14
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2005
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Niang bids farewell to court
BY ASHLEY MICHAELS amichaels@kansan.com KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Moulaye Niang announced his decision to leave the University of Kansas men's basketball team because of health reasons on Friday.
Niang
The 6-foot-10 senior forward is suffering from severe back problems and has been advised by doctors that ending his career would be the best option for him in the
long run.
Kansan file photo
Niang averaged 0.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 16 games during the 2004-2005 season.
Moulaye Niang, junior forward, and Jeff Hawkins, junior guard, cheer at Late Night in the Phog as fellow Jayhawks promise Niang will become the highest-scoring Senegalese player at Kansas.
"I will miss the fans the most, the atmosphere having the chance to put the uniform on and the fans appreciate me."
"My health is very important to me," Niang said. "It is a great risk for me to continue to play. I can't take much more pounding on my back
Moulaye Niang senior forward
for one more year.
"Specialists tell me my back won't get better, it might feel better, but it won't heal. Calling it off is the best thing for me to do."
ing the sport is worth the trade-off of the use of your body."
Niang will remain at the University as a student and as a student-assistant coach, finishing up his bachelor's degree in business and finance.
sport behind is a difficult decision, especially when the program has a tradition as rich as the University of Kansas'.
For any athlete, leaving a
Although the coaches and staff would like to see Niang stick around for his last season, they also understand the risks involved.
"Moulaye's health is deteriorating to the point of his health problems affecting his quality of life," said Danny Manning, Director of Student-Athlete Development.
"I will miss the fans the most, the atmosphere, having the chance to put the uniform on and the fans appreciate me," Niang said.
"As an athlete, you might have to decide whether play-
"Everything else I'll be around for. I'll be in the locker room with the guys hanging out, cracking jokes and I'll be on the road with them. I will not be missing out on much, I'll be around."
- Edited by Erin M. Droste
SOFTBALL
Season ends after invitation to NCAA tournament
BY ASHLEY MICHAELS
amichaels@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Jeff Jacobson/KUAC
Jessica Moppin hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning against Georgia Tech on May 20. The home run, which bounced off the scoreboard, made Moppin the new Kansas career home run leader.
Kansas softball wrapped up its season with a 31-24 record and an NCAA regional tournament invitation, its first since 1999.
The Jayhawks started the season with the No. 3 defense in the Big 12. They ended preconference play with a 15-9 record and opened conference play against No. 4 Texas, but lost 4-1. The season was one of ups and downs, despite an eight-game winning streak that Missouri halted in the Border Showdown.
"Our offense was great for the majority of the season," junior outfielder Heather Stanley said. "Our pitchers struggled and we lost some games early on, but when our pitching came around we started doing better. We were winning games we shouldn't have won and losing games we shouldn't have lost."
The season left the Jayhawks with accomplishments to be proud of.
"One of the best things about this season was sweeping Oklahoma when they came to Lawrence," Stanley said. "They were No. 5 at the time and it was a great accomplishment for us."
Five Jayhawks earned All-Big 12 honors. Junior infielder Destiny Frankenstein and Stanley were named first team All-Big 12, while junior infielder Jessica Moppin, junior outfielder Ashley Frazer, and junior pitcher Serena Settlemier all earned second team honors. Moppin and Frankenstein were also named Big 12 Players of the Week during the season.
Moppin broke the University's all-time home run record with 24 home runs in her career and her 10th of the season.
"I got my 24th home run at my last to-bat in the last game," Moppin said. "I just told myself that I wasn't going to leave the tournament without a hit. It is a great honor beating a record that so many great players before me have held."
The Big 12 Tournament produced two losses for the Jayhawks. Kansas was defeated by No. 3 Texas, 1-0, and No. 2 Oklahoma. 5-0.
Despite their lack of success in the Big 12 Tournament, the Jayhawks got an invitation to the NCAA Regional Tournament in Athens, Ga.
It was the first invite for all the current players on the team. In the first round Kansas matched up against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and lost 3-1 in nine innings. Next they faced Tennessee Tech and won 4-0, which led them into one more match-up with the Yellow Jackets, where they lost 5-2.
With experience under their belts from last season and all but three players returning from last year, the Jayhawks have high hopes for next season. They are only graduating one senior, pitcher Kathy McVey.
"Our goal for next year is to get to the same place we went this year and then get farther in the tournament," Moppin said. "We almost beat Texas and Arizona and both of them are in the World Series right now. We are close to where we need to be."
— Edited by Erin M. Droste