MONDAY MARCH 13,2006
▼ TENNIS
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3B
Storms cause players to flee courts
Kansas plays well in doubles but falls short by end of the day
BY ASHER FUSCO afusco@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The Kansas tennis team topped Oklahoma State in doubles play, but after a weather delay Oklahoma State ultimately prevailed. 4-3.
Sunday's Big 12 match up between the Jayhawks and Cowpairs
was originally scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Robinson Courts. However, the morning's unsavory conditions forced the teams to take to the indoor courts located at First Serve Tennis. 5200 Clinton Parkway.
Soon after the day's doubles matches ended, tornado warnings forced the teams to flee the oncoming storm and take refuge in Allen
Despite the fact that the competition began about 45 minutes late, Kansas started strong. Kansas won two of the six matches with Liza Deveva defeating Oklahoma State's Zana Mascie 6-1,7-5. Sophomore Stephanie Smith defeated Jessica Collins 3-6,6-1,6-4. Oklahoma State won the four remaining singles matches.
The Jahawkens' No. 3 doubles team of senior Christine Skoda
In the No. 2 match, Kansas pitted sophomore Lauren Hommell and freshman Edina Horvath against Oklahoma State's Zana Massic and Yawna Allen. The match came down to the wire, as the Cowgirls triumphed 8-7.
and junior Brittany Brown easily handled the Cowgirls' duo of Lauren Simmons and Zuzanna Osinska, winning 8-4 in a match that seemed easy for the lawvahs.
Fieldhouse until further notice. Kansas won the doubles matches.
In the aftemoon's marque match up, sophomore Liza Avdee-
va and freshman Ksenia Bukina of Kansas defeated Iryna Tkachenko and Marta Tsvika to complete the Kansas sweep.
The Jawahra struggled in the early-going, falling behind 1-3, but went on a series of memorable runs to even the match. Needing just one more point to win, Bulkina fired a blazing serve past both onlooking Cowgirls that won the match with an ace.
Edited by Lindsey Gold
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wichita State shocks history with solid bid
BY STEVE BRISENDINE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WICHITA — After three straight NIT bids, Wichita State has its first NCAA tournament berth in 18 years.
The Shockers (24-8), regularseason champions of the Missouri Valley Conference, were selected Sunday as the No. 7 seed in the Washington Regional. They will face 10th-seeded Seton Hall (18-11) on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.
Wichita State last's NCAA appearance was in 1988, a first-round loss to DePaul.
"This is something we've talked about all year, leaving our footprints in the sands of time, as coach says," senior center Paul Miller said. "It's something I know I'm proud of, to finally get to the NCAA tournament. That's something we came here to do, and it will be nice to hang that banner up there."
Despite Wichita State's loss in the semifinals of the Valley tournament, coach Mark Turgeon said he expected to be in the top half of the bracket.
"I thought we were in, but it
was a little nerve-wracking when we didn't come up the first couple of brackets," Turgeon said. "Then, to get the respect that we got, with that seven seed, that was where I thought we would be."
Wichita State failed to get an NCAA bid last year despite its second straight 20-win season, but left little doubt this year by winning its first conference title since 1987. This is the eighth appearance in the tournament for the Shockers, who made it to the Final Four in 1965.
Flying through the clouds
"We're going to take great pride in this," senior guard Cameron Ledford said. "The whole city of Wichita is, too. But it's not just us. This is what Coach Turgeon has been building since he stepped on campus."
George Long/KANSAN
And though they might have disappointed his team at the time, Turgeon said, the NIT bids helped the Shockers in the end.
"I never tried to look at the NIT as a negative," he said. "It's not easy to get into the postseason, but this (NCAA bid) is what the kids want, what the coaches want, what the fans want and what the alumni want."
GOLF
Jarred Kolar, sophomore midfielder, drives past a St. Cloud State player on his way to score in Friday's game at Broken Arrow Park. Kolar scored once and had two assists in the game but KU failed to overcome St. Cloud State, losing 11-9.
BY TIM REYNOLDS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Classic clinched with back nine shots
PALM BEACH GARDENS,
Fla. — Luke Donald was the last
player on the driving range Sunday
afternoon, grinning after a
series of perfect shots.
He flashed a bigger smile walking up the 18th fairway five hours later, knowing he was about to win the Honda Classic.
Donald used back-to-back birdies midway through his back nine to take the outright lead at 11 under, made a great scrambling par on the difficult 16th to preserve the margin and held off Geoff Ogilvy by two shots for his second career PGA Tour victory.
A 3-under final round of 69 was good enough for the Englishman, who hadn't won on tour since the 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic and pocketed a winner's check of $990,000. He made a 10-foot birdie putt at the 13th and a 25-footer on the 14th for the lead, then holed a slippery 18-footer to save par on the 16th.
All that, followed by an approach to about 4 feet for a final birdie on 18, was good enough to hold off a field that remained tightly bunched all day.
"I knew if I just played Luke Donald golf, it'd be good enough," Donald said. "It's nice to finish with a great shot like that."
Ogilvy shot a 69 to cap his wild week, featuring one double eagle, three eagles and three double bogeys. It was nearly enough to win his second straight start; after taking only one victory in his first 133 PGA Tour events, he won two weeks ago at the Match Play Championship.