T-tle Hopes igh After 8-1 Year By Jim Klttllsby
While Maalox sales soa red d u r ing regular season play, Lute foot ball buffs found lasting relief from a blend of Northwest Conference title elixir and an 8-1 pigskin prescription. PLU football prod uced more trau matic scenes than Mel Brooks' "H igh Anxiety," but the nail-biting was confined to the grandstand as cool and composed Frosty Wes tering th umbed th rough his mira cle manual to inspire t ree vic to ries in the final 40 seconds . Claiming sole possession of the NWC crown fo r the first ti me in six years en route to a fifth place NAIA national ranking, PLU used the ca rpenter approach, a pplying the defensive screws while hammer ing away on offense. Lute defenders picked off 28 errant passes, PLU quarterbacks misfiri ng but seven times . Senior fullback Jeff Baer bulled for 7 1 8 yards to lead t e WC i n rushing. In the opener, ju nior tight end scott Westering hau led in two touchdown passes, then amplified the heroics by blocking Moorhead State's potential game-wi n ning field goal with 40 seconds remain ing as PLU "snuck" to a 25-23 victory. D eficiencies in kicking game coverage and boot retu rns haunt ed PLU in a 29-14 reversal to U niversity of Puget Souna . Brad Westering connected on 21 pas ses in a losing cause. PLU clai med its 2 5th consecu tive regular season win over NAIA District 1 foes with a 30-7 victory over Centra l . Jeff Cornish zipped for 1 02 yards in 1 3 carries. Cornish darted for 1 1 2 yards, his second stra ight week over the century mark, while Mike Westm il ler added 1 03, Guy Ellison 72 in the Paclutes' 42- 1 2 r u n a way over Southern Oregon . PLU defenders limited the nation's nu mber one passing team to just 99 aerial ya rds. Baer bolted for a season-high 1 33 yards in 15 ca rnes, while quarterback Westering tossed for three touchdowns in the 40-7 Northwest Conference opening win over Pacific. Avenging three one-point los ses to Linfield in the last five years, PLU struck on a Westering to Ellison pass with jus 1 4 seconds remai ni ng , Steve irk adding the conversion in a 7 - 6 Pacific Luthe ran win . Packi n g the hero script for the second stra ight weekend, El lison made a d iving touchdown catch
Guard Tom Wahl (62) leads interference for Guy Ellison in 34-14 playoff victory over California Lutheran
with 0:30 remaining to give the Lutes a 1 6- 1 4 decision over Lewis & Clark. Elliso n , who had 1 00 yards in receptions against Linfield, rose to 1 34 in the Pioneer fray. Eric Carl son , who took over for the i njured Brad Westering in the last three ga mes, triggered the go-ahead pass. PLU capitalized on ten Willamet te turnovers - seven intercep tions and three lost fumbles plus 1 36 yards i n WU pena lties, to down the Bearcats 30- 2 . Defensive
end Steve Kien berger had th ree quarterback sacks for minus 28 yards and two other tackles for deficit yardage, plus two fumble recoveries. In the 23-1 2 win at Whitworth in the reg ular season fi nale, sopho more linebacker Scott McKay fi gured i n eight tackles, including a q uarterback sack for minus 1 0 yards, recovered a fumble, and blocked a p u nt which rebounded to a tea mmate for a PLU touch down
Lutes TOp CLC 34-14; Advance To NAIA Division II Semi finals Pacific Lutheran footballers gave Frosty westerlng a spe cial g ift In recog nition of his 1 00th collegiate coaching vic tory NOV. 1 7 1n Thousand Oaks, ca liforni a - tickets to the NAIA Divisio n II national semifinals Dec. 1 at Findlay College (OhiO). The Lutes, who reached the ni ne-win plateau for the first ti me In school history after a convincing 34-14 Qua rterfin a l win over California Luthera n, were bracketed In round two against the 1 978 NAIA ru n nerup. Findlay, situated 45 m i l e s south of Toledo, which oper ates out of the ru n-and-ra m wishbone offense, adva nced to the semifinals after trounc Ing Jamestown (N.DJ 41 -1 5.
PLU, In Its first-ever national playoff a ppeara nce, picked off seven Cal Lutheran passes, In cluding six In as many series run by the Klngsmen to open the second half. The thefts gave PLU a record 35 Intercep tions for the year. Lute fullbacks Mike Westmll ler and Jeff Baer combi ned for 204 of PLU 's 237 rushing yards. Westmlller, a sophomore from Yakim a , who had 1 1 1 yards In 25 c a rries, was named the game's most valuable offen sive p layer. Another sopho more, Everett linebacker Scott MCKay, was cited as the N lA's defensive MVP. The natfonal cham pion shi p game, between the survivors of the PLU - Flhdlay clash a nd the Dec. 1 Bethany ( Ka nsas) Northwestern (Iowa) ga me, is slated for Dec. 8, the Site to be determ ined.
Swi m Tea m Long On N u m bers, Sh rt On Names In a break from tradition, PLU's 1 980 swimm ing show wi ll play the ta n k tow n s of O r e g o n a n d Washi ngton without a fu ll-fledged supersta r. "The absence of a Wakefield (Bruce) or Ben nett (Ta mil will be felt more in national competition than in dual meets," declared Jim Johnson , i n his first full season as Lute swim boss. Johnson , who came to PLU last January from Bozeman, Montana, where he was municipal pool d irector, rep l a c i n g s h o rt-term coach Pete Kennedy, d irected the Lute men to a 1 5th place NAIA finish, the Lady Lutes to 31 st atthe AIAW splashdown. Numbers are u p on the men's team and Johnson sees PLU to be stronger in dual meets. In the women's ca mp, there is little ex perience but Johnson expects improvement in both the spri nts and 400 individual medley. Team captian Beth Ne ufel d , who blue- ribbon ed the 200, 500, and 1 650-freestyle at the North west Conference Invitational, is the leading returnee. Johnson will have three letter men in tow on the men's squad, i ncluding senior Dave Krueger, an All -America honorable mention in 1 978. Ju nior Drew Nelson is de fend ing NWC champion in the 400 individual medley. Another junior, team captain Rich Mattson, is tan k tested .
Field Hockey squad Comp letes Wi nning Year In her coaching debut, Colleen Hacker directed Pacific Luthera n to its first win n i ng field hockey season i n five years, while three of Hacker's whackers were na med :o the all -conference stick sq uad. The Lady Lutes, who had three one-all ties and a loss i n the N o rthwest Co l l e g e W o me n ' s Sports Association regional tour nament, hosted by PLU, finished with a n 8-5-4 slate. PLU, in its initial season with the Women 's Conference of Indepen dent Colleges, placed three play ers on the WCIC all-sta rs. Junior Devan Hill was selected on de fense, fres h m a n Kim Krumm tabbed at link. AI ot er frosh, Julie Haugen, the hock flock's leading scorer, was Cited at the attack position.