UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday. October 18, 1996
3B
Officials announce new women's tennis coach
By Tommy Gallagher Kansan sportswriter
Kansas Athletic Department officials announced yesterday that former North Carolina assistant coach Roland Thornqvist is the Jayhawks' permanent head coach for the women's tennis program.
Thornqvist won the job against two other candidates: Kenyon College (Ohio) head tennis coach Paul Wardlaw and Kansas interim tennis head coach Frank Polito.
Polito will coach senior Bianca Kirchhof and sophomore Kris Sell this weekend as they compete in singles and doubles competition in prequalifying rounds for the All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Thornqvist will arrive in California Monday and assume full coaching duties. However, Polito's career as a Jayhawk will come to an end after almost a year.
"I was disappointed because I wish I could have the job, but all I can do is back the team 100 percent and move on," Polito said. "I don't know what I intend to do yet. I have to weigh some options and some offers that I've received so far, but whatever I do, it won't be for a while."
Indiana and Ohio State have informally talked with Polito during the week about coaching possibilities.
"Now we can play and not worry about who's going to coach us this week..."
Bianca Kirchhof
Senior doubles tennis player
Polito became the Jayhawks' interim head coach when Chuck Merzbacher resigned Aug. 31 to become Ohio State's head coach of women's tennis.
Players were stunned when Merzbacher left in August but were better prepared for a turnover this week. Sell said that the hiring of Thornvist settled some of the team's uncertainty dating back to Merzbacher's departure.
"This has been the most stressful experience that I've ever gone through," Sell said. "We were shocked when Merzbacher left us, but we were still comfortable because we had Coach Polito. Now he's gone. The past two months have
Roland Thorngvist
1990 — Began collegiate tennis career at Elon College, N.C.
1991 — Transferred to North Carolina; All-ACC selection
1992 — Awarded the Rafael Osuna National Sportsmanship Award; All-ACC selection
1993 — The Rolex National Indoor Champion; Awarded the Rafael Osuna National Sportsmanship Award; All-ACC selection
1994 — Started coaching career as an assistant for the North Carolina men's tennis team
1996 — Became women's head tennis coach at Kansas
been unstable, but at least we know that Roland is our coach and that we can move on."
Kirchhof was pleased to have a permanent coach in place because tennis had lost some of its fun with coaches walking through a revolving door.
"It's hard not knowing what's going on because it affects our play and attitudes," she said. "Playing tennis wasn't fun anymore. Now we can play and not worry about who's going to coach us this week and have some fun again."
Rowers secure invitation to competition in Boston
By Matt Woodruff
Kansan sportswriter
After a successful season debut at last Saturday's Head of the Kaw Regatta, the Kansas women's rowing team will travel to Boston to compete in the Head of the Charles Regatta, the largestrowing event in the world.
"We would like to at least finish in the top half," Kansas coach Rob Catloth said.
Only teams that receive an invitation are allowed to compete, and this year's team received an invitation for the Women's Varsity Open-Eight. The team will compete against 35 crews, both college and club, from across the country.
Last fall the Women's Light
weight Eight boat received an invitation to the Head of the Charles Regatta, finishing eighth overall and third among collegiate level boats.
And last week at the Head of the Kaw Regatta in Kansas City, Mo., the Women's Varsity Open Eight A-team finished second with a time of 14:38, just ten seconds behind first-place Texas.
Catloth said the team got off on the right foot but needed to keep working.
"I felt it was a good start," Catloth said. "We still have a long way to go, but we're gaining speed every day. I look for us to improve every week until the spring season starts."
The freshmen also competed in
the regatta, finishing first in the Novice Eight in both flight one and flight two, despite some rowers not being cleared in time to race.
"They have to pass through the NCAA Clearinghouse before they can race," said assistant coach Tami Odell. "The processing takes a while because they have so many entries. We were really fortunate that we had as many clear in time as we did."
Odell was not surprised by the team's finishes and thought that this year's freshmen crew was solid.
"You don't aim for anything but the top," she said. "I'm very excited about this season."
Soccer team to face K-State in Manhattan tournament
Past years' success brings confidence
By Kevin Bates
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas men's soccer team will play Kansas State today in its first game of the National Collegiate Soccer Association's Midwest Regional Tournament in Manhattan.
Kansas will face Kansas State today at 4:30 p.m. and is scheduled to play Missouri tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. and IowaState at 2:15 p.m.
The Jayhawks bring a 13-72 overall record and a 4-0-1 conference record to the game. Because the Jayhawks have won the tournament for five consecutive years, Kansas is confident that they will do well this time also, senior Jason Leiker said.
"We have the best team out there," Leiker said. "We're better than we've ever been."
Leiker said Kansas' strength came from its depth.
"We have 23 players who consistently play," he said
Senior captain Will Stelle said K-State had always come out to play Kansas harder than they did anyone else.
Today's game will be the first time Kansas will be without standout Todd Scheiffer. Scheiffer tore his medial collateral ligament in his knee on Monday in a game against Baker University.
"He was one of our best players," Leiker said. "But we're not a team of individuals."
"Because of the in-state rivalry, it tends to always be a rough game," Stellae said. But Stelle added that he
"Missouri has a good team," Stelle said. Although he felt that on a particular day any of these four teams could beat any of the others, he had a hunch about the tournament's outcome.
But rivalry isn't limited to in-state competition.
"They have one forward who is just awesome. I expect it to be us versus Missouri." Stelle said.
Kansas plans to keep the game's tempo upbeat and wear the other team out. At an earlier tournament in Utah, Kansas lost to three nationally-ranked teams because the others were so fast.
did not think Kansas would have trouble getting past K-State.
"We'll try to spread the field out and play the short ball, make short passes," Leiker said.
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