>Does anyone know anything about Nebraska-Omaha?  Do they have a web site?
>I believe they are a Division II school.  They have usually had a pretty
>good softball team.  Merrimack defeated them on route to winning the 1994
>NCAA Division II championship.
 
UNO is in the NCC, North Central Conference. It's a ten school
conference including, North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota,
SDSU, Northern Colorado, Mankato State, Ste. Cloud St., Mornigside
College (Iowa) and Augustana (Sioux Falls). It's a Div II conference
and supposedly the best Div II conference in the country. I don't know
about that but the conference is well represented when it comes national
polls and National Championship time, in both men's and women's sports.
The strongest schools in the conference are the North and South Dakota
schools. You know the Div I hockey schools from the list so I won't
rehash that issue. SDSU and USD have club teams. Hockey is surprisingly
unpopular around hear. Our team is bad and I mean BAD. After the first
period, the opponent's score is typically approaching double digits at
at warp speed. I can't say how bad USD's team is, but last year when
we played them here in Brookings, they had an ankle bender on the ice.
It was great to see the kid out there trying and I think he actually
scored a goal (USD was getting blown out), but for his own safety he
should not have been out there. Unfortunately, some of the goons on
our team were taking runs at him. I don't know who else has club teams.
I don't think any one, other than the Div I schools, have an
organized (Div II or III) program.
>Omaha could be a good place for college hockey to grow.  The Omaha Lancers
>have had success in the USHL, which sends many players to the NCAA.  It
>will be interesting to see if they are able to land any of the Lancers'
>players.
 
That I find surprising about this development is that UNO sports in
don't seem to be well supported. For instance, I was at a conference
last year, and I was talking to a UNO DEAN, I won't tell you which
college. It was during the summer so the current football season wasn't
an issue. I thought we'd talk alittle NCC sports. I asked him some
questions about his teams etc., and he was totally uninterested. He said
"We don't care about UNO sports". I took the "we" the general population
of UNO. He wanted to talk about UN-Lincoln basketball and football. Ugh.
I'm sick of hearing about the cornshuckers. Anyway, he gave me the
impression that UNO sports wasn't terribly important down there. I don't
follow NCC sports that closely, but UNO's name doesn't come up very
often, when winning programs (in anything) is discussed.
 
The junior team seems to do well, and maybe UNO thinks they can follow
in UND's footsteps. I think they'd do better with a Div I basketball
program (like we need another one of those) but I think there's a limit
as to the type of Div I sport a mostly Div II school can offer. Isn't
there?
 
 
                                          ______   _____    _____
Michael Smar                             /     /  /    / / /    /
College of Pharmacy, Box 2202C          /     /  /____  / _____/
South Dakota State University          /     /       / / /
Brookings, SD 57007-0099              /_____/  /____/ / /_____/
 
Medicines are nothing in themselves, if not properly used,
but the very hands of the gods, if employed with reason and prudence.
- Herophilus -
 
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