COLLEGE DIVISION NOTEBOOK / MARTIN BECK : Airport ’92 a Bummer for Chapman Women

The Chapman women’s basketball team’s trip to Texas was interrupted by a long, wearying ordeal when the Panthers were stranded in the Amarillo Airport for more than 24 hours because of blizzard-like conditions.

The 12 players, Coach Lindsay Strothers, assistant Jennifer Uecke and a trainer opted to spend Tuesday night in the airport after a snowstorm prevented airplanes from taking off.

Uecke said the group decided to stay at the airport, despite offers for rides to local hotels, to make sure they didn’t miss their rescheduled flight early Wednesday morning. Because of the storm, the roads around Amarillo were a mess, and helped cause a 200-vehicle pileup on Interstate 40 west of the city.

The Panthers finally took off from Amarillo at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, caught a connecting flight in Dallas and were back on campus in Orange about 2:30 p.m.

It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but, when reached on a pay telephone in the airport lobby Tuesday night at about 11 p.m. local time (CST), Uecke said the team was making the best of the situation.

“Despite everything, everyone’s been great,” Uecke said. “All the girls have been having fun despite everything, but everybody is really anxious to get home.”

The Panthers played three games in four days in Canyon, Tex., losing to Texas A&I;, Cameron (Okla.) and West Texas State.

They had arrived at the airport about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. They boarded the plane, which sat on the runway for about 90 minutes while airport crews determined whether conditions would permit a liftoff.

Uecke said the wind kicked up and it appeared as if crews were having trouble clearing the runway, so the plane was unloaded.

When it became apparent that no planes would be leaving Amarillo Tuesday, the Chapman party decided to remain at the airport.

Airport officials provided blankets and several televisions, and kept some snack and magazine shops open all night to serve stranded travelers and employees.

The outside world was less cooperative.

“We even tried to order pizza, but they wouldn’t come out,” Uecke said.

So the players and coaches sprawled out in the lobby and rested as best they could. Some had more success than others.

“I lay down for 15 minutes and forced my eyes closed and they popped right open,” Uecke said. “I’m so tired right now. I’m basically running on adrenaline.”

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Add Texas trip: Chapman lost by big margins in the three games. The lost two games in the West Texas State tournament, losing Friday to Texas A&I;, 89-64, and Saturday to Cameron, 82-69. On Monday, they lost a nonconference game to West Texas State, 90-55.

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The Chapman men’s basketball team split its first two games under first-year Coach Mike Bokosky, routing Pacific Christian, 132-79, Saturday and losing, 63-60, to Occidental Tuesday.

The Panthers, who made 40.6%--13 of 32--of their three-point shots against Pacific Christian, made only one of 22 against Occidental.

Bokosky said the difference was that Occidental didn’t allow as many wide-open perimeter shots.

“I think we’re a better three-point shooting team than we showed tonight,” Bokosky said after Tuesday’s game.

Notes

Two Chapman players received All-CCAA honors in women’s volleyball: Jenny Gunderson, a sophomore middle blocker who was a first-team selection, and Vicki Cavadias, a senior setter who was a second-team selection. Gunderson, Cavadias middle blocker Tori Heywood were named to the Division II All-Region team by the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. . . . Brad Grubaugh, a sophomore guard, has quit the Chapman men’s basketball team for personal reasons, Coach Mike Bokosky said. Bokosky said Grubaugh, the only returning player who isn’t a senior, was no longer interested in playing competitive basketball. “He could have helped us,” Bokosky said. “We’re going to miss him but we hope that everything works out for him.”