THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2008
SPORTS
3B
football notes
Mark Mangino held a press conference Wednesday to discuss Kansas football's 2008 signing class. The press conference was originally scheduled for last Wednesday – the first day of the spring signing period – but inclement weather forced the postponement.
All of the 20 players in Kansas signing class should qualify academically in time for next season, Mangino said. If all of the incoming players are eligible, Kansas will have two open scholarships. Mangino said he planned to grant two current veteran walk-on players the scholarships, but hadn't decided which players he
There will be plenty of position battles to analyze once spring practice begins on March 12.
would reward.
Hoge
but the kicker spot probably will not be up in the air. Mangino said sophomore kicker Stephen Hoge was the favorite to win the job vacated by now-graduated Scott Webb.
Four of the new Jayhawks are already on campus for spring workouts and practices. Junior
offensive tackle Nathan D'Cunha, sophomore wide receiver Rod Harris, freshman quarterback Kale Pick and freshman tight end Nick Plato are the newcomers who have enrolled early.
Asher Fusco
TRACK AND FIELD
Team breaks records during trip to New York
BY DANNY NORDSTROM
dnordstrom@kansan.com
Senior sprinter Julius Iles' eyes lit up when he started to talk about his recent trip to New York City. "It was a great atmosphere for track," he said. "They love track in New York."
Senior pole-vaucher Kate Sultanova felt the same way. "I didn't want to come back," she said. "I wanted to stay. It was so amazing."
The Kansas Track and Field Team's visit to the New Balance CollegeI Invitational last weekend was a profound success. The 22nd ranked men and 18th ranked women faced a huge field of competitors, filled with some of the best teams in the nation, and managed to come away with three victories.
Sultanova won the women's pole vault after she set a new meet record and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Her gift of 4.30 meters (14 feet, 1.25 inches) is currently the highest jump made by a woman in the country.
Following Sultanova's performance, sophomore pole-vaulter Jordan Scott had the opportunity to make his mark.
"It was really cool to watch her (Sultanova) break the meet record and tie her PR with the best jump
in America. And then I got on the runway knowing what she had just done and wanted to do really well too because there's no excuse if someone else did that well."
Scott met his high expectations by doing essentially the same as Sulanona. He won the event and set a new meet record with his automatic NCAA qualifying jump of 5.50 meters (18.5 feet.)
Regarding his trip to New York City, Scott said, "Thursday and Friday we got to walk around the city and sightsee. By the time I got to jump on Saturday, I felt like I was at home"
The Jayhawks might as well have been at home. In addition to Scott and Sultanova's domination, senior Egor Agafonov set yet another meet record in the men's weight throw. His 22.13-meter thrown landed him an automatic trip to the NCAA Championships. Agafonov was the first student-athlete in the nation this year to break the 22-meter mark.
Junior sprinter Nickesha Anderson continued to shine in New York as well. She broke her own school record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.28 seconds. The performance was good enough for a respectable fourth place.
Anderson wasn't the only one to run a season best time in New York. Jiles' performance in the 60-meter hurdles was his best this season as
"I had the greatest start of my life," he said. "Coming out of the blocks, I really didn't expect to be in front all ready."
well. He placed ninth with a time of 7.88 seconds.
liles' excitement isn't limited to his own performance.
"The team is coming together a lot more quickly than I thought we would," he said. "I'm expecting us to be at least in the top four at the end of the season."
Junior sprinter Jarrell Rollins ran the 500-meter dash for the first time this season and faired well. He took eighth place with a time of 4.19 seconds. Rollins said the New Balance Invitational gave the Jayhawks positive momentum.
"A performance like this gives us great confidence going into the Big 12 Conference Championship," he said.
The Jayhawks hope to take their positive energy from New York into their meets this weekend. The team will split up between the ISU Classic in Ames, Iowa and the Tyson Invitation in Fayetteville, Ark.
"I'm expecting a lot of big things to happen this weekend," liles said. "Everybody's a lot more focused just because they went into an atmosphere where it was just like a national championship meet."
Senior pole-vaulter Kate Sultanova competes at the Jayhawk Classic on Jan. 25th. The Jayhwaks participated last week at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City.
Edited by Mandy Earles
>> NFL
No regrets for destruction of Spygate tapes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., face-to-face that he doesn't regret destroying the Spygate tapes.
"I think it was the right thing to do," Goodell said Wednesday after meeting for more than an hour with Specter, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary committee. Goodell noted that "we were the ones that disclosed" the New England Patriots' illegal taping of the New York Jets' defensive signals.
"I have nothing to hide." Goodell said.
Specter requested the meeting so Goodell could explain his decision to destroy the tapes and notes from the case, which go back to 2002. Patriots coach Bellichick was fined $500,000 and the team was fined $250,000. The Patriots also forfeited a first-round draft pick.
Goodell said that Belichick, New England's coach since 2000, told him that he believed the taping was legal, implying that he's been doing it since he has been the head coach. Goodell said he did not concur.
Specter has questioned the quality of the NFLs investigation into the
matter and has raised the possibility of congressional hearings if he wasn't satisfied with Goodell's answers. Specter also raised the threat of Congress canceling the league's antitrust exemption and reiterated that in the meeting with Goodell.
Goodell said he has offered Walsh a deal whereby "he has to tell the truth and he has to return anything he took improperly."
Goodell also said he reserves the right to reopen the investigation if more information is uncovered.
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