NU wrestlers will duel
Oklahoma tonight
By Steve Sipple
Staff Reporter
Nebraska has never defeated na
tional wrestling powers Oklahoma
and Iowa State in dual meets during
the same season. Earlier this season,
the Comhuskers defeated Iowa State.
Tonight, Nebraska and Oklahoma
have nearly equal chances for vic
tory, according to the teams’
coaches.
Eleventh-ranked Nebraska, which
beat Iowa Stale 19-14 in a Dec. 10
dual in Lincoln, will face the No. 8
Sooners in a Big Eight dual at the
Lloyd Noble Center in Norman,
Okla. The match begins at 7:30.
Beating the 8th-ranked Sooners
will be tough and possibly climactic,
Husker coach Tim Neumann said.
“If we wrestle up to our capabili
ties, the outcome will come down to
the heavyweight match,” Neumann
said.
Oklahoma coach Stan Abel said
his team will enter as a slight favorite
tonight -- very slight.
“On this side of the fence, I’d say
we’re the favorites,” Abel said. “But
being favorites in this case isn’t a big
deal. It will come down to perform
ance more than athletic ability.
Whoever performs best will win.”
Nobody won last year’s Okla
homa-Nebraska dual - the teams
battled to a 15-15 tie at the Bob
Devaney Sports Center. Nebraska,
which trails in the teams’ series 23-3
1, upset the Sooners two years ago in
Norman, 25-16.
For the Sooners to regain the se
ries’ edge, they will have to beat a
Husker team that is at its best right
now, Neumann said.
“I feel we’re as good as we can be
at this time,” he said. “If they beat
us, it will be because they’re better
than us.”
Neumann and Abel agreed the
Sooners will be favored in seven
weights: 118,134,142,158,167,177
and 190 pounds.
“Two or three of those matches
could go cither way,” Abel said.
Neumann said the 158-, 167- and
177-pound matches arc the keys to a
Husker win.
At 158, Nebraska’s Jeff Coltvet,
23-7-1, will face Brandon Denning
ton, also 23-7-1. Nebraska 167
pound senior Scott Chenowcth, 21-7
2, will battle Baron Blakley, 19-4.
And at 177,1987 Big Eightchampion
Cody Olson of Nebraska, 17-11, will
dual 29-2 Junior Meek.
“We need to win at least two of
those three matches,” Neumann
said, “and maybe three of those
three.”
Nebraska’s Jeff Coltvet (right) battles Iowa State’s Tom Burton.
If the match is decided at heavy
weight, Neumann gives Nebraska the
edge. Nebraska sophomore Sonny
Manley, 19-13-3, will face Carl
Presley, 8-10-2.
“Sonny’s favored. If you (com
pare) common opponents, Sonny’s
beat people that have beat Presley,’’
Neumann said.
Presley’s size may be a problem
for Manley, Neumann said. Manley
stands 6-fcet-4 and weighs 275
pounds - the NCAA limit for heavy
weights.
Oklahoma enjoys a 5-2 edge
against Nebraska in the number of
rated wrestlers. Chris Bolin is ranked
No. 8 at 118, T.J. Sewell is No. 3 at
134, Joe Reynolds is No. 5 at 142,
Blakley is No. 8 at 167 and Joe Staf
ford is No. 3 at 190.
Nebraska will counter with tenth
ranked Jason Kelbcr at 126 pounds
and Collvct, who’s No. 12 at 158.
Ratings aside, Abel said Okla
homa will have its hands full with the
Huskcrs.
“Nebraska’s got a real fine wres
tling team,” Abel said. “II we had to
wrestle Oklahoma State next week
instead of last week, we wouldn’t be
guilty of looking ahead, I’ll tell you
that. I think it will be a very fine
wrestling match.’’
Those were Neumann’s senti
ments exactly.
“One takedown could decide (the
match),’’ he said. “That’s the way
it’s going to be.’’
3 NU wrestlers make Big 8 honor roll
By Steve Sipple
Staff Reporter
Three Nebraska wrestlers were
named to the 1989 Lee Jeans aca
demic All-Big Eight wrestling honor
roll.
Layne Billings, a 142-pound
sophomore with a 16-8-3 record, lops
the list with a 3.653 grade point aver
aec in math education.
Joining Billings are 126-pound
sophomore Jason Kclbcr, who has a
3.5 GPA in biological science; and
134-pound senior Mike Hemann,
who has compiled a 3.303 GPA in
mechanical engineering. Kclbcr,
ranked No. 10 in the nation, is 26-9.
Hemann is 11-3-1.
Nebraska wrestling coach Tim
Neumann said the three wrestler’s
trades rellccl the entire team’s class
room effort.
“During the first semester we had
25 guys who averaged a 2.9 GPA,”
Neumann said. “I think only one
starter had under a 3.0. We have some
students.”
Neumann said he emphasizes aca
demics.
“We’ve really tried to follow
through with the study table, tutors
and all that stuff,” he said.
If a Huskcr wrestler misses a class,
he is punished with a 4 a.m. practice
the next day, which is supervised by
Neumann, he said.
“That’s why it’s not a real fun
practice,” he said.
Neumann said Nebraska should
have had a fourth wrestler named to
the honor roll. Jeff Coltvcl, a senior
with a 23-7-1 record, earned a 3.1
GPA in electrical engineering, but
wasn’t among the Huskers nomi
natcd lor the award because of a staff
error, Neumann said. Collvct has
been named to the list the previous
three years.
Neumann said the Big Eight has
been notified of the error.
Iowa State led the Big Eight with
four first-lime selections, followed
by Nebraska with three and Okla
homa State, Oklahoma and Missouri
with one member each.
Huskers renewed confidence to be challenged Saturday
By Mark Derowitsch
Senior Reporter
Forward Ray Richardson hopes
Nebraska’s days of playing not to
lose arc over.
Richardson, a junior on the Ne
braska men’s bas
ketball team, said
the Comhuskers
will be playing
with new confi
dence for the rest
of the season.
The Huskers,
who are 15-12
overall and 3-8 in
the Big Eight, Richardson
will get a chance to show that confi
dence Saturday against Iowa State.
“We’re just going out and playing
hard,” Richardson said. “The harder
we work, ihc more good things arc
ijoing to come out of it. We haven’t
Decn playing well all year, but we just
Jeeided to go out thinking we’re
£oing to win some more games down
ihc stretch.”
Richardson, who transferred from
Hiwassec (Tenn.) Junior College, is
the main reason the Huskers arc play
ing better, Coach Danny Nee said.
“Coach Nee just keeps telling us
not to give up, that we’ll start win
ning,” Richardson said. “He says
our record doesn’t matter, that we’re
still a good team. But he told us if we
don’t work hard, things won’t fall for
us.”
Hopefully, things will fall to
gether for the Huskers against Iowa
State, Richardson said.
The Cyclones, 14-9 overall anil 5
6 in the Big Eight, have won three
straight games, including a 97-89 win
against defending NCAA champion
Kansas Wednesday night.
“They’re a good team and they’re
gelling belter and better,” said
Richardson, who had the llu and
missed Iowa State’s 88-76 win
against the Huskcrs at Ames, Iowa.
“They’ve been beating up on a lot
of good teams lately.”
Ncc agreed.
“I like their basketball team,” he
said. “I think they arc improving.”
Iowa State coach Johnny Orr said
the Huskcrs also have improved this
season.
“I know it’s going to be hard to
beat Nebraska,” Orr said. “They
always play tougher in Lincoln than
they do when they’re on the road.”
The Cyclones arc led by center
Victor Alexander, who is averaging
19 points and S.7 rebounds per game.
‘The harder we
work, the more
good things are
going to come out
of it.'
—Richardson
“He’s done more than 1 thought he
would,” Orr said. ‘‘He’s having a
great year.”
Orr said the road hasn’t been very
good to the Cyclones this year.
“When our team gels behind on
the road, ihey tend to throw in the
towel,” he said. “We get beat be
cause we’re not loose.”
Richardson said the Huskcrs are
playing loose, especially at home.
“We want to win at least two more
games before the end of the year,"
Richardson said. “And I think that’s
a realistic goal.”
Richardson is averaging 10 points
per game coming off the bench this
season.
“My job is to come in and pump
the team up and get them going offen
sively,” Richardson said. “When the
bench docs that, we play well.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 1:07 p.m.
at the Rob Dcvaney Sports Center,
and the game w ill be televised by
Raycom (channels 3 and 10/11).
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Beck: We need a road win ourselves
BECK from Page 7
basket. II we could put both together
for one game, that would be such a
thrill.”
The Huskcrs have had a similar
season, Weltig said.
”1 think it's been a disappointing
season for both teams,’ ’ Weltig said.
“Before the season started, I think
both teams thought the> d do bet
ter."
Weltig said both teams are ca
pable of finishing the season on a
good note.
“We’re both capable of playing
good basketball,’ ’ she said. “Things
just haven’t fallen right for us.”
Beck agreed.
‘‘I just think we need a road w irt
lor ojjrselves,” Beck said. “I think
it would definitely help us.”
Iowa State is led b> guard Car
man Jaspers. Jaspers is averting
19.5 poinls per game.
I he Huskers are led by senior
guard Amy Stephens. Stephens is
averaging 22.4 poinls and 5.4 re
bounds (vr game.
Baseball opener postponed because or snow
The Nebraska baseball season
opener against Minnesota that was
scheduled for this weekend at Buck
Belt/cr Field has been postponed
because of snow and wet conditions,
officials from both schools said
Thursday.
Nebraska baseball coach John
Sanders said he’s attempting to re
schedule the four-game series against
Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are
the defending Big Ten Champions.
II the games with Minnesota can't
be made up, Sanders said he hopes to
find some other teams for Nebraska
to play.
Some possibilities include playing
Creighton during the beginning ol
next week, or adding games against
some Colorado teams next week,
Sanders said.
Nebraska is scheduled to play a
four-game series against Northern
Colorado on March 4 and f>.
Campus rec activities appproachins auicklv
The University of Nebraska-Lin
coln’s Office of Campus Recreation
announced Thursday that deadlines
for three competitions are quickly
approaching.
Craig Christensen, the Office of
Campus Recreation’s relations direc
tor, said any UNL student who wants
M. M. JL
to compete in a track meet should
report to the Bob Devaney Sports
Center on Sunday. The held events
will begin at 1:45 p.m., while the
running events start at 2 p.m.
Christensen said people interested
in competing should report to the
w 1 ~
sports center track area at 1 p.ni.
Christensen also announced that
Monday is the deadline lor a nine ball
and a doubles racquetball tourna
ment. He said people interested in
entering cither competition should
stop by the campus recreation oil ice,
1740 Vine St., or call 472-3467.