10
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, April 16, 1992
SPORTS
No.19 Kansas tennis crushes K-State
By Lyle Niedens
Kansan sportswriter
The No.19 Kansas women's tennis team celebrated Coach Michael Center's birthday in grand fashion yesterday with an 8-1 pummeling of Kansas State.
"Weplayed really well today," said Center, who turned 28 yesterday. "Everybody played very sharp and very eager."
The victory improved the Jayhawks' record to 13-4 and 4 on the Big Eight Conference. With the conference tournament a week and a half away, Center said he thought the match sewed up a No.1 seed for the 'Hawks in the tournament.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
The Jayhawks totally dominated the match, winning 16 of 19 sets in the three-hour match, which began at the Allen Field House courts but was moved to Alvamar Racquet Club shortly after it started because of rain.
"All the way up and down the lineup we played well," Center said. "We just worked them and came up with big shots when we needed them."
An example of that work and timely shots came in the No. 2 singles match between Kansas freshman Nora Koves and K-State freshman Karin Lusinic, both of whom are ranked among the top 90 in the country.
Koves won the match 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, one of five Kansas singles victories.
"That was a great college tennis match," Center said. "Nora is one of the best players in college tennis."
Kansas State coach Steve Bietau agreed.
"I thought Karin played the best
music for us when we said,
"Nick! You control the control."
Koves, along with new doubles par, ene Veline Hamers, also took control in the No. 1 doubles match as the pair (Hammer, Rinker and MarkePlocher 6-1, 6-1).
Koves said she and Hamers enjoyed themselves during the match, which helped them relax.
"We have fun on the court," she
Hamers said the two kept getting better the more they played together.
said. "I cannot play without having fun."
"We complement each other really well," Hamers said.
The Jayhawks also crushed the Wildcats at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.
Jensen said she was not disappointed that she was playing in the No. 2 slot at the tournament.
At No. 2, Hammers former doubles partner, freshman Rebecca Jensen, teamed with sophomore Buffy McLiney as they won 6-0. 61-
"As long as I can help the team, I really don't mind playing No.2," she said. "Buffy and I seem to get along well. And we just played great
At No. 3, sophomores Casey Cooley and Abby Woods defeated Suzanne Sim and Neili Wilcox. 6-2, 6-0.
"The they just dominated at doubles.",
Bietau said, adding that Kansas was the toughest team the Wildcats had faced this season.
Center said the team was getting stronger at doubles, especially after he switched Koves and Jensen two weeks ago.
"I think we have good chemistry there." he said.
The Jayhawks also received a strong performance at No. 4 singles, in which senior Renee Raychaudhuri defeated Wilcox 6-0, 6-4. Raychaudhuri had lost to Wilcox last fall in her
first matchafter shoulder surgery.
"I was really happy I was able to come out and win," Raychadhurii said. "I was very confident going into the match."
Kansas' only loss of the day came at No. 5 singles. Freshman Ana Gonzales, who recently had knee surgery, lost to Sim 6-3, 6-1.
"She's lost a little confidence," Center said of Gonzales. "But I still have big plans for her in the future."
Multi-event races set Kansas Relays into full motion
As for the Jayhawks' short-term future, Jensen said she saw good things ahead.
"I definitely think we're on a roll," she said. "Every time we win a match, the momentum keeps building."
By Chris Jenson
Kansan sportswriter
The men's decathlon and women's heptathlon kicked off the 67th annual Kansas Relays yesterday at Memorial Stadium.
Kansas' Chris Walters is in seventh place in the decathlon after the five events of the first day. Sandy Wilder is in eighth place and Sarah McRae is in 12th place after four events for the women.
Walters is one of four college athletes in the top seven. Athletes who are unattached or are members of club teams are allowed to compete.
Rick Schweiger of Nebraska leads the competition with 4,194 points. Former-Kansas-State-basketball and track-star Steve Fritz is in second place with 4,155 points. Walters totaled 3,552 points, and said he was pleased with his performances.
"I'm doing better than I expected," she said. "I'm pretty happy with my first day at work."
"For a decathlete, 7,000 is the barrier between an average athlete and a professional athlete."
Decapitates score points based how they perform in each event, not what place they finish each event in. Wallace said he was surprised by 7.403 and that his goal was to break 7.000.
The competition was delayed for 20 minutes during the men's high jump because of rain and Walters said the delay affected him mentally.
"I had some mental let down," he said. "The length of the day, having to warm up and then cool down, warm up when then cool down, doesn't help either."
Walters said he would be running two of his best events today, and he hoped to move up in the overall standings.
"My best events are the pole vault.
javelin and long jump, so I think I can move up," he said. "But it depends how the other competition will do."
Senior-middle-distance-runner Cathy Palacios said that having seen the first day of competition made her eager to run her event. She will compete in the open 1,500 meter run Saturday.
Palacios said that have seen the Kansas Rainer's winner's podium in the middle of the stadium made her a centerpiece in a relay race at this year's runoff.
"I'm totally excited," she said. "I'm excited to see everything set up and under way."
Palacios was a member of the two-mile relay team that won last year's meet, but race schedules prevented her from competing in both the 1,500 meter and the relay. She will be attempting to win the triple crown of collegiate track by winning the 1,500 at the Relays this weekend. She won the race at the Texas Relays two weeks ago and will attempt to win the race at the Drake Relays next weekend.
Relays todav
Men's decathlon
110-meter hurdles 10 a.m.
Discus throw 10-50 a.m.
Pole vault 12.45 p.m.
Javelin throw 3.15 p.m.
throw 4:30 p.m
1,500-meter run 5:05 p.m
Women's heptathlon
Long jump 11:30 a.m.
Javelin throw 1:20 p.m.
800-meter run 3:10 p.m.
Kansas heptathlete Sandv Wilder. Montevallo. Ala.. sophomore, clears the bar in the women's high jump on the first day of the Kansas Relays
Kansas softball meets Pittsburg today
Kansan sportswriter
By Chris Jenson
Kansas sportwriter
The Kansas softball team is not about to overlook its next opponent, although the temptation may be there.
The Jayhawks will play host to the Pittsburgh State Gorillas today in a double-header. The first game will begin at 3 p.m. at Jayhawk Field. The second game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
Pittsburgh State is an NCAA Division II school, but Kansas senior short-stop Christy Arterburn said that would be a good option for players for and played against the Gorillas.
"We don't overlook anybody," she said. "We can afford to take an team lightly."
Arterburn said that a loss to a team such as the Gorillas would affect the
team more than a loss to a tougher team.
"It's tough because teams like this
its worse than losing to anyone else.
Kansas' recent problem has not been in overlooking its opponents. Rather, the team has been slow in generating an offense.
"We've been working on our offensive output," Arterburn said. "At least we are still winning. Every team and every player goes through this."
Kansas is coming off a 5-0 sweep of the Cowgirl Classic last weekend in Oklahoma City. The Jayhawks defeated their Big Eight Conference rivals Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Iowa State as well as Oklahoma City University and Georgia State in the tournament.
"We're not relying on a single person to do everything," Arterburn said. "Our pitchers know it will be hard to score on us because we play solid defense."
She said the team's ability to play together led to its victories.
"The girls have played really well," he said. "I just hope we keep progressing and keep winning."
Softball coach Kalum Haack said he hoped the victories would put Kansas in the driver's seat for the conference title. The Jayhawks are 34-5 overall and 5-10 on the conference.
Haack said the team had been relying heavily on its pitching and defense because of the offensive drop-off.
The Jayhawk pitching staff is led by sophomore Stephani Williams, who has compiled a 20-2 record. Williams' only losses have been to Texas A&M and UCLA, the defending National Champion.
"Our pitching has been doing really well," he said. "But we are still only
scoring just enough to win."
Junior Jill Bailey also has pitched well for Kansas, compiling a 10-2 record.
Haack said the team has been concentrating on its hitting since returning from Oklahoma. Haack also said that hitting would play an important role this weekend when the Jahaways play host to Iowa State and Missouri.
Missouri is also undefeated in the conference. Haack said the weekend series would be a key one for the Jayhawks.
Royals lose to Oakland
Jeff Parrott (3-0) got the victory with 2-2-3 innings in relief of Joe Sulsarski, who gave up four runs in the fourth. The A's, who have won seven of their first nine, tied it 6-1 in the seventh on Willie Wilson's RBI single off Mike Magnante (0-1).
SPORTS BRIEFS
Brosius followed with a two-run single into center as the A's beat the Royals for the fifth time in six games. Oakland added two runs in the eighth on Joel Johnston's wild pitch and Mark McGwire's sacrifice fly.
Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco kept Oakland close with towering home runs and Scott Brosius single capped a three-run seven inning last night, boosting the Athletics to a 10-6 victory against Kansas City.
The Royals have won only once in
Henderson had a three-run homer in the fifth and Canseco followed with a huge solo shot that shaved the Royals' lead to 6-5. Canseco was 4-for-5 for the night.
The Kansas-Southwest Missouri State baseball game was rained out yesterday. Rain started falling just before the first pitch. The Jayhawks will have a day's rest before playing the Oklahoma Sooners tomorrow. The two teams will play four times this weekend in a key Big Eight Conference match-up.
nine games, their worst start ever.
Kansas baseball rained out
Kansas stands at 4-8 in the conference while the Sooners are in a tie for the conference lead with Oklahoma State at 8-4.
Golf team places sixth
The Kansas men's golf team finished sixth yesterday at the All-American Intercollegiate Invitational in Richmond, Texas. The Jayhawks fired a three-round 904, 29 strokes behind tournament champion and fifth-ranked Arkansas. Twelve teams participated in the tournament.
Kansas was paced by junior Brad Bruno, who shot rounds of 72-73-73 for a 54-hole total of 218. Bruno finished champion Deane Pappas of Arkansas.
Two Jayhawks, freshman Tom Sims and sophomore Joe Moehler, finished the tournament with a score of 229, tied for 25th Place.
The Jayhawks do not play again until the Big Eight Championships April 27 and 28 at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson.
Raider denies drug use
Only through his agent would Los Angeles Raider Todd Marinovich address a report that he flunked a drug test in the US. He is city last in year's AFC wild-card game.
ESPN reported that the league-conducted test was taken after the Chiefs beat the Raiders 10-4 on Dec. 28. The team did not say what substance was involved.
"I spoke with ESPN and then I spoke with both Todd and the Raiders." Tom Condon, Marinovich's agent said yesterday. "The Raiders, of course, their knowledge is limited to what their team doctor gets from the NFL physician. Todd told me he hasn't tested positive for anything and that he hadn't been to any rehabilitation program," Condon said.
From staff and wire reports
Tarkanian runs south; joins NBA and Spurs
The Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — It took former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian only a month to return to the bench.
This time, he is taking his run-and-gun-style to the NBA. He will coach the San Antonio Spurs, his team's success after 23 years at the college level.
The Spurs yesterday named Tarkanian as coach, ending weeks of speculation over who would fill the job left open by the firing of Larry Brown.
Spurs owner Red McCombs said Tarkanian would take over after this season. The announcement came less than a week before the injury-plagued Spurs entered the NBA playoffs.
Forward Sidney Green, who played under Tarkian at UNLV, said his former and new coach was a good match for San Antonio.
"It's agoodfeeling, I'mhappy for Tark. He's a legend and he deserves everything he gets," Green said.
Forward Terry Cummings said that suited him and his teammates
Center David Robinson, who is on the injured list, said he heard the news from a reporter.
Tarkanian, known for his winning ways as well as his troubles with the NCAA, promised to use some of his Runnin' Rebels coaching methods with the Spurs.
"I'm surprised. I hadn't the hearth his name mentioned very often." Robinson said. "All I know is all his players have a lot of respect for him and really enjoy playing for him."
well.
"For us it's a great situation," he said. "His running style is the spurs have tried to adopt for the last three years."
Tarkanian will take the job on an interm basis by Bob Bass, who took over when Brown was fired on Jan. 21.
The terms of Tarkanian's contract were not disclosed.
He is expected to attend basketball camps and scout talent for the NBA draft in June. McCombs said Tarkanian also would help Bass for the rest of the season and in the playoffs.
Tarkanian said he was familiar with other key Spurs players besides Green because he coached in college against Sean Elliott and Robinson.
"There's tremendous potential here, and I hope we can put everything together." Tarkanian said.
Tarkanian announced last June he would resign after a final season coaching UNLV. His announcement followed publication of photos showing former Rebel basketball players in a hot tub with convicted sports foe Richard Perry
Tarkanian later claimed he was rescinding the resignation because university president Robert Maxson and other officials had plotted to get him out.
As the final resolution of a 14-year battle between Tarkian and the NCAA, UNLV was banned from television and post season tournaments. He was also suspended for two years.