Volume 125 Issue 108
kansan.com
Monday, April 22, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
COMMENTARY Memorable moments create special event
By Colin Wright cwright@kansan.com
The atmosphere surrounding the 86th running of the Kansas Relays felt different this week.
end than those of the past. However, it was no a single event that changed the feel of this historic track and field meet.
On top of that, ESPN aired the men's shot put competition with the event's conclusion featuring a Rubick's Cube contest with senior men's basketball player Kevin Young.
It might have been the men's shot put and women's long jump that were moved at the last minute to the Douglas County Fairgrounds. In both events Olympic athletes competed in a livestock pavilion before a standing-room-only crowd.
- Or maybe it was the ground breaking at the University's new Rock Chalk Park. The eighty-six year old Kansas Relays will likely bid farewell to Memorial Stadium after the park is completed. The stadium has been the Kansas Relay's home ever since it's inception in 1927.
It could've been the unusually cold April weather that kept the track and field athletes bundled up in sweats and blankets until it was time to compete. After all, the high on Thursday and Friday was 40 degrees. When the temperatures on Saturday increased, performances on the track did as well.
Kansas fans are used to stellar performances on the track, especially from the women's track and field team that captured a conference championship for the first time in 30 years last month when it won the Big 12 indoor championship. The team has held the No.1 ranking in the nation for the last month and the women showed no signs of letting go of that spot anytime soon during the Relays.
This is the only home meet of the outdoor season for the Jayhawks and their best chance to perform in front of family and friends, so maybe that showed more than usual.
It was a momentous weekend for Ohio State graduate Cory Leslie. He ran in the Glen Cunningham Mile and became the sixth winner in Kansas Relays history to run a mile in under four minutes.
Four Paralympians ran the 100 meters in less than 12 seconds and showed what true determination and a never-give-up attitude can do. It was an inspiring sight to see at one of the premire track and field events in the Sunflower State.
The Kansas men's distance medley relay team continued its success in the middle distance captured the championship for the third straight year, adding to the Jayhawks' expectations of excellence.
Olympic silver medalist Michael Tinsley ran the 400 meter hurdles in 48.77 seconds for the fastest time in the world this year.
The Relays are a unique experience for Kansas athletes because it gives them a chance to compete against professional athletes and Olympians like Tinsley instead of their collegiate peers.
All in all, six Kansas Relays records were broken or equaled this weekend. That's quite the feat considering the how old the event is, but at the same time the science of track and field has changed a lot since the Relays began so one can only expect for athletes to push the human body further to break more and more records each year.
To cap off the 86th Kansas Relays, the laj Hawk men and women's teams swept the 4x400 meter relays in the final races of the four days of competition that saw over 5,000 high school, college and professional athletes compete.
Edited by Hannah Wise
86TH KANSAS RELAYS
AN ELITE ENDING
Athletes from around the world compete in the Sunflower State
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
Funmi Jomoh during her first heat at the Women's Elite Long jump Thursday afternoon. The event was moved to the Douglas County Fairgrounds
EMILY WITTERLEY/KANSAN A pole vault practice before the Men's Pole Vault at Memorial Stadium April 19 during the Kansas Relays. The Kansas Relays took place April 17-20 this year.
EMILY WITTLER/KANSAN
EMILY WITTLER/KANSAN
EMILY WITTERMAN/KANSAN A pole vault practice before the Men's Pole Vault at Memorial Stadium April 19 during the Kansas Relays. The Kansas Relays took place April 17-20 this year.
BASEBALL
Kansas still looking for third starting pitcher
TREVOR GRAFF
tgraff@kansan.com
Kansas baseball struggled to close an otherwise successful weekend with a 16-5 loss to Texas Tech in the final game of the weekend series in Lubbock. Tex.
The Jayhawks won games Friday and Saturday against the Red Raiders before struggling on the mound Sunday,leaving the Jayhawks in second place in the Big 12 two games behind Oklahoma.
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
and we swing the bats and obviously won the series in the first two games giving us the to do something special today. We just didn't pitch well enough to get it done."
"It was a great win Friday night," coach Ritch Price. "We played well
The Kansas baseball team high fives junior Ka'iana Eldredge after his run in Saturday's game against the Texas Longhorns. Eldredge scored the team's only run in the 2-1 loss.
The Red Raiders snapped their nine-game loss losing with their victory in the final game of the series. Texas Tech freshman designated hitter Jarrard Potente led the Red Raiders at the plate with a 4-for-5 performance that included
Price
a double and three RBIs.
Kansas quickly relinquished the lead in the bottom of the second when Texas Tech junior center fielder Devon Conley's two-run RBI single put the Red Raiders in the lead 4-3. The Jayhawks responded quickly, posting two runs in the top of the third on sacrifice flies from senior first baseman Alex DeLeon and senior third baseman Jordan Dreiling.
The Jayhawks opened the high scoring affair with three runs in the first inning scored on a two-run single from sophomore right fielder Dakota Smith.
The Red Raiders then tied the game in the third before taking the lead on a Poteete double. Tech players never looked back, scoring eight runs over the last three innings.
The Jayhawks continue to experiment with the Sunday starter in a pitching rotation looking for one more solid arm.
"Obviously it's disappointing," Price said. "We scored three in the first and then turn around and turn around and give four runs up. When we went to the bullpen late in the game we just couldn't stop the bleeding."
Sophomore pitcher Robert
Kahana stepped into the Sunday starter's role against Texas Tech. Kahana pitched two and twothirds innings giving up seven hits, earning five runs and recording one strikeout.
The pitching struggles continued when Drew Morovick gave up three earned runs in three and one-third innings eventually being credited for the loss. The last rotation spot remains in question as the season wears into the stretch run.
"It's a really hard one, a hard decision to make," Price said. "Surely we have to pitch better than that to stay where we're at in the standings. I may have to look at putting Duncan back in the rotation and getting him in rhythm again, because that's four good outings in the past few weeks."
Kansas' pitching staff is remaining positive in the search to solidify the third spot in the rotation. For the staff, it's a team effort on and off the field.
"We just have to stay behind them," junior closer Jordan Piche'i said. "We have to let them know that everybody in the dugout is behind them. Hopefully that gives them the confidence to get back to throwing strikes. We were all here
The 2013 edition of Kansas baseball may not have been chosen by many to compete in the Big 12 conference, but, sitting two game behind the leader, Kansas has legitimized its spot among the best of the conference.
for each other and we're a team so we've always got our backs."
The team isn't changing its mindset with the new-found pressure of contending in the conference.
"We're not really looking at
numbers," Piche" said. "We just want to go out and win and put up the numbers that we can. At the end of the day, a win in a ball game puts us at the top. We just have to take it inning by inning. I don't think it's that big of deal."
The Jayhawks play Oral Roberts Tuesday in their next home game with a 6 p.m. first pitch at Hoglund Ballpark.
Edited by Hannah Wise
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