Humphrey named male MVP at Husker meet
By Paul Domeier
Staff Reporter
Nebraska All-American selection
Regis Humphrey was at the heart of
the action Saturday at the Frank
Sevigne Husker Invitational at the
Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Humphrey won the 800 meter run
and caught an elbow in the mouth
during the 1600 relay. For his efforts,
Humphrey was named the meets
most valuable male performer.
Missouri’s Natasha Kaiser, who
used a late rally to defeat Nebraska
All-American Linetta Wilson in the
400 run, was named the women’s
MVP.
Humphrey zipped to an NCAA
qualifying and Husker Inivitational
record time of 1:49.68 in the 800,
even though he did compete against
two of the events top competitors.
Paul Ereng of Virginia, a Kenya
native, who earned a gold medal in
the 800, at the 1988 Olypic games, in
Seoul, South Korea, skipped the meet
after coming down with the flu ear
lier in the week.
Teammate Ben Kurgat made up
for Ereng’s absence Friday night
when he recorded
that led all com
petitors after the
conclusion of the
preliminaries.
But, Kurgat’s
time was under
the NCAA quali
fying mark of
1:50.40, so he
pulled out of the
finals. Humphrey
“We need him too much next
weekend,” Virginia coach Fred
Binggeli said. ‘ ‘We have our confer
ence meet next weekend. We have
had so much flu that I didn ’ t want him
to lake a chance getting hurt or sick
with his immunity down.”
Injuries had a definite impact on
the 800, as they forced Nebraska s
Dieudonne Kwizera to drop out of the
race. Kwizera, a sophomore from
Bujumbura, Burundi, made his long
awaited Comhusker debut Friday and
reached the finals with a marie of
1:50.45.
But an ankle injury forced Kwiz
era to drop after he completed two of
the events four laps.
Kwizera said his right Achilles
tendon kept him from training in
November and December, but that
injury did bother him Friday night.
The finals were a different matter.
Pointing to his ankle after the race,
Kwizera said, “I had the feeling
something was going up and down in
the first lap. It continued in the sec
ond lap so I pulled out.
That left Humphrey, the Big
Eight’s three-time outdoor champion
in the 800, to take the lead on the first
turn and hold on the rest of the way.
Humphrey a senior from Denver,
was not completely pleased with his
performance.
“I was hoping it would be a bit
faster,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey said that he learned
Kurgat had dropped out early in the
afternoon, no s*uu uw -
Kwizera had pulled out until after the
race.
Humphrey’s closest competition
came from Russ Muir of Brigham
Young, who also qualified for the
NCAA in 1:50.33. Humphrey de
feated Muir in their preliminary heat.
Humphrey, saw more excitement
running his leg of the relay. He
closed on the front-runners in his iirst
lap, and going into the third turn he
was bunched for the lead with two
other runners. Then arms started
flying, and Humphrey ended up in
lane four. The Husker team ended up
placing third in the event.
Humphrey, who was wiping blood
from his lip 15 minutes after the
conclusion of the relay, said he didn t
know what happened.
“Someone was getting pushed on
me, he said. “Then all of a sudden, I
got an elbow in the face.”
“I was a little disappointed in the
relay,” he said. “Winning the award
is great, but I’m more of a team
player. If the team doesn’t win, I
don’t win. The award is small conso
lation.”
Pettit praises letter of intent signers
Nebraska volleyball coach Terry
Pettit was full of praise when he
announced the signing of three ath
letes to national letters of intent
Pettit said this year’s class is “one
of the best” he has recruited during
his 12-year coaching career at Ne
braska. The recruits who signed with
the Comhuskers include Eileen
Shannon, a 6-foot outside hitter from
Immaculate Conception High School
in Elmhurst, III., Stephanie Thater, a
6-2 middle blocker from Union (Mo.)
High School, and Valerie Ver
-1
meulen, a 6-1 selier/hilter from
Wantagh (N.Y.) High School.
Pettit said he is excited about all
three players because they posses
enough junior program experience to
make their transition to collegiate
volleyball a smooth one.
Shannon has enough training and
experience to make an immediate
contribution to the Nebraska pro
gram, Pettit said. In addition to hav
ing a 30-inch vertical jump, Shannon
was named a first-team Rcebok All
America selection, was named the
Illinois volleyball player of the year
and was listed as the nation's top left
side high school recruit by Volleyball
Monthly magazine.
Shannon chose Nebraska over
Southern California, Illinois, Texas
and Notre Dame.
“She is experienced and talented
as anyone we have ever recruited,”
Pettit said. ,
Pettit said Thater has the physical <
tools to make an immediate contribu- i
tion. Thater, who also earned first- i
team All-America honors from Ree
bok and was a two-time all-stale se
lection, chose Nebraska over Illinois, i
Texas, Kentucky and Oklahoma. (
“She is an extremely gifted ath- 1
lete,” Pettit said. “She has the arm
swing and vertical jump to play any 1
front-line position, but we will train
her as a middle blocker.” 1
Vermeulen will likely serve as a *
backup setter for All-Big Eight selec
tion Val Novak next season, Pettit 1
said, but she could see action as a <
hitter. Vermeulen turned down re- 1
cruiting visits to Colorado State and >
Hawaii after visiting Nebraska. She
helped lead Wantagn High School to ;
four Nassau County Championships -
- the equivalent of state titles — dur- ■
ing her five-year career.
“She has an excellent jump i
serve,” Pettit said. i
Weightlifting meet j
to be held at union
The Nebraska state collegiate
powerlifting championships will be
held on Saturday, March 11.
Mike Kros, one of the meet’s or
ganizers, said the competition is open .
to anyone with a two- or four-year
student ID. The championships will 1
be held in the Nebraska Union begin
ning at 9:30 a.m. t
Kros also announced that the col- i
Icgiate Mr. and Ms. Nebraska compe- !
tihons will be held on Saturday, April j
15. The event, which is sponsored by
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s
weightlifting club and powerlifting
team, also will be staged in the Ne
braska Union.
The prejudging for the Mr. and
Ms. Nebraska competitions will be
gin at 1:30 p.m. The show will begin
at 7 p.m.
Persons interested in entering ei
ther competition should contact Kros
at 474-7710 or Larry Tewell at 477
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