Friday, March 10, 2023

Friday, March 10, 2023

Log in or walk in

He received an invitation to kiss the bride.

“My best friend, still to this day, is one of my first college professors,” Boynton said. “He ended up being the guy who married my wife and I.”

Today’s athletes aren’t as likely to make such a connection.

At colleges across the country, including OSU, many athletes are now taking more online classes, sitting behind a screen instead of a potential best friend turned wedding official. And while it might make evening

lifts and bus rides easier to cram into a tight schedule, experts suggest the still-developing athletes are missing out on more than ever, too. Is virtual learning, never more popular, preparing athletes for life after school when they will enter society and workplaces?

Ashley Railey, a sociologist at OSU, said there are still debates about what online platforms have done for students’ relationships.

“From my perspective, and a lot of the research I’ve looked into and

been part of, it’s still not replacing that one-on-one interaction,” Railey said. “To build those social networks that you can use in the long term for job opportunities or even just building diverse relationships which we know are beneficial for health more broadly. “Yes, you need to have those inperson interactions.”

Boynton, OSU’s men’s basketball coach, was thankful for the in-person college classes he took as a studentathlete at South Carolina from 200004.

See Online Classes on 4B

‘Head down and hustle’: Female leaders run OSU

A female future is a reality at OSU. For the first time, a team of women lead OSU. Dr. Kayse Shrum, OSU president; Jeanette Mendez, OSU provost, Anne Caine, OSU Alumni Association president; and Blaire Atkinson, OSU Foundation president.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Alumni Association hosted a panel with the four women on Tuesday evening. Each discussed their careers and experiences in response to moderated questions. The panel focused on their accomplishments and challenges they have faced as women in the workplace.

Shrum, a pediatrician via trade, described the “imposter syndrome” she experienced after residency.

“I think, for me, it was, OK, you have to stop and think, ‘I have

all these skills, I know what I’m doing and I have to be confident in this moment to do what I need to do, but also [be] open to learn in every situation and seek help when I need it,” she said.

The panelists echoed this sentiment, saying they had moments of apprehension when stepping into leadership roles. Mendez described her adjustment to set boundaries, during her time as a department head, with colleagues that had previously been peers.

Mike Boynton got more than grades from one of his college professors.

Sam Hutchens Staff Reporter

Davis Cordova

Kennedy Thomason Assistant News & Lifestyle Editor

Anecia Coleman

Panelists share their challenges as women in the workplace.

Editor’s Note: In last week’s edition, OSU’s library was identified as Edmond Low in a headline and in a story. The library is known as Edmon Low. The O’Colly regrets this error.

Editorial board

Editor-in-Chief

Adam Engel editorinchief@ocolly.com

Sports editor Gabriel Trevino sports.ed@ocolly.com

Assistant sports editor Braden Bush sports.ed@ocolly.com

Design editor Sam Beebe design.ed@ocolly.com

Monday - Wednesday: 10:00am - 10:00pm Thursday - Saturday: 10:00am - 11:00pm

128 N Main St. Stillwater, OK 74075

News & Life editor Luisa Clausen news.ed@ocolly.com entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Assistant News & Life editor Kennedy Thomason news.ed@ocolly.com entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Photo editor Mackenzie Janish photo.ed@ocolly.com

Adviser John Helsley john.helsley@okstate.edu

News & Lifestyle reporters:

Jaden Besteda

Payton Little

Baylor Bryant

Michael Clark

Rebekah Cleary

Jaycee Hampton

Isaac Terry

Bella Casey

Hayden Alexander

Taylor Carroll

Sports reporters: Photographers & Designers:

Sam Hutchens

Davis Cordova

Ashton Slaughter

Daniel Allen

Rowdy Baribeau

Payton Little

PJ Tikalsky

Parker Gerl

Gina Foster

Calif Poncy

Ben Hutchens

Tessa Dorrell

The O’Colly Staff Newsroom

Ben Holieway

Rebekah Cleary

Kendall McGhee

Jaiden Daughty

Molly Jolliff

Chase Davis

Michael Clark

Karlie Boothe

Ethan Hilbert

Carson Toulouse

Jaycee Hampton

Cassius Davis Ava Whistler

Kendall McGhee

Continued from 1A

The panelists were also asked to discuss their female role models. Answers varied from family, to colleagues, to none. Caine described her experience as one of two female superintendents in Oklahoma. She said that she found role models like her father and two other male colleagues, but never a woman.

The panelists shared the work ethic and mentality that has allowed them to hold influential positions.

Atkinson described her family environment and how it shaped her as a leader.

“From my great grandma to my grandparents on both sides, these women are real, pioneering, hardworking, just head down and hustle [women],” Atkinson said. “I’ve learned a lot of that ‘head down and hustle’ approach from them.

Atkinson credited a lot of her success to the example that women in her life gave her.

Shrum acknowledged the unique challenges women face and shared how she views these challenges.

“I always say, we do have unique challenges as females, but I’ve never wanted to focus where I don’t talk a lot about those obstacles, because I think that they get a strong hold when you validate them,” Shrum said. “I always see them as opportunities to either prove someone wrong or to get better myself.”

The event was open to the public, and students and community members gathered to hear the women speak.

Lexie Evers, an agribusiness pre-law major, said listening to the panelists was inspiring.

“I find women, especially like Dr. Shrum, really inspiring because she’s someone who uses her femininity, and she’s been able to advance in the workforce and kind of climb up the corporate ladder and serve so many people in the process,” Evers said. “And she never had to change who she was to do that.”

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Stillwater on a week off: Things to do on spring break

Taylor Carroll Staff Reporter

Spring break is near and college students need something to do.

For the students who need to keep theirselves occupied until class starts again on March 20, Stillwater offers many cheap activities students can do with friends or family.

AMC Stillwater 10 located on Perkins Road is offering a discount. Movies before 3 p.m. are $8 for adults, instead of their normal costs of $11 to $12 per movie. “Scream 6,” “Creed 3,” “Cocaine Bear,” “Champions,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” are some of the movies on display.

All of AMC’s movies are played in the afternoon. The earliest time they offer during weekdays is 2 p.m., and the latest show is 8:15 p.m. The movies are not shown in a specific order, and more information is on the AMC Theatre’s website.

Ultimate Air Trampoline Park on North Country Club Road offers weekday specials for a few days of the week. It is open from 3:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and longer hours on weekends. This location has a foam pit, multiple trampolines and dodgeball. It offers a discount on Tuesdays. When a person buys one hour for $15, they get one hour free. Wednesday consists of deals such as four jumpers for one hour for $25 and one jumper for four hours for $25.

On Thursday, Ultimate Air offers discounts such as one hour for $11, one and a half hours for $13 and two hours for $15 per person. Also, on family night it offers four people the chance to jump for two hours and get four small fountain drinks for $60.

Frontier Lanes has only one deal that is available besides its normal prices. This deal is on Wednesday nights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. when a person can pay $12 for unlimited bowling games. The hours for the lanes are

5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday; noon to 10 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday; and noon to 11 p.m. on Friday. Otherwise, each game would cost $4 or $20 per hour on a lane before 4 p.m. during the weekdays. After 4 p.m. on weekdays, it is $4.50 per game or $25 per hour on a lane.

The Lost Creek Safari is a zoo that is reopening its doors on Monday. During the week of their reopening, it will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day that week. After that week, the zoo schedule will go back to its old scheduled hours.

Lost Creek Safari has many animals including bobcats, zebras, lemurs, peacocks, kangaroos and more. It is $11 for adults, not including tax, to enter and see all the animals in their glory. Although the zoo doesn’t offer a discount, seeing it up close for the first time this year is worth your money.

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File Photo

Frontier Lanes is one of many Stillwater businesses that offer weekly discounts.

Online Classes...

Continued from 1A

“Personally, I like people,” Boynton said. “I’m a people person. I like being around people; getting to know folks. I enjoy that process of learning. I enjoy dialogue with a professor… for me, the routine of being in class, meeting people is something I wouldn’t pass up.”

Of course, in the early 2000s, it was all Boynton knew. Online college classes weren’t a thing. Now, just like regular students, Boynton’s players and most every Division I student athlete have the option to take online classes. As more athletes opt for a virtual education, it has not been embraced by all.

John Smith, OSU’s wrestling coach, said succinctly, “I hate online.”

“I push for [in-person classes],” Smith said. “It’s too easy to lay in bed with your computer on your belly. You need to actually get up. Shave, if you’re a man. Shower. Clean up. Get your ass out there and start your day.”

“That’s the college life,” Smith said. A July 2022 article that McKinsey & Company published, a global management consulting firm, reports there was record enrollment in online learning in 2020. It cites COVID as the catalyst for a 92% boost in the growth of hybrid and distance-only students at traditional universities.

Michael Kofoed, an economics professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, co-authored a study with three others to examine the effect of online classes on students. In May 2021, their 33-page report concluded that students in online classes have their scores drop 0.215 standard deviations, which can take a low A to a high B, or a low B to a high C.

Kofoed, who was also a tutor for the Georgia Bulldogs football team, said he anticipated in-person students would do better, and the size of the discrepancy surprised him.

“It doesn’t sound like a lot but if you look in the literature, it turns out it’s really hard to change people’s grades,” Kofoed said. “So the amount that it knocked them down, if you look at the tutoring literature, where they do these randomized controlled trials and assigning college students a tutor, you would need a tutor of a tutor once a week to get you back up to speed.”

Marilyn Middlebrook is OSU’s associate athletic director for Academic Affairs. She works with athletes to help classwork run smoothly. Signed pictures from grateful former studentathletes adorn her office walls, and she has accompanied athletes on Senior Day in place of parents.

Middlebrook, who said online classes started gaining popularity at OSU just before COVID, has not noticed a resulting slip in overall GPA. She said communication, though, is less fluid when classes go virtual.

“Just in day-to-day I have not noticed [a dip in GPA],” Middlebrook said. “Now I have noticed that students have a tendency in general to miss more things.”

Middlebrook said syllabuses got

longer during the COVID pandemic. Athletes or not, students who have to read 20 syllabus pages could miss a critical registration date or test detail buried in the document.

Charlie Bartholomew, an OSU sprinter who is the 2022 U-20 World Champion in the 4x400 Meter relay, chose to take all in-person classes. He’s not alone among top athletes in his choice.

Cowboy basketball point guard Avery Anderson said he performs better when attending classes in person. He adjusted his schedule accordingly, because the difference between a computer screen and a professor is real to him.

“I actually have an in-person class every day,” Anderson said. “And for me, like last year I didn’t have an in-person class, I really like in-person. I feel like I really get to know my teacher. And I actually pay attention.

“If I don’t have an in-person class I be putting work off.”

Kurt Hines, a high school football coach of 20-plus years and a motivational speaker, says connecting with athletes is critical. Whether it’s a coach instilling the basics of a rock-solid defense, or a geology professor teaching rock formations, getting to know athletes is the key to pulling the most out of them.

“No matter what, if we don’t get to know our young men or women on a personal level, they are not going to be as good as they could be on the field or court or rink,” Hines said. “And when they do face those real tough life calling or chapters in life, they aren’t going to come to us for guidance or help.”

The surge in the popularity of online classes among student-athletes at OSU is easy to pinpoint.

“COVID really changed it… people look around and said we can do this,” OSU softball coach Kenny Gajewski said. “There’s a lot of our kids who would rather be online and I have a lot of kids that want no part of it. They don’t learn like that. It’s just in the last four of five years it’s gotten crazy.”

Ally Jackson, a senior defender on OSU’s 2022 soccer team, is one student-athlete who got a taste of online classes during the pandemic. She doesn’t want to switch back.

“I’m in all online, personally, right now,” Jackson said during the fall. “I enjoy it just because I get to do my own thing and then come to practice. Ever since COVID I kind of liked being online and I’ve kind of ran with it since then.”

Brock Martin, a senior lineman on OSU’s football team during the fall of 2022, is with Jackson. When balancing the practice and workouts with class work, the convenience of logging in whenever to knock schoolwork out is unmatched.

“I haven’t gone to an actually physical class in three years, four years,” Martin said. “I think it’s more expensive but it makes everything so much easier. Some teachers will have stuff due every day, some have stuff due just on Mondays, Sundays, whatever day.

“Those teachers, shout them out because that is way better. You just put it all off until Sunday or whenever and then get it done,” Martin said.

Martin said he doesn’t miss in-person classes. Interacting with his teammates and coaches, then going back home to his family, is enough.

“I just see (my teammates) and (my girlfriend) Gracie and (my son) Maverick,” Martin said. “That’s the only people I see. Except for the weekend, I see my family and stuff. But for the most part it’s just these [teammates] and my own [son] at home.”

The relational aspect, just as much as the grades, is something Kofoed was interested in while studying the issue. He said interacting with other classmates and professors is beneficial. You might not get a future wedding guest from every class, like Boynton, but you may get a conversation that can invigorate your day.

“One of the things I love to do is when I start class, kids come in,” Kofoed said. “I can tell which ones are having a bad day, right? So then I can grab that kid and be like, ‘Hey, let’s chat after class. How are you doing?’”

“Where in online, it’s like, ‘See ya!’ and all the “Brady Bunch” pictures disappear.”

Kelly Bergstrand, a sociologist at the University of Texas-Arlington, said online classes can encourage some social skills such as engaging respectfully in discussion posts. But, generally, she has seen the rise in online classes lead to a decrease in students’ socialization skills.

“This could affect social performance in a work environment, but I think an equally important drawback is the lack of development of social networks that could provide job opportunities,” Bergstrand said.

Grace Yochum, a senior OSU soccer player who enrolled in all online classes in the fall, said she misses the little things that online learning cannot provide. Walking to class, getting food at the Student Union, and going to the library.

And who knows what friendships she could have made.

“I didn’t think I would miss any of it, but now looking back in hindsight, those are the moments,” Yochum said. “Being with the normal student body is just fun. One of my best friends I made through class was actually a softball player.

“Had I not been in that class, we would have never become friends,” Yochum said.

It’s always a tradeoff for studentathletes.

Rachel Becker, an infielder for the Cowgirls softball squad, transferred to OSU from Purdue. She graduated as a Boilermaker with a chemical engineering degree. She is applying for the master’s program at OSU, where GPA is important.

Despite the grade drop associated with taking online classes, sometimes it is the only feasible option.

“It makes it tough, especially with practice schedules,” Becker said. “You never want to miss practice. You never want to miss class. With traveling, sometimes, there’s no way you can’t miss things.”

Gajewski said Becker was in all online classes in the fall.

“I asked (Becker) how school is

going,” Gajewski said. “She said, ‘You know, it’s OK, but I don’t really feel like I’m in school. Because I’m not going to class.’”

A need for online classes varies with sport.

Middlebrook said softball and baseball spring travel schedules make it difficult for athletes to be physically present every class. Golf and football are also tough to schedule for.

It can be easier for athletes such as Becker to learn on the road instead of being forced to miss labs and have to catch up later. OSU doesn’t direct athletes toward online or in-person.

Just what works best.

OSU football coach Mike Gundy said he understands the doors that online classes open for people who would be unable to attend an in-person version. He also recognizes the benefits of in-person learning. His solution to athletes trying to balance busy schedules with in-person learning?

“I think as a normal college student gets up a little further in their education [online classes] are OK,” Gundy said. “But I think the first two or three semesters, kids should have to go to class.

“Get up, find your way to class — rain or shine — see the professor or [teacher’s assistant] face to face, take notes and build relationships. I think there’s benefits with that that we’re losing now with the majority of this becoming online.”

Kofoed said student-athletes at West Point, which make up roughly one-third of the student body, did not score any worse than regular students in his study of online classes. They didn’t do any better, either.

Still, those who took an online class were likely to need a tutor to match a counterpart in an in-person version.

Kofoed said he would be wary of using online classes as a primary option throughout college.

“What I would say is that if your athletics department is saying, ‘Here’s a cheap way that we can fit our studentathletes schedules,’ then they are shortchanging them academically.”

Options aren’t so easy for international students.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service requires international students, including student-athletes, to take a majority of their classes in person. Middlebrook said the benefits of personal interaction range far beyond a simple test score.

“I think our kids miss out on a lot from being online socially,” Middlebrook said. “I don’t think academically, but I think they do miss it socially.”

Cowgirl soccer coach Colin Carmichael encourages athletes to try walking — not logging — into classes.

“I think it’s huge,” Carmichael said. “It’s a big part of your college experience. Hanging out. Meeting kids who aren’t athletes who have other interests. Getting around other people. Not being around likeminded people the whole time. Getting other people’s thoughts on life.”

Jaiden Daughty

Bartholomew, an

Jaiden Daughty

Charlie Bartholomew said he performs better when attending classes in person.

Tornado alley Students express their thoughts on storm season

Jaycee Hampton Staff Reporter

Storm-watching from porches is common in Oklahoma, but not everybody is used to unpredictable severe weather.

The end of February, Oklahoma had severe weather across the state. Towns, like Norman, suffered damage from a series of tornadoes that touched down, but Stillwater missed the worst of the storm.

Rebekah Harris, is a senior at OSU from Wichita, Kansas, is not unfamiliar with strong winds and concerning weather, as she has been working diligently to become a professional pilot.

Harris said she believes Stillwater usually misses out on the severe weather, receiving all the warnings but magically avoiding the town entirely, giving her reason to not panic.

“Sometimes to me, it seems a little irresponsible that Oklahomans aren’t concerned [about the weather].”

Harris said she was unaware that OSU has multiple severe weather refuge locations open to all students and faculty across campus. She said she feels safer knowing she has a place to go besides her closet in a time of need.

“Last year, a tornado went through my hometown and people

were just on their back porches watching,” Harris said. “Not out of enjoyment, but really just out of curiosity. As a pilot, I do like to know what’s going on with the weather. During big storms, I will find myself in a raincoat sitting on my porch, just soaking it in and watching. I think the weather is really fascinating. Just sitting inside is kind of neglecting something cool about our planet.”

Jenae Roberts is a freshman from Nassau, Bahamas. Oklahoma is a completely different climate from what she is used to, yet, said she doesn’t let it worry her too much.

“In The Bahamas, we go through hurricanes,” Roberts said. “We do not panic or anything either. My mother personally loves thunderstorms, and she can go outside and listen to the rain all night, and for me, I can sleep through it. That’s the perfect time to catch a nap.”

Tornadoes and hurricanes don’t compare, but there are still aspects of Oklahoma that Harris said she finds odd. Despite the difference and level of severity, tornado season begins near the start of April and lasts until June, leaving non-Oklahomans on their toes.

“I normally experience subtropical weather so it would only go as low as 60 F,” Roberts said. “Being in Oklahoma, I could say that the

weather, is more extreme here because the temperatures can go beyond 100 F. which is crazy to me. Then there’s the cold. It’s weird how it can go from 70 F to 40 F in a short period of time.”

Techniques to succeed: OSU students share how they study for exams

Students at OSU study for exams in different ways.

Rayne Paris, a senior finance major, said he crams all the information he can the night before the test. He studies for four to six hours the night before and sets other distractions aside during this time.

“It’s as effective as studying a few days earlier,” Paris said. “You know, in my opinion, it’s just more time effective to do it closer to the exam.”

Paris said he has been using this way of studying since his first year of college and has stuck with it ever since. He tried spending long hours studying and ended with the same result for the hours he had done the night before.

Paris said he doesn’t get stressed with studying but remains levelheaded with little to no emotions, “like the Terminator.” He keeps one to two notebooks, because he prefers notes on paper, on his desk with a laptop and a cup of coffee.

Paris also said that the way he studies helps more in his in-person classes rather than his online classes. His in-person classes review the

including the Student Union, Agricultural Hall, the business building and multiple other locations.

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ready on his mind. Online classes go at a set pace, and if it’s the last minute, there is no other information to help besides what is provided.

To Yicela Rivas, a freshman zoology veterinarian science major, studying habits depend on the class she prepares for. She studies for 1 1/2 hours or more, depending on whether it is a more challenging class, such as math.

“As far as, like, my math class,” Rivas said. “I had an exam one day, so I studied all weekend for it. So Saturday and Sunday were multiple hours.”

She studies with a movie or podcast in the background for noise and a notebook to write stuff down beside a laptop. Her notes are on paper with key points for her to look at and essential handouts given to her from the class.

Rivas breaks down the class materials and ensures she knows the information in them. She will also make Quizlet sets to take practice tests to be more prepared. Depending on her mood, she said she doesn’t have a set time for studying. She does this because she will burn herself out from not wanting to study and end up not studying.

Rivas said she is usually calm

Taylor Carroll Staff Reporter Sam

when studying, but subjects she doesn’t understand much make her stressed. In these situations, she takes a break to decompress and get her mind right before she starts again.

Kate Dunne, a freshman management major, uses her flashcards or written notes to retain information. She tries to start studying the week before for 30 minutes a day until the day before, when she studies for two hours.

“The repetition of it, and I see the term a lot when I write them down on paper,” Dunne said. “So, I think that’s what makes it effective. Writing down on paper makes it much easier for me to remember.”

Depending on the class, she studies on her desk with a notebook or index cards. She tries not to study at her dorm because she will get distracted and goes to the school locations such as the library or Student Union as an alternative.

Dunne has been using this style since high school and is more confident in the classes because she has good notes. Other courses she’s struggling in can make her flustered, causing her to take a break.

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Any time, any day, Chick-Fil-A seems to have some of the busiest lines in the Student Union.

The workers have to deal with waves of hungry students who just left a tough lab or a long lecture. Such a constant source of chaos may lead some students to wonder what it is like to work a stressful job.

Emily Fischer, a junior majoring in agriculture business, talked about her experiences working at the Student Union.

“I wanted the experience of working somewhere I had never worked in my life,” Fischer said. “It’s taught me a lot of time management skills.”

Fischer described the responsibilities she has to face during her shift.

“It just depends, sometimes I’m on the registers, restocking cups and sauces, and in the back we make the sandwiches and nuggets,” Fischer said. “Sometimes it’s

stressful.”

Kaylia Hines, a freshman majoring in international business, began working at ChickFil-A to make extra money on campus.

“This has worked well with my schedule, it helps pay my bills,” Hines said. “I start out with making sure everything’s restocked and clean, and then I begin to expo and take orders. About an hour before we close is when we start to clean up again.”

Expoing is a term workers use when taking orders. Primarily, this is determining which students are ordering what, ensuring the right items are put in a bag and giving these orders out to students.

“It’s stressful, sometimes,” Hines said. “Especially when it’s really busy. Everyone’s telling you something, and when you have a specialty order, you don’t want to get it wrong. If you miss something, they might come and tell you. So, it does get a little stressful, but there are times that are low maintenance and aren’t as stressful.”

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Beebe

Lifestyle

Whistleblower: Student officials behind

Hayden Alexander Staff Reporter

The game was close, and tensions were high.

A player raced down the court with the basketball in hand, lining himself up for the perfect lay-up. Suddenly, one of the opposing team members charged. The resounding snap sent referee Eli Gilbert into action. Within minutes, the player was safely on his way to the hospital, and Gilbert returned to the whistle.

Gilbert and his teammates work as intramural student officials at OSU and as a member of the Oklahoma State Department of Wellness, Gilbert is no stranger to breaks, sprains, fights and sideline arguments.

Intramurals inspire friendly competition and an active college lifestyle. Hundreds of students participate in a sport, and many others do their part from behind the whistle.

Gilbert, an OSU senior, said he has loved sports since he was a kid. He played before he officiated.

“I have been participating since my freshman year,” Gilbert said. “I’ve been working for intramurals for a year, and in that time, I have gone from official to supervisor to program assistant.”

Gilbert said he has played every game the school offers: basketball, softball, football, volleyball and table tennis.

“I’m playing twice a week, and then I’ll officiate or supervise two or three times a week,” Gilbert said.

As officials and advisers, student employees prepare to make tough calls and deal with any situation on the field, like a broken arm.

“You’ll have stressful nights,” Gilbert said. “Last night, a dude broke his wrist in the game’s first 20 minutes.”

Although the work is hard, Gilbert encourages his fellow students to get involved in leadership, assuring that the positives outweigh the negatives.

“It’s a way to further your maturity and growth in conflict management, how you deal with people, and your personal skills,” Gilbert said.

For Gilbert, being part of intramurals is more than a sport or job; for him, it is a sense of belonging in the OSU community.

“A lot of my closest friends are in the competitive sports community,”

Gilbert said. “I like just being able to hang out with a different group of people with different interests and just building a network and community.”

Carly Herndon, a supervisor and program assistant, said the hardest part of the job is dealing with tempers. The ability to navigate conflict is a skill Herndon said she appreciates. She views her job to grow as a student and employee.

“You’ll have participants start

yelling about XYZ,” Herndon said.

“There’s a lot of learning that you do. You develop a lot of basic game knowledge of sports you don’t know and people management skills.”

Herndon was an avid softball player growing up and continues to play through intramurals. She said she has built a community for herself around doing what she loves.

“It’s given me a huge support system and a really strong social circle,”

sports

Herndon said.

OSU promotes intramurals to all students looking for a fun way to get involved on campus. To play on an intramural team, students must have a Colvin membership and attend OSU.

“I think intramurals are a great way to bring people together and to form connections,” Herndon said, “Overall, I think we provide a place for people to find their place.”

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Hayden Alexander

Carly Herndon (right) is a supervisor and program assistant, said she appreciates the ability to navigate conflict.

Lifestyle

Underrated films to watch during spring break

Jaycee Hampton Staff Reporter

ing of age drama that is certain to pull at your heart.

‘Daisy Jones and The Six’: A passionate attempt at success

for a documentary 20 years after they broke up.

A masterpiece of a book. A work in progress of a series. Taylor Jenkins Reid published the best-selling book “Daisy Jones and The Six” in 2019, and on Friday, Amazon Prime released the first three episodes of its TV adaptation.

The story follows the whirlwind rise of a fictional 1970s rock group and is filled with drinking, drugs, attitude, heartbreak and loneliness. The viewers watch them rise to fame, get lost and experience their fallout. The details, soundtrack and actors make the story feel personal, and it is almost impossible to not spend the rest of the day thinking about the show.

The way the book was structured felt as if it was made for TV, as the members of the band are interviewed

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Riley Keough, Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, plays Daisy Jones, who grew up believing she had no value and no talent. The audience watches her grow from an unloved child to a talented woman, who spends her time writing song lyrics and snorting cocaine. The character shows her feminist traits and fiery spirit throughout the first three episodes and makes it clear no one will stop the force of nature she is.

Parallel to that, the story follows four childhood friends from Pittsburgh, including brothers Billy (Sam Claflin) and Graham Dunne (Will Harrison), who form a band in the hope of escaping their hometown. With the addition of Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse), they make it to Los Angeles and meet their manager, Teddy Price (Tom Wright), who produces their album and sends them on a national tour.

When the band is almost reaching success, Billy’s drug addiction takes the best out of him and the band, and he is sent to rehab. That makes the band start over and once he is

out, Price puts the band with his new discovery, Jones and the chemistry between Billy and Daisy is immediate.

Watching the song lyrics in the book come to life makes the viewers feel as if the book and the show complement one another. You can’t watch the show if you haven’t read the book. Understanding and imagining each character’s complexities before seeing it on the screen is almost like a Christmas morning.

It’s magical.

The show feels cleaner than the book, and perhaps, because of that, there is still something missing. The character’s flaws and horrible mistakes are what make the story gutwrenching. Without that, it is just a story about a band who got lucky and made money. The show has seven more episodes to bring that realness and pain to the public. The finale will premiere March 24. Until then, we imagine and we hope, the rest of the show will be better than the beginning. If they follow Reid’s book, it should not be a problem.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Spring break is approaching, and the best way to unwind from the stress of a heavy semester is diving into films you might not have heard of. Not unpopular, but underappreciated films are a great way to kick back and relax.

“The Founder” (2016) Based on a true story, this film follows Ray Kroc, a struggling salesman who comes across a revolutionary restaurant: McDonald’s. Kroc (Michael Keaton) persuades brothers Dick and Mac McDonald into franchising their speedy system and turns it into a multi-billion dollar empire. When business differences cause trouble between the men, things go off contract and McDonald’s becomes what we know it as today. The film had no major nominations, but director John Lee Hancock told an incredibly accurate story that brings up many emotions throughout the film. Performances from Keaton, John Carroll Lynch and Laura Dern are praise worthy. It is now streaming on Netflix.

“The Florida Project” (2017) This is a com-

Set in Kissimmee, Florida, next to Walt Disney World, 6-year-old Moonee lives with her single mom, Halley, at The Magic Castle Inn & Suite. Halley struggles to find ways to provide for her daughter, ultimately putting her in dangerous situations. Moonee lives each day full of adventures, toning down the harsh reality of what is going on around her. The film shown through the eyes of a child is deeply moving and Brooklynn Prince’s breakout performance was impactful. Although it did win numerous (deserved) awards, it is worth mentioning for fans of film who might not have heard of it. It is streaming on Paramount+ and Hulu.

“Donnie Darko” (2001)

Jake Gyllenhaal gives a criminally underrated performance in this sci-fi/thriller.

The film follows troubled teenager, Donnie, as he begins sleepwalking. One night outside, he meets a monstrous bunny named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he learns that he escaped a bizarre accident that ultimately would have led to his death.

His encounter with Frank was chalked up to a hallucination caused from paranoid schizophrenia, but each scene will have you questioning what Donnie is genuinely going through.

Everything about this film is pleasing to the eye, it’s unsettling and hits every point it was supposed to. It is streaming on Hulu and HBO Max.

“The Big Lebowski” (1998)

This classic crime comedy from the Coen Brothers deserved more recognition from the Academy. The film follows Jeff ‘The Dude’ Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a burnt-out hippie who only wants to drink White Russian cocktails and bowl tournaments with his friends. When porn kingpin Jackie Treehorn mistakes ‘The Dude’ for the actual millionaire, Jeff ‘The Big’ Lebowski, ‘The Dude’s’ bowling friends and him are pulled into helping deliver ransoms and other dangerous tasks ‘The Dude’ never thought he would be involved in. This film is based on heavy dialogue that could not have been executed correctly without great actors such as John Goodman and Steve Buscemi. It is streaming on Peacock.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

COLLY

Luisa Clausen News & Lifestyle Editor

Courtesy of Tribune

Sam Claflin (center) and Riley Keough (right) in “Daisy Jones & The Six.” (Lacey Terrell/Prime Video/TNS)

Lifestyle

Juggling act: College students seek balance

Between classes and social activities, students struggle to find a balance in college.

Hannah Brownlee, mental health manager for student wellness at OSU, said there is no better time to start a routine than now.

“I think it is crucial to figure out now while they’re in this stage of their life to get that balance and what their goals are and what they want out of life,” Brownlee said. “That is something you can take with you after you leave college.”

Maintaining a schedule and finding time to implement downtime into students’ busy days improves overall mental health and stability. Thad Leffingwell, psychology professor and the assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said finding a balance improves overall mental health and rationing personal time to help with feeling overwhelmed and burn-out is important.

“I would encourage students to listen to your body, listen to your brain, and if you’re feeling worn out and burned out, maybe the ratios and daily doses aren’t quite right for you,” Leffingwell said.

Bekah Bowman, a sophomore psychology major, said she found that

making a quick list helped her overcome the feeling of being burned out and find her balance.

“I had a really hard time establishing a schedule because it felt like it was out of my reach,” Bowman said.

“Once I got into the swing of things, I felt that making lists helped with when I would get stressed out with work or school.”

Bowman said building breaks into her schedule, specifically finding a calming place to relax, significantly improved her mental health.

“My favorite spot is Theta Pond,” Bowman said. “I will go sit there for hours and just watch the silly little ducks.”

Brownlee recommends finding a getaway spot and planning mini trips and adventures.

“Sometimes a break might look like a little trip to Oklahoma City or Tulsa if that’s what you like to do,” Brownlee said. “Just something that can refill your cup.”

Leffingwell recommends students to utilize their breaks to add some exercise to their schedule to help improve their physical and mental health.

“If we could bottle exercise in a pill, it would be the best-selling pill on the planet because it does so many things for your mental health, physical health and for your self-esteem and self-confidence,” Leffingwell said.

“I would encourage people to try and

move as much as possible.”

Leffingwell said students might be less stressed if they reduce their time on their electronics and the hundreds of notifications lighting their devices up at all hours of the day.

“To get your electronic world under control and have it not following you everywhere,” Leffingwell said. “I think those things can be a positive in our lives, but if we turn on all those notifications, it can be an interference in our lives.”

Students finding a balance specific to them might look like allowing for more recharge time or scheduling homework all at once or in increments. It’s what works for the student specifically.

“Balance is all about finding a rhythm that works for you,” Bowman said.

Creating a balance or schedule may seem daunting, but OSU has multiple resources for students. Some resources include the University Counseling Services, the Psychological Service Center, the Reboot Center and the OSU Department of Wellness. Reaching out to peers, community, professors and advisers is a helpful option.

“I think that there are a lot of campus opportunities,” Bowman said. “It really is just dependent on the person taking the initiative to go get that help because the university does do a lot to provide as much free counseling

as possible.”

While trying to establish a routine and balance everything in their busy lives, students may find themselves even more overwhelmed.

“Give yourself grace,” Brownlee said. “Be patient with yourself, and if you don’t get something done, it’s OK. Just try again tomorrow.”

Students can also set boundaries without giving up what they love. A balance does not mean students have to dedicate everything to one part of their life. It’s not like balancing a scale that tips from one side to the other.

“I like to think of balance more as a venn diagram, you can flow anywhere in the middle, and they’re going to overlap, and that’s a good thing you want them to overlap,” Brownlee said. “Everything flows in a direction when you integrate it, and I think that helps relive some of the pressure of not having a balance.”

Establishing a work-life balance is not an easy task, and it ebbs and flows as schedules and life change, but finding a little time for a break and a little structure can help improve students’ overall physical and mental health.

“It’s always going to be an ongoing project,” Brownlee said. “It’s not an achievement that you do once, and you’re good forever.”

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Hayden Alexander Staff Reporter

Jaiden Daughty

Finding a good balance of your daily stressors is a difficult task.

Jaiden Daughty

College life is hard when it comes to balancing day-to-day activities.

Rioux’s Rocky Road

How OSU’s Japanese tennis star was shut down

her time as a Cowgirl was over.

Discussion

and debate volleyed back and forth like a heated tennis rally.

Except this played out with more impact than any match for Lisa Marie Rioux, who abruptly found her farewell season halted at OSU.

Rioux, a twotime All-American at OSU after transferring from Mississippi State in 2017, ramped up for her final semester as a Cowgirl. But when questions arose about her remaining eligibility, Rioux’s former school balked at retroactively honoring her one-time transfer request.

As a result, her season, her career and

March-ing on?

Cowboys have hope through lens of history

Gabriel Trevino Sports Editor

OSU is sending out its résumé like a newly graduated college student.

The Cowboys know they’re not locked into March Madness heading into the Big 12 Tournament, likely needing at least two wins in Kansas City to secure a spot in the dance. They got win No. 1 on Wednesday, beating Oklahoma. So, on Tues-

day, OSU posted a graphic on social media, showcasing its strength of schedule rankings and number of wins against top tier opponents. The Cowboys are 18-14 and 9-10 in the Big 12 as of Thursday afternoon and are sitting on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament.

Even with their record, they have a shot. How much the committee will favor the Big 12 will only be answered over time. But other teams have made the tournament with worse records, some even winning a game.

Eighteen teams have made the tournament with losing

records — all 16 seeds. But there are others with similar structure to OSU that made it to March.

1990-91 Villanova (16-14)

The ‘91 Wildcats made it to the semifinal of the Big East tournament, defeating Boston College and No. 4 Syracuse along the way — the second time they beat the Orange that season. With four wins vs ranked teams, Villanova made the tournament as a 9-seed, and beat No. 18 Princeton in the first round before losing to a North Carolina team that lost in the Final Four.

Back in her home of Okinawa, Japan, Rioux grew up playing tennis for most of her life, first gripping a racket at 3. When she was old enough to decide between playing professionally or in college, she traveled to the United States to improve on the court and learn English.

So, off to college she went.

Rioux began at Mississippi State in 2016-17, where she became a doubles All-American with Jasmine Lee. However, something was wrong. She said she did not approve of the way coaches handled certain situations in Starkville. So she transferred.

During an individual tournament that summer, she and Lee competed together, where Lee twisted her ankle. Rioux said

coaches neglected to bring an athletic trainer along for the tournament, and completely disregarded Lee’s ankle injury.

“It seems like they only care for team results,” Rioux said. “...I didn’t feel any support from them, especially when my partner got injured.”

The O’Colly reached out to Mississippi State for comment, but received no response. When Rioux transferred, her former coach, Daryl Greenan, set strict guidelines to limit Rioux’s options as she left.

“I could not go somewhere that had Japanese players,” Rioux said, highlighting one of the limitations.

After she left Starkville, Rioux was mostly scrubbed from the Mississippi State athletics website. No

Schubart brings power to lineup as a freshman

OSU.

Braden Bush Assistant Sports Editor

Before his sophomore year of high school, Nolan Schubart knew nothing about OSU. Neither did the rest of his hometown of Durand, Michigan. To the town — about 80 miles northwest of Detroit — OSU was just a stop for the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham and Lions’ Barry Sand-

ers. The summer before his sophomore year, Schubart played USA Baseball with Jackson Holliday, from Stillwater and the son of former MLB player Matt Holliday, and they kept in touch through text. That’s when OSU got on Schubart’s radar. Matt was serving as a volunteer assistant coach under his brother, coach Josh Holliday, at OSU, so Jackson was always around the program. Through their interactions, Schubart said he couldn’t pass on

“(Jackson) was sending pictures and videos of the facilities,” Schubart said. “I wouldn’t believe that it’s real because there’s nothing like this up in Michigan.”

Folks in Durand are surely more aware of OSU now, and Cowboy fans have quickly gotten acquainted with Schubart. The freshman outfielder is 13 games into his career and has earned a reputation as a heavy hitter, blasting a teamhigh five home runs.

biography. No statistics. Hardly a trace of her career, which included All-American recognition, with only match recaps remaining of Rioux in Starkville.

After receiving a release, she contacted OSU coach Chris Young, developed an appreciation for the culture established in Stillwater and transferred soon after. Her play didn’t start that next season, as Mississippi State denied her transfer request. At OSU, she earned two more AllAmerican honors in doubles with Japanese player Ayumi Miyamoto, and she ended her last season with OSU as the No. 37 singles player in the country.

Cowgirls look to break skid in Kansas City

Cordova Staff Reporter

A reporter asked Naomie Alnatas whether she felt anxious to play in the Big 12 Tournament. Alnatas said, simply, “No.” Should she? The Cowgirls enter the postseason amid their first three-game losing streak, slumping at a dangerous time. OSU coach

Jacie Hoyt said she felt there is no hump for the Cowgirls to get over, nothing has been off throughout their three-game losing streak to end the regular season. They just got ‘too comfortable.’

Hoyt, Alnatas and the Cowgirls open play at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City on Friday at 11 a.m. versus West Virginia, a team they lost to a week ago in Morgantown.

The Cowgirls’ losing streak started on Feb. 26 at Kansas and will run into the conference tournament. Hoyt said

teams such as West Virginia and Kansas, who are on the bubble according to ESPN’s latest Bracketology, are hard to play this late in the season. “I think we got to a place where we had won a lot, we kind of became content and not intentionally,” Hoyt said. “That was kind of a wake-up call, teams at this time of year are playing for something more. They’re playing to play in March. However, I feel our team has responded really well in film sessions and practice.”

Courtesy of OSU Athletics

In February, the NCAA said OSU’s Lisa Marie Rioux’s reasonings for transferring from Mississippi State were invalid, ending her college eligibility.

Payton Little Staff Reporter

Nolan Schubart, a freshman outfielder, leads the team in home runs and RBI.

is everything’

How Garzon stays close to home in Stillwater

Tessa Dorrell Staff Reporter

Lior Garzon needs to take an 18-hour plane ride to reach Ra’anana, Israel, her hometown.

“It’s very challenging,” Garzon said. “I feel like just being away from my family and the safe place I know that I grew up in.”

Garzon, an OSU forward, is in her first season with the Cowgirls basketball team, and her work ethic is contagious for fellow Cowgirls. In the Cowgirl’s pursuit of a Big 12 championship.

Garzon’s prodcution could lead OSU to the final game in Kansas City.

“She approaches the game and her craft like a pro,” Hoyt said, “And I think that she has really been able to show her teammates what that looks like. It gets them to get in the gym outside of just practice hours.”

Garzon joined OSU after transferring from

Villanova, a school about half the size of OSU. Villanova’s student body is 3.4% international students, and OSU’s is 5.2%, which made the transition much easier.

“I feel like OSU is more of the real college experience,” Garzon said, “There are a lot more people here… I like it. You can’t really compare the two, but I really like it here.”

Ra’anana is in the southern Sharon Plain in the Central District of Israel, the central part of the Israeli coastal plain. Not only is Israel’s geography different from the United States, but is also the official language.

“The biggest challenge for me to overcome was language,” Garzon said. “Just knowing how to talk to people and be around people is different than back home… It’s an adjustment.”

Hebrew is not the only piece of Israel Garzon carries with her in America. Ra’anana

consists of mostly Israeli Jews. Garzon identifies as a member of the Jewish faith as well.

“On this team we don’t really focus on religion,” Garzon said. “We all respect each other and what we believe in and honestly, I just feel really comfortable. I don’t really feel any difference, I just feel like I fit in.”

Garzon has been successful on the court since she began in college. Garzon was a Second Team All-Big East and named the CoMost Improved Player in 2021-22. Now with OSU, Garzon has played in all 30 games, and is the first player off the bench.

For Garzon, when she shoots, it means more than scoring. She said it’s a testament to the morals and faith she follows that have shaped her.

“Basketball is everything,” Garzon said, “It’s what I’m doing all day every day. It’s basically my life right now.”

Asi matching well with Hoyt’s family-centered Cowgirl culture

With her first season at OSU coming to a close, Anna Gret Asi found a place where she said she feels like she belongs.

Asi came to the U.S. from Estonia to play college basketball, spending her freshman year at Arizona. She struggled with confidence being away from home, and decided to transfer. Asi looked and OSU coach Jacie Hoyt answered.

“I think I finally found myself again after a year, maybe a year and a half struggling with confidence,” Asi said. “Because [Hoyt] believing in me. Never letting me get in my head for whatever mistakes I made. And it means a lot that your head coach believes in you.”

Asi established herself as a key member of the team’s success this season, averaging 7.3 points per game on 45% 3-point shooting off the bench, with scoring

outbursts as much as 26 points.

“It’s been amazing to be a part of her journey,” Hoyt said. “She is one of the best people I’ve ever met or known and it’s fun being around people like her and her team loves her. Her team adores her. She’s just really easy to cheer for because we all know how hard she works. She’s a basketball junkie. You want those types of players to have the success that she’s having. I’m excited because I know that this is just the beginning for her and this is just the beginning for what she can do here at Oklahoma State.”

Asi’s teammates agree she has been a huge part in the team’s success this season, but not just on the court. OSU guard Naomie Alnatas emphasizes Asi’s noble play style and how it benefits the team.

“She wants to do her best for us, and I just love that about her,” Alnatas said. “Everything

she does is for her to improve her game, but it’s truly because she wants to give us a good shot. She is unselfish. She just cares about her teammates.”

Since Hoyt’s introduction, she has worked to create a family centric culture that can help a program rebuild and last for years. Hoyt said Asi can be part of that family. “We all love her and she feels the same way,” Hoyt said. “She’s been a part of a family here that has embraced her from her teammates to the coaches to our fan base. Last game, I watched her have a group of about 10 little girls waiting for her to get her autograph. And so it’s just been really neat seeing everyone embrace her. Seeing her coming from Arizona and maybe not having the best experience to then coming here and just feeling like it’s such a perfect fit and she finally has a family.”

‘Basketball

Mia Ledbetter

OSU guard Anna Gret Asi and coach Jacie Hoyt expressed the need to fit into the family-first team culture.

File Photo

Lior Garzon uses basketball to remain close to her family and faith at OSU.

Baylor Bryant Staff Reporter

Gajewski seeks tests, not nonconference gimmies

When scheduling nonconference games, OSU softball coach Kenny Gajewski isn’t looking for easy wins, but for transparency.

Ahead of his team’s three-game series with No. 6 Florida State, Gajewski expressed a desire to learn more about his team, aside from wins and losses.

“I don’t think I would be too excited going 3-0, I wouldn’t be worried if we lost a couple games,” Gajewski said. “I want to be challenged. I’m not into chasing wins, we never have been here. We’ve been into chasing answers and figuring out what it is that we need to do.”

Putting together

a light nonconference schedule is traditional across college sports. Teams use it as a preseason and to prepare for their respective conference.

But Gajewski thinks of nonconference as another way to prepare for postseason.

“The motivation is just to test yourself as much as you can,” Gajewski said. “It’s to prepare us for June, and that’s all this team is focused on, getting better each day so that we are hitting our stride at the very end.”

The Cowgirls, 18-1 and ranked No. 3, are putting their place in the polls at risk facing another highly touted opponent this early in the year.

“I think it tells people across the country that we’re not afraid to play, we’re not afraid to

lose a ranking,” Gajewski said. “I’m not chasing a ranking except for the last one.”

Rankings aren’t something Gajewski worries about. Instead, he’s thinking big picture and holding a trophy.

“I haven’t even talked about the rankings once to our team,” Gajewski said. “We don’t have what Florida State has. They have a trophy, the big trophy. We don’t have what (Oklahoma) has, they have many of them. We are trying to get one of those, so until that happens, there’s no need for anyone to think of anything other than we are hunting.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

How OSU coaches finished their first year leading the Cowgirls

ics for Women tournament.

Judy Bugher

record at 6-22, and the team finished 12th in the Big 12.

Jim Littell

Jacie Hoyt’s first season tunraround was a historical anomaly. The OSU women’s basketball program has had eight coaches since its formation in 1972.

They all had much different first years, and for some, they vastly exceeded expectations.

Here is how all eight did in their first season at OSU.

Jacy Showers The Cowgirls’ first coach. In 1972 she went 8-8 and did not participate in the postseason.

Brenda Johnson

A coach for one season — 1976-77. She went 12-13 and competed in the Regional Association for Intercollegiate Athlet-

During the 1977-78 season Bugher went 17-14 and made it to the State Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women tournament.

Dick Halterman Halterman was the first male coach for OSU and coached from 1983-2002. He finished 18-11 in his first season and concluded the season fourth in the Big 12 conference.

Julie Goodenough

Goodenough was not good enough. She coached from 2002-05. Her first season, she finished with an 8-21 record, ninth in the Big 12.

Kurt Budke

Burke was the coach from 2005-11, with the first season’s overall

Littell, the coach from 2011-22, took over after Budke’s death two games into the season. He concluded the season with a 21-12 overall record. This record tied for sixth in the Big 12 and won the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

Jacie Hoyt

This season, Hoyt’s first, the Cowgirls finished the season 20-10 and are continuing their play in the postseason, with the Big 12 and likely NCAA tournament.

Mia Ledbetter

Jacie Hoyt has the second-best record among OSU women’s basketball coaches in their first season.

File Photo

When scheduling nonconference opponents, OSU softball coach Kenny Gajewski wants his team to be tested early.

Parker Gerl Staff Reporter

Gina Foster Staff Reporter

Kaden Gfeller stood afront the Tulsa city design mural on the event level of the BOK Center.

The sixth-year senior was catching his breath after his semifinal victory in the Big 12 Wrestling Championships. He was drenched.

“I work (freaking) hard,” he said. “I weighed 200 pounds not too long ago.”

Next week, the NCAA Wrestling Championships is in the same venue. Last season, the Cowboys finished 14th and went without

sports

March...

Continued from 1B

1982-83 Utah (1613)

Finishing in second in the Western Athletic Conference, Utah, with a few wins vs ranked opponents, made noise in the NCAA tournament as 10-seed, upsetting Illinois and No. 7 UCLA before losing to an North Carolina State team that won the national championship as a cinderella team itself.

2018-19 Florida (19-15) In now Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson’s freshman

season with the Gators, they only had two wins vs ranked opponents — both against LSU. They reached the semifinals of the SEC tournament and lost to Auburn on a last second 3-pointer.

The committee granted Florida an atlarge bid as a 10-seed, and the Gators beat Nevada in the first round before losing to Michigan and Jordan Poole.

2017-18 Alabama (19-15)

Like the Cowboys, Alabama finished the regular season 8-10 in conference play. Behind freshman guard Collin Sexton, Alabama made the NCAA tournament as a 9-seed with six ranked wins. The Crimson Tide

Skid...

Continued from 1B

A three-game skid is the largest streak this season, but if the Cowgirls drop a fourthstraight game on Friday, the season’s momentum is completely lost and never would a team want to enter the NCAA Tournament on an extended losing streak. That’s why a win, or two, in Kansas City would bode well for the Cowgirls’ momentum. Hoyt said she wants to stay a few days in Kansas City and make a statement.

“We don’t want to go to Kansas City and walk through the door, we need to bust the door down,” Hoyt said. “That’s the mindset and attitude that we’re coming with. I believe we’re going to see a very motivated team on Friday. We want to get that momentum, but we also are just sick of losing. We want to get that taste of winning again.”

Hoyt said she felt good going into the losses to West Virginia and Oklahoma last week because the preparation from the players went well, but sometimes a loss is still the outcome.

In Saturday’s loss to OU, the Cowgirls didn’t make a 3-pointer in the second half and couldn’t find a spark on offense, leading to a Taylor Robertson takeover and a loss.

In the March 1 loss at West Virginia, the Cowgirls failed to contain Mountaineer guards Madisen Smith and Ja’Naiya Quinerly, who

beat Virginia Tech in the first round, then lost to eventual national champion Villanova in the second.

1997-98 Florida State (17-13)

The Seminoles only had two ranked wins and lost in the first round of the ACC tournament, yet still earned an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.

Florida State defeated No. 18 TCU in the first round in a classic 12 seed vs 5-seed upset, but lost to Valparaiso in the second round in Oklahoma City.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

combined for 37 points and defeated OSU 71-67.

What’s been different for the Cowgirls since its February six-game win streak turned into a three-game skid? Well, there’s a couple, but none bigger than the inconsistency in scoring.

The past three games, OSU struggled to put together a consistent scoring effort after halftime. The third quarter has been trouble for OSU. At Kansas, OSU scored nine points, 12 at WVU and 10 against OU.

The ‘magic’ number for the Cowgirls this season is 73. When the Cowgirls score 73 or more points, they are 171, 9-1 in conference play. If it’s less than 73? OSU is 3-9.

“Just couldn’t get anything offensively going,” Hoyt said on Saturday. “I felt we got the looks we wanted, they just didn’t go in.”

The thought of three-straight losses is not easy to forget, but Hoyt said the Cowgirls don’t want to forget the feeling of losing, they want to use it as motivation.

“We definitely haven’t forgotten,” Hoyt said. “It’s fuel for us and very motivating. We’ve had a lot of team talks and discussion and I really believe in just a player-led team, and I’ve seen them do a great job of stepping up and leading in their own ways. We’re upset, we’re mad. The standard for us is to win and we want to get back to that.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

an individual national champion. A promising 11-0 start quickly turned into a 3-4 finish.

And that was the end to Gfeller’s wrestling career. No Cinderella tournament run to conclude his time at OSU. No happy ending with a medal or even an appearance on the podium at nationals. He was ready to advance to his next stage in life; to work a 9-5 job and be there for his daughter.

“I couldn’t go out like that,” Gfeller said. “I care too much about (OSU).”

Gfeller returned for his sixth season and offers a unique facet to OSU’s postseason in 2023. Experience.

“You can’t teach leadership, and (Gfeller provides) that,” OSU coach John Smith said. “He’s a hard worker and a damn good wrestler. He can be a bit energetic and at times cocky, but sometimes

you need that when things aren’t going your way early in the season. He’s definitely rubbed off on our younger guys in a big way.”

One good day at nationals can flip the trajectory of a team. Upsets happen and tend to be more frequent in the postseason. If the Cowboys have any chance of returning to the limelight, a remarkable postseason surge next week is essential. Gfeller might be that driving force.

“I’m just here to help my team win,” Gfeller said. “If they need me to get a bonus-point win, I’ll try my hardest. I’m a team player and everyone knows that about me. I’m here for my boys, always.”

‘lucky’

Davis Cordova

OSU sits on the bubble of the NCAA tournament heading into the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

Molly Jolliff

Kaden Gfeller earned the No. 10 seed at 157 pounds for the NCAA Wrestling Champiosnhips next week in Tulsa.

Daniel Allen Staff Reporter

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce

Come check out the wide variety of elegant clothing at Formal Fantasy!

Located on

121 E. 9th Ave, Downtown Stillwater

The best selection of beer, wine and li quor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main

“The Original Hideaway, located on the corner of Knoblock and University. Serving quality pizza and more since 1957.”

Murphy’s Department Store

815 S Main, Downtown Open 10-6 Monday thru Saturday

Business Squares Business Squares Company Coming?

Check out “Cowboy Cabin”

550 steps east of Boone Pickens Stadium

Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency

Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (03/10/23). You’re in the money this year. You can have what you work for. Changing news redirects winter communications, before lucrative spring waves fill your coffers. Adapt around summer travel or research complications, before contributing for autumn profits that benefit family accounts. Nurture financial growth.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 7 — Adapt with your partner around a breakdown. Anticipate opposition. Clean up messes. Focus on here and now. Offer advice only if asked. Apologize as needed.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is an 8 — Slow to avoid accidents. Watch your step as pitfalls and obstacles abound. Set aside past or future concerns. Nurture your health, energy and work.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 7 — Surround yourself with people who love you, especially when passion or beauty seem lacking. Breakdowns are temporary. For different results, say something new.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 7 — Make repairs, clean and manage urgent domestic priorities. Adapt with family around a challenge. Take one task at a time. Restore peace, harmony and beauty.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 6 — Shift the messaging around changes. Review communications for errors before sending. Avoid risk or controversy. Practice diplomacy. Consider options and make a difficult choice.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Focus on immediate financial needs, for now. A challenge requires your attention. Connect and communicate to find the necessary resources. Reduce waste where you can.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — You can see what’s not working. Take it easy. Don’t take it personally. Adapt course as needed. Pamper yourself with self care and favorite activities.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 6 — All is not as it appears. Don’t rush to judgment. Observe and listen. Private contemplation reveals hidden opportunities. Get quiet enough to hear yourself think.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 7 — Matters between friends could seem complicated. Resolve misunderstandings immediately or they grow. Don’t force anyone to a breaking point. Simplify whenever possible. Respect another’s feelings.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is an 8 — Despite challenges, career frustrations are temporary. Avoid hasty or impulsive decisions. Don’t act until you’re sure.

Wait for better conditions to make a move.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7 — Prepare carefully. Postpone traveling. Navigate a challenge with your investigation. Study options, plot and plan. Do the background reading. Learn from the experience of others.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — Opposites attract. Work together to navigate financial changes. Repay a debt. A challenge is temporary. Avoid complaining. You’ve got this. Share resources and solutions.

By Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Thursday’s Puzzle Solved

Solution to Thursday’s puzzle

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

sports

Schoppe, Cowboys seeking historic title at Indoor Track and Field

Championships

Adam Engel Editor-in-Chief

Ryan Schoppe said he understood the implications when he sped through the finish line.

He looked at the time and his teammates mobbed Schoppe.

Schoppe and OSU’s men’s Distance Medley Relay shattered a school, NCAA and unofficial world record in February at 9:16.40 at the Arkansas Classic. Three seconds better than the previous record, Oregon’s squad in 2021 that featured several Olympians.

Schoppe and his teammates seek OSU’s first men’s DMR national title this weekend at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. OSU’s women’s DMR also smashed the school record in Arkansas.

Both teams lead OSU’s contingent of nine national qualifiers.

“I think we’re in a great position,” OSU coach Dave Smith said. “I think the men, we’re hoping for a top 10 finish. I think that is well within the realm of possibility to sneak into the top 10 at nationals. The women, more like a top 25 I think is kinda where we see we are but really excited to see.”

The DMR features legs of 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,200 meters and 1,600 meters. You do the math. That’s 2,500 meters or about 2 1/5 miles. It’s a showcase of excellence at each distance.

In Arkansas, Schoppe ran the 1,600 meters anchor leg while Fouad Messaoudi, DJ McArthur and Hafez Mahadi ran the others. Mahadi will not run this weekend because of an undisclosed medical issue,

Streaming: ESPN+

What’s at stake?

First men’s individual title since 1986 (Paul Larkins, mile)

First DMR title in school history

Back-to-back 3K national titles for Taylor Roe Schedule:

Friday:

6:05 p.m. - Women’s 5K final (Natalie Cook)

6:45 p.m. - Women’s DMR final

9:05 p.m. - Men’s 5K final (Alex Maier and Isai Rodriguez)

9:45 p.m. - Men’s DMR final

Saturday:

6 p.m. - Women’s 3K final (Taylor Roe)

9 p.m. - Men’s 3K final (Fouad Messaoudi, Ryan Schoppe and Alex Maier)

Smith said. “We always say we’re gonna beat each other and this and that,” Schoppe said. “That drives us to run well in the races.”

Juan Diego Castro, the 1,000 meters Big 12 champion, replaced Mahadi in the Big 12 Championships. That lineup finished fifth at last year’s national championships.

Defending 3K national champion Taylor Roe anchors the women’s DMR that Smith said will feature a different lineup in New Mexico. Roe helped set the record with Gabija Galvydyte, Tamara Woodley and Maddie Salek.

“We have a really strong team and we’ve been performing really well,” Galvydyte said. “Our coach knew that we were gonna run fast and we just trust him.”

Roe looks to repeat in the 3K while star freshman Natalie

Cook will compete in the 5K.

Distance All-American Alex Maier will run alongside Messaaoudi and Schoppe in the 3K. Fellow All-American Isai Rodriguez joins Maier in the 5K. OSU will roll into outdoor season amid a record year. Cowboys’ cross country finished national runner-up in November and the Cowgirls recently claimed their first indoor Big 12 title.

“Doing some big things early kinda got the excitement level with it and it’s just kinda kept going forward as the season has gone on,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of good energy around the team right now.”

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After the successes of her 2021-22 season, Rioux believed she had one last ride with the Cowgirls. She already used her extra year from COVID-19, yet OSU just needed to prove the reasons Rioux had for transferring were valid.

But Mississippi State denied it and Young said MSU stood its ground.

“I have nothing to do with them anymore,” Rioux said. “Why did they have to do these things to me? I played so hard for them for a year. I don’t know what I did wrong to them.”

With Mississippi State refusing to budge, Young redirected the process with an appeal to the NCAA. Young and Rioux collected evidence to plead their cases in hopes of gaining more time for the 25-year-old.

Rioux wrote a letter explaining her experiences at Mississippi State, putting emphasis on the individual tournament played with Lee. She also gathered information and support from current and former teammates to contribute evidence to the case.

Through the fall and into late February, Rioux practiced with the Cowgirls and worked as if she were a member of the team, waiting for her shot to take the court once again.

However, after all the work put into gathering information and conversations with Mississippi State and the NCAA spanning months, the NCAA ruled Rioux’s evidence was inconclusive, declaring the end to her college career.

The season trajectory changed.

Young had to change

the plan for the season, with other players affected as well. Rioux’s longtime double’s partner, Miyamoto, had to adjust to playing with a new partner.

“To be honest, I’m really sad,” Miyamoto said. “I wanted to play with her and we really wanted to go to the NCAA Tournament and win finals. We’re really disappointed, but it is what it is.”

Rioux said she felt she was at a disadvantage when measured up with other transfer students.

With Japan’s differences from the U.S., she was confused about how the transfer system worked. Young always strived to fight for international students, and he serves as a liaison for international students on OSU’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “It’s like this is their family,” Young said. “I got to care for these girls just like I would want someone to care for my daughter to be in a foreign country. Learning new languages and new rules, everything’s a new process for them.”

Rioux looks forward to going home to Okinawa and to her family. It is unknown whether she will return to coach at OSU. She looks to the future with the new lessons learned during the messy, drawn-out fight to gain one more shot at taking the court.

“I still feel like I made the right decision,” Rioux said. “Even though I had to sit out a year, I just had to follow my feelings, and that’s very important in the future of my life.

“I became so brave after this process, and I feel like I grew up as a person from this situation.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Lisa Marie Rioux’s Timeline:

• Spring 2017: Earns All-American honors in doubles as a freshman at Mississippi State

• Summer 2017: Transfers to OSU

• Spring 2018: Forced to sit after denied one-time transfer from Mississippi State

• Spring 2019: 9-4 record in singles at OSU

• Spring 2020: Attained All-American honors with Ayumi Miyamoto in doubles

• 2021: Took a year off for mental health

• Spring 2022: No. 37 in singles and earned All-American honors with Miyamoto

• December 2022: Learned of adversity in the eligibility process

• December 2022—January 2023: Conversations with MSU and the NCAA

• February 2023: Deemed ineligible per NCAA ruling

File Photo

Ayumi Miyamoto (right), Lisa Marie Rioux’s former doubles partner, will have to continue this season without an All-American on the court with her.

Power...

Continued from 1B

But it started like it sometimes does for freshmen.

Schubart went 1-for-5 with no extra-base hits during the three-game opening weekend in Arlington, Texas. He admitted nerves in his first college games played a factor.

Those nerves didn’t last long. Schubart batted .385 during four games the next week,

including two home runs.

“I got settled in and then I started attacking the ball where I wanted to and seeing it up instead of chasing pitches like I was at Arlington,” Schubart said.

Schubart was an AllAmerican in high school, known for his slugging. Once he settled in, it came as no surprise when he hit a team-best 467-foot homer against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 26.

“He’s got out-of-thisworld power, obviously,” outfielder and pitcher Carson Benge said. “You don’t see very

many people hitting balls that far the other way.”

Schubart said he adjusted to college when he took the mental side seriously. He keeps the same routine, getting ready four batters out and studying the pitcher. Then, he keeps cool with breathing techniques.

After a game, he pores over reports and quizzes the coaches about his at-bats.

“He always learns something new every time he goes in the box,” said closer Nolan McLean. “His pitch-to-pitch adjustments are really special and hard to find in guys that

young. I mean, he’s the age of most seniors in high school.”

Schubart’s quick adjustments paid off. He’s second on the team in batting average (.372) and leads the team with 18 RBI.

“He’s a very steady, consistent thinker, which translates into very consistent, physical movements,” Josh Holliday said. “Those things, when combined with some gifts physically, there’s some pretty exciting things happening when he swings. It’s one thing to have talent, it’s another thing to be able to apply that talent in a

skillful fashion that translates in a game.”

Josh Holliday said much of that ability comes from Schubart’s maturity and professional approach, which is evident to his teammates and responsible for his early progression at the plate.

“There’s a lot about him that says, ‘I’m good, but I’m striving to be great,’” Josh Holliday said. “And I like that about him.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Carson Toulouse

Nolan Schubart, a freshman from Michigan, adjusted quicky to the college game. After games, Schubart scans reports and questions the coaches about his at-bats.