NU track season to open Saturday Coach predicts success ahead By Tony West Staff Reporter Nebraska will kick off its track and field season Saturday with goals set no lower than usual—BigEight titles and high national finishes. Coach Gary Pepin said his men’s and women’s indoor teams, which will host the Nebraska Open at the Bob Devancy Sports Center track on Saturday, were both good enough to capture conference championships. Last season, the Huskcr teams swept the indoor conference titles, and the Nebraska women also won the Big Eight outdoor championship. Pepin said this year’s teams should repeat those performances. “We will win both conference meets (men and women),” Pepin said. “I want to sec both teams as lop 10 finishers in the national indoor meet.” The Nebraska Open, which will begin at 11 a.m., will be more for individuals than teams. Team scoring will not be kept in the meet, which will have more than 600 athletes par ticipating. Among the teams competing arc Barton County Community College, Nebraska Wesleyan, Hastings, Doanc, Wayne State, Northern Iowa and Wichita State. -44 We are not keeping team totals. But even if we were, the team competition isn’t that good. —Pepin Nil track coach -»t - “Wc arc not keeping team totals,” Pepin said. “But even if wc were, the team competition isn’t that good. “This meet wc will focus on the individuals,” Pepin said. “There will be some great athletes competing.” Pepin said the meet would serve as a tool for him to evaluate the talent on his team, especially the freshman. He also said the meet might be thcchancc to sec where Nebraska needed to fill its holes. “We have a lot of new people this season,” Pepin said. “I feel the men’s recruiting class was real good, while wc didn’t get all wc wanted from the women.” In addition, Pepin said the low-key meet would give his younger athletes a chance to get adjusted to the college level. “This is going to be a non-pressure meet for us,” Pepin said. “This meet gives us an opportunity to find out where wc arc with people and their progress according to other athletes.” Kiley Timperley/DN Nebraska freshman Lis Brenden guards a defender in a game earlier this year. Brenden earned her first start last weekend and will start tonight’s game against No. 7 Colorado. Husker swim teams ready to take on Iowa, Iowa State From Staff Reports After the Husker swim teams’ sweeps over Missouri last Saturday, both the men and women arc anxious to face two competitive teams in Iowa this weekend. The men’s team will face Iowa in Iowa City at 7 p.m. today, and both Husker teams will have a dual with Iowa State in Ames on Saturday. Nebraska coach Cal Beniz said Iowa, a team which is ranked among the lop 15 in the nation, would present a challenge to his swimmers. “Iowa will always pul your back to the wall and compete real hard,” Benu said. “Il’i. a good hard rivalry, with both schools bringing out the best of each other.” Bent/ said for Nebraska, he looked for strong performances from Husker newcomers Lazcllc MarkgralT and Bjorn Mollcr, who both made impres sive dcbuls last week against Mis souri. “We expect to see very good limes," Bentz said. “However, Iowa Slate has limited space, so we will have to swim well.” Home Continued from Page 7 “K-State, I just feel, they’re really doing a good job,” he said. “You win two overtime games — one on the road, one at home — it builds their confidence, and I think that they’re really playing with a confident level.” Nebraska forward Bruce Chubick, who led the Huskers in scoring with 15 points on Wednesday, said he was impressed with the Wildcats’ effort against Kansas. “Against KU, they carpe out and just gave lOOpcrccntcffort,’’Chubick said. “1 thought for a half they played great; in that first half they looked tough — they looked as good as most of the teams I’ve seen.” Chubick said that after Nebraska’s dismal performance against Sacra men to Slate, the W i Ideals would prob ably be confident coming into the Dcvancy Center. “Idon’lthink they’II feel they have to do anything special to beat us,” he said. “We haven’t shown anybody anything yet, and I’m sure they feel they have a real good chance of com ing in here and beating us — if I was them, I probably would, loo; hope fully we can prove them wrong.” If Kansas State is to leave Saturday with a win, the Wildcats will probably have to do it the way they have been all season — with balanced scoring. Five Wildcat players arc averaging double figures in scoring, led by guard Askia Jones’ 12.8 points per game. Chubick said playing at the Dcvancy Center should help combat Kansas State’s numerous weapons. “There’s no place like home," he said. ( ! i i 1 < < I I l i \ i ‘Little things’ offer big returns for freshman By Tony West Staff Reporter__ The Nebraska women’s basketball team just can’t keep its freshmen on the bench. Earlier this season, freshman Kate Galligan broke into the starting lineup after an impressive showing in a game against Arizona State. Now it’s Lis Brenden’s turn. Brenden, a guard, got her first start of the season last Sunday when Ne braska played at Kansas State. She responded by scoring 12 points and helped lead the Comhuskers to a 74 57 win. Tonight, Brenden will see her sec ond start of the season when the Husk ers play host to No. 7 Colorado in an S p.m. game at the Bob Dcvancy Sports Center. Despite shining in her first start, Brenden isn’t ready to proclaim her self as a fixture in the lineup just yet. “I am not for certain that I am a permanent starter,’’ Brenden said. Her offensive production has picked up as the season has progressed. Brenden is averaging almost 6 points and 2 rebounds per game. But the main reason why Brenden has seen an expanded role for the Huskers is her scrappy defense. She said she prides herself on playing lefense with all the intensity she can. Colorado (15-0,3-01 ^ F Amy Matter* 7A 3.9 F Mindy Henry 113 63 C Abhyfflrfs 93 63 G Stephanie Mack S3 13 G Stetey Steetz |16.7 23 Wgbrwk. [11-4,2-2) ^ m F Nafeesak Brown 113 43 F Karen Jennings 21.7 73 G Meggan Yedsena 83 33 G Kate GaMga* 63 2.1 G Lb Brendan S3 2.1 Scott Maurer/DN 1 just play defense hard and bring defensive intensity,” Brenden said. ‘If I knock them down, I’m not going to help them back up.” “I’m not a very nice person out there,” she said. “I bang with the best." Brenden said she tries to model her play after her role model, Phoenix Sun forward Charles Barkley, who is known for his physical play on the court. Brenden said making the transi lion from high school to college was easier than she expected. I expected it to be more difficult here,” Brenden said. ‘‘In high school it was a cakewalk and here you have to actually play the game and be more patient." That patience finally paid off with last weekend’s start. But Brenden said she still realized her role on the team and that she’s still only a freshman. “I keep my mouth shut,” Brenden said. “But, I beat them up with the little things I do.” Championship “only goal” Parcells has BOSTON (AP) - The word “cham >ionship” flowed repeatedly from Bill ’arcclls’ lips as he relumed to coach - ng Thursday, even if he must rebuild he New England Patriots. Parcclls, winner of two Super Jowls in his last five years as head :oach of the New York Giants, lakes :hargc of a team that lied for the siFL’s worst record and has won just our playoff games in its 33-year his ory. “History,” he declared, “means tothing in football.” Patriots owner Jim Orth wein cal led he signing of Parcclls “the beginning )f a new and exciting chapter in the history of the New England Patriots ” Ata meeting late last week, Parcclis said, Orth wein asked him what it would take to make the Patriots competitive. I told him I wasn’t interested in a competitive team, but rather if he was interested in bringing a championship team to New England, then I was his man, Parcclis said at a news confer ence. “That’s the only goal a guy like me can have. “I emphasize the word champion ship because that’s what I’m trying to d?H ad,dcd- ‘When (Orthwein) said, That s what I want to do, too ’ I got real interested.” New England was 2-14 in 1992, ils second season under coach Dick MacPhcrson. MaePherson was fired Jan.8andchicfcxccutivcofficcrSam Jankovich resigned the next day. Parcclls is the Patriots’ fourth coach in five years. He resigned as Giants coach lour months after winning the 1991 Super Bowl and spent the past two seasons as an NBC football an nouncer. He said Thursday he missed coaching. It s like going to the schoolyard when you’re a kid,” he said. “You have to grow up some time, but fortu nately I haven t had to.”