Sports
Gymnast swinging for all-around
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter
The routines were over. The 952
fans watching the Nebraska wom
en’s gymnastics team Saturday at
the Bob Devaney Sports Center
had all filed out—except for more
than 100 autograph-seeking ele
mentary school kids.
The Huskers had just defeated
Southeast Missouri State 191.550
to 182.175, and the children
swarmed the floor of the sports
center like ants.
The kids mobbed Jennifer
Hawkinson and other Nebraska
gymnasts, shoving posters and pens
in the faces of the Huskers.
But Hawkinson handled the
crowd as smoothly as she handled
her performances earlier in the
evening.
Hawkinson, a 5-foot-4- inch jun
ior from Boise, Idaho, performed
well but did not reach her late
season level from last year.
At the Big Eight championships
in Norman, Okla., last season,
Hawkinson posted personal bests
on the vault (9.8) and uneven bars
(9.85) en route to winning the all
around championship and setting a
school record with a 39.15 all
around score.
“Itwasn’toneofmybiggoalsto
go out and win the Big Eight, but I
just did my best and it came out on
top for me,” she said.
Hawkinson, who was named Big
Eight gymnast of the month for
February and March last year, did
not compete in the all-around in the
first two meets this season because
of difficulties she had with her
uneven bars routine.
“I’m having problems with my
bars right now,” she said, ‘‘but I’m
definitely looking forward to get
ting back in the all-around. It’s a
problem with a trick in my rou
tine.”
Coach Dan Kendig said he was
confident that Hawkinson would
correct the problem soon enough to
compete in the all-around within
the next two weeks.
“She’s getting so close to get
ting them, there’s no doubt in my
mind.” Kendig said.
Despite Hawkinson’searly trou
ble, other Huskers have had strong
performances.
Joy Taylor, a junior from New
Palestine, 1ml., won the all-around
on Saturday with a personal-best
score of 38.475.
Nicole Duval, a junior from Lin
coln, finished a close second with a
38.450, and freshman Kim DeHaan
took third place with a 38.275.
Freshman Shelly Bartlett finished
fourth (36.825).
The Huskers also dominated the
individual events. Taylor and Duval
shared first place on the vault with
a 9.725. Kristi Camp won the bal
Jon Waller/DN
Nebraska’s Jennifer Hawkinson performs part of her
routine during Nebraska’s win over Southeast Missouri
State Saturday.
ancc beam (9.8) and Duval fin
ished second (9.725).
DeHaan won the uneven bars
(9.825) and the floor exercise
(9.575). Martha Jenkins finished
second in the bars (9.75) and Camp
came in third (9.65). Taylor took
second in the floor exercise (9.55),
while Bartlett and Hawkinson tied
for third (9.5).
Hawkinson’s teammates have
performed so well that in order for
her to return to all-around compe
tition, she will have to beat (Hit one
of the four gymnasts who compet
ed in the first two meets.
Despite winning the Big Eight
all-around championship,
Hawkinson did not get a chance to
compete at the NCAA Champion
ships because the Huskers did not
qualify as a team.
Hawkinson said she and her
teammates would like nothing more
than to make a trip to the national
meet—a meet in which no one on
the team has participated.
“We are a team that is capable of
Othe top teams a challenge"
nson said. “Making nation
als is probably our main goal. I
think we have the capability."
ioma
Saturday
Missouri 73, Oklahoma State 68 Kansas 78, Iowa State 71 ^
Kansas State 71, Colorado 65
Monday^
Missouri 89, Nebraska 73
DN graphic
Big Eight teams
succeed on road
By Trevor Parks — 44
Staff Reporter
The home court advantage has tra
ditionally been the rule during Big
Eight basketball season, but this year,
a home court win is becoming the
exc tion.
ssouri’s89-73 win over Nebras
ka in Lincoln Monday night pushed
the record of visiting teams in the
conference to 9-6, a 180-degree turn
from last year’s 38-18 mark by home
teams.
“A home game is not an automatic
win,” Nebraska coach Danny Nee
said during the Big Eight coaches’
weekly teleconference on Monday.
“Maybe this could be a year to neu
tralize the record.”
Few home courts have been friend
ly during conference play this season.
Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa,
has historically been one of the most
difficult places to visit.
Iowa State went 7-0 at home in Big
Eight play last season, but Hilton has
not been a haven for the Cyclones so
far this season.
Instead, it has been a home away
from home for road teams. Iowa State
has dropped its first three conference
home games.
While the visitors have done well
after the first 15 games, Kansas coach
Roy Williams said it was still too
early to disregard the home court ad
vantage.
“I think you’ll see the record level
ing out,” Williams said during Mon
day’s teleconference. “The young
players in our conference aren’t ready
for this type of intensity. So the more
experienced teams have won.”
Missouri has proven Williams right
so far.
The Tigers, who have eight seniors
on their roster, are the most experi
enced team in the Big Eight. Missouri
is the only team that remains unde
This is a tough
conference to win on
the road and we’ve
had some good
games.... I think it’s
possible for us to win
two or three on the
road.
—Harrington
CU basketball coach
-tf
feated at home.
In Columbia, Mo., the 14-2 Tigers
are 2-0 in Big Eight play and 9-0
overall.
But M issouri ’s experience has also
made the Tigers the most dangerous
team on the road.
Nebraska became the Tigers’ most
recent victim joining Oklahoma State
and Colorado on M issouri’s list of Big
Eight road wins this season.
But Nebraska coach Danny Nee
said losing at home did not come as a
shock to the Huskers.
“Last year we lost to Kansas State
and Oklahoma State,” Nee said. “It’s
because of the percentages. When
you play someone long enough, you
eventually have to beat them.”
While it seems like winning on the
road has become easier for most con
ference teams, Colorado still hasn’t
tasted success.
The Buffaloes have lost 18 straight
games on the road, but Coach Joe
Harrington said the success of visiting
teams nad encouraged him.
“This is a tough conference to win
on the road and we’ve had some good
games.... I think it’s possible for us to
win two or three on the road,”
Harrington said.
Moonwalk or not, Super Sunday may induce vomiting
As I watched Kansas City quarter
back Joe Montana’s old bones go
snap, crackle, pop against Buffalo last
Sunday, my knuckles did the same.
As 1 watched Dallas make San
Francisco look like an Iowa football
team later that afternoon, I waited for
the alarm clock to start blaring and
wake me from this awful nightmare.
But it never happened.
This should be Buffalo’s year.
After losing three consecutive Su
per Bowls, including a 52-17 butt
kickmg at the hands of Dallas last
year, the law of averages has to be in
the Bills’ favor.
Then again, the Bills play in the
AFC.
Although the “Bandwagon Jump
ers” (the Cowboys’ fan club) are sing
ing praises to their goa, Jimmy
Johnson, the rest of the world is hop
ing there will be a good rerun of
“Simon & Simon" to watch instead of
the not-so-Super Bowl.
I have already looked into my crys
tal ball and seen how the familiar
events of Super Bowl Sunday will
unfold.
With Dallas ahead 28-0 late in the
first quarter, a stretcher is being car
ried onto the field to remove an in
jured player, who appears dazed and
disoriented.
Please ... oh please ... let it be
Michael Irvin.
Nope. It’s just Jim Kelly being
helped off the field with another fake
injury.
During post-game interviews,
Kelly reveals that he can’t remember
a single play in the game after the
opening kickoff, when Don Beebe
bumped into him while Kelly stood
on the sidelines.
Mysteriously, doctors can’t seem
to find anything wrong with Kelly.
Switch over to “Simon & Simon.”
After a commercial, the remote
turns itself back over to the not-so
Derek
Samson
Super Bowl.
The Bills’ Thurman Thomas fum
bles, and Dallas’ Leon Lett scoops up
the ball and strolls in for a score. But
just as Lett gets into the climax of his
touchdown dance routine, his team
mates tell him that he ran into the
wrong end zone.
Dallas leads 38-2 iust before half.
Back to “Simon & Simon" to see
how Rick and A. J. are getting along in
trying to catch that nasty jewel thief.
1 can't miss the halftime show, so
back to the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, the halftime show
was cancelled because the National
Football League wouldn’t let Micha
el Jackson bring millions of kids on
stage with him the way he did a year
ago. I can’t figure out why.
The only excitement of the game
comes late in the third quarter with
Dallas ahead 45-2.
With one minute left in the quarter,
Emmitt Smith lights up a cigar to
show his confidence that Dallas will
repeat as Super Bowl Chumps.
Although Coach Jimmy Johnson is
more than 10 feet away from Smith,
Johnson’s hair bursts into flames, but
the other Cowboys come to his rescue
by dousing the flames with the tradi
tional Gatorade dumping a quarter
early.
Irvin scores to start the fourth quar
ter off and give Dallas a 52-2 lead.
Before breaking to a commercial, the
camera flashes on Irvin, and instead
of yelling the popular “Hi Mom,”
Irvin screams: “I’m the greatest foot
ball player, all-around athlete and
human being to walk the planet.”
I frantically turn back to “Simon &
Simon” only to see the brothers em
brace each other after catching the
jewel thief.
Dadgummit, I missed the chase
scene.
After watching the not-so-Super
Bowl’s final two minutes, the Cow
boys add a field goal and another Irvin
touchdown to make the score 62-2.
Irvin does the moonwalk for the
final 1S yards of his last touchdown
catch. All I could do is cringe and grip
the vomit bucket that has spent the
afternoon with me.
After the clock ticks down to 0:00,
thousands of “Bandwagon Jumpers"
gather around a stage at midfield to
join Johnson, all the NFL announcers
and referees to sing “Whoomp, there
it is.”
Oh my, it’s going to be a long day.
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