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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 8 Thursday, March 7, 2013 MEN'S BASKETBALL WINSLOW Utes to fight Beavers for No. 10 spot Continued from page 6 Ryan McDonald ASST. SPORTS EDITOR The heated battle for No. ro in the Pac-12 will reach a pinnacle tonight when the Runnin' Utes take on the Oregon State Beavers at the Huntsman Center. OSU and Utah have long been out of the conversation of which team will head into next week's conference tournament as the top team in the Pac-12, but tonight's game has seeding implications nonetheless. With both teams holding 3-13 conference records and two regular season games remaining, the winner of tonight's contest will have a leg up on earning the No. 10 seed while the loser will have to battle to not finish in the Pac-12 cellar. For Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak, finishing No. 10 is important, as it would be a tangible sign of improvement over last year. The Utes finished No. ir in the conference in 2012. "I think building a program is about improvement," Krystkowiak said. "I think we're considerably better than we were a year ago, [but] I think the league is considerably better than it was a year ago. I don't want to end up in the same slot that we were a year ago. It would be nice if we could move up the ladder, even if it's one notch." For Jason Washburn, not finishing No. 10 in the conference would be frustrating, as he also feels as though this year's team is better than last STEFFI LIETZKE/The Daily Utah Chronicle Jeremy Olsen is a big presence in the middle against Arizona on Feb. 17. The middle men will have to play big against Oregon State on Thursday. season. "You come to the end of the season and last year we kind of knew we'd be here," he said. "That didn't help our mood any but we knew we'd be here. This year, we kind of thought we'd be somewhere else, in a different position. It kind of grinds on you a little bit more." In order to be in the driver's seat for the No. Io spot, Utah will have to beat an Oregon State team that it lost to by 18 on Feb. 6. In that contest, Beaver guard Roberto Nelson was on fire, as he scored 26 points. Nelson is averaging a team-best 17.8 points per game and is coming off a seasonhigh, 31-point performance against Oregon a week ago. While Nelson is Oregon State's leading scorer, its most complete player is Joe Burton, a big man who Krystkowiak and Washburn feel is the best passer in the Pac-12. Burton scored 17 points against the Utes in February, dished ro assists and hauled in seven rebounds. "Burton's a tough matchup," Washburn said. "He's a guy that plays at his own pace and with his own agenda. I don't know of any guards that make passes that he does. It's crazy because he's a big man. You gotta give him his respect. He doesn't back down from any taller players. He doesn't back down from anybody. He takes it right at 'em, and we're gonna try to take it at him." Though the two teams have identical conference records, Washburn feels as though the Utes underperformed in Corvallis, and he's looking forward to redemption. "We played so horrible against them up at Oregon State," Washburn said. "If we put a good game together we can compete with anyone so we're gonna try to put one of our better games together." The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will air on ESPNU. r.mcdonald@chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @ryanwmcdonald GOLF Golf team comes last at Lexus Classic Brandon Barlow STAFF WRITER In the house of Par-12 teams this season, the Utes have become the doormat. Their latest struggle came at the Lexus Classic in Fresno, Calif., this week, where they finished last out of 17 teams. Top-ranked Cal won in commanding fashion, finishing at 43 under par. "Cal is probably the best college team I have ever seen," said Utah head coach Randall McCracken. "I have never seen anything like it." The No. 1 Golden Bears set a school record by winning the seventh of eight tournaments they've competed in this season. Fresno State finished second at six under par. Sophomore Gentry Hicks was the lone standout for Utah, finishing 35 out of 104 individuals with a team-best score of three over par. "I think [Hicks] just got tired of playing bad, to tell you the truth," McCracken said. "Those are the kind of scores we should be seeing out of Gentry or lower on a regular basis." While Hicks performed well, the rest of Utes had their struggles. Brandon Kida played poorly in the first round and finished with a score of 227. Daniel Engle scored 224 and Joe Weber came up with a final tally of 232. Ben Bankhead and Brent Pollock were new additions to the travel roster and finished with a 231 and 242, respectively. "I feel sorry for the guys," McCracken said. "I know they want to go out and perform well. I know for a fact they are much better players than this. They know that they are better players than this." There are a wide range of factors which might be contributing to the Utes' struggles. They have had to practice indoors because of the cold, and the team is quite young. Nine of the 13 players on the roster are freshmen and sophomores. This might help in the years to come, but for now this season is dragging on for the floundering Utes. McCracken made reference to particular parts on the course where his players seem to struggle the most. "Mainly, it's coming down to the short game, the putting and those in-between shots," McCracken said. "We haven't hit enough of them since November." Utah doesn't have much time to prepare for its next event, the San Diego State University Invitational, which will take place next Monday and Tuesday. The SDSU Invitational is one of three final tournaments before the Pac-12 Championship Tournament in Los Angeles. ..daimiisiiiktiligle=11111111111111111 ERIN BURNS/The Daily Utah Chronicle b.barlow@ Sophomore Gentry Hicks swings during a golf practice chronicle.utah.edu Sept. 17. Hicks had the best individual Utah finish at the Twitter: @brandonbarlow24 Lexus Classic this past week. .dailyutahchronicle.co STUDENT MEDIA COUNCIL THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: The Board of Trustees is now accepting applications for members of the Student Media Council. WANT ME? TEXT ME. WIN ME. TEXT BOOK76 TO 267848* to sign up and receive our special student offers for a chance to win the 5 piece furniture set located in the Student Union from CORT Furniture Rental (couch, chair, ottoman and 2 bar stools). One University of Utah student will be chosen in March and another in June! Like and follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/CORTUstudentrentals Contact Jake Sorensen at (801) 581-7540 or jake.sorensen@utah.edu for more information or to obtain an application. Completed applications are due Friday, March 15 by 4 pm. * You will receive no more than four messages per month. Message and data rates may apply. Rental Showroom & Clearance Center :?;'',1: 1381 South Swaner Road Salt Lake City, UT 84104 801.994.1919 ,f,.cort.com/student CORT (00J))) to the end of the pipe hanging over his head. The incident, according to Applin, occurred on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of 2010. Applin was the only black swimmer on the team and had joked about Winslow letting him take practice off, he said. In response, Winslow made Applin swim "underwaters" — a timed exercise in which the swimmer can't surface for air. Applin said he passed out during the drill. Applin said his hands would get stuck in the gutter after each repetition, which made him panic. According to his story, Applin told Winslow multiple times that he had to stop or he would pass out, but Winslow forced him to keep swimming. "After two more underwaters, I woke up in his lap on the deck. I don't even remember passing out," Applin said. Every swimmer contacted by The Chronicle who was on the team in 2010 confirmed the incident occurred, though they couldn't confirm Applin was pulled from the pool unconscious. According to spokesman Keith Sterling, both Applin and the U were contacted by members of Rev. Jesse Jackson's civil rights organization Rainbow Push, about the incident. The OEO announced the findings of its investigation Jan. 24, the same day Jackson delivered a speech at the U. The OEO recommended no discipline for Winslow. Members of Rainbow Push did not return calls made by The Chronicle. Applin was kicked off the team in August for personal transgressions, including a failed drug test. Each swimmer also brought forth stories of alcohol abuse from Winslow. Lauren Hewson, who swam with the Utes during the 2008-2009 season, said she smelled alcohol on Winslow's breath multiple times. Applin said Winslow would often miss practice, and assistant coaches wouldn't provide an explanation. At the end of the 2011-2012 season, multiple swimmers said Winslow told the team he was seeking treatment through Alcoholics Anonymous. "There were days he wouldn't show up for practice," Applin said. 'We'd show up for morning practice and be like, 'Where's Greg?' Assistants just wouldn't know. I'd sometimes go three days without seeing him." Former swimmers also allege physical abuse, including a fist fight with then-assistant coach Charlie King, who is now a coach at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. King declined to comment. By far the most ubiquitous complaint about Winslow was alleged verbal abuse of his athletes. Hewson transferred to the University of Wyoming from the U after sustaining what she described as severe emotional and physical mistreatment from Winslow. Things became so severe that Hewson had to seek help from sports psychologist Keith Henschen, who recommended Hewson transfer. In documents provided by Suzanne Jurgens, Hewson's mother, Henschen detailed Hewson's time at Utah in a letter to the Wyoming compliance department. "[Lauren Hewson] felt that the communication from the coaching staff was negative, humiliating and disrespectful most of the time," Henschen wrote. "Incidentally, others on the team expressed to me exactly the same sentiments ... What she was describing to me was an abusive environment. Rather than attempt to endure this situation, I encouraged her to continue her swimming career elsewhere." Hill declined the option to comment on these cases, saying he couldn't comment on personnel matters and specific situations dealing with transfer students. Winslow was suspended by the university once allegations of him sexually abusing a former swimmer when she was 15 were made public. Hill has announced Winslow's contract will not be renewed, though he remains on paid administrative leave. Charges have yet to be filed against Winslow. j.bullinger@chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @jakebullinger |
