THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THURSDAY, NOVEMBFR 30, 2006
SPORTS
3B
》 FALL SPORTS WRAP-UP
Seniors surge during men's golf season
Tyler Docking assists Gary Woodland in leading team after assistant coach's early summer departure
Rvan MrGoanov/KANSAN
Zach Oederson, Spring Hill soph.amore, chips in a shot at the Kansas Invitational golf tournament last season. Seniors Tyler Dockling and Gary Woodland posted the Jayhawks' best scores in four of five tournaments this fall.
BY ASHER FUSCO
The weeks leading up to the fall 2006 season were tense for coach Ross Randall and the Kansas men's golf team.
Earlier in the summer, assistant coach Roy Edwards left his post at Kansas to take the head coach position at Colorado.
Edwards' departure left a heavy load on the shoulders of senior Gary Woodland.
Luckily for Woodland, he received some help from fellow senior Tyler Docking.
The team got off to a strong start at the Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate, placing fifth. Woodland and Docking set a precedent in the first tournament of the year by posting the Jayhawks' best scores. This trend would continue throughout the season.
"Coming into this fall, we knew Gary would play well." Randall said. "We were very happy about Tyler Docking playing closer to what he is capable of."
In a season of surpassed expectations, Tyler Docking's play may have been the most pleasant surprise. "Over the summer, I spent a lot of time in lessons," said Docking.
The hard work paid off. Docking enjoyed two top five finishes this fall.
Steady play from Woodland and Docking was imperative considering the unsteady nature of the rest of the lineup. Sophomore Zach Pederson, senior Barrett Martens and freshman Bobby Knowles rounded out the Jayhawks starting five. All three performed well at times throughout the season but failed to post consistently
strong scores.
"Our last two spots were really shaky," said Randall. "The main problem was inconsistency from the bottom of our lineup."
Senior leadership propelled the team to a surprising 39th place in the Golfweek national rankings. With a new assistant coach in Kit Groves and a more experienced group of players, the Jayhawks could be ready
This fall, senior Tyler Docking emerged as a steadying force on the men's golf team. Through the first three years of his college career
Spotlight Player
Docking
Docking had never fulfilled his potential. Fall 2006 was a different story.
"I felt good this year," said Docking. "I proved I could play with some of the best in the country."
Docking's best performance of the fall came in the Prestige at PGA West, where he shot a third-round 67 to lead the Jayhawks to a 5th place finish.
to claim a spot in the Top 25 this spring.
Kansan sportswriter Asher Fusco can be contacted at afusco@kansan.com.
Edited by Patrick Ross
>> NFL
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For years, a strong offensive line has been as much a given at Arrowhead Stadium as the smell of barbecue wafting from the parking lot and fans booming "home of the Chiefs" at the end of the national anthem.
But with one tackle trying to come back from a two-year absence and another stepping in for a retired perennial Pro Bowler, this season started with several question marks.
K.C. Chiefs find key players for playoff contention
Now, with Kansas City at 7-4 and in playoff contention, it appears the Chiefs have found the answers in'le tackle Jordan Black and right tackle Kyle Turley.
Black has started 10 games this year, nine at the spot once held by Willie Roaf before Roaf decided his aging body couldn't take any more.
And Turley, who spent two years away from the game after having back surgery, has settled in on the right side after starting the first two games at left tackle.
"They definitely have gotten a lot better, but to be honest with you, they weren't all that bad from
the get-go," guard Brian Waters said. "There were just a lot of people who probably don't understand football as much as they think they do, saying things that don't pertain to this team in regard to their play."
Black, who struggled last year when Roaf missed several games with a sore hamstring, took the brunt of the criticism.
"I want to say that I don't think about it, but at the same time, I know about it." Black said. "People have a job to do, and they have their opinions, and that's OK. But I'm out right now to prove those people wrong."
"I have a chip on my shoulder about it," he added, "but at the same time, I'm not out to be Willie Roaf. I'm out to be Jordan Black, and make a name for myself and help this team win."
The Chiefs' line got off to a horrible start in pass blocking this year, giving up seven sacks in the season opener against Cincinnati. In the 10 games since, though opponents have averaged 1.6 sacks against Kansas City.
>> FALL SPORTS WRAP UP
Associated Press
Women's golf team begins strong, finishes poorly
Vanessa Pearson/KAKSAM
Annie Giangrosso, Overland Park junior, swings during the first day of the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational last season. The team performed well during the first part of its fall season, but placed poorly in its final two tournaments of the season.
Red Lyon Tavern
A touch of Irish
in downtown Lawrence
944 Massachusetts
832-8228
Going into the fall season, the University of Kansas women's golf team knew that it would be a time of transition.
With five freshmen and a new assistant coach the young team was able to get some experience before the spring season, which brings the Big 12 tournament and nationals.
"The fall season has definitely been a learning experience for us," Annie Giangrosso, Overland Park junior, said. "We have been able to experience the ups of winning a tournament and the downs of not playing up to the level we are capable of."
BY JOSH LANDAU
After two good showings at Nebraska and Colorado, the Jayhawks won the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational.
The victory was subdued by the loss of Camilla Svensson, Gothenberg, Sweden, freshman. Svensson was sidelined by an appendectomy.
"A surgery like that is always bad, especially when I couldn't play." Svensson said. "It was hard to watch the team play from the sidelines, but I tried to give support to everyone."
"It was good for us," Amanda Costner, Claremore, Okla. senior said. "We needed to win that and everyone came together to do that."
After the victory the team stumbled in the final two tournaments of the fall season, finishing 14th in New Mexico and 15th in Alabama, both in a field of 17.
"It was a tough field we competed against and tough golf courses,"
Spotlight Player
Amanda Costner led the Jayhawks in three of five tournaments this season. She also was in the top 20 in four tournaments. Her best finish came during the Marilynn Smith Invitational, where she took fifth place.
"I had a pretty good season," Costner said. "I struggled in some tournaments, and obviously you can always do better."
Costner
Costner said. "We have the talent to win; it is just a matter of when we start clicking."
With the fall season done and the spring season starting in February, the team is taking the time off to improve and condition for the next tournament in Ensenada, Mexico.
"We didn't end the season on the note we had hoped for, but you have to look at the season overall and we
did well" Giangrosso said. "All of us are going to benefit from the fall and use the experience in the spring"
Kansan sportswriter Josh Landau can be contacted at Jlandau@kansan.com.
Edited by Patrick Ross
Michael Behe Professor of Biology, Lehigh University "The Argument for Intelligent Design in Biology"
NOVEMBER 30
7:30 pm - Kansas Union Ballroom
Additional Dialogue: December 1, 10:00 am - Hall Center Conference Hall
All events are free and open to the public.
No tickets are required. For more information visit
www.hallamorku.edu or call 705-644-4796.
---