Florence, Meendering named NU lifters of the year

LINCOLN -- Men's basketball standout Larry Florence and volleyball All-American Nancy Meendering were named Nebraska's Husker Power Male and Female Athletes of the Year, Friday at the Husker Power Athlete of the Year Banquet as announced by Nebraska Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Athletic Performance Boyd Epley. Florence and Meendering were selected as Nebraska's lifters of the year for their outstanding effort and dedication in the weight room.

Florence, a 6-5 junior forward from Phenix City, Ala., was named the basketball team's lifter of the year for the second time in his career. A constant leader in the weight room, Florence improved his vertical jump by two inches this season. On the court, Florence played in all 33 games, earning the starting nod in 27. He led the team with his 51 percent field goal percentage, while his 10.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game were both third best on the team.

Head men's basketball coach Danny Nee said Florence was very deserving of the award.

"Larry has progressed as a basketball player each year that he has been in our program and a very important part of that has been his dedication to strength training," Nee said. "He is as good as anyone we've ever had in our program in terms of his dedication and work ethic in the weight room. This is a very special honor for Larry to receive and is a nice honor for our program."

Meendering, a 6-1 sophomore rightside hitter from Hull, Iowa, earned AVCA First-Team All-America honors in her first year as a starter and led the Huskers to a Big 12 championship and NCAA Final Four appearance. She finished the season with 518 kills, 278 digs and a .279 hitting percentage. During the 1999 winter program, she increased her performance index score by almost 200 points, giving her the highest score on the team. She also holds the team's fastest times in the 40-yard dash and pro agility and is currently tied for the team's 10-yard dash and vertical jump records.

Head volleyball coach Terry Pettit said he was pleased to see Meendering earn a well-deserved honor.

"Nancy is doing everything she can do to prepare herself for the upcoming season," Pettit said. "Her strength training is just one of those aspects and it shows on the court."

"To be named the Husker Power Athlete of the Year, means you represent all the Nebraska athletes from each sport," Epley said. "It will be very difficult to determine one overall winner from this group of candidates. The bottom line is improvement of performance through strength and conditioning. Since each candidate represents their sport as the current lifter of the year, they have already proven themselves to have the legendary Nebraska work ethic."

The male sport winners were Kyle Vanden Bosch, football; Larry Florence, basketball; Bert Locklin, diving; Adam Pine, swimming; Joe Erdkamp, track and field, Jose DeAnda, wrestling; and Fungai Tongoona, tennis.

The women's winners were Cori McDill, basketball; Samantha Ashley, diving; Amy Walsh, soccer; Jenifer Williams, softball; Sasha Van Hamburg, swimming; Erin Wibbels, track and field; and Nancy Meendering, volleyball.