Gymnasts prepare
for Ohio State
Nebraska expects
swimming success
NTT
Continued from Page 9
“I was trying to play the kind of
defense Erick Strickland likes to play,”
Strickland said, “I just didn’t allow
him to do what he wanted to do.”
The win, Nebraska’s third on an
opponent’s home court this season and
second NIT road win in school his
tory, was highlighted by seven Husk
ers scoring in double figures.
Along with WakI, Bernard Gamer
(10), Moore (10), Lue (1ft), Boone
(15), Terrance Badgett (11) and
Strickland (19) contributed double dig
its for the Huskers.
“We were hanging around shooting
38 percent and not putting the ball in
the basket,” Coach Danny Nee said.
“Then finally the ball started going in
the basket, and when it did that was the
difference.”
The story was different in the first
half.
Colorado State shot 58 percent,
making 18 of 31 shots. Of those 18
field goals, 15 were made less than
four feet from the basket.
Nebraska shot 38.7 percent from
the field during the first half and the
Rams led 45-39 at the break.
Strickland said he hoped this would
propel the Huskers on to more success
in the NIT.
“We were hoping we were going to
win because we want to continue to
play,” Strickland said. “At the start of
the half, we chanted New York’ com
ing out of the huddle.”
If Nebraska plays at home Tues
day, tickets will go on sale at the South
Stadium Ticket office at 8:30 a.m.
today. Student tickets are $4.
By Gregg Madsen
Staff Reporter 1
W ith the NCAA West Regional only
a month away, Nebraska men’s gym
nasticscoach Francis Allen is standing
by his preseason
prediction that the*
Cornhuskers will
win the national
title.
“If we’re
healthy,” Allen said,
“then I think we can
still win this thing.”
Allen will get a chance to
see how Allen’s prediction holds up
when they face No. 1 Ohio State at the
Bob Devaney Sports Center, Satur
day, March 23.
Despite being plagued by injuries
all season, the Huskers moved up to
third in the national rankings this week,
holding a 225.85 average team score.
“For us to be ranked third with the
condition our team is in, that’s pretty
good,” Allen said.,
The Huskers received some good
news this week when freshman J.D.
Reive returned to practice for the first
time in two months.
Reive, whom Allen has called “the
Jim Hartung of this generation,” has
missed the entire season because of
chronic back problems. Allen said
Reive had been going through a rigor
ous calisthcnic exercise routine to stay
in shape over the past two months.
“He’s done a great job in the gym,”
Allen said. “He’s shown a lot of dedi
cation and intensity.
“When we get J.D. back, that will
give us a lot of power. We hope that he
can compete in rings, vault and floor
for us.”
Marshall Nelson, another true fresh
man, has been a pleasant surprise this
season, Allen said.
Competing in the pommel horse,
the parallel bars and the horizontal
bar, Nelson has become a valuable
scorer for the Huskers, Allen said.
“I didn’t know Marshall was as
good as he is,” he said.
Nelson has been slowed by a wrist
injury, but Allen said he is back to full
strength.
Allen said his team benefited by
being forced to rely on only five gym
nasts in each event.
“It has helped us a lot,” he said.
“Because if they miss a routine, we
haven’t been able to rely on someone
else. I think it has built their charac
ter.”
With so many injuries, all-arounders
Jason Christie, Jim Koziol, Don
Kinison and Bill Mullholland have
handled the majority ofthc load for the
Huskers.
Christie, the Huskers’ lone senior,
finished second in the all-around with
a 56.05 last weekend in the Huskers’
225.295-224.125 victory over Minne
sota. But Allen said Christie had not
completely healed from a severe sinus
infection.
Junior Ryan McEwen has been one
of the few to remain healthy and that
has helped him emerge as a scoring
force, Allen said.
Against the Golden Gophers,
McEwen won the pommel horse with
a season-high 9.75.
Koziol, a sophomore, has fought
through a tom right bicep to become a
contributor for Nebraska this season.
Koziol wen a spot on the 2000 U.S.
Olympic Team at the Winter Cup on
Feb. 3, and scored a career-high 56.fr
in the all-around against New Mexico.
Allen said that Koziol, Christie and
Reive benefited from not having a
meet this weekend, and also a light
week of practice during spring break.
Reive will probably be ready to
participate in the Nebraska’s 7 p.m.
dual with Ohio State, Allen said.
“We’rC going to have to be 100
percent healthy to beat Ohio State,” he '
said, “or they’re going to come in here
and walk all over us.”
The dual with the Buckeyes, Allen
said, will be one of the most exciting
meets in the history of Nebraska gym
nastics.
“A 226 team score is not going to
win this meet,” he said. “But it will
hopefully be hard for them to come in
here and win.”
NU gymnasts
looking to gain
bragging rights
By Gregg Madsen
Staff Reporter
The eighth-ranked Nebraska
women’s gymnastics team will face
Penn State and West Virginia this Sat
urday in a 2 p.m. triangular meet at
University Park, Penn.
Coach Dan Kendig, who has worked
at the Woodward Gymnastics Camp
just outside of University Park for 16
summers, said he was excited about
facing the Nittany Lions.
“We’re going to try to bring up the
rivalry aspect of this meet,” he said.
Kendig isn’t the only Comhusker
with ties to the Penn State area. Assis
tant coach Rob Drass graduated from
Penn State in 1990, and redshirt fresh
man Laurie McLaughlin is a Univer
sity Park native.
Kendig said seniors Joy Taylor and
Meghan Nicolini,junior Shelly Bartlett
and freshman Courtney Brown all have
spent time at the camp.
Earlier this season, Nebraska fin
ished third behind Penn State and No.
1 Alabama in a triangular meet at
Tuscaloosa, Ala. Penn State out scored
thcHuskers 191.7-189.45 in that meet.
“We’re real familiar with the people
up there,” Kendig said. “So this will
kind of establish bragging rights for
the winner.”
Taylor, coming off a 9.875 perfor
mance on the balance beam last week
end at Minnesota, again will provide a
stabilizing force for the 13-3 Huskcrs,
Kendig said.
Nebraska also will play host to a
dual with Southern Utah on March 23
at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The meet will run simultaneously with
the third-ranked Nebraska men’s dual
with No. 1 Ohio State.
Kendig said the Huskcrs had a dif
ferent kind of rivalry with Southern
Utah.
In 1994, the Thunderbirds edged
Nebraska for the Academic National
Championship. But last year, the two
teams reversed spots and the Huskers
won the title.
“We’re not quite willing to give
that up again,” Kendig said. “We kind
of enjoy it.”
By Vince DAoamo
Staff Reporter ”
The Nebraska women’s swim
ming team is preparing to take its
act to Ann Arbor,
Mich., for the
NCAA Champi
onships.
Nine
Cornhuskers
probably will
participate in the
three-day event
March 21-23.
_ Coach Cal
Bentz Bentz said this
showcase event was a high priority
for Nebraska.
“The situation with the NCAA
Championships is that it’s one of
the highest goals of the season in
terms of our team,” Bentz said.
Senior Penny Heyns leads her
Husker teammates into Ann Arbor.
Heyns, a native of South Africa,
returned to her home country to
compete in the South African Olym
pic Trials, following the Big Eight
Championships. Heyns made her
trip to her home country a memo
rable one, establishing a world
record in the 100-meter breaststroke
with a time of 1:07.49.
Heyns will compete in both the
100-and 200-yard breaststroke and
as a member of the 200- and 400
yard medley relay teams.
Bentz said he expected to see
Heyns continue her winning ways.
“We saw that in the conference
championship meet and the South
African Olympic trials,” Beptzsaid.
“1 think we’ll see that she does very
well in the NCAA Championships.”
“It’s one of the highest
goals of the season in
terms of our team. ”
CAL BENTZ
Nebraska swimming coach
Each competitor will compete
in the relays for Nebraska, Bentz
said.
Julia Russell will join Heyns in
the 100-and 200-yard breaststroke.
Russell also will compete in the
200-yard individual medley.
Melanie Dodd will compete in the
50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle.
Participating in the 400-yard in
dividual medley relay will be
Mikacla Lauren. Lauren also will
compete in the 100- and 200-yard
butterfly. Heather Park will join
Lauren in the 400-yard individual
medley and will compete in the
500- and 1650-yard freestyle.
Teammate BriAnna Wilkins will
join Park in the 500- and 1650-yard
freestyle.
Janet Danberg will be the lone
Huskcr representative in the 100
and 200-yard backstroke. Shannon
Wright and Erin Carew are tenta
tively scheduled to compete only in
the medley relay events.
Bentz said his team would be
happy to be there, but would not be
awed by the competition.
“The way you approach it is like
any other meet,” Bentz said. “You
can’t control how fast other people
swim.”
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