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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2000)
From Until last Friday, no man dawning the Nebraska swimming cap had ever claimed such a prize in collegiate competition. There have been many conference champions. There was even NU swim mer and Olympic gold medal winner Penny Heyns, who claimed a title in 1996 in the 100-yard breastroke. But it was a new notch to the belt of the men’s swimming program when Cornhusker senior Adam Pine became a national champion in spectacular fashion over the weekend at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in Minneapolis, Minn. The native Australian recorded a U.S. Open record with a time of 51.23 in the 100-meter butterfly, winning the gold over Texas’ Nate Dusing’s time of 52.00. Dusing’s time offered nothing to sneeze at either, setting a new record for an American swimmer. “Coming in here four years ago, winning an NCAA title is what I want ed to do,” Pine said. “We have had a lot of success here at Nebraska, and this is a great way to cap off my career.” Pine had a great stretch run to take out the competition in the race. “The rest of the field likes to take this race out fast,” he said. “I just tried to keep my legs for the second 50 meters. I knew that if I was close at the halfway mark, I would have a good shot at chasing them down.” It was Pine’s race that helped cata pult NU up the points ladder to a No. 13 finish at the meet, finishing the three-day competition on Saturday with 129 points. Texas ran away with the team title with 538 points, well ahead of second place Auburn’s 385. Nebraska Coach Cal Bentz was split dowif the middle in his assess ment of his team’s performance. “There were some places where we could have done better, and there were some places where we could Please see PINE on 14 ■ JoshWolfe/DN JUNIOR DAN JOHNSON slides Into home base to score against Texas Tech during the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at Buck Beltzer Field. The Huskers came out of the weekend with another series win but lost to the Red Raiders late in the third game, 7-5. Huskers win against Red Raiders By Matthew Hansen Staff writer It was in the air, a feeling of final ity surrounding Buck Beltzer Field and the two teams on it, Nebraska and Texas Tech, as they played out the series finale. The Huskers (17-8 overall, 7-5 Big 12) held the momentum, the lead and the previous two games. Tech, who had just thrown everything they could at NU in the first game of the doubleheader and still lost, were dejected, listless, defeated. It was over. You could feel it. But something happened on the way to the bank for the Huskers, something unexpected. The Red Raiders (17-15, 6-6) stayed close, woke up, wearily hung in. NU allowed it to happen. And when it was over, after 11 innings, the only thing in the air was a spring chill. Tech had come from behind for a 7-5 win. Nebraska left Beltzer with anoth er series triumph, having taken two of three from Tech. But, despite how it had appeared only hours before, there was no sweep for the Huskers. “I’m disappointed in how we played in the last game,” Coach Dave Van Horn said. “We’re still learning that it’s not over until the last out. We opened the door for them, and they didn’t shut it down.” After seven innings, it looked like all the Red Raiders wanted was to get out of Lincoln. Nebraska was cruising with a 5-2 lead in front of a season-high crowd of 1,888 fans. But the Husker defense, which had made only one error in the series, committed two in one inning. Tech capitalized on the Nebraska miscues, pushing across three runs in the eighth to tie the score. After scoreless ninth and 10th innings, Tech’s Chad Landry hit a two-out, two-run home run in the 11th to put the visitors in front. Nebraska was unable to rally in then half of the 11th, and the Red Raiders avoided the sweep. Tech played the series without their top three pitchers, according to Coach Larry Hays. All three are injured. Hays said the NU defensive mis takes and Landry’s big blast were just what the doctor ordered for his ailing team. “We had to have something like that happen for us to beat this team,” he said. “We’re trying to glue togeth er a pitching staff right now, we have no depth, but we kept playing. I’m real proud of our guys.” While the series finale left the Huskers with a bad taste in their mouths, the first two games against Tech were nothing but sweet for the Huskers. In the first game of the Saturday doubleheader, and the second game of the series, Nebraska rallied from a three-run deficit of its own to win an extra-inning contest. Down 6-3 going into the bottom of the eighth, NU mounted its come back. John Cole walked, Adam Stem singled and Matt Hopper hit a sacri fice fly to drive in Cole. Shortstop Brandt Vlieger took it from there. His two-run blast over the left field fence tied the score at six and caused Vlieger’s teammates to mob him as he crossed the plate with the tying run. U We’re trying to glue together a pitching staff right now, we have no depth, but we kept playing. I’m real proud of our guys.” Larry Hays Texas Tech Coach It was a iirst-pitcn lastbail, and l just jumped on it,” Vlieger said. “I got it pretty good, and I just was hop ing that it had enough on it to get it over the fence.” In the 10th, the Huskers loaded the bases on consecutive singles by Please see BASEBALL on 14 NU softball stretches winning streak against Missouri . • - Heather Glenboski/DN JUNIOR FIRST BASEMAN Lori Tsshamea picks off her second out at the top of the seventh Inning in Sunday afternoon’s ball game against the Missouri Tigers. The Huskers finished off the game on teg, with a seen of 2-1, their seventh straight win. By Jamie Suhr Staff writer Nebraska softball player Jenifer Williams certainly has a flair for the dramatic. In the past three games, Williams has either driven in or scored the game-winning run, including scoring on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth inning to give NU a 2-1 victory and two-game sweep this week end over Missouri. Saturday, the Huskers knocked off MU 4 3, but trailed 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Williams stepped to the plate and delivered a two-out bases-loaded single over the third baseman’s head to drive in die win ning run. The Huskers’ winning streak was stretched to seven games and elevates its record to 20-15 aid 2-0 in the Big 12 Conference. “Starting well in conference is really important ” Williams said. ‘To play at home and get these wins set the standard. It gives us a good outlook for the conference season.” In game two of the weekend series, the Tigers struck quickly with an RBI by short stop Linda Swarts (hiving in center fielder Stacy Gemeinhardt to put die Tigers up 1-0. But that’s all the runs the Tigers would get. U Starting well in conference is really important. To play at home and get these wins set the standard. It gives us a good outlook for the conference season.” V Jenifer Williams • NU softball player MU (24-12) struggled at the plate batting only 1-8 with runners in scoring position, NU wouldn’t fare much better! The Huskers only batted two-for-nine, with nei ther hits producing RBIs. The score stayed 1-0 until catcher Amber Burgess stepped to the plate in the bottom of die filth and blasted a home run to right-cen Please see SOFTBALL on page 15