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INSIDE:Men’sbasketball A/TnYI c\q\T March 18>2002 ♦ VoL 95<No- 71 advances in NIT IVlUllVJLCly University of South Carolina ♦ www.dailygamecock.com Nothing ‘almost’ about her Marine science student described as ‘outstanding9 dies in car wreck BYGINNY THORNTON THE GAMECOCK Fourth-year student Tract Heincelman was killed in an early morning car accident in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, March 9. Heincelman, the car’s driver, was a 21-year old marine science student from Derwood, Md. Also injured in the accident were three fourth-year marine science students: Christie A. Robinson, 22, of Great Falls, Mont.; Doug E. Little, 22, of Union Bridge, Md.; and Frank C. Helies, 21, of Brielle, N.J. Robinson and Little remain hos pitalized at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Heiles has been released. Five other USC students were traveling in a second car, but weren’t involved in the accident. Fourth-yt-ar music student Jenne Pross, a friend of Heincelman’s, said the students were in Florida on their way to a cruise in the Bahamas. Bto Florida because she loves the ocean and marine life. She was so excited about the trip she and Heincelman Heincelman took to Florida during fall break of their first year at USC. “This is a tragedy for Carolina,” USC President John Palms said. “We are all saddened that we have lost such an outstanding young woman and that three others have had their lives disrupted in such a terrible way.” Heincelman was enrolled in a program that awards a master’s de gree in biology after five years at USC. She wanted to become a vet erinary scientist, according to biol ogy professor Stephen Stancyk. Heincelman worked in Stancyk’s lab during her first two years at USC. “Besides being absolutely bril liant, Traci was one of the most pos itive people I have ever met,” Stancyk said. “She was involved in every aspect of campus life here, and we will all feel her loss.” ♦ HEINCELMAN, SEE PAGE 3 PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Traci Heincelman, far right, who was a marine science and honors student at USC, poses with Christie Robinson and Shannon Ring during a fall break trip to Sea World in 1999. Lady Gamecocks advance to second round of NCAA Carolina will face Cincinnati in round two at Coliseum BY J. KEITH ALLEN THE GAMECOCK Teresa Geter stood at the foul line with 39.6 seconds left in the game and the Lady Gamecocks clinging to four-point lead. Liberty trailed by as many as 15 points earlier in the second half, but the cushion was all but whittled away, thanks to a furi ous 12-1 run by the Lady Flames. Geter calmly sunk both free throws, and she added an other pair after a Liberty turnover to seal the 69-61 victo ry for USC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Lady Gamecocks’ first trip to the Big Dance since 1990. When asked whether Geter’s previous tournament experi ence during her two-year stint with Tennessee was a factor in her clutch performance, her teammates Jocelyn Penn and Petra Ujhelyi answered em nhaticallv. “Yes!” USC head coach Susan Walvius was proud of her team’s poise in combating the Lady Flames’ late spark. “We talked about handling the runs that other teams are going to make at us; it’s going to happen every game,” she said. “We called a timeout, and we re grouped mentally.” Carolina was aggressive from the opening tip and greeted the enthusiastic crowd with an 8-0 run to start the game. The team played a swarming defense that kept the ball out of the paint and out of the hands of 6-foot-7-inch Meribeth Feenstra. Feenstra had one of her seven first-half shot attempts blocked by Lady Gamecocks guard Cristina Ciocan, who is about nine inch es shorter. USC shot a blistering 51.4 per cent from the field in the first half and converted 11 Liberty turnovers into 16 points. The team led 41-29 at the break. ♦ BASKETBALL, SEE PAGE 3 ■ if you’re going... I n ♦The Athletics fll Department has bought S 19 500 tickets to Monday’s S jj|9 NCAA women’s 11 ||1 second-round regional 9 « game against Cincinnati. 9 fl ♦Thefirst500 USC 9 9 students through the 9 W Carolina Coliseum’s box ■ office gates Monday will j .. | be admitted free. i . ;| ♦ Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. '^jj | atthe Coliseum, and the ‘ | H box office gates open at 6 I J M p.m. W'>(! T ' t i 0 j^toUNA PHOTO BY KOSfcHI UHUtN i Petra Ujhelyi out-rebounded both Feenstra sisters, who stand at 6 feet 7 Inches and 6 feet 8 inches tall. The Lady Gamecocks will face Cincinnati on Monday evening in a second-round showdown. USC journalism student wins MisS Columbia Track-and-field athlete will next try to win Miss South Carolina BY LOGAN BARLOW THE GAMECOCK First-year electronic journal ism student Erin Colgan has been named this year’s Miss Columbia. The pageant was held Sunday night in the Columbia High School Auditorium. Colgan will go on to compete in the Miss South Carolina pageant in Spartanburg on July 15. “I’ve never been much the pageant type,” Colgan said, “but I really actually enjoyed it a whole lot.” - Cnlean a native of Hendersonville, N.C., was the fourth runner-up in the Miss Hendersonville pageant last year. There, she met Valerie Aiken, pageant judge and the Miss Columbia pageant’s executive di rector. Aiken urged Colgan to compete in the Columbia pageant when she came to USC. “I thought it would be a good thing for her to do,” Aiken said. To prepare for the pageant, Colgan met with her voice in structor to rehearse her talent piece, the song “Think of Me” from “Phantom of the Opera,” which she plans to sing again at the state pageant. She also brushed up on her current events for the competition’s in terview portion. Colgan’s school activities PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK First-year electronic journalism student Erin Colgan was crowned Sunday. helped her to gain an edge in the pageant. Colgan said some of her interviewing skill “comes naturally” because of her ma jor. Her involvement with USC’s track and field team helped to keep her in shape for the competition. Besides being a pole vaulter for the USC track team, Colgan is involved with several student organizations, including Campus Crusade for Christ and Athletes in Action. She hopes to also get involved with CTV, but she said she is still working on “getting her foot in door.” ♦ MISS COLUMBIA, SEE PAGE 2 Tuberculosis hits 2 at College of Charleston; DHEC to test others CHARLESTON (AP) - Acase of pulmonarytuberculosis has been confirmed at the College of Charleston, and state health officials want those who had contact with the person to get tested. The patient is off campus and is expected to make a full recovery. The Department of Health and Environmental Control plans to be on cam pus in April to test people who have had casual con tact with the victim. Health officials won’t say whether the patient was a stu dent or a faculty or staff mem ber. One person who is close to the patient has tested posi tive, DHEC spokeswoman Linda Pranger said. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that usually infect the lungs. It is spread through the air, usually when some one who has TB coughs, to the Centers for Disease Control. People who have close con tact with a tuberculosis vic tim have a 30 percent chance of getting infected, said Dr. Kathryn Arden, medical di rector for DHEC’s Trident Public Health District. Those who are infected are not contagious until they come down with the disease. Only 10 percent of infected people ever develop pul monary tuberculosis in their lifetimes, Arden said. Two people at the College of Charleston have tested positive for tuberculosis. Some of the most common symptoms of active tuberculosis are ♦Coughing up blood ♦Chest pains ♦Night sweats ♦Breathlessness ♦Weight loss ♦Signs of pneumonia Medical conditions that increase the risk of progression of tuberculosis include ♦HIV infection ♦Illicit drug and alcohol use ♦Recent Infection ♦Diabetes mellitus ♦Prolonged use of corticosteroids ♦Immunosuppressive therapy ♦Malnutrition SOURCE: CENTERS FOR j DISEASE CONTROL • • • .. ’ . .... .'P - • v. .*..rr~ _ ‘ ' - TODAY’S WEATHER: Partly cloudy. High 87, Low 53. I TOMORROW’S WEATHER: Partly cloudy. High 80, Low 63.