Friday, April 16. 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B·Page 3
Junior golfer excels, fills No. 5 spot
By Brad Hallier sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
By Brad Hallier
Before the spring season began for the men's golf team, it was obvious who the top four golfers were.
Senior Chris Thompson, a 1998 All-American, junior Ryan Vermeer, ranked 43rd in the country, junior Brad Davis and sophomore Conrad Roberts were clearly the top four choices for coach Ross Randall.
Selecting the crucial fifth man was going to be a tough task, or so Randall thought.
Randall: Found that picking No. 5 spot wasn't that difficult.
But the selection turned out to be an easy one
Junior Jake Istnick has gone from being in the pool of golfers fighting for the fifth spot to being one of the nicest surprises for the Jayhawks this year. His play has earned
him not only a regular spot on the team, but a ranking of 81st in the country in the latest MasterCard Rankings.
"I really like the way Jake has come around this spring." Randall said, "Going into this spring, I wasn't even sure if he'd be in the top five, but he has played well."
Istnick, who won his first collegiate individual title at the Stevinson Ranch Invitational in March, said that he knew it would be tough to crack the top five going into the spring season.
"I practiced a lot over the winter, and once I got the opportunity, I knew that I had to play well," he said. "I'm really happy with the success that I've had this year."
Istrick and the rest of the Jayhawks will travel to their final spring tournament before post-season play begins this week at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe, Ariz.
"This is going to be a good tournament," Randall said. "It's one of the best tournaments in the country, and this will be the first time we've faced Oklahoma State, so it will be interesting to see how we stack up against them."
esting to see how we should the Cowboys, who have won 37 out of the last 41 conference titles, are ranked fifth in the country. Among the other teams that the
31st-ranked Jayhawks will face include 11th-ranked Washington, 21st-ranked Oklahoma, 24th-ranked California, 25th-ranked Stanford, 37th-ranked UCLA and 38th-ranked Southern California.
After this weekend, Kansas will take a week off and prepare for the Big 12 Conference Championships. Randall said that his team usually had two weeks or more off before the conference championships.
store the conference "A week off before the Big 12 Championships is about right," he said. "In the past, I've felt the two or two and a-half weeks is too long."
the two teams. Istknd said that the Jayhawks have all but wrapped up a spot at regionals, which is the NCAA Championships qualifying tournament. For that, Istknd said that he felt this weekend would be good because there would be less pressure on Kansas to perform well.
"I think that by securing a spot at regionals, it has taken the edge off for this weekend," he said. "We've had a strong season, and a good finish this weekend in a strong field can only build our confidence and improve our rankings, so this weekend I think we'll see what this team is made of."
— Edited by Keith Burner
Players waiting
Continued from page 1B
"Man, I was sitting there in my boxers during my physical (which lasts six hours), and I got one guy yanking on my arm, while another is down there tugging on my knee. It was crazy." Dercher said. "The whole time, they shuttle you around from station to station like cattle. They prance you out on a stage in your boxers so all the NFL people sitting there can look at you and take notes."
take notes.
"And you have to get up at 5:30, so you're too tired to be nervous when it's time to run and do all the workout stuff. I just felt like saying, 'Geez, either I can play football or not.' Leaving there was probably the most relieved I've ever been in my life."
Dercher, rated as the 23rd best offensive tackle by *Pro Football Weekly*, expects either to be drafted during the last few rounds of the draft or signed as a free agent Sunday night.
"If I sit there Sunday, and I don't get drafted, I'll be disappointed," Dercher said. "But I'll just have to suck it up and keep going."
The next two days can't pass quickly enough for the roommates. Dercher will watch the draft
— with a phone near by in case a team calls his parents' home in Shawnee Mission. Glasgow will do the same at his parents' house in Topeka.
Dercher speaks for both when asked to explain his feelings heading into the weekend.
"I just want it to get over with," he said.
want it to get over with — the author
— Edited by Juan H. Heath
Track athletes ready for meet in Arkansas
Bv Mike Miller
vy Mike Miller
sports@kanson.com
Kanson sportswriter
While some of the team is competing in Walnut, Calif., the rest of the men's and women's track team will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete in the Arkansas Invitational today and tomorrow.
"This meet has grown a lot in the last two years," said Coach Gary Schwartz. "A number of people have gone down to Arkansas since we haven't had the Kansas Relays."
The field will feature 14 teams, including host Arkansas, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA. Other teams include Kansas' Big 12 rivals Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Iowa State and area schools Southwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State.
Freshman thrower Ryan Speers, who won the shot put at last weekend's Wichita State-Kansas-UMKC Triangular, has his sights set on a ton-two finish.
"If I have a really good day, I could provisionally qualify for the NCAA meet." Speers said.
He is just one of several Jayhawks
Sophomore Jabari Wamble won the 400-meter run and placed third in the 200 last weekend.
to watch this weekend.
But freshman Jennifer Foster might have had the most impressive meet as she won the shot put and placed third in the discus and fourth in the hammer throw.
Sophomore Brian Blachly won the 3,000, and sophomore Greg Steele placed third in the pole vault.
"It'll be really fun," Speers said. "I don't look at it as it I don't get to go to California, I look at it as it'll be a good time and I have fun doing it. If I win, it'll be even more fun."
Though Speers is not at the meet in sunny California, he relishes the chance to compete at Arkansas.
-Edited by Kelli Raybern
Redshirt back switches to other side of the ball
By Michael Rigg
mtrigg@ukans.edu
Kansas sportwriter
At this rate, Matt Jordan will have played all 22 positions, and maybe placekick a little, by the end of spring practice.
Jordan, Junction City redshirt freshman, entered the spring as a highly regarded running back who played the position at Junction City High School and who earned all-state honors en route to rushing for 1,893 yards and 24 touchdowns his senior season.
He was there about four days before being switched to free safety, where his position will be re-evaluated after spring practice.
But Jordan ran headlong into the three-way logjam of Mitch Bowles, Henri Childs and David Winbush at the top of the running back depth chart, so he was switched to cornerback.
The sudden changes have led to mix-ups, sadd Dike Moseley, defensive secondary coach
"It's easy to say that he's confused." Moseley said. "With a pretty good committee of running backs, there was an opportunity to look at him at another position. We felt that if there was a future for him it would be at safety."
Jordan said that he agreed with Moseley's assessment of his play and mental state. While the sudden position shifts left him confused, he has learned more knowledge of the position with each day of practice, Jordan said.
"It's mostly mental because I have to get comfortable at the position so I can really trust what I'm doing." fortran said.
Of course, Jordan admittedly did not take kindly to the sudden change from all-state running back to lack-of-trades in the secondary.
"I didn't really want to change because I had never really played defense," Jordan said. "I just have to get used to it."
just have to get used Getting used to the change should come easily for Jordan, about whom Kansas head coach Terry Allen talks very high.
"We're really excited about Matt Jordan," Allen said. "I'm really encouraged by and what a good fit he is on that side of the ball."
Jordan said that he has some work to do, but the mental clouds that were prominent during his first few practices at the position were starting to lift.
until standing with the other. Of course, the comprehension of the position doesn't mean there won't be more changes on the horizon for Jordan.
"I think I'm starting to get over the lack of understanding with it." Jordan said.
"We'll probably change it again next week," joked Allen.
Spring Foote The skies at yesterday's practice also could describe the Jayhawks' injury situation as well. cloudy and dark.
Spring Football Notes;
Defensive back Matt Jordan, Junction City freshman, backpedals in a drill at practice. Jordan has moved from running back to defensive back since the beginning of the year. Jordan was a redshirt for the Jayhawks last season.
Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
The status for both players will be evaluated today, and a decision will be made on their availability for the rest of spring practice. Allen said.
Defensive back Tanner Hancock and wide receiver Byron Gasaway both were injured in yesterday's practice at Memorial Stadium. Hancock re-injured his left shoulder, which he initially injured last year in a skiing accident, Allen said. Gasaway sprained his knee.
On a more severe side, the team received bad news when it iteamed that the injury to the knee of linebacker Mitchell Scott was worse than originally imagined.
Scott will require surgery on his knee and will not return until the fall, Allen said.
Also, starting guard Dameon Hunt broke his thumb Monday and is out for the rest of the spring. Allen said the injury wasn't severe, but he didn't want to take any risks with Hunt
"In the fall, we would probably be able to play with him, but in the spring we don't want to take any chances," Allen said.
Edited by Matt Merkel-Hess
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