SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 1994
PROFILE
SECTION B
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
Golfer's confidence on rise
Senior golfer Tyler Shelton lines up a putt yesterday during the Kansas men's golf practice at Alvair Country Club.
Men's golf team enters fall season with new leader
By Jenni Carlson
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas senior golfer Tyler Shelton is a living example of what a little confidence can do.
Success in regional and national amateur golf tournaments this summer has elevated Shelton to the top of his game.
"He played as well as any amateur in this area has in a long time," Kansas men's golf coach Ross Randall said.
Shelton began playing golf under the instruction of his father when he was just five years old.
Shelton said his father was an avid golfer.
When he was 13 years old, Shelton had his first exposure to tournament competition.
"I thought it was kind of fun," he said. "Of course there's going to be some pressure and some nerves. You want to do well for your family and for yourself."
Desire for success, however, did not equate to pressure from his father, Shelton said.
"He didn't put too much pressure on me when I was younger," he said. "He never has."
Shelton realized early in high school that he wanted to play at the collegiate level, and attending the University of Kansas was a natural choice. His parents and grandparents graduated from Kansas.
"All through high school, my main goal was to play college golf," Shelton said. "Once I got a scholarship offer here, then I pretty much jumped on it."
"I knew he had a good solid game," Randall said. "He just had to get going and play the way he's capable of playing."
During his first three years at Kansas, Shelton played in a limited number of tournaments because of the team's talented upperclassmen and, at times, a personal lack of confidence in his game.
Shelton's jump-start began this summer when he won the Kansas City Match Play Championship, Randall said.
Shelton agreed his confidence was a key this summer and would continue to be throughout the upcoming season.
"Things get going and you play better, and all of a sudden you shoot better scores and your confidence soars," Randall said. "That's what happened to Tyler this summer."
"My confidence level is at an all-time high this year," he said. "I feel like my game has reached a new level. I think it's going to carry on through the college season."
Shelton said he now hoped to consistently shoot low scores.
"I'm going to consider myself one
of the leaders on the team," he said. Randall said Shelton's leadership through low scores would motivate the squad.
"in golf you can be a leader just by playing well," he said. "When one guy or two guys play well, it brings up everybody else on the team."
The Jayhawks will have only a week of practice before their first meet this fall. Because of the limited practice time, Randall will place golfers according to their summer play. Since Shelton had a successful summer, he will likely be the No. 1 player to begin the fall, Randall said.
"If he continues to play the way he has, he deserves to be in the No. 1 snoot." Randall said.
And if he continues to play the way he has, Shelton sees only good things ahead. He said he wanted to win a couple of tournaments and gain All-American status.
"that's kind of a high goal," Sheilton said. "But I feel like with my play this summer, if I can keep it up, I can do it."
In addition, Shelton had lofty expectations for the Jayhawks.
Shelton'ssummer
"I want our team to win the Big
- Won the Missouri Amateur Championship and the Kansas City Match Play Championship
- Shot the lowest score by an amateur in the tournament
- Missed qualifying for the round of 16 in the Western Oer
Eight Championship and go to nationals, and just play well there," he said.
KANSAN
Shelton is more enthusiastic than ever about his golf game and the upcoming season, Randall said.
"You can definitely see a change in him after what went on this summer," he said. "Golf's really important to him."
This May, Shelton will walk down the Hill and receive his diploma. He said his plans after graduation were not set in stone but that he was considering a professional golf career.
Cougars' front line similar to Kansas'
"As of right now, I would say I'm going to try pro golf for a couple of years," Shelton said. "I'd probably kick myself later in life if I didn't give it a go."
Houston standouts lead like Hawks' offensive guards
By Matt Irwin
Kansan sportswriter
The Houston Cougars are just like their opponents this Thursday, the Kansas Javhawks, at least in one way.
Coming off a 1-9-1 season, there are few similarities between Houston's football program and Kansas' football program, except how their offensive front is led.
Like Kansas, the Cougars are led by two linemen who have the potential to receive post-season honors.
The Jayhawks travel into Texas to face the Cougars at 7:20 tomorrow night in Houston's Astrodome. The game will be televised on KSMO, Sunflower Cable Channel 3 in Lawrence.
Kansas senior guards Hessley Hempstead and John Jones lead the Jayhawk line, while a pair of tackles, senior Billy Milner and junior Jimmy Herndon lead Houston.
Herndon, the left tackle, was selected to the 1993 second team All-Southwest Conference team and had started 21 consecutive games before
missing last season's finale with an ankle injury.
Milner, the right tackle, started all 11 games last season after transferring from Southwest Mississippi Community College. Milner was a junior college All-American in 1992.
Despite last year's rough season, Milner said the mood was enthusiastic when spring practice started.
"We didn't want to go through that again," Milner said.
Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Neil Callaway, who said he has sent 13 offensive linemen to the NL during his 12 seasons at Auburn, is not as impressed with his two top linemen as everyone else is.
Callaway described both as hard workers who were very competitive. But Callaway said Milner had less experience than Herdon, though.
"Coming from a junior college, he hasn't had a lot of reps," Callaway said of Milner's game experience. "He's not really strong in the room."
Callaway emphasized the need for strength.
Callaway said that Herndon also is not very strong and that having a 6-foot-8 frame didn't help him add on the necessary muscle.
"The stronger they are, the better they are." Callaway said.
Callaway said he still believes both have the frame to be NFL linemen.
Jimmy Herndon
Biliv Milner
"Fundamentally they also have a lot of work to do," Calloway said.
Hernndon said his strength was the pass-blocking ability that he developed from blocking in the run-and-shoot system his freshman season.
Despite this experience, Herndon said he even had to change the way he pass-blocked.
Houston coach Kim Helton, an NFL offensive line coach for 11 seasons, taught the linemen a different way to pass-block.
Herdon said it was even more difficult to adjust to run-blocking in Helton's new system. The run-and-shoot offense offered only four running plays.
Accuracy of eligibility system questioned after Kansas gaffe
"The run-blocking was totally new," Herdmond said.
"I hadn't done that since high school. In terms of experience, it was hard to deal with."
By Chesley Dohl
Kansan sportswriter
There was no reason to believe Trisha Lindgren would not be cleared by the Initial Clearinghouse Committee to compete in NCAA athletics.
Lindgren, a freshman setter on the Kansas volleyball team, graduated from Faith Christian Academy in Brighton, Colo., with a 3.97 grade point average and an ACT score of 23.
But still, the Initial Clearinghouse in Iowa City, Iowa, neglected to certify Lindgren because there was no proof on-hand that Lindgren had graduated.
"We are asking a company to certify thousands of athletes who don't have any particular interest in these students," said Richard Konzem, assistant athletic director in charge of compliance.
The good news is that Kansas managed to get the mixup rectified with Clearinghouse. Lindgren will start as Kansas's setter in the Colorado State Tournament Friday.
But still, the Initial Clearinghouse System has many glitches to iron out this year to prepare for the avalanche of athletes who will apply in 1995 to compete in NCAA athletics.
The Initial Clearinghouse system, which is in its first year, is an alternative system voted on by the NCAA to
clear up confusion by institutions about academic eligibility.
Konzem said the clearinghouse system was an idea decided on by the Big Eight schools to eliminate the confusion.
"They voted on the idea to have this one company take care of the certification at this one location," Konzem said. "Sure it sounds like a good deal on paper. It's a good philosophy - but all it is is a big bureaucracy," Konzem said.
The clearinghouse system works much like the ACT test process. The system is, in fact, run by the same company that handles ACT testing.
Graduating high school seniors hoping to compete in collegiate athletics have to submit $18 along with a student release form. From there, the student-athlete's high school is required to submit the student's transcript, core courses, ACT scores and proof of high school graduation.
B. J. Skelton, head of the Initial Clearinghouse Committee and athletic director at the University of Texas at Arlington, said many of the problems with the clearinghouse were due to a lack of communication.
"In May of 1993 we sent 26,000 packets to high schools across the nation explaining the clearinghouse," Skelton said. "I don't know if they never
got the information or what. But there are policies that obviously need to change for next year's run of students who register."
Kansas volleyball coach Karen Schonewise said she could not believe Lindgow was not cleared to compete Saturday. But she said she was relieved it happened instead of the day before this weekend's tournament.
"There were no red flags," she said. "There were no indications we had any problems with anyone on the team. The high school did all it could to get the clearinghouse the information. The clearing house dropped the ball. They just didn't get it done."
Skelton told the system was unlike any other in that not everyone would walk away satisfied. But he said the clearinghouse was working overtime and hiring help to get the paperwork processed.
"I won't be so naive as to say the system doesn't have its problems," Skelton said. "This first cycle has been tough."
Next year Lindgren won't have to go through the cleanhouse, but that doesn't make her feel any better about missing the team's scrimmage.
"I looked forward to playing and getting some experience under my belt," she said. "I was very disappointed."
BRIEF
Basketball coaches to receive equal pay
After 22 years of coaching the Kansas women's basketball team, Marian Washington has signed a four-year contract that will make her base salary equal to men's basketball coach Roy Williams' by 1997.
Kansanstaffreport
$90,000 this season, $100,000 in 1996 and $110,000 in 1997. The salaries of Williams and football coach Glen Mason are listed at $100,450.
Washington will receive
Marlan Washington
Washington, who made $75,000 last season, has been at Kansas longer than any current Kansas coach.
Kansas is the second Big Eight school to announce that its men's and women's basketball coaches would be paid the same.
Previous finish drives team
Captains want no repeat of last year
Kansas seniors Michael Cox and David Johnston faced this situation last season. After both athletes finished in the top 10 at the District V meet in 1992, they were redshirted for the 1993 season.
By Kent Hohifeld
Waiting can be tough for any college athlete, especially when the athletes are two of the top runners on the Kansas cross-country team.
The move gave a freshmen-dominated team in 1993 a chance to mature, while saving Cox and Johnston a year of eligibility.
Kansan sportswriter
"It was tough watching last season," Johnston said. "But we needed to keep it in perspective for this year."
The men's team finished eighth in the Big Eight Conference last season, which both runners said was a motivating factor heading into this season.
"We went a little farther down than we figured," Cox said. "I'd say it gives us a hunger to do more this year."
He said injuries to sophomore runners Clifton Railsback, Chris Ronan and Jeff Peterson late in the season hurt the team in Big Eight and District meets.
Schwartz said the addition of Cox and Johnston would add more than All-American-caliber talent to the team.
Cox went to the indoor championships last year. Both Cox and Johnston were part of the cross-country team that went to nationals in 1991. They will use that experience in guiding the team as this season's co-captains.
"This year, they will add the maturity and experience of having competed in nationalists in more than just cross country. "Schwartz said.
Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said that the last-place finish was not due totally to the absence of Cox and Johnston.
"I think it's been a while since two such different people were named captains of the team." Johnston said.
The way the two spent their summers showed those differences. Cox spent his summer working at a YMCA camp in Estes Park, Colo. Johnston interned at Sen. Nancy Kassbaum's.
"I think there is a myth that, to be a good team, athletes have to be really close and spend all their time together," Schwartz said. "We have a lot of people with totally different personalities on this team."
Both Cox and Johnston agreed that being named co-captains gave them more responsibility than just finishing first and second for every race.
Those goals include a trip to the NCAA Championships, Nov. 21, in Fayetteville, Ark. Johnston said that having that goal meant they had to focus more on the larger meets than their early season meets.
"One of our biggest jobs is to help with team unity," Johnston said. "If we go out and finish one-two in every race, that still won't fulfill the team's overall goals."
"Our goals are higher than even our coaches," Cox said. "We wouldn't be satisfied if we went undefeated this season and didn't make it to nationals."
Johnston and Cox said their off-field differences didn't extend to their on-field performances.
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"I did as much faxing as he did rock climbing." Johnston said.
Kansas seniors David Johnston, left, and Michael Cox run a few laps around Memorial Stadium during cross country team practice. The two athletes have returned to Big Eight competition after being redshirted last season.
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