2B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
》 ROWING
MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2007
Novice eight boat earns first victory
Varsity quad boat receives top honors
BY CATHERINE ODSON
An intense day of racing gave the Kansas novice eight boat its first victory this spring.
The novice eight boat finished first in grand finals at Saturday's Knecht Cup in Camden, N.J., after winning its preliminary race in 7 minutes, 18.7 seconds. The
novice eight boat — led by freshman coxswain Jenny Leuck and rowed by juniors Elena Larson and Emily Martin, sophomore Brianna Flickinger, and freshman Katie Beall,
"Seeing that we were just as strong as they were,we knew we could do it."
Amber Bortz, Sara Karcher, Stacy Rachow and Abby Green — finished the final in 7:16.0, 5.5 seconds before second-place Rhode Island.
The Jayhawks entered the final with the third-best time and didn't know what to expect, Larson said. The Jayhawks stayed close to the other six boats for the first half of the race before pulling away in the second half, leaving a boatlength between them and the rest of the boats.
"Seeing that we were just as strong as they were, we knew we could do it," Larson said.
Coach Rob Catloth said the novice eight boat lived up to the potential the coaching staff saw in it.
7:44.4.
"It's a very important win for them, a big confidence builder", he said. "Some of it's just getting enough races that they finally figured out what they could do."
Boston said the time was slower than it could have been because the rowers knew they had other races and slowed down after initially pulling ahead. A quad boat competes without a coxswain, who is responsible for steering the boat and setting the pace, so the rowers went off "how
The varsity quad boat of seniors Lindsey Miles, Jelayna Da Silva and Tiffany Jeffers and junior Kara Boston placed first by defeating its lone competitor, Duquesne, by more than a minute, finishing in
ELENA LARSON Junior rower
each other felt in the boat," Boston said.
Kansa s' first varsity eight boat placed fourth in the grand finals behind Gonzaga, who received votes in last week's U.S. Rowing poll, Rhode
Island and Boston College. The final was one of the last races of the day, almost 12 hours after the races started.
"We might have been a little bit raced out," Catloth said. "But as a whole we raced really well."
Kansas' second varsity eight and varsity four A also finished fourth in their respective grand finals. The varsity four B boat finished sixth in the petite finals.
The regatta was originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but Sunday's races were moved to Saturday because poor weather was forecasted. The conditions improved throughout the day Saturday, with wind and water calming as the day progressed.
"Toward the end of the afternoon, it really warmed up well," Boston said. "It turned out to be a beautiful day for racing."
Kansen senior sportswriter Catherine Odson can be contacted at codson@kansan.com.
Edited by James Pinick
SOFTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
practicing in game-like conditions.
The team practiced outside on Thursday and inside Anschutz Sports Pavilion on Friday.
Bunge said that the team was putting in the effort, maybe a bit too much.
"It's not fun to practice inside Anschutz because you can't take groundballs well in there," Washburn said.
"We're trying way too hard and we have to get back to relaxing," Bunge said. "This team is a much younger group and in some way are still searching for their identity at this point of the season. At this point in time, we just didn't get it done today."
The team looks to regroup and move onto its Border Showdown match-up this Wednesday at home against the Missouri Tigers.
No. 5 Texas A&M 13, Kansas 0
Texas A&M 102 400 6 — 13 16 2
Kansas 000 000 0 — 0 1 1
Amanda Scarborough and Bevery Rowan; Kassie Humphreys, Sarah Vertelkia (4), Valerie George (7) and Elle Potterf. W — Scarborough 17-4. L — Humphreys 13-9.
2B — A&M; Megian Gibson, Jay Davis, Lisa Gorzycki. 3B — A&M; Mandy Gegen. HR — A&M; Alex Reynolds.
Records — Texas A&M 34-6, 7-3
Big 12 Conference, Kansas 27-16-
1, 3-6.
Kansan sportswriter Evan Kafarakis can be contacted at ekafarakis@kansan.com.
— Edited by Jyl Unruh
9th & Iowa Sun-Thurs 11am-1am, Fri-Sat 11am-3am
athletics calendar
Women's goof. Big 12 Championship, all day, Waco, Texas
TODAY
TUESDAY
TUESDAY Women's golf, Big 12 Championship, all day, Waco, Texas
WEDNESDAY
Women's golf, Big 12 Championship, all day, Waco, Texas
*Softball vs. Missouri* 3 p.m., 5 p.m., Arrocha Ballpark
WEDNESDAY
Track at Kansas Relays, all day, Memorial Stadium
Tennis at Oklahома, 1 p.m.,
Norman, Okla.
Baseball at Wichita State, 7 p.m., Wichita
Track at Kansas Relays, all day, Memorial Stadium
THURSDAY
RIDAC Track at Kansas Relays, all day, Memorial Stadium
FRIDAY
Baseball at Texas Tech, 6:30 p.m., Lubbock, Texas
Baseball at Texas Tech, 2 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas
Track at Kansas Relays, all day, Memorial Stadium
SATURDAY
Softball vs. Texas Tech, 2 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas
Volleyball vs. North Carolina, TBA, Horesi family Athletics Center
Volleyball vs. Saint Louis, BCA, Horejsi Family Athletics Center
Rowing at Minnesota, TBA, St Paul, Minn.
SUNDAY
Tennis vs. Texas A&M, 11 a.m.
Robinson Center courts
Softball vs. Texas Tech, noon
Lubbock, Texas
>> TRACK AND FIELD
Baseball vs. Texas Tech, 1:05 p.m., Lubbock, Texas
Soccer vs. Nebraska-Omaha,
2 p.m., Jayhawk Soccer Complex
Kansas team dominates in Oklahoma
BY TAYLOR BERN
Kansas took over the John Jacobs Invitational this weekend in Norman, Okla., winning seven events in its last meet before the Kansas Relays.
Junior Egor Agafonov, the 2007 NCAA indoor weight throw champion, won the hammer throw with a season-best toss of 225 feet, 10 inches. Sophomore Zlata Tarasova took the women's hammer throw title with a distance of 199-02.
In the pole vault, junior Kate Sultanova earned a regional qualifying mark with her winning height
of 13-01 1/2. Junior Libby Harmon was close behind, clearing 12-01 1/2, to claim third place. For the men, freshman Jordan Scott finished second with a height of 17 3/4, which qualifies him for the Midwest Regional Championships. Also qualifying for the regional championships was senior Janiece Gatson who placed second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1 minute, 0.51 seconds.
Junior Julius Jiles won the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.14 seconds, while Ashley Brown, junior captured the 100-meter hurdles
crown with a winning time of 13.74 seconds.
In the 5,000 meters, junior Colby Wissel missed a regional qualifying time by 11-hundredths of a second, but still won the event in 14:12.11. Freshman Lauren Bonds broke out for a second place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Her time of 10:51.20 is the second-best in Kansas history.
Toward the end of the meet, junior Crystal Manning won the triple jump with a distance of 43-07 1/4, a Kansas record. Senior Cody Roberts finished second in the discus with a season-best throw of 188-03. Winning the event was former Kansas standout Sheldon Battle, who also won the shot put while competing unattached.
The layhawks now return home to play host to the 80th Kansas Relays on April 18 to 21 in Memorial Stadium.
Kansan sportswriter Taylor Bern can be contacted at tbern@kansan.com.
- Edited by Sharla Shivers
》 60TH ANNIVERSARY
Dodgers celebrate Jackie Robinson
BY JOHN NADEL ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers solemnly lined up along the thirdbase line, each and every one wearing No. 42.
Jackie Robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the sport celebrated the 60th anniversary of his debut throughout the country Sunday, when more than 200 players, managers and coaches wore his number.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, center, and former Los Angeles Dodger great Don Newcombe, left, present Rachael Robinson, widow of Jackie Robinson, with an award during a news conference Sunday in Los Angeles. Sunday marks the 60th anniversary of Robinson's major-league debut.
"I've often said that baseball's most powerful moment in its really terrific history was Jackie Robinson's coming into baseball," commissioner Bud Selig said during an on-field ceremony before the Dodgers played the San Diego Padres. "It's an incredible story — not just for baseball, but for society. Jackie was an American hero and the ultimate barrier-breaker. Threats to his life were commonplace. Yet Jackie took everything hate-mongers had to offer him. Not only is he a baseball Hall of Famer, he's a Hall of Famer for all-time."
Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson threw out ceremonial first pitches, and fellow Hall of Famers Joe Morgan and Dave Winfield were on hand, joined by actors Courtney B. Vance and Marlon Wayans. Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson sang "The Star-Spangled Banner"
Adding a personal touch were Robinson's widow, Rachel, and two Dodgers who knew him. Broadcaster Vin Scully paid tribute to Rachel Robinson, and Don Newcombe, Robinson's former teammate and a longtime Dodgers executive, looked on.
At the 50th anniversary ceremony, at New York's Shea Stadium in 1997, then-President Clinton spoke and Selig announced Robinson's No. 42 was being retired by all major league teams. The only player wearing No. 42 then who remains active is New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera. After Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr. asked for permission to wear the number Sunday, Selig
invited others to use No. 42 for the day.
This year's national celebration was centered at Dodger Stadium, not far from where Robinson grew up in Pasadena. He would become the first athlete to earn letters in four sports at UCLA, and he served in the U.S. Army during World War II before making his debut with the Dodgers at age 27.
The Brookinaires Gospel Choir from The First African Methodist Episcopal Church sang "Oh Happy Day," a Robinson favorite. Twin logos acknowledging Robinson were painted on both sides of the plate with another behind second base, and "Jackie Robinson Day" was printed on the bases.
There was a video tribute with Morgan and Aaron among those participating. And several current players expressed their thanks to Robinson.
Selig presented Mrs. Robinson with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award for her work
with the Jackie Robinson Foundation, formed in 1973 to raise scholarship money for qualified minorities. Robinson died in October 1972 at age 53.
"She's made an enormous impact on our sport," Selig said. "We are an institution with enormous social responsibilities. She keeps us focused on that."
Then, speaking to Mrs. Robinson, Selig said: "You not only made baseball better, more important you made society better."
"Whites inside only" and "Coloreds entrance" were signs of the time when Robinson played his first game at Ebbets Field. He was subjected to racist remarks from players and fans alike. But Dodgers executive Branch Rickey made Robinson his choice to break the color barrier because he believed he was mature enough and tough enough to survive and thrive.
Robinson retired following the 1956 season — after the Dodgers traded him to the rival Giants — and
was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962.
"That first day, we were so anxious in the morning without acknowledging it," 84-year-old Rachel Robinson said. "I think what we felt at the end of the day was a great deal of relief. He performed even though he didn't do very well."
Robinson went hitless, but reached base on an error and scored the go-ahead run in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory over the Boston Braves.
His impact has been lasting. Mrs. Robinson said 1,100 scholarship students have graduated from college and 266 are present in school since the foundation was formed.
"We needed to find a way to hold onto him," Mrs. Robinson said of her late husband. "Jack's legacy is all over the place.
"We know if our youngsters don't get educated, they won't have a chance to achieve their highest potential. We indoctrinate with the notion of giving back. We have a 97 percent graduation rate."
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