Section A·Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, October 26, 2000
'Hawks begin season vs. Aggies
By Katie Teske
sports@kansan.com
Sports Writer
The Kansas and Texas A&M swimming and diving teams will see a lot of each other in the next few days.
The Kansas men's and women's teams start their seasons today against the Aggies in a dual meet at Robinson Natatorium. They will play host to Iowa State, Missouri, Texas and Texas A&M again at the Big 12 Conference Relays tomorrow.
The Relays will feature an all-relay swimming format. Distances range from 25 meters to 500 meters.
Last week, the men's and women's teams had an intrasquad meet. The team divided and competed against itself.
Doug Dickinson, men's swimming
coach, said he used the competition to help set the lineup for today's meet. He tried to use the knowledge he gained from that meet as a barometer to see where the team was.
He said the meets would show who would step up and swim well this season.
"The Relays are a strange meet in that we will never swim some of these relays during the season," Dickinson said. "But the bottom line is that we need to race and find out who stands up and is a leader in the pool."
He is looking to sophomore Brian Soria and senior team captains Jon Reyes and Chad Sunderland for that leadership. He said freshmen Dustin Chalasant and Dustin Robbins could also
make a difference in the meets.
Texas won both the men's and women's competition in last year's Big 12 Relays in Ames, Iowa. Kansas placed second on the women's side and fourth on the men's side.
Women's coach Cathy Burgess agreed that today's event would be helpful.
"It's a good chance to see everyone swim a lot of events, but as a team," she said. "It's great to face the conference in our home pool."
The women's team beat Texas A&M two years ago at the dual meet at Kansas and lost to them last year in College Station, Texas. Burgess said the Jayhawks' focus for the dual meet was to swim as well as they could and as fast as they could.
SWIMMING SCHEDULE
Burgess said nine freshmen along with
9:00 n.m. — 4x25 Medley, 3x100 Fly,
3x100 Breast, 3x100 Back, 3x500
Free, 4x100 Free, 4x50 Medley
1:30 p.m. — 4x50 Free, 4x100
Medley, 4x100 IM, 4x200 Free, 3x50
Fly, 3x50 Breast, 3x50 Back, 200-400-
100 IM, 4x25 Fly,
the returning talent would give the team solid depth. Four of the returning upper-classmen went to the Olympic trials.
The dual meet will begin at 3 p.m. today, and the relays will be split into two sessions. The first half will kick off at 9 a.m. and the second half is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
- Edited by Clay McCuistion
Chiefs' Grbac expects to play against Seattle
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Quarterback Elvis Grab took almost half the snaps in practice yesterday and expects to be ready for Kansas City's game Sunday at Seattle.
Grbac, who is having the best season of his career, injured his right elbow last week in the second half of the Chiefs' 54-34 victory against St. Louis at Arrowhead
stainless. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday, which concluded it was only bruised.
"By game time, I'll be fine," said Grbac, who has thrown at least two touchdown passes in each of the last five games and has a total of 16 this season.
He said the elbow had good range of motion yesterday and that his availability "is not an issue." Coach Gunther Cunningham agreed.
"He's very competitive," Cunningham said. "I don't think people realize how tough he is. He's not some 6-foot guy. He's 6-5 and 24. He knows what he's done, and he wants to continue to do that."
The Chiefs (4-3) listed 10 players, including eight starters, on their injury list yesterday following their bruising victory against the previously undefeated Rams.
But the only ones missing practice were wide receiver Sylvester Morris, who has an injured shoulder, and defensive lineman Eric Hicks, who is out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.
Grbac took about 45 percent of the team's snaps yesterday in practice.
"The idea was to rest his arm and get the swelling out." Cunningham said. "He looked pretty good. I would expect him to play."
The seanawks, who lost in Kansas City on a Monday night 24-17 earlier this year, figure they'll see Grbac and not Warren Moon, the 43-year-old backup who was 3-0-3 and led two scoring drives against the Rams.
"From what I hear and read, I think Elvis will play," said Seattle coach Mike Holmgren. "He's a tough guy and he wants to play. I know he hurt his elbow, but I expect to see him."
Just last season, Trent Green was supposed to be The Man in St. Louis. Then, in the story everyone knows, a knee injury, in preseason knocked Green out for the year and allowed former
If Moon winds up starting, he will be a familiar face in Husky Stadium. Moon, who played his college football at Washington, spent two years with the Seahawks in 1997 and 1998. He signed with the Chiefs as a free agent to Grbac's backup in 1999.
Warner sidelined by injured pinky
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Rams can only hope this backup quarterback turns out as well as the last one.
The Associated Press
He said the offense would be the same. It is the same system that was in place when he was supposed to lead the team last year.
"That was the offense that was in place and we were running effectively then," Green said.
emerge and lead the Rams to a Super Bowl title.
After an awkwardly snapped ball sent Warner to the sidelines in Kansas City, Green demonstrated he could still handle the system he was once supposed to direct.
Now it's Green stepping in for Warner, who was on his way to a second historic season when he broke the little finger on his throwing hand last week in a loss to Kansas City.
He completed 15-of-21 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. It wasn't enough, however, to overcome the Rams' poor defensive showing, and the Chiefs won 54-34.
After last Sunday's game, Warner said he hoped to return in one week. When doctors said he would not throw for three weeks, Warner said he would play in "three weeks and a day."
Wednesday, Warner said he's "just fortunate that it's only going to be four weeks, and I'll be back out there."
It's a reversal of last season's story, but Green doesn't expect much to change.
Losing stars won't slow down Big 12 women's basketball
By Zac Hunter
sports@kanson.com
Kansas sportswriter
But that isn't the case.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It would be safe to say a shake up might occur at the top of the Big 12 Conference after losing a class of players to the WNBA including Kansas star forward Lynn Pride as well as Texas' Edwinna Brown, Iowa State's Stacy Frese, Nebraska's Nicole Kubik and Kansas State's Olga Firsova.
Marian Washington has a simple answer why teams such as Iowa State and Texas remain at the top of the conference.
"It's a great indicator of the kinds of coaches we have in this league," she said.
Washington said despite the losses, another crop of talent was waiting to replace the the seniors.
"We're still going to be a very strong conference," she said.
Trivia Answer:
New York Yankees
Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp said that it was difficult to be the elite in the conference, but teams had better be ready to play if it wanted to keep its positions.
"This is a pretty unforgiving conference," she said. "There are some pretty great programs in the Big 12."
So what happens to the teams that are on the edge of the conference elite? They have to scrap and claw its way into the top spots.
"I think the bottom of the league is catching up quickly." Paul Sanderford
While it may be an exclusive group with Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Kansas at the top of the Big 12, the gap between last and first is closing.
"I think the bottom of the league is catching up quickly," said Nebraska coach Paul Sanderford. "Protect your home floor and steal a couple on the road will mean playing in March."
It may allow the conference to get six teams in the NCAA tournament, but the lack of success those teams have had results in a lack of respect around the country.
Nebraska coach
No Big 12 school has advanced to the Final Four since the league was formed, and it will take a team qualifying to give the conference the recognition it wants and deserves.
Colorado coach Ceal Barry said, "They don't welcome you with open arms."
However, Texas coach Jody Conradt does not agree. She said the conference should not rest all its hopes for credibility on the Final Four.
And the Big 12 hopes to have a team that gets that lucky play sooner rather than later.
She added that when it got down to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds, it often was the team that got a lucky play that won.
— Edited by Warisa Chulindra
SATURDAY·OCTOBER 28, 2000·10:00PM
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