OLYMPICS ON MIND OF TWO IUP SWIMMERS

Sports Sports Editor: Jeff Hart – J.R.Hart2@iup.edu Olympics on mind of two IUP swimmers

STEVEN LANGDON JR

Editor-in-Chief S.Langdon@iup.edu @ThePenn

JEFF HART Sports Editor xldy@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

A pair of swimmers on the IUP women’s team are not striving just for national championships, but for next year’s Olympics as well.

Amber Baldani (sophomore, management), a native of Croatia, and Iliana Oikonomou (senior, sociology), of Greece, have both at some point ranked among the top five swimmers in their respected countries.

They are still new to the team after both transferred to IUP within the last year. And although their attention is on training for the upcoming PSAC season, both also have their eyes on the Olympic trials early next year.

Baldani swam for the Crimson Hawks last season when they won runner-up at the conference championships. She received top-four finishes in three events, including first in the 800-meter freestyle relay, setting a school record with a time of 7 minutes, 33 seconds. She also took second in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:04.30, and fourth in the 100 backstroke in 57.62 seconds.

“She’s a delight,” head swimming coach Chris Villa said. “Amber is all smiles all the time.”

Baldani currently ranks 10th on the Croatian National Team overall and first on the Croatian Swimming Federation, her age group. Last year, at the Croatian Open National Championships, she finished third in the 200 backstroke, fourth in the 200 individual medley and sixth in the 100 backstroke.

If she can match those efforts in the spring, she could find herself at the Olympic trials, as could a handful of IUP swimmers, according to Villa.

Villa spoke on the process both Baldani and Oikonomou will go through to compete on their respective national teams.

“Just making trials would put them between top 20, top 30 in the country in their event,” he (IUP Athletics)

(The Penn Archives) Amber Baldani (top left) and Illiana Oikonomou (top right) welcome the challenge of trying to qualify for the Olympics with their home nations of Croatia and Greece respectfully.

said. “We are going to have a good contingency of swimmers, who even if COVID canceled the season and don’t get an NCAA Championship like last year, they are going to be competing for Olympic trials either in this country or their own country, which will take place during the summer.”

“Every day brings a new challenge,” Baldani said. “The most important thing is to have a clear goal and be willing to work hard for it. One of the hardest things is to stay focused when you feel tired or sad, but that’s when you have to give it even more.”

Oikonomou is new to the team this year after transferring from the University of Miami. She competed in the 50 and 100 freestyle events as well as the 100 butterfly. Oikonomou’s highlight came during the 2016-17 season, when she was part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team that set school record with a time of 3:18.69.

Although still new to the team, Villa said, “She has already said we are a lot different than the coaches down there [Miami] in a good way.”

Oikonomou was ranked fifth during the 2016-17 season in Greece, but has struggled since on the international scene. According to Villa, she does have aspirations of becoming Division II National Champion. Hopefully, a change in scenery sets her up to have the same success as before.

She did not compete last season before deciding to transfer to IUP. Come January, Oikonomou will be available to compete for the Crimson Hawks. She is continuing to practice in the meantime.

A common theme brought up speaking with Baldani and Villa was the drive and motivation to become better.

“I’m willing to put in extra work like staying after practice to stretch and do core every day,” Baldani said. “Another thing is that I have no problem with waking up at 5:15 a.m. almost every day in order to practice a bit more. I also focus on details while swimming. For example, I put a lot of effort in my underwater kicks, turns and technique.”

Luckily for Villa and the Crimson Hawks, the PSAC announced in its Nov. 19 press release that swimming will hold their conference championships. This brings excitement but what Villa calls “cautious optimism.”

“We are definitely excited, but then cautious optimism,” he said. “Yes, we are having a season, but it opens up a boatload of questions.

“How are we going to have swim meets? How are we going to travel?”

Baldani is excited and ready to continue her success from last season.

“With everything that is going on around the world, I didn’t think we were going to have a season, but I was still hoping for one,” Baldani said. “When the PSAC announced that swimming is going to be able to have a season, I was very surprised and excited. I can’t wait to compete with my team again. It’s been long since we were able to have a meet.”

There has not been an announcement on when meets will start, but there is more to swimming than winning championships in the eyes of Villa.

“We are focused on individual growth, academic success and athletic success,” he said.

Sports December 2, 2020 19 Punching its way out of favor with fans: what boxing needs fixed to grow again

STEVEN LANGDON JR Tyson said. “I smoked during fights. Editor-in-Chief I just have to smoke, I’m sorry. I’m a S.Langdon@iup.edu smoker.” @ThePenn That was not the only fight that Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Three names that might come to mind when boxing is mentioned. They revolutionized the sport in ways never imagined. Boxing is a sport that has been around since Ancient Greece. It was one of the sports in the ancient Olympics, but that love for the sport has been dying the last two decades. This is due to variety of different reasons. What does boxing need to change right now? gave boxing a bad name. Look no further than YouTube star Jake Paul and former NBA player Nate Robinson. This was a mismatch from the start with a 13-year age gap between the two. The measurables where heavily favoring Paul. Boxing is not a sport that someone could step into the ring, win, and you are the best. Paul beat a former NBA player who is four inches shorter. If this were Paul facing any professional boxer in the cruiserweight, the weight class the fight was in, he wouldn’t last one round. urday showed a side of boxing many This is not the first time in recent No more circus fights years we have seen fights that are un-

I am looking at you, Roy Jones Jr. Thriller, I hope you are happy about versus Tyson. Most of the card that your payday. Thank you for making took place at the Staples Center Sat- boxing a joke. Never do it again. called for, but hopefully it is the last. die-hard fans did not want to see. There is zero doubt that people Less weight classes would have loved to see this fight 10 or more years ago when both were not above 50-years-old. The California State Athletic Commission should be ashamed to allow this fight to take place. The fight was a joke from the beginning. It was a way to feast on people’s money with a big name like Tyson. What makes it worse is what Tyson said after the fight. He said that it is true he smoked marijuana before and after the fight against Jones Jr. Of course, if it was not an exhibition fight, that would be illegal. “Listen, I can’t stop smoking,” Who knew there could be so many weight classes? Currently, there are 18 in men’s boxing alone. These range from atomweight to heavyweight. Just for perspective, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has 12 weight classes between men and women combined. There is no reason why there should be two weight classes that are separated by three pounds like from atomweight at 102 pounds to minimumweight at 105 pounds. The UFC works in increments of 10 to 20 pounds for a given class. For example, from featherweight division is 135 to 145 pounds, but the light heavyweight division is 185 to 205 pounds. Once again, not to pick on the lower weight classes in boxing, but does there need to be seven weight classes between 102 and 122 pounds? I would say no, and that half of those could be taken away. Not having as many classes helps the fans have a connection with more boxers. It also does not cause (Times of India) this problem that even Mike Tyson is still putting on a show. Mayweather says is an

issue haunting the sport.

Less belts

"This is not good for the sport of boxing," Mayweather said. "Now when a fighter fights, every fighter is a champion."

There are not many issues that are ahead of this one for fans. You know how I said there were 18 weight classes in men’s boxing?

Well, factor in that there are four governing bodies, each with a belt. So, get the handy dandy calculator, and you will soon realize there are 72 belts in boxing. The worst part is that they are only the world titles, and each area of the world has their own belts as well.

Again, there needs to be less weight classes. A belt does not mean anything these days, and it hurts the sport.

Imagine if the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl for being the best team that season. Then, say the Los Angeles Rams won a Super Bowl for being the best team in second place. After, say the New York Jets won a Super Bowl for being the worst team in football.

Does not make sense, right? So why would it make sense in boxing?

The sport could kill two birds with one stone by saying they are combining some weight classes, and those titles are going away. It is instead all about the money.

More mega fights

Cannot talk about mega fights without money, the ultimate evil in the sport. Promotions do not like working together to schedule the fights fans need. The statement is, “in order to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

Mega fights help the sport grow. Take for example the Tyson Fury versus Deontay Wilder fight in February. It got a lot of media attention, and sadly still does as Wilder continues to come up with excuses on the loss.

That is what the sport needs, though. They need people like Fury to stand up and fight the big fights. Let us schedule the Fury versus Anthony Joshua fight for all the heavyweight belts.

I have a shortlist of fights that could change the sport for the better, including a rematch between Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko, Terence “Bud” Crawford, and Errol Spence Jr., and a conclusion to the Canelo Alvarez and Gennasiy Golovkin “GGG” trilogy.

The sport does not have to keep dying slowly. It is time for change, and that need to happen now. There are exciting young fighters that the sport needs to showcase so the new generation is inspired. Two 50-year-old fighters is not inspiring, but embarrassing.

20 December 2, 2020 Sports Chiefs stand as biggest threat to Steelers

JAKE TAYLOR

Staff Writer J.M.Taylor8@iup.edu @JakeTaylor8726

Due to the 2020 Thanksgiving Day debacle, Pittsburgh’s game against Baltimore had to be postponed.

So, I strapped into the hot seat and watched every game with my foolproof approach of all things right, no things wrong, hot take analysis. If you’ve been reading along with my past articles, it is clear I think the Pittsburgh Steelers sit at the top of the NFL, not only by the record. Pittsburgh appears to be the most complete team.

However, the defending champion, Kansas City Chiefs, made a statement on Sunday.

The Chiefs laid a beat down on the “Tompa Bay Gronkaneers.” The only number that did not depict the beating was the final score, 27-24. Which for bettors was a heartbreaker as the Chiefs line was at -3.5 before the game.

A stat that did represent the lopsided gameplay was recorded in the first quarter of play. Tyreek Hill had 203 yards and two touchdowns. If a team's third best offensive weapon is starting a game like that, the opponent has no chance of winning.

For the last 20 years, the NFL has been accustomed to a Tom Brady comeback. At 43 years of age and an abysmal offensive line, Brady looks like a Cleveland Browns quarterback; good for half a season and never starting again.

Give credit where credit’s due, the Chiefs’ defense came to play. Chris Jones was out to eat Brady for lunch and Tyrann Mathieu also proved his superstar status with one interception, one pass deflection and five tackles for loss.

The Chiefs have an explosive defense but time after time step up in big games. The last thing the AFC needs is for them to get hot.

As for their offense, well, they're going to be a problem no matter the time of year. Tyreek Hill started with 203 yards and two touchdowns, but he ended with 269 yards and three touchdowns.

Seven total players recorded a reception, including the likes of Travis Kelce, Le’Veon Bell, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman and Deon Yelder.

After their performance Sunday, I am taking back my claim that Pittsburgh has the best wide outs in the game. The Chiefs' weapons are unparalleled.

Their biggest weapon, Patrick Mahomes, is the atomic bomb of weapons. The man is a gifted QB with the best offensive-minded coach and best offensive position players. Kansas City are a match made in heaven.

They have only lost a total of eight games with Mahomes as QB. In every broadcast of a Chiefs game, the announcers inform the audience of at least two records/ milestones Mahomes has recorded that game.

Like any other NFL team, the Chiefs have a few weaknesses. Their offensive line is one of them. Mahomes is a magician, and his best trick is bailing out his O-line. His ability to throw on the run or turn a loss of yards into a 20 plus yard rushing touchdown is unmatched.

Flashback to last year's Super Bowl when San Francisco had eight QB hits, four sacks and two interceptions. They set themselves up to win the football game until Kyle “fourth quarter shenanigans” Shanahan blew the lead.

My point being that they are beatable, especially by a team that has an immaculate defensive line. A perfect match-up for the Steelers. The Steelers are bringing back their historic Steel Curtain style of football and dominating games in the trenches.

Unfortunately for the Steelers, the Chiefs have game-breaker Kelce. He is crucial for the run game, pass game and locker room compatibility.

Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin is going to have to prove himself a great coach during their match-up against the Chiefs. Yes, I am claiming with unwavering confidence that the Steelers will play the Chiefs in the AFC Championship. Not only will they face off in January, but the winner will also go on the claim the Lombardi Trophy.

The better coach and QB duo always win. This time around, it’ll be up-and-coming superstar Patrick Mahomes versus the grizzled veteran Big Ben Roethlisberger.

A coach who finally reached the mountain top after 21 years, Andy Reid, versus a coach who has never had a losing season, Tomlin. Although there is plenty of football to be played, this will be the AFC Championship.

Normally, the Steelers are known for letting teams hang around and their inability to close out. Ironically, they have been closing out games and the Chiefs are letting opponents hang around.

They have outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter only three times this season compared to the Steelers who have a plus 43-point differential in the fourth quarter.

On top of regular football preparations and gameplay, the Steelers have had to face COVID-19 adversity. The Tennessee Titans screwed the Steelers out of a Week 8 bye, and now Baltimore is purposely delaying their biggest game of the season. With or without Baltimore’s starting line-up, they are going to lose. The Steelers don’t need to go undefeated; they just need to beat the Chiefs. Maybe it's in early predictions, but it's the right one. Sit down, shut up and put your money on it.