Big Eight champs open tonight
Kansas swimmers set for title defense
By MARY ARNOLD Kansan Sports Writer
Kansas' two-time Big Eight champion swimming team opens its 1969-70 season this weekend at the Big Eight Relays at Iowa State. Tonight's preliminary round begins at 7:30 p.m.The finals on Saturday start at 2 p.m.
All conference schools will be represented, except Kansas State which does not have a swimming team.
Dick Reamon opens his eighth season as coach of the Jayhawk swimmers. Fourteen lettermen and most of the point-producers of last year's championship squad return.
The Jayhawks lost only three seniors, but coach Reamon will have difficulty replacing Roy O'Connor and Jim Kent, who gave the Hawks five individual titles and swam with two winning relay teams at the Big Eight meet. The third loss was Bob Daniel, a three year letterman who also scored at the conference meet.
Tough competition
Reason said the Relays are designed to furnish competition at a championship caliber. He added that competing in a relay fashion was more fun for the swimmers.
"They are more 'up' for this meet because they will have the support of two or three teammates in each event." Reamon said.
Reamon said that the team has been ready for this meet for three weeks.
"We get ready earlier than most teams do," Reamon said. "We were getting stale and needed to get under the gun. That's why we scheduled an intrasquad meet several weeks ago." He added that the practices this week have been excellent and are a good indication of what may be expected from the team.
The squad boasts of considerable experience, but Reamon considers this a young group. The team includes 17 freshmen, nine sophomores, six juniors and four seniors. This is the second year that freshmen are eligible for varsity competition and Reamon is counting on them to furnish the
10 KANSAN Dec. 12 1969
extra support needed to win the championship.
Kansas the favorite
KU is favored to repeat as Big Eight Champion this year. But Reamon said that Oklahoma could easily win the championship if KU does not score more than one man in each event.
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Leading the Jayhawk swimmers is Bob Wright, sophomore from Wyandotte High School, who was recently selected by the Big Eight coaches as the outstanding performer in the conferenc last year. This award is based on overall competition in regular season and tournament competition in the Big Eight and nationals.
As a freshman Wright won three individual Big Eight titles and swam on a winning relay team in last year's meet. He set school and conference records in three individual events: 100 yard breaststroke (1:00.8), 200 yard breaststroke (2:14.3) and the 200 yard individual medley (2:00.6).
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Joining Wright are senior tricaptains Bob Hines, Bo Darrah and Tom Ellis. All four were All-Americas last year. Also boasting All-America credentials is junior Kim Bolton, who swam strong legs o ntw freestyle relays that received All-America ranking.
Wright, Darrah and sophomore Scott Skultet give KU excellent strength in the individual medley events. Another strong area is the sprint freestyles where Hines, Bolton and Darrah lead the way.
The middle distances are well manned, headed by Ellis, a second place finisher in the 200 freestyle last year.
Ton frosh
Two of the freshmen Reamon is counting on are Dana Staats and Mike Tackett. Coach Reamon hopes that Staats can assist
Ulmer, the only member of the butterfly performers with experience.
Junior Bruce Bove is one of five distance swimmers counted on to give KU good team depth and balance. Bove was city champion at Wichita South.
Wright in giving KU solid depth in the breaststroke.
Tackett is being counted on to help upgrade last year's weakest event, the butterfly. A strong medley relay team will depend on Tackett's performance. He came to Kansas with high school All-America honors from Southport High in Indianapolis. In 1968, Tackett was a member of a 15-17 year old 220 yard medley relay team that was first in the nation. Last year he was state champ in the 100 butterfly.
Tackett joins sophomore Steve
A Wichita East product, sophomore Greg Tharp, was a scorer in the distance events for both the
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Mike Boyle, sophomore from Wichita East, is expected to add depth to the 200 breaststroke. He could also help the freestyle sprint squad. He was a high school All-American in the 50 yard freestyle, the 200 yard freestyle and the 100 breaststroke.
Steve Trombold could push for all-American honors in the back-stroke. He finished high in the conference meet last year as a sophomore with second place in the 200 and third place in the 100. Trombold was a state champion and prep All-American at Wichita East.
Sophomore Bob Bishop and junior Ray Powers team together to give KU one of the best diving duos in the midwest. Powers dives in both the one and three meter events, and needs consistency to move up from his four place league finish of last year.
Diving a plus
two more promising candidates. Freshman Charles Wilson was second in the National Catholic High School meet last year and was a prep All-American at Oak Park, Ill.
Bishop finished second in the three-meter diving and third in the one-meter event in last year's meet as a freshman. He should also be a contender for both titles this year.
Mike Dunham will be eligible next semester after transferring from Oklahoma. He was a state champion and high school All-American at Westside High in Omaha.
Joining this diving tandem are
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individual medley and freestyle last year. He will be battling for a position this year in both events.
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