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As reported yesterday by Jon Morse, Former Kansas State forward Thomas Gipson got to work out for a pro team this week. A pro football team. According to his Twitter feed, Big Gip worked out for the Green Bay Packers at Kansas State's indoor practice facility (Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle). Gipson, who has never played organized football, shows some decent hands in this clip:
— Big Gip (@Big_Gip_Kstate) April 9, 2015
In significantly more predictable news, the Kansas State Sports Bracket Challenge is over, and your winner is (surprise!) Bill Snyder.
Joe Hubener has never been a starting quarterback before (Jake Trotter, ESPN). But before you write him off, consider this: he was an excellent javelin thrower in high school, and apparently throws the football with similar velocity. According to teammate Cody Whitehair, Hubener is not afraid to lower his shoulders and get yards, and is very much a Collin Klein-style quarterback with more zip in his arm. Earning a scholarship last year after walking on, Hubener has also earned the respect of his fellow players and has a hunger to prove himself and succeed. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of excited to see him in action.
The baseball team will host No. 5 TCU this weekend at Tointon Family Stadium. The Horned Frogs are currently 25-6 and 6-3 in the Big 12. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM tonight, and will feature RHP Colton Kalmus on the mound. Steve Serratore, who has finally found a hot streak of hitting, should have some success against those other purple people, but this is a tough hill for the BatCats to climb.
As the equestrian team prepares for the NCEA national championships, accolades are starting to pile up. Henley Adkins and Danielle Kemper earned Big 12 Rider of the Month awards for March, with both riders also earning second team All-NCEA honors this season. The national championships begin next week in Waco, Texas.
The women's golf team heads south this weekend for the SMU Invitational at the Dallas Athletic Club. The event consists of 36 holes on Friday followed by 18 holes the next day. The team had its best finish at the Mountain View Collegiate two weeks ago, and will look to improve before the Big 12 championships. The team is led by senior Olivia Eliasson, who tied for second place at the same event last year.
The Wildcats' long road march continues this weekend, with trips to No. 29 Oklahoma and No. 9 Oklahoma State, two of four upcoming series against ITA Top 40 teams. The team will take on Oklahoma first, followed by Oklahoma State the next day. Having dropped their last series against the Jayhawks, the team will look to rebound in Oklahoma with a trip to Texas still on the cards.
The track team is currently in Arizona for the Jim Click Shootout. After the first day, Akela Jones, competing in her first heptathlon, leads the field with 3731 points, just ahead of Salcia Slack (New Mexico Highland). Jones finished first in the 100m hurdles and 200 m races, as well as in the high jump event, where she cleared a mark four inches higher than any of her competitors. A strong showing in the shot put event was enough to put her in first place, and she'll look to consolidate the lead with the long jump today.