Sports
the university daily kansan
The Kansas Volleyball team has its sights set on the NCAA tournament this year, and two Brazilian teammates have come to Kansas to lead the Jayhawk charge. PAGE 10B
1B
thursday, august 21, 2003
sports commentary
Jason Hwang jhwang@hansan.com
Support fall sports, not just basketball
My first request of the fall season is to ask every fan not to repeat the same old question. "When does basketball season start?"
It doesn't start until November, but that shouldn't give any Jayhawk fan the leeway to continue to shut their brains down as Jayhawk sports fans throughout the fall. Most of the fans who are following the fall season will only focus on the football team and may go to some of the games, if not all.
games, if not all.
Yes, these other fall sports are labeled by many as "non-revenue sports," and they don't get as much publicity as the others. However, these athletes work just as hard as those in football, men's and women's basketball and baseball.
Here is part one of two columns about some of the fall "non-revenue sports" that fans should take note. Swimming
Excitement is brewing as Clark Campbell and Brad Szurgot start their second seasons as Kansas swimming and diving coaches, respectively. The team finished fourth in the conference championship last spring in Austin, Texas, the highest finish since 2000. Look out for junior Amy Ruber, who was the first Jayhawk to compete in the NCAA championship meet since 1998. She posted three top 40 finishes in Auburn, Ala., in the weekend of March 22-23. Pay close attention for the influx of good freshman talent and two new topflight divers for the Jayhawks after Patti Stringham and Kristi Misejka graduated. Soccer
Swimming
Despite being ranked 31st by Soccer Buzz magazine, Kansas is picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 in a preseason poll. This lack of respect is a slap in the face to the Jayhawk players and coaches. Jayhawk fans, this should be the extra incentive to go see the soccer team work extra hard to disprove the critics by moving up in the Big 12. To do this, the Jayhawks must beat teams that are ranked higher. While some would consider SuperTarget Field as one of the worst in the fields in the Big 12, watch the Jayhawks use it as an intimidation factor to the opponents. Other than preseason All-Big 12 player sophomore Caroline Smith, junior Rachel Giffillan and sophomore Jackie Smith help keep pace to good team offensive attack. Junior Meghan Miller remains rock solid at the keeper position, with a 1.3 goals against average. Senior Maggie Mason said the team was more committed to one another as a team than ever before. This should result in a conference finish that will make the pollsters look clueless.
Rowing
Hwang is an Overland Park senior in communications.
Although the team finished last among conference varsity teams — Kansas, Texas and Kansas State — in the Big 12 Invitational last spring in Lawrence, the Jayhawks are destined to move up and su, pass their in-state rival in the next Big 12 Invitational. The 1st Novice 8 team finished first place in the Big 12 Invitational. Look for that type of experience to enable the team to gain more success under ninth-year coach Rob Catloth. Potential excitement of each race going to the last second should persuade many fans to attend home regattas at the Clinton Lake Marina and Burcham Park.
Casey Rangel, 7, takes his autographed football from quarterback Adam Barmann. Fans gathered at Memorial Stadium Wednesday night to watch practice and meet the players.
Fans gain faith from 'Hawks
By Ryan Greene rgreene@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
Sometimes, there is more to college football than landing the big recruits or getting to a New Year's Day Bowl game.
"They like to be up close to the guys," Mandi Solko said.
getting to a New Year's Day
Lawrence residents James and Mandi Solko saw that first hand yesterday as they watched their sons Cameron, 9, and Braden, 4, meet and greet some Kansas football players and frolic on the Memorial Stadium turf at the annual Jayhawks Fan Appreciation Night.
The opportunity to get up close and personal with the Jayhawks' weekend warriors was one that thousands took part in, watching the team in an hour-long practice session, then hearing from the team captains and coach Mark Mangino about the upcoming season. The evening concluded by letting fans not only have an autograph session with the players, but also pretending to be their favorite Jayhawks on the field.
Both coach Mangino and his captains did their best to instill confidence in their loyal fans about the upcoming season, repeatedly promising to give the fans
something to truly cheer about
something to try cheer us up.
"We're just asking yall to stick with us," Bill Whittemore, KU quarterback, said. "We'll keep working our butts off."
Kansas Football Notes
Coach Mangino announced Monday in his weekly Big 12 teleconference that junior college transfer offensive lineman Johnny Urrutia has left the team to return home and clear up some academic issues.
The 6-foot-3, 323-pound offensive lineman who transferred from Mt. San Antonio College may return to the junior college in order to complete his academic requirements and could return to
KU as soon as second semester.
"He wants to come back and join the team," Mangino said. "We will certainly take him back."
Much like Kansas, Northwestern is looking to get off on the right foot August 30th in Lawrence following a disastrous 2002 campaign. In order to keep the Jayhawks from having the slightest advantage, the Wildcats recently ventured north to Kenosha, Wisc., and practiced on a field with an AstroPlay surface, which is the same surface in Memorial Stadium.
— Edited by Neeley Spellmeier
Fieldhouse facelift
Workers paint a 20-foot tall Jayhawk at center court of James Naismith Court in Allen Fieldhouse. The court design was last changed for the 1998 season. See story on page 3B.
Jared Soares/Kansan
Tennis team to play for former assistant
By Jonah Ballow jballow@kansan.com Kansas sportswriter
Athletics Director Lew Perkins announced Aug. 13 that Kilmeny Waterman would step down and Amy Hall would become the coach after six seasons as an assistant.
Among the several changes in the athletics department, the Kansas tennis team will have a new coach for the start of the fall season.
"This was a very difficult decision because I love KU athletics and the people with whom I work," Waterman said. "However, it seems to be the right time to move on and explore different careers opportunities."
and explore the tanker. The Jayhawks held a 55-29 record under Waterman. The team's most impressive finish was in 2001-02 when it took second place in the Big 12 Conference and Waterman collected league coach of the year.
Hall has been a part of the team since 1997 with a two-year stint at Eastern Kentucky as the assistant coach for the men and women's teams before heading to the University of Kansas.
to the University of California Hall said the transition won't be drastic on the players and they were adjusting quickly.
"A new change always has to bring new experiences," Hall said.
new experiences. Then she.
Senior Courtney Steinbock said the
coach and the team would be able to handle the situation.
"It is a big change but coach Hall is capable of leading," Steinbock said. "She is not only well deserving of the job but she knows how to run this team."
Waterman
The Jayhawks are no stranger to adversity. The teams lost its indoor tennis courts in Lawrence and traveled to Kansas City for home matches last season. Kansas then struggled during the regular season with a 7-11 overall record and 3-8 in the conference. In the Big 12 Tournament the team fell short of advancing with a first round loss to the Colorado Buffaloes.
Heading into the Fall 2003 season the Jayhawks will be without one of its best players, junior Paige Brown. After a strong freshman year, Brown moved into the No. 2 singles position and No. 2 doubles for most of her sophomore season. Brown decided to transfer to Texas Christian University for the 2003-04 season.
"It's hard losing one of our top players but we will have to move on and press forward." Steinbock said.
The Jayhawks will begin their fall season with a tournament on Sept. 12 in Columbia, Mo.
— Edited by Nikki Overfelt