SportsThursday
Huskers
falter
against
Raiders
Staff writer
Nebraska women’s basketball
Coach Paul Sanderfordh horses stayed
neck-and-neck with ninth-ranked Texas
Tech’s thoroughbreds almost all night
Wednesday, but stumbled down the
•stretch.
In their attempt to pick up a pivotal
conference road win and break the Red
Raiders’ 28-game home-winning
streak, the Cornhuskers valiantly
played the defending Big 12
Champions to a 57-57 tie wife just less
than four minutes left to play.
RED RAIDERS 66
HUSKES62
That’s when the Huskers ’ legs buck
led beneath diem. Tech scored the next
six points and held on for a 66-62 victo
ry before more than 12,000 fans at the
United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
NU, which fell to 12-11 overall and
6-6 in league play, made just one of its
last nine Shots, was out-rebounded
eight to four and committed four fouls
to Tech’s one after breaking out of a
time out with 3:51 left to play.
“I told our kids I was extremely
proud of them tonight,” NU Coach Paul
Sanderford said. “They laid it on the
line and gave everything they had to
win. But they didn’t make plays in the
last four minutes. You have to do that on
the road against a great team in a big
game.”
Neither team held a lead larger than
eight points. After trailing 29-28 at half
time, the Huskers broke open the first
four minutes of the second half by
outscoring Tech 13-4. Nicole Kubik’s
three-point play ended a 10-0 run and
put NU up 41-33 with 16 minutes left.
That’s when Tech (20-3, 9-3) -
which came into the game with both a
Please see HUSKERS on 15
Heather Glenboski/DN
SOPHOMORE NO WRESTLER Bryan Snyder, one of two team captains, won’t be talking to the media this year. Snyder wants tdbe able to concentrate on
improving from last season, and he said avoiding the media helps him keep focused.
‘Silent Sniper’ hopes for title
By David Diehl
Staff writer
It is Feb. 6, and Bryan Snyder sits inside the
Nebraska wrestlers’ locker room.
Not much more than an hour before, Snyder,
ranked third at 157 pounds, trampled OSU’s Shane
Roller in an 18-6 major decision. Roller was ranked
15th. The media awaits Snyder and his thoughts on
the 30-6 beating NU received at the hands of the
Cowboys.
Coach Tim Neumann exits the locker room and
shrugs his shoulders to the small group of reporters.
“I’m sorry, guys,” he says. “He just doesn’t want
to do it.”
One of two team captains, Snyder is locking his
mouth and not talking or paying attention to the
media. Rather, he focuses on winning a national
title.
Snyder is Nebraska’s silent sniper.
As an All-American during his freshman sea
son last year, Snyder finished fourth at the National
Tournament. This year he has put together a 33-1
record, hasn’t lost in a dual, has picked off 16
straight opponents and has emerged as a favorite to
win a national title.
But, loose lips sink ships, and Snyder’s almost
sunk last year in the media’s muddy waters.
“He got a little caught up in it,” Neumann said.
Snyder would read the things he said in the
papers and got too involved in it, Neumann said.
“I think there’s eno’Bgh respect for what he
does,” Neumann said. “Nobody takes themselves
too seriously around here.”
The last wrestler to avoid the media, Neumann
said, was Cory Olson, a national runner-up in 1992
and ’93. Neumann agreed with Olson’s choice then,
and he supports Snyder’s decision now. If Snyder
thinks it’s best, Neumann said, then he’ll go with it.
“He’s had a harder time keeping his focus on
daily tasks,” Neumann said. “And the only way to be
a national champion is to maintain that focus.”
“Now he has simplified everything. He’s taken
the challenge of trying to improve on his freshman
year,” Neumann said.
The Easton, Pa., native looks as if he has a pret
ty good shot of improving on his stellar freshman
campaign, where he was a Big 12 champion and a
part of Amateur Wrestling News’ All-Freshman
team.
Winning the conference seems likely. He is the
highest-ranked Big 12 wrestler at 157 and has twice
beaten his closest conference foe, Oklahoma’s No. 5
David Kjeldgaard, 12-4 and 5-3.
After winning the conference title last year,
Please see SNYDER on 15
NU’s Vlieger returns, takes third base
By Dane Stiekney
Senior editor
After a quick cut and the aluminum
ping, the ball jumped quickly into the
sky.
Nebraska’s Brandt Vlieger tracked
the pop up from his position at third
base. He kept his eyes locked on the
ball as he ran into foul territory, trying
to fight off the sun.
The catcher also followed the ball.
And as it dropped from the sunny,
blue sky, both of them converged, try
ing to make the catch.
Vlieger won the race and made foe
catch.
But foe catcher slid into Vheger’s
locked leg, causing the right ankle to
burst with pain.
Nearly four months to the day,
Vlieger still winces when he describes
foe accident that “popped that ball on
foe inside of your ankle off”
The accident occurred foe last day
of fall practice in the Red-White World
Series intra-squad game, as Vlieger
was in the midst of making a switch
from shortstop to third base.
“The pain was pretty bad,” Vlieger
said. “The trainers originally thought it
was a sprain, but it was a clean break.”
• ■ v:j : • Scott McCluig/DN
THIRD BASEHAR Brandt Vllegar fields a ball dariai practice Wednesday
afternoon at Bnck Bottzer Held. VNofler Is coming back this season from an
Injmry and has svttchod from shortstop to third baseman.
Vlieger underwent surgery three
days later afid was on crutches for five
weeks. The doctors said he’d be run
ning after six weeks, but a gap between
VUeger^ bones kept him from running
for a total of nine weeks.
He said the setbacks were more
demoralizing mentally than physically.
Please see VUEGER on 15
NU swimmers hope
to best UT in Big 12
By Brian Christopherson
Staff writer
Shandra Johnson realizes there’s
a rather large bull’s eye on her back
this weekend at the Big 12
Conference women’s swimming and
diving championships in College
Station, Texas.
It’s the target placed only on
those athletes who have proven to be
the best and saying the junior swim
mer Johnson ha^ been the best is
more fact than opinion.
“I’m nervous about the meet, but
it’s not a scared nervous; it’s a good
nervous,” Johnson said.
The meet Johnson is referring to
is a three-day gruel fest beginning
today, as Nebraska tries to overtake
last season’s champion, Texas.
UT comes in as the team to beat
perhaps, but Johnson comes into the
meet as the swimmer to beat.
“I’ve been here a couple of times
now, and although I am nervous, I
am more excited this time,” Johnson
said.
The clanging sound that can be
heard from her back pocket is the
nine gold medals she has posted in
her first two seasons. Those perfor
mances have earned her Big 12
Swimmer of the Year as both a fresh
man and a sophomore.
In her freshman season, the
Omaha North graduate won five
gold medals in five races.
Then, to prove it wasn’t a fluke,
she chalked up four more titles the
following season after a stress frac
ture in her lower back had kept her
out for half the season.
She lays claim to three confer
ence records in the 200-yard
freestyle (1:46.53), 500-yard
freestyle (4:43.48) and 200-yard
backstroke (1:58.00). She has never
lost in an individual conference race.
Nebraska Coach Cal Bentz said
the wins never seemed to go to
Johnson’s head.
“I think she just puts those meets
behind her,” Bentz said. “This year
has nothing to do with the year
Please see JOHNSON on 14