Sports
Clark is setting high goals this season
By Nick Hodge
Senior Reporter
Nebraska I-back Ken Clark wants
to make it two in a row.
Clark said that dedicating himself
to spring practice last year and work
ing hard in the summer enabled him to
earn All Big-Eight honors as a junior.
As he prepares for his senior season,
he said he plans to continue to push
himself this spring in hopes of sur
passing the team-high 1,497 yards he
rushed for last season.
“I’m working hard this spring to
get my potentials as high as they can
get right now,’’Clark said. “1 haven’t
set any goals for next season, but I’d
like to rush for more than 1,500 yards.
I think it’s a realistic goal. I’ll just wait
and see what happens this spring and
workout hard this summer.’’
Clark said he will have to keep
playing well to remain the No. 1 I
back. Challenging Clark for the I
back spot are redshirt sophomores
Leodis Flowers and George Achola,
and junior Terry Rodgers.
‘ ‘ I feel a little bit more com fortable
about being in the program, but you
always have to worry about your
job,” Clark said. “It’s the same situ
ation as Tyrecse Knox last year. He
had a pretty good spring, but his job
wasn’t real safe.
“I’m more comfortable and I
know what I’m doing and I’m going to
keep doing what I can do to maintain
my job.’’
Knox rushed for 490 yards last
season as a senior while playing
backup to Clark. Knox is the lone
Comhusker player not returning in
Nebraska’s running back roster.
Rodgers suffered severe knee
damage in practice last October, and
has since undergone reconstructive
surgery. He is still undergoing reha
bilitation and is not participating in
spring drills. Before his injury, Rodg
ers was the No. 2 I-back.
Clark, a 5-foot-9, 2(X)-pound
graduate of Omaha Bryan High
School, said he knows Flowers and
Achola will provide plenty of compe
tition.
“I’m going to stay here this sum
mer again and just turn up the inten
sity a little bit,’’ Clark said.
Clark, who also scored 12 touch
downs last season, said he wants to
improve this spring and come back
next fall ready to meet his goals.
“You can’t come to fall camp out
of shape,” Clark said. “I came back
in a lot belter shape, stronger and
quicker last year. It really paid off a
lot.”
Clark’s production last fall was
2nd in the Big Eight only to former
Oklahoma State tailback and Heis
man Trophy winner Barry Sanders.
Sanders chose to bypass his senior
year in favor of the National Football
League.
Clark said he can’t let 5 .ders’
absence affect him.
“It doesn’t make me any differ
ent,” Clark said. “I have to be my
own person and play my own game. It
would have been more competition
for me because it makes me perform
better.”
Flowers, a 5^11, 195-pound
Omaha Central graduate, earned his
first varsity letter by rushing for 202
yards last season. He was redshirted as
a freshman.
Achola, from Omaha Creighton
Prep, looks to battle for playing time
after silling out last year as a redshirt.
Sophomore Scott Baldwin will
also contend for one of the top four I
back positions.
The top three Huskcr fullbacks
return to make the running back posi
tion one of the most experienced areas
on the team. Seniors Bryan Carpenter
and Sam Schmidt will battle sopho
more Lance Lewis for the top spot.
Carpenter, a 5-10, 200-pound na
tive of Olathe, Kan., will try to keep
hold of his first-team fullback slot.
Carpenter gained 498 yards rushing
last season.
Schmidt, a 6-1, 230-pound player
from Wood River, had extensive
playing time last year before an ankle
injury in Nebraska’s third game ended
his season.
Lewis, 6-0, 200-pound native of
Scott City, Kan., was awarded a var
sity letter for his playing lime in the
third fullback spot.
Senior Brian Harchclroad and
sophomores Andre McDuffy and Tim
Johnk will also spend spring practice
hoping to work up the depth chart at
fullback.
Butch Ireland/Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska l-back Ken Clark tries to elude the grasp of Utah
State’s Chuck Thompsen during last season’s game against
the Aggies.
Motivation up, players pepped for practice
By Paul Domeier
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska men’s tennis team
solved its doubles problem and took
its second step toward a Big Eight title
this weekend.
Nebraska Coach Kerry McDer
mott said he altered his doubles lineup
after the Comhuskers’ No. 2 team of
Robert Sjoholm and Matthias Mueller
dropped a tough decision during a 6-3
victory against Air Force Friday in
Colorado Springs, Colo.
McDermott said the change in
volved Sjoholm and Ken Feuer for
Nebraska’s match against Colorado
Saturday in Boulder. The switch paid
immediate dividends, as the Huskcrs’
No. 2 doubles team of Mueller and
Feuer and the No. 3 team of Sjoholm
and Pat Carson led Nebraska to a 9-0
victory against the Buffaloes by post
ing a pair of victories.
McDermott said the players were
ready for the change.
‘‘The guys looked forward to it,”
he said. ‘ ‘They saw it as a challenge.”
McDermott said he likes the
change for strategic purposes.
“Matthiasand Ken arc going to get
along real well. Matthias is more of a
power player and Ken is more of a
control player,” McDermott said.
“Before, with Matthias and Robert,
you had power, power, power.”
“It works the same way at No. 3
doubles. Robert is a power player,
while Pal is more of a finesse player. ’ ’
McDermott said the lineup change
will give Nebraska confidence for the
rest of the season.
“Now wc feel like we can win all
three doubles,” he said. “Before wc
only fell like we could win two.”
McDermott said Nebraska is play
ing with great confidence. He said the
Huskcrs were bolstered by the per
formances of Steven Jung and
Mueller.
Jung is a senior who tops a veteran
lineup, McDermott said, while
Mueller continues to play very well.
He said Mueller, who has won 16
conseculive matches to raise his rec
ord to 18-2 overall, is a talented
player.
“He’s probably the most talented
freshman we’ve ever had,’’ McDcr
mott said.
McDermott said Feucr and Carson
demonstrated the team’s determina
tion by battling back to win three-set
matches Saturday at No. 4 and No. 6
singles.
‘ ‘The biggest difference,” he said,
‘‘is that our guys arc not quitters.”
The team is so fired up, McDer
mott said, the players are “even anx
ious to practice.”
‘‘Our guys arc so psyched to win
the Big Eight, we won’t have any
problems with motivation the rest of
the year,” he said.
Chatwin homer wins game
By Darran Fowler
Staff Reporter
Nebraska third baseman Ruth
Chatwin did not want to go into extra
innings.
Chatwin, a senior from Mel
bourne, Australia, led off the seventh
inning by sending a 1 -1 pitch over the
center field fence to give the Huskers
a 1-0 victory over Wichita State in the
second game of a softball double
header Tuesday at the Nebraska Soft
ball Complex.
With the home run, Chatwin be
came the first Husker to reach third
base — and eventually home -- in the
two games played against the Shock
ers. Wichita State pitcher Patty Bau
tista, who pitched both games, limited
Nebraska’s hitters to three hits in each
game.
Wichita State won the first game 4
0.
Chatwin, who was named the Big
Eight Conference player of the week
for her .444 batting performance
against Oklahoma and Missouri last
weekend, said she just wanted to lead
off the inning by getting on base.
“I thought the game had to end this
inning,” Chatwin said.
Wichita State coach Jim Maynard
said that after seeing Chatwin hit a
hard liner at Shocker second baseman
Carmelina Vairo in the fourth inning
he knew that Chatwin had the power
to hit the ball out.
“We knew she was capable,” he
said. “We’re not satisfied with the
split, but we’re satisfied with the way
our girls played.” • ”
Nebraska is now 18-20 and has
won five of its Iasi six games.
“We’re on an upswing,” Chatwin
said. “I really believe that. If every
one takes care of their job we’ll be all
right.”
Chatwin said her season got off to
a slow start but that the coaches have
helped build her confidence when she
is baiting.
“It’s helped a lot knowing that
they believe in me,” she said.
Nebraska coach Ron Wolforth said
Chatwin is an example of someone
whose extra work has paid off.
“She’s worked hard on her
stroke,” Wolforth said. “She’s never
backed off from anything that we’ve
taught her.”
The Huskers needed the home run
by Chatwin as Bautista had kept
Nebraska’s hitters at bay.
“Their pitcher threw a fantastic
two ball games,” Wolforth said.
“She’s an outstanding pitcher.
They’ve improved since they beat us
before.”
Bautista also pitched when the two
teams met at the Roadrunner Invita
tional at Las Cruces, N.M. on March
2. The Shockers won that game 2-1.
Maynard said this was the first
time this season that Bautista had
pitched back-to-back games. He said
Bautista was forced to pitch both
games because the Shockers other
pitcher, Sylvia Lavin, pulled a groin
muscle.
“She threw two super ball
games,” Maynard said. “She’s been
throwing well for us all year.”
After Wichita State scattered eight
David Frana/Daily Nebraskan
iat»e*?.s Wichita Slate’s Gina Blevins reaches second base before Nebraska’s Jane
82££nd ?ame of * ctouble header Tuesday night under the new
lights of the softball complex. Nebraska won the game 1-0.
hits off Husker freshman pitcher
Marie Bowie in the opener, Ne
braska’s Stephanie Skegas held the
Shockers to two hits in the nightcap.
In the first game, Wichita State
picked up one run in the first inning
when. Bautista , scored from second
base with two outs on a dropped ball
by Nebraska right fielder Jill Rishel.
The Shockers, again facing two outs,
then scored three” quick runs in the
fifth on a bases loaded double by left
fielder Julie Gallagher.
• • Wolfoith said he was not sule if
pitching Bowie in the opener was a
good idea, but he was glad he had
Skegas on the mound in the second
game. He said Nebraska’s pitching
has improved.
Skegas raised her record to 12-11
while Bowie dropped to 7-8.
