RCW: Faces in the Crowd 4.31
Each week in Rock Chalk Weekly, the top Kansas Jayhawk performances are recognized as Faces in the Crowd. Get to know last week’s stars, including information on their latest accomplishments and a link to their full bio.
NINA KHMELNITCKAIA
Junior | Moscow, Russia
Full Bio
Junior Nina Khmelnitckaia keyed the Jayhawks in a 4-1 victory at No. 36 Kansas State Sunday in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. Paired with Tatiana Nikolaeva, at No. 1 doubles, the Jayhawk tandem earned the doubles point with a 7-5 match victory. Khmelnitckaia carried that momentum over to the singles court, despite dropping the first set at the No. 3 position. She bounced back and won the match, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. Khmelntickaia trailed 4-3 in the final set, but won three-straight games for the match win.
LIANA OCHOA
Freshman | Leavenworth, Kansas
Full Bio
Freshman coxswain Liana Ochoa guided the 2V4 to the silver medal at the Knecht Cup Saturday. Kansas’ boat beat five other schools in its first heat to advance to the final with a time of 7:47.84. Kansas crossed the finish line 16 seconds before the second-place finisher, UMass. In the finals, KU came back from four seats behind and was just edged out of first place by Temple (7:43.16) to claim silver with a time of 7:43.21.
ANDY SPENCER
Sophomore | Leawood, Kansas
Full Bio
Sophomore Andy Spencer guided the Jayhawks through poor weather conditions as KU posted its seventh-straight top-five finish after tying for fourth at the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa Saturday. Spencer was rather unfazed by the bad weather, as he finished the day with a 2-over 74, resulting in a 3-over event total. The finish earned him a share of eighth place, marking his fourth top-10 finish this season.
BRETT VOSIK
Sophomore | Omaha, Nebraska
Full Bio
Sophomore Brett Vosik batted 6-for-19 (.316) with four runs scored and four RBIs in Kansas’ four games last week. Of his six base hits, two were doubles, as the Omaha, Nebraska native returned home to play against Omaha and Creighton for the mid-week games.
