Sports
Thursday, January 26,1995 Page 7
UNL player
tabbed top
draft pick
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Reporter
Darin Erstad has finished one season No. 1.
In his first year as a punter and place kicker
for the Nebraska football team, Erstad earned
a national championship ring while averaging
more than 40 yards per punt.
With football behind him,
Erstad is now looking to
ward his first love—base
ball.
And he may be looking at
another No. 1.
The junior outfielder from
Jamestown, N.D., has been
picked as the top profes
sional nrosnect in mlleae
Erstad baseball by Baseball
America.
He was also named to the Collegiate Base
ball pre-season All-American team and pro
jected as the Big Eight player of the year.
“You can’t believe everything you read or
hear,” Erstad said. “It doesn’t matter. It’s still
all preseason stuff.”
Last season, Erstad hit .317 with 12 home
runs and 52 RBI. Although he hit two more
homers than he did in his freshman season, his
batting average fell 22 points and he drove in
two fewer runs.
“I am embarrassed the way last season went.
My personal goal is always to have better stats
each year,” Erstad said. “Last year, for the first
time in my life, my numbers were worse than
the year before.”
Erstad said his struggles last year were
caused by inexperience.
Although Erstad’s numbers were down dur
ing the season, he rebounded to hit .340 with
wooden bats this summer and was named most
valuable player of the Cape Cod League.
Erstad’s performance grabbed the attention
of scouts during the summer.
“I would say I am getting at least two phone
calls a night from scouts and agents who want
to know what my plans are,” Erstad said. “The
biggest thing they want to know is whether I
am going to play football next year.”
Good question.
“If I get drafted where I am projected to get
drafted, then I am going to sign and focus all
my attention on playing professional base
ball,” Erstad said. “If there was any way I could
work it out without hurting my baseball, then
I would love to do it, but I think it would be
impossible.”
^ Jeff Haller/DN
Karen Jennings smiles while being interviewed Wednesday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The former Husker
All-American will have her number retired Sunday.
Husker All-American to retire jersey
By Trevor Parks
Staff Reporter
In 1989, Karen Jennings could only dream
about what might be in her future.
Now, two years after finishing a stellar
career with the Nebraska women’s basket
ball team, Jennings will have her No. 51
jersey retired Sunday when the Comhuskers
play Iowa State at the Bob Devaney Sports
Center.
Jennings, who played at Nebraska from
1989-93, said Coach Angela Beck had a
great influence on where she is today!
“Coach Beck always dared me to dream,”
Jennings said. “When I first got here I didn’t
know if I was going to be an All-American,
but she really felt I could.”
Jennings, who was an All-American in
1992-93, finished her career as the Huskers’
all-time leading scorer.
In her career at Nebraska, Jennings scored
2,405 points and holds six school rec&ds.
The three-time All-Big Eight performer
said she enjoyed leading the Huskers to their
second NCAA appearance and first win in
the NCAAs in school history in 1993.
“The people that I played with and worked
with here were phenomenal,” Jennings said.
Her parents also played an important
role in her development.
“I’ve always had a great support system,”
Jennings said. “They’ve always encouraged
me to give my best no matter what I do.”
That support helped lead Jennings to
where she is today.
Last year, she played professional
women’s basketball in France.
Now, Jennings works as a physical
therapy aid at Knortz and Snyder Physical
Therapy at 70th and Van Dorn streets.
She is also a supplementary instructor of
biology at the Hewit Athletic Academic
Center and is a mentor/tutor in the student
athlete program.
At the end of February, Jennings is hop
ing to extend her playing career one final
time at a tryout for the Pan American Games
in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
But Jennings will put her future aspira
Former Nebraska All-American
Karen Jennings was named as one
of 20 women invited to the USA
Basketball Pan American Games
Women's Basketball Team Trials
Wednesday.
Karen Jennings' career statistics at
Nebraska:
Year FG-FGA FT-FTA TP Avg.
1989-90 157-298 60-101 3?4 13.4
|Career 981-1,726 426-570 2,405 20.2 [
tions aside this Sunday.
She will be back on the floor with some
of her former teammates.
Meggan Yedsena, Kim Yancey, Carol
See JENNINGS on 8
Wrestling team hopes to surpass success of 1993
The Nebraska wrestling team
hasn’t been to Stillwater, Okla.,
since 1993.
And the Comhuskers left
Stillwater with a convincing 39-12
win over Oklahoma State.
The win marked Husker coach
Tim Neumann’s first-ever victory
against Oklahoma State, home or
away.
On Friday night, the Huskers
will attempt to do it again. But the
scenario is somewhat different.
Perennial power Oklahoma State
is ranked No. 2 this year. In 1993,
the Cowboys were on probation,
and many of their top wrestlers
were redshirted.
Last year the Cowboys won the
national title with all those
redshirts from the previous year
winning national titles.
Oklahoma State had three
individual national champs. Alan
Fried won at 142 pounds. The
unbeatable Pat Smith won at 158
pounds. And Mark Branch won at
167 pounds.
Nebraska, on the other hand,
finished with a less-than-sterling
29th-place finish at the NCAA
Championships.
Finishing 29th wasn’t exactly as
good as finishing third, which the
Huskers did in 1993.
If only the Huskers could return
to 1993.
But they are making their way
back. After losing a national
champion and seven starters,
Neumann had to reload going into
last season.
He now has the foundation on -
which to build.
Against Oklahoma State and
Oklahoma this weekend, Neumann
will send four freshmen, four
sophomores and two juniors into
battle.
This was a far cry from two
years ago. In 1993, he sent a senior
laden team down to Stillwater.
But Neumann has rebuilt his
team into being a title contender
again this season.
Since that record-setting 1993
season, the road has been bumpy.
But Neumann and the Huskers have
endured.
He replaced 118-pound All
American John Buxton with
another NCAA qualifier, Scott
Tim Pearson
Gonyo. Gonyo is gone this year, but
in his place is the tandem of Brad
Canoyer and Darin Giese. Canoyer
and Giese have combined for a 38
17 record, which is comparable to
Gonyo’s record of 32-11.
Neumann had to replace 126
pound Tony Purler, his sole
national champion in 1993. He
found Steve Baer, who came on
strong last year and has a 24-5
record this year.
Frank Velazquez returned from
that 1993 team and was 24-3 last
season. Jason Reitmeier and Tony
DeAnda have combined to replace
Velazquez, who is back as a student
assistant this year. ^
All-American Mike Eierman
returned last year and battled Justin
Ware for the spot at 142 pounds.
Ware had a 27-8 record and
finished strong, but after the spring
semester, Ware dropped out of
school.
Lucky for Neumann that he had
Eierman and Joe Stephens in
backup. Stephens competed in the
NCAAs in 1992, and Eierman was
an All-American as a sophomore in
1993.
Neumann counted on two
freshmen last year at 150 and 158
pounds. Jason Kraft and Temoer
Terry filled the spots more than
adequately.
Kraft is splitting time with Mike
Roller at 158 this year, and Terry is
23-1 and ranked fourth in the
nation at 150.
Chad Nelson returned at 167
pounds, but was lost for the season
with an injured anterior cruciate
ligament last season. But this
season he’s back, splitting time
with Erik Josephson.
Ever since Corey Olson gradu
ated in 1993, Neumann hasn’t
found anybody of Olson’s caliber at
177 pounds.
Ryan Tobin wrestled at 177 last
year and finished at .500.
But that was no comparison to
Olson, who finished with a 115-28
record at Nebraska.
Now Neumann is turning to
Kenny Mbah at 177 pounds. Mbah
is a cousin of former Kansas City
Chiefs running back Christian
Okoye; Mbah has a 13-12 record so
far this season.
Tobin and Tolly Thompson
round out the Huskers’ lineup at
190 pounds and heavyweight.
And Neumann is hoping that the
mix of youth and experience adds
up to a top-five finish at nationals.
And he started to reap the fruits
on Wednesday, when he found out
that his team had moved up to third
in the national rankings.
And when was the last time his
team was ranked that high?
You got it. Two years ago in
1993.
Pearson Is a junior news-editorial major
and the Dally Nebraskan sports editor.
