Volume 126 Issue 102
kansan.com
Monday, April 7, 2014
COMMENTARY Manning goes to Wake Forest
BASEBALL
HEAD TO THE STAUFFER FLINT LAWN
biggest — stage in college basketball. The one-time North Carolina native will have his opportunity to march into Cameron Indoor Stadium and the Dean Dome and prove that not only was he one of the game's top players, he's one of the top coaches, too.
That's not to say that he'll succeed though. There are numerous reasons why Manning could fail. In the past 10 years the Demon Deacons have placed higher than fifth in the ACC just twice (2005, 2009) and given the current state of the conference,tlere's no guarantee they'll be there again anytime soon.
But if Manning does transform Wake Forest, if he does prove himself capable of winning on college basketball's highest platform and starts knocking off the blue bloods, then there'll likely be a North Carolina coach leaving for his home in Kansas.
And how perfect would that be.
Edited by Amber Kasselman
One of these historic outings came from senior Natalie Becker, who traveled with the rest of the Jayhawk distance runners to Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational. Becker completed the 5,000 meter race in 16:20.80, which not only earned her a 19th place finish in a stacked field of competition, but it etched her name into the Kansas record books as the fastest 5,000-meter runner in school history. Becker's record-breaking performance also moved her into the top 25 in the NCAA rankings.
Meanwhile in Baton Rouge, La., the rest of the Jayhawk track and field team was competing at the Battle on the Bayou, also producing performances that stacked up with the best in school history, Sophomore Rhavean King turned in one of these performances in the 800 meters. The Memphis, Tenn., native crossed the finish line in
also turned in a time to remember, finishing the race in 44.67. The time gave the quartet a third place finish in the event and also made them the sixth-fastest in school history.
There were a total of 15 performances in Louisiana that cracked the NCAA West Region top 25, which ultimately gave the Jayhawk women's team a second place team finish, and the men a third place team finish. According to junior multi-event specialist Lindsay Vollmer, the slew of good performances over the weekend show the potential the team has this outdoor season.
"We didn't get everybody we wanted to nationals [for the indoor season], but I think we're a better outdoor team," Vollmer said. "If we can just continue to build, I think we have a shot to do some good things."
— Edited by Callan Reilly
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Senior runners Natalie Becker and Maddy Rich break from the starting line at last year's Bob Timmons Classic. Becker set the Kansas track record with the fastest 5,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational this year.
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