SportsWeekend
Daily Nebraskan Friday, March 23,2001 Page 10
Amy Ringo leads team by example, attitude
BY JASON MERRIHEW
Take one glimpse at senior All
American Amy Ringo and it’s easy to tell
why she is a valuable cog in the champi
onship-caliber machine that is the
Nebraska women’s gymnastic team.
In that glimpse, you’ll see a smiley
five-foot blonde with a bit of a bounce in
her step, and you’ll know - Ringo loves
what she does.
“I like to help the girls out by getting
them psyched to workout,” Ringo said. “I
want to let them know that it is fun. It is a
sport you're not supposed to hate; you’re
supposed to be in it because you love it.”
That passion Ringo, the lone senior,
possesses has rubbed off on her coaches
and team.
Nebraska Coach Dan Kendig said
Ringo's attitude, which has helped nur
ture the young Huskers into a national
title-contending team, would be missed
once she is gone.
*1 will always remember that electri
fying smile that she has,” Kendig said.
“She is upbeat, and it is very conta
gious.”
In her final season at Nebraska,
Ringo and her teammates have eclipsed
the magical 197-point mark, a feat the
school had never accomplished before,
six times this season.
Although her attitude has helped lift
the morale of the team, her gracefulness
and consistency has been a key factor in
7 like to help the girls out by
getting them psyched to
work out.”
Amy Ringo
senior gymnast
the team’s overall scores.
“Amy’s strengths are and always have
been her showmanship and her ability
to perform," Kendig said. “Her dance is
what really sets her apart She is a good
dancer."
That showmanship and her dancing
ability have resulted in individual suc
cess for Ringo, including a beam title at
last week’s Arizona State Invitational.
At the meet, the senior from Phoenix
shone on the beam in front of her home
town friends and family, scoring a 9.9 on
the apparatus at the quadrangular held
by Arizona State.
The combination of Senior Day at
the Devaney Center as well as a final
homecoming in Arizona, has allowed
Ringo a little time to reminisce on her
collegiate career.
“When I first came here, I didn't
know what to expect," Ringo said. “The
way it has turned out for me is more than
what I have expected. It’s been fun hav
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ON Hie Photo
Nebiasl^ Amy Rmgo^the lone seitior of this team,bleadmg the HtsheistowaniapossibleiiationaidMinpionship.
Pigskin Classic presents
rewards to Byrne, players
BY SAMUEL MCKEWON
Tracey Wistrom hadn’t heard any talk
about a preseason game for Nebraska’s2001
football schedule.
"Then, the day we were testing out
again,” Wistrom said of die March 8 work
outs in Cook Pavilion, "and Coach Solich
asks us if want to play in a preseason game.”
; _ And with nearly unanimous approval
from Comhusker players, NU’s schedule
increased to include an unprecedented
eight home games with the addition of
Texas Christian in the Aug. 25 Pigskin
flasiar
But behind the obvious extra game for
players to compete and fans to enjoy, pro
vided they pay the $38 ticket price, are the
reasons for its genesis, as only weds before
NU seemed uninterested in such a game.
It was Nebraska Athletic Director Bill
Byrne who took the lead in securing the
contest, said Jack Lengyel, U.S Naval
Academy athletic director and executive
director of die committee that determines
preseason game match-ups.
Byrne, who is a part of the roughly 12
man committee, likely had an advantage in
landing a game, as he amply had to men
tion NU’s name to Mow committee mem
bers.
On Tuesday, Byrne said he saw three
benefits rising from the game: extra experi
ence for a young team, additional revenue
to the program and another chance for
Husker fans to see their team.
“I just thought everybody would be
pleased all around,” he sakL
Nebraska stands to make about $1 mil
lion off the contest, to be televised national
ly by ABC The Huskers receive an $800,000
guarantee for the game from the Pigskin
Classic, plus 10 percent of game revenues.
The other 90 percent goes to the Classic.
Because NU grosses about $23 million
for games where an advance playing fee
doesn't have to be forked over (like there will
be with Nebraska's second opponent, Hoy
7 just thought everybody
would be pleased all
around
Bill Byrne
NU athletic director
State), Byrne figured an overflow profit of
$200,000, about 9 percent of the normal
gross, was a safe estimate.
That money will be handy in making
improvements within Memorial Stadium,
Byrne said, some of which couldn’t be made
in 2000 because of cost overruns on heating
bills.
With the $1 million, Byrne said the
department intended to expand the North
Stadium interview room and renovate
Husker locker rooms. The athletic director
said the interview room for visiting teams
was too small and cramped. Recently,
because of its small size, post-game inter
views had moved to the Field-Huf-clad
Schulte Field House.
While money was one primary motiva
tion, an adequate preparation for NU’s first
true on-field test, Notre Dame on Sept 8,
might have been another. Originally, hoy
State had been penciled in as the season’s
first game, but die former Division II team
isn't regarded highly. TCU, which went 10-2
last season, mirrors Notre Dame by empha
sizing a rushing offense.
“I guess that’s a way to look at it,” said
NU comerback Dejuan Groce, who’ll be
playing mostly run support against the
Homed Frogs. “It gives us a chance to go up
against the run a little bit more.”
Groce said most of the players put up lit
tle to no objection because, not surprisingly,
the players generally liked to play more
games.
“As long as they asked before we got into
it, I didn’t really care,” Groce said. “The
coaches got our input on it and we said,
Why not?’”
BY JEFF SHELDON
Nebraska has built its storied foot
ball tradition on a long history of run
ning past, around and through oppo
nents. The key ingredient to this
proven recipe for success has always
been a dominant offensive line.
But, coming into this spring, grad
uation, injuries and the early depar
ture of
leaves the Huskers’ foundation look
ing a little shaky.
Gone is the strength and depend
ability of Russ Hochstein and walk
on-tumed-starter Jason Schwab, not
to mention the talent and leadership
of All-American Dominic Raiola, who
has decided to forgo his senior season
for the green pastures of the NFL
As always, though, the cupboard is
far from bare. Senior tackle Dave Volk
and junior guard Toniu Fonoti return
from last year's line, which paved the
way for an average of 349 rushing
yards per game.
NU Offensive Line Coach Milt
Tenopir feels that his group is promis
ing, but in order to gain a starting spot
come fall, his linemen will have to be
flexible as to their positions.
“They all have to be versatile,”
Tenopir said. "All we’re looking for
right now is to find five that can play.
That’s our big chore this spring - to
find five top line players.”
The job of replacing Raiola should
fall to senior Jon Rutherford, who saw
action as a starter last year after an
injury to Jason Schwab.
However, Rutherford is coming off
knee surgery and will be on the shelf
himself for the majority of spring ball.
Also sitting out this spring with
knee trouble is sophomore tackle
Chris Loos.
Tenopir said he expected
DN Pile Photo
MiHTenopir,NllS offensive Imecoadi, must replace2000starters Jason Schwab, Russ Hochstein and
All-American center Dominic Raiola on the fine.
Rutherford could participate by the
end of spring drills, but Loos would
not be ready until at least the begin
ning of fall camp.
With the number of open spaces,
expect to see some new faces on the
line come fall.
Junior John Garrison, a former
long-snapper, should get a chance at
center this spring. Sophomore Dan
Waldrop and junior Wes Cody have the
size necessary to bang around up
front. Add in the recent addition of
sophomore Junior Tagoa'i from the
defensive line and the Huskers’ future
looks promising.
All of these players should get an
opportunity to prove themselves this
spring, but Tenopir cautions that the
learning process is still occurring.
"Any time you start spring, it’s a
learning process," Tenopir said.
“Anytime you have a bunch of kids to
replace and a bunch of young fresh
men, it takes a lot of spoon feeding."
From a leadership standpoint,
Tenopir expects to replace the charis
ma of Raiola with the experienced Volk
and the fiery Fonoti.
“Those were the guys you’d think
would be (leaders) because of their
game experience,’’ Tenopir said.
He also explained that he felt the
work habits of the linemen would
allow them to bond quickly.
“If your work ethic is right, those
kids will be fine," Tenopir said. “The
linemen work out together and push
each other. They don’t need someone
to crack a whip over thein."
While Tenopir maintained that it
was too early to assess the progress of
individuals, he was pleased with what
he had seen in the first two days of the
spring. He said the coaching staff
would have a better idea of improve
ment next week, after the first scrim
Please see OFFENSE on 9
Nebraska weather has some advantages for track team
■ Coach Maxwell says springs
unpredictability helps his sprinters
develop mental toughness.
BYDBKCtWBJUW
The thermometer read in the
upper 40s on Wednesday as the
Nebraska track team completed prac
tice.
Meanwhile, their competition for
this weekend’s quadrangular in
Tbcson, Ariz., basked in the southern
sun.
For the Huskers, it’s all part of train
ing above the 40th parallel.
“In Nebraska, we just start way
behind the eight ball,” NU Sprint
Coach Billy Maxwell said.
Although the unpredictable condi
tions of spring can make training out
doors as difficult as trying to field a ski
team in Louisiana, Maxwell said the
weather had its advantages.
“We don't run real fast now, but
later on when it counts, we run really
good,” said Maxwell, who mentioned
last year's Big 12 Outdoors when sever
al Huskers ran personal-best times
while Texas schools struggled.
“I know it makes our kids mentally
tougher, Maxwell said
Sprinter Jimmy Pino, a junior from
Colombia, said the key was not to get
frustrated by die conditions.
“Right now, we’re just working on
technique and trying to get into shape,”
Pino said “It'll be fine by the time Big
12s are here."
Nebraska plans on taking about
two-thirds of its squad to Tucson for
Saturday’s meet Maxwell said many of
the Huskers could be disappointed
with their performances.
“It’s hard to convince our kids when
they go to a big meet," Maxwell said.
“They don’t run real fast, but they don’t
understand the big picture. The big pic
ture is how good are you going to be at
the end of the yean”
Saturday is the first in a series of
road meets for NU. Because of repairs
that weren’t made at the Ed Weir track
after an extremely harsh winter, the
Huskers’ first home meet on April 7 was
canceled. The track needs a new rub
ber surface in the infield after an irriga
tion line ruptured last summer,
destroying the field.
“It’s just something you have to live
with,” Maxwell said.
Nebraska still has plans to hold
meets on May 5 and May 11-12.
Men's gymnastics team will decide its fate this weekend
BY KRISTEN WATERS
The fate of the No. 14 men’s gym
nastics team season will be deter
mined this weekend at the Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation
Championships held at Haas Pavilion
in Berkley, Calif.
The Huskers face their toughest
competition of the year in No. 1
Oklahoma, No. 6 California, No. 11
Stanford, No. 18 Air Force and No. 19
UC-Santa Barbara.
"Right now we're sitting in 14th
place, and the top 12 teams go to
Nationals,” Senior Grant Clinton said.
“We have to beat Stanford if we’re
gonna go.”
NU will see some familiar faces as
they have competed against Air Force
four times, OU twice and UC-Santa
Barbara once. Nebraska won its meets
against the Falcons and USCB, but
recorded a loss in both meetings to the
Sooners.
NU has seen no competition in the
last two weeks. Clinton said the time
off had given them a chance to prepare
for this weekend’s competition.
“The week gave us a chance to real
ly get mentally prepared to come out
and hit this weekend,” Clinton said,
"and that’s what we need to do.”
In Nebraska’s last home meet
March 11, the Huskers fell to No. 9
Minnesota despite displaying their
most complete performance of the
year, racking up season-high scores on
four events. The lack of performance
on the pommel horse and horizontal
bar were responsible for NU’s loss,
senior Jason Hardabura said.
“The pommel horse and high bar
was a disaster for us. A total disaster,”
he said.
Nebraska will have to hit the pom
mel horse and horizontal bar in order
to keep its season alive.
“We have to score a 34-plus if we
want to beat Stanford,” Hardabura
said. "If not, we'll have an early vaca
tion.”
The team competition and all
around finals start tonight at 9 p.m.,
and individual event finals will take
place on Saturday.
Huskers hope
to cage Tigers
BY SAMUEL MCKEWON
Though it sports a less-than-gaudy 3-6 Big 12
Conference record, Missouri might be a more pesky
opponent than it seems for the No. 4 Nebraska base
ball team.
The Tigers (13-9-1) have won six of seven, includ
ing two from top-10 team Pepperdine and a near
sweep of Kansas in Lawrence. And two years ago, as
the Cornhuskers were in the midst of their turn
around season, Mizzou came up and stole two of
three at Buck Beltzer.
It’s that same type of Tiger team, which narrowly
lost three games at Oklahoma State earlier this sea
son, that NU (16-5,4-0) greets this weekend after its 6
5 loss to Wichita State on Tuesday night. The first
game of the three-game series at Buck Beltzer is
scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
“Missouri’s tough every year, no matterwhere you
play them,” Nebraska Pitching Coach Rob Childress
said. “Excellent pitching, good hitting every year.”
Childress said Mizzou's pitching staff, which
boasted a 3.60 earned run average, was among the
best in the Big 12, especially closer Ryan Stegall, who
had three saves in seven appearances.
“He’s an all-conference type player,” Childress
said.
As for NU’s staff, Childress said the arms were
coming around after a strong showing at the
Please see BASEBALL on 9
