University Daily Kansan
Friday, February 24, 1978
7
Trackmen ready for title defense
By WALT BRAUN
Associate Sports Editor
The last time the KU track team competed at the Nebraska Sports Complex in Lincoln, Neb., the Jayhawks suffered their first dual meet defeat in two years.
This weekend the setting is the same, but the Jahyhaws hope to fare better and repeat that success.
KU, Oklahoma and Nebraska, which beat KU by 30 points on 10 Jan. 28, are the teams to beat in the 50th annual Big Eight Indoor Track meet. The meet starts tonight with trials and preliminaries and the finals will be held Saturday afternoon.
was a
KU head track coach Timmons said, that although KU was the defending champion and had won eight of the last 11 indoor championship, it would not be taking the competition lively.
ma to it, like a apple with the lace ent to the
ttings as different
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"WE KNOW WE LOST to Nebraska and know that if we let up at all we can lose this," he said. "Nobody on this team will go up to Nebraska complacent.
ally was
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play had
continually
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lay.
"I's going to be very close, a dogfight," Timmons said yesterday. "I think Nebraska, because of their depth and speed, to be considered the favorite in the meet."
Buffalo's led to the way in used after
Kansas boasts world-class spinner Cliff Wiley, who has run five 6-second-flat 60 yard dashes; the nation's best collegiate quarter-miler. Stan Whitaker; Lester Mickens, who has run KU's fastest 400, and defending pole vault champion Tao Bales, both from Kentucky, to the best high jump in the conference this year, and hurdler Anthony Coleman.
"Then KU and Oklahoma have the next battlefield," followed by Missouri and Kansas State.
e" will be night and for $3.25 Hall Box ee with a
Nebraska is led by spinner Scott Poelling, whose 600 time of 1.09:10 is the fastest in the world this year but only eight hundreths of a second before another Husker, is the favorite in both hurdles over Cedar and Missouri's Dan Leavitt.
AAU meet includes KU
Competing against the top college athletes in the nation, two members of the KU women's track team will participate in the NCAA championship. Madison Square Garden in New York today.
Sophonore Sheila Calmese will compete in her two specialties, the 60- and 300-yard race.
Last Sunday, Calmese qualified for the AAU meet by winning the 60 in 6.89 and the 300 in 35.37 at the Big Eight Indoor Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
Also competing in the AU meet will be high jumper Shawn Corwin. Corwin qualified for the meet by jumping 5-8 in a meet earlier this season.
"I'm confident that Sheila and Shawn will do all right," Anderson said. "If they finish in the top two in their event, they'll be a part of the U.S. track team that will participate in an international track meet in Milan, Italy, in March."
Track coach Teri Anderson said she both girls had the ability to do well in the music class.
KANSAN Sports
Timmons said that, although the conference was blessed with outstanding individuals in almost every event, no single athlete was assured of first place.
"No one in this meet will compete unopposed," he said. "Take Cliff Wiley—we think he is the best there is in the 60 and 300, but Snoddy (William) of Oklahoma matches Cliffs 300 time, and several are close in the 60.
"AND EVEN if Cliff wins, won't win the meet for us. It'll be a meet where every point that is scored will be important. The team won lost by a team, not individuals."
In addition to Snoddy in the sprites, Oklahoma features Randy Wilson in the
COLORADO'S STRENGTH appears to be in the outer distances. The Buffaloes have a solid and balanced arm, and they
middle distances. Wilson is the conference favorite in the 880 and the 1,000.
Missouri is led by Andrew Agbebaku, who has the longest triple jumps and long jump in the conference, and by shot putter, Steve Moore.
Timmons said KU would need points in nearly every event if it hoped to return to the top.
Because of a new scoring system that awards points to the first six places in each event, Timmons said the meet placed a sixth at 56.4 and standing talent hit also on high quality depth.
"SECONDS AND thirds will be more important than in the past," he said, "because the scoring is on a 10-8-6-4-2 basis."
Gymnasts oppose top-ranked Sooners
Chances are, you rush through a lot of your life. Stop, Relax. Take your time.
Enjoy the hearty, happy flavor of O'Keefe Canadian Ale. One sip at a time. A little goes a long way to satisfy your thirst, to satisfy your taste. It's that good.
It's not as if the university of Kansas men's gymnastics team wouldn't like to win Saturday a home meet with Oklahoma and not because it is just that circumstances may prevent it.
Not only are the Sooners, the defending Big Eight and co-NCA4A champions currently ranked first in the nation, but injuries to some important Jayhawks have caused KU coach Bob Lockwood to set his sights lower than a victory.
"Realistically, we can't expect to beat Oklahoma," he said. "They are on a level of gymnastics different from ours. We just need to learn and force them to really perform to beat us."
Printed in U.S.A. Imported by Century Importers, Inc. New York, N.Y. 10022
INSTEAD OF winning the meet set to 2 at p. 12, in Robinson Gymnasium, Washington.
hinder Brad Foech, freshman all-around, if he is able to compete.
"Competition this good may make the team do better," he said. "Our goal is to hit 75 percent of our routines. If we can do it, you'll probably set another score recording."
record and 215.41 point-a-meet-average will sour his team to a new scoring record.
KU has lost two gymmasts for the meet, and another may compete injured. Mike Laden, who two weeks ago scored a 9.4 vault against Nebraska—a tie for KU's fifth-ranked team in the game this week. "Not broken the ankle is too swollen to allow him to compete."
Ken Dunn, a junior rings specialist,
separated his shoulder while playing
against Nebraska and is lost for the
season. A sprained wrist, meanwhile, will
KU PROBABLY WILL up being more concerned about beating its guests from New Mexico, Lockwood says. The top-ranked junior college team in the nation, NJMJ is capable of breaking the 200-point barrier, he said.
"We're going to need a good performance to beat them," he said.
Lockwood has emphasized in practice the pommel horse, and parallel bars, where he expects the Jayhawks to help make up the loss of Laden and Dunn.
KU, on the basis of its record 269.9 score two weeks ago, is ranked 180th nationally. The Jayhawks are averaging 201.23 points a meet.
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K.U. STUDENT BASKETBALL TICKETS POST SEASON BIG EIGHT BASKETBALL PLAY-OFFS
DATE: TUES., FEB. 28, 7:30 P.M.
(1ST ROUND)
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
PRICE: $2.00
PLACE: Athletic Ticket Office Allen Field House
QUALIFICATIONS: Validated 1978
Spring K.U. ID.
Required For Purchase
ADMITTANCE TO GAME: Ticket and Validated Spring K.U. ID.
A block of tickets will be available for students to purchase for the semi-finals and finals in Kansas City immediately following the 1st round game. Available at the Athletic Ticket Office.
ALL STUDENT TICKETS ARE RESERVED SE Sold on first come first serve basis