Sports *&&£&**
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Nebraska women s basketball coach Angela Beck helps Kimberly Gottula of Lincoln get
psyched up for the Nebraska Special Olympics basketballtoumament held this weekend at the
Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Huskers help out
Basketball clinic held for Special Olympians
By Mitch Sherman
Senior Reporter
Many of Nebraska’s basketball
players, men and women, took time
out of their schedules this weekend
to help with the Special Olympics
at the Bob Devancy Sports Center.
Under the supervision of Ne
braska women’s basketball coach
Angela Beck and assistant coach
Brenda VanLcngcn, more than 200
Special Olympians participated in
a weekend of hoops with the
Comhuskers.
Beck said the weekend was a
highlight for her just as it was for
the Special Olympians.
“This is their Olympics,” she
said. “This is the biggest thing of
their year. It was great.”
Athletes with ages ranging from
‘ 8 to 40 took part in a "Friday night
clinic led by Huskcr players.
Among the Nebraska players in
action were Pyra Aardcn, Chris
Dillavou, Kate McEwen,Grctchcn
Rose, Emily Thompson, Belinda
Bynum, Rometris Davis, Tom
Wald, Lee Steinbrook, Terrance
Badgett and Mikki Moore.
“Coach Beck gave a fire-up
speech on Friday night,’
VanLengen said. “Then the Olym
pians went out and ran through
cheers, relays and skills.”
Beck said the clinic was held so
the Nebraska players could have
more ofaneffccton the Olympians.
And Beck said the effect defi
nitely was seen.
“The clinic was really touch
ing,” she said. “One of the high
1 ights was when Mikki Moore held
up a female Olympian for a dunk.
That’s something she’ll never for
get.”
Friday night’s clinic was fol
lowed by an autograph session.
On Saturday, the Special Olym
pic state basketball tournament was
held at the Dcvaney Center.
VanLengen said more than 40 teams
participated in the competition.
which has been held in Lincoln for
the last two years.
“Before last year,” VanLengen
said, “they had the basketball tour
namcn t i n Omaha w ith al 1 the other
Special Olympic state events.
“We feel I ike basketball is a very
important parf of the Special Olym
pic program, so we became in vol ved
and moved it to the Dcvancy Cen
ter.”
Women’s assistant coach Amy
Kramer, who helped out on Friday
and Saturday, said the players and
coaches enjoyed their time with the
Special Olympics.
/‘We feel strongly about our as
sociation with the Special Olym
pics,” Kramer said. “We like to
show them what we know about
basketball, and all the players want
to give back to the community.”
Under the direction of Beck,
the Husker basketball programs
have developed an extensive rela
See OLYMPICS on 13
Former Husker
aiming for gold
By Trevor Parks
Staff Reporter _
After winning a bronze medal at
the 1992 Summer Olympics in
Barcelona, former Nebraska volley
ball player Lori Endicott made a deci
sion about her life.
Endicott, a two
lime All-American
at Nebraska in 1987
and 1988, decided
she would continue
her volleyball ca
reer in hopesofgel
ting a gold medal.
“After the 1992
^ Olympics. il was
time t0 rc-evaluatc
Endicott my goals,” Endicott
said. “1 wanted to stay four more ycajs.
I want to win a gold medal, and I want
to put all my effort into volleyball.”
In preparation for the 1996 Olym
pics and possibly a gold medal,
Endicott and the U.S. volleyball team
arc on a lour that has taken them to
three countries this season.
The tour also will bring the team to
Lincoln on May 15 when the U.S.
team takes on Japan at Pershing Au
ditorium.
The 5-foot-9-inch setter said this'
year’s national team was young, but
she said playing against Japan in Lin
coln would help in the team’s quest
for the gold medal.
“Tours like this one arc times for
young players to get experience,” she
said. “Overall, it’s to get people ex
cited about USA Volleyball and to get
ready for the Olympics.”
With so many younger players on
the team, Endicott has had to step up
and become a leader.
“The young players look for lead
ership on and off the court,” Endicott
said. “They want to know about other
teams, how to travel, just small and
large adjustments.”
Endicott, a native of Springfield,
Mo., has been involved with the U.S.
vollcybal 1 program since January 1989
and has been a major part of the
program ever since.
The optimism is high for the U.S.
Volleyball team despite its inexperi
ence, she said.
“We just need to play and gel that
experience,” Endicott said. “It looks
very good for Atlanta in 1996.”
Playing for the U.S. team has given
Endicott a chance to do a lot of things
she probably wouldn’t have done, in
cluding playing in the Olympics.
However, Endicott said she had to
make sacrifices.
“It has its upside and its down
side.” Endicott said. “You see places
you might never have had the oppor
tunity to see. However, I just got mar
ried and that’s difficult.”
Endicott said playing in Nebraska
coach Terry Pettit’s program for four
years was a big help in getting ready
for international competition.
“Nebraska has a top-caliber pro
gram,” she said. “It has the type of
program in order to be ready to (play)
for the national team.”
Endicott, who completed her eligi
bility as a Cornhusker in 1988, said
she was eager to return to Lincoln to
play in front of the Nebraska fans.
“Nebraska always has great enthu
siasm towards volleyball,” she said, “I
really look forward to playing there.”
Greco-Roman champion
refining his freestyle skills
By Matt Olberding -44
aian neponer
Nebraska freshman wrcsllcr
Jeramic Welder is a national cham
pion and a world contender in Greco
Roman wrestling.
But he’s concerned with improv
ing his skills as a collegiate wrestler.
Welder won the 125 1 /2-pound
title Friday at the USA Wrestling
Espoir National Championships in
Winston-Salem, N.C. He was also
named the outstanding wrcsllcr of the
Greco-Roman meet.
In 1992, he won the U.S. World
Team Trials and was eighth at the
Greco-Roman World Championships.
Even though his accomplishments
are numerous. Welder knew he needed
to improve to stay competitive in col
lege, because of the talent he would go
up against at Nebraska.
“we have a lot of talented guys
coming in,” he said.
Greco-Roman wrestling is com
pletely different than collegiate wres
tling, so Welder knows he has his
work cut out for him.
Collegiate wrestling uses the
HI think about the
Olympics someday,
but right now I have
a long way to go. I’ll
just keep working
and see what
happens.
— Welder
Nil wrestler
-ff -
freestyle format instead of the Greco
Roman style. Welder said. In freestyle,
wrestlers can attack all parts of an
opponent’s body, but in Greco-Ro
man, the wrestlers arc limited to up
per-body contact.
Welder considersGrcco-Roman h is
strong point, and he must improve on
his freestyle.
Rcdshirting last season gave him a
lot of time to improve his freestyle
skills. Welder said.
“I could sec myself improving
See WELDER on 13
Despite cold, Husker women win 3 at Drake Relays
By Trevor Parks
Staff Report*___
The weather was the Nebraska track team’s
worst enemy at this weekend’s Drake Relays in
Des Moines, Iowa.
Adverse weather conditions hampered the
Comhuskers, Nebraska coach Gary Pepin said.
However, three Huskcr women were able to
brave the elements and win their events at the
85th annual running of the relays.
Pepin said the bad weather was disappoint
ing to him, especially in an event the caliber of
the Drake Relays.
“It was pretty dangerous,” Pepin said. “It
was kind of tough and frustrating for our team.”
Despite the weather, sophomore Nicola
Martial won the triple jump with a leap of 42
feet, 4 3/4 inches on Friday.
In cold weather Saturday, shot putter Paulette
MitchcllandsprinterKwani Stewart both posted
victories.
Mitchell, a sophomore from Council Bluffs,
Iowa, won the shot put with a toss of 50 feet, 2
3/4 inches. Three Huskers—Mitchell, Dagmar
Pesakova and Krista Mader— made the shot
put finals.
Pesakova finished third in the event.
Stewart posted a win in the 100-metcr hurdles
with a time of 13:45. Stewart beat Arizona’s
Trecia Roberts by .04 seconds.
Pepin said he was proud of the way Stewart
and Mitchell came through.
“It showed a lot of heart and effort to win
under adverse conditions,” Pepin said.
The women’s 4x400-mctcr relay team of J ill
Myatt, Kathy Travis, Stewart and Jenny Johnson
finished second to Baylor with a time of 3:42.81.
Also, the women’s 4x200-mctcr relay team
of Travis, Angee Henry, Mikacla Per™ and
Stewart placed second with a time of 1:34.28.
The Nebraska men’s team didn’t have any
first place finishers, but Pepin said it did well.
Nick Kutovy had a career-best throw in the
javcl in with a toss of226 feet and 4 inches. That
was good for a second-place finish, behind
Alabama’s Jaokin Nilsson, who won with a
throw of 240-7.
. Senior Travis Grant lost by one-hundredth
of a second to Iowa’s Anthuan Maybank in the
special 200-meter dash.
The Nebraska 4x800-mcter relay team —
Jeremy Skinner, Marlon Jones, Rcnier Henning
and Balazs Tolgcysi — finished third with a
time of 7128.33.
Discus thrower Andy Meyer, who won the
discus last year, finished sixth this year. Also,
Marlon Jones finished fourth in the 800-mcters.
Pepin said both the men and women did well
under the circumstances.
“We had some very fine competitive perfor
mances,” Pepin said. “We had some more posi
tive and solid performances.”