Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday. August 26,1999
Cross country star trains to be Olympic triathlete
By Rebecca Barlow sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Sara Brinkley has accomplished a lot since her running career began at age 7. She has excelled not only at running cross country, but also in her triathlon training.
For the last five summers Brinkley, Winfield sophomore, has spent her time at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., training for triathlons.
Only three men and three women are selected to attend the training session. Brinkley, who has been competing in triathlons for more than 12 years, spent six weeks this summer at the center. During the years, Brinkley has developed several friendships training in Colorado.
Brinkley is a four-time member of the Junior National Triathlon Team and now is a member of the Collegiate National Triathlon Team. She finished 25th and was the top American finisher at the 1998 World Junior Triathlon Championships in Switzerland.
"I look forward to it, it's a motivational thing," Brinkley said. "Most of the people on the team I have been racing with for years. I get to see old friends."
Brinkley started her winning ways at age 10 by becoming the Iron Kids national champion. While in high school she was a four-time all-conference, all-regional and all-state selection in cross country at Winfield High School. She also won the Kansas State Championships twice as an individual.
Brinkley said that triathlons were the reason she started running and she likes it the most. But she got her start on the cross country fields.
One reason Brinkley chose to attend Kansas is because Gary Schwartz, the Jayhawks cross country and track and field coach, told her he would be flexible with her triathlon schedule and training.
Brinkley said she used cross country as a way stay fit and get in shape. Although cross country isn't her primary sport, she's still pretty good at it.
Last season Brinkley proved herself to be a helpful addition to Kansas' team. She finished either first or second on the team in all five cross country meets.
Brinkley feels she is ready mentally for this season, but not physically. She had to take some time off this summer because of a knee injury.
Sara Brinkley, Kansas distance runner, runs stairs during practice. She was the top American finisher at the World Junior Championships in Switzerland last year.
Photo by Jay Soldner / KANSAN
"I'm not exactly where I would like to be right
now, but I'm getting there." Brinkley said. "It's going to be rough, but I'm sure by the end of the season I will be happy with how I am doing."
Brinkley's main goal this season is to be a stronger and faster runner then she was last season.
Theo Hamilton, Kansas track and field assistant coach, has noticed the qualities that she has brought to the team.
"What I have seen, she brings a lot of leadership and is going to be looked upon as one of the top runners this year," Hamilton said. "She works very hard."
In the future Brinkley hopes to continue seeing on the Collegiate Triathlon team while she is in college. After college she hopes to compete in triathlons professionally and go to the 2004 Olympics.
—Edited by Chris Hutchison
Haskins steps down at UTEP
Breaking color line highlights long career
The Associated Press
EL PASO, Texas — Don Haskins left one indelible mark on college basketball.
The Hall of Fame coach, with 719 victories, took his team to the NCAA tournament 14 times. He brought home seven Western Athletic Conference championships.
But Haskins, who stepped down Tuesday after 38 years in charge of the Texas-El Paso basketball team, will be remembered for a bigger accomplishment.
At first, the decision meant a lot of hate mail for Haskins. But during the years, he would be revered as the man who broke down the color barrier in college sports.
On March 19, 1966, he led the Miners to the NCAA championship, and he started five black players — a first in the title game. Texas Western, as UTEP was known, upset the all-white, top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats 72-65.
"When he was able to win that national championship against Adolf Rupp's all-white team, it changed the look of the game forever," said Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton, who has coached college basketball for 29 years.
Haskins went on to finish with a 719-353 career record, putting him 10th on the victory list of college coaches. He remains the only men's basketball coach to bring a national title home to Texas.
Haskins also coached UTEP to a shocking 66-60 victory against the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in a 1992 Midwest Regional second-round game.
Now, after spending more than half his life coaching the Miners, Haskins says it's time.
The 69-year-old, known affectionately to UTEP fans as "The Bear" for his burly physique, says he's grateful for all his years at UTEP.
"How many people have been somewhere 38 years and be happy? Not many," he said in announcing his retirement at the Don Haskins Center, the arena renamed for him in 1997.
"That's a miracle," added his wife, Marv. seated beside him.
His wife was misty-eyed throughout the announcement, but Haskins retained a sense of humor.
When asked whether he has any regrets, he looked up, smiled and said, "A hell of a lot. We haven't got time."
UTEP athletic director Bob Stull said a search will begin right away for a new coach. "We're going to do a national search and try and find a coach that can replace a legend," Stull said.
Haskins made it clear it was his decision to leave, and he's not being forced out. The university will pay his salary for next year.
Sampras, Hingis top seeds at Open
The Associated Press
NEW YORK—In the 1999 ATP Tour Player Guide, nothing stands between Pete Sampras and young Marat Safin. They are on opposite pages, their faces staring at each other.
Now, they'll be staring at each other across the net at the U.S. Open, where Safin could provide problems for the top-seeded Sampras in his bid for a record-breaking 13th Grand Slam tournament men's singles title.
The 19-year-old Russian was drawn yesterday to be Sampras' first hurdle as the year's final Grand Slam event begins its two-week run Monday at the National Tennis Center.
mer.
Martina Hingis, the top-seeded player in the women's field, will face Kveta Hrdlickova of the Czech Republic in her opening match.
The Williams sisters — third-seeded Venus and No. 7 Serena — are playing in opposite halves of the draw and could meet in the title
Lindsay Davenport, seeded No. 2, will begin the defense of her women's singles title against fellow American Corina Morariu. Davenport, somewhat of a surprise when she won a year ago, added the Wimbledon crown earlier this sum-
match, as they did earlier this year in Key Biscayne, Fla. Venus, who has never lost to her younger sister, opens against a qualifier, while Serena will play Kimberly Po, who won their only other meeting.
Australian Pat Rafter has
Sampras: No. 1 seed for the U.S.
Open
won the last two men's singles on the hard courts at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Seeded fourth this year, Rafter also will have his hands full with his first opponent, Cedric Pioline of France. Pioline reached the U.S. Open final in 1993 and the Wimbledon title match in 1997.
Seeded No.2 on the men's side is
Andre Agassi, winner of the French Open in June and runner-up to Sampras at Wimbledon. He will begin the chase for his second U.S. Open crown against Sweden's Nicklas Kultt.
Sampras, 28, is the No.1 seed at the U.S. Open for a fifth time, tying the Open Era record of John McEnroe from 1981-85. And Sampras is seeking to break the record he shares with former Australian star Roy Emerson for most Grand Slam men's singles titles. He tied Emerson in July when he won his sixth Wimbledon crown.
Third-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Safin's Davis Cup teammate who won the Australian Open in January, will take on Alberto Martin of Spain in his opener.
Sampras and Agassi are seeded to meet in the U.S. Open final, which would be the third time in America's premier tennis tournament. They also met in the Wimbledon final in July and in the Australian Open title match in 1995. Agassi won Down Under, with Sampras capturing the other three meetings with a Grand Slam title on the line.