Wednesday, February 25, 1987
Page 10
Daily Nebraskan
Wrestler from Michigan finds
strength, wins at Nebraska
despite two nagging injuries
By David Mussman
Staff Reporter
Andy Latora, a 142-point fresh
man on the Nebraska wrestling
team, wants to add muscle to his
frame and wins to his record.
"His main asset is his technique,"
Coach Tim Newmann said. "He can
beat a lot of people that are stronger
with that."
'It's an individual
sport, but you
have to win for the
team.'
Latora
Latora, who wrestled in the 132
pound weight class in high school,
moved to the 142-pound division in
college. Despite a 16-8-1 record so
far this season, Latora doesn't think
he is strong enough yet. He said
technique and conditioning are
always important, but strength is
his main concern now.
Latora, from Portage, Mich.,
Northern High School, won two state
titles in the 132-pound weight class
and compiled a 163-17-0 record in
high school.
After redshirting behind senior
Chris Marisette last year, Latora has
had his ups and downs this season,
Neumann said. Competition for the
starting spot from Lane Billings,
and a series of nagging shoulder and
ankle problems have kept Latora
out of several meets.
"He's had to concentrate a lot of
his effort on just making the team,"
Neumann said.
NU's junior gymnast
sparks women's team
By Kyle Schurman
Staff Reporter
Becoming the oldest gymnast on the
team and an instant team leader dur
ing her junior year has not bothered
Nebraska's Racine Smith at all.
In fact, Smith said, she likes it.
"I feel kind of like a mother to the
other girls," Smith said. "I took after
them."
Nebraska women's gymnastics coach
viol I
Kick Walton said Smith has stepped
into the leadership role by becoming
mere mature and "ultra-consistent"
this season.
"She's a catalyst for our floor-exercise
team,". Walton said. "She really
gets the rest of the girls going. She's
setting a good pattern for our freshmen."
Smith tied for first in the floor exer
cise during her freshman year at the
Big Eight championships. She slipped
to a tie for ninth in that event at last
year's Big Eight meet, but she said she
thinks she has improved there this year
because cf a new routine.
Smith finished sixth and tied for
But Neumann said Latora's strug
gles strengthened him mentally and
improved his confidence.
Latora agreed that his mental
conditioning has improved drasti
cally since coming to Nebraska, he
said his redshirt season gave him
time to get the feel of collegiate
wrestling without competing.
Latora says his main problem this
season is motivation.
"It's hard to stay up for practice
i? 1
, ,
Latora
every day," Latora said. "In high
school we were all studs, but here,
everybody has a state title."
Even though Latora has wrestled
only 25 times this season, he remains
an important factor on the team,
Neumann said.
The team "has to count on a win
out of him at 142," Neumann said.
Latora said that the team is the
most important consideration dur
ing a meet.
"It's an individual sport," Latora
said, "but you have to win for the
team."
seventh in the all-around competition
of the Big Eight championships during
her freshman and sophomore years, but
she is not participating in the all
around this year.
"(Not participating in the all-around)
kind of bothered me at first," Smith
said. "However, we have more depth
this year and it's better to put the top
six in each event out there."
Walton said Smith is "the logical
choice for our third all-arounder. How
ever, we're getting production out of
everyone, it's not just one or two or
three kids winning everything. With all
our depth, we're really spreading it
around."
Smith, from Lanham, Md., said she
was recruited by Penn State. Oklahoma
State, Georgia, Indiana State, Utah
State, Maryland and Nebraska. Smith
said she had many reasons for choosing
Nebraska.
"I liked everything about the school,
especially the academics," she said.
"However, it came down to gymnastics,
and Nebraska had the best facilities. I
also could tell that this team would be
. a top-10 team down the road."
Smith said the Cornhuskers have set
some high goals for the Big Eight
Championships this year.
"We want to win and blow the Uni
versity of Oklahoma off the map like
we've done twice already this year,"
Smith said. "All I want to do is hit my
sets and then I'll score well."
Smith said she wants to win the Big
Eight, go to nationals, and become
more consistent in her senior season.
However, she said, she is still thinking
about this season.
"We've got a lot of schools scared of
us this year," Smith said. "The pres
sure is on the other teams and not us. I
kind of like that."
ConiSrasIiers vs. the Cowboys;
Two teams in need off a victoiy
By Jeff Apel
Staff Reporter
A pair of teams facing similar situa
tions will oppose one another when the
Nebraska men's basketball team plays
Oklahoma State tonight in Stillwater.
Nebraska forward Bernard Day said
the Cornhuskers and Cowboys appear
to be operating under the same cir
cumstances because both programs
are under first-year coaches and both
teams are fighting for additional con
ference victories.
Nebraska, 15-10, needs the win to
solidify the possibility of a post-season
birth in the National Invitational Tour
nament. Oklahoma State coach Leo
nard Hamilton said the Cowboys need
the victory to establish some late
season momentum.
Oklahoma State is currently 8-17
overall and 4-8 in Big Eight Conference
play.
"Each time we win we're gaining a
certain amount of confidence," Hamil
ton said, "and that confidence is impor
tant for us."
Hamilton, a former assistant coach
at Kentucky, said he credits the Cow
boys' ability to realize their limits as
the reason for Oklahoma State's recent
success.
The Cowboys have won two of their
last four conference games, upsetting
both Oklahoma and Iowa State.
"We've played better the last couple
of games," Hamilton said. "We're start
ing to take advantage of the things we
do well."
Hamilton said he doesn't think the
Cowboys match the Huskers because of
Nebraska's speed advantage.
During the Husker's 73-66 victory
over Oklahoma State earlier this year,
Hamilton said the Cowboys couldn't
offset Nebraska's up-tempo play.
"We have to find a way to contain
that quickness," Hamilton said.
Day said the Cornhuskers have been
working on their boxing out and re
bounding during their three days of
preparation for the Cowboys.
"Those are areas that have been giv
ing us problems," Day said.
Iwimmer
By Mark Derowitsch
Staff Reporter
Nebraska swimmer Mike Irvin has
been touring Europe for the last few
weeks, but he has done more than just
sightseeing.
Irvin, a sophomore from Riverside,
Calif., has been in Europe competing
for the United States National team
against European squads. He held his
own in the international competitions.
But Irvin was fortunate just to get to
Europe. At first, he was on the second
international squad.
"The team was picked according to
the longcourse Senior National meet,"
Irvin said. "I was originally on the B
team, but a certain number of people
on the A team couldn't compete for one
reason or another so they combined the
A and B teams for Europe."
Irvin's best meet was the Coca-Cola
meet in Paris. He placed second in the
200-yard individual medley and third in
the 400-yard IM.
"I did a lot better than I thought I
would," Irvin said. "I was really sur
prised. At Paris, I swam as fast as I did
all last summer."
The next meet was the East German
Championships. Irvin slipped to sixth
in the 200 IM and finished third in the
400 IM.
"That was a really fast meet," Irvin
said. "There' were all kinds of records
set there."
Irvin was a high-school All-American
during his junior and senior years. After
he completed his eligibility, he was
recruited by Hawaii, Brigham Young
Nevada-Las Vegas and Nebraska. He
choose Nebraska for several reasons.
"It was the combination of the aca
demics, the swim team and the scho
larship," he said. "The academics was
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Ward WilliamsDaily Nebraskan
Nebraska's Keith Neubert battles an Oklahoma State player
for a rebound during the Cornhuskers' 73-66 win against the
Cowboys Feb. 1.
Day said rebounding will beparticu- by 6-9 center Sylvester Kincheon and
larly crucial because Oklahoma State forward Ray Alford.
employs an offense which likes to work "I think they are an improving team,"
the ball inside. Day said. "Everybody seems to get
The Cowboys' offensive attack is led involved."
aids national team
just as good, if not better, than the
other three schools. I was real comfor
table around the guys during my
. recruiting visit. And the scholarship
was just as good as the other schools."
Irvin proved to be a valuable recruit
during his freshman year. He won indi
vidual titles in the 200 and 400 IM at
the Big Eight Championships. He also
finished second in the 1,650-yard free
style and was a member of the 800-yard
freestyle (earn that finished first in the
conference. To cap off his first year, he
was named the Outstanding Male Per
former at the Big Eight Championships.
Irvin
Despite all of his success, Irvin
failed to qualify for the NCAA Cham
pionships. But he was still satisfied
with his first collegiate season.
"I was pleased to a point," Irvin said.
"I was pleased about How well I did.
But I was disappointed that I missed
the NCAA cut. Then I swam at the
Junior Nationals and I made the cut,
but couldn't go."
This year, Irvin has already qualified
for the NCAA meet in the 200 IM and
the 400 IM.
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He also has recorded the best times
in the Big Eight in the 200-yard but
terfly and the 500-yard freestyle. Even
though he leads the conference in
these two events, Irvin doesn't figure
that he will qualify for the NCAA meet
in either event.
"I'd love to (qualify for other events)
but I probably can't," Irvin said. "I
swim individual events fairly decent,
but not well enough to make the NCAA
cuts."
But that doesn't prevent Irvin from
setting high goals for the NCAA Cham
pionships, he said.
"I'd love to make the finals, the top
16, at the NCAA's, but I hope to place
and make the top eight so I can get a
medal," Irvin said.
Nebraska coach Cal Bentz said Irvin's
hard work this season should pay off.
"He's working harder now, and he
has his goals more clearly defined. He
knows what he has to do to place at the
NCAA Championships, and since he's
already made it, he can begin to focus
on getting placed," Bentz said.
Although Irvin has qualified for the
national meet, he still sees some areas
in which to improve.
"I have a couple points in my IM," he
said. "My turns are a little weak and
the middle events the breaststroke
.and the backstroke are a little
weak. Also, it's a little hard to train for
the 400 IM and the 1,650 IM, which I
swam last year. More than anything, I
wanted to get out of the 1,650 IM,
which I have this year."
Bentz said the rest of the team also ,
benefits from Irvin's work.
"He certainly leads by example in
that he works hard and performs well.
These characteristics are easily picked
up by other members of the team,"
Bentz said.
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