Lincoln uvtoan rescue
team statewide asset
By Lori Robison
Staff Writer
The site looked more like a set
of a disaster movie than a place of
business when five rescuers from
the Lincoln Fire Department ar
rived.
But the devastation left in the
wake of the July 20 sugar-plant
blast in Scottsbluff was more horri
fying than the cinema — this was
real, and a 31 -year-old plant-worker
was missing.
Seven of the eight silos used for
sugar storage simply weren’t there
anymore.
Their charred remains were
strewn about the entire area among
mountains of twisted metal and
sugar. The eighth silo, still stand
ing, leaned precariously against the
rubble of number seven.
Although the sheer size of the
destruction left many at the site
overwhelmed, hopes were initially
high that Gene Juergens — last
believed to be in the area of Silo 7
when the blast occurred—was still
alive somewhere beneath the
rubble.
It was the job of a special search
and rescue team, all specially
trained members of the Lincoln Fire
Department, to survey the area and
attempt to find and rescue Juergens.
Please see RESCUE on 10
Attention
August Graduates
The deadline for return of your yellow
Commencement Attendance form is
August 7,1996
Return it to Records Office, 107 Canfield Admin. Bldg.,
Service Counter B
NOW IN THE JOHNNY CARSON THEATER-LIED CENTER
Alan Ayckbourn's witty look at family relationships
Table Manners
through August 3
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5 Blocks South of UNL Campus
Heyns returns from Atlanta
Former NU swimmer offers media a chance to wear medals
By Trevor Parks
Staff Writer
When Penny Heyns left Lincoln
for the Summer Olympic Games in
Atlanta, few people knew her.
But those who did, knew she was a
good swimmer from a football school.
What they also knew was that she had
a great shot at winning a gold medal.
But when Heyns returned to Lin
coln Monday, she was seen as a two
time Olympic Gold medalist, and
someone who is one of the most suc
cessful athletes in Nebraska’s storied
athletic history.
On July 21, Heyns won the gold
medal in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Two days later she struck gold again,
this time in the 200-meter breaststroke.
With these wins, Heyns became the
first woman in Olympic history to win
gold in the two events.
It was a far cry from finishing 33rd
and 34th at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Heyns took center stage at the Aquatic
Center in Atlanta.
She said she was thankful she spent
four years (1993-96) swimming at
Nebraska.
Nebraska has done so much tor
me and I feel that it is so much a part
of my success, even more than South
Africa,” Heyns said. “I feel like I did
not only win the gold for South Af
rica, I won the gold for Nebraska.”
Surprisingly, Heyns almost gave up
competitive swimming four years ago.
“There’s no way I’d even be swim
ming today if I didn’t come to Ne
braska,” Heyns said. “In 1992,1 felt a
little disheartened about my swim
ming. I felt if I would have stayed in
South Africa I would have given up
swimming and pursued some aca
demic direction.”
But Heyns kept her swimming ca
reer going, and she wanted to return to
Lincoln to show the fruits of her and
the University’s labor.
Heyns spent two days in Lincoln
before returning to Atlanta to be a
spectator for the rest of the games on
Wednesday. She returns to her native
South Africa August 5, and plans to
come back to Lincoln in October.
Then she will continue her training
for the 1998 World Championships in
Perth, Australia, and Heyns wouldn’t
rule out a chance to compete in the
2000 Sydney Summer Games.
She also has one year of school left
before getting a degree in Psychology.
She had a busy two days showing
off her newfound necklaces.
Mami Speck/DN
Olympic gold medal winner Penny Heyns stops to talk to Cal Bentz,
NU swimming coach, Monday afternoon at the airport. Heyns was
returning from Atlanta where she took two gold medals for South
Africa in the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke.
Hey ns’ flight from Chicago was
greeted by more than 50 family, friends
and teammates at Lincoln Municipal
Airport Monday.
Friends held signs that said,
“Congrats Penny, You’re the Best”
and “We’re proud of you,” while a
couple of her teammates lead the sing
ing of “For She’s a Jolly Good Fel
low.”
Passengers from Hey ns’ flight even
stopped to catch a glimpse of die two
time Olympic gold medalist.
“I was wondering who was going
to pick me up from the airport,” said
Heyns of her return to Lincoln. “I
know football is so big here, but I
didn’t know what kind of attention I’d
get being a swimmer.” >
Then on Tuesday she held a press
conference, and made members of the
media on hand melt when she asked if
they wanted to hold her medals.
All this because Heyns beat a 14
year-old American phenom, Amanda
Beard, by less than a second in the two
races.
In the preliminaries of the 100
meters, Heyns broke her own world
record, which she set March 4 at the
South African Olympic Trails. She
also set an Olympic record in the
finals of the 200.
“I could see her winning one, but
the 200-meters was somewhat of a
surprise,” her former Nebraska coach
Cal Bentz said. “That hasn’t been the
strongest of her two races, but when
she took the 200-meters out like she
did I knew she was going for it.”
Heyns, who has won the only NCAA
title in the history of Nebraska swim
ming — finishing first in the 100-yard
oreaststroKe—agreed, saying mar win
ning two golds was unexpected.
Her wins were the first swimming
gold medals for South Africa since
Joan Harrison won gold in the 100
meter backstroke in 1952.
The fondest moment of the games
for Heyns — not standing on the po
dium listening to her countries’ anthem,
not beating Beard twice— but the thing
she remembers most, is what the Olym
pics are all about, the social aspects.
“Before the prelims in the 100
breast, Cristine Quance, one of the
American girls, and I were running
around and taking pictures,” Heyns
said. “I think all the other competitors
thought we were crazy. That’s some
thing I’ll always remember.”
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