Payo 10
Daily IMcbraskan
Thursday, March 4, 1982
Sports
Swimmers, divers seeking Big Eight victory
ily Mark Krausc
Tlic waters of the Bob Devancy
Sports Center pool; will be stirred up
this weekend as the University of Ne
braska plays host to competitors in the
Big Eight Swimming and Diving Champ
ionships. The meet will run today through Sat
urday. Competition will begin at noon
each day, with finals at 7:30 each even
ing. The Huskers will be seeking their
third consecutive conference champion
ship. Coach Cal Bentz said the meet is a
very important one for the Huskers,
even though some added emphasis has
been given this year to the national
meet.
"We must get the job done at home
before we start thinking about the nat
ionals," Bentz said. He said he believes
his team can do the job.
"All indications arc that we are ready
to swim well. We have spent a lot of
time in the water and in the weight
room and these guys are ready to see it
all pay off," Bcntz said.
Bentz praised his 19th-ranked team
as a whole rather than singling out
specific outstanding performers.
"I think that we have so many good
athletes," Bentz said. "Any or all of
them arc outstanding in their own
events."
These good athletes include Tim
Boyd, Matt Rye and Cliff Looschen.
Boyd and Rye arc seniors, while
Looschen is a freshman.
Boyd is Nebraska's only returning
Big Eight individual champion. He
captured the 50-yard freestyle crown
last year. Rye, who finished second
place in the 200-yard individual medley
last year, should challenge for the crown
again this year,
No serious injuries
Bentz said he is unaware of any seri
ous injuries to his team. The Huskers'
weakest events will be the 100-yard
butterfly and the 1600-yard freestyle
because they have only two swimmers
in these races, he said.
Bentz said the Huskers have an
advantage because of a large number of
good pcrfonners. He said he sees
Kansas, Missouri and Iowa State as
"pretty even with some excellent
swimmers."
Bcntz singled out Gardner Wright
and Ron Neugcnt as the Jayhawks to
watch. Iowa State will bring top per
formers Dave Symons and Gary
DcRoos.
Symons is the Big Eight champion in
the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events.
DeRoose is the' conference champion in
the 100-yard backstroke and a national
qualifier.
Divers balanced
In diving, Coach Jeff Hubcr said his
team "is a little more balanced this
year." He said the divers should do well.
"All four of our divers have a legiti
mate shot at winning," Huber said.
These divers are veterans Lance Green,
Dave Goodwin, Scott Hinrichsand new
comer Reynaldo Castro. They will be
challenged by Missouri's Steve Braun,
Hubcr said.
"He beat us on the low board in
Missouri, so we can't take this meet too
lightly," Huber said.
The Huskcr team has not competed
since a Feb. 13 dual victory against
Kansas. The layoff will not hamper the
team, Bcntz said.
'They arc all rested and a little excit
ed," Bentz said. "We arc building into a
crescendo."
Co-captain looking forward
to swimming's 'last hurrah'
By Mark QuandahT
Nebraska men's swimming and diving
team co-captain Mark Diedrich is look
ing forward to the Big Eight Champion
ships this weekend, even though it may
be his last meet.
"This is it. My last hurrah," said
Diedrich, a senior from Hillsdale, 111.
"It'll be good to be done, but I don't
feel empty, knowing that I've done all I
can do."
"If 1 swim out of my head, I've got a
chance to qualify for the NCAA," he
said.
But qualifying for the Nationals isn't
his primary goal, said Diedrich, who
swims the 100- and 200-yard breast
stroke, "Number one, I want to go out with
my best times in both events," he said.
"However, the team win is what it's all
about.
"If each individual performs to his
potential, the score will take care of it
self," he said.
Diedrich expects his last Big Eight
meet to be emotional.
"I've spent 15 years of my life swim
ming," he said. "And I've always gotten
out of it what I've put into it."
He said his two-year stint as the
team's co-captain was "kind of an
honor, since the guys on the team pick
you."
Team on upswing
Diedrich said he is looking forward
to watching the Huskers' progress next
year.
"Nebraska is on the upswing," he
said.
Diedrich, who was an all-state and
ail-American in high school, said he had
to make a big adjustment when he
switched from high school to college
swimming.
"College competition is a lot harder,
a lot better," he said. "And they use
totally different training methods."
Diedrich said he was all set to go to
Illinois after high school, but longtime
friend Bill Booth persuaded him to
come to UNL on a recruiting trip.
"When I came in, the program was
nothing," he said. "But I took a chance.
I said 'let's go for it.' "
"The first year, we didn't have too
much. Cal (Coach Bentz) built up from
depth," he said. "There were maybe one
or two swimmers winning, but our
success was due to sheer numbers."
That year, the Huskers finished
fourth in the conference.
"Four years later we're at the top of
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Photo by Dave Bentz
Co -captain of the men's swimming and diving team, Mark Diedrich, prepares for
this weekend's conference championships. Championship action begins at the Bob
Devaney Sports Center pool at noon today.
the Big Eight," Diedrich said. "Now
there's more qualifying for nationals.
We're still deep, but we're hitting better.
You can't go to the nationals with
quantity - you need quality."
"It's pretty cool to watch a program
develop like Nebraska's has," he said.
Family important
Diedrich said family support has
played an important part in shaping his
swimming career. Besides his brother
and teammate, Mike, Diedrich credited
his parents.
"They encourage me, never pressured
me and were always helpful," he said.
"They were really happy when I got a
scholarship out of it."
Diedrich said that at times, it was
tough getting his scholastic and
swimming priorities straight at UNL.
"Sometimes it's hard not to fall
asleep," Diedrich said about studying.
"You have to scratch and claw to get
by, and your social life suffers," he said.
"But it's worth it."
Diedrich said he would like to see his
brother Mike, Dave Achtemeir, Bill
Booth and Guy Foster do well at the
Big Eight meet.
"They really want it, and all have
been swimming well in the stretch," he
said.
"It's guys like us that make the
difference," Diedrich said. "We could be
first on a team like Oklahoma. But I'd
rather be fourth here and be on a
winner."
Crew training for spring meets
By Kevin VVarneke
As the opening of UNL Mens' and Womens' Crew
season looms less than a month away, the crew members
have been putting in six days of practice each week.
The squad begins their season with a week of practice
in Texas during spring break. Before returning to Lincoln,
the squad will compete at Oklahoma City against crews
from Wichita State, Washburn, Kansas and Minnesota.
The Dallas and Oklahoma City rowing clubs will also
compete in the meet.
April 3, the squad will contend Michigan State, Notre
Dame, Iowa and Kansas State in the home opener. All
home meets are in Omaha at Dam Site 12.
"We practice at Capitol Beach in Lincoln, but all our
home meets are in Omaha because there are better facilit
ies there," said Joel Merriman coach of the mens' varsity
squad.
Although the official spring season does not begin until
they actually practice on the water, the squad has been
practicing Monday through Saturday.
The practices consist of running Monday, Wednesday
Friday and Saturday. Tuesdays and Thursdays, the squad
works out on the rowing facility at the Boathouse, which
is a big cement tank that simulates rowing. The crew also
works on an ergometer, which is a rowing machine. The
squad members also go through circuit training, consisting
of 14 one-minute stations that each member completes
twice. The stations include jumping rope, bench press and
military lifting.
"Last season we had a one-minute rest between
circuits, now we don't," Merriman said. "This makes it
twice as hard."
The highlight of the season, Merriman said, will be the
Midwest Sprints at Madison, Wis., late in the season.
"We should be in the top six out of the 20 teams pre
sent at the meet," he said.
Merriman said the womens' crew should have a power
ful lightweight4 team and the men should win every meet
they have at home.
"We can't tell about the novice teams," Merriman said.
"They usually don't develop until after spring training."
Self-motivation and the fact that the team is self
supporting are two strong points of the squad, Merriman
said.
"You are your own motivator," he said. "We don't
have 76,000 people cheering us on. We're also spending
our own money, so we want to get the most out of it."
"We started with people who didn't even know what
crew was and worked to a nationally ranked team," Merri
man said. "Since we come from the cornfields of Nebra
ska, we get laughed at by the established crews like
Harvard, but only until we put our boat in the water and
show what we can do."
Sports Shorts
Tickets for this weekend's men's Big Eight Conference
swimming and diving championships are still available.
Passes which are good for all sessions can be purchased for
$8. Single-session tickets cost S3 for adults and $2 for
students.
The Nebraska baseball team will open its home season
Saturday at Buck Beltzer Field. The Huskers will meet
Sioux Falls College at 1 p.m. for a double-header
Nebr?ska High School girl's state basketball tourna
ment action begins today at four Lincoln sites. Class A
games will be played at Pershing Auditorium, Class B
games will be at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, Class C
will play at Lincoln High and Class D action will take
place at Lincoln East. First round play begins at noon.
Saturday's final round action will be televised live by
KOLN-TVKGIN-TV. Final round action will begin at
noon in Pershing Auditorium.