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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1994)
Daily Nebraskan Monday, February 28,1994 Sports NU track teams run past competition to Big Eight titles From Staff Reports For Nebraska track and field coach Gary Pepin, having both his men’s and women’s teams win the Big Eight Championships Satur day in Oklahoma City was extra special. It s a lot more fun to have both teams win,” Pepin said. “It’s really tough when one wins and one doesn’t be cause you don’t celebrate the same.” The women celebrated their 15th consecutive Big Eight title by scoring 175 points to crush Oklahoma and Kansas, who tied for second wnn pomis. The men used seven individual winners to score 143 points and beat last year’s champion, Iowa State, which had 119 points. “The men had to go down there and do well in all areas of the meet,” Pepin said. They did just that. Isaac Carson won the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.37 seconds. Riley Washington won the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.23. Mark Graham won the 400 with a time of 47.78. Andy Meyer won the shot put with a toss of 60 feet, 5 1/4 inches. Sheldon Carpenter won the high jump with a jump of 7 feet, 1 inch. Teammate Petar Malesev jumped the same height but finished second because he had more attempts at that height. Pat Trainor won his second indoor Big Eight championship in a row in the 600-yard run. He posted a time of 1 minute, 11.32 seconds to edge teammate Rod Marshall, who finished in 1:11.71. In the 1,000-meter run, Nebraska’s Balazs Tolgyesi set a meet record with a time of 2:24.38. The old record was 2:25.32 set by Iowa Sandy Summers/DN Nebraska’s Bruce Chubick (riaht) fights with Kansas State’s Deryl . Cunningham for a loose ball Saturday. State’s Tim Wakeland in 1989. It was nice to beat the rival Cyclones, Pepin said. Since 1984, Nebraska has won the men’s indoor championship six times, and Iowa State has won it five times. “These teams have a real competitive atmo sphere. Our guys really wanted to win the championship.’’ The women used 10 first-place finishes to win the title. Michelle Shoemaker won the pentathlon with a point total of 3,785. Shoemaker was 247 points behind Missouri’s Dawn Huff entering the final event, the 800-meter run, but the NU athlete won to earn the victory. Kwani Stewart repeated her uues irom last year in the long jump and 55-meter hurdles. Stewart won the longjump with a leapof20 feet, 11/2 inches and won the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.85. Paulette Mitchell won the shot put with a meet-record throw of 54 feet, 8 inches. Kathy Travis won the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.07. Jenny Johnson won the 600-yard run in a time of 1:23.58. Nicola Martial repeated her Big Eight title from last year, winning the triple jump with a leap of 41 feet, 5 inches. Shanelle Porter repeated her 200-meter and 400-meter titles. In the 200-meter dash, Porter won with a time of24.09. Porter set an automat ic NCAA qualifying time in the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.74. It was her fourth consec utive Big Eight title in the event. The mile relay teaip of Johnson, Jill Myatt, Travis and Porter had a time of 3:48.41 in its win. The women’s streak of Big Eight champion ships is amazing, Pepin said. “It’s something really special. I don’t know of anything like that that exists.” NU avoids letdown against Kansas State By Tim Pearson Senior Reporter After Nebraska beat No. 10 Kansas before a raucous crowd Wednesday, there was a chance for a letdown against Kansas State. But the Huskcrmen’sbasketball team—led by senior forward Eric Piatkowski’s 25 points — didn’t let down its guard cn route to an 86 77 victory over the Wildcats Saturday in front of a crowd of 14,336 at the Bob Dcvaney Sports Center. “The only letdown I was concerned with was that the crowd might not be as good as it was on Wednesday,” Piatkowski said. “You’re not go ing to sec a letdown by anyone on this basketball team.” The 16-8 Huskers’ chances for an NCAA tournament spot may be looking better. The victory moved Nebraska into fourth place in the conference at 6-6. Oklahoma is fifth at 5-7. Although Nebraska probably needs at least one more win to reach the NCAA tournament, Nebraska coach Danny Nee said he was happy with his team’s improved play. “1 feel that we put our backs to the wall, and now we’re answering it, and answering it very solidly,” he said. The Wildcats stuck with the Comhuskers basket for basket. Every time the Huskers built a lead, Kansas State stormed back. But the Wildcats couldn’t claw back at the end. With the score at 68-64 and 4:39 remain ing, the Huskers put the game away. Nebraska increased its lead to 82-69 with 1:17 left. - it I thought we played a full, complete game —Nee NU basketball coach -f* - Nee said it was difficult to pull away from the Wildcats because of their style of play. “Kansas State is such a physical defensive basketball team,” he said. “They just do a quality job. “We battled with them and found a way to win.” Huskcr point guard Jamar Johnson, who had 13 points and seven assists, said the Huskers were prepared for the Wildcats’ slow-paced style. “Coming into the game, we knew Kansas State was that type of team,” he said. “Their goal is to change the possessions down in their favor. “They lake their time on offense. If you’re not playing good defense, they’ll beat you.” The Huskers played solid defense on Askia Jones, the Wildcats’ leading scorer. Jones, who averages 22.3 points per game, was held to 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting. The Huskers had a balanced scoring attack. In addition to Piatkowski, Nebraska had four players in double figures. “I thought we played a full, complete game,” Nee said. Receivers coach says no to FSU By Trevor Parks Staff Reporter Receivers coach Ron Brown said Friday that some “unfinished busi ness” with the football team and var ious youth ministries would keep him at Nebraska. Brown Brown said he had turned down a coaching offer from Florida State in order to keep his commitment to the NU football team and to chil dren from low-in come families. It wasn t a football decision; it was a total decision," Brown said. "It was best for my wife and my ministry involvement. It was God’s will for me to stay right here.” His involvement at summer youth camps in Macy and Winnebago influ enced his decision, as did Nebraska’s national title chances next year. Brown said. “1 honestly believe that we’re the team to beat next year.” The possibility of becoming head coach wasn’t one of his reasons for slaying, he said. “Thai’s out of my hands. The deci sion 1 made had nothing to do with how I get promoted here or anywhere else.” Nebraska’s 18-16 loss to the Sem inolcs in the Federal Express Orange Bowldidn’tafTect his decision. Brown said. “It was a situation where one was better and one was best. I took the best.” Brown’s decision means Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne has a dilem ma. At this year’s convention, the NCAA passed a proposal removing the recruiting coordinator job. Osborne has said Dave Gillespie, Nebraska’s recruiting coordinator, will remain on staff. That means Osborne will have to cut an assistant coach. “I could have made life easier fpr everyone, myself included, byjust roil ing,” Brown said. “I’m hoping that rule will be overturned, because you don’t want to sec anyone go.” His decision received so much at tention simply because it involved Florida State, Brown said. Seminole head coach Bobby Bowden interviewed Brown afierhis former receivers coach, John Eaton, went to South Carol ina to become an assistant. “I shouldn’t be getting all this at tention,” Brown said. “I’m just an assistant coach.” Men’s gymnastics team downs New Mexico From Staff Report* The Nebraska men’s gymnastics team improved to 8-1 Sunday night by beating New Mexico280.05 to275.60 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The No. 3 Huskcrs won five of six events and put together their second highest score of the season, but Coach Francis Allen wasn’t completely sat isfied with the performance. “We perform like this, and we won ’ t beat the teams that we are going up against in the next two weeks ” Allen said. Nebraska travels to face two-time defending NCAA champion Stanford on Saturday before returning home to play host to No. 1 Ohio State on March 13. Allen said the Huskcrs’ number of misses in the routines discouraged him. He said the Huskcrs successfully hit 64 percent of their opportunities. “That should be up around 80 per cent,” he said. “We would like to see our total score at 283, and we have the potential.” -SPORTS BRIEFS Baseball team splits games From Staff Reports The Nebraska baseball team got its first wins of the season, going 2 2 on a four-game scries in Pueblo, Colo., over the weekend. The Cornhuskcrs, 2-5, dropped the opener to Wyoming on Friday, but they swept the Cowboys in a doublchcadcr Saturday. Darin Erstad had the big blast in the Huskers’ first win, smashing a two-run homer in the sixth inning to give Nebraska a 6-4 lead. The Huskers held on to win 6-5. In Saturday’s second game, Nebraska pounded out 13 hits and eight runs in an 8-4 win. The Huskers couldn’t extend their streak on Sunday, as they lost to Southern Colorado 8-5. Women get win, fourth seed From Staff Reports The Nebraska women’s basket ball team ended its regular season on a high note Sunday with a 84-71 victory over Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. Nebraska jumped out to a 41-36 halftime advantage and kept its lead in the 10-point range throughout the contest. With the win, the 16-12 Huskers will carry momentum into the Big Eight tournament, which begins Saturday in Salina, Kan. Nebraska earned the fourth seed in the tournament with a 7-7 con ference record and will open the tournament against Oklahoma at noon. NU tennis men go 1 -2 at Drake meet From Staff Report* The Nebraska men’s tennis team went 1 -2 this weekend, dropping its overall record to 3-2. At Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Drake and Tulsa each beat the Huskers 6-1. The Huskcrs then rebounded to beat Louisville 5-2. Against the No. 4 regionally ranked Drake team, No. 2 singles player Fredrick Ricsbcck was Ne braska’s only winner. No. 5 singles player Brad Bemthal was the only singles play er to win against Tulsa.
