WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Vanderbuilt's coach resigns. SEE PAGE 2B. NBA: Hornets' move from Charlotte approved. SEE PAGE 2B.
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SPORTS
1B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2002
Rowing team's varsity eight-boat key to victory
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas rowing team aims to get a little vindication at the Big 12 Invitational.
One of the teams Kansas will face at the Big 12 Invitational, Texas, spoiled the Jayhawks' only home regatta of the season on March 30, defeating them by a significant margin in all four races.
"It's not a rivalry, but we definitely want to beat them," said Kansas junior rower Jen Van Ruyven. "I think that the first time we faced them, it was kind of a fluke, but they took us as some sort of joke."
Tomorrow, Kansas travels to the Longhorns' home in Austin, Texas.
Along with Texas, the Jayhawks will compete against
"A lot of the team is rowing motivated and is excited about what we are doing right now. This could really springboard us into the Central Regional."
Kansas State, Tulsa and Texas Crew, which is not officially affiliated with the University of Texas.
Rob Catloth Kansas rowing coach
"A lot of the team is rowing motivated and is excited about what we are doing right now," Kansas coach Rob Catloth said. "This could really springboard us into the Central Regional."
After struggling in the beginning of the season, the Jayhawks are starting to turn things around.
Last Sunday, Kansas won three out of four races en route to a 13-8 victory against Kansas State.
But the Jayhawks' first varsity eightboat, the boat that can generate the most points for the team, has yet to win a race all season.
Catloth made some lineup changes this week, hoping to find the right combination of rowers for the first varsity eight-boat.
Sophomore Lindsay Abbott, who coxswained the second varsity eight-boat, now coxswains for the first varsity eight-boat.
Freshman Kristi Hainer and sophomore Hayley Dool, who rowed with the second varsity eight-boat, were also moved up to the first varsity eight-boat. Sophomore Beth Olson was promoted from the first varsity four-boat to the first varsity eight-boat.
Former first varsity eight-boat coxswain, junior Jasmin Smith, now works with the second varsity eight-boat. Senior Dana Parsons, who is one of four team captains, and junior Jessica Watson also moved from the first varsity eight-boat to the second varsity eight-boat.
Junior Lauren Royall went from the first varsity eight-boat to the first varsity four-boat.
"We have practiced in the new boat all this week," she said. "It's supposed to help, but we won't truly know until we race."
Catloth said more than just personnel changes should help the Jayhawks have better results against Texas than they had earlier this season.
"Everyone is trying to find their niche on the team." Catloth said. "I think we are pretty set on our approach to things. We just want to get our boatings the way we want them."
Van Ruyven, who rows with the first varsity eight-boat, said she didn't know if the changes would make that much of a difference.
"When we raced Texas before, it was our first race and it was something like their sixth," Catloth said. "We've had a month to really try and get some things together and have some race experience. Hopefully, it will pay off."
The first race in the Big 12 Invitational starts at 8 a.m.
Contact Wasko at bwasko@kansan.com.
This story was edited by Justin Henning.
'Hawks shake up Big 12
KIMBERLY THOMPSON/KANSAN
Serena Settlemier pitches against Portland State in a game earlier this season. Settlemeir pitched a complete game for a win against the second-seeded Sooners and went 2-for-2 at the plate to lead the Jayhawks to a 3-1 win over Oklahoma to advance in the Big 12 tournament.
Kansas wins play-in game, then upsets the No. 2-seed Oklahoma Sooners, 3-1
By Ali Brox Kansan sportswriter
In a must-win game for the Kansas softball team, the Jayhawks kept their season alive with a 2-1 victory against Texas Tech in a playin game at the Big 12 Conference tournament yesterday.
The victory advanced Kansas to the eightteam, double elimination tournament where the Jayhawks immediately faced Oklahoma following the Texas Tech game.
The seventh-seeded Jayhwaks (33-23) surprised the second-seeded Sooners (42-13) with a 5-1 upset victory.
"It was a good day for the Jayhawks," coach Tracy Bunge said. "We haven't beaten OU in five years. This is a huge victory for us and emotionally is a big lift. In the second game we relaxed and played for broke."
Kansas started the scoring early, when senior center fieldler Shelly Musser garnered
lead-off walk and stole second. Musser moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by freshman first baseman Lindsey Weinstein, and scored on a passed ball.
Texas Tech tied the game in the top of the fourth on a lead-off homerun by Rebecca Eimen.
The Jayhawks struck again in the bottom of the sixth. Senior shortstop Courtney Wright reached first on an error by the Red Raider pitcher and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore catcher Dani May. Wright moved to third on an illegal pitch. Musser singled to left field and Wright scored the game-winning run.
"Shelly was huge for us," Bunge said. "She had a two-out clutch double. Serena Settlemier was strong offensively for us as well as having a spectacular game on the mound. A lot of people did a lot of special things for us today."
Oklahoma scored first in the second game on a passed ball in the bottom of the first for the 1-0 lead. But that was all the Sooners
JOHN NOWAK/KANSAN
Emily Haylock, Warrnambool, Australia , sophomore (left to right), Cheryl Mallaiah, North Longwood, Fla., senior, and Christi Wagenaar, Westville, South Africa, senior, react to yesterday's announcement of teams invited to the NCAA tennis tournament. The Kansas women were named as an alternate team.
No tourney for tennis team
Bv Jonah Ballow
SEE SOFTBALL ON PAGE 6B
Kansan sportswriter
As the names of schools were announced in a selection show for the NCAA women's tennis tournament last night, the Kansas team waited for its name to be called. Tension mounted in the eighth-floor press box at Memorial Stadium when the announcer named 64 schools without mentioning the Jayhawks in the tournament bracket. Disappointment set in as the team was named the No.2 alternate behind the University of Purdue.
"This is a complete shock. I was on the committee and I felt we had a very good chance because of our No. 1 ranking in our region," coach Kilmency Waterman said. "We deserve to be in the tournament, and this was a big surprise."
The alternate teams are announced in case any of the
64 teams decide not to compete in the tournament.
The No. 31 Jayhawks will continue to practice and wait to see if they get an opportunity to play in the tournament as an alternate.
Sophomore Kristen Steinbock said she was surprised that Kansas was not part of the tournament field.
"It shows that anything can happen," Steinbock said. "Two or three teams with losing records got into the tournament, which made this hard to handle."
"This is disappointing, but I still feel we had a good season," Malliah said.
On a positive note, Waterman was named Big 12 Coach of the Year earlier yesterday in only her second season at Kansas. Waterman has led the Jayhawks to a
Senior Cheryl Malliah still remained positive.
SEE TENNIS ON PAGE 6B
Final tune-up for track team at three schools
By Matt Norton Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas track and field team will be spilt up and sent all over the country this weekend in its final tune-up before the Big 12 Conference championships.
Athletes will travel to Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational; Austin, Texas for the Texas Invitational; or Iowa City, Iowa, for the Hawkeye Twilight Invitational.
Coach Stanley Redwine said that team was splitting up to provide individual event groups the best opportunities to record their best marks.
All-American senior distance runners Charlie Gruber and Katy Eisenmenger will compete in the 1,500, junior Mark Menefee will take part in the 5,000 and sophomore Laura Lavoie will join Eisenmenger in the metric mile at Stanford.
In addition to facing many of the nation's top distance runners, the quartet should also enjoy the cooler, wind-free weather that is perfect for distance runners. Redwine said.
A group of jumpers and sprinters will travel to Austin with the hope of finding warmer weather and hot competitions in those events.
Senior hurdler Jennie Wonder, who has a NCAA provisional time of 13.59 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles, said she had healed from a spill in that race last week at Drake.
She will run both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles this weekend in Austin.
"All I got was a little track burn," she
SEE TRACK ON PAGE 6B
CHRISTINA NEFF/KANSAN
Senior pitcher Dan Olson is 4-3 on the season and starting tomorrow against Centenary. Olson was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for his work last week against No. 15 Nebraska.
Baseball team looks to get needed wins in home series
By Ryan Wood
The Kansas baseball team, searching hard for momentum going into the final stretch of the season, will face a familiar foe this weekend at Hoglund Ballpark.
By Ryan Wood
Kansan sportswriter
Centenary will come to Lawrence for a three-game set starting tomorrow. The two teams met Feb. 15-17 in Shreveport, La., with the Jayhawks sweeping the three-game series. Coach Bobby Randall claims this series won't be quite the same, though.
"I think both of us have changed significantly since last time," he said. "It was a hard-
Kansas vs. Centenary
Time: 2 p.m. tomorrow (doubleheader); noon Sunday.
Place: Hoglund Ballpark
Radio: 1320 AM
fought series down there, and I expect it to be a hard-fought series up here."
Centenary (15-38), an independent Division I school, is winless in seven tries against Big 12 Conference schools this season. Despite the dismal mark, the Gents have
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 6B