Sports
LBs Kohl, Vedral emerge as starters heal
■ With Eric Johnson and Julius
Jackson out, the two youngsters
gain valuable playing time to
improve the Huskers’ depth at LB.
By Adam Klinker
Senior staff writer
Trying to find the bright side of missing two
key components in the Nebraska linebackers’
-orps hasn’t been a difficult task this spring.
While Julius Jackson and Eric Johnson,
both Will linebackers, are recovering from
injuries, second-stringers at the position, Josh
Kohl and Mark Vedral, have been stepping up to
the table with big appetites.
Knowing how injuries surface in the season,
Johnson said it had been great experience for
the backups and a sigh of relief for the first
team veterans.
“With Julius Jackson and myself out, that
gives a couple of other Wills a chance to get
ready,” Johnson said. “These guys are going to
get more opportunities and more readiness for a
game situation.”
So far, Kohl and Vedral are making the
biggest impact at the Will - one of the deepest
and most talented position on defense - this
spring. Vedral has decided to play defense after
being recruited as both a receiver and a line
backer.
Kohl, who had 10 tackles in 1998, especial
ly turned some heads among his colleagues and
his coaches, with consistent play in practice and
contact situations.
'“Josh Kohl is doing a real good job for us,”
Johnson said. “He’s going to be big for us. But
all of these guys on the backup squad are get
ting their chance to shine. They’re just as good
as us starters, they just happen to be in the
wrong place at the wrong time.”
With Kohl thrown into the mix at the Will
spot and the rest of the depth and talent across
the board, NU Linebackers Coach Craig Bohl
said that the first, second and third teams
should all produce names to note in the coming
season.
L
“Overall, it’s a position where we have a lot
of athleticism, and we have a lot of abilities,”
Bohl said. “We need to cash in on that. We’ve
got some big-time playmakers this season.”
The linebackers corps boasts returning
Tony Ortiz and Brian Shaw at the Sam position,
both of whom started last year and were key in
the Husker defense.
Ortiz, who started the last nine games for
NU, had 46 tackles, including nine tackles for
loss and a sack. Starting in the first four games,
Shaw had 39 tackles and a sack.
This spring, Ortiz and Shaw are listed as the
co-No. 1 at Sam, and both are seeing quality
time in practice, where all of the linebackers are
making their mark.
“It’s been very intense,” Ortiz said.
“Everybody’s got one goal in mind, and that’s
\ I
just to concentrate on the things that need to get
done, focus on football and just have fun, too.”
Mike linebacker Carlos Polk, a returning
junior-to-be, will be the new starter among the
corps, backed by second teamers Ben
Buettenback and Jamie Burrow.
Polk played in all of the Huskers’ contests
last season and 12 of the games in 1997, but has
never started. Last season, Polk had 22 tackles, [
five tackles for loss and one sack.
Following last season, Polk said, he and the
rest of the linebackers were anxious to send this
year’s strong nucleus of seniors out as a winner.
“Last year was kind of a disappointment for
us; we felt like we let our seniors down,” Polk
said. “We don’t want that to hit us again. We’re
ready to go out and prove ourselves again.”
And, Johnson said, that’s exactly the way
he’d like to go out with fellow seniors Ortiz,
Shaw, Kohl and Jackson.
“We’re going to look pretty good for the
season,” Johnson said. “Of course, right now it’s
a learning process for all of us, but everybody
wants to go out on top, and we’re moving
towards that.”
Polk steps into
Foreman’s role
for NU in 1999
■ The junior-to-be has plenty of
experience at the Mike linebacker
position despite playing second string
for two years.
By Jake Bleed
Staff writer
Used to living in Jay Foreman’s shadow as the No. 2
middle linebacker, senior Carlos Polk now looks forward
_ to filling Foreman’s shoes.
I reel like 1 ve really put in my
time,” Polk said. “I’m feeling good
about next year.”
With Foreman’s graduation after .
'last season, Polk findshimself the lat
est in a long and distinguished line of
Nebraska Mike linebackers.
Although, this season will be his
first opportunity to start for the
Huskers, Polk is not without strong
Polk Paying experience, ne saw action in
all 12 regular season games in 1997
and 1998. Last season’s performance picked up 22 tack
les, 13 of which were solo stops and five for a loss.
KSU’s Michael got an close look at Polk’s hard hitting
last season. The middle linebacker dropped Bishop for a
ten-yard loss and fumble. Polk’s quick hands picked a 16
yard interception late in the game against California that
sealed the victory for the Huskers.
Polk was also a member of NU’s No. 1 kickoff, cover
age and punt return teams..
Out of Rockford, 111., Polk redshirted as a freshman in
1996. Linebacker coach Craig Bohl said he was pleased
with Polk’s'performance in practice this spring and was
looking for the Illinois native to move in as a leader on the
field.
“I think he’s stepped up as far as his leadership skills
go,” Bohl said. “He seeds to be the guy to lean on.” -
Mike linebackers, Bohl said, are by nature leaders on :
the field. Their performance mast set a precedent for
teammates., •
“You yourself have to be very consistent and give a
great effort,” Bohl said.
Until opening day hem season, Bohl said he would
Bee to see Polk’s open field agility and his team leader
ship improve.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound former USA Today high
school All-American said he looked forward to starting
and getting as muck playing time as hocould.
“I didn’t get a lot ®f reps last season,” ?#!* said.
“(Starting) wifl be a new experience for me”
Already a veteran of three years at NU and having
played in 24 games, one could wonder how much of the
game he hasn’t seen. Is he excited to start for the Huskers?
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Polk said. “I’ve had
dreams about walking down that tunnel on opening day.”
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SENEIK SAAVEROA (left), STELLA KLASSEN, LESLEY OWUSU AND CHERYL HARMON make up the women’s 4x400 meter relay team.
4x400 team set to begin season
By Josh Camenzind
Staff writer
Potential, youth and dedication are
three words that come to mind when
describing the women’s 4x400 meter relay
team at Nebraska.
The team of junior Stella Klasseif,
sophomore Lesley Owusu, redshirt fresh
man Seneik Saavedra and freshman Cheryl
Harmon have surpassed expectations
before even competing in an outdoor meet
together.
they made the NCAA Indoor
Championships with the nation’s fifth
fastest qualifying time at 3 minutes, 34.4*
seconds. Disappointment ensued when the
teem ran a 3:37.33 for a ninth-place fmish.
A top eight fmish would have brought the
Ht»kers AIL America status. ^
Bead Coach Gary Pepia was proud of
die way the women competed but disap
pointed with the finish.
disappointedtbrthen!^Pepin said. "I
thought they would do a little bit better than
what they did, but at the same time they ran
hard, and it just turned out the way it did.”
After he lost two seniors, Meka
Rembert and LaTisha Croom* to gradua
. _*' 1 ' . __
tion last year, Coach Steve Smith never
imagined the success that this year’s team
has seen so far with the addition of
Saavedra and Harmon to the relay.
“They have potential to be All
Americans,” Smith said. “They are young
and train hard while working well togeth
er.”
The decisive factor in the groups suc
cess in such a short period of time is each is
dedicated to the team concept
Klassen, who runs the anchor, and
Owusu, who runs the second leg, have pro
vided die two freshman members of the
team with role models to look up to. The
experience and knowledge both have
brought to theta We has allowed Saavedra,
who leads otf, and Harmon, NU’s third leg,
totally accepted us and did sot act like they
were above us,” said Hannon. “They fcust
us and have confidence in us, which is
good for me because it makes merua bet
ter.” x
Said Saavedra: “Every person is run
ning for the next You are not naming for
yourself.”
All four women show camaraderie and
have bonded as a group. They pray before
and after every race while sticking, to a
-—.-'tu —1-.. ■'i
warm-up routine that they have confidence
in.
The team realizes that practice is where
they will reach their goals, and they feed
off the pressure that they put on each other
in competition.
“I do feel pressure while running the
anchor leg of the relay,” said Klassen. “But
at the same time I like it and feed off of it.”
This past weekend (nought a good start
to the outdoor season for the team, as NU
won the Jim Click Shootout in its first-ever
competition outdoors together. They beat
Pac-Ten members Arizona and Washington
State white running a NCAA provisional '
qualifying mark of3:38.98. Ktessen also
notched a first-place finish in the mdivid
ual 400 meters with a time of 53.
^The.tean* has a bad taste in its mouth
status and it has some unfinished tenter is |
to take care of. As one of the top teams in
die Big 12 they are hungry, not only for
conference, but also for national recogni
tion.
“We are capatee of running falter than
we did last year,” Owusu said have so
much potential because of how young we
ace. One of our goals is to win fee Big 12
Championships and regain fee title back
from Texas”
-_ i _i— *.„■
