2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2007
ROWING
Minnesota looms large Crew prepared following Knecht Cup
BY CATHERINE ODSON
The Kansas rowing team will follow last week's East Coast competition by facing a single Midwestern powerhouse: Minnesota.
Minnesota's first varsity eight boat is ranked No. 8 in this week's U.S. Rowing poll. That ranking may or may not describe the strength of the entire team, coach Rob Catloth said.
"Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't," he said. "They're deep across the board. They're a really strong team."
The regatta begins at 10 a.m. on Lake Lanfein in St. Paul, Minn.
boston also competed at last year's regatta. Kansas placed third in the first varsity eight, 13.25 seconds behind first-place Minnesota. Kansas' second novice eight won its race, but every other boat finished last. The Jayhawks' goal this year is to get as close to the Gophers as possible, which will help them in the first regional rankings that come out next week.
Senior rower Tiffany jeffers said the boat would be trying to get
closer to Minnesota than region foes Wisconsin and Iowa did last weekend. The Gophers won both races by about nine seconds.
With the race on Lake Phalen, the Jayhawks will race on a lake for the first time this season. But Catloth said the water conditions would be similar to those of the Knecht cup in Camden, N.J.
"The boat bounces around a lot more, but it shouldn't make a difference on boat speed," Catloth said.
The Jayhawks first varsity eight boat finished fourth of 29 boats at the Knecht Cup, which featured many traditionally strong rowing programs.
"Last weekend was a good confidence builder," Jeffers said. "We just felt as a boat what it was like to race really hard and how to get there again."
Kansan senior sportswriter Catherine Odson can be contacted at codson@kansan.com.
Edited by Will McCullough
BARTONline
Having trouble getting your class schedule to work?
Dropped a class?
Weed to add a class?
Barton County Community College offers online college courses.
We offer both 9-week and 17-week sessions. General education courses transfer to Kansas Regents schools.
Find our schedule online!
www.bartonline.org
Making waves
>> INTRAMURAL SPORTS
Weekend regatta a success for crew team
BY SCOTT TOLAND
The KU Crew team found success last weekend in Omaha, Neb., at the Upper Midwest Sprints.
The men's team brought home the first-place team trophy in Sunday's regatta. Creighton University played host at the event.
time this semester. It made me really happy to come out and perform well against that kind of competition."
Unlike the fall crew season, the spring season features two-kilome-
The women placed fifth in the varsity 4B division and took fourth place in the varsity 4D competition.
The men's
"I'd say our competitive level has definitely gone up. Our team unity has also become better throughout the year."
"Overall this year, I'd say our competitive level has definitely gone up," said Jon Rogers, president and varsity rower for the club. "Our team
squad claimed first with the help of first-place finishes in both the novice men's eight and the novice men's 4A divisions. The crew team also earned second place in the men's varsity eight and the novice men's 4B competitions. St. Thomas University finished second in the regatta, while Marquette University placed third.
Crew team coach Jeremy Struemph said he was pleased with Sunday's showing.
"I was very happy with the performance by both the men and women because we have had limited water
JON ROGERS Crew club president
unity has also become better throughout the year."
The crew club will compete in Topeka this weekend at the Great Plains Rowing Championships. The team also continues to prepare for the Dad Vail Regatta on May 11 and 12 at Schuylkill River, Penn. It is the largest collegiate regatta in the United States.
"We start crew in August, working towards going to Dad Vail," Rogers said. "That's where we go to compete for the national standings."
Kansan sportswriter Scott Toland can be contacted at stoland@kansan.com.
- Edited by Ashley Thompson
TENNIS
Slumping tennis team to end regular season
BY RUSTIN DODD
A lot has happened in the last 41 days.
The Kansas men's basketball team lost to UCLA in the regional final. The football team had its spring game. But one thing hasn't happened.
The Kansas tennis team hasn't notched a single victory. The team — winless since March 10 — will take a seven-dual losing streak into its regular season finale against No. 21 Texas A&M on Sunday.
To keep the streak from reaching eight, Kansas has to beat Texas A&M, which sits at 17-5, and 7-2 in the Big 12, following a 4-3 loss to Texas on Wednesday. In addition, Texas &A M owns three 7-0 victories against opponents that beat KU this season — Missouri, Texas Tech and Colorado.
Senior Anna Lubinsky leads the way for the Aggies at No.1 singles. Lubinsky, a former first-team AllBig 12 selection, is ranked 24th in country in singles.
Kansas, attempting to rebound after a 4-3 loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday, is trying to avoid a second 16-loss season in three years. While doubles woes have been the season-long foil for the Jayhawks, it was poor singles play that doomed Kansas to its seventh straight loss. Both the No. 1 doubles duo of junior Elizaveta
Avdeeva and sophomore Edina Horvath and the No. 2 duo of junior Lauren Hommell and freshman Kunigunda Dorn gained victories, but Kansas lost four out of the dual's six singles matches.
A loss on Sunday would give Kansas an 11th place finish in the conference, meaning Kansas would play the sixth seed in the first round of the Big 12 Championships on April 26. That scenario would mean a rematch with Oklahoma if the season ended today.
While the team sits at the bottom of the conference, Avdeeva, Horvath and sophomore Yuliana Swistun can climb up the Big 12 individual rankings Sunday. If Swistun wins on Sunday, she will finish with a 9-2 conference record at No. 5 singles, guaranteeing her at least a tie for the top mark in the conference at No. 5 singles. Svistun is 14-5 overall this spring.
Adeveena and Horvath are sitting at 7-3 in conference, with the No.28 doubles team in the country — Sarah Foster and Tiffany Clifford of Texas A&M — looming on Sunday. A victory would guarantee that they finish no lower than second at No.1 doubles.
Kansan sportswriter Rustin Dodd can be contacted at rdodd @kansan.com.
Edited by Kelly Lanigan
athletics calendar
Track at Kansas Relays, all day, Memorial Stadium Baseball at Texas Tech, 6:30 p.m. Lubbock, Texas
TODAY
SATURDAY
Track at Kansas Relays, all day Memorial Stadium
Baseball at Texas Tech, 2 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas
Softball at Texas Tech, 2 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas
Volleyball vs. North Carolina, TBA,Horejsi Family Athletics Center
Rowing at Minnesota, TBA,
St. Paul, Minn.
Volleyball vs. Saint Louis,
TBA, Horeisi Family Athletics
Center
SUNDAY
- Softball at Texas Tech, noon,
Lubbock Texas
**Tennis vs. Texas A&M, 11 a.m. Robinson center courts**
Baseball at Texas Tech, 1:05 p.m. Lubbock, Texas
Soccer vs. Nebraska-Omaha,
2 p.m. Hawaii Soccer Complex