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page 14
daily nebraskan
thursday, april 13, 1978
UNL Weightlifting Club carries burden of few funds
The UNL Weightlifting Club's major
burden is not weights, but lack of money,
according to coach Boyd Epley.
Qualifying 1 1 members for nationals,
the Weightlifting Club was financially able
to send only three lifters to the national
meet in Ruston, La., two weeks ago.
Epley said UNL could have won the na
tional championships last month if the uni
versity had given the club financial
support.
The club's president appealed to both
the chancellor's office and the Fees Alloca
tion Board for travel expenses for the 11
man team, Epley said. But, the request was
denied, so the two defending national
champions and several top finishers from
last year's meet had to stay in Lincoln.
The fees board granted $5 for each lifter
from a contingency fund to pay for entry
fees, but since only three members entered
the meet, the money for entry fees for the
rest of the team was turned back.
"I feel we could have won the meet if
we'd had a full team," Epley said. "I'm
sure they don't understand that, but it cost
us the national championship. We had a lot
of disappointed young students.
The board granted S600 to the Weight
lifting Club last year, but that amount
was reduced to zero last summer when the
NU Board of Regents revised its stand on
student fees.
Richard Fleming of the chancellor's
office said the club's request last month for
$4,000 was denied because UNL has no
money for club sports. Fleming said denial
of the request does not imply any judg
ment on the sport's interest level.
Epley said weightlifting at UNL is
booming. He said the club has between 80
to 90 members.
"I think it has the potential to bring
recognition to UNL," he said. "But I
think it's a bit much to ask these young
students to pay their tuition and all and
ask them to go all the way down to
Louisiana to represent the University of
Nebraska."
Epley also argued that UNL supports
projects with less potential than the UNL
Weightlifting Club.
"UNL placed second at the national
championships last year and with only
three competing this year placed fourth in
team points," Epley said. "Nebraska has
the material to win the national title. It is
a shame more financial assistance is not
available."
Players optimism fueled by revamped baseball program
By Jim Hunt
Every coach dreams of having an eternal
optimist on his team and UNL baseball
coach John Sanders has found one in
senior Larry Winum.
With the Huskers down by a score of
7-1 in the second game of Tuesday's
double-header against Creighton
University, the only thing Winum said as he
jogged up the left field line was, "we can
still win it."
UNL scored five runs with two men out
in the bottom of the seventh inning to
topple the Bluejays 11-10 boosting its
record to 22-13.
"Sure, I believed we could win the
game," Winum said. "That's the way the
coaches have us thinking now. Besides we
have good enough ball players to compete
with any team in the country."
Winum said the recent road trip to
Hawaii, gave the entire squad a lot of con
fidence. "In my four years here they (the Hawaii
games) were the three biggest wins we have
ever had," Winum said. "It was good for
our club and for the program.
"Hawaii was ranked sixteenth in the
country and we beat their top two pitchers
by coming from behind in both games."
However, things were not always this
cheerful for Winum at UNL. Towards the
end of his sophomore season, Winum
"packed his bags and went back to his home
in Bloomington, Minn.
"We didn't have any kind of a winter
program and we weren't using the facilities
available to us," Winum said. "So I just
decided to go home.
"Then coach (Bob) Devaney called me
and told me some changes were going to be
made. Coach Sanders came and things star
ted to happen. Now we have a first-class
operation," he said.
In his third year as a starter Winum said
he feels no extra pressure in his role as
captain for the team. It has been more of a
privilege than a job. he said.
However, one thing he has had to learn
t :ope with this season is splitting time at
first base with sophomore Pete O'Brien.
"I don't mind splitting time with Pete.
Because both Pete and I are hitting the ball
well,' Winum said. "Having Pete here has
helped me as a ball player. This is really the
first time in three years that I have had any
real competition.
"Pete is a good ball player and is doing a
real good job. It's a good situation for both
of us because we each know that if we
aren't doing the job, the other one will be
in there It makes us think about what
we're doing out there.
"Sure I'd like to play eery day. but
everybody on the team would too."
When he is not at first base, Winum
usually is the designated hitter. Winum has
a .288 batting average this season.
As a sophomore Winum batted .307,
but slumped to .230 last year.
"I started out real good last year," he
said. "I was hitting real well until we star
ted Big Eight play. I just hope it doesn't
happen again this year.
"I knew I had the mechanics to be a
good hitter. I think it was just in my head.
I hit the slump and started to worry about
what I did wrong the last time and not
concentrating on the pitcher," he said.
The Huskers will open Big Eight play
this weekend when they play the Uni
versity of Missouri at the UNL diamond.
"We were in three of the four games at
Missouri last year and we should have won
the last one," Winum said. "They have
mostly a senior squad and should be the
team to beat.
The Tigers are 21-10 this season.
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Photo by Mark Billing flay
Senior captain Larry Winum, described as an eternal optimist, holds a Kansas State player to first base Wjnum. in his fourth year
at UNL. said that UNL winning three of five games from 16th ranked Hawaii last week was the highlight of his career