The Battalion, February 14, 2018 by The Battalion

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Jennifer Mosbrucker — THE COLUMBIAN MISSOURIAN

Junior forward DJ Hogg scored 13 points and played 34 minutes during Tuesday’s loss.

HOME POOL ADVANTAGE Jesse Everett — THE BATTALION

Texas A&M men’s and women’s swimming and diving are ranked No. 9 and No. 1, respectively.

A&M hosts SEC Championships Wednesday through Sunday at Rec By Hannah Underwood @hannahbunderwoo For the first time since the 2013 season, the Texas A&M swimming and diving teams will host the Southeastern Conference Championships from Feb. 14-18 at the Recreation Center Natatorium. The women hope to notch their third consecutive SEC Championship win, while the men are looking to improve on last year’s 7th place finish. The men are currently ranked No. 9, while the women hold the No. 1 spot. With the meet being held at home in College Station, swimmers and coaches alike said they expect an incredible atmosphere. “Our team is big and it’s exciting to say that I really do believe that everyone’s going to swim very fast,” senior Bethany Galat said. “What makes it special is that it’s not

only here, but it’s here my senior year and SECs is probably one of my favorite meets. It just creates such an incredible team atmosphere because every day matters, every point matters. It’s going to be pretty fun.” For the seniors on the team, hosting this meet is a dream that is long in the making. “We’ve known it was going to be here at A&M since our freshman year when we first walked in and it’s just kind of that final chapter,” senior and captain on the men’s team Jonathan Tybur said. The Aggies last hosted this meet five years ago, which was their second year in the SEC. A&M head diving coach Jay Lerew said having home pool advantage in this meet is vital. “My first year here, we hosted SECs for the first time,” Lerew said. “That was when we first got into the SEC, so that was cool. It’s nice to be at home, home field advantage makes a lot of sense with our diving board. [The divers are] used to our diving boards. They don’t have to go to somewhere else and find different spots, different flexes of boards.”

TWO RINGS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

Both teams have found success in dual meets throughout the year. The men downed longtime rival Texas in the fall, a feat no Aggie swim team had been able to accomplish since 1962. Galat said credit for the success of the team is due to not only the swimmers, but also to those working on the sideline and behind the scenes. “Looking at the leaders of the team, the coaching staff, the athletic trainers, the nutrition, weight training and also leaders of the team, everyone brings their own leadership,” Galat said. “That creates an atmosphere where everyone is motivated, everyone’s focused and everyone’s competitive. It just gives me the chills thinking about it because it’s so true. It creates an incredible environment, both on the guys team and the girls team.” Along with the advantage of competing in their own pool, the swimmers are also looking forward to the presence of the crowd. “I swim breaststroke so you come up every stroke and you really can hear the SWIM & DIVE ON PG. 3

Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

Locking down love under the Century Tree By Deborah Anderaos

@deborahanderaos

From their first kiss at Midnight Yell to a proposal in Academic Plaza, three engaged Aggie couples reflect on their relationships this Valentine’s Day. Three soon-to-be brides said “yes” to their Aggie lovers under the Century Tree this past fall semester. Two senior couples and one former student couple continue to plan for their wedding day coming up. Haley Neu, mechani-

cal engineering senior, and Travis Burdick, statistics senior, said they met in a math class their sophomore year at Texas A&M. “I had seen Haley around the class and thought she was cute, so I sat by her in class and we got to talking, went on a few study dates and after that I finally took her out to dinner to Texas Roadhouse on University Drive and we took off from there,” Burdick said. Neu and Burdick dated for two years before Burdick proposed under the Century Tree on Oct. 22, 2017. Burdick said he spent the last first few months before October planning his pro-

posal to Neu. “My cover story was that I told her we were having an Aggie Band dinner that we could bring dates to and that we would take pictures at the Academic Building,” Burdick said. “I had a friend pick Haley up because I had made up an excuse that I was running late, while Haley walked in front of the Century Tree we had all our family and friends there.” Neu said her favorite part about being an Aggie couple is that her fiancé is in the Aggie band. “I love sitting with the Aggie Band members and LOVE STORIES ON PG. 2

First loss of February for No. 21 men’s basketball breaks four game win streak By Ryan MacDonald @Ryan_MacDonald2 After beginning Febuary with a hot start, ended on Tuesday night, as the Aggies fell to Missouri 62-58. A&M sophomore forward Robert Williams made a layup with 2:38 remaining to cut the Aggies’ deficit to just one point trailing 57-56. After working the ball around the perimeter, Mizzou guard Kassius Robertson drove to the basket and netted a layup to extend the Tigers lead to 59-56. The Aggies then pushed the ball up the court and found junior guard D.J. Hogg, who swooshed an elbow jumper with 1:19 remaining. Hogg then fouled Tilmon on the other end who made one of two free throws. On the next possession, the Aggies worked the ball around the key but were unable to find an open shot before the shot clock expired, giving Mizzou the ball back. With eight seconds remaining, Mizzou inbounded the ball and the Aggies stole it, eventually finding Williams in the low post. Williams then missed a game-tying contested layup, effectively ending the game. A&M fouled Mizzou guard Jontay Porter, who sunk both of his free throws, giving Mizzou a 62-58 lead, which they clinched. Before the game, head coach Billy Kennedy said this game would likely be a low-scoring affair, and the first team to score 60 points would M. BASKETBALL ON PG. 3

Romantic rib-eyes warming hearts Meat science center provides uniquely shaped Valentine’s steaks By Cassie Stricker @cassie_stricker

Travis Burdick and Haley Neu are engaged to be married in October 2019.

Aggies fall short against Missouri

Valentine’s Day is known as a day for sweet chocolates and candies, but the Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center is serving couples with something a little heartier. The Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center is the most extensive facility of its kind in the U.S., according to the Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science website. The 29,538-square-foot-facility includes a retail meat sales store, a multi-species harvesting facility, four large meat coolers, a processing/fabrication area, two cutting rooms, three smokehouses and a meat packaging area. “The purpose of the center is really to conduct teaching, research and extension activities for the Department of Animal Science as they’re related to meat science,” Ray Riley, manager of the Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center, said. Few things are more romantic than a rib-eye steak for Valentine’s Day according to Riley, who said Rosenthal packages some of the best steaks. “They’re very high quality,” Riley said. “They’ll be a great eating experience and the perfect gift.” Rosenthal has been selling heartshaped rib-eyes for Valentine’s Day since 2014, Riley said. The steaks cost $14.99 per pound and each feeds two people. “The heart-shaped rib-eye steak

comes from a boneless rib-eye roll and basically what we’re doing is cutting a butterflied steak,” Riley said. “It’s almost like two steaks in one. You’ve sliced one but it’s not all the way through and you’ve butterflied that out and then you trim it to give it more of the heart shape.” The Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center has prepared students for the meat industry while providing current and former students with tasty products for over 35 years. Riley said he has been the center’s only manager since completing his animal science undergraduate degree at Texas A&M in 1981. Not much has changed at the center in the last 36 years, but food safety and the humane treatment of livestock have become more important in the industry, according to Riley. “In our meat science class, we expose our students to food safety, meat inspection and the harvesting of beef, lamb and pork,” Riley said. Riley said Rosenthal provides students with a unique learning experience that is meant to prepare them for the animal industry after they RIB-EYES ON PG. 3

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Heart-shaped rib-eyes are $14.99 per pound and feed two people.