UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
8.
5B
Friday, September 13, 1996
Cross country starts tomorrow
Late season start gives team extra practice and time for team growth
By Brian A. Petrotta Kansan sports writer
The one thing this year's cross country team needs to focus on is growth, said the team's coach, Gary Schwartz. Tomorrow, he will get a chance to see how much the team has grown as Kansas starts the season with the Jayhawk Invite at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence. Fifteen starters are returning from last year.
The team captains — sophomore Lewis theobald for the men's
team,and junior Emily Miles for the women's team — are helping with the growth process. Both found it a bit of a shock, albeit a pleasant one, to be named captains.
"It's something I really wanted to do, but I didn't think it would happen as early as it did," Theo bald said. "It's an honor, and even more of an honor because of the guys on the team. It's definitely special to me."
Miles shares similar sentiments.
"I see it as an honor that the team thought that highly of me," she said. "I didn't expect it at all. I hope I can fill those shoes."
In addition to the captains' leadership, the Jayhawks got a chance to grow by attending one less meet and starting the season on Sept. 14 instead of Sept. 2, as they did last year. But that doesn't mean the
"This year we're doing more work, which I don't mind," said Miles.
Jayhawks are taking it easy.
Theobald also does not mind starting the season later, and he thinks it has had a positive impact on the team.
"We've had an extra two weeks to prepare, and I think it made us a little hungrier to run," Theobald said.
Besides Theobald, the other men's runners looking to feed that hunger are seniors Joshua Weber and Bryan Schultz, junior Brian Watts, and sophomores Craig Hettche and Kevin McGinn. Watts is the top returning runner for Kansas, having scored in five of the Jayhawks' six meets last year. He also was the top Kansas runner at the NCAA District V Championships last year.
Miles leads the women's squad.
She was the only Jayhawk to post times less than 20 minutes in every meet last year. Sophomores Erica Blackwell and Ann Deveaux want to improve upon their promising freshman seasons. They both posted their second-best times of the year at the season opener in 1995. Those also expecting to contribute this year are: senior Erin Anderson, sophomore Tiffany Spratt and freshmen Lydia Oelschlaeger and Cynthia Smith.
But the question remains, "How has this team grown?"
Theoald believes he has an answer.
"I think the biggest growth has been in attitude," he said. "Last year we were just happy to go to the meets and run. Now we're not just excited, but we want to do something. Last year we talked a big game but didn't do anything about it. This year we have kind of a quiet confidence."
Texas cuts sound from video screen
AUSTIN, Texas — Loud, booming commercials from the University of Texas' JumboTron video screen have been silenced after complaints from football fans.
The Associated Press
The university announced on Wednesday that three of eight video board sponsors, Taco Bell, Coca Cola and the University Federal Credit Union, have agreed to cut the sound from their commercials. The five other advertisers had not been contacted, the school said.
Fans at the Longhorns' first two
games, which were against Missouri and New Mexico State, booed the commercials as they drowned out the sound from the UT band and blared louder than the crowds at Darrell K. Royal-Memorial Stadium.
The $3.5 million video screen in the south end zone shows game
replays and commercials. Game Day Sports Programming Network of Tulsa, Olka., gives the school free use of the screen in return for all the advertising revenues generated by the commercials.
Fans have said they are pleased with the replays but can do without the loud commercials.
"The fact that the JumboTron is even up in an amazing feat," said Chris Plonsky, Texas's associated athletic director.
Plonsky said the biggest problems came during the victory against Missouri, the first time the screen was
used during a game.
"It was literally like walking into a play without a script," he said. "I hate to use a game as a guinea pig, but we just needed to get the first week out of the way."
Plonsky said that by the New Mexico State game, video screen operators were more in sync with the UT band.
Even so, Bill Little, a men's athletics representative, said Taco Bell first approached the school about changing its ads after hearing the fans' booing during the New Mexico State game.
Buffs, Wolverines face off
After Colorado's last-minute win two years ago, Michigan will get another chance
Michigan has waited two years for another chance at Colorado.
The Associated Press
But after a long and hard-fought game, Stewart still had the time against a three-man rush and the strength to heave the ball more than 70 yards. It hit the hands of Blake Anderson, who tipped the ball, and Michael Westbrook caught it for a game-winning touchdown and a shocking ending at Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines had a 26-21 lead with only six seconds left in their last meeting in 1994, and the Buffalooes and quarterback Kordell Stewart were 64 yards from the Michigan goal, a seemingly impossible distance.
Two years the Wolverines have waited for payback, and their chance is tomorrow at Boulder, where 11th-ranked Michigan meets No.5 Colorado.
Stewart, now a Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback-receiver, scoffs at suggestions that the Buffalooes were lucky that day two years ago. After all, he's tried Hail Mary passes twice since, and succeeded both times for touchdowns.
"I don't believe in luck," Stewart said. "People say it's a miracle and all that, but, really, you have a 50-50 chance of succeeding. Either your guy catches it or the other guy. It comes down and somebody catches it. If it's your guy, you say 'Hail Mary.'"
"I'm not surprised the ball went as far as it did," Stewart said. "I can go out in practice now and throw the ball 65 yards or 70 yards easy. But that's not after playing for one, two or three hours, when your body is tired, when you're cramping up. I guess it was just sheer power.
The play Stewart called two years ago, Rockets Jets Left, is actually very simple: Every eligible receiver ran a fly pattern to the left side of the end zone.
"He (Westbrook) caught it and I was so excited. Everybody was running onto the field and celebrating, and that got me tired. I cramped up bad. It was very exhausting. But it's something that will be there for a long time."
Elsewhere among ranked teams Saturday,
it's Northern Illinois (0-2) at No. 6 Penn St. (2-
0); Purdue (0-1) at No. 9 Notre Dame (1-0);
Vanderbilt (0-1) at No. 13 Alabama (2-0);
No. 14 Brigham Young (2-0) at Washington (0-1);
No. 15 Auburn (2-0) at Mississippi (2-0); Oregon State (0-1) at No. 16 Southern Cal (1-1);
Cincinnati (0-1) at No. 17 Kansas State (2-0);
North Texas (1-0) at No. 18 Arizona State (1-0);
No. 19 Virginia Tech (1-0) at Boston College (1-0); Iowa State (0-1) at No. 21 Iowa (1-0);
Maryland (2-0) at No. 22 Virginia (1-0);
No. 24 Kansas (1-0) at Texas Christian (1-0), and
No. 25 Texas & M (0-1) at Southwestern Louisiana (0-1).
In Stewart's absence, Colorado has another strong-armed quarterback, Koy Detmer, who is 51-for-71 for 618 yards and has five touchdowns in victories against Washington State, 37-15, and Colorado State, 48-34. Against the Rams, Detmer completed 14 consecutive passes during one stretch.
Detmer is fourth in the nation in total offense with 318 yards per game, but the Buffalooes haven't been pass happy. Herchell Troutman is averaging 133.5 yards rushing and Colorado came close to gaining 300 yards rushing and passing for the first time in school history, with 364 passing and 281 rushing against Colorado State.
Michigan has been off since opening with a 20-8 victory over Illinois at Ann Arbor on Aug. 31. Quarterback Scott Dreisbach had a 76-yard touchdown run in that game and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Russell Shaw.
The Wolverines are hoping the off week helped them prepare for Colorado, but since 1988 the Buffaloes are 6-2 against teams that were idle the previous week.
Auburn also has a tough defense, having shut out Alabama-Birmingham and Fresno State. The Tigers should get a bigger test at Mississippi. Ole Miss has defeated Idaho State and Virginia Military.
Virginia opens its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule against Maryland, which is undefeated, with victories over Northern Illinois and Alabama-Birmingham.
Notre Dame faces Purdue after rallying from a 7-6 fourth-quarter deficit and beating Vanderbilt, 14-7, last week. Vanderbilt will face another strong defense in Alabama.
Virginia Tech and Boston College open their Big East schedule. The Hokies are coming off a narrow victory over Akron, while Boston College edged Hawaii.
The Associated Press
Promoters think Tyson could try to keep WBC title
LONDON — Does Mike Tyson hold two world heavyweight titles or one?
Promoters for Lennox Lewis are planning a challenge for a WBC title they believe to be vacant. But yesterday they said they were worried that Tyson will refuse to give up the belt.
Promoter Panos Eliades said Tyson gave up the WBC title as soon as he stopped Bruce Seldon to win the WBA championship on Saturday. That was one of the terms of a binding contract signed by both sides.
"He lost the WBC title by order of the court," said Eliades, who co-promotes Lewis with Dino Duva's Main Events. "The real problem is that Mike Tyson has told Don King he doesn't want to give up the WBC belt. Tyson thinks he's not going to give up the title, and I believe he'll go to court to keep it."
Eliades said Tyson and King, his promoter,
agreed to give up the WBC title as part of a deal in which Lewis also accepted a $4 million compensation payment to step aside.
Now King is lining up a WBDA defense against Evander Holyfield in November followed by a challenge for Michael Moorer's IBF title next year.
Lewis, meanwhile, is being lined up for the supposedly vacant WBC championship against Oliver McCall2, who took that title from him almost two years ago.
The British promoter had a list of offers and counteroffers to stage a Tyson-Lewis fight for the WBC title, but they fell through.
In a trans-Atlantic phone linkup, Lewis, who is training in Pennsylvania for a fight against McCall, said he was prepared to wait for Tyson.
"If Tyson doesn't want to fight me right now, what can I do?" he said. "I'm just waiting and bidding my time. The managers have got to sort themselves out, but I am happy to be fighting McCall and getting back my WBC title."
And what if Tyson defies the legal order and refuses to turn in the WBC belt?
"I think that's great," Lewis said. "It pushes him into a corner and I think that situation is going to be very interesting."
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