Billy: Science and technology are now more prevalent in sports than ever before. TV networks have introduced innovations, such as the telestrator, to improve fans' experience as spectators, and athletes often take advantage of tools and available knowledge to compete better. Some technology affects both fans and athletes. In this column, I am more concerned with athletes' use of technology and would like to consider how much athletes and coaches should emphasize it in their approach to training and competing. Athletes and coaches have seemingly canonized the use of certain technology into their routine. Teams in many sports analyze game film on a regular basis in order to learn from their own past performance and better understand opponents. During a game, many major league hitters will go into the clubhouse to watch video of their previous at-bat, and quarterback Peyton Manning has developed a reputation for spending hours in the film room. Teams from high school to the pros breakdown film so regularly that some might hesitate to call film sessions an “innovation."

Linfield College put an end to the Whitman women's tennis team's successful season on Friday, April 17, defeating the Missionaries 5-1 in the semifinals of the NWC championships in Yakima, Wash. Guided by Head Coach John Hein, the women's team had high expectations for the conference championships. The team defeated Willamette 8-1 earlier on Friday, April 17, and was optimistic about the Linfield match. Whitman had already dropped two 5-4 decisions to Linfield during the regular season and was looking for revenge. “We set lofty goals for ourselves and [were] in a position to attain them at the conference tournament," Hein said. “There have been rough patches along the way, especially our two close losses to Linfield, but this team is learning and growing with every challenge they face and that is all I could want from them."

A win in the Northwest Conference Championship match on Saturday, April 18 prolonged the end of the season for Whitman Men's tennis. The 7-2 victory over Pacific Lutheran at the NWC Championship Tournament in Yakima, Wash. earned them a berth in the upcoming regional tournament. After their third consecutive year of sweeping the NWC, the team will face eight to ten of the strongest West coast teams in the upcoming. Whoever wins at regionals will join the final four in nationals in Claremont, Cali. The men's team hopes to compete well in regionals, thereby securing a spot in nationals.

Each week the sports staff will pick one Whitman athlete that performed exceptionally in the previous weekend's games. The distinction will be judged both on the individual's performance and their impact...

With a 4-1 record, the men's lacrosse team is confident in their abilities as they head into their final two games before the playoffs. The men's team beat Central Washington 11-10 on Saturday, April 11 in Ellensburg, Wash. They will play at home on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19 against rivals Western Washington and Pacific Lutheran. If the team wins all three games, they are guaranteed a first-round bye straight to the Final Four where they lost last year. If they win two of the three games, the team will be in the playoffs.

After ripping through the conference regular season undefeated, the Whitman Men's Tennis team has only one thing left to do: repeat as Northwest Conference champions. They'll get the chance this coming weekend as the No. 1 seed entering the conference tournament. Whitman opens the tournament Friday afternoon against the winner of the day's earlier match between Willamette and Whitworth. Whitman swept the season series against both teams, winning 9-0 each time the teams faced each other. However, despite the regular season dominance, Head Coach Jeff Northam is weary of facing either team a third time this season. “The first time you play somebody, even if you beat them, the second time you play them it gets a little closer, the third time they kind of figure out your nuances and how you play and what you do, so it's difficult to beat teams three times in a row," said Northam.

Billy: In her article “Learn a Lesson, Lose the Wins" in Sports Illustrated this March, Selena Roberts addressed Florida State University's reaction to an NCAA ruling that disqualifies several wins from the school's football program because of an academic cheating scandal. Roberts noted that while the university had to cut funding for some of its academic departments due to the economy, it is spending thousands of dollars on a case to reverse the NCAA's ruling just to maintain credit for winning some football games. Division I sports can provide a school with funding and bolster its reputation, but this potential tempts some schools to abuse the ideas of “college" sports and “student-athletes." When FSU prioritizes the prestige and reputation of its football program, it suggests sports are meant to be a profitable big business, rather than a way to bring together the school's community.

Each week the sports staff will pick one Whitman athlete that performed exceptionally in the previous weekend's games. The distinction will be judged both on the individual's performance and their impact...