daily nebraskan
friday, february 23, 1979
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UNL gymnastics squads
kppimgfor third victory
By Sara Martens
The UNL men's and Women's gymnas
tic teams will try to prove this weekend
that history does not repeat Itself,
Last year, the UNL men's team lost
duals to Oklahoma, Iowa State, and
Southern Illinois.
This year, the team has defeated Okla
homa and Iowa State and will have a
chance at Southern Illinois at a dual meet
at 1 pjn. in the Bob Devaney Sports
Center.
Last year, a week after edging out Colo
rado for the Big Eight title, the women's
team met CU again and lost.
'This year, a week after winning the Big
Eight over Colorado again, the women will
host the Buffaloes Saturday also at 1 pjn.
'This will be a grudge match for them
without a doubt," said Judy S chalk, the
women's coach. "But there is not much of
a chance that Colorado can win."
Schalk said Colorado is ah excellent
team but that the Huskers are hitting con
sistently enough to win. The home advan
tage and crowd support are also a plus for
the Huskers, she said.
Colorado's strong point is Debbie Wil
cox, a former Olympian and the team's
number one all arounder , she said .
"It will play hard on our girls to beat
her. She will have to miss for one of bur
girls to win the all-around title," Schalk
said.
The Husker's team depth should place
them in the number two, three, and four
all-around spots and give them the win, she
said.
Most of the women on the team are suf
fering from some sort of late season
chornic injury, Schalk said, "but it's
nothing they haven't been working with
and living with."
Injuries could play a role in the men's
meet as Southern Illinois' number one and
two all-arounder may see only limited
action.
Assistant Husker Coach Jim Howard
said Nebraska does not know if Kirk
Adams, a member of the US. National
team, or Kevin Muenz will be able to
compete.
"They are competitive without those
two but it will be'a really competitive meet
with them," Howard said.
Nebraska will be without specialist
Richard Brir.disi, who injured a foot in the
Oklahoma meet, and Steve Elliott, who
will be diving forthe UNL swimming team.
Howard said there has been a tendency
to relax this week following the Oklahoma
meet, but that the team will be' ready to
perform on Saturday.
"I'm not sure we can reach 222 like last
week, but We are definitely looking for a
good meet," he said.
Howard said Southern Illinois, 11th
ranked in the nation, consistently scores
around 217.
Coach Francis Allen said Jim Hartung
will be ready to perform Saturday despite
his busy weekend schedule.
Hartung will compete in the Mardi Gras
Invitational in Baton Rouge, La. tonight
and will return Saturday morning for the
Husker dual.
The invitational is very prestigous
meet, featuring the top male and female
gymnasts in the country , Howard said.
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Photo by Ttd Kirk
Jim Hartung, the nation's tbp-ranked gymnast
Big Eight track title winner tough to predict
MU coach
ByRickHuIs
. Sports Editor
Nebraska's track team, unbeaten in in
door competition this year, is a favorite
for the Big Eight Indoor Track and Field
Championships this weekend in Oklahoma
City.
NU Coach Frank Sevigne has not said
his team should be the favorite to win the
championship. But, he said he believes they
are one of the favorites.
Perennial power Kansas, which has won
three of the last four titles, and Missouri,
winner of six previous Big Eight champion
ships are considered the top contenders,
Sevigne said.
Just how balanced is the league this
year?
Balanced enough that Missouri Coach
Bob Teel isnt going to figure the totals be
fore the meet.
"I used to sit down and figure it out but
the totals never come out right," Teel.said.
This year's showdown could be the
most difficult meet for anyone to predict,
he said.
Six top teams f
"At least six teams have said all along
that they could win the Big Eight," he said..
fI just hope were among them."
Besides Missouri, Teel also believes Ne
braska (Mthey have the best balance right
now") and Kansas ("they Ve run on that
mr, cAiml rtf t!m this tPdtnn't cntild
have an edge. , ' J
, But he concedes Oklahoma, Iowa State
end Kansas State should have a say in the
flnsl outcome. . "
There's going to be so much cutting up
of strengths by other teams that It might
be a case of who gets hurt the least " he
added. " " '-'--
Kebrsika will be one of the teams trying
to jussle people because of its strength In
the middle instances. v 1
' "Scott Pochling leads the conference and
the nstien charts In the 600 (1:09j6) ind
IZO (1:4357). Mark Rt h wn
f::;r.ce4c;i:r.3 times h the i 00(2:1 0X7)
tr J t':3 m:"i run (4:0556) and Brian Dun-nir--i
nri coad in the mile and two
mile and fourth in the 1 ,000 on the con
ference charts.
. Secret schedule
Sevigne has said he is keeping it a se
cret how he will split tip his runners. But
he would like to know what Lester
Mickens, Kansas' defending 600 champ,
and Scott Clark, Missouri defending S80
winner are going to run.
Besides Poehling and Fluitt, Nebraska
has four other conference leading times,
but one of them wont help the Huskers
anyway.
Randy Brooks leads the conference
times in the low hurdles with a time of
6.75. NU also has the best times in the
mile and two-mile relays and distance med
ley. The distance medley, however, is an
NCAA event but is not on thr Big Eight
card.
The only returning individual champion
for Nebraska is high jumper Doug Phelps,
who also won the outdoor title last year.
Phelps has again cleared 7-foot this year af
ter deciding to return to the team despite
medical school studies.
Nebraska finished second to Kansas,
93.6-87.2, in last year's conference meet in
Lincoln.
This weekend Will be the first time this
season that NU hasn't competed in the
Bob Pevaney Sports Center. The 51st Big
Eight meet will be held on the curved
boards of the 104ap-to4he-mile track at
The Myriad, Oklahoma City's municipal
auditorium.
The track preliminaries and finals in the
shot put , and long jump are scheduled to
night and the finals are set for Saturday
night.
Playoff q
uestions will be answered
soon
By Lee Barfknecht v
With the Big Eight basketball race
scrambled even further after Wednesday
night's action, itH probably take the league
office longer to figure the number of play
off possibilities than for the the teams to
play the games.
However, one fact comes through the
confusion loud and clear for Nebraska
with just ont game left in league play. Even
if the Huskers win at home Saturday night
against Oklahoma State, they are not as
sured of the home court advantage for the
-first round of the post-season tournament.
' Nebraska, now tied for fifth place with
Iowa State at 6-7 and 13-12 overall, could
finish anywhere from third to seventh, de
pending on Saturday's games. Only the top
four teams host home first round playoffs.
Before any thoughts of a home playoff
can be addressed though, the Huskers have
to beat Oklahoma State, a 66-57 winner
over Nebraska at Stillwater Jan. 3 1 . OSU is
5-8 in league play and 12-13 overall.
Cipriano said his team will need to hit
from the outside to beat the Cowboys.
'Oklahoma State runs a zone and they
change it according to the offense you
run," Cipriano said. "We liavent adjusted
to it very well especially inside, so well
have to shoot well from the outside."
On offense, 6-3 senior guard Mark
Tucker has paced the Cowboys. Tucker
leads the Cowboys in scoring with 17.5
points a game, but he raissed Wednesday's
contest with Colorado with the flu. He is
expected to be -ready for Saturday's game
however.
With Tucker gone Wednesday, junior
forward Don Youman took up the slack
by hitting a game-high 18 points,)ncluding
the winning basket with seven seconds left,
to lead Oklahoma State to a 55-53 win
over Colorado.
The 6-2 Youman scores at a 15 $ clip
besides leading the Cowboys in rebounding
with just over 10 a game.
Cipriano said he thought the Huskers
did a good job against Youman in Still
water, but that 6-8 center Jon Moorehead
causejd Nebraska problems.
An Iowa State win and a Nebraska loss
could buy the Huskers as far as seventh
place in the conference.
Only Oklahoma at 94 and Kansas State
at 8-5 are assured first-rdund home playoff
games. Those two teams will meet Satur
day in Norman to decide the conference
tide.
Sps)?fiS 0
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Jim Portert Nebraska tennis team opens
the 1979 season this weekend 'when it
hosts the Nebraska Invitational at the Bob
Devaney SportJ Center Indoor Track.
" the Hu5kers 'are entertaining Kansas,
Doane and Northern Iowa in the three day
round robin tournament. NU was schedul
ed to face Doane Thursday and Friday
meets Kansas at 1 pjn. and Northern Iowa
at 7 pjn. The action .concludes Saturday
morning.
"This weekend should provide i good i
start on the season," Porter said. "Kansas is
the strongest of the teams well face to the
meet, but all of the teams have some good
players and I'm certain there will be some
good competitive matches." ,
