2B
Monday, April 3, 1995
SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Jayhawk tennis starts Big Eight hot
Both men, women open with wins
Kansas tennis coaches Michael Center and Chuck Merzbacher both have Big Eight Conference championship trophies on their office shelves.
By Robert Moczydlowsky
Kansan sportswriter
They also have Big Eight championship trophies on their minds.
The Jayhawks opened Big Eight play at home this weekend with wins over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, demonstrating once again that they are the teams to beat in both the men's and women's conference races. The men are 13-7 while the women stand at 9-11.
"This weekend goes to show that we'll still compete for the title." Merzbacher, the women's coach, said.
Merzbacher learned on Friday that freshman Christie Sim would have to sit out the remainder of the season to heal a slight stress fracture of her left femur. Sim has been a key player in both doubles and singles for the Jayhawks, and her absence will pressure onto some of Kansas' less experienced players.
"We could get Christie back for the tournament," Merzbacher said. "Right now she can't do anything but rest. I think we'll be OK, though. We played hard today and showed some depth. I feel confident that we'll get to the tournament in the No. 1 position."
The No. 33 women's team made short work of No. 29 Oklahoma State 7-2 on Saturday, winning all but one singles match.
On Sunday, Kansas lined up against No. 30 Oklahoma, a team considered to be the Jayhawks' toughest conference opponent. The match was decided in the singles matches, where wins by senior Nora
Koves, sophomore Jenny Atkerson and freshman Maria Abatjoglou sparked a hard-fought 6-3 win.
"We've played a tough schedule," Koves said. "Our losses were to good teams. I think that this team is totally capable of winning the Big Eight. These matches were really good for our confidence."
Confidence was something that the No. 12 Kansas men's team had been looking for as well. After being blasted 5-0 at home by No. 14 New Mexico on Tuesday, Center promised that his team would "play better, harder, and with more intensity."
Kansas made good on that promise with a 6-1 shellacking of the Cowboys on Saturday. Freshman Enrique Abaroa won a tight match at the No.1 spot, and straight set wins from sophomore Victor Fimbres and junior Mike Isroff added to the Kansas dominance.
Kansas battled the wind and the Sooners on Sunday, winning 5-2 in a match that more closely resembled a heavyweight title fight. Abaroa needed three sets and two tie-breakers to defeat Glenn Kellet 6-7 (5-7), 7-6(5)-7, 6-3.
Senior Martin Eriksson and sophomore Tim Radogna also took their matches to the wire. Eriksson lost to Nigel Birkett 6-4, 7-6 (10-8). Radogna won a grueling three-set match against Philip Farmer, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5.
"When you're in a slump, it's hard to break out because there's a lot of pressure on you," Abaroa said. "But I think that we're getting better."
Center agreed, but added that better wasn't good enough. He said he wanted the team to play its best.
"I happy that we found a way to win," Center said. "But I just really expect a lot, and we didn't play as well as we are able."
"All nine of our guys are capable of getting it done. We need to remember that they are the biggest match on everybody else's schedule."
Yumi Chikamori/ KANSAN
Kansas freshman Maria Abatjogliou competes against Oklahoma senior Brandi Swan at a Big Eight Conference tennis match at the Allen Field House tennis courts. Abatjogliou won yesterday by 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. Both the men's and women's teams are now 2-0 in the conference.
Track team blazestrail in Arkansas
By Robert Moczydlowski
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas track team came home from use Arkansas State Triangular in Jonesboro, Ark. with the cruise control on and the competition in the rearview mirror.
The Jayhawks dominated the three-team meet on both the men's and women's sides, posting six meet-record times and claiming 17 event titles on their way to first-place finishes over Arkansas State and Missouri.
"This meet was a good indication of our depth," Kansas coach Gary Schwartz said. "We left some really strong people at home and still had some good times and an overall good meet."
Kansas was paced by two athletes with varying levels of experience. Senior sprinter Natasha Shafer won two events—the women's 100-meter dash (in a meet-record 11.77 seconds) and the 200-meter (24.55)—while redshirt freshman Nathan Prenger won the men's high jump and set a new meet-record time of 14.75 seconds in the men's 110-meter hurdles.
"The outdoor season has been good for me so far," Saher said. "Let up a little at the end of my races, and I was still very happy with my times. I hope I keep running just like I have been."
Other individual Jayhawk winners include Jeff Dietier, 201 feet 5 inches in the javelin; David Cooksey, Marlin Jones, Brian Martin; and Pierre Lisk, 41.70 in the 400-meter relay; Lisk, 10.46 in the 100-meter; John Bazzoni, 17 3/4 in the pole vault; Martin, Joe Pickett, Chris Gaston, and Matt Norton, 3:11.48 (meet record) in the 1,600-meter relay; Coleen McClimson, 18:12.71 (meet record) in the 500-meter run; Amy Baker, 131-6 (meet record) in the javelin; Melissa Swartz, 4:41.36 in the 1,500-meter; Cassandra Bryant-Wans, 39-10 in the triple jump; Dawn Steele-Slavens, 1:02.76 (meet record) in the 400-meter; and Amber Mounday, 5-3 3/4 in the high jump.