friday. january 25, 1980
pegs 10
daily nebraskan
Top
nasties teams to meet
By Shelley Smith
Sports Editor
:n-
J V V ( A
Some have called it a pre-Olympic qualifier. Others
have called it a national championship sneak preview.
But, most will agree that Saturday's gymnastics triang
ular between top ranked Iowa St., Oklahoma and Nebras
ka in Lincoln, will be one of the most explosive meets
ever. - , '.
"It's the biggest meet of the year," Nebraska Gymnas
tics Coach Francis Allen said. "You can bet everyone's
worrying about it."
. However, Oklahoma Coach Paul Ziert said because all
three teams are ranked nationally, some of the pressure
everyone's talking about might not be there.
"All three teams have won nationals-so no one is try
ing to make themselves known in the gymnastics world,"
he said.
However, both Allen and Ziert said the meet is impor
tant for confidence and national standings.
Ed Gaghier, gymnastics coach at Iowa St., said it is the
importance of the competition, not the pressure, which
has built the fervor to a peak level.
"In these kinds of meets the coach doesn't have to rely
on a pep talk. We're all aware of the rankings and that
builds its own excitement," he said.
All three coaches agreed the person to watch is Ne
braskan Jim Hartung. :
Hartung, a sophomore from Omaha, last year helped
lead the Huskers to their first national championship in
any NCAA sport.
However, in the Huskers win over Colorado last week,
Hartung was beaten by his own teammate-freshman sen
sation Phil Cahoy.
"You know, Oklahoma is good all around, Iowa State
is coming with a couple of studs, but Nebraska-Nebraska
has Cahoy and Hartung " Allen said.
Last week Hartung didn't perform as sharp as he could
have and was probably at the lowest he has ever been,
Allen said.
However, Hartung is on the upswing-he's, rested and v
healthy, and should be the strongest competitor Saturday,
Allen said.
Challenging that strength will be Iowa State's, f(on
Gallimore. Gallimore beat Hartung in the Windy City Invi-
Photo by Mark Billingsley
Nebraska gymnast Phil Cahoy performs on the still rings during the Huskers' victory over Colorado last weekend,
Nebraska faces top ranked Iowa State and second ranked Oklahoma Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports
Center, -
tational last fall, and according to Gagnier, is set to do it
again.
Allen said Hartung will be watching Gallimore closely
Saturday because "he sure doesn't want Gallimore to beat
him again." Allen said competition between the two
schools has gotten to be a "personal thing" between
Hartung and Gallimore.
However, Hartung said it isn't true.
"I just want to win-I just want the team to win," he
said.. . ' '
Fehr : shaky attitude is
wrestlers' big problem
Perhaps Seeing is believing" isn't
always the best adage to follow,
especially for the UNL wrestling team,
according to Head Coach Bob Fehrs.
Fehrs said the Huskers' main prob
lems stem from automatically associat
ing dominance with opposing uniforms.
"We've got an attitude and confi
dence problem in terms of looking at a
uniform and deciding that they're good
and probably going to win" Fehrs said.
Coming off of a 314 win against
UNO Wednesday night, the Huskers
now have an 1 1.3 dual record.
The Huskers face the Missouri Tigers
Sunday afternoon at 3:30 pjn. in the
Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Against Missouri, Fehrs said he hopes
the Huskers use ;, the UNO win as a
momentum builder.
Missouri will be competitive at every
weight, Fehrs said, but added that the
126-pound class should be the Tigers
best weight class.
This will pose problems for Nebraska
since Rick Whitehead, who wrestled at
126 pounds, underwent knee surgery
Tuesday afternoon to repair torn liga
ments suffered in Monday's practice,
Whitehead, who has a 10-3 dual re
cord, but will , probably be out for the
rest of the season, according to Fehrs,
Brad Smith, a junior from Waynes
boro, Pa., will take Whitehead's place.
KSU next Husker challenge
By Ron Powell
Although winning on the road is a tough .
task to fulfill in the Big Eight, the UNL
basketball team might be happier playing
Kansas State before a sellout crowd at
Ahearn Fieldhouse in Manhattan,
The Wildcats, 14-3 overall and 4-1 in the
conference, have won road games at Okla
homa State, Colorado and Kansas. At
home, however, the Cats have lost to
Oklahoma, but beat Iowa State 73-63
Wednesday night, 1 ;
Meanwhile, the 13-6 Huskers, who share
a 4-1 conference record and first place with
KSU and Missouri, have felt at home on
the road, beating Iowa State and Colorado,
"We've been playing disciplined defense
and getting the ball up the floor well on
the road," said Husker guard Mike Naderer,
Naderer said winning in Manhattan isnt
an impossible task,
"Since I've been here, we've done very
well down there," Naderer said,
"You've got to believe in yourself to
win on the road and this team does "
Naderer said,,
Husker assistant coach Tom Baack said
the Huskers play well in Manhattan be
cause it's a great place to play,
"The fans are great," Baack said,
'They're very noisy, but they're not rude.
And that helps to get the competitive spirit
out of the players,"
Regardless of where the game is, the
consensus of the Husker coaches about K
State is one of respect,
"K-State probably has one of the best
teams in the conference and maybe the
Continued on page U
Last year's strength helping men's track team
By Tad Stryker
The season begins Saturday for the
Nebraska men's track team as the Salukis
from Southern Illinois come to the Bob
Devaney Sports Center for a dual at 1 pjn,
"I'm looking forward to it to see what
we've got," Nebraska Head Coach Frank
Sevigne said. Sevigne is entering his 25th
year as head coach.
"It's kind of like the first football game
of the year for us."
The Huskers return almost all of last
year's squad, which placed third in the Big
Efcht indoor meet at Oklahoma City and
fourth in the outdoor meet in Lincoln.
Scott Poehling, a senior from Fremont
tr.d list year's NCAA 800 -meter Indoor
chimpion, heads the list. Poehling, who
tizo won the 880 at the Big Eight indoor
ir.?t, Is one of four All-Americans return.
b.3 to UNL Brian Dunn igan, Paul Downes,
tad Evcrton DsCosti are the other three.
Dunn&n and Downes, juniors, teamed
-ith Poehling end Mark Fluitt on last
year's NCAA chtmpion two mile relay
team, and will make up the Huskers'
middle -distance strength.
A surprise
DaCosta, a junior from Manchester,
Jamaica, who runs the 400 intermediate
hurdles said he was somewhat skeptical of
the Husker's attitude about Southern
Illinois. '
Most of the guys don't know what
SIU's got. We should win but they might
surprise us."
He said he hopes to Improve his last
year's second place finish In the Big-Eight
outdoor meet, "but it shouldn't be a walk
over, he said.
- Many other athletes should add to the
Huskers strength, Sevigne said. These in
elude Jeff Keeler in the triple and long
jumps. Randy Raymond in the pole vault,
Phil Trent in the sprints, and Randy
Brooks In the hurdles. . ;
Raymond, a junior from Fremont,
finished second in the Big Eight indoor
pole vault with a 17-foot effort last year.
He has already qualified for the NCAA in
door meet this year by vaulting 16-6 at the
Eastern Tennessee Invitational earlier this
month. However, Raymond aggravated a
slight foot injury at Tennessee which slow
ed him in practice this week, he said.
"I don't know what is is for sure, but
IVri taking medication and wearing a
special pad in my shoe-it'U be alright in a
couple weeks."
Fine group of freshmen
Keeler, Trent and Brooks said they feel
more confident with a year of experience
behind them. Keeler, a junior from Lincoln
East, specializes in the triple jump, He said,
"We've been jumping pretty harda lot
harder than last year at this time," Keeler
was hurt most of last year and, now that
he's healthy, said he wants to prove him
self. - " ' ' .
.. Brooks, a sophomore from Omaha, said
he's feeling stronger than he did last year.
He said he likes the shorter races, like the
60 high hurdles, and hopes challenge for
Big Eight supremacy in that area.
In addition to the proven veteran track
men, the Husker squad will be strengthen
ed by "the finest group of freshmen we've
had since I've been here," 'according to
Poehling, who stressed that "this year's
group really wants to win." , ;
Jamaican runners strong
Mike Cielocha, a graduate of Columbus
Scotus, will help the NU quarter-milers,
along with Charles Lawrence, one of three
freshmen on the Husker team from
Jamaica, Following Lawrence to UNL were
John Nones and Herman Mills, who broke
the Jamaican high school 2 00 .meter record
previously held by Don Quarrie, the 1976
Olympic gold medalist in that event,
Ricky Simmons, a Greenville, Texas
native, should strengthen the sprints, as
evidenced by his 9.3 time in the 100 yards
last spring, . .
The two mile relay team of Dunnigan,
Downes, Tim McCashland, and Poehling
has qualified for the NCAA indoor meet!
and should continue to be strong
r Ul Kii??' who P,ave(I footbil this fall
for the Chicago Bears, will serve as co
captain with Poehling. Kunz is scheduled
to high jump Saturday and win throw the
discus later this spring when the team
moves outdoors.