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CONTACT
HOW WE MET // BODIE AGADA & MARA WILLIAMS > All great relationships had to start somewhere.
Bodie Agada and Mara Williams, both Topeka juniors, worked at West Ridge Mall in Topeka during their senior year of high school. Williams was a manager at Pacific Sunwear (PacSun) and Agada was a manager at S&K. One day in December 2008, Williams was rearranging a shelf at PacSun when Agada and a few friends walked in, dressed in suits, and introduced themselves to Williams. "We talked a lot, and it wasn't awkward at all," Williams says.
Later that day, Agada posted a message on Williams' Facebook wall, explaining his formal attire. "It was something like, 'I'm not a douchebag. I have to wear a suit at my job,' and then he asked for my number,'" Williams says.
Contributed photo
Working romance:
Mara Williams and
Bodie Agada met
while working at
West Ridge Mall in
Topeka.
Soon after, Agada started working at PacSun part-time, and his work relationship with Williams was rocky. "We didn't like working together," Williams says. "He wouldn't take the job, or me, the manager, seriously."
Nonetheless, Agada was attracted to Williams. "She was very put together and confident, and I liked that," he says.
The couple had their first date 10 months after meeting, but their connection fizzled, and they didn't pursue a second date until months later. They finally sealed their romantic connection through their stomachs. Williams surprised Agada at work with homemade brownies, and Agada brought Williams cookies and Starbursts to return the favor.
Williams told Agada that he couldn't take her on a date if he still worked at PacSun, so Agada quit. The two have been dating since July 2009, but they still argue about whether Williams fired Agada or if Agada quit on his own terms.
// CAROLINE KRAFT
SOMMUNITY AMENITIES
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Welcome to the ONLY full-furnished student
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1800 Naismith Drive, Lawrence, KS 68045
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NAISMITH HALL
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Edited by Erin Wilbert
Beating the Sooners or Longhorns once is hard enough. Beating them over a twelve game schedule is infinitely more challenging.
CATCH OF THE WEEK // IIHAM ABUANGA > Our weekly peek at a fish in the KU sea.
HOBBIES: I love moving around — walking, running and exercising. I like to say I'm artistic. I don't always draw, doodle or write, but I'm really creative and I like making the place around me look good. I love hanging out with my siblings and my mom, just going to the (Country Club) Plaza (Kansas City, Mo.) and shopping with my sisters.
DREAM DATE: I want to go bungee jumping.
I know that sounds really crazy, but I want to try that or sky diving. It's just so crazy and adventurous.
**TURN-OFFS:** I don't like guys with big egos. Guys who are really rude...like if they know they're cute and they get a big head from that, I can't stand it.
WHY I'M A CATCH: I don't know, I don't like to brag! I'm a really cool, easy-going girl. I'm easy to communicate with. I don't judge people right off the bat; I like to talk to people and get to know them.
**TURN-ONS:** I like guys who are smart, down-to-earth, respectful and who keep up with their looks.
NOTICES IN POTENTIAL PARTNER: When I first meet a guy I notice how talkative he is and how he carries himself in conversations. That shows me how interested he is in a person or what's going on around him.
HOW WE MET // MICHELLE HUFFMAN & SADIE > All great relationships had to start somewhere
Michelle and Sadie share similarities they live together, watch TV together and go on walks together. But Michelle and Sadie are slightly different — Sadie is Michelle's dog. To Michelle Huffman, Branson, Mo., senior, Sadie, a 2-year-old miniature schauzer, is not just her dog, but her best friend.
Two years ago, Huffman received a call that her foster brother and his girlfriend just bought two new puppies, but they weren't able to take care of both, and needed someone to adopt one of them. Thrilled that she'd be getting a free puppy, Huffman jumped in her car and made the three-hour drive from Lawrence to Branson to meet her new mysterious friend. "It felt like a blind date," Huffman says. "I've never even owned a pet before, so I really didn't know what I was getting myself into."
Contributed photo
Paw-fet friendship
Michelle Huffman
and her dog Sadie
have become inseparable over the past two years.
It wasn't love at first sight for the duo. When Huffman arrived she was surprised to find two opposite-looking dogs: Rascal, who was adorable with big, dark eyes, and Sadie, who was disproportionate and goofy-looking. Huffman wasn't too thrilled when her foster brother chose to keep Rascal, but she accepted Sadie anyways and hauled her
back to Lawrence.
The first few months were a nightmare. Sadie wasn't housebroken; she whined, ran into oncoming traffic and chewed up everything.
In the last two years, they've only spent 12 weeks apart, when Huffman attended camp last summer. "I had to buy a Build-A-Bear stuffed animal to sleep with because I missed sleeping with Sadie so much," Huffman says.
After a while, Huffman and Sadie finally made a strong connection once the puppy phase was over. "When she gets excited she wiggles her butt and looks up at me," Huffman says.
// LAURA ERDALL
four south schools, Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, have had to play Texas and Oklahoma every year anyway, this new format won't really affect them negatively, either. But for Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State, this is nothing but bad news from a scheduling standpoint. The extra millions of dollars from the new television contract should help ease the pain, but the point stands.
Take 2007 for example. Kansas had its most successful season in school history, winning 12 games and capturing the FedEx Orange Bowl. Conveniently, Kansas didn't have to face Texas or Oklahoma that year. Could they have beaten either squad? Sure, they could have. But the team they lost to—Missouri—lost handily to Oklahoma twice that year. With a round robin scheduling format, 2007 wouldn't have been the season Kansas football fans remember with such joy. Maybe that's harsh, but it's the truth. Texas and Oklahoma are on a different level than 99 percent of the country, and Kansas now gets to face both schools on a yearly basis.
The new television deal is nice, no doubt about it. But if any of the former Big 12 north schools want to even sniff a conference title in the near future, they'll search for two more schools to join the conference, thus putting the divisions back in place. Memphis, Louisville and BYU have been thrown around as possibilities, and any of those schools would be a good fit for the Big 12, especially for every school not named Oklahoma or Texas.
the plate this season. Something happened to the Kansas batters Wednesday night though — every starter recorded a hit during a 24-hour hitting virus that infected the Jayhawks in their 11-2 win over Wichita State.
"When the first guy gets that RBI base hit, it makes it contagious throughout your whole dugout," coach Ritch Price said. "When one player clutches up, the next player looks forward to doing
came with runners on base.
Freshman Kaiana Eldredge got things started in the first inning, scoring from third off an unearned run after a Zac Elgie groundout. Kansas then tacked on another unearned run when sophomore Jake Marasco singled, knocking in senior left fielder Jimmy Waters from second after a throwing error by Wichita State shortstop Tyler Grimes.
"We get our first RBI basehit, and the next thing you know,
three straight hits scoring one run, including a double to right center by sophomore catcher Alex DeLeon.
The Jayhawks finished the inning with two walks and two singles to score two more runs. Keeping the pressure on, Kansas scored another run in the third off an RBI double hit by junior Jason Brunansky.
In the quick three-inning spurt, the Jayhawks had amassed seven runs before the Shockers knew
The atypical cushion provided by the bats helped the Kansas pitching staff relax kept the Shockers silent.
"It helps your pitching. There's no pressure," sophomore starter Thomas Taylor said. "Everyone's on top of their game after you're up 6-0. No one is going to be playing nervous; they just go right after them, and good things happen."
Wednesday's effort led to the Jayhawks putting up season bests across the plate. Kansas rebounded nicely from a four-game skid, winning two of two against Wichita State, and gaining momentum heading into a crucial weekend series against Big 12 preseason favorite Oklahoma.
Taylor, pitching on a tired arm after starting Saturday, often kept
in the seventh inning when Wichita scored one run off a single followed by a double.
— Edited by Erin Wilbert
SOFTBALL
Kansas to fight for spot in regional tournament
Chris Bronson/KANSAM The team celebrates after a home run hit by senior catcher Brittany Hile in the double-header against Okla. The team finished conference play 2-16. They hope to combine their preseason record of 26-3 with victories in their final three regular season games.
BY HANNAH WISE
hwise@kansan.com
"It's a tough conference," coach Megan Smith said. "Every team we play is ranked. It's extremely difficult. You don't get a break, but that's why you like to play in those big conferences."
The softball team is left to rely upon three final non-conference games to bolster its regional tournament chances after weekend losses to Texas A&M, 3-2 and 13-0. The Jayhawks finished conference play with a 2-16 record, but are 31-22 overall.
The Big 12 conference has a total of 10 teams, eight of which are ranked in the top 25 nationally by either the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll or the USA Today Coaches' Poll and more often than not, both. It is an incredibly challenging conference to succeed in and the teams that are leading the standings — Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma State — are teams that do well year after year in the conference as well as in the NCAA Tournament.
The Jayhawks entered Big 12 play with a historic start to the season at 26-3. They won five of their six preseason tournaments, going
undefeated in four. The preseason start is what is helping the team's regional chances now, but the Jayhawks must win their final three games.
The final stretch begins tonight against Drake. The Bulldogs are 31-18 overall and 18-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Last week, the Jayhawks took home two victories against Wichita State (11-3 in six innings and 6-3 in the second game), another Missouri Valley competitor.
tury competition. The Jayhawks have not lost their drive. They are motivated by the possibility of still making it to regionals.
But the team cannot lose it's focus, especially after last weekend's 13-0 loss. Coach Smith has said repeatedly throughout the season that they are going to focus on themselves and what they can do. That is what is going to carry the team through the end of the season.
"It's going to be an interest- ing finish, but we are going to be locked in and ready to play Drake," Smith said.
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Edited by Jacque Weber
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