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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK How a family feel made KU home for Andie Formby
Andie Formby, a sophomore from Orange, Calif., pitches to Texas Tech.
BRIAN MINI
Alex Robinson/KANSAN
@brianminimum
W when she's on the mound, Andie Formby doesn't look like your typical sophomore. As a matter of fact, she's not.
At six-foot, the award-winning pitcher stands out as one of the tallest players on the team. She's a towering presence on the mound and her triple-digit strikeouts prove it.
What makes her story special is that this success hadn't always been there.
When Formby was a freshman at Virginia, her record was 8-17 with a 5.56 ERA.
What changed in a year to make her one of the dominant pitchers in the Big 12?
"I think that's due to the hard work we put in as a team everyday and definitely a lot
of that goes to the defense behind me. That's a huge improvement," Formby said.
While the defense has been great this season, the coaching staff, led by Megan Smith, not only helped her development, but played a large role in her arrival in Lawrence.
"I think that's due to the hard work we put in as a team."
Andie Formby pitcher
"Talking with the coaching staff. I really got a family feel. They have a super nice facility and a winning environment," Formby said.
Despite coming to Kansas for the "winning environment," Formby had quite a team at her high school, Mater Dejin California
Both Andie and Alex originally committed to Virginia from Mater Dei. Over 2,500 miles away from home, the twins would go their own separate ways with Alex returning home to California and
Iowa State's Nychole Antillon was one of a few major Division I commits from Formby's high school class. She was also close with another successful Mater Dei alum from the class of 2014 who went on to attend San Diego State: her sister, Alex.
"Getting to play with my sister last year was a blessing and we pushed each other to get better every day. This year, I'm no longer her teammate but instead her biggest fan," Alex said. "Her competitive nature and the passion she takes toward every game inspires me to do the best that I can."
Andie arriving in Lawrence.
Transferring schools can take many adjustments, but Andie used her experiences as a freshman to help her.
"It was a nice transition and all the girls made it really easy to come in and be a part of the team," said Formby. "Being a transfer is kind of like being a freshman so you fit in with all the freshmen immediately because it's all
"You have new experiences in being a freshman and a transfer, but being a sophomore you know what it's like to have to deal with college classes and the time management thing so that's a little easier," she said about the transition.
The "family feel" that Formby noticed when considering Kansas as a possible transfer destination also helped in her first year with her new team.
a new experience. All the seniors and upperclassmen do a really good job of answering any questions you have."
Even some of the more seasoned Jayhawks are realizing how dominant Formby's season has been. Redshirt sophomore catcher Harli Ridling has the task of catching for the new Jayhawks star.
"Honestly, Andie this season has left me speechless," Ridling said after Formby tossed a shutout gem against Texas Tech. "We can take a deep breath and relax, knowing that she isn't going to give up many runs, and as an offense give us time to do our thing and produce runs."
As is the case for many freshmen, Formby wasn't expected to lead the staff in innings pitched at Virginia.
While it's true that the opposite is the case this year, Smith never indicated this
would eventually be her role.
"They were looking for a pitcher because they had one leave and that's kind of the roll I had to fill," Formby said about whether or not she had an idea going into the season that she'd be relied on so heavily.
Along the school change, Formby has gotten a taste of Big 12 play already. She played a huge role in sweeping Texas Tech and although she did not pitch in Kansas' win over No.13 Oklahoma, she still managed to keep one of the best team's in the country at bay.
The Jayhawks are looking to ride a successful Big 12 campaign to the postseason. A lot of the pressure will be on the back of one of the team's newest members.
- Edited by Brendan Dzwierzymski
Former KU discus throwers sets sights on Olympics
> KELLY CORDINGLEY
@KellyCordinalev
Facing the back of the throwing circle, Mason Finley bends his knees and twists his torso to maximize the power of his throw. He pivots with his left foot and launches into his throw, spinning one and a half times and gaining more strength each time the ball of his foot hits the cement throwing ring. He flings the discus with an audible grunt.
At 6-foot-8 inches tall and 345 pounds, he's a record-breaking force to be reckoned with.
Finley was awarded male MVP after winning in discus Friday during the Kansas Relays. His throw of 64.7 meters (210.2 feet) broke the meet's oldest record, according to a KU Athletics release.
Finley, a 25-year-old discus thrower from Chasen County, Colo., spent three years at Kansas before transferring to Wyoming. He's an eight-time All-American and a four-time Big 12 champion in shot put and discus.
In high school, he broke the U.S. national high school record with a throw of 236 feet and 6 inches. As a freshman at Kansas, he threw 197 feet and 3 inches. To compare, the last Gold Medalist in the Olympic games threw 68.27 meters (224 feet) and the World Record is 74.08 meters (243 feet).
Now, Finley is back in Lawrence training with KU Athletics in preparation for the Olympic trials. Al Oerter, a four-time Olympic champion, is the only University alumnus to compete in the Olympics for discus. Finley hopes to be the next.
"I think somewhere in high school I had Olympic aspirations and then I got super serious about it. I was able to get the national high school record in discus and it was always part of my dream or my passion to try and be an Olympian," Finley said. "At this point, I'm just obsessed with it so I've stuck with it."
Finley competed in his first meet this season April 7 and won with a throw of 64.18 meters (210 feet). Before July 10, when the Olympic trials start, Finley must throw the Olympic standard of 65 meters (213 feet) to qualify, something he said he's confident he'll accomplish.
"I should make the trials, there hasn't been a year since 2009 that I haven't," he said.
Once he makes the trials, he'll need to place in the top three to continue. When he competed in 2012, he placed eighth, but said at that point he really wasn't a contender.
Finley's father, Jared, threw in high school and college. When Mason and his sisters were growing up, his dad would show them how
to throw. When they weren't in school, Mason said they'd practice five days a week.
"My first discus was two frisbees that he filled with sand and taped together," Mason said. "It was definitely something like a dad and a son go fishing, but our version of that."
When Mason was about 12 years old, Jared said he flung the makeshift discus off their porch and into the road.
Jared, 56, recently started to throw again in a Masters league. He said when he and Mason are together, they can indulge their need to talk about discus because nobody gets it like they do.
"I was like, 'Well, I guess we better start training," he said.
"When Mason and I are on the phone, we're going to town," Jared said. "When we're together everyone says, 'They're going to go talk technique.'"
"I think he's going to make it on the Olympic team and be one of the top throwers in the world," Jared said. "He's ready mentally and physically. I'm very, very proud of him."
Jared has high hopes for his son and the sport.
Mason was drawn to the KU Athletics program because of throwing coach Andy Kokhanovsky's coaching techniques.
"He explained throwing like no other American coach has. He's from the former Soviet Union, and he's more about the physics of throwing as opposed to like the feeling of how you throw," Mason said. "He wasn't so concerned with me getting super strong in the weight room. Like I saw a lot of coaches bulking up their throwers to the point where they couldn't throw and they were getting injured in the weight room, and I didn't want to do that, so I came to KU."
After a two-year stint at Wyoming, a "soul-searching-type journey" for Mason, and an injury, he found himself back in Lawrence. Mason, who began working as a volunteer assistant and training with Coach Andy, said everything luckily fell into place.
Kokhanovsky said it's more enjoyable now to coach Mason because he's learned more and is very dedicated.
Looking ahead, Kokhaovsky said Mason will be a future Olympian.
"He has a really, really good chance. It will boil down to how he performs on a certain day, and if he does well that day, he'll make it, no doubt." Kokhanovsky said. "The sky's the limit. He's a great guy. He's going to make it, that's my personal feeling."
- Edited by Cele Fryer
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