sports
Swimmers rated underdogs
in Saturday's Iowa State meet
The IJNL's men's swim team will host Iowa
State Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Coliseum Pool.
Based on past performances they will be heavy
underdogs.
Coach John Reta's squad failed to score in its
only meet thus far this season, the Big 8 Relays
Dec. 6-7. Iowa State finished third in the event
with 66 points, behind champion Wisconsin
(141) and Oklahoma (86).
Defeating the Cyclones may be difficult
because Iowa State enjoyed what Reta termed
"the finest recruiting year of any school in the
Big 8."
Against the Cyclones, the Huskers will also
attempt to erase the stigma of a last place finish
in the Big 8 in 1974. Iowa State was third behind
Oklahoma and champion Kansas.
Reta remains hopeful, despite the odds.
"Every meet we'll go into this year will be
difficult," he said. "But we'll go into every meet
with the idea we can win it."
Saying "time will tell," Reta preferred not to
evaluate any of his 11 returning lettermen or
other squad members until after the Iowa State
dual.
Based on last year's performances, Jack
More participants, talent, success
Alexander, a Wayzata, Minn., sophomore, should
be a Husker pacesetter. As the top Husker scorer,
Alexander set varsity records in the 500 and
1 ,000-yard freestyle events and placed second in
the Big 8 meet in the 400-yard individual medley
while setting another varsity mark.
Terry Seymour is a team co-captain and the
only senior. A three-year letterman, the Grand
Island native is the varsity record holder in the
200-yard breaststroke.
Paul Duxbury, from Minneapolis, the other
co-captain, specializes in the freestyle sprints and
is one of 10 sophomores on the young Husker
team, which includes five freshmen and four
juniors.
Reta did say divers Tom Folsom and Dave
Watermeier have improved under the direction of
diving coach Ed Craren, who was hired this year.
Despite the team's past performance, Reta
said he is pleased with the squad's attitude during
the twice-a-day practices conducted since Jan. 2.
"I'm encouraged with the way they worked
over the Christmas vacation," he said. "They are
beginning to work as a unit. It's easier to do in a
sport such as football but I think they are
beginning to put it all together attitude-wise."
Chess Club fourth
in college tournament
By Scott Jones
UNL's Chess Club was the butt of some jokes during
competition at the American Intercollegiate Chess Tournament
Dec. 26 at Louisville, Ky., according to club president Loren
Schmidt.
It wasn't that they played badly. They finished fourth among
90 four-man collegiate teams from throughout the Western
Hemisphere.
What the teams found humorous, according to Schmidt, was
that the UNL quartet paid their own entry fee and travel
expenses.
"We were the only team there that wasn't supported by our
school," Schmidt said. "A lot of them were laughing at us
because of that."
Among the teams supported by their colleges were Big 8
Universities of Kansas and Missouri, and Toronto University,
which gives chess scholarships similar to athletics scholarships,
Schmidt said.
"They pretty much consider chess a sport," he said. "Chess is
supported at some schools by their athletic department or
student fees."
Schmidt said past efforts to obtain funds from ASUN netted
$30. "We figured it wasn't worth it," he said. "That much effort
for $30. We're hoping to get some people persuaded now because
of cur fourth place finish."
The tournament decides the American collegiate chess
champion and the collegiate champion of the Western
Hemisphere. The titles this year were won by Toronto and
Harvard. The UNL group won six of eight matches, finishing
one-half point behind the leaders.
UNL's team is made up of brothers Richard and Mike Chess,
Mike Bhnkennau and Schmidt.
Scoring was based on one point for a win and one-half point
for a draw. The first team to amass two and one-half points wins.
Each player competed in two matches daily. One day Schmidt
said his two matches lasted seven and five hours respectively.
For this reason, he said, chess is not suited for older persons.
"Most people would tend to think that way but it's really a
young man's game," Schmidt said. "On the international level the
top players are usually under 35. Once you get over 40 you're
pretty well washed up.
" "There's so much physical exertion that most of them can't
take it after that."
Schmidt and teammate Richard Chess are ranked first and
second respectively in the state on the basis of performances at
the Midwest Open last October.
The chess club now lists 20 members, Schmidt said, and
jointly sponsors many local tourneys with the Lincoln Chess club
and the Lincoln Chess Foundation as well as hosting several
tournaments by itself.
Schmidt said the team practices in the Nebraska Union.
Women's gymnastic team improves
By Becky Morgan
Improvement is the key word
describing the UNL women's gymnastics
team. The team, in its fourth year, has
more participants, more talent and so far,
more success than ever before.
The gymnasts, coached by Karen
Balke, placed third and scored 65.75
points at a meet Dec. 14 in Grandview,
la. According to Balke, the team's
previous high score was 45 points.
"We're stronger this year," Balke said,
"because we have more women out for
gymnastics and we can enter the
fiuiXiiTmiTi number of muiviJuals in each
event..
"We have depth" she added,
"something we've never had before."
With nine meets remaining on their
schedule, Balke said the season's outlook
is much improved. There are four
freshmen, five sophomores, one junior
and two seniors listed on the roster.
"We have individual strength in each
event," Balke said. "However, we do need
more people who exccll in several events.
We are beginning to see some overlap
with the increase in the size of the team."
The team's major shortcoming,
according to Balke, is lack of experience.
"Gymnastics is just catching on in high
school," Balke said. Most of the team
members have not had many years of
CApbiivnw uwiuiv pal victualing un iJlC
college level. The only other Nebraska
collegiate school having a women's
gymnastic organization is Chadron State,
according to Balke.
The women's gymnastic program at
UNL to host fencing tourney
A fencing tournament is scheduled for
10 a.m. Saturday in Women's Physical
Education Bldg. Rm. 301.
Bob Dushane, who sponsors the UNL
fencing club, which will host the tourney,
said the only fencers ineligible to
compete are those who have placed either
first, second or third at an Amateur
Fencers League of America tournament.
There will be a 50 cent entry h. All
equipment will be furnished by the
fencing club.
"The idea is to make as many people
as possible aware of the fencing club by
trying to have as many tournaments as
page 12
possible," Dushane said. "Instead of
taking the student to the competition
we're going to bring the competition
here."
Dushane said enrollment has increased
in all fencing classes offered through the
Physical Education Dept. this semester.
He said he expects club membership to
increase from the 15 members now
participating.
"We hope to offer more opportunities
for people in fencing classes to compete
after they complete the course," he
added.
UNL is also the only school in the Big 8
giving scholarships, with five girls now
receiving them.
Coming up this weekend, the team will
travel to Drake University in Des Moines
la., where they will take on Drake and
Washburn University. They will then stop
at Iowa State at Ames for a tournament
Saturday with: Central Missouri, South
Dakota State, Northwest Missouri, Drake,
University of Wisconsin and Western
Illinois.
"The meet at Drake should be close,"
Balke said. "We certainly have a much
better chance this year with our new
depth. The competition at Iowa State will
be tough."
Outstanding performers for the team
include Kathi Ruddick on uneven parallel
bars, Peggy Newport on the beams,
Sandy Czaplewski on floor exercise
performance, and the best all-around
individual, Peg Van Beek, who excels in
vaulting and floor exercise. Van Beek, a
senior from Lincoln, is the only team
member who was a member of the first
team four years ago. Each year, she has
been the team's high point scorer. She
qualified for regionals twice in her three
years as a UNL gymnast.
No UNL women's gymnastics team has
ever qualified for the regional
tournament, held this year at Iowa State.
To qualify, a team must score 68 points
and an individual seven points at a meet
during the season.
"This (qualifying for the regionals) is
our goal this year," Balke said. "We're
really excited about doing it."
ofis
I tori?
Intramural Schedule
Thursday
6:00-Finestkind "B" vs. H.E.P.
"B"; 6:40-Plough Boy$ "B" vs. The
Pipprs "B"; Cather 6 "B" vt. Cather
2 "B"; 8:0O-Delta Upsilon SF vs.
Sigma Phi Eptilon SF;
8:4Q-Schramm 6 SF vs. Chi Phi SF;
9:20wLambda Chi Alpha SF vt.
Abel 6 SF.
MPE No. 2
6:00-lndependent (Carlon' "R"
vs. Ken'i Drive In "B"; 6:40-Prunes
"B" vs. Larson's Team "B";
7: 20-Abel 2 "B" vs. Abel 7 "B";
8:00-A!pha Tau, Omega No. 2 SF
vs. Midgets SF; 8:40-Slingshots II
vs. Centennial Athletic Assoc.;
9:20-Rosner's Team vs. Cardinals.
MPE No. 3
6:00-Jack's Boys "B" vs. Kappa
Psi Masks "B"; 8:40-Southside
Stars "B" vs. Student Vet? "B";
7:20-Abel 5 "B" vs. Abel 6 "B";
8:00-Goodirtg "B" vs. Gus "B";
8:40-Burr I East vs. Centennial
"B"; 9:20-Burr 2 "B" vs. Burr 3
"B".
WPE No. 1
6:40-Abel 2 "C vs. Abel 11
"C; 7: 20-Abel 5 "C" vs. Abel 9
"C"; 8; 00-Alpha Tau Omega "A"
vj. Phi Gamma Delta "A";
8:40-Sigma Phi Epsilon "A" vs. Phi
Delta Theta "A"; 9:20 Beta Theta
Pi "A" vs. Delta Upsilon "A".
WPE No. 2
6:40-Abfi 4 "C" vs. Abel 10
"C"; 7: 20-Abel 7 "C" vs. Abe! 8
"C"; 8:00-Beta Sigma Psi "A" vs.
Sigma Nu "A"; 8:40-Theta Xi "A"
vs. Sigma Epsilon "A"; 9:20-Delta
Tau Delta "A" vs. Kappa Sigma
"A".
thursday, january 16, 1975
daily nejsraskan