KANSAS TENNIS Both men's and women's tennis teams capture Big Eight Conference tournament titles, Page 3.
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 29, 1996
SECTION B
Jayhawk football is looking up
Attention Kansas football fans—and judging by the attendance at Saturday's Blue-White scrimmage, this doesn't apply to many of you—things are really looking up. Although an inter-squared scrimmage is a difficult way to judge how well a team will do in the upcoming season, I was impressed with quite a few things I saw on Saturday.
Despite losing Keith Rodgers, one of the best pound-for-pound linebackers in the nation last season, the Jayhawk "D"
looks tough again. Defensive back Tony Blevins and linebacker Ronnie Ward, who were hobbed last season with injuries, are in top form again. Big-play men Kevin Kopp, Dan Duescher and Jason Thoren look like they are staying away from Gumby's in the off-season.
ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
The offense also has given me some reason for optimism. Running back June Henley looks solid and the wide receivers, anchored by Andre Carter, pulled down some tough passes. Third and fourth stringer quarterbacks Zack Wegner and Hamilton Hill performed adequately, but without Ben Ratz at the helm, there will be more sacking in the Jayhawks backfield than at HyVee.
But seriously, I am really excited about our chance in the national spotlight of the Big 12 next season. It's funny what a 10-victory season and domination in a bowl game can do for a program's confidence.
On the subject of Kansas football, I got to experience first hand one of the worst aspects of our program. After the game I walked from the parking lot to the football field and noticed one thing. There isn't much difference between the two ground surfaces. Not only is Astroturf ugly and unsafe, but it's also outdated.
Natural grass should be given serious consideration for Memorial Stadium. C'mon Athletic Department, look at the Royals and the Chiefs — natural grass is in. Besides, the carpet at the Yacht Club is worn out.
**Getting away from the gridiron, I'd like to talk about an '80s hero/90s zero. Dwight Gooden has absolutely no right to play professional baseball today. In spring training he was ineffective. Regardless, he made the roster, as the Yankees gave Kenny Rogers and his $20 million contract a demotion. Gooden has been clobbered in three starts for a stellar 0-3 record.
It seems to me that the only things keeping Gooden in pro ball are his name and the memory of how good the precocaine Doc was. But sorry, Dwight, your name may keep you employed, but it doesn't evoke fear in opposing batters anymore. With an ERA hovering in double digits, even little leaguers wouldn't be scared to dig in against Doc.
Oh, in case your wondering, Gooden's underachieving identical twin Darryl Strawberry is having a bad run of luck himself. The Strawman owes $194,912 in child support and can't get a pro baseball contract. Right now Straw, who cranked 297 in the pros, is sitting home in California hoping some team will think he has something left.
The fact that only Chicago and Houston have won NBA Championships in the '90s shows that there is very little parity in the league. Since the sport isn't suffering from a lack of popularity, maybe this isn't bad. But regardless, I still have a solution: Each playoff team must send its top scorer to my beloved Philadelphia 76ers — who, incidentally, won only one more game this season, than the Dallas Cowboys.
And finally, why bother with the NBA playoffs? It's been a forgone conclusion for quite some time that Chicago will run away with the trophy. I guess the question is, who will they beat in the finals? I think Seattle will have the distinction of finishing second to the Bulls this season.
Kansas State slides past Jayhawks
Team throws away an eight-point lead fourth-place rank
By Tom Erickson
Kansan sports editor
Bobby Randall summed up yesterday's 10-8 loss to Kansas State with just three words.
"it hurts bad," the Kansas baseball coach said, after the Jayhawks blew an 8-0 lead against the Wildcats at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
The loss hurt the Jayhawks in the standings. Kansas (21-25, 11-17 in the Big Eight) lost its hold on fourth place to K-State (27-18, 11-11). The Wildcats won Friday's game in Manhattan 4-3 in 10 innings and Saturday's game in Lawrence 14-9.
A victory would have helped Kansas ensure a spot in the Big Eight Conference tournament in Oklahoma City. Now the Jayhawks, whose Big Eight season is finished, must wait and see if they will finish among the top six teams in the Big Eight.
Randall said he was upset about how the Jayhawks had lost control of their destiny, but he remained confident about upcoming nonconference games against Emporia State and Cameron.
"All we can do is just sit and wait with knots in our stomachs for a week and a half," he
Josh Belovsky
said. "It's been a tough April. We just haven't put it together yet."
The Jayhawks scored three runs in the first inning and added three more in the second for an early 6-0 lead.
Kansas starting pitcher Josh Belovsky cruised behind the early run support, striking out four and walking two through the first four innings.
"I got back into pitching how I liked to pitch," Belovsky said. "That was a big game for me today."
It got even bigger when the Jayhaws added two more runs in the fifth innning, taking an 8-0 lead. Meadows led the inning with a home run, his third of the season. Then right fielder
Mario Opipari followed with a single and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by left fielder Stephen Matthews.
Oipari then scored the Jayhawks' eighth run when shortstop Joe DeMarco reached on an error by Wildcat shortstop Heath Schesser. With first baseman Justin Headley at the plate, DeMarco reached second base on a Kevin Wicker wild pitch but was caught stealing third base. Headley then struck out, ending the iming.
Trouble began for Belovsky in the sixth inning when the Wildcats scored twice, narrowing the Kansas lead to 8-2. K-State added another run in the seventh, pushing the score to 8-3.
After walking the next batter, designated hitter Dave Hendrix, Randall replaced Belovsky with sophomore Casev Barrett.
But the Wildcats finally got to the Kansas senior in the eighth inning. K-State right fielder Chris Hess began the inning with a single and was followed by third baseman Todd Fereday, who also singled.
Beiovsky said the singles had not been hit very hard but that they had somehow gotten through the Jayhawk infielders.
"The hits found some holes," he said. "Other than that, I wasn't hit that hard."
Barrett wasn't hit very hard either. He gave up just two hits in two innings, but walked two batters and hit another. An error by Kliner in the eighth inning and another by DeMarco in the ninth helped the Wildcats score five runs in the eighth, tying the game and add two more in the ninth for the 10-8 victory.
With K-State moving into fourth place and winning four of the five games against the Jayhawks this season, Kansas will likely need a loss by Nebraska or Iowa State to clinch a spot in the Big Eight tournament.
"Now they're sitting where we wanted to be, and we're sitting where we wanted them to be," Belovsky said.
Kansas will return to action against Emporia State at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
KANSAS FOOTBALL
Kansas football defense looks impressive
Injured players weaken the Jayhawks'offensive showing
By Evan Blackwell Kansan sportswriter
Just as Kansas football coach Glen Mason expected, defense dominated the play at the annual Blue-White inter squadr spring game Saturday.
The white team, the defense, defeated the blue team, the offense, 63-25 with the Jayhawks innovative scoring system. The defense received points for every drive they stopped and every turnover caused. The offense not only scored for touchdowns, but also for first downs.
"This looks like it might be the best defense we've had since we've been here," Mason said.
The defense allowed only two touchdowns, both to the first-team offense, which was guided by freshman quarterback Zac Wegner. Wegner finished the game 6 for 11 in passing for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
The blue team, hampered by the quarterbacks Ben Rutz and Matt Johnson to injury this spring, scored on its first drive of the game on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Wegner to sophomore tight end Brian Gray.
The touchdown was set up by a 32-yard pass from Wegner to senior wide receiver Andre Carter, the longest offensive play of the day. However, the first drive wasn't indicative of the rest of the game.
"The first series was great," Wegner said. "Then on the second series there were a few incompletes, and I had some misreads. It just went downhill from there."
Kansas junior running back June Henley straight-arms a blocker as he fights for running room in the Blue-White game Saturday. The annual Blue-White game wraps up the Jahyahs spring practice. The White team defeated the Blue team 63-25.
The defense sent the offense spiraling downward after the first drive. The white team held the blue to only 66 yards rushing and 115 yards passing on a total of 63 plays.
Brian Hott / KANSAN
The defense recorded five sacks, and forced two fumbles. The defensive stars included senior defensive end Kevin Kopp, who had two sacks, and junior linebacker Jason Thoren, who had a fumble recovery. Thoren and sophomore linebacker Patrick Brown led the white with eight tackles each.
One of the few bright spots for the blue team was junior fullback Eric Galbreath who finished with 41 yards rushing on ten carries. Galbreath also was on the receiving end of the offense's only other touchdown of the day, a five-yard pass from Wegner.
Mason said the game had showed the coaching staff the same thing they had seen all spring.
"I like the way he hits it in up there," Mason said. "He should really be able to help us at fullback this year."
"Our spring practices have been dominated by defense."
Mason said. "We've just got too many missing parts on our offense right now."
In addition to the absence of Rutz and Johner, the Jayhawks were also without senior wide receiver Isaac Byrd and running back Eric Vann, who are both playing for the Kansas baseball team.
While the offense may not have had all of its parts, the spring game marked the highly-anticipated return to the field
for seniors linebacker Ronnie Ward and defensive back Tony Blevins, who both missed last season with injuries.
Ward, who finished with six tackles, said the game had answered some questions about his health, but that it had been just the first step back.
"There's always going to be questions," Ward said. "I just wanted to get back out on the field and test the shoulder again."
Kansas women make history at Drake Relays
By Adam Herschman Kansan sportswriter
Swartz and Heeb cross the finish line first in their races at Des Moines
After Kansas senior Melissa Swartz won the women's 1,500-meter run at the Drake Relays last weekend, she proceeded to the awards table to receive her first-place prize.
"He said, 'Why don't you get in the picture with me?' My sister was so excited that she didn't have her lens open." Swartz said.
Before she reached the table, she saw U.S. sprinter Michael Johnson and asked him if she could take a picture of him.
Swartz's sister, Shelley Forristal, took pictures of the two Drake Relays champions. Johnson won the 400-meter run in 44.51 seconds at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.
Swartz won the 1,500-meter run in 4:22.28, and broke former Jayhawk and now Asics runner Cathy Palacios' school record of 4:23.75.
"She ran just super," Kansas assistant track and field coach Steve Guymon said. "Melissa had been struggling the last two meets. She likes to lead, and I think it's been hurting her."
Melissa Swartz
Guymon told Swartz not to run Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Guymon said he didn't know what to expect. Swartz practiced on Thursday and Friday.
Guymon told Swartz he did not want her to take the lead until 300 meters left in the race.
On the final lap Swartz was trailing behind Minnesota's Andrea Groves. With 200 meters remaining, Swartz passed Groves and won the race. Swartz set a personal record in the
event and also provisionally qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Kansas senior Sarah Heeb was the only other Jayhawk to win at the Drake Relays.
Heeb was the top collegiate finisher in the 5,000-meter run in 16:52.74.
Sarah Heeb
Heeb had set the American record in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the
"She's got a lot of guts, a lot of heart," Guyon said. "She ran pretty good."
Heeb fell down when she collided with a group of runners three laps into the race. By the time she picked herself up, she was in 19th place.
Even with her fall, she set a personal record in the event and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Heeb and Swartz made history last weekend, Guymon said.
Mount SAC Relays one week earlier.
"I know it's the first time in about 10 years that somebody from Kansas has won the Drake Relays," Guymon said. "They might be the only females to win at the Drake Relays from Kansas."
Pierre Lisk
On the men's side, in the 100-meter dash, Kansas junior Pierre Lisk finished third in 10.58 seconds.
Kansas senior Jeff Dietierch finished fifth in the javelin with a toss of 210 feet.
Inside! Final scores from NBA play.
NHL playoffs. Also, scores from college.
baseball action yesterday. See Page 2.