Former K-State standout Josh Freeman played on national TV for the first time last night, as his Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Miami Dolphins 10-6. Freeman played the final quarter and a half of the game for the Bucs and was 6 of 16 passing for 50 yards. He also ran 3 times for 18 yards. Freeman though couldn’t lead Tampa Bay to any points, and a drive with a little over three minutes to go stalled out on the Miami 47 yard line.
K-State volleyball will play in the prestigous Runza/AVCA Showcase over the next two evenings at the Qwest Center in Omaha. The # 22 Cats will face a pair of ranked teams from the Big Ten, # 11 Minnesota Friday night and # 16 Michigan Saturday night. K-State coach Suzie Fritz says it means a lot to be invited to the event. Junior outside hitter Julianne Chisholm says she’s very excited to play in front of a crowd of 17 to 18 thousand people. Junior libero Lauren Mathewson says she’s very confident in her young Wildcat teammates stepping up this weekend in Omaha. K-State volleyball will take on Minnesota and Michigan of the Big Ten conference at 6:00 pm on both Friday and Saturday night. Pre game coverage will begin both evenings at 5:30 on Sports Radio 1350 KMAN.
Coach Lori Martini’s Manhattan High Indians begin the season at # 5 in Class 6A in the first Kansas Volleyball Association preseason rankings. Defending state champ Washburn Rural is # 1 in 6A, with three Kansas City schools sandwiched in between the Junior Blues and MHS. Elsewhere in the Centennial League, Shawnee Heights is # 4 in 5A and Hayden is # 2 in 4A. Rock Creek volleyball made their first ever state tournament appearance in 2008, and begins this season ranked third in 3A. St. Marys is preseason # 1 in 2A, while Valley Heights is # 3. Centralia is # 2 in 1A.
Former K-State standout Shalee Lehning is starting to find her mark in the WNBA. Lehning led the Atlanta Dream with 10 assists and three steals in a 102-82 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs. She played 29 minutes for the Dream as she started for the 13th time in 27 games. Lehning is averaging 2.8 points and 3.5 assists per game as she’s become a key member of the Dream. Atlanta has 8 of their last ten games, vaulting to second in the Eastern Conference with seven regular season games to play.
K-State senior Mitchell Gregson performed well in the second round of stroke play at the US Amateur in Tulsa, but it was not enough to get him into the match play portion of the event. Gregson shot a 2 over par 72, to give him a two-day total of 149 at 9 over par. He had a stretch in the middle of his round with 5 birdies in 10 holes. Gregson finished though in a tie for 88th out of 312 golfers, just one stroke off the cut, which would’ve given him a chance to qualify for one of three remaining match play spots. Former Wildcat Matt Williams of Albuquerque, New Mexico carded a 78, as he finished 14 over in a tie for 177th.
The 2010 O’ Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park in Topeka have been moved one week earlier. Traditionally held the weekend of Memorial Day, the NHRA will now stop in Kansas the weekend before Memorial Day. The O’ Reilly Auto Parts Summer Nationals will be held May 21st thru the 23rd at Heartland Park. The change is one of several for the NHRA schedule, with the biggest being the addition of a second race in Charlotte.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association made changes for state basketball and volleyball tournaments starting in the 2010-2011 school year. 1A is the biggest of the six classes and will be split into two divisions for both basketball and volleyball after the upcoming season. The split of 1A requires an extra state basketball tournament site in 2011 and beyond. The 6A state tournament will be held at Koch Arena at Wichita State, 1A Divison I will be in Hays, while 1A Division II will now be hosted by Emporia. The 2010 state basketball tournament will remain at their current sites.
K-State’s Loren Groves closed out her K-State track and field career a four time-All American and four-time Big 12 champion. Groves, who throws the hammer and shot put, has now been nominated for a major national award. The NCAA lists her as one of ten Division one finalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year. The award honors student athletes for not only their athletic acheivements, but for academics, service, and leadership. Groves excels in the classroom and is heavily involved in public service. Three finalists will be named for the NCAA Woman of the Year in each Division one, two, and three. The winner of the 19th annual award will be announced during a dinner on October 18th in Indianapolis.
K-State senior Mitchell Gregson shot a 7 over par 77 on day one of the US Amateur at Southern Hills in Tulsa. After the second day of stroke play on Tuesday, the top 64 will advance to a match play bracket style format beginning on Wednesday. Gregson sits three shots off players in a tie for 62nd place at 4 over par after day one. Among the other 311 players in the US Amateur is former Wildcat Matt Williams. He shot a 6 over par 76 on day one.
Michael Beasley is battling depression-related issues and is being treated at a Houston rehabilitation facility. Beasley checked into the facility last week. Sources told the AP, Beasley is suffering from stress-related issues, but declined to say if he is receiving drug and alcohol counseling. A photo of the No. 2 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft was posted Friday to his Twitter account, in which Beasley is displaying a new tattoo across his shoulders. That image also captured what appeared to be a small plastic bag on an adjacent table, the contents of which were unclear. Beasley also posted Twitter messages or tweets, that said “Feelin like it’s not worth livin’, I’m done” and “I feel like the whole world is against me, I can’t win for losin”. Beasley’s Twitter account has since been closed, as is another one he used earlier this year. Beasley finished his rookie season for the Heat averaging 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, mostly as a reserve. Beasley was one of the best players in Big 12 history, and one of the best freshman the game has ever seen. He averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds for the Cats during the 2007-2008 season. K-State coach Frank Martin released a statment. “As a rule, I do not comment about the private lives of my student-athletes, either current or former. However, Michael, like every student-athlete I’ve coached, will always have my undying support.”