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Gregg Madsen
NU coach says
distance runner
is Husker secret
It’s not easy to pronounce, but
Balazs Tolgyesi’s name may be
come one to remember over the next
few months.
The senior cross country runner
from Szekesfehervar, Hungary,
should be a dominating force for the
Comhuskers this season, Nebraska
Coach Jay Dirksen said.
“He’s probably one of the best
kept secrets as far as quality athletes
here at Nebraska,” Dirksen said.
Not bad for a runner who was
recruited by Iowa State, not Ne- ,
braska.
After finishing seventh in the
1,500 meters at the 1991 European
Junior Championships, the Cy-,
clones offered Tolgyesi a scholar
ship.
Tolgyesi said the desire to run
and go to school at the same time
—an impossibility in Hungary —•
convinced him to come to the
United States.
“At die beginning,” he said, “I
had doubts. But very soon, I found
out that this was what I wanted to
do—get an education and do track
as well.”
Iowa State couldn’t give
Tolgyesi that scholarship, and he
spent his first year in the United
States at Missouri Valley College in
Marshall, Mo.
After winning the NAIA indoor
800 meters as a freshman, Iowa
State was still unable to give
Tolgyesi a scholarship, so he con
tacted Nebraska coaches to see if
he could run fbr the Huakers.
. “That didn’t sit too well with
Iowa State,” Dirksen said.
At Nebraska, Iblgyesi quickly
established himself as a top per- ,
former in die middle distances, win
ning the 1,000 meters at the 1995
Big Eight Championships. Last sea
son, Tolgyesi set a Big Eight indoor
record in the 800 meters, and he fin
ished fourth in the nation outdoors
in the 1,500.
Iblgyesi returned home after the
outdoor season and earned a spot
on the Hungarian Olympic Team in
the 1,500 meters.
In Atlanta, he made it to a semi
final heat, in which he finished 10th,
setting a Hungarian and NU record
time of 3 minutes, 35.57 seconds.
Iblgyesi said his Olympic experi
> ence, as well as his entire career, has
been a surprise.
“Just a few years ago, I didn’t
think I could get this fir,” he said.
“I seriously think it has something
to do with me coming to the U.S.”
Dirksen said having a world
class runner like Iblgyesi has el
evated the entire team’s perfor
mance level.
Both Dirksen and Tolgyesi hope
the next level will bea Big !2 cham
P,°“Wfehave thS'potential to be a
very good team tins year ” Iblgyesi
said. “If everybody Mays healthy,
anything can happen.”
rf:*
U I & 1 £
i H |
? i H _ i p
• NU wingback struggled
to find motivation
while suspended.
By Trevor Parks
Senior Reporter
Nebraska wingback Lance Brown
can’t wait to play in his season opener
this weekend.__
Brown has been waiting for this
game since January, when he was sus
pended for an undisclosed disciplinary
incident.
He sat out of the Red-White Game
in April and did not play Sept. 7 in
NU’s season-opening 55-14 rout of
Michigan State.
The 5-foot-ll, 190-pound sopho
1 ■
more from Papillion said he struggled
to find motivation while waiting for
Saturday night, when the No. 1
Comhuskers play No. 17 Arizona Slate
in Tempe, Ariz.
“It was really difficult,” he said,
“especially during two-a-days. The
other players all knew that a game was
corning up. In the back of my mind, I
knew I was going to have to sit out and
wait until the next game.”
So to stay positive, Brown—along
with split end Ryan Held—created a
group called the Positive Action Tbam.
It was designed to keep Brown's
spirits up and to loosen up the other
Husker receivers.
Throughout his suspension, Brown
kept a positive attitude, Receivers
Coach Ron Brown said, but that out
look took a hit the week before NU's
game with Michigan State.
“I could see a couple days prior to
the game that his spirits were a little
down,” Ron Brown said. “The only*
thing I could tell him was that it
wouldn’t be long until he was back in
the mix again.”.
Since redshirting in 1994, Brown
has consistently shown the potential to
become a big-play receiver. He holds
the NU receivers' record in the pro
agility run with a time of 3.82 seconds
and owns the team's seventh fastest
time over 10 yards, 1.S2 seconds.
Brown backs up Jon Vedral this
season after being relegated to third
string duty behind Vedral and Qester
Johnson last year. A year ago, Brown
played in every game and caught two
passes, one of which has been a hot
topic of conversation recently.
In Nebraska’s 77-28 disposal of
Arizona State in Lincoln last season,
Matt Turman threw a 39-yard touch
1
ways
o ,« o» ever senior accepts reserve role
By Vince I^Adamo
Staff Reporter
When Nebraska Soccer Coach
John Walker raves about his team’s
depth, he’s not just blowing smoke,
he’s telling the truth.
Every time senior co-captain
Kim Ratliffcones off the bench, her
action speaks volumes for the
team’s depth.
Walker said Ratliffs experience,
intangibles and team-oriented ap
proach have helped set the tone for
the 5-0 Huskers.
“She never complains,” Walker
Said. “Kim's work ethic in the
weight room and in practice is ideal.
So it’s pretty dear that starting at
Nebraska isn’t the issue.”
With her intense and physical
style of play, the Millard South
graduate often provides a spark off
the bench. She is a strong player,
which is evident by her second
Husker Power Award last season.
“She’s very powerful, aggres
sive, fast andintense,” Walker said.
“She’s really worked to improve the
•:-4T
a defender**
scored her third goal of the season
*...
I want to be able to look back and re
iior yean
NU defender
in 13th-ranked Nebraska’s 9-1 drub
bing of Loyola Marymount Sunday.
As a.a freshman, she attended
Marquette University in Milwaukee
and is the first senior in the history
of the three-year NU program.
"1 try to provide some teadenhip
example on^he^eld!” Ratliff saiU
Like any team leader, Ratliff
said, the team’a success is more
meaningful than her own achieve
ments. -V - . V-.
"The team has always had a lot
of togetherness, especially last
spring and this fidl,” Ratliff said.
"We sat down in training camp and
said, 'These are our goals we want _
to accanpiish.’We talk about those
g°^Ti^s^^^cairies added s'g
nificance fbr RatHffas a senior andj
a Nebrada native.;
“I want to be able to look back
and remember my senior year,”
Ratliff said. “It’sabig pride thing. I
grew up watching all kinds of Ne
braska sports. I take a lot of heart
into it far my home state.”
Ratliff can take pride in helping
build a strong foundation for a pro
gram that appears to be poised for
the NCAA Ibumament after just
three years. However, Ratliff is not
getting ahead of herself. She said it
isimportant the team doesn’t over
does not start Ratliff is an excq£
tkm to that rule, but it seems to
matter little—if any—to Ratliff.
“We’re all focused on the same
line, and nobody V really worried
about individual honors,” Ratliff
said. “You haveajob to do whether
you start or come off the bench. —•
down pass to Brown with 38 seconds
to play in the game.
Hie play call upset Arizona State
Coach Bruce Snyder, who opted not
shake hands at midfield with Husker
Coach Tbm Osborne after the game.
Osborne later apologized publicly and
sent a letter to Snyder.
Hie play was designed as a short
pass, Osborne said. ASU’s defensive
back broke in too fast, opening a seam
for Brown, who ran alone into the end
zone.
After scoring, Brown was caught by
Memorial Stadium’s HuskerVision
screens performing a backflip cm the
sidelines.
If he scores Saturday, don’t look for
Brown to pull a repeat performance.
“Hie thought crossed my mind,” he
said, “but Coach OAarne put a damper
on that. Plus I would probably get a
penalty.”
3 Huskers
head home
Saturday
By Patrick Wyman
StaffReporter
Hie Nebraska football team’s Sat
urday meeting with 17th-ranked Ari
zona State is more than just another
game ror twee
Comhuskers.
For sopho
mores Kenny
Cheatham and
Eric Johnson
and true fresh
man Mike
Brown, Satur
day is a chance
to display their
talents to a
hometown au- Johnson
dience.
Johnson, the No. 2 Will linebacker,
Please see ARIZONA on 12
ASUfcQB
says offense
^ By Peter Marhoefer
Staff Reporter
Arizona State quarterback Jake
Plummer is approaching Saturday
night's battle with the No. 1 Nebraska
just like any
other game.
“Some
people think that
this is the most
important game
we’re playing,”
Plummer said
during a press
conference in
Tempe, Ariz.,
this week. “But to,,,,,,-,,- «
it’s really not” ™ ”
Plummer leads a talented ASU of
fense that returns 10 starters and
amassed 452 yards and 49 points per
game this year in wins overWashing
ton and North Texas.
: The Sun Devils’ fourth-year quar- -
tertwcl^ an All-Pacific 10 selection in
: PkaumASOonlS
