Vedral case
black eye
for all
Who is guilty in the Mark
Vedral sexual assault case?
Legally, no
Ethically,
everyone, proba
bly.
Vedral, obvi
ously. Even his
own defense
admitted that, at
best, Vedral had
approximately
tKran miniitoc nf
Matthew
^^Hansen
conversation
with his accuser before they
began having sex.
That doesn't exactly leave
Vedral dressed in his Sunday
finest
Then there may be the
woman who accused Vedral of
sexual assault.
The jury obviously doubted
her testimony that she was asleep
for most of the encounter.
Was she telling the truth? Only
she and Vedral know.
Everybody who has watched
the case will blame one, the other
or both. I’m uncertain about the
events on May 5, and uncomfort
able assigning absolute guilt for
those events.
I do know, however, that the
Nebraska football team has dealt
with the Vedral mess just fine - if
you believe football players can’t
speak for themselves.
I hope NU Coach Frank Solich
feels guilty for placing a gag order
on his team and coaching staff in
regard to the Vedral case or his
return to the team.
Solich will say barring his
players from speaking makes
sense for one very simple reason -
it takes attention away from foot
ball. Sidetracks the players from
the most important issue at hand,
die Hawkeyes.
ThithfiiUy, Solich is protecting
the players. Protecting diem from
themselves, protecting them
from adulthood.
I hope we, as a football-crazed
state, feel guilty for buying Solich’s
coachspeak line on the matter,
actually believing that Iowa’s
offense is more important than
discussing sexual assault
At our core, many of us truly
believe that discussing Vedral’s
position in the starting lineup is
more important than having the
players explain to us just how they
feel about Vedral, the case, the sit
uation, the attitudes that made
the situation possible.
Is this real life?
Does an office skip talking
about an employee in Vedral’s sit
uation to talk about the paper clip
supply?
Do other student groups?
What about the Student Senate?
Nope. I certainly hope the
football team deals with this issue
in-house. I have a feeling they
won’t, though.
The football team also needs
to deal with the Vedral mess out in
public for everyone to see. Sure,
this scrutiny would be far stronger
than a student senate or other
organizations might face. Of
course, they also don’t have the
chance to perform in front of
hundreds of thousands of
screaming, adoring fans.
But, instead of holding Vedral
and other NU athletes account
able to speak about their actions,
you let them get away with it time
and time again. You let Nebraska
(and college) athletes live in this
alternate reality.
I let it happen, too.
We create the atmosphere in
which a 21-year-old’s strength and
speed is more important than his
mind, his values. These are not
mindless children. They are adults.
We excuse often inexcusable
behavior of Nebraska athletes. We
do this because we feel it is a nec
essary byproduct of athletic great
ness.
It should stop, but it won’t.
In fact, when Mark Vedral is
announced as a starting line
backer for the first time at
Memorial Stadium, a rousing ova
tion by some 75,000 fans will fol
low. It is inevitable.
The crowd will be cheering a
person we would likely shun if
Vedral was a co-worker, a class
mate, instead of a football player.
The message we will send to
Mark Vedral, Nebraska football
player, will be one of total accept
ance, a figurative slap on the back.
While you stand and cheer, it
is my sincere hope that deep in
your soul, somewhere beneath
the layers of a heart that bleeds
Husker red, you feel very, very
guilty.
| Vedral returns to Husker squad
■Acquitted of sexual
assault charges, the line
backer is back at practice.
BY JOSHUA CAMENZINP
Comhusker linebacker
Mark Vedral rejoined the
Nebraska football team on
Saturday, one day after he
was acquitted of charges of
first degree sexual assault.
The Huskers and NU
Coach Frank Solich readily
allowed Vedral to return to
the practice field for the first
time since spring football.
When Solich was asked if
he had second thoughts
about allowing Vedral back
on the team, he immediately
responded “no.”
Solich said his decision
was final, and the team’s
unity council would take no
further action. He also
appointed himself the team’s
sole spokesman regarding
Vedral.
“The fact that he was
found innocent weighs heav
ily into what we are doing,”
Solich said. “There are times
when you wonder what is
right for the individual and
the team, and you make deci
sions that are based on all of
that. You just try to move for
ward with it and move on.”
Before Saturday, Vedral
had not attended meetings or
practices since the May 5
incident.
However, Vedral was not
completely cut off from the
team.
"I have been in contact
with Mark for a number of
reasons,” Solich said. “One of
them is to make sure he
understood that he just was
n’t being abandoned.”
Vedral, who has chosen
not to speak on the matter at
this time, will be eligible to
play in next Saturday's game
against Iowa. But Solich
wouldn’t make any promises
regarding the linebacker's
return.
“It will all depend on what
type of playing condition he
“It will all depend
on what type of
playing condition
(Vedral) is in.”
Frank Solich
NU football coach
is in,” he said. “You know he
has not been on the field get
ting any type of workouts in.
Consequently, it will take him
a while to get into football
playing condition and also to
make sure he gets all of his
assignments down.”
Vedral was listed as the
team’s starting weak-side
linebacker, ahead of junior
Randy Stella, the current
starter, before the May 5 inci
dent and subsequent sexual
assault charge.
Only time will tell
whether Vedral will regain his
starting weak-side spot or
help at the strong-side posi
tion. That spot is currently
filled by former walk-on Scott
Shanle, a sophomore, with
true freshman T.J. Hollowell
and former walk-on senior
Rod Baker as back-ups.
One area that Vedral
might be able to make an
immediate impact in is on
special teams, an area of con
cern after Notre Dame
returned a kickoff and a punt
Mike Warren/DN
for touchdowns against the
Huskers.
“He was our leading tack
ier on special teams last year
as a punt coverer,” Solich
said. “Not having him not
being a part of it has meant a
great deal to this team as far
as having an experienced guy
out there."
Mark Vedral,a
junior weak-side
linebacker, was
acquitted of
first-degree sex
ual assault
charges on
Friday in
Lancaster
County Court.
Vedral was rein
stated by Coach
Frank Solich
after the acquit
tal and returned
to practice for
the first time
since the May 5
incident.
- ^
Nebraska holds Tigers in three games I
BY SEAN CALLAHAN
The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team is mak
ing it look way too easy.
Before a season-high NU Coliseum crowd of
4,167, the Cornhuskers (9-0,2-0) manhandled an
undefeated Missouri (10-1,1-1) squad 15-0,15-9,15
3.
Nebraska 151515 The Tigers came into
Missouri 0 9 3 Lincoln with plenty of
momentum, after knocking
off No. 19 Texas A&M earlier
in the week.
NU shot down any aspirations MU had of an
upset by shutting out the Tigers in game one.
After the win, Nebraska Coach John Cook said he
was happy with how his team played and kept their
focus throughout the match.
"As a coaching staff, we’re really pleased we came
out focused the first game,” Cook said. “When you
beat somebody 15-0, you’re doing almost everything
perfect.
“If you do crush somebody the first game, it’s a
natural thing to take a deep breath and relax. We have
to learn to deal with that.”
Offensively the Huskers were led by the hitting of
sophomore Laura Pilakowski and junior Jenny Kropp.
The two combined for 27 of the 47 total kills with
an impressive .376 hitting percentage.
Defensively, NU’s blocking game proved to be
dominant once again. The Huskers held the Tigers to
a .069 hitting percentage, just under their season
average of. 106.
Pilakowski said she thought MU would play them
a lot tougher since they came in undefeated.
“We did expect a harder game,” Pilakowski said.
“We never know how the other team is going to play.
We just have to play our game.”
Coming into Saturday’s match, the Tigers only
big-game experience came against A&M, also the
only ranked team MU had played before Saturday.
The Huskeys tough schedule prepared them for
Missouri, Pilakowski said.
“We’ve played top teams,” Pilakowski said.
“Playing top teams helps you every game you play.
You have to play every point”
The only leads MU had on the Huskers came at 1
0, 2-1 and 3-2 in the third game before Nebraska
scored 13 points to end the match.
Cook said he really wasn't surprised about his
team’s dismantling of Missouri.
He knew the Tigers, on paper, hadn’t really played
a formidable opponent
“They played a lot of lower level type teams,” Cook
said. “I think when you come into this environment
and play against the Huskers for the first time, things
are happening awfully fast that they’re not used to.
“That’s always a risk you take when you schedule
easy non-conference (games).”
MikeWarren/DN
Sophomore middle blocker Laura Pilakowski sets during Nebraska's sweep of Missouri on Saturday night at
the NU Coliseum. Pilakowski dominated the Tigers with 17 kills and a hitting average of .464 while the
Huskers handed Missouri its first loss. The Huskers remain unbeaten and ranked No.1 nationally.
Huskers
shut out
two more
BY JAMIE SUHR
Carrying the nation's top
scoring average into the UConn
Classic this weekend, the
Nebraska
Nebraska 2 soccer team
Nebraska z found itself
Connecticut 0 relying sole
ly on
defense for the first time.
The Cornhuskers walked
away from the tournament with
its fifth and sixth shutouts of the
season after defeating both host
team University of Connecticut
2-0 and Dartmouth 2-0.
Sunday’s game against
UConn remained scoreless until
3:23 remaining in the first half
when Danica Carey found the
ball in front of the net after a cor
ner kick.
NU would strike again just
4:27 into the second half when
Najeh Williams blasted a shot off
of the crossbar and past Husky
goalkeeper Maria Yatrakis.
The Huskies kept the pres
sure on the Huskers, forcing
goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc to
save six of her nine shots in the
second half. The nine saves were
a season-high for LeBlanc.
“I was most satisfied with the
battling we did out there,’’ Coach
John Walker said. “It was a tough
win on the road.”
The Husker defense was just
as stingy Friday, with LeBlanc
notching a shutout against
Dartmouth.
While NU didn’t allow a goal,
it was out shot 12-10, marking
the first time the Huskers were
out shot this season.
Christine Latham’s goal at
7:45 into the game would be all
the scoring the team would
Please see SHUTOUT on 9
NU teams finish second amid tight quarters at Greeno
A i
BYJ1LLZEMAN
Members of the Nebraska cross coun
try team know Pioneers Park well.
The team practices at the park, sever
al members have competed there in
meets, and some ran the course in high
school.
But normally, when the team runs this
route, it’s not clogged with hundreds of
driven competitors out to defeat them.
That was the case
■TheDaily Saturday, as the usually
Nebraskan’s photo ?erene P3* <ransformed
, into a clustered conven
essay on the Woody jjon of nearly 600 runners
Greeno Meet/8 for the ll1*1 annual Woody
Greeno /Nebraska Invita
tional
Despite the chaos, the men’s and
women’s teams performed well.
Each took second place in the compe
tition, with the U.S. Air Force Academy
leading the men and Kansas State
University claiming the women’s title.
The women’s race was dominated by
the Kansas State team, as a stream of pur
David Clasen/ DN
NU runner Marcus Witter wipes sweat from his
eyes after finishing fourth in the Woody Greeno
Nebraska Invitational cross country meet on
Saturday.
pie and silver-clad runners trickled in one
after another claiming the top four races.
The 5,000 meter race was won by
Kansas State sophomore Amy Mortimer
with a time of 17:14.3.
Freshman Ann Gaffigan was the First
Husker to cross the line for the women,
coming in eighth place with a time of
18:25.7.
Jay Dirksen, the Nebraska cross coun
try coach, said he was pleased with
Gaffigan’s performance, particularly
because it was her first collegiate meet.
Sophomore Kathryn Handrup and
senior Amie Finkner Jorgensen took 12th
and 13 th places, respectively.
“This was the best race I’ve seen Amie
run,” Dirksen said.
Sophomore Jenna Lucas took 21st and
senior Jaimie Kruger placed 35th out of
the pool of nearly 300 runners.
On the men’s side, the 8,000 meter
race was won by Kansas State’s Shadrack
Kimeli with a time of 25:01.7,
NU senior Marcus Witter wasn’t far
behind, as he finished fourth with a time
of 25:16.10.
Despite his high finish, Witter said he
was disappointed with the race.
“This was my last home meet, and I
wanted to win," he said.
Witter attributed his Finish to a slow
start, which, coupled with nearly 300 run
ners scrambling to lead the pack, made it
difficult for him to make up the distance.
“There was nowhere to go,” he said
Dirksen agreed and said at times,
there were too many runners without
enough room to maneuver.
"Some of them were running in grass
up to their knees,” he said.
Other Husker top finishers were soph
omore Mike Kamm, who claimed 14th
place, and freshman Kyle Wyatt, who fin
ished l?1*1.
While Dirksen said he was pleased
with the team’s performance, he empha
sized that they are not in their top physi
cal shape.
The men’s and women’s teams are
conditioned to peak physically in late
October, Dirksen said.
As training intensifies throughout the
season, both the men’s and women’s
teams should make great strides, Dirksen
said.
“We had a good start, and we’ll
improve from here,” he said.
The team’s next challenge is Saturday
at the Roy Griak Invitational, in St. Paul,
Minn.
