Sports
Tuesday, March 5, 1996 Page 7
Big 8 _
Notebook
Nebraska’s Erick Strickland has
been voted to the All-Big Eight
players’ second team. The team is
selected by Big Eight players, who
can’t vote for players from their
own teams. Strickland also was se
lected to the Big Eight defensive
team, while teammate Terrance
Badgett was named to the Big
Eight’s all-bench team. Freshman
point guard Tyronn Lue was se
lected to the all-freshmen team.
* + *
Iowa State junior forward Kenny
Pratt was named the Big Eight
player of the week Monday. Pratt
averaged 28 points and 7.5 re
bounds last week in a Cyclone loss
to Kansas State and victory over
Colorado. Against Kansas State, he
scored a career-high 31 points for
the Cyclones, who have posted two
consecutive 20-win seasons.
* * *
“Why not co-Big Eight players
of the year?” Oklahoma coach
Kelvin Sampson asked members of
the media Monday, lobbying for
Sooner senior forward Ryan Minor
to gain the league’s top honor along
with Jacque Vaughn of Kansas.
“If the award is for most valu
able player, then it should be Jacque
Vaughn,” Sampson said. “But if it’s
for best player, then Ryan Minor
should-receive it. And if you have
trouble distinguishing between the
two, give it to both of them.”
* * *
Colorado defeated Kansas 75-47
Monday night in the finals of the
Big Eight women’s tournament in
Salina, Kan. Nebraska forward
Anna DeForgc was named to the
all-tournament team.
* * *
One of Colorado freshman
guard Chauncey Billups’ biggest
fans will be sitting on the Kansas
bench during the Buffaloes’ Big
Eight Tournament game. Eighth
seeded Colorado and the top-seeded
Jayhawks will play in the noon
game of the Big Eight Tournament
on Friday.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said
he was Billups’ biggest fan. Billups
is seventh in the league in scoring,
averaging 16.4 points per game in
14 conference games. He is also
fourth in the league in assists with
72 for a 5.1-per-game average.
+ + +
With less than a week remain
ing in the Sprint In Touch Fans’All
Big Eight voting, players from Kan
sas and Iowa State fill nine of the
10 spots on the league’s first and
second teams. Oklahoma’s Ryan
Minor, second behind Iowa State’s
Kenny Pratt at small forward, is the
only player among the top 10 who
is not a Jayhawk or a Cyclone.
Leading the way are Kansas’
Jacque Vaughn and Raef LaFrentz
and Iowa State’s Pratt, Dedric
Willoughby and Kelvin Cato.
Tim Floyd of Iowa State leads
Kansas’ Roy Williams in the coach
of-the-year voting. Fans also can
choose the all-time greatest Big
Eight player. Danny Manning of
Kansas tops the list, followed by
Wayman Tisdale of Oklahoma.
Other candidates for the all-time
player include Cliff Meely of Colo
rado, Bob Boozer of Kansas State
and Steve Stipanovich of Missouri.
Fans can vote until March 7 by call
ing 1-800-428-BIG8 or on the
Internet at www.sprint.com.
c
Big Eight Notebook compiled by se
nior reporter Mike Klnck.
Tourney bound? |
Matt Miller/DN
Missouri center Lindsay Thompson and Nebraska guard LaToya Doage battle for a loose
bail Saturday. The Huskers hope t hei r70-64wi n was e nough to earn them a bid tothe NCAA
Tournament.
its
By Mike Kluck
Senior Reporter
SALINA, Kan. — Mission ac
complished — almost.
When the Nebraska women’s
basketball team went to Salina,
Kan., last weekend to compete in
the Big Eight Tournament, it had
two goals in mind.
First, the Comhuskers wanted to
win the final Big EightToumament,
but Kansas dashed those hopes with
a 65-61 semifinal victory Sunday
at the Bicentennial Center.
On Saturday, however, the 19-9
Huskers accomplished their task of
securing a possibility at gaining an
NCAA Tournament bid with a VO
64 victory over Missouri. The
NCAA selection committee will
announce the women’s NCAA
Tournament bracket at 6:30 p.m.,
Sunday on ESPN.
“Were in,” Nebraska coach An
gela Beck said after the game Sun
day. “It (the win) puts us in. If were
not in, I will be shocked.
“I think the 19 wins solidify us
and puts this team on the map. This
is an unbelievably great team, and
I really enjoy coaching them this
year.”
Beck wasn’t the only coach at
the tournament who felt Nebraska
deserved a berth in the NCAA Tour
nament.
After Sunday’s game against the
Jayhawks — in which Nebraska
fought back from a nine-point defi
cit and took a five-point lead with
eight minutes remaining — Kansas
coach Marian Washington said the
Huskers should get an NCAA Tour
nament bid.
“They arc definitely a team that
deserves to go to the NCAA Tour
nament,” Washington said. “We are
certainly hopeful that the NCAA
committee recognizes that and
gives them the opportunity they
have earned.”
In the past three years, four dif
ferent Big Eight teams have re
ceived NCAA Tournament invita
tions.
In 1994, Nebraska finished
fourth in the conference with a 7-7
record and won its first-round Big
Eight Tournament game. But the
Huskers were denied an NCAA bid.
Missouri, which finished seventh in
the league in 1994, won the con
ference tournament and received
the Big Eight’s automatic bid.
Nebraska turned down a Na
tional Women’s Invitational Tour
nament bid that season.
The Huskers have been to the
NCAA Tournament twice since its
formation in 1982. During Beck’s
second season in 1988, the Husk
ers lost to Southern California 1 GO
82 in the first round. In 1993, Ne
braska defeated San Diego 81-58
before losing to Southern Califor
nia 78-60 in the second round.
Swimmer
shatters
record
From Staff Reports
Nebraska senior swimmer Penny
Hcyns made the return trip to her
home country of South Africa a
memorable one,
swimming her
way to a world
record Monday.
Heyns, a na
tive of
Amanzimtoti,
South Africa, set
a world record
in the 100-meter
breaststroke.
Heyns Her time of 1
minute. 7.49
seconds came in preliminaries of the
South African Olympic Trials in
Durban, South Africa. Heyns went on
to win the finals Monday afternoon,
securing her a spot on the 1996 South
African Olympic Team.
The previous record of 1:07.69 was
set in 1994 by Samantha Riley of Aus
tralia.
Before the trials, Heyns’ career
best time in the 100-meter breaststroke
was 1:07.84 at the World University
Games in Fukuoka, Japan, in Septem
ber 1995.
Heyns has made a habit out of set
ting records this year. At the Big Eight
Championships, Feb. 14-17 in Okla
homa City, Okla., she eclipsed the U.S.
Open and NCAA record in the 200
mcter breaststroke with a time of
2:08.9.
Heyns will return to compete with
her Cornhuskcr teammates at the
NCAA Championships, March 21-23
in Ann Arbor, Mich., after the South
African Olympic Trials.
NU players
win game
for seniors
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
It’s hard to feel good when things
aren’t going your way, but when
things change for the better, it’s even
more difficult to not feel relieved.
Just ask the five seniors on the Ne
braska basketball team.
The Cornhuskers ended a nine
game losing streak Sunday, defeating
Kansas State 70-66. More importantly,
Erick Strickland, Jaron Boone,
Terrance Badgett, Tom Wald and Ja
See SENIORS on 8
Freshman jumper flying high for Nebraska
By Andrew Stmad
Staff Reporter
If there were any people who
doubted fresh
men couiu com
pete at the na
tional level, they
were once again
left speechless
after Nebraska
high jumper
Shane Lavy’s 7
foot, 5-inch leap
hi , last month.
Lavy Lavy has si
lenced critics all
season, establishing himself as one of
the top high jumpers in the nation. As
a freshman, he will be one of the
Comhuskers’ top performers Friday
and Saturday at the NCAA Champi
onships in Indianapolis.
Petar Malesev, last year’s indoor
high jump national champion, finished
up his eligibility after last season, leav
ing Lavy with large shoes to fill.
The three-time high school state
champion from Glasco, Kan., has been
one of Nebraska’s brightest stars this
season. His 7-5 jump at the Husker
Invite last month tied him with Chris
Olcson-O’Neil of Stephen F. Austin
for the highest collegiate leap this sea
son.
With the NCAA Indoor Champi
onships less than a week away, Lavy
and the Huskers, he said, arc looking
to prove that they’re among the top
track teams in the country.
“We’re looking forward to nation
als,” Lavy said. “We teams did very
well at the conference meet, but I
know we can do better.”
The Husker men and women
coasted to easy victories Feb. 23-24
to win the final Big Eight indooi
championships.
At the Big Eight Championships
Lavy jumped 6-11, just behind team
mate Brian Schwartz and Itai Margalii
of Kansas State, who won the eveni
with a jump of 7-1.
Despite finishing third in the Bif
Eight, Lavy said he was starting witt
a clean slate at nationals.
“The great thing about track am
field is that every meet you get a fresl
start and a chance to jump higher thar
before,” Lavy said.
Even though he holds the nation’:
highest jump of the year, Lavy sai<
he expected his jump to be eclipse*
soon.
“I’m happy right now with this
mark,” he said, “but hey, somebody
might come along next week and go
even higher.”
Husker coach Gary Pepin said he
had been pleased with Lavy’s perfor
mance, but Pepin said he knew Lavy
had the talent to be among the nation’s
elite, even as a freshman.
1 “I’m not surprised with Shane,”
1 Pepin said. “He’s cleared this height
before, and I knew he’d do it again
l this year.”
i
i Lavy said he was eagerly awaiting
the start of the outdoor season, but he
i also wants to rub shoulders with the
l rest of the nation’s elite high jumpers
1 in Indianapolis.