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Char H&geiaamt cf Nebraska performs en the vault esxlier this season. Ue
EigSit women's gymnastics claampioasMps begin today at 7:C3 p.m.
t
By Rich Ccoper
Staff Eeporter
Nebraska's women's gymnastics team will go
after its sixth Big Eight Championship and its
third in four years at the Eig Eight Champion
ships Friday and Saturday night at the Bob Dev
aney Sports Center.
Coach Kick' Walton said his team is ready for
the biggest meet of the season. The Huskers will
try to regain the Eig Eight Championship after
finishing second to Oklahoma last year in
Norman.
"The team is now starting to put all four
events together," Walton said. "In past meets it
has been three or even two. Now everybody is
executing their routines really well."
In the last two meets, the 13th-ranked Huskers
have scored their highest scores of the season.
Walton said part of the success is because the
team is getting over its injuries. He said the team
has worked hard in practice and thinks it has a
good shot at beating Oklahoma.
"Oklahoma is a notch above everybody else in
the Big Eight," Walton said. "But they are
MUM
beatable, and If everbody gees out and has their
best meet, then maybe we will come away with
the Big Eight title."
Walton listed Dayna Rose and Amy Priest of
Oklahoma, Gretchen Schmidt cf Missouri and
Linda Elstun of Oklahoma State as potential
all-around champions.
"The all around title is going to come down to
who can perform the best in front cf the Judges,"
Walton said.
The pre meet favodta in the coaches' poll was
defending champion Oklahoma. The Sooners
received four out cf five votes. The other vote
went to Nebraska.
The Sooners are led by Priest, the defending
Big Eight all-around champion. She is ranked
second in all-around behind teammate Dayna
Rose. Priest also is ranked second in the uneven
bars.
"If we make any msjor mistakes and the rest
of the teams are hitting, then we could be hurt,"
Oklahoma Coach Betty Buwick said. "But we feel
conSdent we can bring the trophy back to
Ncrman."
Ccntliaued en Page 10
prove
ciouocers wrong
By Mike EeiHsy
Stiff Reporter
Sports Center.
Height generally is considered to be a disad
vantage in collegiate gymnastics, but Nebraska
Nebraska's Bacine Smith hopes to prove many Coach Kick Walton said the 6-8 Smith is an
people wrong this weekend when the Huskers exception.
challenge defending champion Oklahoma for the "Racine can overcome her height with her
conference title at the Big Eight Women's Gym- power," Walton said. "It really hasn't been a
n&stics Championships at the Bob Devaney disadvantage for her."
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Smith said hr? height works to her advantage
on her favorite event, the uneven parallel bars.
"It really doesn't bother me," the freshman
from Lanham, Md., said. "My long legs help rae to
get more power on the bars."
Before coming to Nebraska, Smith spent two
years competing with the United States Gymnas
tics Federation and the Amateur Athletic Union.
She claimed the AAU national all-around title
both years and finished third in the 1883 Eastern
Nationals.
"She was pretty well known out on the East
Coast," Walton said. "She competed in some
national meets that were pretty prestigious."
Smith was recruited by several colleges,
including Ohio State, Psnn State, Indiana,
Nebraska, Indiana State and Louisiana State.
She chose Nebraska because "I knew it was the
place for me to be both with academics and
gymnastics."
Despite Smith's reputation as a solid all
arounder in AAU and USGF competition, Walton
said, many coaches still doubted her abilities.
"The only question mark she faced coming
into college was that they didn't know if she
could be consistent."
Weak dancing skills hindered Smith's per
formance on the balance beam and floor exer
cises early in her collegiate career.
"Eh was Rsvcr considarsd. a grest dsaesr,
which is important on ths floor exerchs mi ihs
beam " Walton said. "She was one cfthe type cf
omnssts that sveragsd 9.0 to 9.15 en ths beam.
If she had a bad beam, aha had a hzi meet."
Improved consistency has made Smith a top
contender for the conference all-around title.
"She stands a good chance at winning it all,"
Walton said. "It should come de?m to her,
(Oklahoma's) Amy Priest and (Missouri's) Gret
chen Schmidt. She came in here this year and
redly improved."
The beam and floor exercise are not the only
events in which Smith has excelled. She set
school records in the all-around with a 37.20 and
the uneven bars in a triangular with Arizona
State and UCLA two weeks ago.
"The bars is one event that really shows my '
improvement," Ssrdth said. "I'm more of a power
gymnast and that shows cn on the vault and the
bars."
The records have given Smith confidence
going into the conference meet.
"After my last two meets I really think I have a
good chance at winning the all-around " Smith
said. "I've been hitting all my events."
The individual crown is not the only title
Smith wants to win this weekend. She wants the
Huskers to regain the Eig Eight title they lost to
Oklahoma last year.
Since the two teams have not faced each other
this year, Smith said, the Huskers have an
advantage.
"Our chances cf winrdrtg the Big Eight title
are great," Smith said. "Oklahoma has never
seen us so they don't know how good we are.
Nebraska is sneaking up there sad no one knows
it."
Walton said that although the
Huskers hold an advtittsga by being host cfthe
ntisst, the team with the mcst dcterr.iiiation will
prevail
Gridders to play hoop benefit
The Big Red All-Stars, a team of former Big Bed Ail Sturs include former Nebraska
Nebraska frtnfhsl! nnr1 hscVefKoll ti
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play the Big Blue All-Stars, a team cf Lincoln Craig and Junior Miller. Craig Sundberg, Shane
City Bznk & Trust Company cf Lincoln
14th end U Streets ' Phom: 477-4431
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coln High School
Tickets for the game can be purchased at the
Lincoln Opportunities Industrializsiticn Center,
2300 O Street. Admission is $2 for adults and $1
for children under 12. Proceeds from the event
will go to the Lincoln OIC a.nd toward flr.dir.-i a
rucmsrsto
ne mmy trained unit tinmmt -
Swanson and former liosker basketball standout
David Ponce will also pity.
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A Turner Gill Appreciation Bay will be at 1
p.m. Sunday in the Nebraska Centennial Room
for the former Nebraska quarterback. Tickets for
the steak dinner are $10. Nebraska coach Tom
Osborne is the featured speaker.
7
)aMle Omaha
'commandos known as tha ITMT.r?i nK 4
, ,,,, . , " ' " "-o-J Will
battle to fend cSf an invasion by the goddess
forces cf the Omaha Rigby Club in a 1:0 p.m.
E&tch Saturday at East Camp'js. The Huskers
sre fresh off a successful excursion int a Kansas,
where they thrashed the JrAaks mardiM
'Aft ' "
At stake Saturday mill be the Huskers' un
blemished 1-0 record and quite possibly the
peace ar.i security cfthe entire civilized world.
Editsfs mete: Its sdl-senisa tcne cf
24-0.
tils sstlds is ia no way ccsasctcd to tsi
fict thjit trro D!j Isetissisa senior