Relays lose outside competition; Southwest Conference to miss
By United Press International The University of Kansas spent €125,000 putting in a new synthetic track for its annual Kansas Relays. Now it's having trouble finding runners to run on it.
The Southwest Conference dealt a crippling blow to the Sunflower extravaganza when it
Photo by Jim Hoffman
Ha, ha . . . what's the punchline?
Although the Kansas track team may not have gotten the photographer's joke, they had plenty to smile about. Warm and sunny weather all last week helped facilitate workouts for the KU Relays this weekend. In the foreground is KU's new all-weather Tartan track surface.
chose this weekend as one of five to run intra-conference meets.
Three years ago SWC faculty representatives voted that its schools must set aside five weekends on the on-campus track meets. That put teams wanting to compete on the Texas-Kansas-Drake Relays circuit in a bind.
SWC teams bypassed the 1968 Kansas Relays, but returned last year when the schedule was worked out so that none of the big relays carnivals had to be shunted. But the way the calendar fell this year, one had to be avoided again.
The Kansas circuit was the choice. The Southwest Conference meet is scheduled May 1-2 in Houston and most coaches wanted a big relay meet the week before. The Drake Relavs is April 24-25
So, this week's Kansas Relays will be without Texas A&M, winner of the 440, 880, and mile relays at the Texas Relays a few weeks ago.
In fact, the Kansas meet will be confined pretty much to Big Eight teams. Only Abilene Christian, North Texas, Southern Illinois, Wichita State and Drake have entered athletes besides Big Eight schools in the university division.
Texas-El Paso, winner of the four-mile and distance medley relays at Austin, also is not entered.
The only university team with a shot at doubling in the relays is Kansas State. The Wildcats, anchored by Ken Swenson, won both the two-mile and sprint medley relays at Texas. They'll go for the same two at Kansas.
The college division field is somewhat better, although perennial powers like Southern La. and Texas Southern are not in the field.
Prairie View, noted the outstanding college team at the Texas Relays, will attempt to double in the 880 and mile relays with Thurman Boggess running the anchor leg. Prairie View won the two relays in 1:23.0 and 3:-10.2 at Austin.
Fort Hays State, which set a distance medley record of 9:46.6 at Texas, also will compete here.
Another favorite who has inicated he'll run here is Eastern New Mexico's Rex Maddaford. He won the mile and three-mile runs at Texas.
Sooners sweep KU
NORMAN, Okla. (UPI)—The Oklahoma University Sooners completed a three-game sweep of Kansas by nipping the Jayhawks 2-1 Saturday in a Big Eight baseball contest.
The Sooners' Dennis Ranzau gave up only seven hits and struck out eight batters to even his record at 2-2 and up the Sooners overall mark to 8-7.
Mike Swenton paced the OU attack with two triples, driving
10 KANSAN Apr. 13 1970
in one run and scoring the other himself.
Corky Ullom, 2-1 took the loss for the Jayhawks and Keith Lieppman homered for their only run of the game. Their record is now 5-4. The three-game series opend Big Eight play for both teams.
The Sooners scored 4-3, 2-0 and 2-1 victories over Kansas.
Oklahoma received route-going pitching performances from David Weaver, Ron Hall and Dennis Ranzau, an indication coach Enos Semore's team was correctly favored to win the championship.
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