For the Kansas University track and field program, one of its darker moments in recent memory came at the Big 12 Conference Outdoor Championships, April 29-May 1.

In a difficult weekend, the men’s team placed 12th and the women 10th. To add insult to injury, in a meet where Nebraska took home the men’s team title with 172 points, Kansas only scored 6. However, one positive that came from the meet was motivation to improve for the 2004-2005 season.

“In terms of the team, it was pretty embarrassing to score the lowest anyone has ever scored,” sophomore thrower Gavin Ball said. “It was pretty hard to swallow. For me, I hate losing. I never like to lose. Going out like that just wasn’t my style.”

With the 2004 Indoor season still a few months away, Ball will be part of a solid core of young returners for Kansas on both the men’s and women’s side who hope to steer the program back in the right direction.

Undoubtedly, the program’s strong suit this season will be the men’s cross-country squad. The men placed first in two meets last year and consistently were found near the top of the leaderboards.

The main reason for last season’s success was sophomore Benson Chesang. In his freshman campaign, Chesang was KU’s top finisher in each meet, including four second-place finishes and an appearance at nationals, where he placed 48th.

Believe it or not, the team should be better this season. The squad also returns junior Cameron Schwehr and senior Chris Jones, who were the Jayhawks’ top distance runners behind Chesang last season.

Also adding some spice to the mix will be incoming freshman Colby Wissel, the 2003 Nebraska state cross country champion from Kearney High.

“We’re happy that we got fourth in conference,” Jones said. “At the same time, we knew we could have been a top-three team, and arguably a top-two team.

“We have everyone back with the addition of Colby Wissel. We have all the talent finally put together. If we stay healthy, that’s the first step. With a guy like Benson (on the team), you never want to have a bad race because he’s doing everything he can. Now we have four or five guys that can do really well. It kind of trickles down.”

Benson Chesang returns to lead the KU men's cross country team.

Cross country success also can be expected this season on the women’s side.

The women had an overall solid season in 2003, but it was overshadowed by the men’s team’s success. The women have plenty to build on after winning the Bob Timmons Invitational in Lawrence in September and taking fifth at regionals. It also helps as motivation to have a men’s team succeeding at the same time.

“It was a really exciting year for them, and I think that’s totally exciting,” senior Megan Manthe said. “They’re going to lead us by example this year as I’m expecting. I would say that last year in the regional was a great finish for us. We should make it a goal to finish better than that.”

However, outside of cross country, for the track team to crawl out of the Big 12 basement, some bigger strides will need to be made. The face of the men’s track team for the past two seasons has been sprinter Leo Bookman.

However, Bookman will not use his final season of eligibility and has opted to turn professional. Ball, who was the newcomer of the year on the men’s team last year, has lofty expectations for the strong, young team.

Senior Brooklyn Hann, a triple jumper, is the lone returnee for the women's track team who made a mark at nationals.

“Realistically, I would say we’re capable of being in the top three if everyone does what they’re supposed to,” Ball said. “We’re definitely going to feel a heavy blow from the loss of Leo but I’d say we easily place top five, maybe top three. I think we’re capable of it.”

Senior Brooklyn Hann will be the only returnee for the women who made a mark at nationals last year. Hann finished 26th in the triple jump. Like Ball, Hann feels the team has the capability to move up significantly in the conference and also believes the squad’s showing at the Big 12 meet will fire up the team more for this season.

“We were pretty embarrassed,” Hann said. “We had some good performances throughout the season, but once we got to the Big 12, no one showed up. I think we just need to be more consistent.”

In big meets a year ago, it seemed that not enough members of the Kansas track team could step up and perform. This season, if the Jayhawks hope to improve, the differences may just need to be mental.

“We’ve got to expect to be up there with Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech,” Ball said. “We just need a little more dedication.”