Spring Break
A sleep-deprived crowd of more than 200 students, administrators and loyal Kangaroo fans stormed across a still dark campus to participate in UMKC basketball's Morning Madness at 6 a.m. on Oct. 15 in Swinney Recreation Center. The event was designed to kick off the 2007-08 men's and women's basketball season.
For those who haven't been to the UMKC Athletics Web site in a while, now would be a good time to check it out. The graphics are smart, the photos are sharp and the multimedia functionality really enhances the site. At the top of the home page, any Kangaroo fan can easily access all of the usual items, including team rosters, schedules and administrative listings.
As any fan has recognized, there's a lot of glitz and glamour in the NFL. Tom Brady dating supermodels, Jesse Palmer appearing on reality shows, Tank Johnson getting raided for assault rifles, etc. While these are the primary topics of discussion on my fantasy league's message board, they do not always tell us much about the action on the field.
The UMKC men's soccer team let a late lead slip away Wednesday evening and settled for its second consecutive draw, as the resilient Bulldogs of Drake University came back to tie the Kangaroos 2-2 in Des Moines, Iowa. Ahead by two tallies in the second frame, UMKC (5-5-3; 1-1-1- Summit League) gave up goals in the 70th and 79th minute to its northbound Interstate 35 rival, exposing, perhaps, an unsavory developing trend; 13 games into the season, the Roos have been outscored 12-5 after the halftime intermission.
Chemistry major and UMKC men's soccer team midfielder Garret Guthrie aspires for a career in medicine and is focusing his education in the direction of that goal. The 21-year-old Wichita, Kan. native is planning to tackle the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) in 2008.
Sophomore outside hitter Kelly Gettinger strives to be the best. In academics Gettinger studies even for the easiest of tests, and in athletics she works just as hard. "Proving to people that I belong where I am today helps motivate me," Gettinger said.
The UMKC Kangaroo volleyball squad began the second half of the Summit League season in much the same way as the first; with a 3-0 loss. The Roos traveled to play Western Illinois University (WIU) Friday night at Waste Management Court in Macomb, Ill. Not only did the Kangaroos fail to win a single game in the match, but the squad never held a lead throughout.
In Gates Sport Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, UMKC took on Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), the team currently ranked first in the Summit League. The Kangaroos repeated an earlier fate, losing to the Mastodons, who took the victory in three games, as they did one weekend earlier.
The UMKC women's golf team closed out the fall portion of the golf season by finishing in eighth place at the Kenneth Smith Women's Golf Classic. The 36-hole event took place at the Fred Arbanas Golf Course at Longview Lake in Lee's Summit, Mo. The Kangaroos, playing host, recorded their top finish of the season with a final mark of 661 (325-336).
Photo elyssa brogdon "Morning Madness," a UMKC excursion into the mysterious world of early morning basketball, included men's and women's practice, free breakfast and something of a much more tangible variety. After waking up at 5:30 a.m. to put his name into a drawing, Nursing freshman James Krohn received an added bonus for his trouble.
