4B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SOFTBALL
FRIDAY MARCH 9 2007
Kansas prepares for invitational
Road-tested Jayhawks return home
BY EVAN KAFARAKIS
This week Kansas plays host to the Jayhawk Invitational at Arrocha Ballpark with the softball team opening the tournament at home for the first time this season.
Kansas (11-6-1) will play Drake (7-11) at 2 p.m. and North Dakota State (12-4) at 4:15 p.m.
The Jayhawks began the season at the Campbell-Cartier Classic. The team left with a 2-2-1 record and competed with Top 25 ranked teams such as No. 10 Cal, No. 6 Oregon State, and No. 23 UMass.
Senior Kassie Humphreys has led the team in pitching this season with a 7-2 record and 1.33 ERA.
At the Sunshine State Tournament, the Jayhawks beat No. 22 Florida State and came away with the tournament title.
The team traveled to Louisville and came away with a 2-2 record at the Red and Black Tournament and this past weekend placed second at the Tulsa Classic.
Senior Kassie Humphreys has led the team in pitching this season with a 7-2 record and a 1.33 ERA.
strike outs and six complete games under her belt only 18 games into the season.
Freshman Sarah Vertelka and sophomore Valerie George have also pitched well this season to complement Humphreys.
The Glendale, Ariz., native has 70
Both Vertelka and George have 2-2 records.
The jayhawk offense has been led by sophomore Elle Potter, as
well as by consistency of other players.
Potterof leads the team with a 372 batting average, 17 RBI and four home runs.
KU's top five hitters this season are two freshmen, Sara Ramirez and
Amanda Jobe, and three sophomores, Potterl, Dougie McCaulley, and Stevie Crisosto.
Kansas will face New Mexico (2-7) at 11:45 a.m. Saturday before entering bracket play later on that day.
Kansan sportswriter Evan Kafarakis can be contacted at ekafarakis@kansan.com.
Edited by Trevan McGee
》 TENNIS
Getting back into the swing of things Motivated Jayhawks on the road to recovery after rough early season
BY RUSTIN DODD
After the Kansas tennis teams sluggish 2-8 start, coach Amy Hall-Holt said last weekend's victory against Iowa State might be the spark the team needs to turn its season around.
The motivated Jayhaws traveled to Ames, Iowa, last Saturday and thumped the Cyclones 6-1. The teams first conference win of the season improved its record to 3-8, and was the 28th consecutive victory against Iowa State.
The team has a chance to win consecutive dual matches for the first time this season with back-to-back contests against Nebraska and Louisville this weekend. The Jayhawks face a Nebraska team on Saturday that is responsible for last season's 4-3 loss.
"Mentally and physically, they were up for that match." Hall-Holt said. "We talked a lot last week and talked about their needs and what we can do to get back on track. Our goal is staying on track, taking the Iowa State match and moving
forward."
"It's going to be a very competitive match" Hall-Holt said. "Nebraska always comes out with their high-intensity game when they play us."
Nebraska is 6-4 on the year, but searching for its first road win. The Cornhuskers feature one of the few line-ups that can rival the Jayhawks' youth. Nebraska has two freshmen, three sophomores, and two Juniors on the roster. The 57th-ranked singles player in the nation, junior
Imke Reimers, has been the catalyst for the Cornhuskers. Reimers will be slotted against junior Elizaveta Avdeeva in the No.1 singles match. Avdeeva snapped a four-match losing streak last weekend against Iowa State to improve her singles record to 4-7. An Avdeeva victory against Reimers could provide the lift the Jayhawks need to beat the Cornhuskers.
If the Jayhawks fail to beat the Cornhuskers, they will not have to wait long to get back on the court. The Jayhawks take on Louisville this Sunday. Louisville has a 4-10 record, but beat Cincinnati last weekend to end a five-match losing streak. Hall-Holl said her team finally rounded into form after a tough opening month that featured a rash of injuries, illness and seven
losses against nationally ranked teams.
"We need to concentrate on staying focused with every point and playing smart tennis. The girls know how it felt to get that big win over Iowa State. They're wanting to feel that again with another win."
Two victories this weekend would do wonders for the team's confidence and help springboard the team into the heart of the conference season. A winless weekend would sting because the layhawks have to wait 19 days before taking the court against No. 5 Baylor.
Kansan sportswriter Rustin Dodd can be contacted at rddd@ kansan.com.
Edited by Trevan McGee
>> TRACK AND FIELD
Three juniors head to NCAA Championships Distance runner, pole vaulter, weight thrower each rank second in nation
BY TAYLOR BERN
Juniors Egor Agafonov, Kate Sultanova and Colby Wissel will be in Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
All three athletes won their respective events at the Big 12 Championships and each ranked second in the nation.
school-record time of 7:53.08, and sits less than one second behind the best time in the nation at 7:52.42. Wessel is scheduled to run at 7:50 pm. Saturday
Unlike Wissel, both Agatonov and Sultanova have had their nationals tickets punched for several weeks, but that hasn't stopped them from continuing their success week-to-week.
Wissel, the 2006 Big 12 cross country champion and 2007 Big 12 indoor 3,000-meter champion, automatically qualified for his event March 3. Wissel broke out for a
Sultanova cleared her career-best best of 14:00 50 She. 10 on the same runway she will perform on at 5 p.m. Saturday. Sultanova missed the 2006 season, but finished 10th
at the 2005 Indoor Championships,
clearing a height of 13-01.50. The
junior took this year's Big 12 pole
vault crown with a height of 13-
09.25.
Agatonov enters Friday's competition with another career-best throw of 76-01 which won him the 2007 Big 12 weight throw. The junior also captured the Big 12 title in 2006 and finished second at last season's NCAA Championships with his first throw of 76-01.
Agafonov automatically qualified for this year's championships on Jan. 27 at the Delfart
Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.
Agafonov's throw is just four inches behind that of Auburn's Cory Martin.
The competition takes place in Arkansas' Randal Tyson Track Center, one of the fastest tracks in the nation and the home of the NCAA Indoor National Championships since 2000.
Kansan sportswriter Taylor Bern can be contacted at tbern@ kansan.com.
Edited by Will McCullough
OLD AGE
James Crisn/ASSOCIATED PRESS
*Retired thoroughbred racehorse John Henry grazes in a paddock near his stall March 2 at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington, Ky. The horse turns 32 today.*
Grumpy old horse treks on Tenacious thoroughbred celebrates his 32nd birthday
BY WILL GRAVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEXINGTON, Ky. — John Henry is grumpy, in one of those "I don't care what you want, I'm not coming over" kind of moods.
So no matter how many times one of the greatest thoroughbreds is offered a treat, he ignores it. Maybe he's not hungry. Maybe he sees a camaman from the corner of his eye. Maybe he's just playing hard to get.
John Henry, horse racing's elder statesman and twice the Horse of the Year, turns 32 on Friday. That's the human equivalent of 96. Don't think that because his coat has grown long and shaggy that time has mellowed him. John Henry remains as grouchy as ever.
Doesn't matter. He's simply not moving.
The caretakers at Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions have been waging a daily battle of wills with John Henry for more than two decades, and losing.
"If he doesn't try to kill me at least
"He's always been mean and nasty his whole life." Roby added. "He bites and kicks. He messes with you. It's his tenacity and his will to keep going."
once a day, something's wrong," said Cathy Roby, the manager of the Hall of Champions, a small barn John Henry shares with a handful of other racing legends, including Cigar.
The finish line doesn't appear in sight, either. Other than a scare with colic five years ago, he's been pretty healthy. He moves with a determined canter. His hair remains a dark brown, his mind as sharp as ever.
"He's still a winner," said Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, who helped John Henry retire as the richest horse in racing history in 1985. "Every time he has another birthday he's won another race."
It's the same will that served him well during his record-setting career, when the gelding won more than two dozen stakes races, including the Arlington Million and the Santa Anita Handicap twice.
Instead they have to find a way to box him into his 18-by-18 stall and force-feed him the medicine. John Henry has spent nearly 20 years with Roby but apparently has no intention of getting with the program to make the process relatively painless.
"He won't eat his feed if he thinks he's got anything in it at all," Roby said. "Any other horse will just gobble it right down. Not John. We've tried to cover it up with molasses, applesauce or whatever and if he smells anything in his feed, he don't eat it."
plays with his handlers when they try to give him his daily medicine.
Consider the game John Henry
Roby knows the ritual might be part of what keeps John Henry going. There aren't a lot of 32-year-old thoroughbreds around. Secretariat died at 19 and Seattle slew at 28. Seabiscuit, the horse to which John Henry is most often compared, died at 23.
Whenever the horse nears his stall, he stands with his head facing out toward the paddock, giving him a clear escape route when Roby and company close in.
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JOBS
POOL MANAGER
The City of Kokkaosia is accepting applications for a POOL MANAGER for the 2007 summer season. This position is responsible for the daily operations of the pool, including training using recreational activities including daily swimming activities, water aerobics, swimming lessons & other planned events. Applicant must be certified through American
Red Cross in CPR, First Aid, & Water Safety & Rescue. Applicant must also be able to obtain certification as a Certified Pool Operator & Water Safety Instructor.
Salary dependent upon qualifications.
Applications & a complete job description
may be picked up at City Hall. 100
Square feet of office space in Inquiries may be made to Patt Hamm at
785-863-2651 Applications
accepted until position is filled. EOE:
PART-TIME LEASING AGENT needed for Aberdeen Apartments immediately. Some afternoons & weekend shifts required.
We need someone dependable that will be here past August and is not planning any extending spring break or summer vacations. Must be professionally dressed and have a friendly personality.
Bring resume to Aberdeen
230 Wakana Dr. (785) 749-1288