Friday, January 20, 1934
Dally Nebrcskan
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By Jnclc Denkcr
It's been four years since a team other than
Nebraska won the Big Eight women's indocr track
championship.
When another Big Eight indoor season begins this
weekend, most conference coaches expect Nebraska
to literally sprint out of the blocks and never look
back.
"Nebraska returns a lot of talented people and
they have a lot of quality depth to go with it," Kansas
Coach Carla Coffey said. "And on the basis of what
they have done in the past, one would have to con
sider them the front-runner for the conference
title."
Thirteen Husker letter-winners return, including
seven All-Americans, to lead Nebraska. Add to that
the return of world-class sprinter Merlene Ottey
and Nebraska should have more than enough fire
power to win its fourth straight Big Eight indoor
title and quite possibly a third consecutive national
title.
Last season Nebraska scored 1 72 points in the Big
Eight indoor meet, which more than doubled the
score of second-place Kansas State. Husker Coach
Gary Pepin said his team should be even stronger
this year, which certainly doesn't send optimism
soaring at the other Big Eight schools.
"We have basically the same team as a year ago,
but we should be a better conference-level team if
we don't have a lot of injuries," Pepin said.
The strengths of the 1084 Cornhuskers, according
to Pepin, are the sprints, hurdles and middle dis
tance events. With veteran All-Americans Janet .
Burke, Jennie Gorham-Badami, Nicole Ali, Angela
Thacker, who also doubles as a long jumper, and
Ottey, Nebraska may have the best group of sprin
ters in the country. Pepin said Ottey would run in
only three indoor meets this season, the Husker
Invitational, the Big Eight meet and the national
championship.
Two other All-Americans, Rhonda Blanford, two
time Big Eight indoor hurdle champ, and middle
distance runner Marcia Tate should also provide
Nebraska with valuable points.
r. Nebraska's only real weakness may come in the
high jump and shot put, where 1933 Big Eight
indoor champ Karen Wood isn't returning.
A confident Pepin labeled his team the obvious
pre-season favorite for the Big Eight title, saying, "If I
had to vote for a team to win, I'd vote for us."
With Nebraska the overwhelming favorite, the
battle for second could be tight. Any one of the
remaining seven teams has the potential to finish
second, the Big Eight coaches said.
"After Nebraska, you are looking at a situation
where any team could finish as high as second or as
bad as eighth,Mowa State Coach Ron Renko said.
"The difference may come down to the perfor
mances of one or two quality athletes."
"Nebraska is the team to beat," Coffey said. "But
the battle for second is up for grabs." Last year's
second-place team, Kansas State, may have the best
chance to unseat the Buskers.
"We should be as good or better than last year,"
KSU Coach Steve Miller said. "We're a very balanced
team with outstanding individuals in every event."
Leading the way for the Wildcats will be Deb Pihl,
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Nebraska hurdler Rhonda Blanford prepares for
the coming Indoor track season. Blanford Is a two
time EI3 Eiht champion fertile defending national
champion Ilusiers.
who won the mile and 1,000-meter run last year in
the Big Eight meet. Miller said he would run Pihl in
at least two or three events again this year.
To go with Pihl, KSU will also be strong in the
jumping events. Kelly Wenlock, the defending Big
Eight long jump champ, returns and Miller expects
high jumper Rita Graves to be better than last year.
Donna King and Michelle Maxey should help Kan
sas State in the sprints.
Miller said the biggest problem his team will face
this season is a lack of depth. Last season they used
1 7 freshmen and sophomores which will make them
predominantly an underclassman team in 1034,
Miller said.
Missouri is the team most coaches feel will finish
third in the Big Eight race.
First-year Tiger Coach Rick McGuire said the
strengths of his team will come in the middle dis
tance events. The Tigers will have five good runners
in events one milaor longer, McGuSre said.
All-Americans Andrea Fischer and Sabrina Dorn
hoefer, plus freshman Jill Kinphury finished first,
second and third at the Bis Eight Cros3 Country
meet in 1033 and will be MU's leaders. Lynn Biggs,
the defending 880 indoor champ, and Cyd Thomas
also return.
"We are not going to enter the Big Eight meet with
the intention of scoring large amounts of points,"
McGuire said. "We are going to isolate the things we
do best and build the team from there. But we will
try to finish in the top four."
Renko expects his Cyclones to move up from last
year's disappointing seventh-place finish to chal
lenge for the upper division.
"I would be disappointed if we didn't earn a top
half finish in the Big Eight," Renko said. "We hope we
are in the same league as the middle teams and I
expect us to be competitive enough to do it."
ISU will field a fairly respectable team in the mid
dle and longer distance events, Renko said, and have
some good quality performers in the sprints. Suzanne
Youngberg and freshman Bonnie Suns will be com
petitive in the distance events, while Margaret Davis
is also respectable, Renko said.
Renko said he anticipates more from ISU in the
field events this year. Lois Green is the Cyclones' top
triple jumper and Kelly Mathews, who was injured
last season, is back. Renko said Mathews is ISlFs
most dangerous running and jumping threat.
Kansas is rated the best of the rest by the coaches
because they have a strong team in the field events.
Stine Lerdahl could be the Big Eight's premier
shot putter, while Connie McKernan will compete in
the pentathalon and heptathalon. Dana Bryant is
KlTs best high high jumper.
Coffey said Kansas will be weak in depth and the
short sprints, where their only top returner is Dora
Spearman.
Kansas and Oklahoma finished in a tie for fifth
last year and the coaches believe things won't
change much in 1084.
"We are not going to be" a really strong team, but
we won't be a bad team either," OU Coach J.D. Mar
tin said. "I think we'll be kind of mediocre."
The middle distance events seem to be Oklaho
ma's strong point this season, thanks to the return
of Annette Campbell, who finished sixth at the
national meet last year and freshman Sandra Sil
vera, who will run the 400 and 880.
Sherifa Sanders will be one of the conference's top
hurdlers and long jumpers this year, while Jane
Clough is an All-American high jumper.
Colorado finished fourth last year, and this year
will rely on sprinter Donna Walker and Lisa Green
field, who high jumps and competes in the
pentathalon.
Oklahoma State rounds out the Big Eight. Dis
tance runner Chris McMiken is the Cowgirls' best
chance for a high conference finish.
Basketball teams play two against .Mizsou
Missouri (1 1-4, 0-1) tX Nebraska (11-3, 1-0)
THE STARTEES:
P. Nebreska , Yr. Ht Ptt. Reb.
G David Ponce Sr. 5-10 8.9 1.7
G Eric Williams Sr. 6-2 7.2 2.4
C DaveHoppen So. 6-11 19.8 7.2
F John Matzke So. 6-6 4.1 2.3
F Stan Cloudy Sr. 6-4 13.5 6-1
P. Klttourl Yr. Ht. Pis. Reb.
G Prince Bridges Sr. 6-112 11.5 2.5
G Ron Jones Sr. 6-4 9.1 3.5
C GregCavener Jr. 6-10 13.1 8.1
F Blake Wortham So. ' 6-10 7.2 5.0
F Malcolm ThomasJr. 6-7 18.5 10.4
The Series: Missouri leads 83-71. The Tigers
swept the Huskers last season in three games,
defeating them 64-51 in Lincoln, 79-56 in Colum
bia and 69-63 in the semi-finals of the Big Eight
Tournament in Kansas City. The Tigers have won ,
four straight games against Nebraska, including
two in the Big Eight semi-finals. The Tigers have
also won the last two games between the teams in
the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The game: The Huskers are coming off a come
back win against Iowa State Wednesday night in
Ames. They came back from a nine point second-
half deficit to win 64-63. Missouri lost to Kansas
73-56 in Lawrence Wednesday. The Tigershad
been riding a five-game winning streak before the
loss to the Jayhawks. Nebraska is currently on a
four-game win streak.
Nebraska Coach Moe lb a said one of the keys to
a Nebraska victory will be preventing Missouri
from getting second and third shots. .
"They've got such a height advantage on our
basketball team," Iba said. "It's going to be diffi
cult to stop their first shot. We'll have to hit the
defensive boards. Ml take a super effort on our
part."
Iba said this Missouri team is different than the
Missouri team last year in its style of play. Last
year's team was led by All-Big Eight players Steve
Stipanovich and Jon Sundvold who were both
first-round draft choices in the NBA
"They're playing more of a power game now,"
Iba said. "They're pushing the ball inside all the
time."
Defensively, the Tigers are more of a physical
team than they were last season.
"It's hard to get a second shot against them "
Iba said.
The Tigers are shooting 52 percent from the
field for the season compared to their opponents'
43 percent. Iba said the Tigers have become more
patient on offense thi3 season.
"Last year, Sundvold would take shots from
way out on the lloor," Iba said. "This season they
don't shoot much further out than 15 feet."
Malcolm Thomas, a junior college transfer from
Moberly Mo., has led the Tigers in scoring and
rebounding all season. Nebraska tried to recruit
Thomas out of Moberly. Iba said he hasn't decided
who will have the responsibility of shutting him
down.
Missouri Coach Norm Stewart said after the
Tigers' loss to Kansas Wednesday that the Big
Eight race would be a wide open one.
"It's going to be crazy," Stewart said. "I thought
all along that Nebraska would be there."
"Iowa State likes to get away from you," Stewart
said. "Nebraska's a hard team to get away from."
The Women: The Nebraska women's basketball
team will host 17th-ranked Missouri at 5:15 Sat
urday before the men's game. The Huskers, who
defeated Iowa State Wednesday 79-75, are led by
Debra Powell with 18.3 points per game. Powell
also pulb down 6.9 rebounds per game. Other
starters for Nebraska will be Terri Parriott (5.9
points per game, 2.4 rebounds) Annie Miller
(13.0, 7.9), Kelli Benson (8.9, 3.2) and Cathy Owen
(8.9, 4.3). The Tigers will be led by All-American
candidate Joni Davis.
