Nickie Peters has quietly been Coppin State's most successful athlete for nearly two years now.
The senior cross country runner has captured two straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships and has won 10 of 16 races over the past two seasons.
But Peters doesn't crave any of the attention he could receive from being a top distance runner for the Division I Eagles.
He's content with the peaceful surroundings of his 8-kilometer courses.
"My main goal is to prepare for the 2004 Olympics where I hope to run the 800-meter event," said Peters, who came to Coppin from Belmont Village, St. Vincent, in the Caribbean Islands. "Running cross country has really helped my endurance. That's the main thing I'm working on."
Peters is also concentrating on graduating from Coppin in December and he might opt to pass up the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional qualifying race Nov. 16 in Morgantown, W.Va., because of some important exams.
"I can concentrate on running after I graduate," said Peters, who started running just four years ago. "I got in a race back home because I wanted to get a medal and be a part of something. There were only three people in the race, so I knew I would 'win' a medal. I wound up winning the race. I guess it was destiny."
Threes are wild
No one should have expected anything less than a celebrated finish to the regular season for the Navy women's soccer team.
The Mids made school history by posting their first unbeaten regular season Monday night in Annapolis, after beating Robert Morris, 8-1.
Navy closed out a 16-0-4 regular season in grand style.
Junior scoring standouts Stacy Finley and Amelia Sheveland each had three goals on an evening that was dedicated to four seniors who played their final home game for Navy.
As emotions ran high for departing seniors, goalkeepers Marie Kissel and Kristen Hansen, forward Kara Hardebeck and midfielder Nadia Sheikh, Finley and Sheveland proceeded to put together a memorable night.
Finley recorded the second hat trick of her career, scoring one of her goals on a near-post shot that backed in behind the goalkeeper. She ran her team-leading scoring total to 18 goals and seven assists (43 points). She has seven game-winning goals.
Sheveland had her third hat trick of the season just 90 seconds into the second half, giving her 15 goals and nine assists (39 points, which is second on team) to go along with four game-winning goals this season.
Bard an all-star
Salisbury University back Lindsay Bard is just one of two Capital Athletic Conference players who have been selected to play in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III North/South Senior All-Star Game.
Bard is a four-year starter and one of the anchors of a defense that has allowed just 11 goals for the 13-2 Sea Gulls, who are ranked No. 3 in Division III.
The other CAC player chosen for the South squad is Mary Washington's Shannon Nobile.
The game is scheduled for Nov. 23 at Springfield (Mass.) College, where the Division III field hockey final four is being played that weekend.
Et cetera
The McDaniel College field hockey team (15-3, 7-2 in Centennial) has secured the top seed for this weekend's Centennial Conference tournament at McDaniel. The Terror, tied for No. 12 in this week's Division III poll, wrapped up the No. 1 seed with a 4-0 victory over Washington College on Tuesday.
Freshman Izudin Mehmedovic led the UMBC men's cross country team to a second-place finish in the Northeast Conference championships last weekend, taking seventh place with a time of 26 minutes, 9.2 seconds over the 8,000-meter course. In the Northeast Conference women's cross country race, UMBC freshman Stefanie Thomas finished third over the 5,000-meter course (18:10.0) to earn the NEC Newcomer of the Year award.