Huskers Reach 25 Regional Qualifiers at Jim Click Shoot-Out

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Tucson, Ariz.? The Nebraska track and field team had a successful opening outdoor meet, setting 25 NCAA regional-qualifying marks at the Jim Click Shoot-Out on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

“I think this was like most first outdoor meets,” Head Coach Gary Pepin said. “We had some performances that made it obvious that it was the first outdoor meet, but we had some exceptional performances for the first meet of the year too. I thought overall it was a good competitive effort for most of our team.”

 

Anne Shadle had a strong performance in the women’s steeplechase, winning her first event of the outdoor season in a time of 10:40.69. Shadle took the lead in the third lap and dominated the rest of the way to qualify for the regional championships. The South Sioux City, Neb., native came back to take third place in the 800 meters a while later with her time of 2:13.34.

 

In the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, Paul Wilson took third place in 9:37.23, while Kyle Doperalski took sixth in 9:49.42.

 

The Husker shot putters had an outstanding day, led by Becky Breisch’s winning throw of 56-6 ? to lead the nation. Leann Boerema had a career-best outdoor performance, throwing the shot 53-3 to win silver. Redshirt freshman Jennifer Steiner completed the Nebraska sweep in the event with her personal-best mark of 51-3 1/2, improving her previous personal record by three and a half feet.

 

Breisch also won the discus with a throw of 177-2, while Steiner was seventh with a toss of 142-5.

 

Tia DeSoto won her first meet of the season in the women’s hammer throw, throwing a regional-qualifying mark of 182-6. Issar Yazhbin won the men’s hammer throw, launching a mark of 195-4.

 

Sophomore Priscilla Lopes ran well in her first outdoor meet of the season, clocking a winning time of 11.63 in the 100-meter dash. Authea Chambers took bronze with her time of 11.85.

 

Dusty Stamer won the men’s 100-meter run, notching the sixth-best time in school history with his time of 10.37. Oliver Williams Jr. finished seventh overall with his time of 10.67 in the 100 meters.

 

“Dusty had a really good run in the 100 meters,” Pepin said. “For that being his first outdoor meet, I thought it was real good.”

 

Sophomore Aaron Plas cleared the seven-foot mark for the first time this season in the high jump, tying Kansas State’s Kyle Lancaster for the victory with a mark of 7-0 ?. Yoav Shuster tied for seventh with a height of 6-8 ?.

 

“It was nice to see Aaron Plas come back and jump well today,” Pepin said. “He didn’t have a very good indoor season, and he started off real well outdoors.”

 

Defending national champion Eric Eshbach took second place in the pole vault competition, clearing 17-2 ? in his second meet of the season after having to sit out the indoor season with only an outdoor season of eligibility remaining. Freshman Gable Baldwin came in fourth, clearing 16-2 ? and Patrick Southern was seventh with a mark of 14-9.

 

Both Husker 4x100-meter relay teams ran NCAA regional-qualifying times. The men’s team won silver, clocking a time of 40.23, while the women were third in 45.72. The men’s 4x400-meter relay team won the event with a time of 3:12.20 and the women’s 4x400 team came in second with a 3:47.48 clocking.

 

Sophomore Kim Pancoast had a breakout performance in the women’s 1,500-meter run, running a time of 4:36.95, to improve her personal record time by more than 11 seconds. Pancoast finished third ahead of teammate Kathryn Handrup, who clocked a time of 4:39.07 for a fourth-place finish. Danute Ceika came up fifth in 4:41.64, while Lindsey Finkner was eighth (4:43.72).

 

On the men’s side, sophomore Aaron Nasers took third place in a time of 3:53.25, and Dana Carne ran to a fifth-place finish in 3:58.98.

 

Nenad Loncar led a 2-3-4 Husker finish in the men’s 110-meter hurdles with his regional-qualifying time of 13.82. Courtney Jones took third place in a personal-best time of 13.98. Richard Davidson Jr. was fourth, with a regional-qualifying time of 14.31. Redshirt freshman Aaron Ross was sixth in 14.46.

 

In the women’s 100-meter hurdles, Maggi Escudero recorded a personal-best time of 14.04 to qualify for the regional championships, taking a fifth-place finish. Ashley Selig was eighth in 14.41. Selig also took second place in the women’s long jump, leaping 18-11 ?, and the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.87, despite two of her hurdles being set at the wrong height. Escudero was sixth in the 400 hurdles, with a time of 1:03.40. Justine Roach finished seventh in 1:04.25 in the 400-meter hurdles.

 

Kayla Wilkinson won silver in the women’s javelin throw with her second regional-qualifying mark of 140-5. Artur Wszelaki took silver in the men’s javelin, throwing it a season-best mark of 237-6. Colin Damas was fifth with a throw of 200-1, while Jesse Colburn was sixth with a mark of 190-6.

 

Sara Jane Baker took second place in the women’s high jump, clearing 5-8 ? to qualify for the NCAA regional meet. Casie Witte was fifth, clearing the bar at 5-5, while Ashlee Dickinson tied for sixth place at 5-3.

 

Danny Hill ran to a second-place finish in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 52.90. Andy Nelson finished fourth in 53.92, while Andrew Pearson was sixth with a time of 54.45.

 

The women’s pole vaulters had a hard day, as Jenny Green led the group with her third-place finish. Christi Lehman and Jessie Graff as well as Green all cleared 12-8 on the day. Lehman and Graff tied for fourth place, while Alissa Koerner took sixth, with a height of 12-2.

 

In the women’s 200-meter run, Tolu Olade finished fourth in 58.94. On the men’s side, Marcus Sedberry was seventh in 49.29. In the men’s 200 meters, Oliver Williams Jr. took a fourth-place finish in 21.55. Stamer was sixth in 21.81.

 

Tim Williams ran to a fourth-place finish in the men’s 800-meter run in 1:53.53. Freshman Daniel Roper took sixth place in the men’s triple jump, leaping 48-5 ?.

 

The Huskers will split up next weekend, as several athletes will travel to Austin Texas for the Texas Relays, April 1-3, while several others will travel to Emporia, Kan., to compete in the Emporia State Relays on April 3.