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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2000)
NU’s Benson moves from offense to defense By Brandon Schulte Staff writer Just more than two months ago the Nebraska soccer team endured a painful loss at home to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament. But the team obviously isn’t still lamenting over the loss as it showed a renewed exuberance on Wednesday running through spring drills at Cook Pavilion. Or for that matter, last Saturday when it dueled 1998 national champion Florida to a 2-2 tie in Gainesville, Fla. A few things have changed since last November - seniors Amy Walsh, Lindsay Eddleman, Isabelle Momeau and Sharolta Nonen have completed their eligibility. Coach John Walker signed seven of his fastest recruits ever. And in the biggest change, Jenny Benson has moved from her outside midfield position to central defense in an effort to fill the vacancy creat ed by Nonen, the 1999 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. Walker said he’s taking a serious look at moving Benson to central defense permanently this spring. “We tried Jenny Benson as a central defender,” said Walker of Benson who assisted on a Megan Anderson goal. “She had an out standing game against Florida. It’s just a matter of her getting comfort able. Saturday she looked natural and comfortable.” In soccer terms, a switch of this magnitude is similar to baseball player Babe Ruth’s switching to a slugger from a pitcher. But position changes such as Benson’s aren’t unprecedented at Nebraska, as both Nonen and Morneau moved from offensively minded positions to defensively minded ones, but neither did it in her final season. In three years as a midfielder, Benson has been named to the first team All-Big 12 Conference team each year. And she set both the career record in assists with 38 and season record in assists with 17 last season. The 17 assists last season led the Big 12 Conference and were among the top 10 nationally. tJenson also has never played the position at the college level, but said that doesn’t bother her. “Oh, I’m happy with (the change),” she said. “Whatever I can do to help the team. It looks like that is the position it will be at. I think I’m up to the challenge.” As a fifth-year senior, Benson will be one of the players who will play a key role in navigating Nebraska through its tough sched ule. In addition to the Gators, who were ranked in the top five all of last season, NU faces 1999 national champion North Carolina, 1999 runner-up Notre Dame and the United States Under-21 National Team. Walker said he has three goals for the team this spring - for each player to improve individually, to see the identity of the team develop and to prepare for the fall season - all of which he hopes will be accom plished by the tough spring sched ule. “Every spring since we’ve start ed, we’ve tried to play the best teams,” Walker said. “It allows us to see the best picture of where we are at. And our players get a realistic pic ture of what they need to improve on. “Since we’re limited by the NCAA on the number of practices and because the players put in a lot of effort, playing good teams is a way to reward them.” Though the schedule appears daunting for a team that arguably lost its best senior class ever, Benson is optimistic about NU’s chances this spring and next fall. “I think we realize how close we were last year,” Benson said. “When you really think about it we probably should have been in the final four (The Women’s College Cup). “Our talent coming back is amazing. The only thing we lack is experience, but the talent is the same. And this is the beginning of the season.” ..r....—..?»»agsy. j Mike Warren/DN SENIOR JENNY Benson will be moving from outside mid-fielder to central defense during spring workouts for the Huskers. Benson, who became Nebraska’s career assist leader in three years, will be moving to a defensive position she has never played in college. Rocker suspension reduced to 14 days ■ Atlanta Braves’ relief pitcher allowed to report to Spring Training by arbitrator. NEW YORK (AP) — John Rocker’s suspension was cut in half to the first 14 days of the regular season, and he can report to the Atlanta Braves’ spring training camp Thursday, The Associated Press learned Wednesday. The reliever, punished for dis paraging foreigners, homosexuals and minorities in a magazine interview, could arrive in Kissimmee, Fla., in time for workouts Thursday, baseball sources familiar with the arbitrator’s decision told the AP on the condition they not be identified. Shyam Das, making his first deci sion as baseball’s independent arbitra tor, also cut Rocker’s $20,000 fine. The amount of the fine will be reduced to $500, one of the sources said. There was no immediate announcement by the Braves, but a news conference was expected at 3 p.m. EST. “I think it’s fair,” Braves pitcher Tom Glavine said. “It allows him some of spring training to get ready for the season. ... If not, you run the risk of John ruining his career. No one wants that. That would be unfair.” Rocker originally was suspended for all 45 days of spring training and the first 28 days of the regular season by commissioner Bud Selig. I think this is good all the way around,” Braves reliever Rudy Seanez said. “He’ll have spring training to get ready. If he had to sit out the whole time, it would be tough to get in game shape. You would be taking a chance of him throwing out his arm. This way, he gets the spring to get in shape and get ready for the season. Everybody is ready to get past it and move on.” In his Jan. 31 decision, Selig said Rocker’s comments in a December issue of Sports Illustrated “offended practically every element of society.” Rocker will wind up missing the first 13 days of spring training and, if no games are postponed by weather, the first 12 games of the regular sea son. Atlanta’s first game after the sus pension is against Philadelphia at Turner Field on April 18. Rocker told the magazine he would never play for a New York team because he didn’t want to ride a sub way train “next to some queer with AIDS.” He also mocked foreigners and called a Latin teammate a “fat mon key.” The players’ association filed a grievance against Selig, arguing the penalty was too great when compared to past discipline by the commission er’s office. The union repeatedly has succeeded in convincing arbitrators to overturn or reduce suspensions. Selig’s original penalty was believed to be the longest against a baseball player for an action not related to drug use since Lenny Randle of Texas got 30 days in March 1977 for punching his manager, Frank Lucchesi. The 25-year-old reliever was heav ily criticized by Atlanta civic officials and even teammates. But since training camp opened, some Braves have said they would be willing to forgive Rocker if he showed remorse through his words and actions. Braves owner Ted Turner said he deserved a second chance. My reeling is 1 would rather deal with it now, when the outcome of the games doesn’t matter, than have it drop on us right dab in the middle of the sea son,” Glavine said. “We still have to exercise some patience. It’s already getting old, and even if he gets here tomorrow or Friday, it’s not going to go away for a while.” Rocker repeatedly was taunted by New York Mets’ fans during the pen nant race and NL championship series, and then by New York Yankees’ fans during the World Series. Several fans threw objects at the pitcher, and some spit at him. In his most extensive comments since the furor began, Rocker told ESPN in December he had lost his cool in the magazine interview and said things he didn’t mean about New York fans because he wanted “to inflict some emotional pain in retaliation to the pain that had been inflicted on me.” “We want to give him a chance to explain himself,” said Glavine, among the Braves players who met in January to discuss Rocker’s plight. “The mind set of the group was John should have a * chance to explain himself and show that the way he was portrayed in the article was not his real mindset.” •—▼ --r—II Why is TIAA-CREF the #1 choice nationwide? The TIAA-CREF Advantage. Year in and year out, employees at education and research institutions have turned to TIAA-CREF. 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