KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY. APRIL 27. 2010 / SPORTS
3B
MEN'S GOLF
Jayhawks look to next year after last place finish in Big 12
BY ANDREW WITUSZYNSKI
awituszynski@kansan.com
At the Big 12 Championship Tournament in Trinity, Texas, last weekend, Kansas went into the final round in last place and finished no higher. The Jayhawks scored 58 strokes over par as a team, five strokes behind 11th place finisher, Missouri.
"Obviously it was a rough week for us," coach Kit Grove said. "It was just bad. There is no other way to sugar coat it."
Oklahoma State won the tournament for the fourth straight year with a score of 19 under par as a team.
Chris Ward of Texas Tech took the individual first place honors and finished nine under par. Ward won the tournament by
two strokes over Peter Uhilein of Oklahoma State.
From an individual perspective, the tournament was much closer than the team tournament, with Oklahoma State finishing 13 strokes ahead of second place Texas A&M.
Junior Nate Barbee placed 27th, the highest for the Jayhawks. He finished eight over par for the four rounds.
his back and didn't play for the Jayhawks in their last tournament on April 14 and 15, he said the injury had no effect on his Big 12 Tournament outcome.
"This was a tough tournament for all of us." Barbee
"I just played bad," Barbee said. "There is no excuse for that
"This was a tough tournament for all of us. Nobody played well, and I struggled individually."
said, "Nobody played well, and I struggled individually."
Though Barbee recently injured
NATE BARBEE Junior golfer
in the Big 12 Tournament."
Though Barbee is expected to qualify for regional, the remaining Jayhawks will probably not have to wait until next season for their
shot at qualifying.
"If I make it to regionals, I'm going to keep the same routine
and practice and play the way 1 always do" Barbee said.
The remaining Jayhawks who
competed in the tournament and didn't fare as well as they hoped. Freshman Chris Gilbert placed
The rema played in the tournament with the exception of senior Bryan Hackenberg are all freshmen. They'll have the chance to make it to regionals or even nationals in the seasons to come.
"All in all it was disappointing where we finished." Hackenberg said. "The good thing is that it was a great learning experience for the young guys."
"We have a lot to build on for next fall with everyone being so young."
Three freshman Jayhawks
NATE BARBEE Junior golfer
34th at eleven over par. Fellow freshmen Alex Gutesha and Dan Waite finished 50th and 60th, respectively.
"Having three true freshmen in there is tough," Grove said.
"But them getting in the mix and learning what college golf is like should pay dividends in the years to come."
Hackenberg finished at 28 over par in his last college tournament. He shot two rounds of 75 and 76,
but two scores in the 80s landed him in 88th place.
"I'm just thankful that I got to play here at KU," Hackenberg said. "It was a fun experience and I learned a lot."
FIFA
Despite a strong regular season, which featured seven top fives finishes, including first place tie and two second place finishes, the Jayhawks are excited about what next year will bring.
With the exception of Hackenberg, the entire team is returning and will include three incoming recruits.
"We have a lot to build on for next fall with everyone being so young," Barbee said. "We should be very competitive."
- Edited by Michael Holtz
Africans hope for World Cup glory
MCCLATHEY-TRIBUNE
Standing on a circle or grass outside Benfica's Stadium of Light in Lisbon is a larger-than-life statue of Eusebio, arguably the greatest soccer player ever to come from Africa.
The "Black Panther," as he was known, was born in 1942 in what was then Lourenco Marques and is now Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.
But in a glittering 21-year career in which he was named Europe's player of the year in 1965 and in which he was the top goal scorer at the 1966 World Cup in England, Eusebio da Silva Ferreira never once represented the land of his birth.
He played club soccer for Benfica and his national team was Portugal. In those days,
Mozambique was merely a colony, an offshoot of Portugal itself, and the idea that Eusebio could lead it to World Cup glory was laughable.
Times have changed.
In about six weeks, South Africa will stage the first World Cup to be played on the African continent. It has been an 80-year wait, but Africas time has finally arrived.
On June 11, at the vast and calabash-shaped Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, the monthlong tournament will kick off after opening ceremonies that will feature Nelson Mandela, probably President Obama, Pele, and almost certainly Eusebio himself.
The "Black Panther" visited the city ahead of the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009 and
in an interview, said. "I was born in Africa and I am proud that a country in the region where I came from will be hosting the World Cup next year. It will definitely be one of the greatest ever"
Among the 32 participating World Cup teams are six from Africa: Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Africa. Among the leading players on those teams are striker Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast's Elephants, forward Samuel Etoo of Cameroon's Indomitable Lions, and midfielder Michael Essien of Ghana's Black Stars.
Like Eusebio before them, all three ply their trade in Europe, along with hundreds of other African players who, in their migration north, have not only made their name — and in some cases their fortunes — but have
enriched the European leagues in which they play.
But it has not really helped Africa. Not so far, anyway.
Africa might produce some of the world's finest players, but the continent has yet to find its mark at the World Cup. No African team has ever progressed beyond the quarterfinals, a plateau first achieved by the Roger Millain-inspired Cameroon team at the Italia '90 World Cup.
In that event 20 years ago, Cameroon startled the world on a sunny June evening in Milan when it defeated reigning world champion Argentina, with Diego Maradona in the lineup, 1-0, in the tournament's opening game.
Mourners gather for Meier's brother's funeral
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
A funeral service Monday for former Kansas State quarterback Dylan Meier drew more than 1,000 mourners in Pittsburg.
The 26-year-old was hiking in Arkansas last week when he suffered a fatal fall at Whitaker Point, also known as Hawksbill Craig.
Meier started the first five games at quarterback for Kansas State his senior season in 2006 before Josh Freeman took over the position.
The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports that Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder was among the speakers Monday at the service at Memorial Auditorium.
Meier came from a football family. His younger brother, Kerry Meier, was drafted Saturday by the Atlanta Falcons after breaking records as a Kansas wide receiver. Older brother Shad Meier was a tight end at Kansas State and had a six-year career in the NFL.
Congratulations to the Class of 2010!
Finally, the all-nighters and daily treks up the Hill have paid off. And now we want to help you celebrate your success here at KU! The KU Alumni Association staff would like to officially welcome you to alumni status!
Wieners for Seniors, Wed., April 28, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Adams Alumni Center Grad Grill, Thurs. May 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Adams Alumni Center Commencement Lunch, Sun., May 16, from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Outlook.
This year the KU Alumni Association has joined with KU Endowment to give you a special graduation gift, a one-year membership in the KU Alumni Association.
If you are interested in becoming a Life Member of the KU Alumni Association, take advantage of our limited-time offer; you can purchase a life membership for $500 (half price!) until June 30, 2010.
www.kualumni.org