Nebmskan SPORTS
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Brothers to battle for first time at Last Chance
By Susie Arth
Senior Reporter_
When he was only 7 years old,
Andy Meyer was introduced to a new
pastime. It’s 15 years later, and he’s
become one of the best.
Meyer—who received All-Ameri
can honors in the discus last season,
finished first in the Big Eight in the
discus last season and ranks second on
the all-time Nebraska charts—started
throwing from his own front yard.
He and his brother Rick, who was
16 at the time, built their discus ring
together. They dumped the cement,
waited for it to dry, painted the circle
and drilled holes for a toe board. In
blue paint, they wrote “Andy and
Rick” along the side. They used a
telephone pole that stands 200 feet
away to estimate the lengths of their
throws.
Andy Meyer, a junior on the
Comhuskcr track team, said it was his
brother who first got him interested in
throwing the discus.
They’d practice together in the
afternoons. Rick Meyer would show
his younger brother the techniques,
and Andy Meyer would watch his
brother’s throws with envy.
Since then, Andy Meyer has fallen
in love with the discus. He’s never
considered giving it up.
In high school, Andy Meyer broke
his brother’s record.
He called Rick Meyer, who lives in
Huskers hope
to avoid upset
over weekend
By Tim Pearson
Staff Reporter__
The Nebraska baseball team will
take a weekend break from Big Eight
action in hopes of avoiding an upset.
The 22-19 Comhuskers will play
five games in the next three days.
Nebraska will take on Peru State at
4 p.m. today in a doublchcadcr at
Buck Bclt/er Field. Mount Marty will
come to Lincoln to play the Huskers
in a single game at 3 p.m. on Saturday,
and the Huskers will host Nebraska
Keamey in a doublchcadcr Sunday at
1:30 p.m.
Nebraska is coming off of a split
against Missouri Wednesday night.
The Huskers took the first game as
sophomore Troy Brohawn kept his
perfect record of 8-0 intact with a
complete-game win over the Tigers.
The Tigers look the second game,
scoring three runs in the bottom of the
seventh to seal the 9-7 win.
Husker coach John Sanders said he
was pleased with his team’s play at
Missouri.
“We played well, but not well
enough to win both games,” he said.
“We hit the ball well and had solid
defense for the most part.
“We’re getting back to our early
season form. The guys are more con
fident right now."
Nebraska is now filth in the Big
Eight with a 10-10 record behind front
runner Oklahoma State. The Huskers
won’t resume Big Eight action until
next Saturday, when they hosta three
game weekend series with Oklahoma.
Sanders said that Peru Slate, Mount
Marty, and Nebraska-Kearney will
all be hungry for a win against the
Huskers this weekend.
“We don’t know much about these
learns, but I know they’ll come in and
-44
We’re getting back to
our early season
form. The guys are
more confident right
now.
—Sanders
NU baseball coach
-99 -
compete 4ke, crazy ^.he said.
Nebraska faced Peru Slate earlier
in the season and won all four times.
In the first two games of the sea
son, the Huskcrs defeated the Bobcats
15-0 in the first game and 14-13 in the
second game. Last Monday, Nebraska
swept Peru State again 21 -9 and 12-3.
Sanders said he was hoping for two
more wins against Peru Slate today,
but he said it wouldn’t be easy.
“We played Peru State earlier, and
they played us very competitively,”
he said. “They battled us hard.”
Mount Marly,an NAIA Division II
school, comes into the single game
Saturday with a 23-5 record. Ne
braska-Kcamcy has posted a 15-16
record on the season.
Sanders said his team was aware
that the Lancers and the Lopcrs wou Id
be coming in looking for an upset.
“I don’t think our guys will over
look these games,” Sanders said. “Our
guys know that there are upsets out
there wailing to happen.”
Sanders said center fielder Jed
Dalton, who has been out with an
injured shoulder, mightplay this week
end.
“He’s day-to-day right now," he
said. ‘‘He’s ceiling better. If he’s ready,
he’ll probably sec some action."
*
Houston, and they celebrated for a
while on the phone.
“We were both pretty ecstatic,” he
said.
since coming to
the University of
Ncbraska-Lin
coln, Andy Meyer
has been busy try
ing to improve
both in the discus
and in the shot pul.
He likes the dis
_ cus bellcr — he
y has more confi
dence throwing it, but he’s been suc
cessful in both.
"I’ve been a little belter throwing
the discus,” he said. “It’s more fun; I
enjoy il more.”
He qualified for the Olympic Tri
als in the discus in 1992, but he elected
not to go.
“I don’t think I would have had the
best chance of doing well,” he said.
Now, he’s got his heart set on the
19% Olympics, a far cry from the
home-made circle in the front yard.
But il must have been good enough,
after all, both brothers are still com
peting.
They keep each other posted on all
their latest successes. They frequently
talk on the phone.
“It helps me a lot to have him
around,” he said. “He gives me a lot of
advice — I can always use it.”
On May 26, at the Nebraska Last
Chance meet in Lincoln, Andy and
Rick Meyer wi II compete against each
other for the first time.
“It’s kind of weird now, because
I’m getting to be close to his level,”
Andy Meyer said.
“There’s never been any real heated
competition between us,” he said.
“We’ll be rooting for each other.”
Maybe after the meet they will
return to their parents 350-acre farm
outside Superior, and take a couple
tosses on their old discus ring.
The elements have faded their
names away, they can no longer see
them, he said.
But their hearts are still smack dab
in the middle.
Robin Trimarchi/DN
Nebraska’s Tom Bergan pitches in a game earlier this year against Kansas. The
Comhuskers will host games this weekend against Peru State, Mount Marty and Nebraska
Kearney.
* • -a
McDermott restructures tennis team, players say
Three expelled,
others offered
tryout chances
By Beau Finley
Staff Raportar_
The Nebraska men’s tennis team
has expelled three members of the
team.
Five other players have been given
the option to try out for the team next
year, according to reports from three
players. But even |f the players arc
allowed to play, they said their schol
arships will not be renewed.
According to three members of
last year’s team, only two of the cur
rent players, Andy Davis and An
thony Kotarac, have retained their
scholarships lor next season.
McDermott, who is recruiting new
players, was unavailable for comment
Thursday night. Assistant Coach Ken
Feuer would not comment on the
changes.
Sophomore Mike Garcia, the
Comhuskers’ No. 4 player, confirmed
that he had been released from his
athletic scholarship along with team
mates Anthony Cunningham and Jan
Frodc Anderson.
Anderson was a Big Eight cham
pion at No. 3 singles. Cunningham
played the majority of the season at
No. 6 singles and No. 2 doubles.
Garcia said the decision to release
him was made by Coach Kerry
McDermott so the coach could “re
structure the team.”
However, he said, the turmoil on
*
the team had been building since the
start of the season.
“There has been a lack of commu
nication from the beginning (of the
season),” Garcia said. “And when we
finally did communicate, it was loo
late."
After the season ended, McDermott
informed the players of his restructur
ing decision.
Despite the shake up, at least one
member of the team has decided to
accept McDermott’s option of re
qualifying for the team.
Sophomore Rick Stempson said he
was upset about the decision, but
would try to be a part of the team next
season.
“I feel lucky to have a shot,"
Stempson said. “I had visions of my
self going into the office and tnc
coach telling me I wasn’t on the team
anymore.”
Stempson sat out from the team
this year after transferring to UNL
from the University of Nebraska at
Kearney. However Junior Troy Bray,
a reserve player this year, said
McDermottfs decision would end his
career with the Huskers.
Jay Scgrist, Christopher Nielsen
and Adrian Mai/cy, the other players
given the option, could not be reached
for comment. Anderson and
Cunningham also could not be
reached.
Garcia said McDermott’s selec
tion of certain players was based on
their personalities, not on their abili
ties. BulGarciasaidAnderson’sdis
missal might have been a result of his
interest in transferring to another
school.
I
“Jan’s big mistake was telling
Coach (McDermott) he was thinking
about leaving,” Garcia said. “Coach
fell intimidated.”
Garcia said his departure from the
team wouldn’t affect his relationship
with his teammates.
“I get along with everyone fine.
Things are a little confusing for me,
but we’re a close-knit team, he said.
Al Papik, assistant athletic direc
tor for administrative services, said
he was unaware of McDermott’s de
cision and that it was still unofficial.
Papik requires consultation with
coaches before any scholarships can
be revoked.
ButGarcia is assuming thechangcs
arc for real.
“If I gel a chance to play some
where else, I’ll take it,” he said.
