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THE WHEEL
SEVENTH AVENUE
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GREAT EXPECTATIONS
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IN C A A title
possible,
gymnastics
coach says
By Tim Pearson
Staff Reporter
After a second-place finish behind
Stanford last year at the NCAA Cham
pionships, the Nebraska men’s gym-r
nasties team wants to win first place
more than ever this year.
Men’s gymnastics coach Francis
Allen said the Huskcrs had the best
chance to win the NCAA Champion
ships, set for Thursday through Satur
day in Albuquerque, N.M.
“Our regional performances should
scare the other teams,” Alien said.
“We won by a whole three points.”
The Huskcrs won the West Re
gional by defeating Stanford by a
score of 285.325 to 282.80.
Allen said Nebraska was the clear
favorite in the NCAA Championships,
but Ohio Slate, Minnesota and
Stanford would have a chance if the
Huskcrs didn’t perform well.
“Ohio State, Minnesota and
Stanford are pretty much off the pace
judging by their regional perfor
mances,’’ Allen said. “But you can’t
count them out. We still need to per
form.”
Stanford will be hurt by the ab
sence of Mark Booth, who tore an
Achilles’ tendon during his floor ex
ercise at the West Regional, Allen
said.
Huskcr juniors Dennis Harrison
and Sumner Darling, who will both
compete in the all-around, must per
form well, Allen said.
Harrison, a three-time All-Ameri
can, placed fifth last year in the all
around and Darling scored a 57.00 in
the all-around at the West Regional.
“Assuming Darling and Harrison
arc our Icadoff men in the all-around,
if they both gel 57 or more, we’re
home free,” Allen said. “If they don’t
do that, hopefully the rest of the team
can suck it up.”
Allen said an eighth national title
would help the Nebraska gymnastics
program immensely.
“We’re looking at holding the
NCAA Championships next year,”
Allen said. “Winning will bcasignifi
cant help.
“Also there’s nothing like the feel
ing of being defending national cham
pions.”
The Huskcrs have five returning
All-Americans from last year’s meet, '
and Allen said his team was as healthy
as they had been all year.
“Yesterday we had our best prac
tice of the whole year,” he said. “We ’re
ready to go. It’s tournament time, so
we’ll have no problem gelling ready.”
' Im 1 rdVI5 ™y>ng/uiN
Nebraska’s Lance Gray takes a break during spring practice Tuesday. Gray, an outside
linebacker, was converted to fullback this spring.
I l I
□y ousie Ann
Senior Reporter
Once an attacker, now a protec
tor, but still the same aggressor.
Lance Gray, a former outside
linebacker who used to pride him
self on being one of the hardest
hitters on the Comhusker defense
and special teams, doesn’t sec any
need to change his ways just be
cause he’s moved to fullback.
“I’m going to try to carry over
my same style of play to the offen
sive side,’’ he said. “I’ll have the
same mentality and a different job.’’
Gray said hie enjoys playing full
back because it involves a lot of
contact.
“The way it’s run here, I have
plenty of opportunities to hit people
as hard as I can.”
Gray said his defensive experi
ence has made him appreciate a
fullback’s job.
“I used to thrive on hilling full
The way Its run
here, I have plenty
of opportunities to
hit people as hard
as I can.
—Gray
NU fullback
ff -
backs and getting around themhe
said. “Now I say there is no way
anyone is going to get around me.
Gray, who was a four-year
letterman as a fullback and line
backer at Free Academy High
School in Owcgo, N.Y., said he
was shocked when d*? coaches
asked him to move to fullback at
the end of February.
And at first, he was a little disap
P°“Bul in less than a day I thought
miv pv.mi ▼ v umi^o UIA/Ui piUJ w
ing fullback,” he said. ‘‘1 realized
there was plenty of room to make
noise at that position.”
• Now, he loves it.
“It’s a great change of pace and
a good move,” he said. “I’m having
a ball and that’s the most important
thing.”
And the transition is going
smoother than he expected.
Fullbacks Cory Schlesingcrand
Dave Fiala have helped him get the
hang of the position, he said.
Already in spring practice, Gray
has moved up to the second posi
tion on the depth chart.
But Gray said he still needs to
work on his pass defense and block
ing before fall.
He credits his aggressive nature
for his success.
“Right now, my aggressiveness
has been carrying me, but I still
need to gel the mental aspect down
and get more confidence,” he said.
Fab Four to make Allen's dreams come true
The Fab Four has a chance to re
deem themselves this weekend.
Hold up. Time out, Chris Webber
fans.
Not Michigan.
Nebraska.
TheComhuskcrgymnastics team's
Fab Four recruiting class of two years
ago— Dennis Harrison, Sumner Dar
ling, Che Bowers and Burkett Powell
—will be tumbling toward vengeance
Thursday through Saturday at the
NCAA Championships in Albuquer
que, N.M.
The Fab Four and Co. are back, one
year after losing to Stanford in one of
the closest NCAA championships
ever.
It was then that they came one step
on the landing, one tumble on the
floor exercise, one hair on the high bar
away from beating Stanford.
Final score: Stanford 289.575,
Nebraska 288.95.
Now, il’s payback time.
Nebraska beat Stanford by 2.5
points—a pummcling in gymnastics
« .• .
Todd
I Cooper
— to win the West Regional two
weeks ago.
And Stanford is generally consid
ered Nebraska’s only competition this
weekend.
So pack it up, pack it in. Nebraska’s
going to win.
Right?
Here’s the slip:
Nebraska beat Stanford in the West
Regional last year before losing to the
Cardinal in the NCAA finals.
To paraphrase Yogi Berra,
Nebraska's situation this weekend
unfortunately looks like deja vu all
over again.
Right?
Wrong.
“I think everything is going our
f % Vr, - . + >
way,” Allen said. “Nebraska is the
team to beat.”
Why?
“You have to look at the fact that
we have four of the lop juniors in the
country,” Allen said. “I said that their
freshman year. When we recruited
them, I said they were the best recruit
ing class ever in modem gymnastics.
"They’re performing at their best
right now and when you get a 3
class like that and they stay healthy,
you belter win.”
And you thought Webber and Co.
had pressure.
Like Michigan’s Fab Five, Coach
Francis Allcn’srecruilingclassof two
years ago was the most heralded in
history.
Harrison, Darling, Bowers, Powell
and Scott Barnes, whoquit the team in
1990, made up Allen’s version of the
Fab Five.
And they had all the expectations
and pressures of M ichigan ’ s Fab Fi ve.
Before the 1991 national champi
onships, Allen was warning everyone
of whal would come.
“This is the team of the future, it
it’s not already here,” he said.
The team of the future is here now.
At least it should be.
As Allen said, with seniors Josh
Saegerl and Louis BaH, freshman Ja
son Christie, sophomores Richard
Grace and Rick Kieffer combining
with the Fab Four, this team should
produce against a veteran Stanford
club.
But is that loo much pressure to put
on 20-year-olds’ shoulders? #
Never fear. Unlike Michigan slab
Five. Nebraska’s gymnasts arc used
to the expectations.
Put simply, frankness is Francis s
forte. „ . _
The year before the Fab Four set
foot on campus, Allen predicted that
Nebraska would beat Minnesota in
the NCAA championships. They did,
but by only one-tenth of a point.
See COOPER on 8