UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, August 22,1996
3B
Golf teams seek success
Squads set goals for Big 12 season
By Tommy Gallagher Kansan sportswriter
New talent and experienced veterans on the men's and women's golf teams will combine this season to provide plenty of optimism about the upcoming year.
The Jayhawk men, ranked 15th in the nation at the end of last spring, lost four of their top seven players. The team now will rely on a trio to make the inaugural Big 12 Conference season a successful one.
The top returning player from last year's team is senior Kit
Jerry Waugh
Grove who, along with Vance Holtzman, is one of two seniors on the roster. His consistency and leadership will be important to a team dominated by youth.
In fact, the Jayhawk men will field a team with only two seniors and two juniors. The rest of the team consists of six of sophomores, who saw valuable playing time last year, and four freshmen.
Leading the sophomore class is Chris Thompson, who will challenge Grove as the team's number one golfer. Sophoiores Andy Bengtone and Brad Davis hope to improve on their freshmen seasons.
Perhaps the highest expectation will be placed on freshman Ryan Vermeer, who could make an immediate impact when the season opens Sept. 23 and 24 at the
Kansas Invitational. Last spring Vermeer won the Nebraska State Amateur Championship and had four top 10 finishes in American Junior Golf Association tournaments.
Vermeer, combined with Grove and Thompson, seem to be the trio that coach Ross Randall hopes can lead the team to success.
"Grove, Thompson and Vermeer will all be competing for the number one spot when we start practice. Sept. 9." Randall said. "Ryan is such a good player and has
so much talent that I think he can make a good run to be our top golfer this year.
Another true freshman who could see playing time is Randy Stewart, who won the Kansas Junior Championship in 1994. Ry Edwards and Jake Istnick give the team depth after being
Ross Randall
red-shirt freshmen last year.
"Team performance is important for a good ranking," Randall said. "We need to find out who will play for us and, at the same time, assure ourselves a spot at regionals at the end of the season."
The Jayhawk women share many of the same goals as the men but will have a deeper blend of experience and youth.
Four seniors, including Missy Russell, will help the Jayhawks break into the Big 12 on a positive note. Other seniors include Anne Clark, Kelly Marney and Jessica Thompson.
Sophomore Mandy Munsch returns after a freshman season in which she established herself as one of the team's better golfers. Munsch, along with juniors Beth
"We need to find out who will play for us and, at the same
time, assure
ourselves a spot at
regionals at the end of
the season."
Ross Randall Men's golf coach
Reuter and Lori Lauritsen, form a nucleus to build on in the future, which is now for women's head coach Jerry Waugh.
"We want to finish in the upper division of the Big 12," Waugh said. "It doesn't sound like much, but it would be quite an accomplishment for a northern school in the Big 12, considering the addition of the Texas schools."
Kansas freshmen Susan Tessary and Jill Simpson could press for playing time as early as this season, which starts Sept. 14 and 15 at the Minnesota Invitational in Minneapolis, Simpson, a four-time Kansas 4-A state champion, has impressed Waugh.
"Jill proved throughout her high school career that she can golf and golf with great consistency," Waugh said. "She may have won four consecutive titles at a small school, but the fact that she won them was enough to prove that she has plenty of talent."
Big 12 soccer grows with sport's popularity
Women's team prepares for second year at Kansas
By Brian A. Petrotta Kansan sports writer
in the summer of 1992, the World Cup descended upon several U.S. cities and sent them into a soccer frenzy. Despite its newness, soccer survived, especially at the college level.
The Big 12 Conference has responded to soccer's rise in popularity. In the past three years, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa State, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma State and Baylor have added women's soccer teams. This influx of new programs and higher interest have prompted the NCAA to expand the postseason tournament from 16 to 32 teams.
Some may wonder if there is enough interest and talent to keep these upstart programs afloat. Two cases say there is. Texas A&M formed a team in 1992. Last year the Aggies were 18-6 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Nebraska began NCAA play two years ago, but they've shown enough promise to be named College Sports magazine's the No. 18 team in the nation by College Sports magazine.
The invasion reached Kansas last year. Former North Carolina goalie Lori Walker coached Kansas in its first season. She came from a program that has won 10 national championships since 1982, and had the tough job of recruiting for the new program.
Lori Walker
"Recruiting is hit or miss," Walker said. "You either find someone who wants to be part of something or just wants to be the part. We look for players that want to make a difference from the get-go."
The fledgling program did make a difference last season, as the Jayhawks wone of their first five games, though they finished the season 6-12. Combine a highly competitive recruiting class with Walker's tutelage and the Jayhawks appear primed to improve in upcoming seasons.
But recognition of the women's soccer team may not come until an appearance in the NCAA tournament. Northeastern Kansas slowly is warming to the world's most popular sport. Even The Wiz, Kansas City's new professional team, is drawing more than 14,000 fans a game.
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