UNK wins national title

The Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team has won the NCAA Div. II national championship. With a 4-1 win by heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev, the Lopers finished with 108.50 points, just ahead of Minnesota State at 108.00.

This is UNK's first-ever team national title at the NCAA Division II level. Softball won a pair of national titles (1987 and 1990) at the NAIA level.

The Lopers, who placed second each of the last two years, entered the finals with a half point lead over Minnesota State. UNK got a huge assist from, ironically, Nebraska-Omaha as Cody Garcia won the 125 lbs. national title over Mankato's Nick Smith, 8-2.

Senior Brett Allgood then won his second national title at 133 lbs. with a 5-3 decision over Shane Perkey of Indianapolis. However, MSU's Jason Rhoten (157 lbs.) and Andy Pickar (165 lbs.) won their weight classes to give MSU a brief lead in the overall team race.

In Pickar's 8-2 win, he almost got bonus points late in the third period but the clock ran out.

Dlagnev finished his career on a 70-match win streak by getting by Central Oklahoma's Dustin Finn. After a scoreless first period, Finn escaped to take a 1-0 lead in the second. Not forcing any action, Finn was called twice for stalling later in the second, giving Dlagnev a point.

The Texan took the lead for good by easily escaping to start the third, then recorded a late take-down to secure the win and team trophy.

Revelle records 600th win at Nebraska

LAS VEGAS After a disappointing late loss in Saturday's first game, the Nebraska softball team rebounded in game two, rallying to defeat Utah Valley State 5-3 to give head coach Rhonda Revelle her 600th win at Nebraska.

After struggling to score runs thus far in the tournament, the Husker offense finally got on track late in the game, as NU rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the fifth inning. Nebraska had no problem getting hits early tallying two hits in each of the first three innings but the hits resulted in only one run.

Nebraska, which stranded eight runners on the game after leaving 12 on base in Friday's win over BYU, finally strung the hits together in the top of the fifth. The Huskers used four hits in the inning to score four two-out runs and take the lead for good.

Four different Huskers paced NU's 11-hit attack with freshman Ashley Guile and junior Amanda Duran each finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI. Juniors Darcy Rutherford and Haley Long also recorded two hits each, while junior Crystal Carwile added two RBIs.

Sophomore right-hander Alex Hupp (5-2) earned the win in relief, although she saw her scoreless inning streak snapped at 21 with an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth. In tossing the final four innings, Hupp allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out five. Freshman right-hander Tori Tyson pitched the first three innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits.

Earlier in the day, Jessica Purcell's two-out, two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning powered BYU to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Nebraska.

Purcell's home run snapped Nebraska's five-game win streak and also marked the end of the Huskers' 37.0 inning scoreless streak. The homer came off junior right-hander Molly Hill (3-3), snapping her personal scoreless streak at 19.0 innings. In a complete-game effort, Hill surrendered only three hits while allowing the two runs.

Paige Affleck (4-2) earned the win for BYU (13-11). Affleck also tossed a two-hitter, allowing just one unearned run as she was able to work around four Cougar errors.

Nebraska's speed forced a pair of BYU errors in the bottom of the first and led to one run. Juniors Darcy Rutherford and Meghan Mullin both reached safely on infield slaps after BYU's first baseman couldn't hold onto the ball on bang-bang plays at first. Rutherford, who stole second, was able to score from second base on the second dropped throw.

Both teams recorded their first hit in the fourth inning, but neither was able to convert the hit into a run. Emi Willing ripped a leadoff double for BYU in the top of the inning, but she was left stranded on second. In the bottom of the frame, a hit and an error put runners on second and third with two outs for the Huskers before a ground out ended the threat.

Hill's third walk to a leadoff batter finally came back to hurt her in the sixth. She quickly retired the next two batters after the walk before Jessica Purcell lined a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right for a two-run homer.

Now trailing by a run, Nebraska used a leadoff single and an error to place Mullin at third with only one out before the Huskers hit into some tough luck. Junior Amanda Duran, whose two-run single beat BYU on Friday night, went after the next pitch and hit a hard shot to third that Angeline Quiocho was able to knock down, recover and throw to first to retire Duran. Junior Crystal Carwile then ripped the next pitch directly to the shortstop for the final out.

BYU was retired quickly in the top of the seventh before the Huskers recorded only a pinch-hit, two-out single from freshman Katie Linke in the bottom of the inning.

The Huskers (9-9) continue play at the Rebel Round Robin immediately with their second game of the day against Utah Valley State.

HC distance runners have outstanding day at Midland

FREMONT The men and women distance runners of Hastings College competed Saturday at the Midland Lutheran College Half Marathon.

Two men Ryan Eicher and Brady Fickenscher qualified for the NAIA National Championship Meet placing eighth and 12th with times of 1:12:56 and 1:13:32, respectively. Dave Dierking and Kyle Smith provisionally qualified for the national meet as well. Dierking placed 18th (1:16:36) and Smith placed 22nd (1:17:01).

On the women's side, Brittany Mosel placed fourth with a time of 1:37:13, Kelli Hoagland took fifth with a time of 1:38:10 and Jackie Jensen took seventh with a time of 1:39:33. The top eight women competitors finished within five seconds of each other.

"The half marathon and the marathon are like a leap of faith. Your body can be fit and you can be in shape, but the marathon can go well one day and not the next," HC coach Ken Clay said. "The kids worked hard today and did a fantastic job. They competed well."