Freshman Disorientation

It's a whole new universe on campus, as this magazine discovered during its first week on the quad

By John Walters

WELCOME TO THE SIOC, BIT -- Sorry. Must be freshman exuberance. Got carried away there, riffing on the summer's most memorable line, from FOX's The O.C. See, we at Sports Illustrated On Campus (The SIOC) are new to the quad. And as we gear up for the coming year, gathering tidbits from around the country, that line keeps rattling around our feverish mind....

WELCOME TO THE Y.C., as in Yale Campus, the new home to the best student-athlete who won't suit up in 2003, gold medal figure skater Sarah Hughes. Can you have a 6.0 GPA?

WELCOME TO THE D.A.C., as in the Downtown Athletic Club, host of the Heisman Trophy ceremonies in December. Our dark horse to win the award: Northern Illinois's Michael Turner, a.k.a. The Burner, who ran for 1,915 yards in '02 and 90 in the Huskies' 20-13 upset of Maryland last week.

WELCOME TO THE R.C., as in Reality Check after The Real Cancun for soccer-playing Texas Tech twins Nicole and Roxanne Frilot. They got their kicks in the spring break schlockumentary by entering a wet T-shirt contest, doffing their tops and rubbing against each other. For their antics, the twins drew a red card from their teammates, who voted them off the team. The sisters are appealing the decision.

WELCOME TO THE N.C., as in North Carolina, where Tar Heels junior shot-putter Laura Gerraughty, who never metacarpal she didn't like, has broken each finger at least twice.

WELCOME TO THE B.C., as in Bowling Championships. The first NCAA women's bowling tournament will be held in March. So why doesn't Bowling Green have a team?

WELCOME TO THE M.C., as in Mascot Care. Auburn's mascot, a golden eagle named Tiger, tested positive for West Nile Virus and missed Saturday's opener against USC while undergoing treatment at the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center.

WELCOME TO THE S.C., as in Southern Cal. Trojan freshman quarterback John David Booty skipped his senior season of high school and left Shreveport, La., for L.A., only to be beaten out for the starting job by sophomore Matt Leinart, who hails from Orange County...and is dating surfing poster girl Veronica Kay.

I guess that's how they do it in The O.C.

SI ON CAMPUS Sports Illustrated On Campus, a new magazine covering college sports and collegiate lifestyles, is available as an insert in 72 major college newspapers across the country every Thursday throughout the school year. Click any link below to see selected content from the inaugural issue: Scorecard: Dear LeBron: Here's what you're missing Road Trip: Penn State. Annals of School Spirit: Yell Practice at Texas A&M The Final: Freshman Disorientation Cover Story: Meet five athletes who are making over college sports

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