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By Gregg Madsen
Staff Reporter
-A
The Big 12 is a conference foil ol
special athletes, so it is only fitting that
the league has chosen to adopt the Spe
cial Olympics as its official charity.
Nebraska Special Olympics repre
sentative Margaret Lageschulte said
the new alignment will set a national
precedent for conferences adopting a
selected charity.
“This is the second-largest partner
ship between athletics and a nonprofit
organization,” Lageschulte said. “The
idea behind it is that the universities
and Special Olympics are both train
ing for life.”
The partnership, she said, will pro
vide the Special Olympics with na
tional exposure and help athletes of all
kinds to build skills in life and athlet
ics.
“We are thrilled to death,” she said.
“Nebraska Special Olympics has been
involved with University of Nebraska
athletics for a long time, and now we’re
thrilled to be with the Big 12.”
The teams in the conference will
have a relationship much like the rela
tionship between National Football
League teams and United Way volun
teer cento's, Lageschulte said.
«-—
The idea, behind it is that the universities
and Special Olympics are both training
for life.”
Margaret Lageschulte
There will be several commercials
aired during the Big 12 championship
game, Dec. 7 in St. Louis, and others
as the partnership grows, she said..
The commercials will highlight
Special Olympian performances and
interaction with Big 12 athletes.
Lageschulte said each Special
Olympics office will work with Big
12 schools in their area to coordinate
publicity events, various camps and
also use of the school’s facilities for
practice.
The Big 12 Indoor Track and Field
Championships at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center will be one event that
showcases Special Olympians,
Lageschulte said.
Financially, the Big 12 hasn’t prom
ised a set donation for the Special
Olympics, but Lageschulte said she
wasn’t worried about that.
“We hope that it helps financially,”
she said, “but at the present time, what
it’s going to do is give us exposure so
the Special Olympics can develop the
reputation it deserves from the nation.
We hope that it will help us by open
ing up more doors.”
The Big 12 will also provide a post
graduate scholarship for one athlete at
each conference school pursuing a ca
reer in special education, she said.
Another integration of Big 12 ath
letes and Special Olympians will come
at the conference honors ceremony
next spring.
Lageschulte said a male and female
Special Olympian from each Big 12
state will be named Special Olympics
athlete of the year and honored at the
banquet along with the Big 12 male and
female athletes of the year.
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NEBRASKA SPIRIT
[•me Game
-n
(8am - 6pm)
-*pm)
NU hopes to challenge
strong OSU wrestlers
After no conference expan
sion,, wrestlers look to other
options.:
<*■' ■ * r - ■.
By Antone Oseka
Senior Editor
Since 1980, five wrestling programs have
dominated the Big Eight Conference.
Burned, with the Big Eight’s addition of four
school**© become the Big 12, those five pro
grams jre auttie lonely.
Oftfy ihe five former Big
Eight schools — Iowa
State, Nebraska, Missouri,
Oklahoma and Oklahoma
State — support wrestling
in the Big 12. However,
these teams form a power
ful force on the national
wrestling scene.
Each of the Texas
schools, particularly Texas
and Texas A&M, supports NstnoaBil
strong clubwrestling teams, but because of gen
der-equity legislation, it has become nearly im
possible to institute Division-1 programs at those
schools.
Eleven Big 12 All-Americans return this sea
son in 10 ureight clashes, including two from
Nebraska. Comhusker All-Americans Brad
Canoyer, a l J 8-pounder a year ago, apd 1995
heavyweight national champion My Thomp
son return to lead a young Nebraska lineup.
Nebraska is redshirting two other All-Ameri
cans, 158-pounder Temoer Terry and 190
pounder Ryan Tobin. Coach Tim Neumann
hopes Terry and Tobin will lead his team off the
mat throughout their redshirt year and direct the
team when they return for the 1997-98 season.
But not all Big 12 teams are thinking about
1998. Oklahoma State has its best team in re
cent memory this season, Neumann said.
“Coming out of the chute, Oklahoma State
is the team to beat,” Neumann said. “Iowa State
is fairly young. They could have-five new jniys
in their lineup.” flf
The Cyclones return five experienced wres
tlers to the lineup, led by returning 150-pound
national champion Chris Bono.
Oklahoma is in a similar situation. The Soon
ere return a talented teamled by returning 190
pound national champion John Kading.
“They're due to have a big year,” Neumann
said of OU. “They’re going to have a real good
dual team.”
But the Big 12 isn’t all about dual victories.
There is also a conference tournament in which
topoiqpeie. Last year, Oklahoma State won the
conference, fdtowed by Nebraska, Oklahoma,
Iowa State apd ftfEssouri. ,
Coaches are looking not only to improve
their own squads but increase the strength of
the conference overall.
In the new future, the conference hopes to
add independent teams to strengthen and deepen
the league tournament, from which wrestlers
qualify for the NCAA Championships. .
Neumann said the athletic departments of
each Big 12 school have been notified that the
conference wants to add five schools — for
wrestling only.
If the proposal is accepted, the schools —
Northern Iowa, Wyoming, Brigham Young, New
Mexico and Air Force—wouldn't join the Big
12.' But they would compete in the conference
tournament. >
Neumann said the expanded conference tour
nament will not become a reality until at least
the 1997-98 season.
Each of the schools, with the exception of
Northern Iowa, are in the Western Athletic Con
ference. The only other WAC team with a wres
tling program is Fresno State, which would prob- !
ably join the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament
if the deal goes through, Neumann said.