Auburn senior center Jason Bosley is one of 42 players nationally who have been named to the 2008 Rimington Trophy Spring Watch List.

Now in its ninth year, the Rimington Trophy recognizes the most outstanding center in college football.

Bosley started all 13 games at center for Auburn last season, and has made 16 starts during his career. A member of the 2007 Rimington Trophy Watch List as well, Bosley led the Tigers’ offensive line in overall grade five times last season (Kansas State, South Florida, Mississippi State, Florida, LSU). He was also awarded the Pat Dye Leadership Award by the Auburn coaches in March following spring drills.

Women’s golf heads to NCAA East Regional
The 10th-ranked Auburn women’s golf team will begin play at the NCAA East Regional today at the par 72, 6,335-yard University of Georgia Golf Course. 

Auburn, which is the No. 4 seed behind top-seeded Duke, second-seeded Florida and third-seeded Georgia, will look to finish in the top eight and earn its 12th trip to the NCAA Championship in the last 13 seasons.

“It is a tough field and a tough golf course,” head coach Kim Evans said. “It is going to be kind of like a boxing match instead of a golf tournament this week.  It is really just who is standing at the end of three days and anything can happen. That last day becomes a fight for a top eight spot. We won the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic last year on this course, so the kids are familiar with going over there and playing and that means a lot.”

Senior Margaret Shirley will play in the No. 1 spot followed by sophomore Candace Schepperle in the No. 2 spot.  Both Shirley and Schepperle were top 10 finishers at the SEC Championship two weeks ago. SEC Freshman of the Year Cydney Clanton is in the No. 3 spot, while junior Mariana Macias is at No. 4.  Making her first appearance in postseason play is freshman Sarah Thead in the No. 5 position.

Cielo wins on first day of Brazilian Olympic Trials
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Auburn junior Cesar Cielo kicked off the Brazilian Olympic Trials with a win on Wednesday as he won the 50m freestyle in the event’s opening session.

Cielo, a 19-time All-American and a 10-time NCAA Champion, clocked a 21.96 in the finals to take the win, beating out Jader de Silva Souza (22.68) by nearly a second. Cielo touched in with a 21.90 in the preliminary session, giving him the fifth-fastest time in the world this year.

The qualifying meet is a formality for Cielo as he is already qualified for the Brazilian National Team that will travel to Beijing in August for the 2008 Olympics.

Cielo’s 21.90 also set a new meet record, but came up short of his own national record time of 21.84.

Soccer picks up another commitment for 2008
The Auburn soccer team has added Erin Gaby to its roster for the upcoming 2008 season, head coach Karen Hoppa has announced.

Gaby, a forward/midfielder from Marietta, Ga., brings the total for Auburn’s incoming class to five after signing four high school seniors to National Letters of Intent in February.

Gaby comes to Auburn from Tophat 08 Gold where she was a 2003 Georgia State Champion, a 2004 CASL Champion and a 2005 Disney Showcase Champion. A Georgia State ODP Team member, she was the leading scorer for Bill Perry’s team at Marietta High School in 2005-06. She has also been voted the team’s best offensive player and an honorable mention all-county as a freshman.

Volleyball wraps up spring practice
The Auburn volleyball team recently wrapped up its spring training season, leaving new head coach Wade Benson excited about the team’s direction in 2008.

The Tigers did not play any formal matches during the spring season, instead focusing on mental training and adjusting to the style of an entirely new coaching staff. The main competition on the spring schedule came in the first-ever SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Tournament in Gainesville, Fla.

“I think we have a thought process of what we are trying to get accomplished under the new coaching staff,” said Benson. “We worked a lot on our mental training and team cohesiveness, getting a sense of who we are and what we are trying to be.”