Record year offsets slow finish
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
INDIANAPOLIS — Despite the
Comhuskers’ disappointing finish at
the NCAA Indoor TYack and Field
Championships,
both the Nebraska
men’s and
women’s teams
had successful
seasons in 1997.
Adding to
its already impres
sive string of 17
straight Big Eight
Indoor titles, the
Pepin women’s team
claimed the inau
gural Big 12 Conference title over
national runner-up Texas.
“Finishing ninth isn’t how we
wanted to end the season, but winning
the first Big 12 title is definitely some
thing that we’re happy about,” NU
Coach Gary Pepin said.
The Husker women finished in the
top 10 for the 16th time in the last 18
years. NU won national crowns from
1982 through 1984.
“Anytime you have a team that can
perform at a level like that, with that
consistency, then you know you have
reason to keep your head high,” Pepin
said.
The women set three school
records during the year, including a
collegiate record in the shot put.
Shot putter Tressa Thompson’s
throw of 60-7 feet, 3/4 inches blew the
old mark away by 16 inches at the
Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference
meet on Feb. 14.
Thompson’s greatest accomplish
ment came Saturday at the NCAA’s
at the RCA Dome, when her throw of
59 feet gave her a national champion
ship.
“Obviously I would have liked to
have thrown over 60 feet again, but I
came here to win, and that’s what hap
pened,” Thompson said.
Also setting school records for the
NU women this year was Heather
Bums in the 60-meter hurdles and the
women’s distance medley relay team.
The Husker men’s team’s 18th
place finish was a far cry from last
year’s second-place finish, but Pepin
said a lot of good things came from
the indoor season.
“We won the Big 12 men’s title and
set four school records,” Pepin said.
“People also forget that we don’t have
Jonah (Kiptarus) this year.”
Kiptarus helped lead the Huskers’
distance medley relay team to a na
tional title as well as finishing second
in the mile run at last year’s NCAA’s.
Kiptarus also finished second at the
1996 NCAA Cross Country Champi
onships.
Kiptarus decided to return to his
native Kenya for personal reasons and
skipped this year’s track season.
The four records impressed Pepin.
Junior Scott Warren broke his own
school record in the 35-pound weight
throw at the NCAA’s with a toss of
66-8 3/4.
“Scott is a good athlete,” Pepin
said. “He’s probably disappointed with
his fifth-place finish, but he’s going
to get other opportunities to show
people what he’s got.”
Senior Tom Fish set a school
record in the 200-meter dash with a
time of 21.06 seconds.
Fish finished sixth in the 200
meters at the NCAA’s, earning All
America status as well as the highest
finish ever by a Husker in the event.
“Tom likes to run outdoors, so fin
ishing in the ballpark here is good,”
Pepin said.
Nebraska begins the outdoor sea
son this weekend at the College Sta
tion Relays in College Station, Texas.
soccer team ready tor spring
Huskers use time to
build momentum for
fall season.
By Vince I^Adamo
Staff Reporter
If the Nebraska soccer team en
counters any problems during the
1997 season, don’t bet on compla
cency being one of them.
In just three-and-a-half years, the
Comhusker soccer program has be
come a fixture on the national scene.
NU Coach John Walker said he has
not needed to convince his players that
a lethargic attitude following last
year’s 23-1 season is a sure route to
failure.
“They want to win as much as I,”
Walker said. “They understand that
the spring season is a time that you
can make great strides. They’re very
competitive and goal-oriented.”
NU has begun the spring season
with two 0-0 ties. Nebraska tied Duke
and Virginia in two games at Durham,
N.C., March 2. The Huskers play at
national runner-up Santa Clara this
weekend.
The Huskers are primarily using
those matches this spring to see where
they stack up against the best teams
in the nation. In addition, NU is work
ing to improve its speed, agility,
strength and tactical issues.
“We!re working on a lot of one
and two-touch soccer,” striker Lind
say Eddleman said. “We’re working a
lot on moving the ball quickly. There’s
always room for improvement.”
The spring schedule also includes
games against North Carolina and
Notre Dame—Final Four participants
along with Santa Clara. NU also plays
host to the U.S. Under-20 National
Team on April 26. All three contests
should measure the Huskers’ progress.
Walker has conducted a spring
practice session that would make a
college student cringe. The Husker
practice schedule has consisted of a
workout at 6 a jn. followed by another
practice session later in the afternoon.
“We play more soccer than we go
to school,” Eddleman said, “but that’s
definitely going to pay off. It’s mak
ing us stronger.”
Walker said nobody jumps for joy
about the early workouts, but the play
ers realize it’s part of becoming a bet
ter team.
“A lot of people talk about want
ing to be champions,” Walker said.
“But very few are ready to put in the
Spartan-like work to become a cham
pion.
“It’s harder in the spring when you
don’t have that big game around the
comer. When it’s a cold day in Janu
ary and they have to come in for a 6
a.m. workout, that’s when you see the
heart of a champion and who the pre
tenders are.”
Last year’s success will also trans
late into greater expectations, and
Walker said the spring will help the
Huskers so they don’t disappoint in
the fall.
“Last year, the question was
whether we were good enough to beat
a top 20 team,” Walker said. “We an
swered that. Now the question is are
we good enough to compete with the
top five teams in the country?”
Note:
Portland’s Kim Engesser has said
she will transfer to Nebraska to play
soccer for the Huskers, Walker said.
Engesser, a sophomore forward for
the Pilots, played 17 games and started
two, including Portland’s 1-0 win over
the Huskers in the NCAA Tourna
ment.
During her freshman year, she
started 21 games as the Pilots made
the NCAA Finals before losing to
Notre Dame.
NU plays host to Drake
Peter Marhoefer
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska women’s tennis
team starts a big week by playing host
to Drake today.
The
Comhuskers (4-3
and 0-3 in the Big
12 Conference)
enter today’s 5
pjn. match at the
Cather-Pound ten
nis courts follow
ing a tough 5-4
loss to conference
rival Oklahoma
State two week
ends ago.
“It will be interesting to see how
the team bounces back,” NU Coach
Scott Jacobson said.
Against the Cowgirls, the No. 1
doubles tandem of Sandra Noetzel and
Jennifer Thoste lost for the first time
this season. NU’s No. 2 doubles team
of Annie Yang and Lisa Hart won 8-2
to remain unbeaten this year.
Drake is traditionally a power in
the Missouri Valley Conference, and
Coach Jeff Vaage brought in a Bull
dog squad to Lincoln that upset the
Huskcrs last year 4-3.
“Drake has a strong program ev
ery year,” Jacobson said. “We need to
be ready to play.”
Nebraska will use the Drake match
to help prepare for this weekend’s
Fullerton Tournament. The tourna
ment features Nebraska, Fairfield, In
diana and Cal State-Fullerton.
Nebraska is ranked 67th in the
Women’s Tennis Magazine Top 75
poll. The match against Drake will
also be important for the regional
rankings, Jacobson said.
“We’re hoping we can fight back
and get into the top 50,” he said.
Huskers
finish sixth
at invite
From Staff Reports
The Nebraska men’s golf team
finished sixth at the Fripp Island
Intercollegiate tournament over the
weekend.
NU finished 15 strokes behind
Toledo, which won the tournament
by shooting a three-round total of
884. The Comhuskers shot a total
of 899. ' n
Josh Madden led Nebraska
carding a 222, good for a 14th
place finish. Steve Friesen, who
shot a 228 finished 37th. Trent
Morrison and Mikkel Haug each
shot a 228, finishing in a tie for
38th, and Scott Gutschewski fin
ished 54th with a score of 232.
ll^Y V., ' • * ' -, /_ .
End disappoints Huskers
RECAP from page 10
Kona Classic in Hawaii to ice a win
over then-No. 9 Iowa 73-67.
As the season progressed Rogers
moved into the starting lineup and
led the Huskers in rebounds on eight
different occasions. In just the sec
ond game of the season, Rogers led
the Huskers sewing 17 points and
grabbing seven boards against
Southern Utah.
With the help of the freshmen,
Nebraska started with a school
record nine straight wins and a na
tional ranking before losing 65-59
to Colwado. After the loss, the Husk
ers won seven consecutive games to
improve to 16-1 on Jan. 30. They
were a strong contender for the
NCAA Tournament.
Husker forward Anna DeForge
was a constant in NU’s lineup all
season. The first-team All-Big 12 se
lection and Big 12 Tournament
member led the Huskers averaging
17.5 points per game. She also fin
ished second in rebounds with 162
— five behind McClain.
Earlier in the season, DeForge
also passed the 1,000-point mark
and now ranks ninth on the Husk
ers’ career sewing chart.
Then February and March hit
when NU saw itself playing five
games on the road and finished the
season on a 2-7 slide. Nebraska de
feated Missouri in the Big 12 Tour
nament before losing to Texas in the
second round.
Despite the dismal end of the sea
son, the Huskers still finished with
the fourth-best record in Beck’s 11
seasons at Nebraska.
“Not to take anything away from
last year’s team,” Beck said, “but this
year’s team is a much better team.”
Last season Nebraska finished
with the same 19-9 mark but earned
a trip to the tournament.
“We obviously had an opportu
nity in our hands and we didn’t get
the job done,” Beck said.
Want to be ignored by Unless you VOTE for
ASUN and administra- K.E.G., nothing will
tors for another year? change!
Tap your future! Vote K.E.G. March 12
http://www.unl.edu/KEG
^id^rtral^rtisejr»ntASUNStudentGovemTOntElKtion^^W^^^^auAM^Ii^^a«jrer_
What do you think of our
Department of Athletics?
commitment to equity? academic integrity?
fiscal integrity? rules compliance?
Open Forum
Wed., March 12,
4-5:30 p.m. Wick Center.
Wed., March 19,
11:30 -1 p.m. East Union.
All students, faculty and staff are welcome
to give input to the NCAA certification study.