Runners set for home meet
ByLisaVonnahme
Staff writer
With Division I, II and III teams
competing Saturday at the Woody
Greeno/Nebraska Invitational, the
Nebraska men’s
and women’s cross
country teams are
going to face many
different calibers of
athletes.
“There’s a lot
of runners out
there,” NU Coach
Jay Dirksen said,
“from the country Is
Dirksen best to the pretty
poor”
The meet, which is sponsored by NU
and Nebraska Wesleyan, will be held at
Pioneers Park in Lincoln and will begin
with the women’s race at 9:30 a.m. The
men’s race is scheduled to follow at 10:15
amr
Dirksen called the race a low-key,
first meet of the season for most of the
athletes.
“We didn’t want a meet that was
going to be real tough,” Dirksen said.
“But we wanted to have enough schools,
so there were some people running out
there.”
In the past, the meet has been primarily
made up of state schools that came into
Lincoln the morning of the race.
This year, however, with Big 12
Conference schools such as Kansas State,
Texas and Texas Tech entered, the competi
tion will be up a level from last year
The Big 12 schools, also including
Oklahoma State in die women’s compe
tition, join the invitational to test out the
course in preparation for the Big 12
Championships scheduled for Oct 31 at
Pioneers Park.
Dirksen said he is expecting a large
crowd at the meet and sees the home
team advantage as a major benefit to the
Comhuskers. Freshman runner Jeanette
Zimmer agreed.
“The course is difficult and a little
confusing,” said Zimmer, who was
named Big 12 Runner of the Week on
Sept 7. “It’s real easy to get disoriented
because it’s hard to figure out where you
are and where you need to go.”
Because the NU cross country teams
have been focusing on long runs rather
than race specifics and times, junior Tory
Smith said the runs will help the Huskers
on the 8,000-meter men’s course and
5,000-meter women’s course Saturday.
“It’s a tough course, and endurance is
really going to make the difference,”
Smith said. “We’re in good shape, so
we’ll be able to deal with it”
With 501 athletes entered in
Saturday’s meet, Dirksen said the course
is going to be full. NU entered eight men
and 11 women. The top five from each
team will be scored.
“One of the reasons this is a good
meet,” Dirksen said, “is that it gives us a
chance to see where we ’re at without hav
ing the pressure of being against the top
teams in the country.”
LMU coach not afraid of NU
By Jay Saunders
Staff writer
A sold-out crowd for volleyball at
the NU Coliseum has been known to
intimidate even the most veteran teams.
But the pressure of playing in the
Coliseum doesn’t impress Loyola
Marymount Coach Steve Stratos.
“There is a freeway here in Southern
California called die 405,” Stratos said
“I drive that every day to work.
“Now that is pressure.”
Loyola Marymount is one of three
teams that will have to face a hostile
crowd this weekend in the US Bank
Invitational. Along with the No. 15
Lions, the No. 3 Comhuskers entertain
No. 10 Florida and Wyoming.
The field is similar to last season,
Mien three of the teams were ranked as
I
well. If this year’s tournament goes any
thing like the 1997 version, Wyoming (4
2) could have a long weekend ahead of
than. George Mason, the only unranked
team last year, didn’t win a match.
The Cowgirls are also winless
against Nebraska in 14 matches.
Despite that, Wyoming Coach Susan
Judge said, she is anxiously awaiting the
opportunity to play ranked teams.
“Being the only unranked team,”
Judge said, “we are probably being con
sidered the runts of the tournament But
we don’t feel that limits our capability to
compete and win.”
Wyoming returns four starters from
last year’s 19-12 season. Loyola
Marymount is in a much different situ
ation. LMU (6-0) has only one senior
on its roster. Stratos said the tourna
ment will be a good experience for his
younger players.
“The idea is to grow up a little for
our very good conference schedule,”
Stratos said. “This has to be one of the
finest tournaments of the year.”
The tournament is made stronger
with the appearance by the No. 10 ,
Gators. Florida is the only team in this
year’s invite to have beaten the Huskers.
Florida (5-1) returns four starters
from last year’s Final Four team, includ
ing American Volleyball Coaches’
Association Player-of-the-Year candi
date Jenny Manz.
With the emphasis on strength of
schedule in deciding NCAA tournament
teams, Judge said the caliber of talent in
the US Bank Invitational can do nothing
but help all the teams involved.
“There is no such thing as a bad loss
in this tournament,” Judge said. “We are
hoping to get better. That is why we are
playing better teams this year.”
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