Barden Is
on the Ball
By Lainie Guiddy
As a
high school senior making her college visits, current Mountaineer
Leslie Barden was all set to go to Marshall. She'd visited the
campus and liked it enough. She met the coaching staff and the
team and saw an opportunity with the Thundering Herd that provided
her a future in soccer that would be fun, but not necessarily
overly demanding or time consuming.
Then, she got a call from WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. Izzo-Brown convinced the midfielder to visit Morgantown to check out what the state's flagship university could offer her.
Barden, a Fairfield, Ohio, native, arrived wearing green and white, but left donning the gold and blue. Izzo-Brown's intensity and passion for the game of soccer convinced her that she wanted to be a Mountaineer; that she wanted to contend and compete for a national championship. Barden left Morgantown knowing that she had committed to making soccer as big a part of her college experience as getting her degree.
"I was pretty much set on going to Marshall," Barden explains. "I wanted to play soccer, but I didn't really want it to be my main thing, my only focus. But, when I visited here and met with Nikki (Izzo-Brown) I saw her intensity and her love for the sport and I knew I wanted to be part of a program like that.
"I'm definitely glad I chose to come here. I think I'd be frustrated anywhere else. I know it's a lot of work, but it's worth it. I'm proud to be part of a program like this."
It wasn't a straight and narrow road that brought the junior accounting major to the Mountaineers, but it wasn't just her divergence in the south that caused the road to bend and turn. Determined to develop her daughter into a well-rounded individual, Barden's mother, Zeny, enrolled her in everything from show choir to ballet to cheerleading. On the other end, her father, Elwood, introduced her to sports, and she took a strong liking to both soccer and basketball. Barden chose to pursue soccer more than any other sport, but to this day she admits her decision was precipitated by the fact that there were more opportunities in her area for soccer than there were for basketball.
"There were really just more opportunities for soccer," she says. "There was only high school basketball for me to play. I saw more potential in soccer to go to the collegiate level."
As Barden has shown over the past three seasons, her personal development as a Mountaineer has been integral to the overall growth of the West Virginia program. As a freshman, she participated in nearly every game. Last season, Barden was a starter at outside midfield, providing the Mountaineers with three goals and two assists for eight points on the year.
This year, without question, she is the 12th-man. Like the sixth-man in basketball, Barden is Izzo-Brown's sparkplug. She sits attentively on the bench waiting for the nod that means it's her turn to shine, and to impact play in the way only she can. It takes talent to come off the bench and contribute, but even more so, it takes character and a true team spirit to go from starter to nonstarter the way Barden has.
"Sure, it was an adjustment," she says. "But, I like being able to see the game develop and get into rhythm a little before I go in. It's nice because I always talk to Nikki right before I go in the game and I know exactly what needs to be fixed or worked on a little harder because I've had the chance to observe for a few minutes."
So far this season, Barden has provided a consistent, competitive presence off the bench. Subbing in at outside midfield, or more recently, center midfield, she has contributed two goals, and more importantly, a fresh burst of speed, endurance, and strength whenever the Mountaineers need it. Ironically, Barden wears the number 12.
Perhaps, like being destined to be a Mountaineer, she's found her true calling as a veritable 12th-man in a sport that most think requires only 11.
Miller Ready
to Shine
By Tim Goodenow
In March
of each year, wrestlers gather from all over the country with
one common goal: to place in the top eight and earn All-America
honors.
WVU's Greg Jones did it as a freshman. Brandon Lauer did it as
a sophomore. Now, as a junior, it's Brent Miller's turn.
After two solid years of collegiate wrestling, Brent "Moose"
Miller, a Wapakoneta, Ohio, native, is ready to establish himself
among the nation's elite.
Miller came to Morgantown as a highly touted recruit. Instead
of bolting into head coach Craig Turnbull's lineup, he opted
to redshirt the 2001 season for the Mountaineers. A year later,
Miller completed his first season as a collegiate varsity wrestler
with mixed results, showing flashes of his ability throughout
the first half of the year. By the end of the season, his confidence
was at a high level, and he was peaking at the right time.
"It didn't take him long to make a contribution to our program,"
says Turnbull, who enters his 26th season in charge of the Mountaineer
wrestlers. "In his redshirt freshman year, he made it to
the final round of 12 at 197. He was a point or two away from
becoming an All-American as a freshman.
After a solid rookie campaign, Miller made the move up one weight
class to heavyweight. That transition caused Miller to readjust
to a different style of wrestling, something he would master
late in the year.
"I got impatient and I needed to slow things down last year,"
Miller says of wrestling at heavyweight. "I learned to pick
and choose my shots because it gets tiring trying to carry my
weight and their weight to the mat."
By the end of his sophomore season, Miller found a new certainty
in himself en route to recording eight dual wins and five Eastern
Wrestling League wins for the Mountaineers. He finished runner-up
at EWL championships.
Miller worked hard and boosted his confidence level to advance
and finish in the round of 12 at the NCAA tournament for the
second straight year.
The ultimate goal of becoming an All-American is not far out
of reach for the athletic coaching education major.
"Becoming an All-American is very important to me. The final
goal is to win a national title. Goal setting is very important
to me, and I challenge myself to get better every day."
Maybe there is something to the old saying "third time's
a charm." Miller enters the season ranked as high as fifth
in the nation at heavyweight.
Gymnasts Could
Be on a Roll
By Phil Caskey
At first glance, WVU's 2004 gymnastics
season looks to be a rebuilding year for the Mountaineers.
Only three seniors and four juniors are on the roster, and just
two of them have seen considerable action during their careers.
In contrast, 12 sophomores and freshmen appear to make the Mountaineers
young and inexperienced.
But for longtime gymnastics coach Linda Burdette, who is entering
her 30th year at the helm of the Mountaineer program and just
13 victories shy of 500 for her career, looks can be deceiving.
"Our sophomores who competed last year are very talented
and had pretty good years," Burdette says. "So, to
me, they're more like a junior or senior because of the experience
they gained. I expect them to build upon that and help lead this
team. The freshmen have their work cut out for them if they want
to make a top six in any event this season."
Last season WVU finished with a 15-12 record and failed to qualify
for NCAA regionals for the first time during Burdette's tenure.
This year, the team and coaching staff have used last year as
a motivating factor to get back to the nation's elite.
"We just have to be able to practice the way we want to
perform," Burdette admits. "There is no doubt that
we have the talent. If we're consistent in the gym we'll be consistent
under the lights. If we can do it in the gym and be consistent
then we have a shot of being a pretty good team this year."
Going to Greece
Freestyle
USA Wrestling has named WVU's assistant wrestling coach, Zeke
Jones, to the Olympic freestyle wrestling coaching staff for
the 2004 United States Olympic team that will participate in
Athens, Greece.
"It is truly an honor to represent our country and represent
the Olympic freestyle wrestling team," says Jones. "It
is a responsibility to lead this team, and I look forward to
that responsibility."