Tears and giants tell the story. They mark the path of a wild and winding weekend that saw four Western teams reach new heights, sink to demoralizing lows and regain the swagger of programs past. The madness spanned nearly the width of our nation. The emotions stretched even farther.

His grip tightened around a pen. His foot scuffed across the hardwood court. His head dipped. And his lids slammed shut, clamped as if the scene would change when they reopened. He couldn’t believe it. Game One: 26-30 … Not the start he had hoped for. Game Two: 28-30 … It couldn’t be happening.

NASHVILLE – Virginia White’s hands trembled slightly as she raised a cigarette to her lips Sunday evening. She sat on a bench outside Vanderbilt Medical Center, taking a brief respite from the swirling chaos of the previous 16 hours.

Tears and giants tell the story. They mark the path of a wild and winding weekend that saw four Western teams reach new heights, sink to demoralizing lows and regain the swagger of programs past. The madness spanned nearly the width of our nation. The emotions stretched even farther.

His grip tightened around a pen. His foot scuffed across the hardwood court. His head dipped. And his lids slammed shut, clamped as if the scene would change when they reopened.

He couldn’t believe it.

The men and women of Western’s cross country team will compete in what could be their last race of the season Saturday at the Southeast District Championship in Greenville, N.C.

The only way to keep the season going is to qualify for the national championships, not a simple task.

A season slated with high expectations ended on a promising note for Western, despite losing 3-0 to No. 18 Denver on Thursday in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Mobile, Ala.

Players and coaches said they are looking forward to next season, when they’ll return all but one player, senior forward Jenny Klingenberg.

OK, so you don’t show up to voice your disapproval of food services. You won’t rally to cry out against the parking travesty. And some days only 6,000 of you show up to support a nationally ranked football team in a stadium that holds 17,000.

Fine.

Travis Hudson thought Sun Belt Conference meant warm-weather competition. Don’t look now, but Idaho and Utah State are adding to a compelling argument against that.

Utah State accepted all-sports admittance into the Sun Belt Friday – football next year and all other sports in 2004-05. Football member Idaho is apparently next in line to be a full-blown participant, as the Sun Belt is creeping toward a coast-to-coast configuration.

Michael Doe, the 7-foot-2, 185-pound freshman always thought to be lacking in weight but not in expectations, has opted to end his Western basketball career before it starts.

His family and Western’s athletics department confirmed last night that Doe has withdrawn from classes and will leave school. His father, Peter, told the Herald the former Hilltopper big man is leaving Bowling Green today to return to his parents’ home in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.