FRIDAY,SEPT.28,2001
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN - 7A
'Hawks looking to race past foes
Elite runners await cross country team at meet tomorrow
By Matt Norton Kansas sportswriter
The Kansas cross country team will take on tougher teams than it saw in its first meet tomorrow at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Okla.
This weekend, Big 12 Conference rivals Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and host Oklahoma State will join Kansas in a mini-preview of the Big 12 meet next month.
Add to that list nationally-ranked squads from Arkansas and Georgetown, plus Division II powers Pittsburg State and Adams (Colo.) State, and the Jayhawks will get a strong sense of where they stand.
Although both Kansas teams finished high at the Bob Timmons Invitational earlier this month, the
competition there consisted mostly of smaller schools.
With a meet at Iowa State two weeks ago canceled because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the team suddenly found itself with only one meet under its belt as it neared the midway point of the season.
Senior Brent Behrens said his team respected traditional men's power Oklahoma State, despite the squad's loss of two of the nation's best runners. He said Kansas would not be intimidated by Oklahoma State.
"We feel like we need to run well every meet," Behrens said. "We feel like we can run with them and beat them."
Despite the increased caliber of competition, she said the Jayhawks would compete well.
Junior runner Eve Lamborn, who is also a University Daily Kansan staff member, said the women were looking forward to the meet.
"We have a good pack, so this will be a good chance to learn how
to use that pack to our advantage." Lamborn said.
Coach Stan Redwine said his staff was looking forward to seeing how the team was responding to training. The Jayhawks are in the middle of a two-week training cycle to increase the intensity of their workouts.
"Fortunately, everyone understands what happened," Redwine said. "As the president said, we need to get back to some kind of normalcy, and that's what we're trying to do."
Behrens said the course at Oklahoma State had some hills but was not as difficult as the Jayhawks' home course at Rim Rock Farm. He said the team's consistent strategy was to stay conservative in the beginning of the race and pick off struggling runners at the end.
"It's good to get back in the swing of things." Redwine said. "I think our athletes are ready to race."
He said he liked the way the team had responded to the emotional challenges of the terrorist attacks.
Behrens said he wasn't concerned about the Jayhawks' three-week break since their last meet.
"We had all summer off and ran really well at Rim Rock," he said.
Behrens said a substantial ditch in the middle of the Oklahoma State course had to be navigated 8 to 10 times, making it necessary to run at an even pace throughout the race<sup>a</sup>
Lamborn said that she needed to be more consistent and focused this weekend and that the course at Stillwater would be a good place for her to do that.
"I liked it a lot," she said. "When I went there last year, I had a 40 second PR (personal record)."
Behrens said they needed to run with confidence because they were probably in better shape than they thought they were.
"We're definitely a step above where we were last year, and we need to race that way," Behrens said.
Wildcats to test Sooners in 'big game'
The Associated Press
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma was at its best in big games last season. Whether that pattern continues this year will be found out tomorrow.
The third-ranked Sooners (3-0) play No. 11 Kansas State (2-0) in what figures to be their most rugged game of the year by far. To date, they have beaten North Carolina, Air Force and North Texas by an average of 27 points.
Kansas State (2-0) brings a bruising running game and a strong defense that likes to use blitzes to disrupt opposing quarterbacks.
"Our whole team has got to be tough," said quarterback Nate Hybl. "They're a very physical football team, and we want to be just as physical or more physical."
Coach Bob Stoops said last
year's team developed the necessary physical and mental toughness as it went through what proved to be a national championship season. Beginning with their victory against Texas in early October and concluding with the victory against Florida State in the Orange Bowl, the Sooners showed they could handle anything that happened in big games.
That toughness wasn't there in Stoops' first season, 1999, when Oklahoma built leads at Notre Dame and against Texas but wound up losing.
"It gets down to mental toughness and playing physical to get that done." Stoops said. "Last year we did it throughout the season.
"We try and establish that through the year, not just on game day — in the spring, how we practice in double sessions, our off-season workouts ... hopefully we'll
continue to play that way in those big games."
big game
The game is just as big for Kansas State, which lost twice to the Sooners a year ago. At the first meeting in Manhattan, Oklahoma built a big lead and held off the Wildcats to win 41-31. They met again in the Big 12 championship game with Oklahoma winning 27-24.
The Wildcats are a different team now, especially on offense. With Jonathan Beasley at quarterback and Quincy Morgan at receiver, Kansas State wasn't reluctant to throw the ball. Both are gone now, and Ell Roberson is a run-first, throw-later quarterback who has teamed with tailback Josh Scobey to give the Wildcats the top-ranked running game in the country.
"That's what their brand has been this year, just to attack you primarily with the run game first,
make sure that you are disciplined to be where you're supposed to," Stoops said. "Much like when you play Nebraska, you need to make sure you are where you need to be on every run play."
Coach Bill Snyder and his players downplayed the idea of the Wildcats having extra motivation because of the two losses a year ago.
The motivation, they said, comes from the chance to start the Big 12 season by beating a good team on the road. The Sooners have won 15 straight in Norman and have the nation's longest winning streak, 16 games.
"I don't see revenge as a factor," said K-State free safety Jon McGraw. "I think we understand that this game is important to our season, as they do, and understand that if we want to get where we want to go, this is obviously the biggest game up to this point."
Golf: Demanding schedule ahead
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10A
Randall said he was thrilled to travel to Hawaii for the tournament because of the prestige of the event and the advantages it would bring to the program.
"We've been trying to get into one of the two Hawaii tournaments for about five years," Randall said. "The other top programs go to Hawaii or Puerto Rico. One of the first things recruits ask you is what your schedule is like and where do you play."
After the Jayhawks return from Hawaii, they face a daunting stretch of tournaments, each of which they played in last year.
The southward swing begins with a trip to Lafayette, La., March 11-12 for the Louisiana Classics Intercollegiate and conti-
ues at the Cleveland Golf Collegiate Championship in Aiken, S.C., March 18-19.
After traveling to Stevinson, Colo., March 25-26 for the Stevinson Ranch Invitational, Kansas returns to Randall's alma mater for the 55th Western Intercollegiate at San Jose State April 8-9.
Kansas wraps up its regular season tournament play with a spot in The Intercollegiate 2002 in Chapel Hill, N.C.,' April 13-14.
Following the Big 12 Championship on April 29-30 in Hutchinson, the Jayhawks hope to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regionals May 16-18 in Little Rock, Ark., and in the NCAA Finals in Columbus, Ohio, set for May 29-June 1.
Contact Domoney at 864-4858
Soccer: Kickers seek repeat win
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10A
Notes:
"We're playing together better every single day," she said. "I think we're ready to go."
Kansas has played Oklahoma four times in the program's history, coming away with a 2-2 record.
Kansas owns a 2-1-2 record all-time against Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks beat the Cowgirls 1-0 last year, with junior defender Brianna Valento scoring the only goal.
Freshman forward Rachel Gilfillan suffered a twisted ankle in Florida last weekend. She practiced on a limited basis this week but is questionable for today's game.
Senior forward Hilla Rantala's strong start is among the nation's best. She is 17th in the country in points-per-game (2.5) and 13th in goals-per-game (1.17). Her seven goals and 15 points is tied for first in the Big 12 Conference.
Contact Wood at 864-4858