Friday, October 8, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B· Page 5
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Men's tennis divides, hopes to conquer
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Sophomore Alex Barragan hits a backhand during practice. The men's team is playing in two tournaments this weekend. Photo by Kate Levenson /KANSAN
Positive attitudes key in tournaments in Arizona, Texas
By Melinda Weaver sports@kansan.com Kansan writerswriiter
Dus played Prakauh Venkataraman of Rice yesterday, and Echagarray played Ed Carter of Arizona State.
The Kansas men's tennis team has divided its forces to play in two tournaments this weekend in Arizona and Texas.
Most of the team, Pete Stroer, Alex Barragan, Quentin Blakeney, Bryan Maier, Eleazar Magallan and Sebastian Libertino, will make a trip to Austin, Texas, to compete in the All-American Championships, an individual tournament.
The only players not competing in the All-American Championships are Ed Dus and Rodrigo Echagary, who are competing in Tempe, Ariz., in the Thunderbird Invitational.
petition in the country," coach Mark Riley said. "Because of the small size of the main draw, teams sent top players, so the tournament will be tough."
"In the Thunderbird Invitational, our players will be facing some of the top com-
Because none of the Kansas players prequalified for the tournament, each of them will have to play in three prequalifying matches to reach the qualifying round. In the qualifying round, each player will have to win three more matches to reach the actual tournament.
The All-American Championships is the second leg of the collegiate Grand Slams, which brings some of the top players in the country to compete.
"We can do well if we play on our game," Nwachukwu said. "We have to be ready to play hard in every single match and not let up. Each player gets only one chance and then they are out."
Assistant coach Ross Nwachukwu said that he thought the team could compete in a tournament of this caliber if they work hard and play their best tennis.
"It will be pretty hard because you have to play so many matches before you even
reach the tournament," Maier said. "We have been playing good competition lately, which helps us get in shape. I have to get in shape to play players who are at my level and even above my level."
Because the tournament is so large, Maler said that a lot of the challenge would be playing well without his teammates to support him.
"I played at No.1 and 2 in the Tulsa tournament and really had a wake-up call from the tough opponents," Blakeney said. "I was happy from my performance in the Middle Tennessee tournament and wasn't as focused going in. I can't let that happen this time."
"I need to keep a positive attitude," Maier said. "It will be tough because there are a lot of sites, so we all won't be able to watch one another compete. I will have to keep myself in check and stay focused. I think we can do well, but we just have to put it together."
The team has not had many victories so far in the fall season, but Blakeney said that some of the losses had been a wake-up call for the team.
Edited by Ronnie Wachter
Runners looking to rebound from poor Minnesota showing
Rebecca Barlow
sports@kanson.com
Kansas sportwriter
Kansas cross country coach Gary Schwartz is hoping that tomorrow's meet at Penn State will be a confidence booster for his team and that it also will help prepare it for the Big 12 Conference championships.
"Its a very important meet," Schwartz said. "It's even more important because of the team's poor performance in Minnesota. I hope that was a one-time deal."
Schwartz said his team needed to race the way it had been training. The team has had two weeks of high-intensity training after the men's team finished 23rd and the women 24th in a 25-team field Sept. 25 at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis.
"We have gotten a lot more workouts and the intensity has gone up," women's runner Kim Bratton said. "We have had a lot of good workouts."
Bratton said that having two weeks off had given her time to concentrate on tomorrow's meet. Schwartz said he hoped that
this meet would give the runners not only experience, but also an opportunity to see another part of the country.
"This is an inter-regional trip to combine a good cross country meet with the experience to go to another part of the country they
Schwartz should feel right at home on the course at Penn State because he
coached there for 13 years.
"I have many friends there," Schwartz said. "It's an awesome course and a nice town."
Schwartz has noticed that his team had been practicing hard and that it was keeping a positive attitude this season.
"I am very pleased with their attitude and work ethic this year." Schwartz said.
Bratton said she thought the season was going really well for her and for the team.
"I am doing better then last year, and the team in general is
"Its a very important meet.it's even more important because of the team's poor performance in Minnesota.I hope that was a one-time deal."
Gary Schwartz Cross country coach
doing better," Bratton said.
"I love the team and KU," Bratton said. "It's really exciting to be here."
This is Bratton's first year running for the Jayhawks. She transferred from Hastings College in Nebraska, where she ran cross country for three years and ran track for four years.
The Jayhawks will compete against Big 12 fees Nebraska and Baylor tomorrow. Their next meet will be the Big 12 Championships Oct. 30 in College Station, Texas.
Senior golfer sinks hole-in-one, again
—Edited by Darrin Peschka
By Doug Pacey sports@kanson.com Kansan sportswriter
Sue Tessary had a once in-a-lifetime moment for the second time on Wednesday.
The Collinsville, ill. senior golfer hit a hole in-one during practice on the ninth hole at Alvamar Golf & Country Club, 1809 Crossgate Drive.
"I didn't know it it had happened," Tessary said. "I thought I hit it over the green. When I got up to the green, I couldn't look for the ball, I couldn't find it, and I looked in the hole and it was in there. It was unbelievable."
Tessary used a driver on the 280-ward,par-4 hole.
This was not Tessary's first hole-in-one. She notched her first hole-in-one her freshman year during the Big 12 Conference Tournament at Alvamar on the 12th hole.
Nicole Hollingsworth, Kansas women's golf coach,
"I was in the group behind," Hollingsworth said. "When we heard them start screaming, we knew
someone had gotten a holein-one."
The golfers screaming in Tessary $ ^{9} $
group were Tiffany
Kruggel, Kristy Straub,
Kala Bray, Heather Rose
and Jill Simpson.
"After we knew that the ball went in the hole." Tessary said, "we just started to go crazy, and they tackled me."
Hollingsworth, who never has seen a hole-in-one, said she could not believe Tessary had made the shot.
"I've seen a double-eagle on a par 5, but never a hole-in-one on a par 4," she said. "It was hard to believe then and still hard to believe."
— Edited by Sarah Hale
Captain Mac draws Agassi back to team
The Associated Press
BASEL, Switzerland — John McEnroe already is paying dividends as the U.S. Davis Cup captain.
but McEnroe altered Agassi's decision.
Andre Agassi said Wednesday he would play in next year's Davis Cup, quite a turnaround for the French and U.S. Open champion who said last March that he wouldn't participate after his friend and team doctor George Fareed was dropped from the squad.
"I think he's going to be the best captain ever so far," Agassi said at the Swiss Indoors. "He'll help a lot.
"He'll bring a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy, a lot of experience. It's an advantage to have someone on your team with this kind of fighting spirit."
The addition of Agassi, the No. 1 player in the world, could become even more important because Pete Sampras has a serious back injury, and his status for February's first round is uncertain.
The United States will travel to Zimbabwe for the first round of World
Group competition Feb.4-6.
Among the other pairings set by draw today, Australia, which ousted the Americans this year, will play in Switzerland and Germany will be at home against the Netherlands. France will play in Brazil, the Czech Republic will host
Agassi: Says he will play in next year's Davis Cup.
Britain, Spain is home against Italy, Russia hosts Belgium and Slovakia is at home against Austria. Australia and France play in this year's final Dec. 3-4 in Nice.
McEnroe played on 12 Davis Cup teams, including five champions. He still holds six U.S. Davis Cup records and compiled an overall record of 59-10.
But it wasn't just McEnroe's Davis Cup success that swayed Assigli. It also was the fact the U.S. Tennis Association allowed the team to have some say in the choice of captain.
"To me, the most important thing was how the decision was made so the players had say-so in some of the more important areas such as who the cap tain is," Agassi said. "And I know with John, the team will always make decisions as a unit, which is something you always hope for in the Davis Gun."
Regarding speculation McEnroe might play in the Davis Cup doubles matches, Agassi was diplomatic.
"He's addicted to competition," Agassi said, laughing. "It would be a new thing for a coach to be a player, but John is objective enough to have the best team out there."
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