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College basketball players check NCAA Tournament predictions religously on the Internet. For golfers, the go-to Web sites are golfstat.com and golfweek.com.
Wichita State junior Hunter Sparks has good reason to check in with those sites. Golfstat’s system, based on stroke average from fall tournaments, ranks him No. 2 (68.91) nationally entering the spring. Golfweek uses Jeff Sagarin’s system of taking schedule strength, schedule rank and head-to-head results to produce a power rating. Sparks is No. 32.
Oregon’s Eugene Wong (68.50) is No. 1 in the golfstat rankings. Texas’ Jordan Spieth is No. 3 (69.56). The ranking does not take into account course difficulty or competition, but the raw numbers say Sparks played great golf last fall.
“I’m really proud of it, and it means I have to work that much harder to stay up there,” Sparks said. “It definitely is really nice to see your name up there.”
Sparks won two tournaments in the fall and placed sixth and seventh in two others. His hot streak started in the summer, when he won the Kansas Amateur, the Kansas Stroke Play Championship, the Oklahoma City Amateur and the Oklahoma Amateur Stroke Play Championship. He finished the summer tying for third at the Oklahoma Open, the state’s toughest tournament, as the low amateur.
“Once you figure out you can beat these guys, you’ve got it in your mind,” he said. “This game is a lot about momentum. Once you think you can do it, you can do it.”
The Shockers, who won their fourth straight Missouri Valley Conference title last spring, begin their 2012 season on Feb. 12 at the Oak Hills Invitational in San Antonio.
Spring additions — Middle blocker Kristin Byers did not consider Wichita State’s volleyball program the first time she searched for schools. On second thought, WSU looks like a good fit.
Byers, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker, transferred to WSU from Mississippi State and is practicing with the Shockers. She will be eligible in the fall and has three seasons of eligibility after playing in eight matches at Mississippi State as a freshman last fall.
Byers, from Tucson, Ariz., said her club coaches recommended WSU coach Chris Lamb. WSU’s string of five appearances in the NCAA Tournament also made it attractive. Byers likes coaches who are organized and detailed and willing to offer constructive criticism.
“He coaches a lot like my club coaches,” Byers said. “I’m used to his style. It’s all about the step-by-step process of doing what you’re supposed to do.”
Lamb watched Byers play as a junior and knew plenty about her from friends in Arizona. He sent letters, but Byers said she wasn’t interested enough to talk. When she decided Mississippi State wasn’t a good fit, Lamb eagerly gave her a chance.
“She’s got all the tools to be really good,” he said. “She’s physical. She moves well. Her success will be directly related to skill development.”
Byers’ arrival gives Lamb the option to move Elizabeth Field to outside hitter positions. Field and Ashley Andrade return after starting at middle last season.
“I think he wants me to be able hit behind (the setter), so I’ve got to work really hard on getting up and fast and putting balls down,” she said.
Byers recorded 10 kills and eight blocks in 12 sets for the Bulldogs. She was All-Southern Arizona as a senior at Flowing Wells High and played club for VBC Dinamo.
Former Valley Center middle blocker Ashlyn Driskill, an All-Class 5A selection, is enrolled at WSU and practicing this spring. She graduated at semester to join the program.
So close — Everyone takes three steps between hurdles in the 60-meters. Shaving off tenths of a second means putting those steps down as fast as possible.
WSU senior Lawson Montgomery, from Bennington, is one of the MVC’s top hurdlers. He wants to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships and the Olympic Trials, so he needs to get just a bit faster.
“We really work on the rhythm in between the hurdles, because that’s going to make us run a faster time overall,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery’s fastest time is 7.95 seconds, a mark he reached three times during the indoor season. He needs a mark around 7.70 for higher goals.
“When you’re really bringing it at a high level, shaving those hundreths off is tougher than you might imagine,” WSU track and field coach Steve Rainbolt said.
Montgomery is ready for that break-through moment.
“It is a little frustrating when I see 7.95,” Montgomery said. “But when I step back and realize I’ve done the same time three or four times already in the just the first couple of meets, I’m pretty proud of the consistency.”
Where does WSU go? — BracketBusters assignments are announced at 5:30 p.m. Monday on ESPNU (Ch. 244). WSU, which entered the weekend with a No. 25 power ranking (RPI) should draw a good opponent in one of 11 games broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU on Feb. 17-18-19.
In the early years of the made-for-TV series, the MVC largely set the matchups. As it grew in popularity, ESPN took over. Valley officials are hoping for a WSU-Murray State game.
There are no guarantees, however.
No. 11 Murray State, which entered the weekend 20-0, owns a No. 31 RPI. Both teams are in good shape to make the NCAA Tournament field. The winner of that potential game helps its resume. The loser likely doesn’t suffer much of a blow in the eyes of the selection committee. The game may be important to Murray State because of a poor strength of schedule (ranked No. 216).
With Murray State a possibility, the opportunity to play another top-50 team just isn’t as exciting for the Shockers. They are fighting to move up in the tournament seedings, not just get in to the 68-team field. Other home teams include Davidson (No. 45 RPI), Oral Roberts (No. 46), Middle Tennessee State (No. 50), Iona (No. 51) and Cleveland State (No. 58).
No. 15 (Associated Press poll) Creighton should also grab a good matchup. The Bluejays are at home and could play No. 21 Saint Mary’s.
The 142-team BracketBusters field is hurt this season with the Colonial Athletic Association and Horizon League slumping. The CAA, which has produced Final Four teams George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth in recents years, has no team ranked better than No. 85 in the RPI. Only two teams —VCU and Drexel — are in the top 100. Cleveland State is the Horizon’s leader and NCAA runner-up Butler, a home team, is No. 113 in the RPI.
Bradley, Evansville, Illinois State and Missouri State will also be home teams in BracketBusters. Drake, Indiana State, Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois join the Shockers as Valley road teams.
