Husker wrestlers erase thoughts, down Drake
By Steve Sipple
Staff Reporter
Despite having bigger and better
things on tl»eir mind Wednesday night,
the Nebraska wrestlers first had to
take care of the business at hand.
The business was Drake, and Ne
braska took care of the Bulldogs 36-3
in a non-conference wrestling dual at
the Bob Devaney Sports Center track
area.
With a dual against sixth-ranked
Big Eight rival Oklahoma scheduled
for Friday, Nebraska coach Tim
Neumann said he thought his team
may have been looking past Drake on
Wednesday.
But No. 14 Nebraska erased any
thoughts of a letdown by rolling to a
33-0 lead after seven matches against
the Bulldogs.
“I really like the fact we wrestled
with the intensity we did,” said
Neumann, whose team raised its rec
ord to 12-5-2. ‘‘It would have been
easy to look past this one to Okla
homa.”
The win was Nebraska’s ninth in its
last 10 duals and gave the Huskers an
8-1 home record, their best home
mark since the 1982-83 team went
10-1 in Lincoln.
Nebraska beat Drake despite being
“tired and physically beat,” Neu
mann said. The Huskers, in the midst
of preparations for the Oklahoma dual
imNorman, Okla., held an afternoon
practice prior to Wednesday’s match.
Neumann said his team ’ s hard work
paid off against the Bulldogs.
“(The Huskers) like a one-match
dual in front of a crowd,” Neumann
said. ‘ ‘It gives them an opportunity to
put their hard work on the mat.”
Neumann was especially impressed
with the work of 118-pound junior
Jim Sanchez and 134-pound senior
Mike Hemann. Sanchez began the
Huskers’ onslaught by defeating Drake
sophomore Vance Light 7-4.
I've beat tougher
kids than him so I
felt I could win. I
felt I wrestled well,
but at the end I
wasn't happy with
the way I let up.'
--Hemann
Sanchez used a takedown with eight
seconds left in the match to raise his
record to 17-14. Light dropped to 30
9-1.
Hemann gave Nebraska a 11 -0 lead
by recording a 4-2 decision against
Jon Anderson. Anderson lost only his
fifth match against 41 wins. Hemann
raised his record to 10-3-1.
Neumann said he knew Nebraska
would cruise to the win after Sanchez
and Hemann defeated Drake's two
toughest wrestlers.
The duo’s victories show Nebraska
is peaking at the right time, Neumann
said.
“We really arc. Jim and Hemann
beat their two best guys,’’ Neumann
said. “They both did a great job, but
not a real surprising job.’’
Hemann said he wasn’t surprised
by the win.
“I’ve beat tougher kids than him so
I felt I could win,” Hemann said. “I
felt I wrestled well (against Ander
son), but at the end I wasn’t happy
with the way I let up.”
Hemann led 3-1 before Anderson
was awarded a penalty point for stall
ing. Hemann was awarded a point for
riding time, accounting for the final
score.
Drake coach Lonnie Timmerman
said he took solace in that his team
wrestled with intensity, even after
Light and Anderson lost.
“I was very proud of the upper
weights for never giving up,” Tim
merman said.
The Bulldogs won once, when fresh
man Brett Sharp defeated Nebraska's
Tony Robbins 8-4 at 190 pounds.
Drake dropped to 19-9.
- -WnHarnTjaver/Oafly NfSFSiKarl
Nebraska’s Shane Snyder grits as he competes against Orakers Rod Lyman. Snyder won the
match $-4.
lough delense pleases JNee
NEE from Page ^ 5
didn’t use revenge as a major inspi
rational tool.
Nebraska’s victory came two weeks
al ter the Buffaloes defeated the Husk
ers 83-80 in Boulder, Colo.
‘‘I never use negatives as the incen
tive,” Nee said. ‘‘The incentive was
Nebraska’s trying to get a win at
home. The incentive was we’re trying
to gel out of the basement. The incen
tive was to try and gel into a position
to control our own destiny at the end
of the season.”
Nebraska improved its record to
1 5-12overall and 3-8 in the Big Fight.
The Huskcrs took advantage of Iowa
State’s 97-89 victory against Kansas
Wednesday night in Ames, Iowa, to
move into a sixth-place tie with the
Jayhawks.
The loss dropped Colorado to 7-17
and 2-9. The setback, which was
Colorado’s 43rd-straight conference
road loss, gave Colorado sole posses
sion of the Big Eight cellar. Nebraska
and Colorado entered the game tied
for last place in the Big Eight.
Nee said Nebraska played excel
lent defense early in the game.
“I was very pleased with the inten
sity of our players,” Nee said. “I
thought they fought hard. The de
fense — I was very pleased with all
aspects of the game.”
The Huskers’ took advantage of
their aggressive man-lo-man defense
by turning nine first-half steals into a
lead Colorado couldn’t overcome.
Nebraska’s pressure defense ignited
a 12-0 run that propelled the Huskers
to a 15-2 lead with 13:44 left in the
half. The Huskers’ then capped off
the half by outscoring Colorado 21 -4
in the final five minutes.
The Buffaloes never recovered from
their cold first-half shooting.
A three-point basket by Buffalo
guard Reggie Morton cut Nebraska’s
lead to 66-43 with 10:33 remaining.
But the Huskers scored the next 10
points en route to winning their sec
ond-straight home game.
The Buffaloes’ shooting improved
little in the second half, as Colorado
connected on 33.8 percent of its shots
in the game. Nebraska finished the
game connecting on 61 percent of its
shots from the field.
Nebraska was led in scoring by
forward Beau Reid. Reid tallied a
game-high 21 points, 15 of which
came in the decisive first half. For
ward Ray Richardson was the only
other Husker to hit double figures.
Flat’ second half dooms JN U
BECK from Page 15
Beck said she was especially im
pressed with Colorado guard Bridget •
Turner. She said Turner played a key
role in throttling Nebraska’s defen
sive changes by forcing the’Buffaloes
to adjust.
Beck said Nebraska’s various de
fensive changes worked for a while,
but eventually caved in largely be
cause of the presence of Turner.
“That comes from leadership,” she
said. “I thought our defensive changes
helped a while but we couldn’t hold
it. I credit Turner.”
Nebraska’s next game is on Satur
day, when the Huskers face Iowa State
in their final regular season game of
the year. That game begins at 1 p.m.
at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
. r»» i i
flayers: Coach wins oir-neia
SANDERS from Page 16
from home,” Sirak said, ‘ ‘and I know
many other players feel the same
way.”
Sirak and Ramos said Sanders also
works hard to develop good baseball
skills.
Ramos, who transferred from
Otero (Colo.) Junior College, said
Sanders helped make his transition to
Division 1 baseball a smooth one.
He said Sanders worked with him on
hand placement and opening his
stance so he could hit faster pitchers.
“He’s the best coach I ever had
without a doubt,” Ramos said.
Sirak said Sanders lakes umc out
before and aflcr practice to throw
batung practice to any player who
wants to work on hitting.
“He'll even come in on his day
off," Sirak said. “Not many coaches
will do that.”
Sanders said he attributes much of
his coaching success to his family and
friends who have supported him dur
ing his life - not the least of which is
Devaney.
“I’ve learned a lot from Coach
Devaney as a friend, as a professional
colleague, and just watching the way
he works.’’ Sanders said. “We re
very fortunate as a coaching staff to
have him as a reference."
--- “ --11
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