Hornet ice hockey is catching on. While early season attendance was decent, fans have started to catch the fever. Behind record-breaking attendance the club has been propelled to a 3-3 record, placing them in second place in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. Come playoff time this squad has visions of grandeur dancing in their heads.

"We're definitely a top four team, we can still finish in second place, and definitely third or fourth," team captain Josh Roberts said. "But once we get into the playoffs the top four teams are so evenly matched we feel we can win it all."

It is the Hornets hard nosed play that has caught the imaginations of fans, which now regularly total 220 per game. Fan support has become so rabid that Beal Air Force Base is running shuttles from Marysville to SkateTown in Roseville for games. That dedicated fan base should be louder than ever when the Hornets take on rival Davis at home Jan. 28. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at Skate Town in Roseville.

The team remains positive despite lagging attendance and its recent 1-3 performance last weekend at home.

"The season has been going pretty good," team captain Kevin Bickelmann said. "But we're still growing and always trying to get a bigger and better club on campus."

While the squad is 3-5 on the season, attendance remains little more than friends and family. Although these Hornets aren't yet a championship caliber team, the squad has seen improvements and thinks it deserves more local support. The team is still looking for new members and anyone interested can reach team captain Kevin Bickelmann at (916) 649-1076.

This group is perhaps the most successful club sport on campus. Team members wrapped up their spring season with a successful tournament in Mission Bay over Halloween weekend. The team plans on breaking until the spring, but is ecstatic with its early fall performance.

"The team has had a great year so far, the best the team has ever had," Aquatic Center Program Director Cindi Dulgar said. "It has been pretty amazing so far."

Coming off its most successful fall season ever, these Hornets look to start off the spring season strong when it picks up competition in a March tournament.

Hornet bowling has reaped the early season success of its dedicated off-season. In a recent 36-team tournament in St. Louis the women's team finished in sixth place with Tracy Castro taking first overall. Upcoming tournaments in Las Vegas have the team thinking of a national ranking.

"The men's team is No. 1 in California," team member Russel Roach said. "The women's team is already nationally ranked and hopefully the men's team can reach top five in the nation by the end of the year."

Weightlifting may be one of the most strenuous of sports, but success has seemed to come with ease to this club sport team. Team Sacramento has had a very successful early season, with individual team members breaking numerous personal records. The squad will be sending 15 team members to the American Open in Tacoma, Washington on Dec. 17-19.

The Hornet Rugby Club has been practicing hard in preparation for the upcoming season. Over 40 team members practice two days a week from 4 p.m. until dark. Practice has consisted of a tough regime of running drills and calisthenics, but this dedicated squad is willing to do what it takes to ensure success.

During recent scrimmages the team has looked downright dominant at times, beating quality competition like Stanford, Fresno State and San Jose State. With the practice season winding down team members are looking forward to the regular season, which starts against Cal Maritime on Feb. 9.

Sac State's newest club sport has grown incredibly in its first season. The team has found a league and will compete against teams such as Berkeley, UC Davis, and UC Santa Cruz in the Northern California Women's Rugby League. Team members can't wait to kick off their inaugural campaign against UC Berkeley on Jan. 29.

"We've made great progress for being started from scratch," team captain Dara Schneider said. "Practice has been going well, we just need people to show up and stay consistent. But we're still happy to receive newcomers."

For more information on joining the Women's Rugby Club contact captain Dara Schneider at darzilla@yahoo.com or captain Hillary Gatlin at rugbygrls@hotmail.com.

Practice — this squad knows that word well. Following a league suspension for failure to pay dues the Water Polo team is spending the 1999-2000 season preparing for next year with team practices and scrimmages. However, come next season this squad should be ready to challenge for a league title.