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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1989)
1 - I Manley plans to step aside for Malecek By Steve Sipple Staff Reporter Nebraska heavyweight Sonny Manley, who won a title at the Big Eight Wrestling Champi onships Sunday, won’t try to defend his crown at next season’s league meet. Manley, a junior, said Monday he will re dshirt his senior season and wait until 1991 to defend his title. Manley’s decision will allow Comhusker redshirt senior Joe Malecek to step into Manley’s position in the Huskers’ starling lineup next season, avoiding a challenge match between the two. “That’s the game plan,” Manley said. "I’ll be in the same boat (Malecek) was in this year.” Sunday, Manley decisioned Iowa State’s Chris Knutsen 5-2 in the finals to win the championship in the meet at Ames, Iowa. Manley beat Oklahoma’s Joe O’Mara 5-1 to reach the finals. Manley, the lop seed at the league meet, said his decision to redshirt will help him in the future. ‘‘I think it will be for the best because I can get bigger and build confidence as far as per fecting technique,” Manley said. Plus, he said, sitting out a season will allow him to concentrate more on school. And beating Malecek in a challenge match would be a tough task, Manley said. He said a challenge match with Malecek would be de cided by “a point or two.” ‘‘(Malecek) would probably come out on the top end of the deal,” Manley said. ‘‘He’s always been tough. This year will give him an edge next year.” Malecek finished fourth at the 1988 Big Eight meet. Manley, who’s compiled a 21-14-3 record this season, said his league championship didn’t shock him, although he finished with an 8-9 dual record during the season. ‘‘I can’t say I was surprised. It was a realis tic goal I set at the beginning of the year,” Manley said.4‘I was just happy to be there and that the goal finally came true.” Manley will next turn his attention to the NCAA Championships March 16-18 at Okla homa City. He said his next goal will be to gain All-America status at the NCAA meet. The meet’s top eight finishers are awarded All America status. 77/ be in the same boat (Malecek) was in this year.’ -Manley ‘‘If I have a good tournament and wrestle like I’m capable, there’s no reason I shouldn’t (become an All-America),” Manley said. At Sunday’s meet, Nebraska finished fourth in the team standings for the fifth straight year. Oklahoma State won the title with 95 points, Iowa State scored 82, Oklahoma State had 64.25, the Huskers scored 39.5 and Missouri had 14.5. Nebraska had eight wrestlers reach the semifinal round, but the Huskcrs lost seven of those matches. Four were lost by two points or less. “All we were lacking was just that edge tc score one or two more points in each match, and that was frustrating,” Nebraska coach Tim Neumann said. “After that first round (semifi nals), we iooked like the real Nebraska, but the team race is won and lost in the semifinals. Although Manley was Nebraska’s only team champion Sunday, the Huskcrs qualified nine wrestlers for the national meet. Five Huskcrs gained NCAA berths by plac ing among the top three at the Big Eight meet - Terry Cook at 118 pounds, Jason Kclbcr at 126, Paul Herrera at 150, Jeff Coltvct at 158 and Scott Chcnowclh at 167. In addition, three Huskcrs received wild card berths into the NCAA meet, including Mike Hcmann al 134, Laync Billings at 142 and Cody Olson at 177. Olson won the 177 pound league crown in 1987. Nebraska sortball coach shocked by team s pertormance By Darran Fowler Staff Reporter Nebraska softball coach Ron Wolforth took full responsibility af ter seeing his team suffer what he described as one of its worst setbacks in recent history. Wolforth said he was to blame for the Comhuskers’ 1-6 record at the Roadrunner Invitational this week end in Las Cruces, N.M. The tournament was hosted by New Mexico State. “At the Division I level, you can trace failure to only one spot and that’s the coach,” Wolforth said. “It isn’t like high school where you arc stuck with what you’re dealt with. In college, the coach is in charge of recruiting, technique and motivation. “The kids worked real hard, so 1 think it was sort of failure on my part. I still have a lot of faith in these girls and I still think we’re going to be a fine softball team at the end of sea son. We have a lot of talent.’’ Wolforth said he was shocked by the performance of the 6-10 Huskcrs. Nebraska posted its lone victory in the three-day tournament by defeat ing Nicholls State University of Thi bodaux, La., 5-3. Nebraska opened the tournament by dropping a 3-1 decision to Ari zona, and then suffered a 2-1 loss to Wichita State. The Huskers then lost 6-5 to Michigan and 9-0 to New Mexico prior to dropping 5-4 and 8-3 decisions to Arizona State. “It was a pretty devastating week end,” Wolforth said. “I’ve never went through something like that before. It was extremely frustrating for the coaches and veteran players who have never went through this before.” Wolforth said Nebraska’s per formance in the Arizona Invitational earlier this season in Tucson, Ariz., may have had some effect entering the Roadrunner Classic. The Huskers opened the Arizona Invitational by compiling a 1-3 mark, but regrouped and posted four wins to finish 3rd. “We started to win and we may have just decided this was the way it was gonna be and forgot to be aggres sive,” Wolforth said. “Now there may be some doubting of our abil ity.” He said Nebraska s tournament schedule -- which features competi tion against top teams early in the season -- was designed to prepare the younger players for the Big Eight Tournament in May. Nebraska’s ros ter includes nine freshman. “This is the toughest schedule we’ve ever played,” he said. ‘‘Bui we haven’t responded quite as well as I thought we might.” Freshman Deanna Mays was named the top hitler of the tourna ment after collecting 10 hits in 16 attempts. Wolforth praised the perform ances of freshman Amy Killman and senior shortstop Jane Kremcr. Kre mcr hit .380 in the tournament, while Killman stole four bases. Nebraska’s next competition is on March 17 through 19, when the Husk ers travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to compete in the Florida State Invita tional. ... NU could still earn NIT berth By Mark Derowitsch Senior Reporter Last week, Nebraska men’s basketball coach Danny Nee said he thought the Cornhuskers needed one more win just to get a berth into the National Invitational Tournament. But Nee now hopes he has enough going for him to get into the tournament without that win. “It’s nice to know people in New York,” said Nee, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. “That never hurts. They have given it to .500 teams before and they have given it to teams like ourselves. Our power rating is attractive, so that’s a good sign.” Nee said the Huskers, who are ranked 71st in the latest power ratings with a 16-14 overall record, will likely play at the Bob Devaney Sports Center if they make the NTT “That’s the whole attraction,” he said *T think we’ll play here, at least in the first round.” Nee said there are two reasons that the NIT will give the Huskers a first-round game'in Lincoln. “I feel very good about our situation here at the University of Nebraska,” Nee said. “We’re a very attractive package for the NIT, One, is our proven attendance record. Two, is our administra tion’s cooperation with the NIT. “They know we have the abil ity to sell tickets, we have the right management, and we efficiently run a game. When everyone takes over, it’s like dialing an 800 num ber. It’s connected.” The last time the Huskers were in the NIT was 1987, Nee’s first year as coach. Gary Fouraker, the assistant athletic director for busi ness affairs, said the crowds aver aged about 13,000 for the games against Marquette, Arkansas and Washington. Fouraker said Nebraska gave the NIT about $90,000 for each of the three games. Nee said, the NIT would send a regional team into Lincoln to face the Huskers if a game was staged in the Sports Center. Nee said Wichita State, Colo rado State and Creighton would be likely first-round opponents. William Lauer/Daily Nebraskan Nebraska’s Rich King blocks a shot by Oklahoma State’s Thomas Jordan. Two Husker coaches win national coaching positions By Jeff Apel Senior Editor Nebraska volleyball coach Terry Pettit and assistant coach John Cook made their summer travel plans and took steps towards enhancing their careers by earning national coaching positions for the summer. Pettit was named the United States’ women’s coach for the World University Games. That competition will be Aug. 19 through 30 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and will be preceded by a training camp Aug. 1 through 15 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Cook was selected to coach the North women in the Olympic Sports Festival that will be July 21 through 30 in Oklahoma City. The tryouts for that competition will begin on July 15. Cook said he is looking forward to his coaching position. He said his participation will help promote vol leyball and enhance his coaching career. AAirl Ka ii lAnlr lira Kir vwn lXUU iiv ▼▼ uiiiJ iv/ uov mo experience as a stepping stone to a possible coaching position. He said he does not mind spending his sum mer vacation in Oklahoma City be cause it will help his career. “It’s important for my career,” Cook said. “It will be a hectic sum mer for me and Coach Pettit, but it’s well worth it.” Cook said he earned his position after serving as an assistant coach in the Olympic Festival two years ago. He said the assistant coach is gener ally sejccted as the coach in hopes of earning the coaching position for the World University Games. Cook said his position will be a challenge because the Olympic Festi val rosters will include four, 12 player teams who will come from all regions of the counpy. He said the teams will be comprised from a pool of players who will try out at camps located in North Carolina, Oklahoma and California. Cook said a unique aspect about the Olympic Festival is that players are not assigned to their respective teams based on their geographic re gion. He said this means a player from Texas could play on the East or West squad, while a player from California could be on the North or South. “They try to make it as competi tive as possible,” Cook said. “It’s like the football draft. They want to make sure each team has a good quarterback.” Cook said one of the biggest chal lenges he will face is trying to de velop team chemistry. He said he plans on sending out mailings and talking to his players on the telephone so they can become more familiar with him and each other. “I want to get the process going so the players aren’t all strangers,” Cook said. Cook said team chemistry is not easy to develop. “1 haw a cprrr'l ” hp caid “You have to feel your way to get there.” Cook said four Nebraska players will try out for the Olympic Festival. These players include Val Novak, Cris Hall, Sara Hesch and Janet* Kruse. Cook said his coaching the North squad will “not help the Nebraska players. He said what will help the Comhuskers is their excellent liadi tion in the Olympic Festival and the strong volleyball tradition at Ne braska. Nebraska’s previous participants in the Olympic Festival include Lori Endicott and Angie Millikin. “All of the past Nebraska players were very good players to coach,” Cook said. Cook is confident about the four Nebraska players’ chances of making the Olympic Festival roster. “All four of them have a good chance of making it,” he said. “We feel they have a real good chance.” 1
