page 12
daily nebraskan
friday, february 6, 1981
spoils
Coach predicts gymnasts will recapture top spot
By Kim Hachiya
Some teams would find it hard to bounce back from a
solid defeat at the hands of an arch-rival, but UNL gymn
astics Coach Francis Allen has no doubts his gymnasts will
respond admirably Sunday at Arizona State.
Allen predicted his team would score extremely high
and would regain its No. I ranking lost to Iowa State over
the weekend.
"We're going to go 28. at least." Allen said.
That would be nearly five points higher than the team
scored in Ames. However, the lluskers were without
powerhouses Jim llartung and Steve I'lhott, who were
competing in other meets.
The Huskcrs will have both of them back for the meet
with the Sun Devils, but llartung will not compete in the
floor exercise and vault because his sprained left ankle still
is bothering him.
Allen said the Sun Devils field a good solid team, but
feature no superstars in any event. He mentioned Tom
DeWitt, a transfer from the now-defunct University of
Colorado program, as their best all-arounder. DeWitt has
been averaging about 54 points per meet.
Although Ariona State has been averaging fewer
points per meet than Nebraska, Allen does not count
them out .
"They should be really up for this one."' he said.
"When you're ranked as high as we are. people are out to
get you. They really get psyched."
Sunday's meet should prove valuable in giving younger
team members experience competing. Their inexperience,
according to Allen, contributed to the ncrviousncss felt
at Iowa State.
"The people I took over there just weren't mentally
ready for competition like that. Physically they were
ready, but not mentally," Allen said.
"The bitter facts are that if I take llartung and Elliott
out, I don't have too much left except for a couple of
guys," he said.
Freshman all-arounder Jim Mikus said his preparation
for Ariona State is going well.
"I'm preparing for it the same way I prepared for Iowa
State." Mikus said. "But I plan on having a better result."
"I really don't know what happened over there. I
felt ready. In warmups I hit everything, then I missed
them later."
The boisterous crowd at Ames rattled a few perform
ers, and Allen said he hopes the fans in Tempe, Aii..
aren't so hostile.
"I'm really looking ahead to this one," he said. "Ari
zona State was one of my idol teams. They are always
fired up and have always done well in nationals.
"They have good men's and women's programs. This
meet will help us set up both a men's and women's dual
for next year. They're good competitors, which we need
now."
Sevigne: Kansas 'just another test'
Nebraska track Coach Frank Sevigne said he views this
Saturday's dual meet with Kansas as just another test of
his team's competitiveness.
"The Jayhawks are tough and it will be important to
beat them, but we're not aiming our whole season toward
a dual with Kansas. We'll be geared up, but we'll be geared
up for everyone else too." he said.
The lluskers will facing a team that has virtually dom
inated Big Fight track and field for the last two decades.
The Jayhawks arc coached by Bob Timmons who has
been at Kansas for 16 years. Timmons said he forsees
another good year for the Kansas track team.
"If we get everybody healthy, we'll be an excellent
team. We've got a few injuries now, but we should be
healthy by the end of the season," he said.
The only one Timmons definitely ruled out was pole
vaulter Jeff Buckingham.
"Jeff is out for the season. He injured his back last
week so we've applied a hardship ruling," Timmons
said.
Fven with Buckingham (who had already qualified for
the NCAA Indoor Championships), Timmons said he saw
a tough contest in the vault.
"The Nebraska vaulters, Newton and Raymond, arc
exceptional." Timmons said.
Timmons said he doesn't see any real Kansas weakness
es except for overall team depth.
"We're a little thin, especially in the hurdles. An
injury could really hurt us." Timmons said.
"I have several athletes with the potential to go on and
reach the Olympics. All they have to do is continue to
make progress and stay away from injuries" he sai-'.
V'
- v- '
Photo by Kent Morgan Olsen
Nebraska freshman Jim Mikus performs on the
parallel bars in action at the Bob Devaney Sports
(enter.
Balances sports, school
Dedication pays off in starting job for freshman
By Scott Ahlstrand
Kelli Benson, the starting point guard on the Nebraska
women's basketball team, has added a new meaning to the
word dedication.
"I started playing basketball when I was in grade
school," Benson said. "I really liked it. and I just kept
on playing it."
Benson's high school coach at Grand Island. Fd Bills,
reaffirms Benson's dedication.
"Kelli is a super girl. She's what I'd call a gym rat. We
couldn't keep her out of the gym. She always had some
thing new to work on," Bills said. "There were several
nights when we had to turn the lights out on her."
In her three years at Grand Island, Benson led the Is
landers to a 56-7 record. She established several individual
records, including a ranking as the all-time leading scorer
in Class A. She also holds the record for participating in
the most play-off games, because she played in the state
Finals three consecutive seasons.
Bills believes much of Benson's success is due to her
natural ability.
"I've known Kelli since she was in the third grade, and
she's always been a great athlete," Bills said. "I can re
member when she would go to the YMCA and challenge
anyone who would play her, boys or girls."
Although Benson set several high school records, she
was recruited for college mainly by Nebraska universities.
"Recruitment didn't bother me because I didn't want
to talk to them during the season," Benson said. "When
the season was over. I was contacted by most of Nebra
ska's universities, but I wanted to go to UNL I didn't
know if I could play basketball for a major college, so I
decided I'd give it a try."
As a freshman Benson has started every game this
season. At 5-7 and 120 pounds, she is well-suited to her
point guard role. Benson enjoys the challenge of running
the team as a guard.
"As a point guard I really don't have to score or re
bound too much." Benson said. "Most of the time I'm
quarterbacking the team, just trying to get the plays start
ed right. I try to maintain a certain poise out there, and
it's pretty easy to do with the good ball players I'm with."
Coach CoIJeen Matsuhara has seen few problems with
Benson.
"Kelli came in with good credentials, and she's a very
hard worker," Matsuhara said. "She's my floor general out
there, and she hates to lose."
Although Matsuhara has been impressed with Benson's
performance so far, she does believe there still are areas
she can improve on.
"Kelli has still got to learn about playing player-to-player
defense." Matsuhara said. "But she's working on it,
and I think her quickness will help hot out quite a bit."
Benson also realizes her defensive weaknesses.
"When I first came here I played very weak defense,"
Benson said. "I had played in a zone defense in high
school, so I had trouble adjusting to man-to-man. I've
worked hard on it; I think it's starting to come around."
Bills feels that Benson should do very well in college
basketball.
"I've seen Kelli do some amazing things." Bills said.
"She had a lot of skills when she came in to high school,
and she left with a lot more. I think she's probably the
best all-around high school player this state has seen."
Although Benson spends much of her time working out
with the team, she doesn't think it has bothered her stud
ies. "I try to budget my time in college." Benson said. "1
think if you dedicate yourself vou can be good in athlet
ics, and in school."
Pepin: Meet could be year's best
By Bill Dunhar
Nebraska women's track coach Gary Pepin isn't about
to hide his excitement over the I tusker Invitational be
ginning tonight at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
"This is going to be one heck of a meet." Pepin said at
practice Wednesday. "It's probably the best indoor
women's track meet at the university level you'll see this
year."
Action will begin at 5 p.m. and continue on into Satur
day. Most of the event finals will be held on Saturday.
Members of five different conferences will be represented.
Arkansas and Houston will represent the Southwest Con
ference. Others attending are Iowa of the Big Ten. Wichita
State and Drake from the North Central Conference, and
Missouri. Kansas State. Iowa State and t'NL from the Big
Fight.
Pepin said the meet will be conducted under a different
formal in that no team scoring will be kept and emphasis
will be put on individual performances.
"What we're trying to do in this meet is give the girls a
chance to perform well in one or two events." Pepin said.
"It gives the girls from all the schools a chance to
qualify for the At AW (Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics for Women) meet later in the vear By not
worrying about how the team is doinc. the eiris will be
under a lot less pressure and this lets' them compete as
individuals." he added.
To qualify for nationals, a standard time for track and
a distance for the field events is set. If a girl meets this
standard, she automatically qualifies.
Pepin said Friday is for qualifying but the two-mile
relay final would be run that evening.
"The two-mile relay could be the most exciting race of
the whole meet." Pepin said "lisa Kramer. Pam Schu
barth. Tami Fssington. and Julie Seeton should run a time
lor us that will get them to the nationals."
The finals on Saturdav are scheduled to hemp, al I n n,
and will be run in conjunction with a men dud .,u-et
between Kansas and Nebraska Ijm ear the KaiiMs nien s
team was ranked second in the nation in dual meets.
"We re awarding wrist watches to the top three fmish
ers m each event. And at the conclusion ot the meet v.e'11
select one outstanding track performer and one field per
former." '
Pepin said he expects to see some good individual per
formances since the meet is designed to help the women
better the national qualifying standards.