Sports Shorts

By Mike Bushnell

Published April 4, 2008

Linebacker leaves football team Football coach Gary Pinkel said Tuesday that junior linebacker Connell Davis left the team for personal reasons. He was listed as the backup to junior weak side linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. “I was kind of surprised,” Weatherspoon told the Columbia Daily Tribune when informed of Davis’ departure. “We came into meetings and he wasn’t there. I don’t really know what’s going on. I saw him yesterday, but I think he just gave it up. I don’t know.” Davis, who switched this time last year from running back to linebacker, made 13 tackles, including six unassisted, in the 12 games he played in last season. He had three tackles in MU’s win over Kansas in late November that earned them the Big 12 North title. In the 2006 season, he had six carries for 18 yards. He mostly was used on special teams as a deep back and played 11 games that year. “I always say, ‘Through attrition, you never know sometimes,’” Pinkel told the Tribune. “All of a sudden, one player is removed from the program and one player leaves the program. All of a sudden you got a real issue. That’s a great example of how things can change real fast.”

Abaray receives post-grad scholarship Senior gymnast Julie Abaray received the $6,000 NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics. She is one of 26 athletes across all sports to win the nonrenewable scholarship. Thirteen of the awards were given to women and 13 more to men of ethnic minorities. According to the Web site of MU’s athletic department, all applicants for the award must be seeking a career in college sports in a position directly related to intercollegiate athletics, such as athletic director, trainer or coach. Earlier this semester, Abaray was also a recipient of the prestigious Mizzou ‘39 Award given on behalf of the MU Alumni Association Board to 39 seniors based on service, leadership and achievement. She is one of four athletes to have been a member of Mizzou ‘39 since the award began in 2004.