Monthly Archives: October 2010

THE FEEL-GOOD STORY OF THE FALL CONTINUES

 The Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers volleyball team continues their movie-like turnaround. At 1 point the ladies were a very glum 1-7 and are now boasting a 13-9 record. The Grenadiers’ latest victory came over the Oakland City University Mighty Oaks, who are sure to be featured as 1 of my Cool-Named Teams Of The Day sometime soon. IUS won in 4 sets, by scores of 25-20, 25-13, 18-25 and 25-18. Appropriate for a team called the Grenadiers the ladies had a total of 47 kills in the match. For some noteable stats from the IUS players, complete with their official Balladeer’s Blog nicknames, just read on:

Lindsey “Aces Wild” Maymon had a match-high 13 kills (and 21 wounded – rimshot) while her teammate “Judex” Julie Roeder had 11 kills of her own. (Insert your own “A Kill-Count Of One’s Own” joke here) “Stormin'” Lauren McCartin contributed 3 kills, 3 assists and 7 kills. McCartin normally plays at the “short-stop of volleyball” libero position but for this game was replaced in that role by Emily “Starry” Knight.

The Grenadiers next travel to the Pikeville Bears this Saturday and will be back in New Albany, IN on Tuesday, October 12th, hosting the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders. Tickets for IUS volleyball matches are $7 for adults. If you tell them you read about the team in Balladeer’s Blog they’ll pay YOU $7.00! (I’m kidding!)

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THE COOLEST HELMETS IN THE KANSAS COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Team: TABOR COLLEGE BLUEJAYS

Division: NAIA

Site: http://www.taborbluejays.com/

Comment: Yes, as a “Confidential Source” revealed to Balladeer’s Blog back when I did the 20 Coolest College Sports Logos, Tabor has gotten rid of the boring “TC” helmets and brought back an even cooler version of the Bluejay profile helmets! These things are great looking and are guaranteed to produce additional wins all by themselves!

For past Cool Helmets that weren’t on the Top 20 List click here: https://glitternight.com/category/cool-helmets/

For Cool-Named Teams that weren’t on that Top 20 List click here: https://glitternight.com/category/cool-names-and-cool-logos/

For the NCAA Division 3′s Coolest-Named Teams click here: https://glitternight.com/d3-20-coolest/      

 For the NAIA edition of The 20 Coolest College Sports Teams You May Never Have Heard Of click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/06/21/the-20-coolest-named-college-sports-teams-you-may-have-never-heard-of-naia-edition/ 

 For The 20 Coolest College Sports Logos click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/07/20/the-20-coolest-college-sports-logos/ 

 For The 20 Coolest Football Helmets In NCAA Division 3 click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/08/23/the-20-coolest-football-helmets-in-ncaa-division-3/    

 For the 20 Coolest-Named Sports Teams In NCAA Division 2 click here: https://glitternight.com/d2-20-coolest/  

 Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions.   

 © Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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PALM BEACH ATLANTIC SAILFISH RETURN TO THEIR WINNING WAYS

 

Courtesy of Palm Beach Atlantic Sports Information. The parenthetical remarks are purely my fault.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- With sophomore Mariela Quesada (Official Balladeer’s Blog nickname “The Q”) leading the way with 18 kills, the Palm Beach Atlantic University volleyball team shook off a recent two match losing streak on Tuesday evening by handing St. Thomas University a 3-0 loss at the Rubin Arena. Despite battling team-wide injuries the Fish managed to earn solid victories over the Bobcats to drop STU to 10-3 on the season and interrupt their recent seven match winning streak.

After starting the season 11-0, the Fish were tripped up their previous two matches with losses versus Lynn University (The Fighting Knights, to distinguish them from all those Pacifist Knights out there) at home (3-0) and a heartbreaking loss of 3-2 versus Florida Tech (The Panthers. I’m trying to talk them into changing their name to The Pink Panthers but no luck so far.)in Melbourne (Florida, not Australia, as I learned after arriving Down Under to cover the game) last week. Tuesday evening would be a different opponent and a different outcome as PBA (Palm Beach Atlantic, NOT the Professional Bowler’s Association) dominated with 25-13, 25-21, and 25-13 victories to cruise to their 12th win.

Quesada (“The Q”) and the Fish (The Sailfish) came out firing in game one as the 5’9″ outside-hitter produced eight kills (and left several seriously wounded) in the team’s first set while also mixing in as a setting option in games two and three.

Hitting .378 for the match, Quesada led the Sailfish hitting efforts with her 18 kills (In honor of Quesada’s nickname they should call them “Quills” when she gets them) while also adding in 10 digs for yet another double-double. As a team, Palm Beach Atlantic finished with a .344 team hitting percentage while four players hit at least .333.

Senior Jennifer (“Eldritch”) Eldridge produced six kills as did freshman Paige (“The Rage”)  Mitchell and junior (“Jumping”) Janeen McCormick. Mitchell and McCormick also produced well on the block as Mitchell led the team with four block assists and McCormick chipped in with a solo block and block assist.

(“J-Way” herself) Jessica Way (I was going to call her Jessica “Curds And” Way but thought better of it.) managed 33 assists in the win while also adding in four kills on four attempts for a perfect hitting percentage. Allie Warren (Official Balladeer’s Blog Nickname: “The Lethal Libero”) produced 15 digs to lead the way defensively while Eldridge and Quesada joined Warren with double-digit totals in digs with 10 digs each. (But did any of them remember to “Call before you” dig?)

The Bobcats were led on the night by Betina Schmidt who came away with a team-high 11 kills. The Brazil native managed a .219 hitting percentage but had only two teammates with at least four kills. STU connected for a .030 team hitting percentage but were held to negative hitting percentages in set one and three. (Courtesy of that potent Sailfish defense! I’ll say it even though their release is too modest to!)

PBA (This time it DOES mean the Professional Bowlers Association, oddly enough) will have the next few days off from game action while they prepare to host the Pepsi Bash at the Beach Tournament on Friday and Saturday, October 8-9 at the Rubin Arena.

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WOMEN’S TENNIS: ALVERNO INFERNO FINISHES THEIR FALL SEASON

 MADISON, Wis. — The Alverno College tennis team concluded its season at the  2010 Northern Athletics Conference Individual Championship this weekend at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.

Sophomore Abigail Kohal (Wauwatosa, Wis./West) advanced the furthest in
the singles play, reaching the semifinals of the B-flight tournament before falling to Aurora University‘s Elizabeth Pfaff in two sets, 7-5, 6-3.

Kohal’s three wins in the tournament doubled her season win total,
finishing up 2010 at 6-12 in singles play.

“Abigail played the best tennis she’s played all season,” Alverno head
coach Erin Felber said.

Gabby Allen (Milwaukee/Bay View) made it to the quarterfinals of the
B-flight tournament, also losing to Pfaff. Allen won the first set 6-2,
before dropping the second set 7-6 on a 10-5 tiebreaker, and then being
edged out in the third set 7-5.

With her two tournament wins, Allen finished the season with a team-best
singles record of 9-7.

Senior Sherquila Riley (Milwaukee/Washington) was the only other Inferno
player to pick up a win in singles play. Riley won her first match of
the C-flight tournament, 8-5, over MSOE‘s Marguerite Wellstein before
falling to eventual runner-up Emily Hereford of Dominican University,
8-0, in the round of 16.

Riley closed out the season at 7-9 in singles play.

In doubles action, Kohal teamed up with Andrea Derrick (Greenfield,
Wis.) and received the B-flight tournament’s top seed. The duo advanced
to the semifinals, before falling to Marian University‘s fourth-seeded
team of Rachel Brotz and Rebecca Hezcko, 8-2.

“Andrea and Abigail played great together at doubles. They worked and
communicated well with each other and they fought hard until the end.”

Alverno–in just its second season of intercollegiate
competition–finished the season with a 5-9 overall mark, and was tied
for eighth at 4-7 in the NAC standings, just a win back of making the
NAC team tournament in the spring.

“I’m very proud of the improvements we made throughout the season. We’ve
come a long way from last year and the Alverno tennis program is headed
in the right direction.”

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TJEERDSMANIA: CATCH IT IN THIS WEEK’S SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Here's a pic from those rare moments when Coach Tjeerdsma isn't coaching the Bearcats in the D2 Championship Game.

Mel Tjeerdsma, Head Football Coach for  the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, is interviewed by former NFL quarterback (And QB-rearing machine) Archie Manning in the Oct 4th issue of Sports Illustrated, at newsstands now(I always wanted to say “at newsstands now”). Tjeerdsma, pronounced CHURCH-ma (In a related note, even though my last name is spelled W-O-Z-N-I-A-K it’s pronounced “Johnson”. Go figure.), led his team to their 3rd overall D2 Football Championship last December. That was the 5th year in a row that the Bearcats played in the title game, by the way. You try keeping a team full of youngsters, many of whom are shaking from withdrawal after being on the football field without access to their Twitter accounts for several minutes, focused through playoff game after playoff game just once, let alone 5 years in a row! Tjeerdsma is being interviewed as D2’s Liberty Mutual Coach Of The Year and, among other topics, discusses preparing students for life after football, a commitment to community involvement and his father.   

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NUGGETS: OCTOBER 5TH

 The UC-San Diego Tritons volleyball team moved above .500 Saturday night with a win over the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros in straight sets. The scores were 26-24, 25-20 and again 25-20 and the ladies’ record is now 7-6 on the season. Stat leaders for the match were Katie “Mighty KC” Condon with 12 kills and 10 digs; her teammate Thalia “Muse” McCann also had a double-double with 11 digs and 30 assists; Janessa “Finesse-A” Werhane, in the libero position, contributed 20 digs; Roxanne “Digger” Brunsting registered 16 digs and “The Killer A”, Alanna Rutan had 8 kills. The Tritons will next see action against the Cal State-San Bernardino Coyotes Friday night at 7pm Pacific Time.  

 Georgia’s Albany State Golden Rams are rolling at 5-0, having routed the Lane Dragons on Saturday by a score of 43-13. The Fleeces (as I like to call them for short) were led by Robert “Meltin'” Welton who rushed for 138 yds and 2 touchdowns while LiRonnie Davis had 2 td receptions. The score was just 14-7 at halftime, but in the 2nd half ASU’s “Dirty Blue Defense” clamped down even harder and the offense, guided by QB Stanley Jennings, asserted itself. This coming Saturday  the Golden Rams celebrate Homecoming, Auric Goldfinger-style, welcoming the Golden Bears of Miles College.

 Turning to women’s golf, the Concordia (WI) Falcons won their 2nd straight Northern Athletics Conference title over the weekend. By the way, I think 100 years from now sports reports will be full of stories on institutions like Concordia (Mars) and Bethel (Alpha Centauri) but I’m kind of weird. Anyway, the Falcons were led by medalist Muriel McIntyre (make that “magnificent medalist Muriel McIntyre”) who shot 160 (75 on Day 1 and 85 on Day 2) for her 3rd straight individual conference championship. The Falcons’ total score was 756 (386 and 370) with the Edgewood Eagles in 2nd with a total score of 785 (390 and 395).

 The Cumberlands Patriots retained possession of the Brass Lantern, the trophy that they and their rivals the Union Bulldogs (I’ll admit it. I’ve run out of “Union” related jokes after yesterday’s Joe Hill bit) play for. The Pats won by a score of 35-21 on Homecoming. The crucial matchup in the Mid-South Conference‘s Western Division had an extend audience since it was the Victory Sports Network Game Of The Week. Offensively QB “Jammin'” Jay Bright accomplished more with his legs than his arm yesterday, going just 4 of 11 for 73 yds through the air for 1 score and 52 yds for 3 td’s on the ground. The leading rusher for the Patriots was Terrance “The Bad TC” Cobb with 91 yds on 13 carries. This was the 5th year in a row that Cumberlands has beaten the Bulldogs for the Brass Lantern.

 Lincoln Memorial University’s women’s soccer team has set a new school record for the best start to a season at 9-0. The Railsplitters reached this milestone with a 5-1 rout of the Cumberlands Patriots. Samantha Meek inherited the Earth early on in the game, giving the Railsplitters a 1-nil lead off a pass from Sarah “The Midfield Maniac” Taylor. 4 minutes later Sarah Harvey, “The Rabbit” herself, added another LMU goal off an assist from “Lethal” Leslie Wilson. In the 53rd minute of the game the Patriots cut the lead to 2-1, but that just made the Railsplitters angry and an offensive onslaught began. Midfield Maniac Taylor went ballistic, scoring LMU’s next goal 6 minutes later and assisting in the final 2 goals, which were slammed in by Karen “Dr B” Boleska and Jennah “Killwho?” Kilroy. This Wednesday the ladies welcome their arch-rivals the Carson-Newman Eagles.  

 Frank Miriello, Head Football Coach for the Washington and Lee Generals, set a school record for victories at 77 when his team roughed up the Guilford Quakers 55-29 this past weekend. The 55 points the Generals scored was the most they had scored in a game since 1962 in a win over the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats. Washington and Lee led 20-15 at half-time and then exploded in the 3rd quarter for 3 unanswered touchdowns. In the 4th quarter the teams exchanged 2 touchdowns apiece and Miriello, in his 16th year commanding the Generals, took his well-deserved place in the record books. This Saturday Washington and Lee take on the Emory and Henry Wasps at 1:30pm Eastern Time.

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TODAY’S COOL-NAMED SPORTS TEAM- CARNEGIE MELLON

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY TARTANS

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Division: NCAA Division 3

Conference Affiliation: University Athletic Association 

Major sports: football, basketball, soccer, volleyball

Site: http://www.cmu.edu/athletics/sports/index.html

Comment: “If it isn’t Scottish IT’S CRAP!”  As cool as Carnegie Hall and Mellon Bank are separately, like peanut butter and jelly they just get better when combined in their respective namesakes’ university. And as a bonus here’s their incredibly cool football helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/ 

For the NCAA Division 3′s Coolest-Named Teams click here: https://glitternight.com/d3-20-coolest/      

 For the NAIA edition of The 20 Coolest College Sports Teams You May Never Have Heard Of click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/06/21/the-20-coolest-named-college-sports-teams-you-may-have-never-heard-of-naia-edition/ 

 For The 20 Coolest College Sports Logos click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/07/20/the-20-coolest-college-sports-logos/ 

 For The 20 Coolest Football Helmets In NCAA Division 3 click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/08/23/the-20-coolest-football-helmets-in-ncaa-division-3/    

 For the 20 Coolest-Named Sports Teams In NCAA Division 2 click here: https://glitternight.com/d2-20-coolest/  

 Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions.   

 © Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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NOTEWORTHY RESULTS FROM OCTOBER 2ND’S ACTION

Top 25 Upsets – NAIA – The 14th-ranked Azusa Pacific Cougars suffered their 1st loss of the season on the road against the Webber International Warriors 13-10. The Cougars are now 4-1 and the Warriors are hoping to be ranked in the next poll…The #21 Dakota Wesleyan Tigers were upset by the unranked Midland Lutheran Warriors 21-19. All in all it was a good day to be an unranked team called the Warriors taking on a ranked foe with a feline mascot.

Top 25 Upsets – NCAA Division 3 – Just one very minor upset in the rankings on Saturday as the #16 Linfield Wildcats defeated the #15 Willamette Bearcats in a 35-7 beatdown.

Top 25 Upsets – NCAA Division 2 – The 16th-ranked Edinboro Scots were hammered at home 18-0 by the unranked IUP Crimson Hawks…The #13 Tusculum Pioneers fell on the road to the unranked Mars Hill Lions 45-39 and completing our hat-trick of unranked D2 teams beating ranked opponents are the Humboldt State Lumberjacks who hosted the 12th-ranked Central Washington Wildcats in a 25-24 upset. 

The Notre Dame Falcons And NWOSU Rangers Rule The World – The NAIA’s Notre Dame College Falcons are only in their 1st year of intercollegiate football and this week logged their 1st upset of a higher-division team, and a road upset at that! They beat NCAA Division 2’s Central State Marauders 16-13 in an Instant Classic. The NW Oklahoma State Rangers meanwhile had a much easier win in another NAIA upset of a D2 team. The Rangers crushed the Missouri S&T Miners 43-14 in their own house.   

“It’s Not News If A House Isn’t On Fire” Dept – The Top-ranked teams in the divisions Balladeer’s Blog covers all won big yesterday. In the NAIA the Sioux Falls Cougars had their 1st shutout of the year as they rolled over the NWU  Prairie Wolves by a score of 44-0. The Cougars are 5-0 and continuing their quest to threepeat as National Champs in football…In D3 the Whitewater Warhawks crushed the Platteville Pioneers 49-17. D3’s 2nd-ranked Mt Union Purple Raiders also won big over the 8th-ranked Ohio Northern Polar Bears 27-0.The possibility for a 6th straight Warhawks vs Purple Raiders clash for the D3 title is still very much alive…D 2’s MN-Duluth Bulldogs rolled on the road, eviscerating the MSU-Moorhead Dragons by a score of 56-7.  

Reach For The Brass Lantern – The Cumberlands Patriots get to keep the Brass Lantern for the 5th straight year following a win over the Union Bulldogs (Somewhere the spirit of Joe Hill is weeping) The Brass Lantern is the trophy those 2 intense rivals play for, and this game will be examined more closely in my next Nuggets entry.

Whose Turn Was It To Beat The Clan? – The Dixie State Red Storm became the latest American team to defeat the Simon Fraser Clan. The Red Storm won in a 28-21 Instant Classic in the Clan’s back yard. Simon Fraser is 1 of the Canadian schools that play in the USA‘s lower divisions.  

Bear Market – The Ursinus Bears are off to the quietest 5-0 start I’ve ever seen. Yesterday they stayed perfect by winning at the Gettysburg Bullets 49-39. Their combination of a perfectly apt nickname and really cool helmets have always made them a Balladeer’s Blog favorite!  

We Went To A Football Game And A Baseball Game Broke Out –  This week’s entry is the Muskingum Muskies’ 3-0 win over the Wilmington Quakers. If this season provides us with a 2-nothing game I plan to do a feature article on it! I’m kidding.  

They Shoot Football Players, Don’t They? – This week’s Marathon Game Award goes to the Triple Overtime Instant Classic between the CW Post Pioneers and the West Chester Golden Rams. The Pioneers won by a score of 39-37.  

“Our Division Can Beat Up Your Division” Dept – In the ongoing rivalry between the NAIA and NCAA Division 3 there was only 1 game yesterday. D3’s Whitworth Pirates defeated the Menlo Oaks 20-7.

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THE COOLEST HELMET IN THE MID-AMERICA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

Team: NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS

Location: Maryville, MO 

Division: NCAA Division 2

Site: http://www.nwmissouri.edu/sports/

Comment: The Bearcats have won 3 total D2 National Championships in football (my favorite being the multiple-OT epic in 1999), are the reigning D2 champs and have played in the last 5 title games in a row! They even have former players on NFL rosters! Much of the credit for this success goes to the Bearcats’  Head Coach Mel Tjeerdsma (Official Balladeer’s Blog Motto – “Tjeerdsma: It’s not pronounced ANYTHING like it’s spelled!”) but the rest of the credit goes to these incredibly cool helmets! (I’m kidding!) And if you’re wondering, it’s pronounced “CHURCH-ma”.

For the NCAA Division 3′s Coolest-Named Teams click here: https://glitternight.com/d3-20-coolest/      

 For the NAIA edition of The 20 Coolest College Sports Teams You May Never Have Heard Of click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/06/21/the-20-coolest-named-college-sports-teams-you-may-have-never-heard-of-naia-edition/ 

 For The 20 Coolest College Sports Logos click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/07/20/the-20-coolest-college-sports-logos/ 

 For The 20 Coolest Football Helmets In NCAA Division 3 click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/08/23/the-20-coolest-football-helmets-in-ncaa-division-3/    

 For the 20 Coolest-Named Sports Teams In NCAA Division 2 click here: https://glitternight.com/d2-20-coolest/  

 Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions.   

 © Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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THE ALVERNO INFERNO HAVE BURNED THROUGH THE REGULAR SEASON; HOPE TO INCINERATE POST-SEASON OPPONENTS

In women’s college tennis, the Alverno Inferno closed out the regular season with a win over the Mt Mary College Blue Angels. The following courtesy of Alverno Sports Information:

MILWAUKEE — All four seniors on the Alverno College tennis team picked up victories en route to a 6-3 victory over visiting Mt. Mary College in
a nonconference match on Senior Day at Humboldt Park in Milwaukee.

“Awesome!” Alverno head coach Erin Felber said. “What a great win for
the seniors and a great team win.”

Trailing 3-2, the Inferno seniors won the last four matches of the dual
to seal the victory in the final team event of the fall season.

Amanda Almquist (Greenfield, Wis.) tied things up with a 6-1, 6-1
victory at No. 1 singles, setting the momentum of the match in Alverno’s favor. The next match to finish was at No. 5 singles as Sherquila Riley (Milwaukee/Washington) won a marathon of a match 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 including an 11-9 tiebreaker in the final set.

Gabby Allen (Milwaukee/Bay view) then clinched the team victory with her 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 win at No. 3 singles to improve her record to 7-6 on the season.

In the middle of a battle herself, Andrea Derrick’s (Greenfield, Wis.)
No. 4 singles match went to a third set 10-point tiebreaker with the
team result already decided. Derrick took the first set 6-4 before
dropping the second set 7-5. She then completed the senior sweep in
singles play taking the third set 10-7.

In doubles play the Inferno took two of the three matches to begin play
with wins at No. 2 and 3 doubles. Allen and Almquist picked up their
seventh victory of the season with an 8-5 win at the two-spot. Riley
teamed up with freshman Devon Wiseman (Wauwatosa, Wis./West) for the 8-5 win and eighth victory of the season at the three-spot.

Tonight was the final team match of the season for the Inferno (5-9)
before the 2010 Northern Athletics Conference Individual Championship
Tournament this weekend at Nielsen Tennis Center in Madison. The
visiting Blue Angels dropped to 3-10 on the season.

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