Neb“skan SlPORTSl
Friday, April 8, 1994 KJ-L. VyJLVX kJ
Blackshirts reload, aim at 1995 national title
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter
In his first three years as a Cornhuskcr,
outside linebacker Dwayne Harris was never
listed at the top of the depth chart,
l — I But heading into next fall.
no other Nebraska football
player will have a bigger
hole to fill than Harris.
Harris, who recorded eight
sacks and 22 tackles in lim
ited playing time last year,
will replace Butkus Award
winner Trev Alberts.
1, iff apg □ “I don’t feel a lot of pres
Harris sure,” Harris said. “We have
a lot of people who are going to come and fill
in.”
While filling in last season, Harris per
formed well.
- ((
I think our defense will be a whole hell of a lot better than last
year. That last game was like a stepping stone, because we
plan on being back there next year.
— Harris
NU outside linebacker
When Alberts was on the sidelines after
dislocating his elbow in the first quarter of
Nebraska’s 21-7 win over Oklahoma, Harris
stepped in and recorded a career-high seven
tackles, four quarterback hurries and three sacks.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound senior from
Bessemer, Ala., was awarded the ABC playerof
the game award and named the Big Eight
defensive player of the week for his efforts.
Harris said he was not just looking for award
-,, "
winning performances next year.
“I will contribute my part, and the other guys
will do their jobs, too,” Harris said. “It’s not
going to depend on one person.”
Linebacker Ed Stewart, who will be a senior
in the fall, said the Huskcrs were more comfort
able this spring in the 4-3 defense than last
spring, when the defense was first implement
ed.
“It puts us in better situations when we go
against passing teams,” Stewart said. “Part of
my job is to drop back into coverage, and that’s
something we didn’t have before the new de
fense. I end up covering wide receivers on pass
routes, and that adds to the effectiveness of the
pass defense."
Any doubts about the quality of the Huskcrs’
defense were erased in the Orange Bowl, Stewart
said. Nebraska limited Florida Stale’s offense to
333 yards. The Blackshirts held the Scminolcs
to a season-low 18 points and sacked Hcisman
Trophy winner Charlie Ward five times.
One of those sacks came courtesy of Harris,
who nailed Ward for a 7-yard loss.
The Huskcrs arc building on the Orange
Bowl game this spring, Harris said.
“That game gave us a lot of recognition,” he
said. “I think it showed people that we are not
a team that is just going to be run over.”
See DEFENSE on 8
NU to hobble into regional meet
Coach says team
will be hurting
in every event
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter
If Nebraska women’s gymnas
tics coach Dan Kcndighad his way,
the Cornhuskers would have had
an extra week to prepare for this
weekend’s Midwest Regional com
petition.
a season-high
193.6 points at
the Big Eight
Champion
ships in Lin
coln on March
26, the Husk
ers appeared to
be in lop lorm
-._ and cruising
Hawkinson toward the re
gional meet, which begins at 9 p.m.
Saturday in Tempe. Ariz.
But after an injury to junior
Martha Jenkins, Nebraska is hurt
ing for gymnasts.
Jenkins, who set the school
record in the vault at the Big Eight
meet, severely sprained her ankle
Monday when she fell off the bal
ance beam in practice. Kendig said
Jenkins would not compete in
Tempe,
“We’re a little beat up right
now,” Kendig said. “We’ll be hurt
ing in every event, but mostly on the
floor exercise.”
The floor exercise problems are
compounded by Nicole Duval’s
ankle injury. Duval was injured on
March 19whilccompetingin Ames,
Iowa, and sat out of the Big Eight
Championships. Duval will not
compete in the floor exercise this
weekend, Kendig said.
“It’s a positive that she’s been
able to come back,” Kendig said.
“She’ll go in three events, but she’s
not 100 percent.”
On the bright side, Duval’s ab
sence in the floor exercise will al
low junior Jennifer Hawkinson to
compete in the all-around. Two
weeks ago. Hawkinson won the all
arouiftl Big Eight title with a score
of 38.925.
Hawkinson, who was compet
ing in the all-around for the first
time this year at the Big Eight meet,
was named the Big Eight gymnast
of the month for March.
“She’ll do a great job,” Kcndig
said. “We’re not making any ex
cuses, and 1 still feel we have a very
good chance to advance to nation
als.”
in order to make the national
meet, the Huskcrs will have to fin
ish among the top 12 teams in the
nation’s five regional meets. Each
Kiley Timperley/DN
Nebraska’s Nicole Duval prepares to dismount off the
vault during a meet earlier this year. Duval, who injured
an ankle March 19, will return to compete in three
events as the Husker women’s gymnastics team
competes in the regional meet Saturday.
of the regional winners qualify for
the national meet, along with seven
at-large teams. The national meet
will be held April 21-24 in Salt
Lake City.
“I feel ifwe hit, we’ll go,” Kendig
said. “This team has been steering
toward this meet all year."
Nebraska will compete against
Utah, Arizona State, Brigham
Young, Utah State, Arizona and
Oklahoma at the regional meet.
Kendig said the Huskers wanted
a lop three finish in Ternpe. but
fourth place might be good enough
to qualify for the national meet.
“It’s a tough regional,” he said.
“One regional should gei four
teams, and it could be ours. But we
would like to take third to be safe.”
Gymnastics men healthy,
expecting regional win
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska men’s gymnastics
team docs not need a great perfor
mance this weekend at the West Re
gional in Colorado Springs, Colo., to
qualify for the national meet.
But Coach
Francis Allen said
he would not be
pleased unless the
Huskers won.
“We don’t want
to come in second
or third.” he said.
“We should win.
I dp | We have the best
Allen team, and that
means we should come out a winner.”
But if the Huskcrsdo not win, they
can still qualify for the national meet
as long as they finish in the top three
at the regional meet.
“We have to qualify.” Allen said.
“That’s the most important thing.”
The Huskers are in a position to
experience a letdown after their stel
lar performance at the Big Eight
Championships on March 25, Allen
said, but they need to stay focused.
“We may have been too good at B ig
Eights.” he said. “With that type of
score and hitting that many routines,
it is hard to improve, but we can.
We’re that good.”
Nebraska scored a season-high
2 X7.7 7 5—the (1 fth best al I-1 imc score
—at the Big Eight meet, while hitting
94 percent of its routines.
“I don’t want to be flat going into
regionals,” Allen said. “And one good
thing is with all these seniors, they arc
experienced, and we should avoid
being Hal.”
-44
We don’t want to
come in second or
third. We have the
best team, and that
means we should
come out a winner.
— Allen
NU men s gymnastics
coach
-99 -
The Huskers will compete against
O k 1 a hom a, U C L A, S la n ford, C a 1 i for
nia-Berkclcy and New Mexico in Col
orado Springs this weekend.
Oklahoma and Stanford have beat
en the Huskers this year, and the Car
dinal has topped Nebraska in each of
the last two national meets.
However, Allen said, he's glad to
be in Nebraska’s position. The judges
know the Huskers are ranked No. 1,
Allen said, and can’t keep it out of
their minds.
“They see that we are No. 1, and we
are almost a whole point ahead of
everybody else,” Allen said. “So they
try to phase it out, but it’s there in the
back of their minds.”
In every meet since March 5, when
the Huskers lost to Stanford in Palo
Alto, Calif., Nebraska has improved.
Allen said the Huskers’ steady progress
had put them in their best shape of the
year.
“That’s your goal, to be healthy at
this time of year,” he said. “We have
done that. We are even healthier now,
w 11 h Che (Bowers) back, than we we re
going into Big Eights.”
NU baseball team rallies,
beats UNK in ninth inning
By Trevor Parks
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska baseball team got all
it could handle in a 5-4 win over the
University of Nebraska-Kearney
Thursday night at Buck Bcllzcr Field.
After scoring two runs in the bot
tom of the eighth to tic the game, the
16-16 Cornhuskers scored the win
ning run when junior second baseman
Scott Wulfing knocked in senior third
baseman Derek Dukart with a single
in the ninth.
Nebraska baseball coach John
Sanders said he was a little concerned
when the Huskers trailed 4-2.
“We were down two runs late,”
Sanders said. “Our players had no fear
and came out with good competitive
ness."
In the topofthecighth.UNK scored
twice to take a 4-2 lead. With two
UNK runners on base, shortstop Mike
Asche stroked a double to right center,
scoring both.
The Huskers rallied to tic the score
in the eighth when sophomore first
baseman Alvie Shepherd hit a double
lo right center, scoring senior right
fielder Matt McKay and senior third
baseman Derek Dukart.
The Huskers hadjumped out to a 2
0 lead by scoring once in the third
inning and once in the fourth.
In the third inning, Jed Dalton
walked with one out and then stole
second and third to get into scoring
position. Then, sophomore outfielder
Darin Erstad scored Dalton with an
RBI single down the right field line.
Wulfing led off the fourth with a
home run over the scoreboard in left.
After retiring 13 straight batters,
Husker pitcher Chris Bauer struggled
in the sixth, allowing the Lopers to tie
the score 2-2.
Senior pitcher Mike Bellows, who
improved his record to 5-1. relieved
Bauer. After Asche, the first batter he
faced, hit into a fielder’s choice that
scored third baseman Rob Nye, Bel
lows retired the side.
“This was a good game,” Sanders
said. ‘^Every win is big right now.”