Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Kevin Brown pitched a complete game. His three hit shutout helped the San Diego Padres defeat the Atlanta Braves 3-0 last night in Game 2 of the NLCS
Friday
October 9, 1998
Section:
B
Page 1
Kansas Football
Don't miss the starting line-ups for Saturday's Kansas-Baylor football game.
The Padres now lead the best of seven series 2-0.
SEE PAGE 8B
Volleyball
The Kansas volleyball team travels to Texas this weekend to take on two Top-25 teams.
SEE PAGE 3B
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Kansas quarterback Zac Wegner looks down the field for someone to pass to as Texas A&M defensive back Michael Jameson rushes in for a sack. The football team will play the Baylor Bears at 6 p.m. tomorrow in Waco, Texas. Photo by Dan Elviasky/KANSAN
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'Hawks ready to wrestle Bears
Neither football team has won a Big 12 game thus far this season
By Jodi M. Smith
Kansan sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
Few teams can understand the trials and tribulations of the Kansas football team as well as the Baylor Bears.
The Bears, like the Jayhawks, have suffered and stumbled through their season thus far, losing games they had chances to win.
The Jayhawks will play the Bears at 6 p.m. tomorrow at Baylor.
"I think Baylor is a lot like ourselves," coach Terry Allen said. "The similarities are really intriguing. They have been good enough to be competitive in their Big 12 games, but not good enough to win, such as oursels. I think they are a good football team. It's just a matter of getting everything going in the right direction."
Baylor still is searching for its first conference victory after close losses to Colorado, 18.16, and a week later to Texas Tech, 31-29.
10, and a week later to Texas. Feel of
Kansas understands Baylor's pain.
Kansas understands Baylor's span. In all three of Kansas' conference losses, the team was either tied or ahead at some point in the fourth quarter.
In addition, Baylor is in its second season under a new coaching staff, just like Kansas. But there is a difference between the two teams.
"Baylor's played everybody tough this year," quarterback Zac Wegner said. "We've played everybody tough as well, so I think it's going to be a good game when we get down there, a good offensive game."
Baylor only has one victory for the season, but it came against North Carolina State, then ranked No. 20 nationally in a close 33-30 game.
Together, Baylor and Kansas have a combined conference record of 0-5.
Kansas has two wins, but neither came against a ranked opponent. In fact, the Jayhawks' victories have come against Illinois State, an NCAA Division I-A team, and the University of Alabama-Birmingham, an unranked Division I-A team.
Offensive tackle Dan Dercher said Baylor had improved since last year.
"It's really scary to play against them this week, but it's almost a must-win situation for us if we have any hopes for a bowl game," he said. "This is a real important game for us, so we need to come out of there with a win. And I know that's the way they're feeling, too."
Every must-win game for the Jayhawks this
season — against Oklahoma State, Missouri and Texas A&M — turned out less desirable than hoped. mainly because of mistakes.
"We'd like to just go in there and have a good, clean game," Dercher said. "No plays that are, well, what if this didn't happen, what if that didn't happen. We're not saying that we're five plays away from being a 5-0 team, just say let's go out there and not make mistakes and play our own game. I don't think there are many teams that can beat us if we do that, but that hasn't been the case so far."
Tight end Jason Gulley said he fully expected the team to be 3-0 in the conference at this point in the season.
After this weekend, the team plans to be 1-3 in conference play, despite the fact that Baylor needs the win as badly as the Jayhawks.
Wegner said the team had handled the losses well.
"We're just getting better as we go along." Wegner said. "Granted, it's frustrating to lose those types of games, but as a team we're not getting weighed down. You just can't let that happen."
Denmark native follows his heart to be a Jayhawk
By Sam Mellinger
Kansan sportswriter
The pride of the Kansas men's cross country team came to Lawrence in a less conventional manner.
Junior Brian Jensen began his collegiate career at Okla.
While running for the Cowboys,
the Denm a r k native suffered
an injury to his lower
back that forced him
to return to his home
country for treatment.
Jensen: Returned to the states after lower-back injury.
When he was healthy and ready to return to the United States, Jensen decided to resume his career at Kansas, rather than at Oklahoma State.
The reason? Her name is Michelle.
"I met her in Lawrence at the cross country course." Jensen said of the woman he eventually married.
The two met at a meet during Jensen's freshman year in 1995 when Michelle was running for Kansas State. Michelle knew some people from Denmark that also knew Jensen. They met and started dating.
Michelle later suffered a career-ending injury, and when Jensen returned she convinced him to attend a school in Kansas
"She wanted to get in-state tuition and I liked this better than K-State," he said.
Kansas cross country coach Gary Schwartz is thrilled to have Jensen on his side. Jensen was supposed to be one of three elite runners on the team, but Ricardo Amezcu left the team for personal reasons and Kenyan native Rajiv
Nyambura is not eligible to compete.
"He's been great, we basically just added a No. 1 runner to the team we were going to have," Schwartz said. "He can be a benefit to our program in two ways — with his running ability, and he will push our other runners."
In his first race as a Jayahawk, Jensen finished second in the men's 8K at the Iona College Meet of Champions with a time of 24:55.7.
While he was in Denmark, Jensen competed for the national team. The coach of that team has talked to Jensen about returning for the European Championships, which will be held in Italy this December.
"He's physically talented, and he's also mentally tough." Schwartz said. "Those are two things that usually make a pretty good runner."
The team's next race will be tomorrow when they held the Bob Timmons
Tough weekend
The cross country team will face three top-ranked opponents this weekend.
See page 3B
Invitational at Rim Rock Farm. Jensen doesn't expect to finish second, as the race is loaded with ranked teams.
"As far as winning it, I'm not looking at that," he said. "It's kind of like nationals. I have no idea what place I'm going to get, but I'm not going to win it, I know that."
While Jensen has just two seasons to run at Kansas — he's fighting for a third — the 22-year-old is a second-semester freshman in school.
Jensen is majoring in human biology and hopes to be a chiropractor. His experience with rehabilitation in Denmark helped him make his decision.
"I just think that's the best way to treat things," Jensen said.
Soccer team hopes to score three games this weekend
By Brad Hallier Kansas sportswriter
it is going to be a long weekend in Oklahoma for the Kansas soccer team.
Between tonight and Monday, the Jayhawks will play three matches, or 270 minutes of soccer.
Defender Cynthia Dahle said that the entire team would be needed this weekend.
"It's going to take a lot of determination and perseverance to get through the weekend." defender Lindsey Loefler said. "Three games in four days will take a lot out of us."
The Jayhawks (5-5) will take on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (7-2-17 tonight
State has proved that "They have had an excellent season so far," he said. "They are defensively sound and have scored often enough at key times to win."
Coach Dan Magner said that Oklahoma State had proven themselves this year.
Kansas has not beat Oklahoma State yet. Last year, the Cowgirls stole a 1-0 victory in Lawrence in a physical match, featuring 54 foul
"I'm really excited to play in Norman, "she said. "Since I've been here, we haven't played in Norman yet. I'll be playing in front of my family and friends. Many of my friends haven't seen me play since high school, and I've improved since then, so it will be nice to play in front of them."
The Jayhawks will battle the Oklahoma Sooners (6-4) on Sunday. The game will serve as a homecoming for Loeffler, a Norman, Okla., native.
Magner said that he was not looking at tonight's match as a chance for revenge.
"This will be a game that has great meaning to us in the Big 12 Conference," he said. "If the officials are going to allow the game to be physical, then we will step up and win our fair number of physical challenges."
"They have a 6-2 win over a regionally ranked 'Tula team.' he said.
"They do have some losses to weaker opponents, so I think the key will be to score early on them, to come out strong. If we allow them into the game, it could be a long afternoon."
Magner said that the Sooners had a young team with strong results.
Kansas will wrap up the weekend Monday afternoon in Norman with a make-up game vs. Texas Tech. The match was scheduled for last Sunday, but thunderstorms wiped out any possibility of playing.
"It will be a physically daunting task," Magner said. "It's an unfortunate set of circumstances that has led us to play so many games in a few days. It will be a true test and gut check for us. I believe this weekend will show us how badly we want to be in the Big 12 tournament."
The Red Raiders will be coming off a weekend of matches against Texas and 17th-ranked Texas A&M.
NCAA
Matt Friedrichs sports editor
Kansas Colorado Iowa Nebraska Oklahoma Oklahoma St. Miami LSU Arizona Georgia Air Force
Kevin Wilson associate sports editor
Kansas Iowa Nebraska Texas Oklahoma St. Florida St. Florida Arizona St. Arizona Georgia Air Force
Jodi Smith football reporter
Kansas Missouri Nebraska Texas Oklahoma St. Florida St. Florida Arizona St. Tennessee Georgia Air Force
Spencer Duncan columnist
Kansas Colorado Missouri Nebraska Oklahoma Oklahoma St. Florida St. Florida Arizona St. UCLA Georgia Air Force
Last Week's Record Overall
7-5 33-26
10-2 42-17
9-3 44-15
8-4 41-18
Brandon Krisztal sports staff
Randy Withers sports staff
Andy Strauss student
Allan Cigley professor of political science
Kansas Kansas Missouri Nebraska Texas Oklahoma St. Florida St. Florida Arizona St. Missouri Nebraska Texas Oklahoma St. Florida St. Florida Arizona St. Florida Arizona St. Tennessee Georgia Air Force
Last Week's Record Overall
7-8 43-16
9-3 44-15
9-3 45-14
7-8 45-14
Big 12 directors announce new commissioner for conference
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Kevin L. Weiberg, a native Kansas who spent nearly a decade as a senior Big 10 official, was announced yesterday as the new commissioner of the Big 12 conference.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway, chairman of the Big 12 Board of Directors, said the board was unanimous in its decision to hire Weiberg, who sighed a three-year contract.
"During the interview process, he expressed innovative ideas," Hemenway said. "And he has a broad range of experience in financial operations, television contracts, the inner workings of major conferences, women's athletics and gender equity."
Weiberg said he was delighted to have the opportunity.
"I think it's a great and very competitive conference, and I
See COMMISSIONER on page 8B