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Page 14 University Daily Kansan, April 21, 1981
As planned, Kansas' track tradition provides highlights during Relavs
By KEVIN BERTELS
Sports Editor
The highlights of the 56th annual Kansas Relays that were completed Saturday had to excite the folks who coined the theme of the meet. "Building on Tradition."
A standing owl followed Jim Ryun, Glenn Cunningham and Wes Sanee around the track as the three exhibitions, all world-record holders at KU, ran an exhibition quarter mile.
IT WAS SET up, of course. The three weren't committing but the crowd cheered, anyway.
11 cheered again when Cliff Wiley, one of the best sprinteres in KU history and now a KU law student, won the 100 meter dash. He followed up with another victory and the meet's Outstanding Male Performer award.
Wiley helped build the Relays' tradition. His Outstanding Performer award was his second. His first was in the 1977 Relays.
Years of tradition literally walked and talked, as well as won, Saturday when Al Cater, a four-time Olympic gold medal winner, won the disc throw with a toss of 204-9. He apologized for the throw, saying that he had not had time to get into proper throwing condition in the early season. Besides, after four Olympics, it is hard to get fired up about any meet.
"I'M TRYING TO make the next Olympics," Owerer said. "Once you are on an Olympic team it spills you for all other competition. That is unfortunate but that is the way it is."
Tradition in the mile run at the Kansas Relays continued as Tom Byera, an Ohio State graduate now competing for of Eugene, Ore. ran a 14 four-mile race. Ryan Didyat that at 927. His time was 3:59.11.
"I just got Jim Ryun's autograph an hour ago." Bersaid says "He is my hero."
480, And it rained. The glamor events, the university and club races, as well as the major field events were soaked right after the opening ceremonies and the rain came and went the rest of the day. Tradition, of course, dictates that the Belaya be run in the rain.
KU's two-mile relay team, led by Anthony Lea's second leg, won in a race that was run in a downpour that kept the runners from seeing the rain on the track. KU's winning time was 72.969.
LEAKS TOOK the baton from Van Schaffer a few yards behind, in third place. The rain hit then and Leaks, who professes to run best in wet conditions, opened a 30-yard lead. The rest was easy for the last two runners, Leonard Martin and Mike Ricks.
and knocked in.
"I wanted to win real bad," Leaks, who had to be carried into the locker room, said. "I ran as hard as I thought I could."
KU did not have the large entourage of sprinters that it usually enters in the Relays. Injuries kept the Jayhawks' mile relay team from entering, but KU's kumbers were ready.
Friday, Warren Wilhote, a sophomore, won the long jump and Mark Hasson was third. Saturday, Sanya Owolabi won his first Kansas Relays' triple jump—indoors.
The rain forced the field events into Allen Field and away from the spectators. Owolab didn't know if it was raining.
ON HIS FIRST preliminary jump, he landed awkwardly, popping both his knees, he said. An attempt at a second jump proved painful and Owolabal passed on his next three jumps, banking on his last jump in the finals. He leaped 54-1/2, good enough for the victory.
KU Coach Bob Timmons, spent most of his organization, but had time to praise his lumens.
"The horizontal jumps have been real good for this weekend," he said. "As you know, we haven't enjoyed a real good spring. It's always won at the play in front of hometown people."
MARK MCDONALDIKansan staff
Members of KU's two-mile relay team, Mike Ricks (left) and Leonard Martin catch their breath after running. The race was finished in pouring rain, as the anchorman Ricks took the baton to the finish to win the event for the Jayhawks.
Beautiful weather couldn't hold out; Relays get rain, as usual
By PAULD. BOWKER Sports Writer
Sooner or later, it had to happen.
After three and a half days of warm, sunny
weather, they got out and some, somehow it just
couldn't last. Predictably, it rained.
The first indication of impending doom was at noon, between Saturday's morning and afternoon sessions at Memorial Stadium. A large group of dark, omnious clouds gathered on the west horizon and appeared to stare down at the center of World War II bomb zeroning in on its target.
EVERYTHING seemed to be going well at the 60th annual Kansas Relays. A crowd of nearly 10,000 had barely settled into their sun-drenched seats at Memorial Stadium when the Relays
parade started the opening ceremonies of a march around Hernberry Track.
Then came the heart-tickling rendition of the Star-Stapled Banner sung by Madeline Manning, former middle-distance star. As the cannons boomed behind Manning during the national anthem, however, the crackling of thunder boomed across the dark sky. Trouble had arrived. Less than 30 seconds after Manning finished singing the national anthem, a sudden downpour sent athletes, spectators and track officials running for cover.
By the time the rain ended, which took about 30 minutes, the track looked like a giant steeplechase obstacle. Officials pushed water off the track and the remaining field events were run.
athletes trudged up and down the all-weather track, shaking their heads and cursing the weather, which not only spoiled the chances for any new records but threatened the runners with
Some of the runners even left the meet, not willing to risk an injury.
After the rain stopped, many competing
"The TIMES are real slow in this," KU junior sprinter Deon Hogan said after the downpour, "I hope no one gets hurt. In this, the muscles get tight fast. It's hard for an athlete."
FOR KU SENIOR hurdler Gwen Poss, it wasn't the rain that affected her performance as much as the delay the rain caused.
The women's 100-meter hurdles was scheduled to start at 1:21 p.m., but was delayed nearly an hour before the race.
Poss finished fourth in the race, 48 seconds behind winner Pam Page.
"I was ready to go earlier," Ross said. "I just kind of tired myself going out. Everybody had the disadvantage today. It was just who was the mostready."
Nebraska's Merlene Otte, winner of the women's outstanding performer award who set a Relays record in the 200-meter dash was not satisfied with her times.
"I think I could do better if it wasn't wet," she said. "It doesn't do me down much, but I could."
WHILE THE FIRST downpour left Relays officials frustrated, the second one probably left them infurried. The second storm started during the 2-mile relay, which was won by KU.
Jayhawks. "I like to run in the rain. Some of my best races have been in the rain."
KU senior Mike Ricks ran the tour and man
leg of the race, leading the Jayhawks to a cloak-
ning victory.
"It started playing during my leg," said KU's
Anthony Leaks, who ran the second leg for the
"I could hardly see . . . I could barely run," Ricks said. "There was no way I would let any one catch me, especially after Leaks brought us that big lead."
The rain, however, was no surprise. Wiley, formerly on the KU track team and now a member of D.C. International Track Club, who has won the championship award with victories in the 100 and 400.
"The lack of competition hurt more than the rain," said Wiley. Wiley has not run very much this spring because of his studies at KU and has been sent to school here. I really expected it to rain."
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MAKING THE PROCESS FUN
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264-3552
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GOLF
4:00 p.m.
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April 11 till April 29
at the Orchards Golf Course
Play begins April 8 at 4:00 p.m.
For more information contact Recreation Services at 864-3546
1st Annual AGD-FLIJ Rodeo for March of Dimes April 22 7-12 midnight National Guard Armory
HOUSE SHOE TOURNAMENT
at the
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Thursday, April 23
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Play begins:
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
RECREATIONAL SERVICES AT 864-3546
National Secretaries Week, April19-25
Make an arrangement with:
Owens
FLOWER SHOP
9TH & INDIANA STREETS
PHONE 843-6111