Gymnasts aim for top spot at NCAAs
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
Heading into this weekend's NCAA
womcn’sgymnasticschampionships,
Nebraska coach Rick Walton is right
where he wants to be.
Nebraska is the fifth-seeded team
in the meet, which will begin at 9
CDT tonight in Corvallis, Ore.
Walton, who has coached the
Comhuskcrs to three consecuti ve top
10 finishes, said he thinks being the
No. 5 seed is a good starting position.
“Actually, I think our chances arc
better than they were a year ago,” he
said. “We drew a good rotation,andl
think our team will do well. All of the
teams in the evening rotation are
capable of performing well, and we’re
right where we want to be.”
The Huskcrs arc 28-2 on the sea
son, having lost only to Utah and
Alabama -- the nation’s top two teams.
Both losses came in the team’s home
arenas.
The Huskcrs lost April 7 to Utah in
the NCAA Midwest Regional in Salt
Lake City. The top-ranked Utcs de
feated Nebraska 194.95 to 191.225,
but Walton said the Huskcrs aren’t
about to be intimidated by Utah.
“Utah had a real good night,” he
said of the regional meet. “1 don’t
think they could do better than they
did. But the question is, can they do
that in someone elsc’s gym?”
In the regional, Utah gymnasts won
all five events and captured the top
four spots in the all-around competi
tion, solidifying their top ranking and
making them the consensus favorite
to capture the national title.
But Walton still isn’t completely
convinced.
“Utah had a great meet (at the
regional), and everybody likes to think
that if you have a great performance,
you’re invincible,” Walton said. “But
there arc six teams that can win it.”
Including Nebraska, he said. The
Huskers have beaten four other top
10 teams this season - UCLA, Cal
Statc-Fullcrton, Oregon Slate and
Arizona. All four of those teams will
be at the NCAA championships this
weekend.
Four senior Huskers -- Tami Bair,
Michele Bryant, Angie Burdette and
Jane Clemons -- will be trying to end
their careers on a positive note. They
were members, of the first Nebraska
team to qualify for the NCAA cham
pionships (in 1987) and finished in
10th place.
After another lOth-placc finish the
next year, the Huskcrs finished fourth
last season, which was the highest
ranking for a Nebraska women’s
gymnastics team.
Bair and Bryant also earned All
America status, making them the first
women gymnasts at Nebraska -- along
with Crystal Savage -- to earn that
honor.
The returning experience this year
has Walton optimistic for this year’s
championship.
“I think our seniors will do fine at
nationals,’ ’ Walton said. ‘ They have
been there three times before, and
they want to go out in the best pos
siblc way. They want to go in, com
pete to their fullest potential and sec
how we come out at the end of the
whole thing.”
Walton said he doesn’t think the
Huskers have peaked yet.
“1 hope we can do it at nationals,”
he said. “The only thing we need to
do Friday night is gel excitement in
our routines and be pumped up for the
competition.
“You can T compete like a robot at
a meet like this.”
Given the Huskers’ record, Wal
ton said, Nebraska “should be a team
to deal with at nationals.”
“We performed (at rcgionals) belter
than our score indicated,” he said. “I
think this team is ready for the NCAAs,
mentally and physically.”
NU tennis team anxious
for combat against rivals
By Paul Domeier
Senior Reporter
Nebraska men’s tennis coach Kerry
McDermott makes this weekend’s
duals against Oklahoma State on
Saturday and Oklahoma on Sunday
sound like gang warfare.
“We’re anxious to go out and do
some combat,’’ he said.
Combat?
“It will bethisweckcnd,’’ McDer
mott said. “Oklahoma and Oklahoma
State are just big rivalries with us.’’
The turf at stake is first or second
place in the Big Eight heading into
the conference tournament next week.
Kansas leads the Big Eight with 35
points and has a match at Colorado
remaining. The Cornhuskers are sec
ond with 27 points and two matches
left. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State,
who play Nebraska, Iowa State and
each other, are third and fourth with
19 and 18 points, respectively.
Nebraska will try to solidify its
conference standing when it faces
Oklahoma State on Saturday and
Oklahoma on Sunday. The matches
begin at 10 a.m. at the Cathcr-Pound
courts or, if the weather is bad, in the
Woods Park tennis bubbles.
The Sooners and Cowboys have a
history of hurling the Huskers. In
1988 Nebraska was 5-1 in the Big
Eight, losing only to Oklahoma. In
1989 Nebraska was again 5-1 in the
Big Eight, with its only loss coming
against Oklahoma Stale.
Last season's loss especially was
bitter. The Huskers went to Okla
See COMBAT on 8
Wollorth stresses intensity
against Big Eight opponents
By Darran Fowler
Staff Reporter
Even though Coach Ron Wolforth
admits his softball team is struggling,
he is not off his rocker when he says
Nebraska can win all four of its games
this weekend.
Nebraska heads toColumbia, Mo.,
for a pair of Big Eight ound-robin
doubleheadcrs againstO! lahoma and
12th-ranked Missouri on Saturday
through Sunday.
“Some may call me cra/.y, but for
some odd reason I just feel we’re
going to go down there and have a
good showing,” Wolforth said.
Although he feels that way,
Wolforth said, he won’t make any
promises. He said a team can play
well and still not win four-straight
games, making the task this weekend
difficult.
To win four straight, the 21-16
Comhuskcrs must renound from a
shutout doubleheader sweep at
Creighton on Wednesday night.
Creighton bombed Nebraska 7-0 in
the first game and won 1-0 in the
nightcap.
Creighton's sweep puts Nebraska
in a “lough spot,” Wolforth said. If
the Huskcrs want to remain in conten
tion for any at-large bids for postsea
See HUSKERS on 8
A'
Ha^aD.,!, N.i,ra«K.r
Nebraska's James Cobb gets ready to accept the baton *
from Mark Perry during the running of the 400-meter
relay competition last Saturday.
Tough competition
awaits tracksters,
Coach Pepin says
By Sara Bauder
Staff Reporter
With the outdoor track sea
son near its halfway point,
Nebraska will face stronger
competition in the rest of its
meets, according toCoachGary
Pepin.
That tougher competition will
begin this weekend when most
of the Cornhuskcrs travel to
Seattle to compete against the
Washington Huskies and Mon
tana Slate Bobcats.
Three Huskcrs -- Sammie
Gdowski, Dicudonnc Kwizcra
and Yvonne van dor Kolk - will
skip the meet in favor of travel
ing to the Mount Sac Relays at
Walnut, Calif., Pepin said the
meet is one of the biggest in the
nation.
A few Huskcrs also will
compete in the Kansas Relays
at Lawrence, Kan., this week
end.
Pepin said the Huskcrs who
travel to Washington will be
competing against one of the
top teams in the nation.
“Washington’s men may very
well be the best dual-meet team
in the country,” he said. “Their
women are a very good, solid
team as well.”
The scored meet against
strong competition will be a
chance to see where the Husk
crs sit at this point in the season,
Pepin said.
Gdowski, a three-lime out
door A11-America selection in
the 3,(XX)-mctcr run, will lead
See PEPIN on 8
Vosik eager for Oklahoma‘s weekend series challenge
By Jeff Apel
Senior Editor
When Nebraska shortstop Bill Vosik
originally became a Comhusker, he
wasn’t ready to make the jump to
Division I baseball.
That was in 1986-87, and Vosik
spent his first year
with Nebraska as
a redshirt. After
sitting and realiz
ing there were
better players
ahead of him, he
decided to trans
fer. __
Vosik said that
decision proved to Vosik
be a wise one, as
he honed his skills while starring for
two seasons at Central Arizona Junior
College in Coolidgc, Ariz. Now, Vosik
is ready to star this weekend when
Nebraska faces Oklahoma State in a
tour-game senes at Buck Bcltzcr Field.
Nebraska opens its homestand
against the Cowboys with a single,
nine-inning game at 7 tonight. The
Cowboys are ranked 13th and 14th in
the latest Baseball America and Col
legiate Bascball/ESPN ratings. The
two teams will play a pair of seven
inning contests at 4 p.m. Saturday,
and will conclude their series with a
nine-inning game at 1 p.m. Sunday.
All four games will be broadcast
by KRNU (90.3 FM). University of
Nebraska-Lincoln students who pres
ent their student ID cards will be
admitted free.
Vosik said he is looking forward to
the series because it will give him a
chance to flash his talent in front of
one of college baseball’s best teams.
He said those who remember him as a
prep third baseman at Kearney High
School might be surprised when they
see him starling at shortstop this
weekend.
Vosik said the source of the sur
prise is Central Arizona, which made
him a belter player.
“Arizona was the right choice,"
Vosik said. “If I would have stayed
here, 1 would have been just another
player.
“There, I was a big contributor."
Vosik also has been a big contribu
tor at Nebraska this season, as he
leads all Husker regulars with a .360
batting average. He has 50 hits in 139
at bats, and also has scored 30 runs
while knocking in 32 more.
Vosik said the key to his season
has been confidence.
“I had a lot of confidence when I
came here, which really helped me,"
he said. “I suppose getting off to a
good start helps, too. * *
Vosik’s success has carried over to
his teammates, as Nebraska will take
a 29-13 record overall and a 4-4 mark
in me Big Eight into the Oklahoma
Slate series. The Cowboys lead the
conference with 31-11 and 7-2 marks.
Vosik said Nebraska is confident
about its chances against Oklahoma
Stale,
“We’re really motivated right
now,” he said. “We know this is a
big part of our season, and we’re
playing very well.
“Right now, we’re sitting pretty
well in the conference.”
Vosik said Nebraska must use a
philosophy created by Husker coach
John Sanders to defeat the Cowboys.
That philosophy stales that teams don’t
win games - they win innings.
Vosik said Sanders has been em
phasizing that philosophy because
Oklahoma State is an explosive team.
He said Nebraska must take one in
ning at a lime if it is going to offset
that explosiveness.
The Cowboys average 8.98 runs
per game.
“Our goal is to score every In
ning,” Vosik said. “We’re going to
try and gel at least one run every
inning.”
Vosik said Nebraska has a lot of
respect for Oklahoma Slate.
“We’re going to go into the week
end with a lot of respect,” he said.
“But we’re not going to go in scared
or intimidated.
“We can beat them.”
Notes:
• Nebraska tuned up for its Okla
homa Slate matchups by dropping a
4-2 decision to Wichita State on
Wednesday night in Wichita, Kan.
The Huskers took 1 -Band 2-1 leads
against the Shockers, but lost when
relief pitcher Armando Gar/.a surren
dered a solo home run in the seventh
inning. Vosik said the setback would
not hinder Nebraska entering the
Oklahoma State scries.
“Overall, we didn’t play a bad
game,” Vosik said, “sol don’t think
See VOSIK on 8