The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 14, 1994, Page 8, Image 8

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LEARN
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with others? Our group will help you to become more direct and honest while
respecting the rights of others. We will meet for 7 weeks, WEDNESDAY S,
FEBRUARY 2 - MARCH 16, from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. If interested, contact Sue at
Counseling & Psychological Services, 213 University Health Center, 472-7450.
NEBRASKA
WRESTLING
Cheer on the 11th ranked UNL Wrestling Team as
they take on 20th ranked Indiana.
SATURDAY
Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Bob Devaney Sports Center
Indoor Track
Admission
$2 - general admission
Free - UNL students with
photo I.D.
Keystone
cou-; Longnecks
Italian dinner- &
1434 "O" St.
475-5556
BEER • PIIZA • CALZONES* HOAGIES
VMF NEBRASKA
i 1 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Catch the UNL Women's Basketball Team in
action this weekend.
FRIDAY
Jan. 14
Nebraska vs. Kansas
7 p.m.
SUNDAY
Jan. 16
Nebraska vs. Kansas St.
2 p.m.
'Or
Qp
V/
Bob Devaney
Sports Center
Admission
$6 - reserved seating
$4 - adutts general admission
$2 - norvUNL students
general admission
Free - full time UNL students
with photo I.D.
For ticket information
call 472-3111
THE DIALCORR
Comumti Plod net* Group
Pivotal weekend ahead for NU women
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter_
After dropping to 0-2 in the Big
Eight, the Nebraska women’s basket
ball team is hoping to get back on
track this weekend when it faces Kan
sas and Kansas
State.
The 8-7 Huskers
have their tough
est test tonight
when they play
host to the 11-1
Jayhawks at 7.
Nebraska then
Beck
plays Kansas State
Sunday at 2 p.m.
Coach Angela
Beck said she was pleased that Ne
braska would play the stronger oppo
nent first.
“I like it that this week we had the
whole time to prepare for Kansas,”
she said. “We’ve spent a lot of our
time preparing for them and have a
day for K-State.”
Beck said Nebraska’s two consec
utive conference losses—on the road
last weekend to Oklahoma State and
Oklahoma — gave Nebraska added
incentive.
“In order to be in the (Big Eight)
title race and contend, we are going to
have to get some W’s this weekend,”
Beck said. “This weekend is real im
portant to us. We obviously have a lot
of pride on our team in the tradition
we have established.
“We’re at home this week and we
feel we have been in both of those
(Big Eight) road games. Obviously,
there is a lot on the line.”
Kansas, which is 2-0 in conference
play, has Beck concerned.
“Kansas has an awful lot of weap
ons,” she said. “The athleticism on
their team is tremendous. They’re
tremendous athletes as well as basket
ball players. They’ve signed some of
the top talent in the nation.
“Their defense has really been out
standing. It has been causing people
to turn the ball over a lot. We have to
take care of the ball.”
The last meeting between the teams
occurred in the 1993 Big Eight tour
nament championship in Salina, Kan.,
which Kansas won 64-60.
Beck said most of her players
weren’t concerned about last year’s
Big Eight championship loss.
“Obviously, we’re going to be up
for Kansas, but I think since we’re
such a young team that (the loss)
doesn’treally matter,” she said. “Now
we’re on our own court and we’re
going to be ready for them.”
Beck said she wasn ’ t worried about
a letdown against 6-5 Kansas State
after playing Kansas only two days
earlier.
“Personally, I’m not focusing on
any kind of letdown,” she said. “I’m
just focusing on being prepared for
Kansas because we have to take care
of business there.”
Gymnasts aim for Big 8 championship
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter___
First-year coach Dan Kendig is
optimistic heading into his women’s
gymnastics team’s season-opening
meet Saturday against Illinois in
Champaign, 111.
The Comhuskers take on Illinois at
7:30 p.m. in the first of nine regular
season meets.
“I like the attitude and the motiva
tion we have going into this meet,”
Kendig said. “We are working well
and working smart. If we hit the things
we have been working on, we will
compete well.”
He said he hoped the Huskers, who
finished second in the Big Eight last
season, could challenge for the con
ference crown this spring.
“We feel real good about the con
ference,” he said. “We feel like we
have a chance of winning as long as
! we do well at the conference champi
I onships. Last year, they didn ’ t do well
at that meet and still finished second.”
Leading returnees for the Huskers
this season include senior Lori Phillips
and juniors Jennifer Hawkinson and
Nicole Duval.
Juniors Kristi Camp and Martha
-
We are working well and working smart. If we hit
the things we have been working on, we will
compete well.
— Kendig
Nebraska women’s gymnastics coach
-§9 -
Jenkins, along with sophomores
Meghan Nicolini, Jenny Slade and
Joy Taylor also return from last year’s
squad. In addition, freshmen Shelly
Bartlett, Kim DeHaan and Shelly
Johnson join the team.
“We have depth in all four events,”
Kendig said. “I don’t think we’re re
ally relying on any one person in an
event. And I think that’s a good thing,
in case somebody gets hurt.”
Phillips, the lone senior on the
team, set five personal records last
season after several injuries prevent
ed her from competing in the all
around competition her first two years
as a Husker. Kendig said Phillips had
been working hard in practice and
would be ready to go against the Fight
ing Illini.
“She really puts a lot into every
thing she does,” Kendig said. “She
could be right there in all four events.”
A year after finishing seventh at
the Midwest regional competition,
Kendig said the Huskcrs’ goals went
beyond that point for the 1994 cam
paign.
“They’re ready to get going,” he
said. “Our goal is to get thMMgteiiN»
regionals this year and make it to
nationals.
“Out of the blocks, I think our
strongest event will be the vault. The
beam and bars aren’t too far behind,
and I wish we had a little more time to
work on the floor exercise, but it will
get there, too.”
Indiana
Continued from Page 7
Ware, from Arkansas City, Kan.,
J is 15-4.
Nebraska’s dual record is 3-2, with
losses to Clarion and top-ranked Okla
homa State.
The Cowboys surprised Neumann
in their Jan. 7 matchup, which Okla
homa State won 27-13.
“I wish we could’ve wrestled Okla
homa State a little closer,” he said.
“They were better than I thought they
would be.
“But I thought our young kids did
well.”
The Huskers have to be taking
Indiana seriously, Neumann said.
“Indiana’s a big match,” he said.
“This will show me whether we’re
going to wrestle hungry or just sit
around all season.”
Neumann said the Hoosiers
matched up well with the Huskers,
which frightened him some.
“That helps them a little,” he said.
“They’re tougher than heck at 126
and 134. But where we’re tough, they
are too.”
The Hoosiers are led by two na
tionally ranked wrestlers. At 126
pounds, Chris Russo is sixth, and
heavyweight Vito Maurici is No. 8.
The Huskers hope to counter the
Hoosiers with four ranked wrestlers
of their own.
Senior Scott Gonyo is ranked fourth
at 118 with an 18-5 record. Senior
Frank Velazquez is seventh at 134,
Eierman is fourth at 142, and fresh
man heavyweight Tolly Thompson is
ninth,
Neumann said the Hoosiers were
just as good as Clemson, a team the
Huskers beat 20-16 on Jan. 5.
“Indiana’s a Top 20 team,” he said.
Rutz
Continued from Page 7
Rutz tore his anterior cruciate lig
ament, suffered cartilage damage and
injured a medial collateral ligament
in his knee in a spring practice. As a
result, Rutz watched Nebraska com
plete an undefeated regular season
and the Orange Bowl from the side
lines.
“That (the injured knee) is some
thing I will have to evaluate in the
spring,” Loyd said. “I just think he
deserved the opportunity. I know he’s
been very well-coached, and I think
he is a class act. I think he’ll be a
Kangaroo
Continued from Page 7
Dumas, a 6-foot-6-inch, 185-pound
senior guard, averages 24.2 points per
game and has scored 87 points in the
past two games.
Nee said Dumas would be tough to
stop, and Erick Strickland, Eric
Piatkowski and Jaron Boone would
share the task of guarding him.
positive addition to our program.”
So far, Rutz’s college football ca
reer has gone in the opposite direction
that his nigh school career went.
Rutz was a SuperPrep, Blue Chip
and Super Recruiting Illustrated All
American as a senior at Putnam City
West High School. He was alsooneof
5-Alive’s top 10 players of the year.
“I watched him play two years ago
and thought he was very talented, but
I haven’t seen him since,” Loyd said.
“I watched him in the All-State game
and was very impressed. We would’ve
loved to have him (after high school),
but we’re not going to compete with
the Nebraskas and Oklahomas.”
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M does
compete very well at its own level, as
“I don’t think Erick Strickland can
do it alone,” Nee said. “We are going
to have to play team defense. We have
to have a lot of people guard him.”
Senior center Dennis Jacobs and
junior forward Rick Muller will give
the Kangaroos a big size advantage
inside against the Huskers.
“Their front-1 ine kids are big strong
guys,” Nee said. “They are not really
quick, but they really are spacy.”
it produced 23 Division I players this
season. It has won eight juniorcollege
national championships, with the lat
est coming in 1991.
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M,
which went 10-1 this season, has pro
duced such NFL players as Marion
Butts, James Wilder, Ernie Givins
and Vaughn Dunbar.
“It’s not going to be one player that
makes or breaks this program,” Loyd
said. “We’ve been the top junior col
lege program, so one player isn’t ev
erything. Ben is just the type of player
that we look for.”
Rutz’s transfer leaves Nebraska
with three quarterbacks — Frazier,
Brook Berringer and Tony Veland —
on scholarship.
Jacobs is averaging 10.2 points
and 3.3 rebounds a game this season,
and Muller, at 6 feet 10 inches and 225
pounds, is averaging 8.6 points and
5.1 boards per game.
To attempt to counter that size,
Nee said, junior Melvin Brooks will
start in place of senior Tom Best.
Brooks, a transfer from Chowan (N.C.)
Junior College, is averaging 5.1 points
and more than four rebounds per game.