC West for the first time since 2003. pool records in the Knights' vic¬ The result was a surprising one as most tory over Division I Canisius Col¬ made no apologies for the people - myself included - thought that Bill lege Saturday. Ryzmek reset her Seattle Seahawks making the postseason by Belichick's finely tuned machine would have own mark in the 100-yard butterfly winning the NFL's worst division. New York's finest trash talkers cleaning their as well as helping the relay team The Seahawks rallied behind Carroll in one verbal vomit up from Gillette Stadium by the break the 400-yard medley record. of the NFL's greatest upsets as they defeated end of the night. the defending Champion Saints. •However, the Jets and Patriots reversed Second Star Buccaneers coach Rahcem Morris called roles they played one month ago in New Eng¬ A.J. Milanak, wresding his young squad the best team in the NFC land's 45-3 shellacking. Ryan, Revis and Co. The senior was named the top- early in the season when most believed them made look like a natural Ugg ranked wrestler for the 141- ZACK MCDERMOTT to be a flash in the pan. model instead of a pigskin legend. pound class in the NCAA The Bucs showed that Morris was closer to Gang Green pulled off the jaw-dropper be¬ sports editor Division II East regional rankings being correct than most people thought by cause of Ryan and his boisterous tantrums, not finishing 10-6 and becoming the first team after helping Gannon upset sixth- plan — and players - that is going to beat your in spite of it. Each win gives Ryan more reason with double-digit victories to miss the playoffs ranked University of Pittsburgh team and isn't afraid to let you know. to run his mouth. And the more the second- in the NFC since 1991. at Johnstown 28-6 Thursday. Ryan's message: Believe in yourself, stick to year coach talks the talk, the more his players No matter what you choose to call Ryan — the game plan, have fun and you'll be re¬ want to walk the walk. a revolutionary, visionary or wind bag — there First Star warded with the Promised Land. "I'll go to war for a man who's willing to is no denying he won't stop talking until he Jennifer Papich, women's bas¬ Ryan the Messiah, anyone? put himself on the front line and fight with wins a Super Bowl. ketball The bravado of the Jets is ushering in a his troops," said Jets And he doesn't care whose feet he has to The freshman has led the Knights coaching era that rejects mum as the word and after the victory. "How can you not play hard step on to do it. in scoring the past three games, instead opts for the phrase "loud and proud." for a man like that?" including posting her second dou¬ The up-and-coming generals of the NFL That's the utter genius of Rex Ryan. ble-double of the season in a 58- have been taking notes as they realize tough¬ ZACK MCDERMOTT His players don't sec him as a man with di¬ mcdermot002@gannon. edu 44 victory over Lock Haven ness mixed with experience combined with a arrhea of the mouth but as a man with the Universit\- Saturda\'. tinge of arrogance is the best way to catch the