Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Jessica Bush didn’t have time to dwell on Kansas’ uncertain NCAA tournament fate yesterday. The senior midfielder had more urgent things on her plate, namely a microbiology exam.
But in the back of her mind she tried to stay positive, refusing to believe her career at Kansas was concluding without any tournament appearances.
“All day I just thought that this wasn’t going to be the end of the season for me,” Bush said.
Turns out she had nothing to worry about. Kansas was among the 64-team tournament field for the first time since 2004, joining five other Big 12 teams in the chase for the NCAA Championship.
The Jayhawks (12-7-2) will make their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the 14-year history of the program when they meet Sun Belt Conference champions Denver (19-2-2) in Palo Alto, Calif., on Friday.
Kansas is 3-3 in three previous appearances, all coming under coach Mark Francis’ guidance. The Jayhawks best showing was in 2003 when they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to No. 2 UCLA 1-0.
After suffering heartbreak at the hands of the selection committee in 2005, Kansas earned an at-large bid largely on its strength of schedule and performance against ranked teams. Francis’ team was 40th in RPI when the most recent rankings were released and can count eight NCAA Tournament teams among its opponents this season.
Kansas watched the selection show as a team, and Bush said the squad let out a loud shriek when the bracket was announced.
“I’m just happy for our seniors,” Francis said. “They’ve been a great class for us, exemplary as far as in the classroom and on the field. Their freshman and sophomore years I felt like we kind of got the raw end of the deal.”
Bush said it was rewarding to see nearly four years of hard work finally pay off with a tournament appearance. That was especially true for the team’s six seniors, who entered on the heels of two consecutive NCAA Tournament squads.
“The seniors just soaked it all in,” Bush said. “This has been our goal from the start. I think most of us were trying not to tear up or cry.”
JUNIORS EARN TOURNAMENT HONORS
Defender Estelle Johnson, midfielder Monica Dolinsky and forward Shannon McCabe were named to the Big 12 Championship’s All-Tournament team on Sunday.
Three representatives is a record for Kansas, which defeated No. 11 Texas A&M 4-2 in the first round but fell in penalty kicks to No. 20 Missouri in the semifinals.
Dolinksy, a first-team all-conference selection, had one goal and three assists for the Jayhawks while McCabe added two goals against the Aggies.
— —Edited by Mary Sorrick
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