U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL : LOS ANGELES--1991 : ATHLETES TO WATCH : Among 3,000 Competitors, Some Will Stand Out

KAREN JENNINGS

Women’s Basketball

There may have been a time when people were uncertain how good Jennings really was, despite her 59-point average in high school. That scoring average wouldn’t even have been compared to the rest of the nation’s best players because it came in the six-on-six game some still play in Iowa, a derivation in which three players stay on offense and three defense, with neither set crossing halfcourt.

Now competing in her third Olympic Festival, any doubts of her ability in the more conventional game have long become a thing of the past. The 6-foot-2 forward from Persia, Iowa, averaged 13.4 points as a freshman at Nebraska and was named Big Eight co-newcomer of the year, prompting even Cornhusker Coach Angela Beck to say Jennings surpassed expectations. She followed that by averaging 20.5 last season as a sophomore and earning honorable mention All-America honors by Kodak.

Success has come on all fronts. At Tri-Center High, she was All-Iowa in volleyball and second in the discus and fifth in the shotput at the state meet. She also had a 3.98 grade-point average.