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6A SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
CLUB SPORTS
Men's rugby club to play big teams
BY MAX LUSH
mlush@kansan.com
The men's rugby club starts its first season playing Division I club teams this weekend. This Saturday at 1 p.m., the team plays its first match against Kansas State in Manhattan.
Club president Brandon Holland, Lawrence senior, has no problem saying what the team goal for the season is.
"We want to go to Westerns," Holland said. "That is our goal every year. We want to win every game we play."
Helping to achieve this goal will be the welcome addition of two players from overseas. Tonderai Kambarami — referred to by his teammates as "T.K." — is a freshman from the Netherlands who plays outside center for the
Jayhawks. Adam Grant is a junior exchange student from England who plays flanker. Both players have been impressed with the level of play they have seen so far in practice.
"There really are a lot of talented players out here," Kambarami said. "I could see this team giving some of the teams back in Europe a run for their money, to be completely honest with you."
Grant believes that the sport is really about to take off in America.
"I see the level of play at practice and the passion people have here," Grant said. "I would not be surprised to see it become a popular sport here."
2009 KANSAS CLUB RUGBY FALL SCHEDULE
With the first game coming against an in-state rival, the team knows what to expect.
Kansas State has a really shifty
September
19th - at Kansas State
26th - at Truman State
October
3rd - at Creighton in Omaha, Neb.
10th - St. Louis University
24th - at Big 12 Tournament in Norman, Okla.
November
7th - Missouri at noon, College All-Star Weekend
14th - Nebraska
Members of the men's rugby club team practice drills Thursday. The team will kick off its season against Kansas State this weekend in Manhattan. It will also play in the Big 12 tournament in Norman, Okla. in October and host Missouri the first week of November.
Andrew Hoxey/KANSAN
backline, they do a lot of overlapping runs, cuts and are just hard to tackle," Holland said. "Our forward pack is much stronger then they are, so that is probably how we will play. Basic, strong forward ball."
The forward pack for the rugby club has always been a strong point for the team, but with a
revamped backline, Holland expects big things.
"Our backline has shown a lot of potential in practice," Holland said. "Hopefully with our forward play we can suck the defense in, then spin it wide to the backs to score points."
The newcomers are well aware of the rivalry and how important
it is to defeat Kansas State this year after a tough loss the last year in Manhattan.
"All I know is that we hate Kansas State and Missouri the most, so we are going to play with a lot of energy and emotion," Kambarami said.
When asked what to expect
with playing Kansas State and American teams in general, Grant said, "I expect a lot of big hits and physical play, Americans seem to love that, and with this rivalry I can anticipate a very physical match."
— Edited By Jonathan Hermes
SWIMMING AND DIVING
re-introduces alumni season opener after break
Alumni will compete against current team in relaxed meet
BY ANDREW TAYLOR ataylor@kansan.com
For the first time since 2006, the Jayhawk swimming and diving team will host an alumni meet.
The event, set to take place at Robinson Natatorium today at 4 p.m., experienced a brief hiatus simply as a result of poor timing. Coach Clark Campbell mentioned the team always seemed to be either busy or out of town. Despite the past scheduling problems, Campbell and his staff hope to make the meet an annual event.
"I've never participated in an alumni meet," junior swimmer Alyssa Potter said, "So it should be a lot of fun."
Follow Andrew Taylor at twitter.com/ andrew_taylor11
Potter's recruiting trip took place the last time the swimming
and driving team hosted the alumni meet. She's looking forward to meeting and reuniting with several of the alumni.
"They're really good to talk to
"You don't just have to hang up your suit and googles."
intrasquam meet on Oct. 9 in addition to the alumni meet, the first meet of the season.
and relate with," Potter said.
"It's the first meet, you don't know what shape you're in," former Kansas swimmer Maria Mayrovich said. "You just go for your best."
The presence of an estimated 50 to 75 alumni also allows the athletes to gaze into the program's
CLARK CAMPBELL Swimming coach
The past two years the Jayhawks hosted an intrasquad meet to serve as a warm-up for the season. The team will still host its yearly
long history. Several alumni from past men's swimming and diving teams will compete in the day's events. The men's swimming and diving program was cut in the early 2000s.
"A lot of men swimmers are excited about racing our collegiate women swimmers," Campbell said.
The event provides the athletes
and alumni with a chance to have some good-spirited fun.
A pentathlon of swimming events, including 50-yard sprints of three separate strokes, a 200-yard medley relay and a 200-yard free style relay, is planned. Several diving events will accompany the races. One entails the divers taking three dives from either the one-meter or three-meter board, with the score from their best dive kept.
Campbell said he hoped the return of the alumni meet would give the current layhawk swimmers and divers an opportunity to see that their swimming or diving career doesn't have to end when they graduate.
"You don't just have to hang up your suit and goggles," Campbell said.
— Edited by Lauren Cunningham
Swimming alumna
Danielle Herrmann
swims down the lane before turning in the 50-yard breaststroke at the Robinson Center pool in a meet last season. Alumni will compete against current swimmers and divers in a meet today at 4 p.m.
Weston White/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
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