12
University Daily Kansan / Monday, April 20, 1992
SPORTS
Kansas wins six titles at Relays
Cox named meet's outstanding performer
By Chris Jenson
<ansan sportswriter
When the rain began to fall at the Kansas Relays on Friday and Saturday, many of the 2,700 competitors in attendance ran and hid their heads.
But the Kansas Track and Field team did anything but hide en route to winning its four individual and two relay titles. Kansas sophomore Michael Cox also was named the Relays outstanding performer for his performances in the four-mile relay and the distance-medley relay.
"It's really nice to do good here," said senior co-captain Jason Teal. "The Relays are our home meet and to do as well as we did is great."
Junior Jon Handy was scheduled to run in the relay, but came down with pneumonia. Johnston, who found out he was running in the event Thursday night, seized the opportunity and had his best performance of the year.
The team was in fourth place when Johnston began his leg of the relay. Four minutes and 11 seconds later, he handed the baton and a 10-yard lead to relay anchor Cox, who also ran a 4:11 mile in helping give the Jayhawks the victory.
Kansas' Natasha Shafer sprints to her victory in the 100-yard dash. She edged out Cynthia Taylor of Barton County Community College on Saturday at the Kansas Relays with a time of 11.58 seconds.
Senior co-captain MaryBeth Labosky won the women's high jump competition, defeating Big Eight Conference Indoor Champion Connie Teaberry of Kansas State. Labosky's jump of $6'1'/' was a personal best and qualified her for the NCAA championships.
The winning ways set by the fourmile relay team on Friday continued into Saturday's competition.
"I love competing against Connie," she said. "It felt great to beat her. I mean that in a friendly way. Of course, I love competing, but we also good friends."
The Jayhawks uncorked their first victory of the weekend Friday in the men's four-mile relay. Teal, senior Pete Henkin and sophomores David Johnston and Cox combined for the winning time of 16:55.30. Kansas topped second-place Southern Illinois by four seconds.
The winning relay combination, however, was not originally meant to be.
Gary Schwartz Kansas trackcoach
"David is a talented athlete," said Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said. "It shows you what the emotion of running in front of the home crowd and what a young person can do when they get psyched up."
"This is an indication of the depth and the improvement of this team."
Junior Julia Saul brought Kansas its
third victory of the meet, winning the 3,000-meters in a time of 9:36.38. Saul said she was more accustomed to running the 5,000 and 10,000-meters, but was pleased with her time in the 3,000-meters. She will run the 10,000-meters at the Penn Relays this weekend.
The men's team continued its dominance of the distance relays by winning the distance-medley relay in 9:47.15. Seniors Brian Gray and Teal and sophomores Cox and Dan Waters team two for two in the distance relays.
Although the relay teams were expected to have strong showings, there was a pleasant surprise in store for the Jayhawks. Freshman Natasha Shafer won the 100-yard cash with a time of 11.58 seconds.
"This was definitely a big win," she said. "I wanted this so bad. This ranks as the biggest win of my college career."
Shafer's time provisionally qualifies for the NCAA championships.
Schwartz said he was especial,
pleased with Shafer's performance
because it wasn't expected.
"It's not that I didn't think she was capable of winning, but athletics are strange," he said. "Sometimes the sure things don't come through and the people you think could just do well pull off the win."
Senior co-captain Cathy Palacios was the final individual champion for the Jayhawks. She won the women's 1,500-meters with a time of 4:28.7.
Schwartz said the team's performance as a whole showed promise for the future.
"This is an indication of the depth and the improvement of this team." Schwartz said. "The athletes believe in themselves and in the system."
Palacios on pace for triple-crown feat
By Chris Jenson
Kansan sportswriter
Senior Cathy Palacios did not look at the heat sheet before the women's 1,500 meters at the Kansas Relays on Saturday. She was already tense and did not need any added pressure.
Instead, she applied the pressure on the competition as she set the pace on the first lap of the four-lap race. She moved from first to second and finished.
"I didn't know if I should take the lead that early." Palacios said. "I surprised myself when I took the lead."
She said a victory at Drake would take a personal-best performance.
"The competition will be a lot tougher," she said. "Not that the fields at Texas and Kansas were bad, but Drake is supported."
With the victory, Palacios made it two for two in her quest for a triple crown in the 1,500 meters. The triple crown is achieved by winning the same event at the Texas, Kansas and Drake relays. Palacios won the event at Texas on April 4.
Palacios said she probably would be competing against
Karen Glermon of Iowa State, who has won the 1,500 at Drake
the last two years.
Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said Palacios had been outstanding all year.
"She is a talented young lady and force she be reckoned in any race," he said. "She hasn't run as fast as she is capable with."
Although winning the triple crown is in the back of her mind, Palacios said she would first focus on the distance-medley relay because it was her first event.
She will run the relay Friday and the 1,500 on Saturday, a feat Schwartz said she was very capable of handling.
"She is a good enough athlete to run in and concentrate on both events," he said.
Success has come often to Palacio's this season. She was the sixth U.S. finisher in the one-mile run at the NCAA Indoor Championships and earned the honor of All-American in the event.
She said winning the triple crown would rank as one of her best achievements. But she also said that she would not be in the finals.
"If I don't win it, I will still be happy," she said. "I'll still have won Texas and Kansas."
'Hawks show strong team performance
By Chris Jenson Kansan sportswriter
the success of the Kansas track and field team at the 67th annual Kansas Relays went beyond its four individual and two relay champions.
Several Jayhawks posted solid marks despite not winning their events. Kansas had two entrants finish second and three more finish third.
The women's distance-medley relay with junior Amy Rodehaver, sophomore Katrina Lawrence, freshman Kristi Kloster and sophomore Helena Hafstrom finished second with a time of 11:56.14. Barton County Community College won the event in 11:42.56.
Sophomore Dan Waters finished third in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.09. Waters, who won the event at the Big Eight Conference Indoor Championships, said he was disappointed with the way he ran.
"I'm not happy with my time," he said. "In fact, everybody in that field will be unhappy with their times. I thought it was a disappointing heat."
Sophomore Kris Nelson finished second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.9 and senior Lynn Roberts finished third in the 5,000-meters in 18:40.6. Sophomore Heather Berlin also finished third in the javelin with a throw of 156-07.0.
Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said he was pleased with the team's results from the four-day competition, but added that there were some events where the team could have had a stronger showing.
"We had things that didn't go our way," he said. "But that's competition. Very rarely are you up for all the competitions. Sometimes you just can't maintain that intensity every meet."
Although the Relays were
murdered by rain, Schwartz said the
meetings
"The meet was well run," he said. "But I'm kind of a perfectionist. Things can always be done better. What car we try to make it a better meet."
The Relays had its largest competitive field since 1923. Schwartz said both his team and the Relays were headed in the right direction for the future.
"We had a great field, great competition and a great meet." he said.
Jayhawks beat Oklahoma
Run rule ends game early as Kansas romps
By Jerry Schmidt
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas shortstop Dan Rude fires to first to complete a second-inning double play.
Justin Knupp/KANSAN
Virtually out of contention for a spot in the Big Eight Conference tournament and on the brink of a series sweep at the hands of the Sooners, the Jayhawks blistered the Oklahoma State team, including four home runs. The game lasted only seven innings because of the 10-run rule.
The Kansas baseball team vented some offensive frustration yesterday by pounding the Oklahoma Sooners 15-3 at a cloud-covered Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
But confidence alone will not help the Jayhawks' tournament hopes. Only the top four finishes in the conference compete in the tournament, Kansas will need series sweeps of Iowa State and Missouri during the next two weekends along with some help from other conference teams to have a shot at the postseason.
Oklahoma won Friday's game 10-4 and took both games of Saturday's doubleheader 6-0 and 7-5. In the second game, with Kansas leading 5-4 heading into the ninth inning, the Sconners scored three runs to win. The Cubs were led by a 9-2 shutout as delayed by rain for more than two hours.
"Our kids have struggled with the bat," Kansas coach Dave Bingham said. "It was good to see some confidence developed with today's game."
in yesterday's game, the Jayhawks left no room for a late-incoming comeback.
Kansas scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back. Sophomore designated hitter Kent Mahon dealt the big blow in the inning with a two-run home run.
The Jayhawks' half of the fifth inning sealed the victory as Kansas scored seven runs, including back-to-back henchers, first a grand slam by junior catcher Jeff Niemeier
and then a solo shot by junior first baseman John Wuyche check. Both homers came off Sooner reliever Rick Bennett, who threw only three pitches in the inning before he was ejected for throwing at junior right fielder Rovy Tarouinio.
"I was looking for a ball in my ear hole," she said, with this plate appearance in the fifth inch.
"He was going after him but that is something you have to do in that situation," he said.
Wuycheck said Bennett had every intention of hitting Tarunio.
Senior right-hander Curtis Schmidt pitched his fourth complete game in his last five starts to earn the victory. Schmidt. now
6-4, struck out eight and walked only one hit ter.
Okahama pitcher Cale Gundy was the losing pitcher for the Sooners. Gundy, who is also the starting quarterback on the Okahama pitcher's bullpen, snapped seven hits in his 2 and 2/3 innings of work.
Wuychew was 3-for-3 on the day with 2 RBI and Niemier was 1-for-3 with 1 RBF. Freshman third baseman BRI Wilhelm and sophomore center fielder Darryl Monroe each had two doubles in the game. Kent Mahon also had two hits.
The Jayhawks will play host to the Creighton Blue Jays at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Creighton beat Kansas 5-0 earlier this season.
Jayhawks slip past Nebraska
By Lyle Niedens
Kansas sportwriter
Kansas men's tennis coach Scott Perelman said he liked a challenge.
After pounding Iowa State 9-6 Saturday, No. 22-ranked Kansas got more than it expected from Nebraska yesterday. However, the Jaya hawks rose to the challenge, defeated the Cornhuskers 6-3, and improved their record to 18-8 overall and 5-0 in the conference.
Specifically, a challenge for the Jayhawks stays before the Big Eight Conference tournaments.
Perelman said he was glad Kansas was forced to battle hard for the victory.
"It's much better to have a challenge like that before the tournaments than to walk through someone again," he said. "I think Saturday we came out ready to play. Today, you have to give Nebraska a lot of credit. We were very fortunate to win today."
Nebraska coach Kerry McDermott was pleased with the Cornhuskers' effort.
"They (Kansas) are the best team in the Big Eight," McDermott said, "but I feel like Kansas came in here feeling like this was going to be an easy match. We gave them all they could handle."
Perealman said the Jayhawks their last companion, but that Nebraska deserved each little help.
The match was marred by an incident that occurred just after the No. 3 singles match was
"I think it was as much of what Nebraska did as what we didn't do," he said. "We were prepared, but not totally prepared, for what they did at us."
After Nebraska's Mike Garcia had defeated Kansas' Patrick Han 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, the two approached the net. But Han refused to shake hands. After words were exchanged between the two players, Han attacked Garcia.
Several Nebraska and Kansas players intervened before any nunes were landed.
"At the end of the match, Pat just lost his
Intellin Kruunl KANSAN
Kansas's Rafael Rangel holds back teammate Patrick Han. After losing, Han exchanged words with his opponent.
poise," Perelman said. "That's not the type of behavior we want to see associated with this program."
Han said he reacted to a racial slur by Garcia.
"I don't think that's called for," Han said. "It's just a tennis match. I really don't feel like talking about it."
Garcia would not say what he had said to Han after the match was over, but said that the entire match was out of control, mostly because there were many close calls without an umpire to call them.
he won't shake hands with me," Garcia said. "That's how you're always supposed to end a tennis match, regardless of the score.
"There were words exchanged all during the match, I don't know why he handled it the way he did."
Garcia said he requested an umpire early in the match, but was told there were not enough ball players.
"I can't believe they didn't have enough line judges at a Big Eight tennis match. When you have such a close match without supervision, it can get out of control, and it did."
McDermott said he thought the confrontation was a result of the closeness of the match and the rivalry that existed between Kansas and Nebraska.
"I hope my players and the Kansas players can learn from this," he said.