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Nebraska Wrestler Sits Out Sundays
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA -- Returned missionary Justin Ruiz won't be present
today at Nebraska's meet in Morgantown, West Virginia. Ruiz, who is
ranked ninth in the nation at 197 pounds, doesn't compete on Sundays,
which leaves his team in a bind. Husker Coach Mark Manning didn't
know if he would be able to replace Ruiz for the match, "We might
bump around," Manning said. "We're going to wait for the draw. We
really don't have many options. We could bump up (184-pound starter)
Travis Pascoe, but he's had the flu the last couple days."
Ruiz, a native of Murray, Utah, captured three Utah State
championships at Taylorsville, High School and was named the National
Wrestling Hall of Fame Wrestler of the Year for 1998. He was also
Junior National Greco-Roman champion. When he was recruited by
Nebraska, Ruiz was one of the top high school prospects in the U.S.
During the year before his mission, Ruiz competed as a redshirt,
earning a 12-3 record in open tournaments. He then left on his
mission in September 1999 and mostly ignored wrestling for the
duration.
While he was gone, Nebraska's program went through turmoil, loosing a
coach to alleged violations of the NCAA extra-benefits rules. Now
Ruiz is well-placed to excel on the mat, as long as there aren't too
many Sunday matches.
Source:
NU WRESTLING: Huskers in West Virginia without Ruiz
Lincoln NE Journal-Star 20Jan02 S2
By Steven M. Sipple: Lincoln Journal Star
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