Kia Vaughn and Heather Zurich

Former Rutgers standouts Kia Vaughn and Heather Zurich graduated as the second-winningest class in Rutgers history under head coach C. Vivian Stringer. They compiled 102 wins over four seasons, combined for over 1,500 points and 1,300 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from the field. The duo helped Rutgers advance to four Sweet Sixteens, two Elite Eight appearances and one Final Four. One season removed from a Scarlet Knights uniform, the two are enjoying success aboard.
Vaughn, still wearing No. 15, is playing with Ramat Hasharon in Tel Aviv, Israel. Zurich, who arrived overseas in late August, is with Auto-Cad Amazone in Utrecht, The Netherlands. With countless emails to family and friends and pictures posted on Facebook and other social network sites, the two manage to keep in touch with their Rutgers family. Stacey Brann, associate director of athletic communications, hit the two up via the internet to answer a few burning questions!

You’ve been in your respective countries, Israel and the Netherlands, for a couple of months now. What has the experience been like so far?
KV: So far, life here has been great, although very different and hard because I have to adjust alone. I have been able to have some me time which I had needed for years now. There are lots of rookies her with me in Israel, so competition is great.

HZ: Overall it’s been a good experience. I do miss college a lot though. Basketball is a lot different over here. It makes me realize how much I learned in the past four years. Holland is a great country, a lot to see and do. Amsterdam is only a half hour train ride and such a cool place to go. The people have been generous, welcoming and very caring. In terms of basketball it is not on the level on countries like Russia, Italy, etc. but I knew that coming here and I’m still having a good experience so far.

You’re out of school and graduated - no more classes, no more Coach Stringer pep talks, the real world has become a reality. How are you adjusting to life outside of the Scarlet Knights’ world?
KV: Lol (laugh out loud), Life is what it’s been all my life- hard, full of rules, drama, obstacles and more. I can truly say Coach Stringer’s pep talks come to mind often when needing an answer for a problem. The real world is here and there is no escaping it, I can’t run behind my mother and coach like we all want to sometimes. But I have been taught well and I have learned so much in my earlier years of life that I will not have a problem with getting through things and evaluating what is right or wrong. Life has been good to me. I cannot complain yet J I just remember that people may be going through a lot worse and that God will see me through when things do go wrong.

HZ: I still don’t feel like I’m living in the real world hahaha. But it’s different not being on a strict schedule with practice and class.

A Tale of Two Kellys

Kelly Hildebrandt is in love with Kelly Hildebrandt, and soon they'll be married.It's been a whirlwind romance for the guy and gal who share the same name, and it all started with an innocent Facebook message.

"She started off 'Hey, I saw we have the same name,and I thought it was kind of cool, Just wanted to say hi I guess. LOL,'" the male Kelly said.

Kelly the female, from Coral Springs, was curious to see profiles of people with the same name when she happened across Kelly the male in Lubbock, Texas.

"I searched my own name and he's the only one who came up and actually in the picture he didn't have a shirt on and I was like oh he's cute," said the female Kelly.

Three weeks later, male kelly flew to South Florida to meet female Kelly, and they hit it off immediately.

And now in just three months, the Hildebrandts will officially be married.

"We get a couple of the same reactions, usually it's like 'whoa, that's so awesome and totally different,'" said female Kelly, 20.

Male Kelly, 24, has moved down to Florida and plans on working at the new branch for his company, Primerica Financial. Female Kelly is finishing up her studies at Palm Beach Community College.

The wedding will be at Lighthouse Point Yacht Club in October, a quick turnaround -- just eight months after the two first met -- though male Kelly has no reservations.

"I felt like there was a good possibility that before I ever came out to meet her in person, that this could be the girl I'm gonna marry," he said.

The marriage won't be without problems. In fact, one problem has already presented itself before the two have even stepped foot on the altar.

"He's even already got some mail coming in, and we have to open everything, because we don't know whose mail is whose," said female Kelly.
FROM:www.nbcmiami.com

Nick Symmonds holds off Nike's Khadevis Robinson

Symmonds scrapped his normal sit-and-kick strategy, surged to the lead on the final turn, then fought off the charging Khadevis Robinson in a gutty last 50 meters to win the 800 on Sunday in the USA Track & Field Championships.

Many of the 10,653 fans at Hayward Field surely thought Symmonds had moved too soon when Robinson came up on him in the home straight.

So did Robinson.

"I really felt I was going to catch him at the end," Robinson said.

Symmonds was too strong, finishing in 1 minute, 45.86 seconds, just ahead of Robinson, second in 1:45.97.

It wasn't quite as improbable as the 800-meter final at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials. In that one, Symmonds, Andrew Wheating and Christian Smith -- all Eugene-based runners -- came flying from behind to go 1-2-3, the diving Smith edging Robinson at the finish line for the third and final spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

It didn't string out that way this time. Symmonds stayed near the leaders on the second lap. Robinson, a four-time U.S. outdoor champion, held something in reserve.

In the end, Symmonds and Robinson were neck-and-neck as they barreled toward the finish line on the home straight. Once again, the fans got an electric finish.

"I'm not used to K.D. coming up on me in the last 100," Symmonds said. "That surprised me. I think it made for a great race."

Usually, it's Symmonds making the late charge. Because he was running from in front as he came off the turn, he didn't know at first where the other runners were.

When Robinson challenged, "I wasn't sure who it was," Symmonds said. "I felt alone with 100 to go, and I put on a big surge to try to drop everybody. Then he was right there.

"I saw the orange, and I knew it was either K.D. or Christian. Either way, I didn't want to mess around too much. So I just gave it everything I had for about 50 meters."

It was just enough. Former Washington runner Ryan Brown was third in 1:46.67 and will join Symmonds and Robinson on the U.S. team at the IAAF World Championships this summer in Berlin. Smith, like Robinson wearing a bright, orange Nike uniform, stayed on his feet this year and placed fourth.

The times weren't dazzling, but credit that to a brisk breeze that made the back straight a tough slog. It forced Symmonds to alter his race strategy when the pace slowed.

He had planned to let somebody else, say Karjuan Williams, who had the lead entering the back straight of the last lap, break the wind for him.

"I took the lead a little earlier than I wanted to," said Symmonds, selected the Visa athlete of the meet. "That wind on the back stretch was pretty strong. I wanted to just tuck in, but I would have had to really compromise my momentum. So I decided just to go for it."

But when Symmonds moved, Williams stayed with him, forcing Symmonds to go wide on the turn to make sure he had the lead.

He did what he had to do and pulled out the victory.

"Nick ran an amazing race," Robinson said. "He's stronger than I anticipated."

That probably made the difference.

"Nick doesn't look like he's running so fast at the end," Robinson said. "And he's not running fast, he's just not de-accelerating. I really thought I could outkick him."

He almost did. Symmonds said he concentrated on the instructions from strength and conditioning coach Jim Radcliffe to hold his form through the finish line.

His innate competitiveness did the rest.

"I run to race," Symmonds said. "And I race for championship wins."
from:http://www.oregonlive.com/

the wished sells

Every pallet that rolls onto the floor unveils a new surprise, be it power washers, bed pillows or HDMI cables. Season one of the HBO series "Oz" can be had on VHS for $6.99. Don't bother looking for season two.

Some of the merchandise, like the soundtrack for the 1993 Sylvester Stallone film "Cliffhanger," has likely been mothballed as long as the Playtogs name. Much of it is standard closeout fare, the type that can be found in any of the dime-a-dozen retailers that dot the region nowadays.

The new owners hope that the Playtogs name, once a magnet for bargain shoppers from Monroe to Monticello, will exert a similar influence today.

"We're looking to go back to the past a little bit, go down memory lane a little bit," said Robert Pidgeon, director of personnel for NSC Wholesale Holdings, which owns the building, the store and the flea market next door.

The store may bear the Playtogs name, but it carries a National Wholesale Liquidators pedigree. After Liquidators filed for bankruptcy late last year, NSC acquired several of its stores. Most will operate under the Liquidators name. The company is calling the Middletown location Playtogs in the hopes of trading on shoppers' nostalgia for dollar T-shirts and the like.

"They loved it," said store manager Jay Thomas, who heard an earful of Playtogs reminiscence while running the Liquidators store. Thomas and 30 employees — with 10 more yet to be hired — are racing to make a soft opening on Tuesday.

The new owners can't reproduce the homegrown character of Playtogs, a store as unique as each irregular pair of jeans piled on one of its tables.

Warnaco to Participate in 29th Annual Piper Jaffray Consumer Conference

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Warnaco Group, Inc. (NYSE: WRC) is scheduled to present at the Piper Jaffray 29th Annual Consumer Conference on Tuesday, June 9, 2009.

Warnaco’s presentation is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:30 am EDT. The presentation will be webcast and may be accessed via the investor relations page of Warnaco’s website at www.warnaco.com. For those unable to participate, an archived broadcast will be available shortly following the presentation.

ABOUT WARNACO

The Warnaco Group, Inc., headquartered in New York, is a leading apparel company engaged in the business of designing, sourcing, marketing and selling intimate apparel, menswear, jeanswear, swimwear, men’s and women’s sportswear and accessories under such owned and licensed brands as Warner’s®, Olga® and Speedo®, as well as Chaps® sportswear and denim, and Calvin Klein® men’s and women’s underwear, men’s and women’s bridge apparel and accessories, men’s and women’s jeans and jeans accessories, junior women’s and children’s jeans and men’s and women’s swimwear.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The Warnaco Group, Inc. notes that the presentations scheduled for June 9, 2009 and certain other written, electronic and oral disclosure made by the Company from time to time, may contain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and reflect, when made, the Company's estimates, objectives, projections, forecasts, plans, strategies, beliefs, intentions, opportunities and expectations. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results, targets or expectations and investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, future financial targets, are forward-looking statements.

The Company encourages investors to read the section entitled "Risk Factors" and the discussion of the Company's critical accounting policies under "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations -- Discussion of Critical Accounting Policies" included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, as such discussions may be modified or supplemented by subsequent reports that the Company files with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and, except for the Company's ongoing obligation under the U.S. federal securities laws, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
from:http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090603005858&newsLang=en