Section:
10A
Sports
Mark Riley, men's tennis coach at the University of Kansas for four years, resigned to become head coach at the University of Pennsylvania. Assistant coach Ross Nwachukwu was promoted to interim head coach.
The University Daily Kansan
Yesterday in sports
Inside: With middle blocker Danielle Geronymo out with an injury, Jordan Garrison had her chance to shine in her collegiate match.
SEE PAGE 7A
Inside: The United States men's gymnastics team met with disappointment at the Olympics.
SEE PAGE 7A
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2000 For comments, contact Melinda Weaver or Jason Walker at 864-4858 or e-mail sports@kansan.com WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Wrestling club aims for nationals
by Michael Sudhalte
by Michael Sudhathre
sports@konson.com
Konsan sportswriter
While wrestling may not be a varsity sport at the University of Kansas, that hasn't kept several members of the club team from taking advantage of some intense intercollegiate competition.
Last year, the 'Hawks won the Southwest Conference in a landslide against Texas A&M and placed 11th out of 54 teams at the national competition.
The club practices twice a week and competes in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, which includes the clubs from Kansas State University, the University of Texas and Texas A&M.
The club usually has 20 to 30 members, some wrestle competitively and some just for fun.
Gabriel Bailey, Ellsworth junior, began wrestling competitively at the age of seven. He chose the University even after several recruiting visits to universities with varsity wrestling programs.
"Wrestling in college is a 10-month season," Bailey said. "I still wanted to wrestle, but I didn't want it to monopolize my time."
Matt Grise, Lenexa sophomore and the club's vice president, keeps that in mind when planning the practice schedule.
"Our practices aren't that hard." Grise said. "We keep them lowkey, and the wrestlers can work as hard as they want."
However, the wrestlers who travel to the regional competition in College Station, Texas, and the national competition in Dallas
have to show some extra effort in practice. Bailey said.
"As the tournament gets closer, we must get more and more in shape," Bailey said.
Francisco Chacon, Liberal senior, club president and former 5A Kansas State High School Wrestling champion, said he hoped this year's squad would improve its impressive 11th-place showing in 1999-2000.
"Our goal for this season is to place in the top five at nationals," Chacon said.
Except for the regional and national tournament, the Hawks are responsible for arranging their matches. Team members said they would like to schedule a Sunflower Showdown with Kansas State at Robinson Center. Edited by Erin Adkisson
Jason Newland, Springfield, Mo., sophomore, tries to pin Matt Grise, Lenexa sophomore, during a wrestling club practice. Grise, club vice president, has been a team member for two years. Photo by Selena Jabora/KANSAN
'Hawks land lackluster win
Senior outside hitter
Nancy Bell
spikes the ball during last night's game against UMKC.
Kansas beat the Kangarooos 3-0.
Photo by Selena
Jabara/
KANSAN
By Sarah Warren sports@kansan.com Kansan writeswriter
It wasn't pretty, but Kansas overtook a bumbling Missouri-Kansas City 3-0 last night at the Horsesi Sport Athletics Center.
The 'Roos didn't put up too much of a fight, recording error after error — a missed block, a stuffed spike and several floor dives with a few digs.
Rebounding after their first loss of the season Friday night against Texas A&M, the Jayhawks cleared the Kangaroos 15-10, 15-9, 15-4 in their last non-conference match of the season.
In fact, the 'Hawks seemed to score more points off UMKC's out-of-bounds balls than their own spiking ability. In game two, the 'Roos hit at least 10 balls out of bounds, each resulting in a Kansas side-out or point.
"I didn't think that UMKC was too sharp or that Kansas was too sharp," said coach Ray Bechard. "It wasn't dazzling, but it was a win."
The win allowed Bechard to give playing time to several bench players, including freshman middle blocker Jordan Garrison who replaced an injured Danielle Geronymo, senior middle blocker.
Garrison, who had eight kills, said she was nervous because she didn't find out she was playing until right before the game.
"It's going to get a lot more interesting Wednesday night," Bechard said. "We will definitely be playing the best team in the nation."
"She definitely snowed the strength of our bench," he said. Kansas, now 10-1, will need all the strength it can get tomorrow night when it takes on No. 1 Nebraska at Horejsi.
— Edited by Kimberly Thompson
"But I think I stepped up and did a good job," she said.
Bechard agreed.
"She definitely showed the
Sports Columnist
Despite victory special teams go unrewarded
By Jason Franchuk
Kansan sportswriter
Outside the Kansas football locker room hangs a row of picture frames honoring the players of the week. A large, glossy color photo of a stand-out performer typically fills each slot.
This week, one frame will be empty.
After another haphazard performance in Saturday's 23-20 win against Alabama-Birmingham, coach Terry Allen and his assistants chose not to have a representative from the special teams.
In the game against Southern Methodist, three punts were blocked that were converted into Mustang touchdowns, and there was one fumbled punt return. The Jayhawks chose not to select a player this week after only one punt was blocked.
"In the SMU game we thought we had somebody who deserved it." Allen said. "This game we didn't."
This week, there were a few candidates for the award. Senior kicker Joe Garcia booted a 50-yard field goal, which put the "Hawks ahead for the win."
Senior punter Joey Pelfanio averaged 40.2 yards on his five punts. Pelfanio did his best work in the worst conditions; he was forced to kick twice from Kansas' end zone. The key to getting the two punts off was a matter of speed, not distance.
"I just wanted to get the ball out of there as quick as I could," Pelfanio said. "I didn't care how far they went."
Allen said he would continue to evaluate the situation.
"We're not sold on anything in our punt team." Allen said. "We're evaluating the snapper. We're evaluating everything in the punt team."
Kansas coaches named the following award winners after the UAB game:
David Winbush, offensive player of the game. He had 10 rushes for 82 yards and two catches for 48 yards.
■ Marcus Rogers, hit of the week for his shot that knocked UAB quarterback Daniel Dixon out for part of a series.
Algie Atkinson and Nate Dwyer, defensive players of the game. Each had a pair of sacks.
Linebacker Matt Danielson, defensive scout
teamer of the week.
Quarterback Mario Kinsey, offensive scout teamer of the week.
Amanda Kaschube
— Edited by Sara Nutt
Television closest most get to Games
G'day mate.
If I were an Olympian, I'd be saying those words to some cute Aussie right now. But unfortunately, my athletic skills are as skimpy as Anna Kournikova's outfits.
I can't do a cartwheel or a handstand. I was the only 5-year-old in my gymnastics class who couldn't walk straight on the balance beam. I can't hold my breath under water for longer than 10 seconds, so no 100-meter freestyle for me. My bump, set, spike would get me killed, and even though I played tennis fairly well in high school, Lindsey Davenport would use me for target practice.
The closest thing for me — and for most people — to competing in the Olympic Games is watching it on TV. And that's exactly what my roommate Carrie and I did all weekend.
Friday's opening ceremonies, while slow at times, embodied all the Olympic ideals of peace and love. The North and South Koreans walked into Stadium Australia hand-in-hand under a single flag after fighting for more than a half century. When the Americans entered in their white cowboy hats, even slam-dunk king Vince Carter seemed subdued by the Aussie crowd.
Saturday, we watched in awe as a 5-foot Russian lifted more than 450 pounds over his head in the weightlifting competition. And then we witnessed a Kansas native — Tara Nott, a weightlifter from Stilwell — win a silver medal. Nott wasn't expected to even qualify for the games, but she helped put Kansas on the map for the Australians.
Sunday, we saw the Russians fly through the air on floor exercises in gymnastics. Carrie showed me her tumbling prowess: a somersault-cartwheel combo. I was going to show her my impersonation of a cartwheel, but luckily the gymnasts came back from the commercial break.
Later, ex-Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Tommy Lasorda led the baseball team to its first win in the preliminaries. We saw American swimmer Tom Dolan break the World Record and win the gold medal in the 400-meter Individual Medley.
And even though I was upset that most of the male swimmers didn't wear Speedoes, I was impressed with the first weekend of competition and the new Olympic sports — such as women's water pool. Not only do they have to tread water, but they risk getting hit in the head with a ball. Talk about your all-time backfire.
But the most impressive move of the first weekend came off the court and started almost nine months ago. Basketball star Alonzo Mourning's wife will have labor induced next week for the couple's second child, and "Zo will fly home from Sydney to witness the birth. He'll return the next day to continue the American push for gold.
And, what a fun weekend. Maybe one day Carrie and I can compete — we're practicing for 2004, when hopefully tag-team shoe shopping will be an Olympic sport.
Kaschube is a Flossmoor, Ill., senior in journalism
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