LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Running back Ameer Abdullah says he’s returning to Nebraska for his senior season even though the NFL draft advisory committee told him he probably would be selected “very high in the first half” of this year’s draft.
Abdullah said Thursday that he wants to finish his college education before turning pro. He said he’ll receive his history degree in December. He said all eight of his siblings are college graduates.
Abdullah said the high number of running backs in the draft pool didn’t affect his decision. He had the most productive season by a Nebraska rusher since Ahman Green in 1997. Abdullah went over 1,000 yards for the second straight year. His 1,690 yards was the fourth-best total in program history.
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm are recognizing St. Louis Blues forward Jaden Schwartz along with the University of Denver’s Trevor Moore and Ferris State’s Jason Binkley as their alumni of the month.
Schwartz is having a breakout season for St. Louis, with 15 goals and 17 assists in 43 games. The forward has the third-best goal total on his team, which includes one game-winning strike.
Most impressively, Schwartz is currently leading the NHL in plus-minus, with a rating of plus-25.
The Wilcox, Sk. native suited up for the Storm during the 2009-10 season and scored 33 goals and 50 assists for 83 points in 60 games. Schwartz still owns many records including his single season marks for assists, points, power play goals, power play assists and shots on goal.
Moore, who played two seasons with the Storm from 2011-13, is enjoying success in his freshman season as a Pioneer. The forward is the leading scorer on the roster with nine goals and nine assists in 22 games.
A native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., Moore is 12th in the nation in freshman scoring with 0.82 points per game. His three game-winning goals are also 11th in the country.
In 111 games with Tri-City, Moore scored 32 goals and 63 assists. He was the Storm’s leading scorer a season ago with 63 points in 62 games.
Binkley, a junior at Ferris State, has been one of the squad’s most consistent blueliners throughout his college career. The defenseman has appeared in 23 games, and has registered three goals and 13 assists.
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in this week’s USCHO.com poll and have a record of 17-3-3 this season. Binkley is 25th in the country in defensive scoring, averaging 0.70 points per game.
The Powell, Ohio native had four goals and 10 assists in 56 games during the 2010-11 season with Tri-City.
Tri-City’s next game will be their final matchup of the season with Omaha at the Ralston Arena on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.
The Storm will then return home to face the Dubuque Fighting Saints at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday, also at 7:05. Fans in attendance are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal and participate in the annual Teddy Bear Toss promotion. All bears tossed onto the ice will be donated to local kids in need.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Peyton Manning’s foundation for at-risk youth will receive a $500 contribution for every time the Denver Broncos’ quarterback shouts “Omaha” during the AFC championship game.
Manning brought national attention to Nebraska’s largest city with his loud “Omaha” pre-snap calls during the Broncos’ playoff win over San Diego last weekend.
Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce president and CEO David Brown announced Thursday that five Omaha-based companies are combining to donate $500 to Manning’s “Peyback Foundation” each time he shouts “Omaha” in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
Manning said “Omaha” 44 times in last week’s game. The same number against the Patriots would be worth $22,000 to his foundation.
The participating companies are ConAgra Foods, First National Bank of Omaha, Mutual of Omaha, Omaha Steaks and Union Pacific Railroad.
Cheyenne, WY – The No. 3 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team (14-1, 6-1 South Sub-Region) suffered their first loss of the season on Wednesday night to Laramie County Community College Golden Eagles (14-6, 5-2 South Sub-Region) 78-82. The Knights trailed by 12 points at half and could never get over the hump in the second half, cutting the lead to two with under a minute to go.
The Knights opened the first half sluggish and were never able to find their rhythm as they only shot 41 percent from the field in the first half. Sophomore Ethan Montalvo kept the Knights in the game by scoring 15 first half points. Deshon Portly and Deon Edwin paced the Golden Eagles with 14 and 11 first half points to take a 45-33 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the Knights hung around but could not cut into the Golden Eagles lead until the under-five minute mark. The Knights forced a couple Laramie County turnovers and converted in transition to cut into the lead. After one such steal and lay-up by Kenyon Gist, the Knights cut the deficit to two points and immediately fouled.
Laramie County missed two free throws and gave the Knights an opportunity to tie or win the game with 23 seconds left. The Knights were unable to score and called a timeout with five seconds remaining. The Knights were unable to score and Laramie County hit two free throws to earn the hard fought victory.
Ethan Montalvo scored a game-high 28 points in defeat. Cameron Williams was the only other Knight to score in double-figures as he finished with 21 points. Portley finished with 26 points while Edwin finished with 15. The Golden Eagles shot 33 free throws in the game to the Knights 17.
“Always tough to lose, especially the first one of the season,” said assistant coach Nathan Wieseler. “We need to have a good day of practice before we face two tough opponents this weekend.”
The Knights return to action Friday at 7:30 p.m. as they travel to face the Southeast Community College Storm (16-5). The Knights remain on the road Saturday to face the Central Community College Raiders (14-3) at 3 p.m. The Knights have two more road games next week before returning home Wednesday January 29 to face the McCook Community College Indians (12-4, 3-2 South Sub-Region) at 7:30 p.m.
The No. 8 Nebraska wrestling team (8-0, 2-0 Big Ten) concludes its four-dual home stand on Saturday night by hosting No. 3 Iowa (10-1, 3-0 Big Ten) at the Devaney Center at 4:30 p.m. CT.
The dual is set for a live television broadcast on the Big Ten Network, with Tim Johnson (play-by-play), Jim Gibbons (color analyst) and Shane Sparks (sideline reporter) providing the commentary. The dual can also be tracked by following @HuskerWrestling on Twitter.
Prior to Nebraska’s matchup against Iowa, a high school dual between Omaha Skutt (Neb.) and Davenport Assumption (Iowa) will take place at the Devaney Center starting at 2 p.m.
The Huskers enter this weekend following a pair of dominating victories at the Devaney Center last weekend. On Friday night, Nebraska took down Indiana, 30-10, before defeating Penn, 30-9, on Saturday night during the first-ever “Tumble and Rumble” event with the women’s gymnastics team.
Saturday night’s dual could feature top-10 battles at 125, 157 and 174 pounds. At 125 pounds, Nebraska’s Tim Lambert is ranked ninth, while Iowa’s Thomas Gilman is No. 3 in InterMat’s Jan. 14 poll. A pair of undefeated 157 pounders will grapple when Nebraska’s James Green (ranked third) and Iowa’s Derek St. John (ranked first) clash on Saturday night. At 174 pounds, No. 4 Robert Kokesh faces No. 6 Mike Evans of Iowa.
The Hawkeyes and Huskers will wrestle for the 34th time in series history this weekend. Last season Iowa won, 31-7, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, despite Husker victories from Jake Sueflohn (149) and then-senior Josh Ihnen (184).
This season, 184-pound redshirt freshman TJ Dudley is ranked 11th heading into the weekend. Dudley holds a perfect 8-0 record in duals this season after managing a pair of wins over ranked opponents last weekend. After pinning No. 19 Luke Sheridan of Indiana on Friday night, Dudley came from behind to upset No. 12 Lorenzo Thomas of Penn, 9-6, on Saturday night.
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm will be skating outdoors at Libs Park from 6-7:30 p.m. on Jan. 30 in advance of their home games with Des Moines at the Viaero Event Center on Jan. 31 and Feb 1.
Various Storm players will partake in a hockey exhibition, demonstrating their hockey skills on the outdoor rink before skating with fans in attendance.
The event, which is weather permitting, will give fans in Hastings a chance to see the Storm in action as they prepare for their upcoming games.
Similar events have been held at Yanney Park in Kearney, and the Storm are hoping this will be a hit in Hastings.
“The new outdoor ice surface at Libs Park gives us a great opportunity to showcase our players in front of our loyal fans in Hastings,” said Kyle Means, Vice President of Marketing and Game Operations for the Storm. “We are always interested in engaging our fans in the local markets outside of Kearney, and we are very excited about this event.”
The Storm’s radio partner The Breeze 94.5 FM will also be on location at the event. All Tri-City games are broadcast live on the station, which is located in Hastings.
Ice skates will be provided for fans who wish to get on the ice and do not have their own.
Tri-City’s next game will be their final matchup of the season with Omaha at the Ralston Arena on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.
The Storm will then return home to face the Dubuque Fighting Saints at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday, also at7:05. Fans in attendance are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal and participate in the annual Teddy Bear Toss promotion. All bears tossed onto the ice will be donated to local kids in need.
The brackets for the 2014 SPVA Tournament have been announced with North Platte Community College again being the host. Games will be played from Jan. 20-Jan. 25 at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium. All game times are CST.
The girl’s portion of the bracket starts on Jan. 20 with No. 4 Sutherland taking on No. 5 Maxwell at 5 p.m., No. 3 Kimball taking on No. 6 Perkins County at 6:30 p.m. and #2 Hershey taking on No. 7 Chase County at 8 p.m.
The semifinals of the SPVA Tournament are on Thursday Jan. 23 with #1 North Platte Saint Patrick taking on the winner of Sutherland and Maxwell at 6 p.m. and the winners of Kimball-Perkins County and Hershey-Chase County facing off at 7:30.
The championship game will be played on Saturday Jan. 25 at 6 p.m.
The boy’s portion of the bracket starts on Jan. 21 as No. 4 Sutherland faces off with No. 5 Perkins County at 5 p.m., No. 3 Kimball faces off with No. 6 Maxwell at 6:30 p.m. and No. 2 Chase County faces off with No. 7 Hershey at 8 p.m.
The semifinals are on Friday Jan. 24 with the first game scheduled to tip at 6 p.m. as No. 1 North Platte Saint Patrick takes on the winner of Sutherland-Perkins County. The other semifinal will tip at approximately 7:30 p.m. with the winners of Kimball-Maxwell and Chase County-Hershey squaring off.
The finals of the SPVA Tournament are on Saturday Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge is allowing a central Pennsylvania seventh-grader to be a member of the all-boys wrestling team at her middle school.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann says in a ruling Monday that the Line Mountain School District failed to justify its reasons for preventing girls from wrestling with boys.
The school district says there are psychological, physical and moral risks for girls wrestling boys, but Brann says the district did not present any expert testimony or examples to support those claims.
Brian and Angie Beattie of Herndon filed a lawsuit last year, saying their daughter Audriana was being denied the opportunity to wrestle because of her gender.
The girl’s attorneys, Terry Fromson and Abbe Fletman, issued a statement praising the judge’s decision.
The No. 18 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home to start a two-game Big Ten home stand on Thursday night, when the Huskers take on Minnesota.
Tip-off between the Big Red (12-3, 2-1 Big Ten) and the Golden Gophers (12-5, 1-2 Big Ten) is set for 8 p.m. (CT) with live national television coverage by the Big Ten Network with Mike Couzens and Mary Murphy on the call.
Both teams are coming off big wins on Sunday. The Huskers rolled to a 75-56 victory at Illinois. The Huskers unleashed their best second-half performance of the season by blitzing the Fighting Illini’s “Buzz” defense for 49 second-half points. Husker forwards Jordan Hooper and Emily Cady combined for 41 points and 19 rebounds on the day for the Big Red.
Minnesota crushed Northwestern with an even more explosive second half. The Golden Gophers outscored the Wildcats, 52-33 in the second half on their way to a 94-59 victory at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. Gopher guards Rachel Banham and Sari Noga combined for 45 points and nine assists.
Hooper, a two-time All-American and first-team All-Big Ten pick for the Huskers, takes aim at the 2,000-point scoring mark on Thursday night. The 6-2 senior from Alliance, Neb., needs 10 points to become the fourth player in Nebraska history to reach the 2,000 mark, joining Karen Jennings, Maurtice Ivy and Kelsey Griffin on that distinguished list. If she scores 10 points, Hooper would also notch the 100th double-figure scoring game of her illustrious NU career.
Hooper ranks among the top three players in the Big Ten with 20.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. She owns seven double-doubles this season and 33 in her career. She needs 10 points and 32 rebounds to become the fifth Big Ten player in history to reach career milestones of 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Lincoln – The Rebounders Club will host of the first of three Husker Hoops Watch Parties on Thursday, Jan. 23, at the N-Zone (728 Q Street) in the Haymarket.
The Huskers play at Penn State at 7 p.m. on ESPNU, and fans attending the watch party at the N-Zone will receive food and beverage specials, door prizes and chances to win a Husker basketball jersey and Pinnacle Bank Arena suite tickets for an upcoming game. TheJan. 23 game is the first of three Husker Hoops Watch Parties at the N-Zone this season, as the other ones will be on Feb. 16 (at Michigan State) and March 13 (Big Ten Tournament).
For more information on any of the Husker Hoops Watch Parties, contact Kiley Eaton in the Husker Athletic Fund Office at (402) 472-2367.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Running back Ameer Abdullah says he’s returning to Nebraska for his senior season even though the NFL draft advisory committee told him he probably would be selected “very high in the first half” of this year’s draft.
