Sandy Summers/DN
All-American wrestler Frank Velazquez, a transfer from North Idaho Junior College,
hopes to end his career the way he began it — with a strong performance at Nation
als.
Aiming high
Injuries create uphill battle for wrestler
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
Nebraska wrestler Frank
Velazquez is aiming for the top.
But injuries have hurt
Velazquez, a returning
Comhusker All-American, in his
quest to repeat as All-American
in his senior season.
Because he came off a
seventh-place finish at the
national tournament last year, a
lot was expected out of
Velazquez this year.
A lower-left leg injury in the
Huskers’ dual against Clarion
Nov. 28 kept Velazquez out of
the Las Vegas Invitational, a
meet which showcased seven of
the top 10 teams in the nation.
“It’s kind of been an uphill
climb this season,” he said. ‘‘My
injuries were a problem early on
in the year.”
In last weekend’s Great Plains
Open, Velazquez had to default
his final match at 134 pounds
after injuring his leg in the
previous match.
“In a way, I’m not anywhere
near satisfied with my wrestling,”
he said. “I just have to keep
everything in perspective.”
Despite the injuries,
Velazquez, 12-2 for the season, is
regarded highly by his Husker
teammates. He is one of the
-44
In a way, I’m not anywhere near satisfied with
my wrestling. / just have to keep everything
in perspective.
— Velazquez
NU wrestler and All-American
-.- •• .
team’s two captains, along with
sophomore 167-pounder Chad
Nelson.
Velazquez said he tended to
lead more by example than by
words.
“1 just try to be myself,” he
said. “I’m not one to say much
stuff.
“I’d rather get stuff done.”
Velazquez hopes to match the
Huskers’ best-ever third-place
finish at the NCAA Champion
ships last year. Nebraska is
ranked 11th in this week’s Top
20.
“Right now we’re not looked
at as too promising,” he said. “I
think we expect to do as well as
last year. I hope we expect it out
of ourselves.”
Youth and inexperience are
the two minuses against the
Huskers, Velazquez said.
“At times it’s tough,” he said.
“It’s kind of hard for them
sometimes to have confidence in
themselves.
“If guys have confidence in
themselves, we’ll do great. The
young guys need a little experi
ence.”
They also need to overcome
their bad experiences, Velazquez
said.
“Sometimes it’s harder to get
across to some of the guys that
you have to be real positive,” he
said. “It’s hard for them to pick
themselves up after a loss, so we
have to pick them up and give
them confidence.”
Velazquez was in their
position last year. The experience
he gained last year, his first at
Nebraska after two years at North
Idaho Junior College, gave him
his first taste of success at the
Division I level.
Not only was Velazquez an
All-American, he also was one of
three Husker Big Eight champi
ons.
“It helped a lot,” he said. “I
gained some confidence in
myself. But I had confidence that
I could do as well as I did at
nationals.”
Comerback upbeat
despite bowl loss
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Editor
Tyrone Williams looked like he
was attending the wrong set of post
game interviews after Nebraska’s 18
16 loss to Florida State.
While his teammates faced inter
views with long faces, quiet voices
and tears in their eyes, Williams, a 6
foot, 180-pound sophomore
comerback from Palmetto, Fla., wore
a smile that revealed his gold front
tooth as he spoke proudly of Nebras
ka’s performance.
Despite the smile, Williams said,
he was anything but happy about los
ing to the Seminoles.
“Emotionally it hurts; it hurts a lot,
but you deal with it,” Williams said.
“In my life I have been through a lot
of things, and I have been in situations
like this before. I have learned to deal
with it.”
Williams said he was also a bit
upbeat because he knew opposing
teams would have to deal with an
experienced Nebraska backfield next
year. The Comhuskers lost just three
of their top eight defensive backs to
graduation.
“We’ll be back next year — we
have a great nucleus,” Williams said.
“You have to be confident because we
were so close — and the goal is defi
nitely reachable.”
Likewise, Williams said, Nebras
ka’s defensive backs were close to
making big plays against the constant
aerial assault on the Nebraska sec
ondary by Hesiman Trophy-winner
Chari ie Ward and Florida S tate ’ s w ide
receivers.
Ward attempted 43 passes, which
put pressure on Williams and the oth
er Huskcr defensive backs.
Early in the second quarter, Will
iams was beaten by Kevin Knox for a
31 -yard gain to mid-field.
Williams tackled Knox near the
Nebraska sideline, but instead of hang
Impact .
Eric Stokefl
In his first year, Tyrone Williams
finished 10th on the team in
tackles, first in fumble recoveries
and also recorded an interception.
A look at his numbers compared:
umm ^ \ UT at tt
Trev Alberts!; / 47 49 96 ,
^ wnght mmmmmt
Ed Stewart 39 40 79
Mike Anderson 27 39 66
John Reece 29 29 58
Barron Miles SHHHH
Kevin Ramaekers 17 31 48
Terry Conneal
INTERCEPTION RETURNS
FUMBLE RECOVERIES
Williams
|3 others with one
ON graphic
-44
Well be back next
year — we have a
great nucleus. You
have to be confident
because we were so
close — and the goal
Is definitely reach
able.
— Williams
NU defensive back
-99
ing his head, Williams trotted back
onto the field clapping his hands above
his head.
See WILLIAMS on 11
Husker baseball team
expects strong season
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Editor
With the college football season
ending less than two weeks ago and
the basketball season moving into full
swing, the last thing most Nebraskans
are thinking about is baseball.
But preseason college polls and
All-America teams are already being
published, and the Nebraska baseball
ball team will begin the season well
represented.
Collegiate Baseball ranked the
Cornhuskers — who have already
started spring conditioning and offi
cially begin spring practice on Jan. 17
— 35th in its preseason Fabulous 40
poll.
Nebraska coach John Sanders said
the recognition indicated the amount
of talent the Huskers would put on the
Held this season.
“We are pleased to have an out
standing nucleus back from last year’s
team,” Sanders said. “We thought
(Nebraska’s ranking) would be a little
higher, but we’ll take it.”
Nebraska’s leading returner will
be left-handed pitcher Troy Brohawn.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 190-pound jun
ior from Woolford, Md., was named
toCollegiate Baseball’s 1994Mizuno
Pre-Season All-American team after
finishing with a 13-0 record and All
America honors last season.i.
Brohawn, who posted a 3.16 ERA
with 123 strikeouts last season, said
that although he was an All-American
last year, he wasn’t counting on being
a preseason selection.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” he said.
“I don’t like to expect anything be
cause it might not happen. I had a
good senior season of high school and
everyone told me I would get drafted
so I expected to get drafted. I didn’t
get drafted, and since then, I haven’t
really counted on anything.”
Brohawn said the recognition gave
-it
Other teams and other
players see that I am
an All-American, and
they come after me
harder. It has made me
work a lot harder be
cause now I have to
try to show that I de
served It.
— Brohawn
NU pitcher
ft
him incentive to improve as a player.
“Other teams and other players sec
that 1 am an All-American and they
come after me harder,” Brohawn said.
“It has made me work a lot harder
because now I have to try to show that
I deserved it.”
Sophomore outfielder Darin Erstad
collected All-American honors of his
own by being named a first-team pre
season All-American by Baseball
America.
Erstad hit .339 as a freshman with
10 home runs, 54 RBIs and 14 stolen
bases.
Although Erstad is only a sopho
more, Sanders said he was not sur
prised that Erstad was honored be
cause he put up solid numbers as a
freshman. He also improved his stock
by participating in the 1993 USA
Baseball Fall Trials.
“He’s a name that is out there and
he has done a great job in every sport
he has ever played in,” Sanders said.
“He is definitely a marquee player.”