NU women reach season
high at Michigan State
Nebraska’s Letter finishes 16th at the U.S. Winter Cup Challenge
By John Gaskins
Staffwriter •
They did it - with ease.
Without its top performer, junior
All-American Heather Brink, the No.
10 Nebraska women’s gymnastics
team captured the 10th annual Spartan
Invitation in East Lansing, Mich., on
Saturday.
In fact, the Cornhuskers (8-2)
were not only able to'win, but domi
nate, as they used a commanding
.875-point lead after the first rotation
and never looked back, en route to
their season- high team score of
195.025, almost two points better than
runner-up and host Michigan State
(193.05).
No. 22 Illinois-Chicago was next
in third at 191.35. Towson State
rounded out the field at 191.25.
One would never have noticed
Brink’s absence, thanks to the nearly
flawless performances by NU gym
nasts, who landed every single rou
tine.
“To come in here and not count a
fall all evening was a great feeling,”
NU Head Coach Dan Kendig said.
“We threw a lot of new routines
and worked hard on fighting for every
tenth of a point.”
The Huskers have senior Nicole
u
After missing most of the week
back at home, (Wilkinson) was
a little nervous, but she gained confidence
as the week went on”
Dan Kendig
NU gymnastics coach "
Wilkinson, who finished second in the
all-around competition to MSU’s
Carolyn Hecht, to largely thank for the
victory.
Wilkinson was not only compet
i ing in the all-around for the first time
this season; she was also coming off a
week in which she saw little practice
because of the death of her grandfa
ther.
She rallied behind the support of
not only her teammates, but friends
and family, who made the two-hour
commute from her hometown of
London, Ontario, to watch her show
case.
“Nicole really had an outstanding
meet this evening,” Kendig said.
“After missing most of the week back
at home, she was a little nervous, but
she gained confidence as the week
went on.”
Junior All-American Misty
Oxford finished third in the all-around
and won the vault, Wilkinson took the
uneven bars and Hecht captured the
balance beam and the floor exercise.
In other gymnastics news:
While the men’s team had the
week off, junior All-American Derek
Leiter of Lincoln was in Las Vegas,
competing in the 1999 U.S. Winter
Cup Challenge. He finished 16* and
placed in the top 20 in five of the six
events.
The No. 8 Huskers return to action
this weekend, playing host to
Minnesota Friday and No. 4 Iowa
Saturday.
The women compete next on
Monday, playing host to Oregon State
and Brigham Young.
Rodman might join the Lakers;
team doesn’t want distractions
■ The NBA’s most
flamboyant star would
have to play in LA for less
than a million dollars.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The
Worm remained out of sight Monday,
with no word from the Los Angeles
Lakers on when - or if - Dennis
Rodman would join the team.
“I heard he’s coming,” Shaquille
O’Neal said after another practice
came and went without an appear
ance from the seven-time defending
rebounding champion.
A source close to the Lakers told
The Associated Press late Sunday that
Rodman was expected to sign with
the team by Tuesday and be in uni
form for that night’s game against
Charlotte.
Lakers executives Jerry West and
Mitch Kupchak have been talking
with Rodman’s agents, team
spokesman John Black said, but
added there was “absolutely nothing
new to report.”
A couple of hours earlier, Black
answered his home telephone by say
ing, “Dennis Rodman Hotline.”
Already, the buzz over the expect
ed arrival of the league’s most color
ful character may have become a dis
traction to the team. A loss Sunday to
the Indiana Pacers dropped the
Lakers to 3-3, leaving them in a three
way tie for third place in the Pacific
Division.
Derek Harper, at 37 the oldest
player on the team and the same age
as Rodman, said over the weekend
“any distraction was going to be a
cancer for this team.”
“It’s not a big deal to me,” Harper
said Monday when asked if he was
tiring of all the questions.
I m pretty i
focused on "
what’s going on
around here
and what I’m
trying to
accomplish
here.
“I think he
can help us as a
player here. If
and when it
happens, it
happens. That’s
,the only
approach you
can have. We
naven t, i
haven’t, talked about it with anybody
except the media.”
The Lakers first expressed an
interest in Rodman two weeks ago.
They can only offer the veterans’
minimum of $1 million, prorated for
this lockout-shortened season, and
that money is diminishing with every
game Rodman misses.
Starting Tuesday night, the Lakers
will play six games in eight days.
“I think I’ll just leave that up to
everybody else to talk about,” Lakers
Coach Del Harris said when asked
about Rodman.
“To be honest, I haven’t heard too
much about it,” forward Cone Blount
said. “I haven’t heard the players talk
about it, the
coaches. It
doesn’t really
count until the
coach comes to
us and tells us
we have a new
player on the
team.”
Rodman has
played in five of
the last 10 NBA
championships,
including the
last three with
the Chicago
Bulls, who
opted not to pur
sue him last month after Michael
Jordan announced his retirement.
Representatives for Rodman’s
new agents from International
Creative Management could not be
reached Monday.
;<
It doesn t really
count until the coach
comes to us and
tells us we have
a new player
on the team."
Corie Blount
Lakers forward
Harvey, Vering notch Big 12 awards
From staff reports
Two Nebraska athletes earned
player of the week honors in their
respective sports on Monday.
Brad Vering was named Big 12
wrestler of the week after defeating
the top-ranked wrestler in the coun
try on.Sunday.
Vering, the third Husker to win
the award this season, beat Brandon
Eggum of Minnesota in a 2-1 dou
ble overtime match.
Vering has run his winning
streak to five and has become the
fifth NU wrestler to win at least 20
matches this season.
In beating Eggum, Vering (20-6
overall and 14-4 in the Big 12
Conference) avenged a loss he
received at the hands of Eggum ear
lier in the season.
First baseman Ken Harvey was
named Big 12 player of the week in
baseball after a stellar performance
in the Bone and Joint Classic in
Ruston, La.
Harvey was scorching for NU,
going 12 for 17 (.706) at the plate
with three home runs, seven RBIs,
22 total bases, a 1.294 slugging per
centage, a stolen base and zero
errors.
He becomes the first NU player
to win the award since Todd Sears
did so on March 17,1997.
Harvey is only the third Husker
to have won the award since its
inception at the beginning of the
1997 season.
Harvey shared his award with
Baylor’s Jason Jennings, who was
named the Big 12 pitcher of the
week.
Jeter seeks five million
for salary arbitration
■ The Yankees shortstop
delays signing, while the
White Sox sign Durham.
While the New York Yankees
and Derek Jeter couldn’t work out a
deal and went before arbitrators
Monday, All-Star second baseman
Ray Durham got a $20 million,
four-year contract from the Chicago
White Sox.
Jeter, who appeared in his first
All-Star game last summer, asked a
three-man panel for $5 million,
which would match Ruben Sierra’s
1992 salary with Texas as the sec
ond-highest ever awarded in arbitra
tion.
The only higher award was the
$5.3 million pitcher Jack McDowell
got from the Chicago White Sox in
1994 - when he lost his case.
The Yankees, led by lawyer
Frank Casey, argued during the
hearing in Tampa, Fla., for the
shortstop to be paid $3.2 million,
more than four times Jeter’s
$750,000 salary last season.
Arbitrators Nicholas Zumas, Ira
Jaffe and Gil Vernon are expected to
issue their decision Tuesday.
When Bemie Williams became
a free agent last autumn, he said
anger from his 1996 arbitration
hearing lingered. Williams, the last
Yankee to go to a hearing before
Jeter, nearly signed with Boston but
instead stayed with New York,
agreeing to an $87.5 million, seven
year contract.
Jeter, 24, is eligible for free
agency after the 2001 season, one
year after Seattle shortstop Alex
Rodriguez becomes eligible, which
could lead to a record deal.
Jeter hit .324 last season with 19
homers, 84 RBIs and 30 steals. He
was fifth in the AL in batting aver
age and first in runs with 127.
Owners won the first five hear
ings this year, and six players
remain scheduled for hearings this
week.
Durham made $1,935,000 last
year and had asked for $4.3 million
in arbitration after hitting .285 with
19 homers, 67 RBIs and 36 steals
last season, all career highs.
Chicago had offered $3.35 million.
He will receive salaries of $3.4
million this season^ $4.9 million in
2000, $5.9 million in 2001 and $5.8
million in 2002.
Pulliam Journalism Fellowships
Graduating college seniors are invited to apply for the 26th annual
Pulliam Journalism Fellowships. We will grant 10-week summer
internships to 20 journalism or liberal arts majors in the August 1998
June 1999 graduating classes.
Previous internship or part-time experience at a newspaper is desired.
Winners will receive a $5,250 stipend and will work at either The
Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News or The Arizona
Republic.
Entries must be postmarked by March 1,1999.
To request an application packet, write: Russell B. Pulliam ,
Fellowships Director
The Indianapolis News
P.0. Box 145
_•_
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