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Monday, February 29,1988
Cornhuskers remain Big 8 indoor track champions
By Kyle Schurman
Staff Reporter
Nebraska’s men “cranked it up a notch” Sat
urday, and it paid off as they joined the Corn
husker women in winning the Big Eight indoor
track championships at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center.
The title was the ninth-straight for the
Nebraska women, while the Husker men won
their second straight title and third in four years.
Nebraska track coach Gary Pepin said that
having both teams claim indoor titles for the
second straight year was satisfying.
“(Two wins are) a lot more special because
you’re so tied up with the two teams they’re like
a family,” Pepin said. “If one half of the family
isn’t as happy, it’s not as much fun.”
Pepin said he wasn’t sure the men would not
be able to defend their conference title.
“1 was really worried and uptight all the time
about the men’s meet,” Pepin said. “I knew we
had to click on all cylinders and have a great
team effort.”
Pepin said sophomore Frank Graham
clicked the most when he pulled off an upset in
the mile by winning in 4:08.2. Pepin said
Graham’s win may have been the spark that
carried Nebraska to the title. The Huskers
defeated second-place Iowa State 114 2/3-961/
3. Oklahoma was third with 81 1/3 points, and
Kansas State Finished fourth with 69.
Nebraska also won the women’s portion of
the competition, as the Huskers scored 156
points to easily outdistance second-place Mis
souri, which Finished with 83 points. Iowa State
was third with 63 points, followed by Colorado
with 55.
Pepin was impressed by the performance of
Graham.
“Graham just ran super,” Pepin said. “The
mile really helped and brought up the whole
team’s spirit. It always kind of sparks the rest of
your team when a kid wins an event he’s not
supposed to. We had hoped to place well (in the
mile), but we didn't expect that.”
Graham said he was a little surprised he won.
“I didn’t think I had enough confidence to
win it,” Graham said. “But when I was in front
I said, ‘Frank, you can win this.’ It just really
helps to motivate the team.”
Graham injured his hip last year and did not
compete in the Big Eight championships.
“I thought of this year as a year to redeem
myself, and this is it,” Graham said as he held
up his gold medal. “What I’ve just done shows
what a little extra effort can do.”
Graham joined Bill Troll, who won the 55
meter dash, and James Blackledge, who won
the high jump, as Nebraska’s individual cham
pions.
Trott said the fact that Missouri’s Victor
Edet had beaten him in the 55 at last year’s
conference meet helped motivate him. Trott
won in 6.22 seconds, while Edet was third with
a time of 6.29.
“I didn’t get a great start and I had to come
back,” Trott said. “Last year, I had a great start,
but (Edet) came back on me. When I got behind
this time all I could think about was last year.”
Trott, who has qualified for the NCAA
Championships Mar. 11 -12 in Oklahoma City,
Okla., said he thinks he can do well there.
“Right now, I’ve got the speed,” Trott said,
“but I’ve got to focus on some little things.”
Blackledge said he was disappointed with
his jump of 7-feet-1/4, but was glad he won
because Nebraska needed the points.
“For me, it’s important to do well for the
team,” Blackledge said. “That’s all this meet is
about for me. I would’ve liked to jump higher,
but high jumpers always want to jump higher.
Nebraska’s Bob Jelks, the defending confer
ence champion in the 300, finished second
Saturday to Missouri’s Izaiq Adeyanju by one
hundredth of a second. Jelks said he has been
trying to recover from a pulled hamstring in his
left leg. Saturday’s 300 was his first individual
event this season.
Jelks said he was confident Nebraska would
win the conference title.
“It seems like everyone has picked it up a
notch,” Jelks said. “I didn’t win, but as long as
the team wins, that covers it up. We’ve just kind
of nickel-and-dimed it.”
Nebraska earned three second-place fin
ishes, two third-place finishes and eight fourth
place finishes. The Husker coaches said before
the meet that the lower-places would be impor
tant to Nebraska’s chances of winning the meet.
“Coming into this meet, originally, we had
to have good efforts up and down the line,”
Pepin said. “We had them.”
Pepin said the Nebraska women did not have
to work as hard to win their half of the meet.
“With the women’s team, we felt like we had
such a strong team, even if we had a couple of
events not go well, we could still win,” Pepin
said. “This women’s team is one of the best
we’ve ever had here and this was another great
meet.”
The Husker women scored in all 17 events
and had seven individual champions. The
Huskcrs now want to do well at the NCAA
championships, Pepin said.
“We’ve got a chance to go to the NCAA
meet and certainly be a top-10 team,” Pepin
said. “We maybe can be better than a top-10
Learn.”
Nebraska’s Linclta Wilson won the 400.
Wilson was named me women s most valuable
performer for the second-straight year by
members of the media that were present. Iowa
State’s Bamaba Korir, who won three events,
was named as the men's most valuable per
former.
Wilson said she was focusing more on the
NCAA meet because of the lack of competition
at Saturday’s meet.
“I was basically looking for a team win,”
Wilson said. “I’m focusing on nationals and I
ran a relaxed race. I didn’t have much compe
tition.”
Even though Wilson ran a 53.58 in the 400,
which was more than one second slower than
her sports center record of 52.52, she said she
was pleased with her race.
“People run a lot better under competition,”
Wilson said. “On the last straightaway I didn’t
hear any yelling, so I kind of started relaxing.”
Wilson said Nebraska’s women should do
very well at the nationals.
“I think we’ve got a chance to win it if
everyone goes in with a real positive attitude
and is healthy,” she said.
Nebraska’s Karen Kruger jumped 21-1/2
Friday to win the long jump, and she ran 6.91 to
finish second in the 55 Saturday. She said sne
was disappointed with the 55 because she ran a
6.85 in the preliminaries Friday.
“I’m happy, though,” Kruger said. “I
jumped really well. I did my job and I’m
satisfied.”
The other Nebraska women’s individual
champions were Toyia Bames in the shot put,
Renita Robinson in the triple jump, Michelle
Milling in the 600, Tammy Thurman in the high
jump and the 1,600-relay team of Beth Web
ster, Sharon Powell, Lisa O’Connell and
Wilson.
■---1
Comhuskers fall to Cyclones
By Tim Hartmann
Senior Reporter
Henry T. Buchanan’s last-second
jump shot against Iowa State didn’t
fall, but the faces of the Nebraska
team did.
“If it goes down, I’m all smiles,”
Nebraska coach Danny Nee said.
Instead, the Comhuskers suffered
an 85-84 loss to Iowa State Saturday
afternoon before a season-high
14,555 fans at the Bob Dcvancy
Sports Center.
Nebraska took an 84-82 lead with
1:03 left in the game when Richard
van Poelgecst, who led the Huskers
with a career-high 19 points, hit two
free throws. Iowa State tied the game
10 seconds later when Jeff Grayer
also converted a pair of free throws.
Nebraska then held the ball until
guard Eric Johnson missed a 10-foot
jump shol with 17 seconds remain
ing. The Cyclones got the rebound
and Nebraska’s Beau Reid fouled
Mike Born while attempting a steal.
Bom, a transfer from the Univer
sity of Ncbraska-Omaha, had not
missed a free throw in 11 Big Eight
games. He said he did not mind
shooting a pressure free throw in
front of a hostile crowd.
“I kind of like those situations,
because it’s you against the crowd,
you against the world,” Bom said.
“I’ve been using the same free throw
style for about the last 10games. I’ve
been trying to concentrate and relax
and it worked tonight.”
Born made his first free throw, but
missed the second to give Nebraska
13 seconds to win the game. Nee said
the 13-foot shot Buchanan took was
See NEE on 10
Nee to sign Indiana recruit
By Mark Derowitsch
Senior Reporter
An Indiana high school basketball
player has announced he will sign a
national letter of intent to attend
Nebraska.
Eric Dolezal, a 6-foot-3 guard
from La Porte, Ind., made an oral
commitment to Nebraska Friday.
Dolezal averages 24.5 points and 8.3
rebounds for La Porte High School.
He was selected to the Indiana all
stale team as a junior.
La Porte High School coach Joe
Otis said Dolezal knew all along
where he wanted to go.
“He wanted an opportunity to play
as a freshman,” Otis said, “and he
thinks he’ll be given that chance. All
along, Nebraska was the kind of
place he really wanted to go."
La Porte is ranked 14th in Indiana,
where there are no class restrictions.
La Porte ended its regular season
with a 17-3 record, its best finish ever
in its 40-ycar history.
Otis said rapport with Nebraska
coach Danny Nee and assistant coach
Lynn Mitchcm allowed Dolezal to
make a commitment to Nebraska.
“I think coaches Nee and
Mitchcm had a lot to do with it,” Otis
said. “He really developed a good
relationship with Lynn. Also, Nee’s
success at Ohio where he turned the
program around convinced him on
Nebraska.
“He’s also had an attraction to
play in the Big Eight and in a big-time
basketball conference.”
Otis said Dolezal, who was re
cruited by Toledo and Evansville,
has the athletic ability to compete in
the Big Eight.
“He’s an excellent athlete,” Otis
said, “and it seems like the Big Eight
is a conference full of great athletes.
He fils the Big Eight mold.”
Otis said Dolezal, who also runs
track and played football for La Porte
during his sophomore year, will have
an immediate impact on the Ne
braska program. HesaidDolezal will
not be effected by the academic re
quirements set by Proposition 48
because he has a B-averagc.
Otis said Dolezal’s hard work in
the off-season will help him at Ne
braska.
“He’s a kind of kid that always
docs everything to improve in thcoff
scason,” Otis said. “He’s also used to
pressure. I don’t think it’ll take him
long to adjust to the Big Eight.”
Otis said Dolezal has been men
tioned for Indiana’s Mr. Basketball
award, which goes to the state’s out
standing prep player.
“He’ll be in the running depend
ing on how our team does in the stale
tournament,” Otis said. “He has al
ready been voted to a number of all
state teams, though.”
Maurtice Ivy celebrates after wrapping up a victory over Iowa State.
ivy: Championship has a nice ring to it
By Mark Derowitsch
Senior Reporter
Four years ago, Maurtice Ivy had
dreams of leaving Nebraska with a
ring. But not just any ring.
Ivy wanted a Big Eight champi
onship ring.
Saturday night, Ivy’s dreams
came true — the Nebraska
women’s basketball team won its
first conference championship by
defeating Iowa State 89-77 at the
Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Ivy, a senior from Omaha, said
that when she came to Nebraska,
her goal was to lead the Com
huskers to the conference title.
“It took four years to do it, but we
f;ot it right now and it feels great,”
vy said
Ivy scored 22 points to lead the
Huskers, who ended their regular
season with a 21-5 record overall
and an 11-3 mark in the Big Eight.
Nebraska coach Angela Beck
said she didn’t know how Ivy would
react to the Huskers first conference
crown.
“I was kind of worried about her
trying to take everything into her
own hands because she probably
wants this title more than any
body,” Beck said. “I thought she
played a great game. She played
great defense. 1 thought she really
ignited us tonight.
“She was the spark we needed.”
Beck said her worries that the
Huskers might be too emotional for
the game were unfounded.
“I thought they handled every
thing well,” she said. “The scene
was set, the stage was set and we had
to perform.”
Iowa State coach Pam Wettig
said Ivy was one of the differences
in the game. Besides her 22 points,
Ivy scored five steals and had nine
rebounds.
“Ivy’s a great player and her
quickness has always been a fac
tor,” Wettig said.
/mother Husker senior, Pam
Fiene, said the championship com
pensates for the disappointing
times in the past four years.
“This makes up for all the hard
work, the bad times and the trying
times,” Fiene said. *Tve com
pletely forgotten about those bad
things now.”
Iowa State jumped out to a 5-2
lead early in the First half on a 10
foot jump shot by Etta Bums and
firec throws by Shelly Coyle and
Tracy Horvath.
The Huskers took an 8-7 lead
with 16:13 left in the first half on a
layup by Ivy. They never trailed
after that
Beck said the Huskers’ slow start
was caused by Iowa State’s full
court press. The press caused five
Nebraska turnovers in the first four
minutes.“We don’t sec that many
See BECK on 9
