BASEBALL By a unanimous vote, Major League owners approved Interleague play yesterday. Page 4.
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 1996
SECTION B
Tyler Wirken / KANSAN
Kansas senior triple jumper Debbie Jacobs will compete at the Missouri Invitational tomorrow in Columbia, Mo.
Track team set to break more records
Kansas track team ready for tomorrow's invitational
By Adam Herschman Kansan sportswriter
Kansas graphic designer D.W. Acker will have to go back to work making new track and field record plates, but this time he won't have to change the names.
About 1 p.m. last Friday, Acker put up the new Kansas track and field records from last year. Among those new record holders were Kansas senior Lisa Brien and junior Michael Evers.
"The day before the meet, last week, he (Acker) was tacking them up on the wall." Kansas assistant track and field coach Steve Guymon said. "Mike and Lisa got their record up there, first time they have ever had a school record. The next day, they break their own record.
"Now it won't get fixed again till next December."
Brien and Evers broke their old records at the Kansas Invitational in Anschutz Pavilion on Saturday where their new name plates were displayed on the Kansas Track and Field Record Board.
This Saturday Brien, Evers and the other Jayhawks will travel to Columbia, Mo. and compete in the Missouri Invitational, an eight team event. Kansas will face tough competition including Iowa, Indiana State, Wichita, Drake and Missouri at the Hearnes Center.
Brien broke her own record Saturday 53-8 1/4 in the 20 lb. weight throw with a toss of 54-4 and took first in the invitational. She accomplished that feat while recovering from surgery, which repaired torn tendons in her wrist and a herniated disk in her back.
However, Brien and Evers were not the only Jayhawks to break a record.
Evers defeated his old pentathlon mark by 90 points with a first place finish of 3.912 points.
Kansas junior Pierre Lisk tied Hassan Bailey's 200 meters record of 21.73 seconds, and he broke Tim Hill's 1990 55 meters record of 6.30 seconds. Lisk sprinted across the finish line in 6.24 seconds.
Kansas came away with a total of 12 first place finishes at the invitational.
"That was something I wanted to do since last year," Lisk said. "I was impressed by the general performance of the team, they all came out and did very well."
"This is a very talented crew," Kansas track and field coach Gary Schwartz said. "I think this is probably the best combination of talent and depth we've had on the women's side. Our men's team, we're strong in several events and weak in a couple."
Kansas senior Debbie Jacobs, who placed first in the triple jump on Saturday, said this weekend's meet would be a good tune-up for the Triangular Meet Jan. 27 in Manhattan.
"This first meet was our first chance to get to see what kind of talent we actually have, and I think we'll do pretty well coming up in the next meet," Jacobs said. "Everybody is just striving to do their best."
Kansas back to Big Eight play
'Hawks ready for emotional game against Colorado
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
By Jenni Carlson
Kansan sportswriter
Let the Big Eight Conference season begin, again.
Since picking up a conference win at Oklahoma State on Jan. 8, the Kansas men's basketball team has played two non-conference foes. But tomorrow, the No. 4 Jayhawks will begin a stretch of 13 Big Eight games that will take them through the end of the regular season when they face Colorado at 3:05 p.m. in Boulder, Colo.
"I really don't like it," Kansas sophomore forward Raef LaFrentz said of the mix of conference and non-conference games. "I'd rather do all non-conference games and then start conference play and get to concentrate on that."
Even though the scheduling didn't happen that way, it doesn't seem to have bothered the Jayhawks. They're off to a 13-1 start, and Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said he is extremely pleased with the season to date.
"Hopefully, that has gotten us ready for what we're going into now, which has always been my goal — to try to have a schedule in the first part that will get us ready for league play," Williams said.
Little may prepare the Jayhawks for Colorado's level of emotion tomorrow. The Buffaloes, 5-9, will be playing their first game without Joe Harrington, who resigned as Colorado coach on Tuesday.
Kansas junior guard Jacque Vaughn and the No. 4 Jayhawks will play their second conference game of the season against Colorado tomorrow at 3 p.m.
Kansas junior guard Jerod Haase knows a little of what the Buffaloes are going through.
When he was a freshman guard at California, coach Lou Campanelli was fired and replaced during the middle of the 1992-93 season by Todd Bozeman. Haase said there was a lot of chaos and media attention.
"If's a great opportunity for the team to pull together," said Haase, who helped the Golden Bears advance to the 1983
NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. "People expect you to do poorly, and you just have to bond together."
motivation tomorrow, they'll also have two of the Big Eight's top scorers on their side. Freshman guard Chauncey Billups ranks third, averaging 19.7
As if the Buffaloes won't have enough
The Starting Lineup
KANSAS Jayhawks 13-1, 1-0
No. Player Pos. HL. Yr.
34 Paul Pierce F 6-6 Fr.
45 Raef LaFrontz F 6-119 o.
31 Scot Pollard C 6-10 Jr.
11 Jacque Vaughn G 6-1 Jr.
25 Jerod Haase G 6-8 Jr.
COLORADO Buffaloes 5-9, 0-3
No. Player Pos. HL. Yr.
3 Martino Moore F 6-8 Jr.
40 Ted Kritza F 6-7 So.
42 Greg Jensen F 6-7 Jr.
4 Chamcoy Dillana F 6-3 Fr.
52 Mack Truck G 6-6 Jr.
Saturday at 3:05 p.m.
In Boulder, Colorado
TV: Channels 13 & 4
Radio: 105.9 FM
points a game as well as dishing out a conference-high 6.2 assists a game.
Colorado junior guard Mack Tuck is averaging 17 points, which is the conference's fifth-best mark.
However, many will be focusing their attention on Billups and another heralded freshman, Kansas forward Paul Pierce. Both were named to last year's McDonald's All-America team and both earned numerous other honors.
And until Pierce signed with the Jayhawks, Williams actively recruited both players.
"He's as gifted a guard as I've ever recruited, and I happen to like him as a kid, too," Williams said. "Chauncey is extremely talented, very athletic, powerful, quick — he's got the whole package."
When Pierce committed to Kansas, he filled the team's last available scholarship. Williams said calling Billups to end the recruiting process was the toughest call he ever made to a recruit.
"I can't remember calling to turn too many people away," Williams said. "I know I surely wanted Chauceau to come here if Paul didn't come."
NEW COACH: Colorado players give their new leader respect. Page 4.
Cowgirls, Sooners coming to town
Kansan sportswriter
By Evan Blackwell
Kansan sportswriter
Tamecka Dixon knows the importance of this weekend.
Dixon, a junior guard for the Kansas women's basketball team, remembers what happened last season when the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State women's basketball teams came to Lawrence.
"Both those teams came in here last season and beat us," Dixon said. "We can't let that happen again."
"To be honest, every weekend is a big weekend in this conference," Washington said. "We've had great parity."
Oklahoma, 9-6 overall and 1-2 in the Big Eight, will enter Allen Field House
The Sooners and the Cowgirls will ride into town again this weekend to take on the Jayhawks, Kansas, 10-6 overall and 3-1 in the Big Eight Conference, will attempt to extend its three-game winning streak, and perhaps vault to the top of the Big Eight race.
Although Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said this weekend would be big, it would be important not to place too much emphasis on two games.
tonight looking to rebound from a tough 86-79 double overtime home loss to Oklahoma State last weekend.
Oklahoma women's basketball coach Burl Plumkett said the Sooners still had not recovered from the loss of junior
Andy Rohrback/KANSAN
forward Tina Taylor. Taylor, who was second on the team in scoring and rebounding, has missed the last three games with a knee injury.
"We're struggling right now," Plunkett said. "We're trying to find leaders. We've been really inconsistent."
Plunkett said the Sooners would definitely have their work cut out for them tonight against the Jawhaws.
"We'll have to have a great effort, and Kansas will have to have an ordinary game for us to be able to play with them." Pumkintt said.
Despite the concerns of Plunkett, Washington said the Jayhawks knew what Oklahoma was capable of.
"I think they're a very fine ball club." Washington said. "A so-so team wouldn't have taken a nationally ranked Oklahoma State team to double overtime."
The stakes will get even higher Sunday afternoon when the Jayhawks take on the No. 19 Cowgirls.
Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Dick Halterman said the key to his team's success this season had been defense.
"We just haven't been giving up a lot of points." Halterman said.
washington said the Oklahoma State
defense had been tenacious, but the Cowgirls aren't a one-dimensional team.
"Where I think they have really improved is with the inside game," Washington said.
High school tennis rivals reunite to coach women's team
Rv Spencer Duncan
Kansan sportswriter
As many Kansans opened their windows early Thursday morning and dreaded heading out into the snow, Frank Polito opened his window and finally felt at home.
Polito came to the Kansas one week ago to become the new women's tennis assistant coach and was greeted by unseasonably warm temperatures.
But coming from Michigan, Polito had become accustomed to cold weather and snow this time of year. So as Polito tries to become accustomed to his new home and job, it was nice to see something familiar.
"I got in on Friday and the weather had been nice," Polito said. "With the snow, I am kind of at home."
Snow, however, is not the only thing familiar to Polito at Kansas. The man who hired him is a longtime friend.
"Him coming here is something we had always talked about," women's tennis coach Chuck Merzbacher said. "There was an opening and I encouraged him to apply."
When former assistant coach Kilmeny Waterman left to take the coaching job at Wyoming, Polito heard there was opening at Kansas and didn't hesitate to apply.
Men's tennis to begin spring season
"This is a top 25 program, with
The Kansas men's tennis team will open up its 1986 season tomorrow and Sunday at Alvamar Racquet Club.
The Jayhawks head into the competition ranked 22nd in the nation. They will be playing the 23rd ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers at 6 p.m. today and Fremo State, ranked 13th, at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Among the players competing for Kansas will be sophomore Enrique Abaro, who is currently ranked 13th in the nation and senior Victor Fimbres, now ranked 36th.
quality people and players," Polito said. "Everything worked out, and I want to get things going."
Polito grew up in Lorain, Ohio, where he played on his high school tennis team. It was here where he and Mierzbacher first clashed.
"We've known about each other since high school," Merzbacher said. "We played on rival high school teams."
The two routinely competed after high school. Polito played college tennis at Eastern Michigan, and
"I get the chance to work with coach Merzbacher now, and that helps make this transition a little easier for me to make," Polito said.
Both gained respect for one another through their meetings and are now glad they have the chance to work with together and not against each other.
Merbzacher played at Minnesota. The two met on the court as collegiate rivals. Then, while Polito was head coach at Eastern Michigan and Merzbacher was head coach at Northern Illinois, the two faced off against each other as coaches from 1990 to 1992.
The transition is two-fold for
Polito.
Polito was head coach of the Eastern Michigan men's tennis team from 1990 to 1995. Coming to Kansas means that he makes the transition from coach to assistant coach and he will be coaching women, not men. However, he does not consider reversing roles a problem.
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"I coached women's tennis at camps for Indiana for seven years," Polito said. "As for being an assistant, it means that I don't have to do certain administrative things now and I can concentrate on coaching and getting to know the players."
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