Omaha daily bee., 1908-05-17
NEBRASEES CHANCE TO WIN
Considered Excellent by Many Ex-
perts of the Track.
VICTORY OVER KANSAS SURPRISE
OutdId Themselves and
Are sure 60 nepeat Feats at
the Missouri Valley
Contest.

LINCOLN. May 16 - Especially Coach
Clapp Of the Nebraska track team is con-
fident the CornhuslSers will finish as one
OF the three leaders in the first annual
meet of the Missouri valley conference at
Kansas City next Saturday. lie will not
be surprised IL they win first place; in
fact, he rather expects them to take the
highest honors by a narrow margin. The
unlocked for and brilliant victory over
Kansas at Lawrence last Saturday raised
Nebraska stock several per cent. and put
the Cornhuskers into consideration as the
probable winners OF the conference meet.
Before the Kansas contest a week ago,
DR.. Clapp was decidedly pessimistic about
the prospects of the Nebraska clnder path
men for the three big meets OF the spring.
and he felt that not many honors would
come to his men this season. The loss
OF several stars Of the 1907 team. including
the crack sprinter Burruss. and the ad-
dition of new material made the traek
bunch seemingly weak team. But at
Kansas the Cornhuskers, by making a
clean sweep Of the most important events.
demonstrated that this years team Is
strong and that it will be big factor in
the contest for tho Missouri valley con-
ference championship. Coach Clapp now
expects the CUrnhuskers to win the dual
contest with Minnesota May . and TO make
great fight for the conference title
May q.
Ames, Missouri or Nebrnskag
'Tt now looks" said DR.. Clapp, las II
the strongest bidders for prJmier honors
in the conference meet will be Ames, Mis-
souri, and Nebraska. Ames and Missouri
always have had strong track teams, and
this season finds them with even better
cinder path representatives than usual.
Iowa, Washington and Drake have some
point winners, but not enough to get a
high place in the coming meet. Nhe Jay
hawkers, by their poor showing in the
Nebraska-Kansas meet, were put out of
the calculations of possible winners, and
Nebraska, by securing enough firsts alone
TO win the meet, became one OF the lead
ing factors in the championship race.
While / feel sure that Nebraska will be
among the leaders. yet 1 will not venture
to say whether they will finish in first,
second or third place The Cornhuskefs,
however. have developed wonderfully
during the last three weeks that 1 would
not be surprised II they should win the
championship title at the conference meet. "
All OF the seven schools in the confer
ence are figuring on making some points,
to get enough points to count for much
are Ames, Missouri and Nebraska. Drake
and Kansas are certain to win several
points, but not enough to make them win
ners. Iowa and Washington will finish
on the lower rounds. OF the three schools
doped as winners, Nebraska is the strong
est in the field events and Ames is the
best IN the long runs. while Missouri is
| the leader in the sprints.
In the conference meet the 100 yards
should be won by Branham of Missouri,
who has been making O10 flat in this
event. Branham is captain OF the Tiger
team, and is a star man in all the sprints.
Wildman OF Nebraska will push Branham
hard, and should win second place, The
Cornhusker has meen making 0:10b con-
sistently this spring. and took first in
the Kansas meet Saturday. Hughes OF
Nebraska. Miller of Iowa and Grover of
Washington. are all fast and will be strong
bidders for third place.
Long Dash il Unsettled.
It is a tossup as to who win win the
20 yards dash. Branham OF Missouri and
Grover Of Washington have the same rec
ord of O:23 flat while Miller OF Iowa has
the record time OF the valley for this
spring. In the Iowa home meet Saturday
he made the dash in 0:22% Hughes OF