2002-03 Season in Review

Lincoln -- In many respects, the 2002-03 Husker bowlers exceeded their own lofty expectations. In a program where success has been measured by national titles, last season was a new experience in the Nebraska bowling program, as the Huskers prepared for their first year of NCAA competition in 2003-04.

The first major announcement came in October, when two-time All-American Shannon Pluhowsky decided to take a redshirt season. While the move was expected - and gives her two years of NCAA eligibility beginning in 2003-04 - it made the Huskers’ goal of a fifth national title a daunting task.

It was one of several obstacles that the Huskers overcame en route to another successful campaign. In mid-November, another starter left the team for personal reasons, further depleting what was one of the top lineups in collegiate bowling.

While Pluhowsky enjoyed a marvelous individual year, winning the Bowling World Cup, U.S. Amateur and the Pan America Games titles to cement her place among the world’s top female bowlers, Coach BIll Straub turned in one of his finest coaching jobs, leading the Huskers to a spectacular season of their own.

On the year, Nebraska won four tournaments, including three Tier-I Tournaments (Southern Classic, Great Lakes Classic and Coca-Cola Classic) and took home runner-up honors in two others. The Huskers also qualified for the IBC Championships in Tulsa, Okla., where they placed seventh, and were ranked second nationally by the Bowling Writers following the IBC.

For Coach Straub, youth was served in 2002-03, as the Huskers used as many as five newcomers - including four freshmen - in their lineup for much of the year. While most of the roster consisted of bowlers who were seeing their first varsity action at NU, the Huskers also received great leadership from seniors Kari Schwager and Paola Gomez.

Schwager, a former first-team All-American, started the year slowly, but was at her best during the Huskers’ second-half surge, winning the Blue and Gold Classic, while posting four top-10 finishes, including three in the Huskers’ final three tournaments. She concluded her Husker career as one of the finest bowlers to wear the scarlet and cream, ranking first in total games (308), second in pinfall (61,352) and sixth in average (199.195).

Gomez enjoyed her finest year in 2002-03, leading the Huskers with a 197.148 average en route to honorable-mention All-America honors. While she had never finished higher than eighth before her senior year, she had four top-five finishes, capped by a win at the Coca-Cola Classic in Las Vegas. The Bogota, Colombia, native also placed seventh at the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador, helping Colombia to the team title in the prestigious event.

The new-look Huskers sported four newcomers in the lineup as they opened the year at the Mid-States Invitational. While the Huskers finished fourth in their season opener, many encouraging signs emerged. Paola Gomez placed fifth - her best finish in collegiate competition - with a 199 average, while a pair of newcomers, sophomore Melissa Stewart and redshirt freshman Karla Engh rounded out NU’s top finishers.

Nebraska faced an early-season showdown the following weekend, as many of the nation’s top programs converged on Atlanta for the Southern Classic. The Huskers trailed defending national champion Morehead State by 27 pins after one day, but turned in a strong performance the following day to claim the title by 63 pins. Gomez continued her strong performances with a third-place showing, her second top-five finish in as many weeks, and was joined by Stewart and Schwager in the top 10.

The Huskers picked up their second straight tournament title the next week, winning the 33-team Great Lakes Classic the following weekend. Once again, the tournament went down to the wire, as NU defeated Wichita State by 14 points over the eight games and only 36 points separated the top four finishers. The Huskers used a balanced lineup, as four bowlers placed in the top 30 among the more than 200 bowlers in the field. The back-to-back tournament titles not only showed the nation that the Huskers possessed more weapons than just Pluhowsky, but also gave the Huskers the No. 1 ranking in the first poll.

The Huskers’ reign as No. 1 would be short-lived, as NU traveled to St. Louis for the National Team Match Games. Rolling without Gomez, who was competing in Colombia for her native country, NU struggled to a ninth-place finish. Gomez was back the following weekend, but the Huskers closed the fall portion of their schedule with a fourth-place showing at the Leatherneck Invitational. Heading into the second half of their schedule, the Huskers were at a crossroads, but had to wait six weeks for a second chance.

The Huskers, who dropped to fifth in the national polls, continued to battle the injury bug in January when promising freshman Karla Engh was sidelined with tendinitis, but NU weathered the storm with a steely resolve. With the start of the second semester, the Huskers gained the services of freshman Jennifer Schultz, who graduated high school early to join the NU roster.

The Huskers headed to Indiana for the Blue and Gold Classic, a tournament that featured many of the nation’s top programs. NU got off to a rousing start, placing second to Central Missouri State, as All-American Kari Schwager won her first tournament of the year, recording a 204 average over nine games.

Nebraska continued its strong second half effort the following weekend, winning the Coca-Cola Classic in Las Vegas by more than 200 pins, and handing top-ranked Wichita State its second straight defeat. Paola Gomez led the Husker contingent, winning the tournament with a 205 average, while Melissa Stewart (second) and Schwager (eighth) also placed in the top 10.

The winning ways continued the following week, as the Huskers won the ACU-I Region II title and defeating top-ranked Wichita State by more than 300 pins. Schwager placed second with a 205 average to lead four Big Red bowlers who placed in the top six. Stewart placed third, while Gomez and redshirt freshman Jamie Martin placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

The Huskers, who climbed back to second in the national polls, were seemingly ready for postseason play, but would be forced to deal with more adversity, as Gomez underwent hand surgery and would be unavailable until nationals. Now without two members of the starting lineup, NU would have to finish in the top four to earn a berth in the IBC. Dealing with the Baker Format, where each of the five team bowlers roll two frames per game, would test the Huskers, but NU punched its ticket to the IBC Tournament with a second-place finish, totaling 11,656 pins over two days.

At the Intercollegiate Bowling Championship in Tulsa, the Huskers finished fifth in the preliminary qualifying round, setting up a match with Central Missouri State, the No. 12 seed, in the first round. Facing the team that would eventually win the tournament, the Huskers won the first two games (168-164, 161-158), but the Mules won the next four to win the best-of-seven format, taking the final game by a 190-189 score, and sending NU to the loser’s bracket. Nebraska rebounded with a pair of strong showings, defeating fourth-seeded Pikeville in six games before taking a seven-game victory over No. 9 Arizona State, winning the decisive game by a score of 258-193, to move into the fourth round and a matchup with Fresno State. The Huskers saw their season come to an end with a 4-2 loss to the Bulldogs.

Despite the early finish at the IBC Tournament, 2002-03 was a success for the Huskers. With Pluhowsky and the bulk of the lineup returning, NU has put the building blocks in place for a memorable first season of NCAA competition in 2003-04.