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SPORTS
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1B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2003
Eric Braem/Kansan
High school athletestake a turn in the second leg of the Boys' 4x800 meter relay at the Kansas Relays. Liberty High School of Liberty, Mo., won the event with a time of 7:58.47.
Young stars revive track
Andy Samuelson/Kansan
Alan Webb, who broke Kansas legend Jim Ryun's national high school mile record two years ago, runs in the All-Star squad's men's distance-medley relay Saturday at the Kansas Relays.
b. Gruber regain nation's interest in sport
By Shane Mettlen
smettlen@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
Middle distance runners took the center stage Saturday at the Kansas Relays.
The Glenn Cunningham Invitational Mile, featuring national high school record holder Alan Webb and former Kansas All-American Charlie Gruber, overshadowed the sprints, but that seems to be reflective of the track landscape.
Webb surpassed former Kansas track star Ryun's record with a 3:53.3 in the mile and has emerged as one of track and field's household names, just as Ryun did 38 years ago.
But times have changed since Ryun became the first school boy to break the fourminute barrier. Ryun's picture graced the cover of Sports Illustrated multiple
times during the 1960s, when track, particularly middle-distance, was one of the most popular sports in the country. Since then, interest in the sport has dwindled in the United States, and what interest remains is focused on sprinters. A new crop of young, American milers, including Webb and Gruber, seem poised to regain the attention of the world.
"There are a lot of guys in the U.S.who are running really well now,"Webb said. "Charlie is running really well. There's even a couple of high school kids beating down on the four minute barrier."
One of those high school runners is Liberty, Mo., senior, Adam Perkins, who finished third in the mile Saturday, behind Gruber and Webb. Perkins gave up his final season of high school eligibility at Liberty High School to run in high-profile races like Saturday's and other
events not sanctioned by the Missouri State High School Activities Association.
Perkins and Webb both look to Ryun as inspiration to be successful and bring the sport back to national prominence.
"I met him two years ago." Perkins said. "That was before Alan Webb broke his record and I thought I'd like to take a shot at that. Alan obviously got that, which is great."
Ryun couldn't agree more. The congressman said he was surprised his record lasted so long but thought the new generation runners could help the sport.
"Alan Webb, he had that momentum when he was in high school," Ryun said. "You could see that there were expectations that it might be another breakthrough for track and field, especially since the interest was so high in middle distance running."
"The fact that my record stood for 36 years, in one respect, was unfortunate."
Jim Rvur
Jim Ryun
Former Kansas track star
Ryun, who remains a legendary figure in running, said runners like Gruber, Webb and Perkins would help move focus from the past to the future.
"The fact that my record stood for 36 years, in one respect, was unfortunate," Ryun said. "It meant that we weren't progressing. It was never meant to be that kind of a barrier. It was meant to be an inspiration. Records are meant to be broken."
—Edited by Todd Rapp
Big throw highlights Relays
By Chris Wintering
cwintering@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
When an event ends and your fellow competitors ask you for an autograph, you must have done something special.
That is what happened to Kevin Toth Saturday at the Kansas Relays. He threw the shot put 74-04.50 feet, the longest throw in the shot put since Randy Barnes set the world record (75-10.50) in 1990.
"We needed to come here and take it to the next level," Toth said. "When you throw 72-9 last year, that's one level. To go over 74 was another level, to break
the world record is another level."
Toth's performance earned him the honors of Kansas Relays Most Outstanding Performer. After the event, Toth couldn't hide his excitement, but tried to put his performance in perspective.
"This is just a piece of the pie right here. We really believe we're going to break the world record," he said. "The bottom line is Kevin Toth is going out on a big note."
You can excuse Toth talking in the third person because of his excitement (and because of his size). In his excitement, Toth, a 1991 graduate of McNeese State, said he wanted to be a national champion this year and a world champion next year before retiring. Oh yeah, he wants to set the world record, too.
Toth's coach, Mike Mielke, said that all of Toth's goals were possible, but for now he would need some time to go home and process his performance.
"I today he broke through to a different place that few throwers ever get to," Mielke said.
Mielke, a coach for the U.S. Army, has worked with Toth since October and helped Toth change his technique.
"He wanted to make a statement," Mielke said.
Consider that statement made. Especially when you realize that the shot put was supposed to be one of the marquee
events at the Relays this year. Toth, Missouri's Christian Cantwell and Nebraska's Carl Meyerscoff were all scheduled to compete, and all three have thrown better than 70 feet. However, Cantwell and Meyerscoff pulled out of the shot put event earlier in the week with injuries, and Toth was left as the main competitor.
To top it off, a storm, which canceled eight events in the day, pushed the start time of the shot put back nearly three hours. Some wondered if the event would even happen or if Toth would still compete.
SEE THROW ON PAGE 4B
Win games to re-ignite enthusiasm
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Ryan Wood rwood@kansan.com
It's been two months since the Jayhawks made their splash on the national scene.
Coach Ritch Price is doing his best to keep his Kansas baseball team in order.
On Feb. 16, Kansas, in stunning fashion, completed a three-game sweep of No. 6 Louisiana State in Baton Rouge, La. Upon returning home, the Kansas players raided Massachusetts Street, setting fires, tipping cars and exposing themselves to anyone looking their way. It was pure chaos.
Actually, I'm lying to you. They did no rioting that weekend. They were quite calm about shocking the baseball nation.
"We want it to be a highlight of the season," coach Ritch Price said, "not the highlight of the season."
Price's attitude on the victories may have kept his entire roster out of jail. The Jawhaws listened to their coach. There were no fires, no vandalism, and, thankfully, no male nudity that weekend.
The only real hangover stemming from the Louisiana State sweep was the nationwide respect of Kansas baseball. The team rose as high as No.18 in the Top 25 polls. National awards came streaming in.
Meanwhile, Kansas fans took their lips off the basketball players' backsides for a split second to applaud the baseball team.
But unfortunately, hangovers wear off after a while. A month later, the Jayhawks started conference play 2-7. On April 8, Kansas lost to Baker, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics team.
Disheartening as it was, suddenly, Jayhawk baseball was just another program without any reason to burn cars or destroy the streets of downtown.
But during the next two weeks, the Jayhawks can redeem themselves. Kansas will play eight games in the next 14 days - all against ranked teams. Seven are at home. Six are against Big 12 teams. The other two plot Kansas against its biggest non-conference rival, Wichita State.
Since the men's basketball team crushed Marquette on April5, the partyhungry student body at the University has had no excuse to go crazy. That was more than three weeks ago. Could an eight-game winning streak by Kansas baseball be reason enough to make downtown go up in flames?
SEE WOOD ON PAGE 4B
Baseball continues winning ways in conference play
By Daniel Berk
dberk@kerk.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas baseball team won its second consecutive Big 12 Conference series this weekend, winning two out of three games against the Oklahoma Sooners. Kansas won 11-4 on Friday, lost 10-8 on Saturday and topped the Sooners 16-6 yesterday.
With the victories, Kansas improved its overall record to 31-16 and its conference mark to 6-9. The Jayhawks have now won eight of their last ten games.
Junior Ryan Knippschild pitched a complete game for Kansas in the first game of the series. He registered his seventh victory of the season in Kansas' 11-4 victory.
4. Victory.
Junior first baseman Ryan Baty hit his ninth home run of the season in the first inning, giving the Jayhawks an early 1-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, six straight Kaneae
batters reached base, and the lead was stretched to 7-0.
Senior designated hitter Kevin Wheeler hit his ninth home run of the season, an inside-the-park hit that gave Kansas a 10-0 lead.
Knippschild allowed one run in the seventh inning off a solo home run, then allowed three runs in the ninth but managed to hold off the Sooners. Knippschild struck out five batters and did not walk a batter in the game.
Senior shortstop Brandon Shepard then hit his second home run of the season in the seventh inning, which gave Kansas an 11-0 lead.
"Knippschild set the whole tone of the weekend by his performance on Friday." Kansas coach Ritch Price said. "He protected our bullpen by going the distance and that was big for us."
Kansas took an early 7-0 lead Saturday in the second game of the series.
Senior center fielder Lance Hayes started off the game with a single and was
moved over to second base when the next batter walked. Baty then singled, scoring Hayes.
Sophomore third baseman Travis Metcalf later hit a grand slam to straightaway center field, which gave Kansas the 7-0 advantage.
Hayes then came through again in the third inning when he delivered another single, this time scoring freshman second baseman Matt Baty.
But Oklahoma responded and scored three runs in the third and then three more in the fourth to make the score 7-6.
The comeback by the Sooners knocked out Kansas starter Chris Smart after just 1/3 innings of work.
Oklahoma would later take the lead after scoring two more runs in the fifth inning. Kansas tied the game at 8-8 in the seventh, but the Sooners once again answered, scoring one run in both the seventh and eighth innings to take a 10-8 lead.
Wheeler was given the start and worked seven innings, allowing six earned runs and striking out five batters. Wheeler was credited with the victory and improved his record to 5-2.
The third and final game of the series saw the Jayhawks pile up 20 hits and register a 16-6 victory.
Freshman middle infielder Ritehie Price, Ryan Baty, Wheeler and junior right fielder Matt Tribble all singled consecutively, which gave Kansas the large lead.
Kansas broke the game open in the fourth inning, scoring seven runs. The first run of the inning came when Metcalf doubled and scored senior left fielder Casey Spanish. Metcalf then scored when Matt Baty hit a single. Matt Baty was next to score as Hayes doubled to the outfield.
"Everyone went up in the box and competed, no matter what the count was," Tribble said. "It was contagious, and everyone wanted to out-do each
KANSAS 8-OKLAHOMA 10
SATURDAY
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - R H E
Kansas 2 1 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 8 8 1
Okahanna 0 0 3 3 2 0 1 X -10 18 1
Pitchers:
Brian Smart (3/1, 1/3), Josh Duran (2/3), Don Czyz
(3), Brandon Johnson (1)
Okahama--Buddy Blair (2/1, 3), Casey Brown (4), David Puricey (2/3), Jared McAuliff (2)
Win--Puricey (1-2)
Sage--Nona
Lane--Czyz (2-3)
YESTERDAY
KANSAS 16-OKLAHOMA 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - R M E
Kansas 0 1 0 1 7 2 2 2 16 - E 7
Oklahoma 1 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 - 6 0 1
Pitchers
Kansas—Kevin Wheeler (7), Brandon Johnson (1)
Oklahoma—Mike Swindell (3/2/3), David Purnel (13),
Charlie House (1), Austin M (2), Jarod McAulif (1)
Wilson (2), Mia (5-2)
Save — None
Loss — Saundall (2)
1
other. It was a lot of fun today."
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 4B
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