Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
On the Kansas volleyball team, the position of hitter plays an important role and provides the team with excitement.
Big 12 Football
A talented group of Big 12 quarterbacks highlight the upcoming football season.
Thursday
August 27,1998
Section:
B
Page 1
SEE PAGE 4B
Commentary
Page 1
Columnist Harley Ratliff explores the sports world with his unique insights and challenging opinions.
SEE PAGE 3B
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Amy Hall, assistant women's tennis coach, and Jenny Garrity, women's tennis coach keep the tennis team in shape. This is Garrity's first year at Kansas. Photo by Tara Bradley/KANSAN
Tennis tradition binds two sisters
Left to right: Jake Leatourneau, freshman, Jay Alexander, junior, Zac Wegner, junior, and Jonas Weatherbie, freshman, are the Jayhawks 'young, mostly inexperienced quarterbacks. Alexander will be out a few weeks because of a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Photo by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
By Jason Franchuk
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas women's tennis player Kris Sell and her older sister, Jenny Garrity, saw each other only on major holidays when both had vacations from college tennis.
This season, the serving siblings will see each other during all breaks and break points.
Garrity accepted the head coaching position at Kansas on July 22, after three seasons as head coach at North Carolina State. She replaced Roland Thornqvist, who returned to North Carolina, his alma mater, as head women's tennis coach.
"I knew a lot about the school and the program from Kris," Garrity said. "I knew that Kansas ran a first-class organization that was dedicated to all of its sports, and this is the career jump I've been waiting for."
Garrity, the 1988 Atlantic Coach conference coach of the year, has a difficult task ahead of her. After ten years with the Wolfpack as a player and coach, Garrity leads a program that finished 21-6 and was ranked 17th nationally last spring.
However, Kansas lost three of its top four players after last season, which puts a little more pressure on the team. But Sell isn't concerned.
Kansas opens the fall season Sept. 18 at the William and Mary Invitational in Williamsburg, Va. Another sister will meet Sell and Garrity there.
"I realize that I will have more pressure on me as the lone senior on the team," said Sell, who will most likely occupy one of the top two singles positions. "But I think we can be just as good this season if we keep our confidence. Last season, every time we stepped on the court, we thought we would win, and that is so important."
Kathy Sell, a sophomore at Duke, will play in the tournament
Garrity and Sell are excited about the opportunity to be together every day, but NCAA keeps them from being an ordinary family.
After the two drove together to the hardware shop to buy paint for Garrity's new office, Garrity questioned whether there was an infraction involved.
every day, but not every day. When the two want to have dinner together, Sell cannot get a ride with her coach/sister because it is a rules violation. They must drive and nav separately.
"Once we can get them (the recruits) on campus, we can sell this place," Garrity said.
"We can't even go out and hit together unless I call her first," Sell said. "Otherwise, we break another rule."
Since becoming coach at Kansas, Garrity has been trying to recruit young talent for upcoming seasons.
Garrity has one scholarship remaining (out of eight available) for the spring season, and she is desperately trying to find a player who hasn't committed already to another school.
Young guns lack experience
Wegner only QB with any college game exposure
By Jodi M. Smith
Kansas sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
When it comes to the Kansas quarterbacks it's all about experience. And they don't have much.
Of the four quarterbacks on the team, only junior starter Zac Wegner has ever played at the college level before.
Wegner's three backups are all new to college football.
Freshman Jonas Weatherbie, freshman walk-on Jake Leatourneau and junior walk-on Jay Alexander have never played a down of college football, but they're doing a good job covering that up.
Weatherbie, the current number two man for Wegner has proven that he can play above the freshman level.
"I've never really seen any freshman actually
step up into the position that he's in right now," Wegner said.
But Weatherbie wasn't originally the first pick for the backup quarterback position. Alexander stole that show.
Alexander was chosen for his experience, coach Terry Allen said.
But Alexander doesn't have any. At least no more than the other two, despite his two-year seniority.
"I think with Jay, he's older and
Junior quarterback Zac Wegner looks to pass down field during a morning scrimmage. The Jayhawks are preparing for their first home game, which is Sept.
5. Photo by Dan Elvasy/ KANSAN
he's more experienced," Wegner said. "He's smart, he's more mature and that carries over on the field, too."
Alexander transferred to Kansas this year after spending two years at Independence Community College where he didn't play on the football team.
Alexander said that he didn't intend to walk on but that he changed his mind.
Until last Saturday.
"I've always wanted to play here, and I just got the urge to play again," Alexander said. "I feel I'm working pretty well with everybody. I'm learning a lot from Zac. He's helping me out. It's just going pretty well right now."
Just two days after the depth chart was released that named Alexander as the backup quarterback, he went down with a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a routine scrimmage.
He's expected to return in a few weeks.
But knowing that there's not much behind him hasn't put more pressure on Wegner.
"Well, sure, there's pressure, but it comes with the job." Wegner said. "If I can't deal with it, I shouldn't do it."
KANSAS QUARTERBACKS
Kenyan runner strides into athletics, academics
Rajiyn Nymambura, Nakuru, Kenya, freshman, stretches on the track of Memorial Stadium. Nymambura is a member of the cross country team. Photo by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
KU coaches recruited freshman via e-mail
By Dan Ferguson
Kansan sportswriter
Rajiv Nyambura, Nakuru, Kenya, freshman cross country runner, has traveled halfway around the world to study at the University of Kansas and run for the Jayhawks.
Nyambura, a native Kenyan, had never been to the United States before last week, but he said the opportunity to attend an American college was a dream come true.
What a long, strange trip it has been.
"As soon as I talked to coach, I began preparation to come here," Nyambura said Tuesday.
He began running at a very early age and never stopped.
"We have made running a tradition in Kenya," Nyambura said. "All children begin running very early."
Head cross country coach Gary Schwartz found out about Nyambura last year when Nyambura's brother sent e-mail from Kenya to the coaching staff. Former assistant coach Paul Danger received the first e-mail and despite Nyambura's lack of competitive experience, he began recruiting him via e-mail.
"We're very lucky to have that kind of technology because it makes everything so much easier," Schwartz said. "When you're recruiting somebody that far away, the communication process can get very interesting."
When telephone calls were necessary, Nyambura's brother had to walk three miles to get to a telephone.
Nyambura said many of his running friends had come to colleges in America before him. They have been successful because of coaching and training facilities in the United States.
Nyambura has two goals for the upcoming season. Goal No. 1 is to get a good education, and goal No. 2 is to improve his running as much as possible.
"It's kind of like killing two birds with
Gary Schwartz Kansas cross country head coach
"He can learn a lot from us, and we can learn a lot from him."
one stone." Nyambura said with a smile.
He said his new teammates and coaches had made the transition much easier.
"The coach is very experienced and makes you feel very good," Nyambura said. "There is good interaction and morale among the boys."
"I find that most international students have a dual purpose," Schwartz said. "They aren't used to having the
Schwartz said Nyambura qualified academically for the University. Nyambura had to take the ACT test and prove he had taken the correct academic courses to qualify for admission.
Schwartz said the thing that had impressed him most about Nyambura was his willingness to learn and his concentration on academics.
resources that most of us take for granted."
Although expectations are high for the men's team this year, Schwartz and Nyambura's teammates are trying not to put too much pressure on him. This season will be Nyambura's first as a competitive runner.
"He is obviously a very talented young man, but he is going through a big transition as far as training and everything else goes," Schwartz said. "Hopefully we can make that transition as smooth as possible."
Nyambura has not and will not set any specific running goals for the upcoming season. He said preparation and proper training were the formula for success.
"My results will depend on my preparation," Nyambura said. "The training is very demanding, and I expect the competition to be the same."
Schwartz said having somebody like Nyambura on the team would help the Javahawks.
"He can learn a lot from us, and we can learn a lot from him," Schwartz said.