8
SPORTS
Tuesdav. September 14, 1993
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Siblings compete in pool
Swimmers set goals for future
By Kent Hohlfeld Kansan sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
From the time Marc Bontrager fell off a dock into Crystal Lake at his Minnesota home and came out smiling, his parents knew that swimming was going to be a big part of his life.
"All anyone could see was my blond hair,"
"Bontrager said."
His enthusiasm for the sport continued in summer swim leagues where he and his sister Janette Bontraguer, now a Kansas freshman, spent many of their summers competing. He went on to win the YMCA nationals in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle competitions and was a three-time high
school All-American. Marc Bontrager said that there wasn't any competition between his sister and him in high school.
"I always knew I could beat her," Merron Brountte said iokingly.
Janette Bontrager said that their high school times were a little closer than her brother might like to admit.
"He always had the backstroke records," Janetelle Bontraguer said. "I always had the freestyle records."
She said their records hung along side each other in their high school in Naperville, Ill, which is a suburb of Chicago. Janette said that the rivalry was more of a motivational tool.
"We're at each other's throats or anything." Janette Bontrager said. "He's really encouraging, and we help other out."
Kansas coach Gary Kempf said that having Marc at Kansas would be a big
asset to Janette. Kempfshould know.
He followed his brother in Kansas
where Kempf swam during his college career.
Kempf said that he thought having Marc on the Kansas team helped in Janette's decision to attend Kansas
"I didn't get it all sugarcoated," Janette Bontrager said. "The other schools were honest in recruiting me but I got more points of view from
Janette Bontrager said that two of those viewpoints came from their father, who graduated from Kansas in 1972, and their mother, who worked as a nurse at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Both Janette and Marc said their parents were happy they chose Kansas.
"My parents were real happy when I decided to go Kansas," Marc Bontrader said. "They used to joke that I
could go anywhere, but they'd pay for Kansas."
Marc said that he tried not to influence his sister's decision of where to go to school and that he had tried to let his sister live her own life.
"We usually see each other at practice, but I haven't even seen her on campus," Marc Bontrader said.
While his sister adjusts to college life and books to the future, Marc said that he had set some goals for the season.
Janette Bontrager said her goals for her freshman year, aside from getting used to the intense workouts, were to improve on her high school times and to adjust to college competition.
"This is really the first season that I've set specific goals for myself," Marc Bontrager said.
He said that he wanted to make a return trip to the NCAA championships and bring home the 50- and 100-meter freestyle titles. He said that he also hoped to make the 1996 Olympic team. He has aspirations of breaking the world record in the 50-meter freestyle. He said currently he was six-tenths of a second from the world record.
Richard Devinki / KANSAN
Senior Marc Bontrager (right), and freshman Janette Bontrager, take a break during practice. The siblings are members of the Kansas swimming teams
"That six-tenths is a long time though," Marc Bontrager said.
Kempf said that the high aspirations Bontrager set were within his capabilities. He said that Bontrager had turned himself into one of the elite college sprint swimmers in the nation.
Rugby rookies play their way onto tournament team
By Anne Felstet
Kansan sportswriter
An old saying claims that practice makes perfect, but for senior Christa Gizia, four rugby team practices was all it took to be chosen for the regional Heart of America Select Side Tournament.
Gizza, who had never played rugby, joined the Kansas women's rugby team a few weeks ago. In her first game, the team's season opener last Saturday, she was one of 12 Kansas players selected to go to the regional rugby tournament Oct. 2 in Norman, Okla.
Although Giza is new to the sport, the concepts of tackling and moving a ball up a field are not new to her. In high school she played powder-puff football — football played by women — and at Kansas she played on her sorority's intramural football team.
Sophomore Christy Price is also relatively new to the team and was selected to play in the tournament. She joined the women's rugby team in February. Before playing with Kansas, she had competed in high school track, softball, basketball and volleyball, but never rugby.
Players from the women's rugby teams of Northeast Missouri State and Kansas State will join Gizza. Price and the other 10 Jayhawks for the tournament team. The team has 20 players in all.
Last year's coach, Jackie Vogel, said Gizza and Price were chosen of their potential to become national players. She said the more experienced players were chosen for their leadership abilities and their decision making.
Vogel, who has selected team members in the past, said that selectors looked for development of basic skills, athletic ability, agility, quickness and strength in the players chosen for the higher level of competition.
In addition to practicing with the team, Price lifts weights.
These players, despite competing as a team in Oklahoma, will be competing individually for a spot on the Western Select Side team. Players in the Western Select Side Tournament held in December could be selected for the national team.
Gizza said she ran about three or four miles every other day and she played on an indoor soccer team in the Kansas City area once or twice a week to keep in shape for rugby. In addition to these activities, she is taking 21 credit hours of classes. She is majoring in sports management.
Now Giza will have to add Select Side Tournament team practices to her busy schedule. The team will have its first practice at 10 a.m. Sunday at Shenk Complex, on the practice fields at 23rd and Iowa streets.
Royals blank Chicago 9-0; Appier grabs win
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chicago's lead over Texas in the AL West fell to 2 1/2 games last night as the Kansas City Royals defeated the White Sox 9-0.
Kevin Appier allowed just two hits in seven innings of work for Kansas City.
The Royals have won three straight games to move with in five games of Chicago. Felix Jose hit a three-run home run for Kansas City.
appier was in trouble, but the only hits off him were doubles by Lance Johnson in the second inning and Frank Thomas in the sixth. Thomas' double was his 73rd extra base hit of the season, leaving him one short of the club record set by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in 1920.
Appier (16-8) has pitched 19 1-3 straight scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 2.73. He walked a season-high five while striking out seven.
The game was delayed one hour, 39 minutes by rain. A stiff wind blew out to right field throughout, blowing mist around Kauffman Stadium. The temperature dropped 28 degrees to 50 at the scheduled 7:36 p.m. start.
Mark Gubicza finished up, allowing two hits, as the two pitchers handed the White Sox their 13th shutout this season.
Chicago starter Tim Belcher (3-5) lasted 5 1-3 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out three.
Wally Joyner singled in another run and Gary Gaetti hit a sacrifice fly in a two-run seventh.
Jose lifted a ball high into the wind, and it carried deep into the right field seats in the fifth inning for his fifth home run and first since Aug. 20. Gary Gaetti and Chico Lind singled ahead of the home run.
Mike Macfarlane hit his 20th home run with the bases empty in the fourth inning for a 1-0 Royals lead. Gaetti and Lind each singled in runs in the sixth.
Susan McSpadden / KANSAN
Junior track team member Nick Johansen makes his way up the steps of Memorial Stadium with the burden of senior teammate Brandon Blain on his back. The two were working on a drill called "partner step-ups" yesterday during track practice while junior teammate Harun Hazim acted as their spotter.
High Stepping
Browns break 49ers' winning streak 23-13
Defense, miscues sabotage Niners
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Brown could think of no better test.
And after three painful losing seasons, the Browns proved last night they can play with the best again, beating the San Francisco 48ers 23-13 in the biggest victory of Bill Belichick's three years as coach.
The Brown's, 2-0 on the season did it with defense, intercepting three passes from Steve Young, forcing him to fumble once, and blocking a field goal. San Francisco also muffed a 40-yard field goal attempt when holder Klaus Wilmsmeyer jugged the snap with 4:32 to play.
The 49ers, 1-1, did not score in the second half.
Cleveland's James Jones, a defensive tackle, turned the game around with a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and Bernie Kosar and Michael Jackson teamed on a 30-yard scoring pass that put Cleveland ahead for good just 35 seconds before halftime.
Jackson had dropped a potential touchdown pass on the Browns'
very first play, and Kosar overthrew him on another play early in the fourth quarter.
Young, still bothered by a fractured thumb sustained during the preseason, was intercepted three times for the second straight week, and two of the three led to Cleveland scores.
The loss stopped the 49ers' nine-game regular-season winning streak. It was only the second loss in the last 13 Monday night games for San Francisco.
Matt Stover kicked three field goals for Cleveland. Mike Cofer had two for the 49ers, and a third try — a 37-yard attempt — was blocked by Rob Burnett.
Marc Logan, filling in for the injured Tomas Rothman, scored the 48ers' only touchdown on a 4-yard run in the second quarter. San Francisco also played without injured defensive lineman Ken Fagan, and it lost receiver Odessa Turner for part of the game. Turner left because of a concussion that resulted from a scary collision with Cleveland's Eric Turner early in third quarter.
The 49ers out-gained the Browns by a 3-to-1 ratio for much of the first half, but interceptions by Clay Matthews and Selwyn Jones stopped a couple of San Francisco drives.
Williams visits Iowa recruit
Kansanstaffreport
Autumn the 1993-94 basketball season is months away, Kansas is making continual efforts to keep its program strong.
Dedham said that Williams had been interested in LaFrentz, who averaged 29.9 points per game last year.
Raaf Lefrenda, 7-7foot power forward from Monona, Iowa, was visited by Kansas coach Roy Williams Sunday.
"As far as I know, everything went great in the in-home meeting," said Eric Dettbarn, LaFrentz's high school coach. "He really likes Roy Williams. Roy has spent the most time recruiting him and has been there the longest."
Recruiting expert Bob Gibbons rated LaFrentz as the second-best prospect in the country.
Dettbarn agrees with Gibbons.
"He stands a little over 7 feet tall right now," Dettbarn said. "But he's more of a forward. He can step back and shoot the three, and handle the ball on the break."
LaFrentz also has scheduled visits with Iowa, Notre Dame and Missouri. Dettbarn said that Iowa and Kansas are the top two of the four colleges in contact with LaFrentz, but that he thought LaFrentz was leaning toward Kansas.
Ricky Price, a 6-foot 5-inch guard out of Long Beach, Calif., will visit Kansas this weekend. Price is also interested in Duke, California and Arizona.
Two other prospects, Omm'A Givens, a 6-10 center from Aberdeen, Wash., and Charlie Miller, 6-4 forward from Miami, are also considering Kansas.
Improvement seen in Big Eight
Teams gain more victories against nonconference foes
By Matt Doyle
Kansan sportswriter
The Big Eight Conference is off to its best football start in 18 years.
Through two complete weeks of competition, the conference has a 12-3 record in games against nonconference opponents. The Big Eight's best record against nonconference foes was in 1975 when it went 28-4, including two consecutive 8-0 weeks.
Two of the three losses belong to Kansas, but the Jayhawks probably have played the toughest nonconference schedule so far this season. No.1 Florida State beat Kansas 42-0 in the Kickoff Classic, and Michigan State of the Big Ten Conference defeated the Jayhawks 31-14 Saturday in the Spartans' home opener.
However, one conference coach does not
foresee a denise in the Jayhawk program.
"Kansas, by virtue of their 1-2 start and their schedule, will get better by the time Big Eight Conference play starts," said Colorado coach Bill McCartney in a telephone conference call yesterday.
Last weekend saw the Big Eight post a 6-2 record, including three impressive victories over Southwest Conference opponents.
Oklahoma surprised many by dismantling Southwest Conference favorite Texas A&M 44-14 in Norman, Okla. The Aggies entered the contest ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll.
Nebraska defeated Texas Tech 50-27 in Lincoln, Neb., and Colorado dropped Baylor 45-21 in Boulder, Colo. Both Texas Tech and Baylor were preseason favorites to finish in the ton half of the Southwest Conference.
Missouri opened its season with a 31-3 victory at home against Illinois, and Oklahoma State and Kansas State had victories against Division I-AA schools Southwest Missouri State and Western Kentucky, respectively.
Iowa State fell to intrastate rival Iowa 31-28 at home in Ames.
Many of the Big Eight coaches agree that the image and on-field performance of the conference has changed during the last few years.
McCarthy said another reason the level of conference competition had improved was due to the stability of the head coaches at all eight conference institutions.
This season is the fifth consecutive season that the same head coaches have been at their respective schools.
"The teams in the conference are much stronger now than they were a few years ago," said Nebraska coach Tom Osborne. "Overall, it should be a competitive year in the Big Eight."
"I don't remember another conference being in this type of situation," McCartney said. "Some administrators in the conference are probably glad that they stuck with their coaches."
Standings
Colorado 2 ... 0
Kansas St. 2 ... 0
Nebraska 2 ... 0
Oklahoma 2 ... 0
Missouri 1 ... 0
Oklahoma St. 1.0
Iowa St. 1 ... 1
KANSAS 1 ... 2
This week:
Colorado at Stanford,
Kansas St. at Minnesota,
Nebraska at UCLA, Oklahoma
St. at Tulsa, Missouri at Texas
A&M, Iowa St. at Wisconsin,
Utah vs. Kansas