FRIDAY,APRIL 19.2002
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5B
DRAFT ANTICIPATION
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Former Kansas nose tackle Nate Dwyer, left and Algie Atkinson, former Jayhawk linebacker, are participating in the NFL draft this weekend. Both were projected to be picked no higher than the third round.
Water ski team ready for season
By Stephanie Goettsch Kansan sportswriter
The KU water ski team will open its season tomorrow and Sunday at the Kansas State Invitational at Super Lake in Emporia.
The University of Kansas will join Kansas State, Emporia State, Iowa State and Iowa at the season kick-off.
"I think we should win," said three-year veteran and captain Jeremy Bechtold, Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., junior. "This is the best team we've had so far. We lost a few good jumpers but we've got some people to fill in."
College water skiing includes three main events: slalom, trick and jump. Wakeboarding is occasionally added as a fourth category.
Slalom should be the strong event for the KU water ski team this year, said president Dillon Strohm, Augusta junior.
"If you have one really good event, that can carry the rest of the team," he said. "We have five men's slalom skiers that will likely be ranked in the top 25. We should win every slalom event."
Brian Gibson, Springfield.
Mo., freshman, will be a strong slalom skier as well.
Captain Jegen McDermott, Gardener junior, said she was pleased that the women had seven skiers competing and a full roster for the tournament.
"I haven't seen them in a competitive setting so it's hard to know," she said. "I don't foresee us blowing everyone away, but we should have a strong showing. I have really high hopes and think we'll have places in each event."
Strohm was ranked 24th in the Midwest men's slalom at the end of last season.
On the women's side, the invitational will be a learning experience.
"We're a really young team," McDermott said. "This is the first actual tournament for everyone but one girl."
McDermott is a two-year veteran and the only returning woman skier from last year's squad. At the conclusion of last season, she was ranked 56th in the jump event in the Midwest.
"A lot of them have skied their whole life, but this is their first time skiing competitively and having to know a course," she
said of her teammates.
McDermott placed second in the women's jump at this tournament last year and has aspirations to repeat or improve. She also expects a strong effort from Emily Nelson, Lawrence sophomore and Mary McLamore, Chicago freshman.
"I've seen a lot of improvement in Emily. She'll be competing in all three events this weekend," she said. "And Mary will try anything. You ask her to put skis on and go over a jump and she'll do it. She's awesome."
McLamore attributes her improvement to a lot of practice. The entire team prepared for the season by going to a water ski school during spring break at Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. It was an opportunity to experiment with runs and learn new techniques.
"A lot of the instructors were professional trick and slalom skiers and they helped with our form," she said.
"Given the fact that we can't ski year-round and we have a four to five month offseason, it's very important to start off with the correct form and technique," he said. "Going down there, skiing with world class skiers and starting the year off right makes a huge difference."
Strohm agreed that the trip was a positive learning experience.
Since spring break, the team has been practicing daily at Clinton Lake. weather permitting.
"They are making so many improvements," McDermott said. "A lot of them are talking about skiing all summer. By next fall, we should be doing really well and maybe even qualify for nationals."
The top five teams at the regional tournament advance to nationals in Austin, Texas, this fall. The KU water ski team will be contending with strong programs like Kansas State and Michigan, Strohm said. Kansas State won the Midwest regional championship last season.
"Right now, I think we have a better team than Kansas State," Strohm said. "If we beat them this weekend, that will show that we're a national caliber team."
Contact Goettsch at sgoettsch@ kansan.com. This story was edited by Brooke Hesler.
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and been sucking it up and been playing hard for this team. I can't ask much more of that kid."
Senior right fielder Kelly Campbell led off the bottom of the third with a walk and was forced out at second on a fielder's choice grounder to the pitcher by Hulse. Hulse stole second and advanced to third on a line to left by Christi Musser. Senior outfielder Leah Tabb's single up the middle scored Hulse and brought the Jayhawks within one, 3-2.
Missouri added one more run in the top of the fourth inning. Mary McGrane singled to right field and advanced to second on a ground out to the pitcher. Shelly Musser made a diving snag at third, but her throw to first was wild, and McGrane scored from second for the 4-2 final score.
Shelly Musser had not played third base since high school until the games against UMKC on Wednesday. It's still not definite as to where she'll play in this weekend's series.
"Whenever they ask, I'll step up and do whatever I need to do." Shelly Musser said about playing third. "I expect a lot
out of myself and that's what's the most frustrating. I'm the one who's hardest on myself. I'll play there as long as I need to. I'd love to see them back in the line-up this weekend. We need them, we want them there."
The Jayhawks' schedule doesn't get any easier this weekend when Kansas travels to Norman, Okla. to face the Sooners at 1 p.m. tomorrow and 3 p.m. Sunday. According to Bunge, Kansas needs to bounce back from tough losses to UMKC and Missouri and focus on finishing the season strongly.
"We've got a tough road ahead," Bunge said. "Obviously two games against a very, very good Oklahoma squad, two games against Nebraska next week and then we finish up against a pretty good Iowa State squad. So you know, we don't have any gimmes. We don't have any time to breathe. It's going to be the character of this team that allows it to bounce back. We have a lot of great kids, a couple of them made a mistake, they know it. And I'm anxious to see how they deal with this weekend because it'll be interesting."
Contact Brox at abrox@kansan.com. This story was edited by Justin Henning.
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opponent," he said. "It might have a little more meaning, but I don't hear them talking about it too much. I think they're more focused on us playing well and trying to win the series."
After tonight's game at Simmons Field in Columbia, the two teams will travel back to Lawrence to play the final two games tomorrow and Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark. The Jayhawks will have a similar series format with Kansas State in May.
Randall said it gave the Jayhawks an opportunity to play rivals K-State and Missouri each year at home.
The series format makes the first game even more important for Jamieson's Tigers.
"The first game of the series is always the most important," Jamieson said. "Certainly it's big for us to get the first one at home."
Notes:
■ Missouri leads the all-time series 182-114, dating back to 1894. The Tigers have won 12 of the last 16 meetings.
Outfielder Matt Tribble has missed the last two games with a strained abdominal muscle. The sophomore is hitting .318 with six homers and 24 RBI, but is doubtful for this weekend.
"He was very sore on Monday and Tuesday," Randall said. "He'd have to make a pretty remarkable recovery."
- Kansas' starting pitchers for this weekend are seniors Jeff Davis (5-1, 3.15 ERA), Dan Olson (3-3, 4.30) and Jake Wright (2-3, 4.65)
Contact Wood at
rwood@kansan.com. This story was edited by Sarah Warren.
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