SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1995
SECTION B
Search continues for new varsity coach positions
Gender equity aids soccer, crew teams
By Tom Erickson
Kansan sportswriter
An athletic team cannot compete without a coach, and perhaps nobody knows that better than Betsy Stephenson, Kansas associate athletic director.
Stephenson is responsible for finding head coaches for the women's crew and soccer teams, both of which will begin play on the varsity level this fall.
Both teams were previously at the club level.
The move to varsity competition stems from the recent focus on gender equity in college athletics.
The switch also should provide a better balance in revenue and sun-
port between men's and women's sports.
Betsy Stephenson
"We have interviewed two candidates for the head crew coaching position and we are in the process of getting feedback from the people with which they
interviewed on our staff," Stephenson said.
Applications for the soccer position still are being taken.
"I traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit the National Soccer Coaches Association convention this past weekend and talked to some prospective candidates there," Stephenson said. "Our hope is to narrow the list and bring people on campus to interview."
She said a decision on who the athletic department will hire should be made by next week.
The hiring committee for crew consists of Bob Frederick, athletic director; Richard Konzem, assistant athletic director; and David Amber, vice chancellor of student affairs.
Members of the soccer hiring committee are Frederick, Konzem, Jim Lapoint, associate professor of health, physical education and recreation, and Jan Kozma, professor of French and Italian.
A delay in the hiring process for the soccer coach was created when the original pool of candidates did not meet affirmative-action standards for diverse representation in regards to gender. Stephenson said.
"As a matter of policy the athletic department works with the affirmative action office on campus and adheres to the University'spublished guidelines," she said. "Once the first deadline passed, we submitted the data that is consistent with all searches.
"And at that point we received feedback that we needed to continue searching."
Trying to find a field for the soccer team is another concern for Stephenson. Several proposals have been made, but a permanent site has not been found.
The team will host three home games as part of a 17-game schedule for 1995.
"We're still pursuing our options," Stephenson said. "Our goal is to have the best possible facility."
Support from others, both in the athletic department and at the University has been encouraging for Stephenson.
"There are a lot of interested people," she said. "Because of the commitment that Dr. Frederick has made and that the Student Senate reinforced by committing the student fee dollars, I haven't heard much that is negative."
Kansas men's soccer coach Mark Salisbury said that women's soccer moving to the variety level will not hurt the team.
"This will help the men's soccer team a lot," he said. "Anytime an athletic department puts $260,000 into starting a soccer team, regardless of if it is male or female, it will help."
Bryan Tylander, captain of the Kansas men's crew team, also said he thought the move would help his squad.
"On the whole it will be a positive thing for the women on the team," he said. "The men will gain added exposure and awareness."
Steps to equity
Progress on the creation of varsity women's crew and soccer teams at Kansas:
Interviews have been held for the crew coaching position, and a decision should be reached in the next few weeks.
The original list of 80 applicants for the soccer coach position was thrown out because it failed to meet affirmative-action standards for diverse representation regarding gender.
A search is also on for a permanent site for the women's soccer field. The Jayhawks will host three home games in 1995.
Jayhawks will attempt to avenge at Allen
Kansas hopes to return favor from last year
By Christoph Fuhrmans
Kansan sportswriter
The No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks will return to the friendly confines of Allen Field House tonight to face the Kansas State Wildcats.
"The best way to get the bad taste of a loss out of your mouth is to get out there and get a W." he said.
Sophomore guard Jerod Haase said he and the rest of the Jayhawks were ready to play again after Saturday's 69-65 loss at Iowa State.
Another incentive to win tonight's game was K-State's 68-64 win last year in the field house. Kansas had just been crowned No.1 in the country by The Associated Press the day of the game. But the Jayhawks quickly lost the No.1 ranking as former K-State senior guards Askia Jones and Anthony Beane scored 26 and 18 points respectively.
Haase said he would do his best to make sure that K-State didn't repeat last year's performance, which he was not able to do because he sat out the season under NCAA transfer guidelines.
"That was a hard feeling for me because that was one time where I really felt that I could've helped the team," he said. "There was nothing I could do, and I felt so helpless."
But this time Haase will be able to help the Jayhawks, especially if he builds on his team-leading average
of 15.5 points a game.
"I'm very excited because I haven't played against K-State yet," he said. "I've had the experience to play against Missouri, and the rivalry was all it was cracked up to be. I had a great time out there and I hope to have the same type of feeling after the K-State game."
For all of Haase's emotion over last year's loss to the Wildcats, Kansas coach Roy Williams has not mentioned that game at all.
"I've said zero about it so far," he said. "I think you would do less of that because of the coaching change then you would if they still had the same coach."
Former Pepperdine Waves coach Tom Asbury is 10-5 overall and 1-2 in the Big Eight in his first season as KState head coach. Asbury replaced Dana Altman after Altman left to coach Creighton. Williams said that the combination of Asbury's coaching and the Wildcat athletes could create an un-tempo game.
"I think he wants to run more," Williams said. "I think they're trying to play a little faster and trying to use their athleticism, because they are pretty doggone athletic."
K-State won lastyear's game in the field house by using its athleticism and quickness to exploit Kansas' defense. Kansas' frontcourt of senior center Gerg Ostertag, sophomore forward Scot Pollard and freshman forward Raef LaFrentz is bigger than K-State's, but the Wildcats are quicker.
"It should present problems for them and it also should present problems for us," Williams said. "I think last year they really did a better job than we did of using it as an advantage in the game."
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
Besides being concerned about the Wildcats' quickness, Williams said that he hoped K-State would continue its shooting slump.
Kansas sophomore guard Jerod Haase battles for a rebound with Iowa State senior forward James Hamilton in the Jayhawks' second Big Eight Conference game of the season. The Cyclones defeated the Jayhawks 69-65 Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Haase is leading the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points a game.
Koves sits atop Kansas women's tennis ladder
Kansas tennis player Nora Koves, a native of Budapest, Hungary, is the only senior on the women's team this year. Koves is ranked No. 2 in the Women's singles Rolex national collegiate rankings and is trying to become the Jayhawks' first women's singles national champion.
Richard Devinki / KANSAN
By Robert Moczydlowsky
Kansan sportswriter
Few involved with college tennis could argue with that. Koves, a Budapest, Hungary, senior and the No. 2-ranked singles player in the nation, is most definitely a tennis player.
She learned that yesterday when a photographer asked her to climb a ladder, hold a tennis racquet, and "smile naturally." Koves was obviously uncomfortable.
"This is hard work," Koves said. "I'm not a model. I'm a tennis player."
Nora Koves is not a model.
"Nora is a force. She is really a talented player," Kansas women's tennis coach Chuck Merzbacher said. "As far as I'm concerned, she's one of eight people with a realistic shot at winning the national title."
For Koves, however, the national title is only a secondary goal.
I really want to play well, and qualify for the NCAA's, but I also want us to win the Big Eight," Koves said. "We have a young team, and I don't know how we'll do, but we have been practicing very hard."
The women's tennis team lost many players from last year's squad, leaving Koves as the lone senior and team leader. Merzbacher believes that Koves' influence is key to the continued success of the No.10-ranked Javahwy.
"Nora is really a great team player," Merzbacher said. "In her four years here I think she's only lost six dual meet matches. She helps the team in practice too by challenging the other players."
Kansas freshman Christie Sim said that Koves' attitude already had begun to wear off on the team.
Aside from being one of the nation's elite singles players, Koves is also the defending NCAA National Doubles champion. Koves won the title last spring while playing with former Jaya-hawk star Rebecca Jensen. After earning an entrance exemption for their NCAA victory, Koves and Jensen entered the U.S. Open this fall, where they advanced to the second round.
"Nora is so professional, we learn from her just by watching her practice," Sim said. "She has a great competitive attitude."
It's an impressive list of credentials for someone who almost wasn't a Jawhawk.
"I wanted to go to Notre Dame, but they didn't have a scholarship for me," Koves said. "Coach Center called me, and I asked if I could have a scholarship. He said yes, and I told him I'd come to Kansas. It was easy."
Michael Center, Kansas director of tennis and former women's team coach, agreed.
But even with the praise from coaches and teammates, Koves isn't about to take time to rest on her laurels.
"It was the easiest recruiting job I've ever done," Center said. "Nora's brother, who played at Ohio State, left a note on the coach's desk at Notre Dame about his sister. Notre Dame didn't want her, so they called me."
"I want to play on the professional tour after I finish here," Koves said. "It takes a lot of money to do that. You have to be sponsored. The best way for me to get a sponsor is to win the NCAA title."
The Associated Press
Asbury and the Wildcats will meet the Jayhawks at 7 tonight at Allen Field House. Last year, the Wildcats won 68-64 in Allen.
First-year Kansas State coach Tom Asbury says his program will play second fiddle to no one—not even to that program 120 miles down the interstate from Manhattan.
Absbury succeeded Dana Altman at Kansas State with the goal of taking the Wildcats to the same level as Kansas, which has played in the NCAA tournament 10 of the last 11 years.
"They are probably playing even better than I thought they -would," Asbury said of Kansas.
The Starting Lineup
KU
No. Player Pos Ht Cl PPR
21 Sean Pearson F 6 5 Jr 9.9
35 Rael Lardentz C 7 11 Fr 17.8
00 Greg Owler Lg C 7 12 Tr 19.5
11 Jacqueline Vanga C 6 1 So 9.5
11 Jered Masse C 6 3 So 19.5
Kansas St.
No. Player Pos. Ht. Cl. Pts.
13 Michael Davis G/F 6-4 St 0-0
14 George Hill C 6-8 Jr 0-5
14 Ivyane Hatcher C 6-8 Jr 0-5
14 Dhartt Hatchett C 6-0 Jr 0-5
14 Mark Young C 6-0 Pr 0-5
Wednesday, January 18
at 7:05 PM 13 on
Buffet Cavebellon
Noah Musser/KANSAN
Women's AP Top 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' women's college basketball poll through Jan. 16.
rank team record pte. pr
1. UConn (31) 13-0 775 2
2. Tennessee 16-1 738 1
3. North Carolina 16-0 699 4
4. Louisiana Tech 14-2 679 3
5. Stanford 13-1 665 5
6. Colorado 13-2 616 6
7. Texas Tech 16-2 585 7
8. Vanderbilt 16-4 543 10
9. W. Kentucky 13-0 487 13
10. Penn St. 13-0 487 12
11. Georgia 12-1 467 8
12. Virginia 11-1 385 9
13. Washington 13-4 375 15
14. Alabama 13-3 375 11
15. Kansas 13-2 368 14
16. George Wash. 11-2 368 16
17. Florida 12-3 315 18
18. Mistissippi 13-1 399 17
19. Purdue 11-5 192 22
20. Seton Hall 13-3 146 19
21. Southern Miss. 10-3 65 23
22. Texas A&M 10-4 60 25
23. Drake 13-0 56 —
24. Southern Cal 8-4 47 20
25. Duke 13-2 40 —
Others receiving votes: Oregon St. 39, Virginia Tech 39, DePaul 36, Ohio St. 33, Wisconsin 28, Florida International 27, Arkansas 21, Old Dominion 15, Oregon 14, Indiana 8, Alabama-Birmingham 5, Indiana St. 5, Minnesota 5, N.C. Charlote 5, Clemens 4, Maine 4, Wisconsin-Green Bay 4.
Source: The Associated Press KANSAN
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