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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2000)
Women dominate field events Chandler, Hutchinson pace meni I By Jamie Suhr Staff writer AMES, Iowa - While the Nebraska women’s track and field team chanted “Go Big Red,” Texas, the returning indoor and outdoor national champions, looked on in disbe lief as the Cornhuskers were named Big 12 Champions. At the Indoor Conference Championships held Feb. 25 26 in Ames, Iowa, NU outscored UT 154.5-137.5, ending the Longhorns’ run of two straight indoor and outdoor Big 12 tides. “This was a great win for the kids,” Coach Gary Pepin said. “It took a total team effort.” Pepin said he never had had a team compete or work as hard in his 20 years of coaching. The Huskers received per sonal bests from a number of women, including All American long-jumper and triple-jumper Dalhia Ingram. In the long jump, Ingram broke her indoor personal best twice with jumps of 20 feet, 10 >/2 inches and then 20 feet, 11 3A. All jumps she landed with out faulting would have been good for first place. The next closest competitor was Oklahoma’s Janel Hayes, who jumped 20-1 V*. On her first jump of prelim inaries, Ingram blew away the field by setting an indoor per sonal best and Harry Hoak Track record in the triple jump by leaping 44-6, easily surpass ing Kansas State’s Kimela West, who took home second place with a distance of 41-13A. In her four years at NU, Ingram has won five confer ence titles, with this being her first triple-jump crown. Ingram said she used com ments made by Texas in last year’s conference champi onships as motivation. “We let than know that we can’t be easily matched,” Ingram said. The Huskers scored major points in die high jump led by Carrie Braness, who placed second by jumping 6 feet, Vi inch. NU’s Jessica Thompson and Marijana Buljovcic fin ished third and fifth respective ly Melissa Price won the Please see WOMEN on 14 By Sean Callahan Stafftvriter AMES, Iowa - It was very evident in the emotions of the Nebraska men’s track and field team that it wanted to win the Big 12 Conference Championship. Even with the loss of shot putter Carl Myerscough, the Cornhuskers still wanted to prove they could win the meet despite their starting 10 points down. It took a strong team effort from every member of the Husker team, but when the two-day meet was over, NU edged heavily favored Texas 115 to 101. “That is a great, great win for the kids,” Nebraska Coach Gary Pepin said. “It took a real effort on both sides, and.1 don't know in 20 years of coaching here dial I’ve ever seen people who wanted to win it more. As a group, we were terrific.” The great team effort Pepin was talking about was the four individual titles Nebraska took home, unlike a year ago when the Huskers only won one individual crown and finished in fourth place. Junior Chris Chandler led NU by winning titles in the 60 and the 200-meter dash, while sophomore Sheldon Hutch inson won titles in both the long and triple jump. Chandler, a junior college transfer from Wallace State (Ala.) Community College set conference records in the 60 with a time of 6.62 and in the 200 (20.73). Chandler’s 200 time was also the nation’s fastest of the 2000 indoor sea son. “I don’t know where that came from,” Chandler said. “But a win here is just a win. Until I get to NCAAs, I won’t be excited about anything.” Nebraska Sprints Coach Billy Maxwell said he couldn’t be more proud of his All American candidate. Maxwell said he recruited Chandler to be a runner of this caliber. “I knew he was one of those kids you get the privilege of coaching,” Maxwell said. “I have coached three kids in my lifetime of his caliber. When it’s all said and done, he may Please see MEN on 14 NU women nail school record By Jason Merrihew Staff writer Like clockwork, the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team put on a stellar performance in the friendly confines of Bob Devaney Sports Center. The seventh-ranked Huskers took the Masters Classic by storm, setting a school and Bob Devaney Sports Center record with a team score of 196.775. “Can we do better? Of course,” Coach Dan Kendig said. The Comhuskers swept the quadrangular in all four events, including the top three individual spots in each event. The all-around title was cap tured by senior All-American Heather Brink of Nebraska with a score of 39.575. Brink turned in a spectacular performance, winning the floor exercise with a career high 9.925 in die event. Along with the floor exercise, Brink captured the vault title with ascore of 9.90. “It was a very good meet for all of us,” Brink said. Indeed it was. Despite fresh man Jen French’s absence from the meet because of a death in the fam ily, the Huskers’ depth proved why they belong among the elite in the nation. Junior Amy Ringo turned in a personal-high 39.225 in the all around, giving her second place. The Phoenix, Ariz., native tied teammate A. J. Lamb on the vault for second place with a 9.80 on the apparatus. 1 Ringo also set a personal best in the floor exercise with a third place 9.85 score. Freshman Julie Houk won the uneven bars individual title, tying the school record with a 9.95 score. Houk was the recipient of a 10 ' from one judge, while the other judge gave her a 9.9. “I could have done a little bit better,” Houk said. “It gave me a lot of confidence. I know I can get a 10.” Lamb also joined the winners’ circle with a first-place score of 9.875 on the balance beam. Lamb set a career-high 9.8 on the vault, giving her second place. Freshman Jess Wertz had a career-best 39.075 fourth-place showing in the all-around. Wertz’s performance was highlighted by a personal-best 9.90 on the uneven bars. The victory keeps momentum on Nebraska’s side as it heads toward the championship part of the season. “We are the team to beat,” Brink said. Mike Warren/DN NICOLE WILKINSON performs her balance beam routine at the Masters Classic in the Bob Devany Sports Center Sunday. Huskers beat CU, Nee gets all-time mark By Matthew Hansen Staff writer The day began with a ceremony honoring senior Larry Florence and ended with a ceremony for Coach Danny Nee. In between, the Comhuskers’ lone senior spear headed a 69-64 win that made the post-game festivi ties honoring Nee as Nebraska’s all-time winningest coach possible. The victory, which broke NU’s six-game losing streak, came in Florence’s last game at the Bob •Devaney Sports .. Center. And while 44/ pity fog speculation persists * J *attt.^Nee's nexf sotl-of-a finale in Lincoln, the J day belonged to the y, here ” beleaguered coach, who picked up the record on his seventh tisniuy (jy NU basketball coach Following the game, Randy Cipriano, son of the late Husker Coach Joe Cipriano, participated in die midcourt ceremony. “He’s been coming to a lot of games,” Nee said in his post-game press conference. When no one laughed, he added, “That’s a joke, you guys. I know you think it’s my funeral, but it’s CMC.” According to Nee, his lone senior had a huge part in the victory. Florence scored a game-high 23 points for the Huskers (11-16 overall, 4-10 in the Big 12), the Please see NEE on 15 • ‘; .ov ' V -»r Tough draw hurts No. 1 Huskers in Great Plains tourney By David Diehl Staff writer For the women’s bowling team, it was the luck of the draw that some what determined its fate. . It wasn’t good luck. The top-ranked Comhuskers fell to No. 3 Wichita State in the semifi nal round of the Great Plains Tournament Championships, losing four games to two on their wayto an eventual third-place finish. NU entered the last of three days _ of competition as the top seed after blowing through the rest of the con ference during the qualifying rounds Friday and Saturday. But Wichita State earned a lower-than-expected fourth seed, which set the table for the match with NU. Coach Bill Straub said that matchup is something usually you’d see later in a tournament. “We’d like to think we’ve com peted with them in a very successful manner over the years,” Straub said, “but there’s still no doubt that what ever college tournament you’re going to, you’re looking for either Nebraska or Wichita State to be in die championship round. “But because they weren’t one of the top two seeds, we had to play them early, and it certainly made thingsjnore difficult.” In the consolation round, the Huskers made quick work of Indiana State University, sweeping them in the best-of-five games matchup, 3-0. By looking at the statistics, one wouldn’t figure that NU came out the way it did. In qualifying, NU had the highest per-game average (192) and won the most games during qualifying (73.5 out of 100). Nebraska also placed four bowlers on the All-Conference team. Kim Claus was the tourna ment’s Most Valuable Performer; Diandra Hyman, Kari Schwager and Amanda O’Hayre also were named to the five-member team. “I think we performed admirably,” Straub said, “Unfortunately, we just had a few breaks that didn’t go our way. However, this was nothing to be ashamed of. The Great Plains Classic was played in the Baker for mat, in which each team competes with a five-bowler squad, and each bowler throws in two of 10 frames. Team scores then determined seed ing for the tournament. Individual results were not kept In tibe men’s division, top-seeded Nebraska was runner-up to Wichita State, the No. 2 seed, yielding to the Shockers in the seventh and final game of the match and losing 4-3. Two of NU’s top bowlers were unable to compete, and the replace ments’inexperience came back to bite die Huskers, Straub said „ Tosh Wolfp/HN Diadra Hyman gets a shoulder rub during a break In competition at the Great Plains Conference Classic held at Sun Valley Lanes ChumImi WlSIlUGBya