Gymnastics coach: NU has right stuff to beat Stanford
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska men’s gymnastics
team is out for revenge this weekend.
Allen
i ne 8-1
Comhuskers trav
el to Palo Alto,
Calif., to partici
pate inafive-team
invitational Satur
day at 5 p.m.
But the No. 6
Huskers will be fo
cused primarily
on two-time de
fending national champion Maniora.
Nebraska has finished runner-up to
the No. 2 Cardinals at each of the last
two NCAA meets.
Nebraska coach Francis Allen said
the Huskers, who play host to No. 1
Ohio State on March 13, were head
ing into an important part of the sea
son.
The University of Califomia-Ber
keley, San Jose State, and Western
Michigan will also compete in this
weekend’s meet.
“Ttfese next two meets are pretty
critical,” Allen said. “If we go out and
beat Stanford and come back home
and beat Ohio State, we are in great
shape.”
Allen said the Huskers were not in
great shape during last week’s victory
over New Mexico. Despite scoring
280.05 points, Nebraska’s second
highest total of the year, Allen said the
Huskers hit on just 64 percent of the
opportunities.
“That should be higher,” he said.
“It should be around 80-85 percent,
and for the big meets it’s around 90
percent.”
The Huskers, who fell/our spots in
the ratings since last week, have the
capability to beat Stanford, Allen said.
“Stanford is going to be tough at
home,” Allen said, “and Berkeley is
-44
I have the best team in the nation. But they
have to perform.
— Allen
Nil men’s gymnastics coach
psyched, too. But if we can do what we
are capable of doing, we can win.”
He said the Huskers had the capa
bility of scoring in the range of 285
points. Nebraska’s highest total of the
season so far came on Feb. 19 in
Norman, Okla., when the team scored
280.25 points. Oklahoma won the meet
ww
with a score of 283.95.*
“If you take all the teams,” Allen
said, “and put them out on the floor, I
have the best team in the nation. But
they have to perform. 1 can sit here and
say that all day, and it doesn’t mean
a thing if they don’t go out there and
-SPORTS BRIEFS
Gymnasts to look for wins in Oregon
crom Staff Reports__
The Nebraska women’s gymnas
ics team heads into Friday’s six
eam Shannico Invitational in
Corvallis, Ore., looking to bounce
>ack from their first losses of the
•eason.
The 8-2 Huskcrs lost to Utah and
\rizona in Salt Lake City on Feb.
19.
On Friday, Nebraska gets a sec
ond chance at Arizona. The Wild
cats scored 187.375 points in Salt
Lake City, while the Huskers totaled
186.850.
Oregon State, Washington, Penn
State and Minnesota also will par
ticipate in the meet.
Husker coach Dan Kendig said
Nebraska should be in top form Fri
day.
“We are looking forward to the
meet,” Kendig said. “It will be a big
meet for us because there are six
quality teams participating.”
NU baseball team has next six at home
From Staff Hepons __
The Nebraska baseball team be
gins a six-game homestand on Sat
urday with a doubleheader against
Western Illinois.
The 2-5 Comhuskers will face
the Leathernecks, 12-28-1 last year,
in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Satur
day at Buck Beltzer Field.
NEBRASKA
Track & Field
Catch the UNL Track & Field athletes in action
as they attempt to qualify for nationals
at the Husker Last Chance meet.
SATURDAY
March 5
10 a.m. (Field events) ,
Noon (Running events)
Bob Devaney Sports Center
Indoor Track
Free admission
NEBRASKA
Baseball
Catch the Nebraska Baseball Team in action
this weekend.
SATURDAY
March 5
vs. Western Illinois
Doubleheader
1 p.m.
SUNDAY
March 7
vs. Western Illinois
1 p.m.
MONDAY
March 7
vs. Northern Iowa
Doubleheader Buck Beltzer Field
Noon $2 - aeneral admission
Track competitors to get last shot at NCAAs
From Staff Reports
Members of the Nebraska men’s
and women’s track and field teams
will have their final chance this week
end to qualify for the NCAA Champi
onships on March 11-12.
Coach Gary Pepin said Thursday
that many of the sprinters and hur
dlers went to the Florida Last Chance
in Gainesville, Fla.
On Friday, Nebraska’s distance
runners and distance medley relay
team will compete at the Cyclone Last
Expand
Continued from Page 7
the new conference but has not elim
inated the possibility ofjoining anoth
er league.
“We are not going to sign a l ifetime
deal with anybody,” he said. “The
responsible thing to do is keep our
doors open to any options that may
come our way.”
The growth of the Big Eight, Plati
said, will cause teams other than the
Buffaloes to spend significant amount
of time traveling to road games.
“We have always had problems
with travel,” he said. “Not with the
football and basketball teams —
they’re always going to fly—but with
Chance in Ames, Iowa.
On Saturday, the Comhuskers will
play host to the final indoor home
meet of the season.
The Huskcr Last Chance starts at
10 a.m. in the Bob Devaney Sports
Center track area. Pepin said most of
the Nebraska team would compete in
the event.
NOTES:
• Nebraska’s Shanelle Porter was
named the women’s Most Valuable
the nonrevenue sports. They have to
pile into vans. Now the other schools
will know what we have to do.”
Other than travel considerations,
Plati said, Colorado has been pleased
with the merger.
“The way college sports is going,”
he said, “it is going to help tremen
dously. The Big Eight went out and
did what it had to do. They got it done
before everybody else did, and I think
they really shocked conferences like
the Big 10 and the Southeastern Con
ference.
“Plus, you are gaining four solid
programs. If you look down the line,
they will add something to just about
every sport.”
No official plan has been drawn up
yet, but some have speculated that the
Performer at the Big Eight Champi
onships last weekend. Porter won the
400-meter and 200-meter dashes and
anchored the 4-by-400-meter relay.
• Husker shot putter Paulette
Mitchell was named the Big Eight
women ’ s track performer of the month
for her string of wins in February.
Mitchell, who won the shot put in
every Nebraska meet during Febru
ary, broke herown school record twice
and set a conference record during the
Big Eight Championships.
new conference will be split into two
divisions. Oklahoma and Oklahoma
State, along with the four Texas
schools, would make up the south
division, while the remaining six
schools would make up the north divi
sion.
Plati said the north-south split may
not be a good idea.
“North-south makes the most sense,
but you want to keep rivalries alive,”
he said. “I am sure that Nebraska
wants to play Oklahoma every year.
We certainly want to play Oklahoma,
too.
“So I’m not sure if that is the best
way to do it. If some kind of an east
west spl it could be made, that might be
better.”
Wrestling
Continued from Page 7
a 28-7 record, will have to get by both
fourth-ranked Joey Wildasin of Okla
homa State and Iowa State’s Eric Akin,
ranked second in the country.
“He’s facing a tough road, but he’s
capable,” Neumann said.
And Gonyo said he was confident.
“I think I can win,” he said. “I’m
not the favorite, but I think I have the
ability to win.”
Velazquez, ranked third in the
country with a 22-2 mark, said his Big
Eight title last year made him the
favorite at 134 pounds again this year.
Oklahoma State should have seven In the finals.
If we get some help from Oklahoma, Iowa State
and Missouri, winning Is definitely not out of the
question. — Neumann
Nil wrestling coach
“You have to think you’re going to
win, or else you’re not going to,” he
said.
Judging by the seedings, Neumann
said, the Huskers should get seven
wrestlers to the finals. Freshman Ryan
Tobin, who will be seeded fourth at
177 pounds, could put the Huskers
over the top, Neumann said.
??
“Oklahoma State should have sev
en in the finals," he said. “If we get
some help from Oklahoma, Iowa State
and Missouri, winning is definitely
not out of the question.
“Tobin is capable of winning his
weight class. He could be the guy who
gives us the points we need to fall in
place.”
i
Tigers
Continued from Page 7
And Nebraska is riding a three
game winning streak, including
wins over Oklahoma State and
Kansas, both rated in the Top 25.
Eric Piatkowski said the turn
around was a result of the Huskers
staying positive during the slump.
“People have just doubted this
team and doubted this team all year,”
Piatkowski said after the win over
Oklahoma State Wednesday. “The
only ones that believed in us are in
that locker room. The coaches, the
players and everyone with this team
believed in us.”
Despite Nebraska’s recent suc
cess, guard Eric Strickland said,
the Huskers can still put together a
more complete game on Saturday.
“We’re capable of a lot more,”
Strickland said. “(Oklahoma State)
was our best defensive game, but as
far as offensive effort is concerned,
it wasn’t anything like Kansas. We
need to put them both together.
“We're a very good road team. I
think that will be a big key, along
with our unity.”
Jeff Haller/DN
Cornhusker guard Jaron Boone, left, puta the preasure on
Oklahoma State's Bryndon Manzer during Nebraska’s win
Wednesday.