NU Men Set Sights on a Repeat of Last Season?s Big 12 Sweep

The Nebraska men’s track and field team completed a highly successful season in 2004, winning both the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Conference Championships, as well as recording a pair of top-20 finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor national meets. The Huskers aim to surpass those lofty heights in 2005.

Five returning All-Americans will lead NU in its championship run this season, including 800-meter standouts Dmitrijs Milkevics and Aaron Nasers, along with three of the four members of last year’s school-record-setting 4x100-meter relay, Nate Probasco, Dusty Stamer and Oliver Williams Jr.

"Last year’s men’s team had a terrific year," Head Coach Gary Pepin said. "Overall, this men’s team has some quality on it, as well as pretty good balance. In most areas, we have people who should contend for points for us at both Big 12 Conference meets, and there are athletes with NCAA Championship-level talent."

Sprints/Hurdles
The men’s sprint and hurdle group has NU’s deepest group of quality athletes, and should be the foundation of the team’s success this year. The Huskers’ short sprint crew will feature three returning All-Americans from last year’s school-record-setting 4x100-meter relay that placed eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Oliver Williams Jr. will once again lead the way in the 60-, 100- and 200-meter dash events, while also returning to run the 4x100.

"Oliver was the steadiest guy in our group last year," assistant coach Matt Martin said. "He was the stabilizing force of our (4x100-meter) relay, and I look for him to advance again in his performance this year."

Dusty Stamer will also compete for individual accolades in his senior year after bursting onto the scene as an All-American in his inaugural season in 2004.

"Dusty virtually came out of nowhere to finish second in the Big 12 in the 60 meters and anchor our (4x100-meter) relay," Martin said. "He’s so much more track savvy now. I really believe he can be an All-American in his individual events."

Sophomore Nate Probasco, another returning award-winning sprinter, looks to progress even more in 2005 than last year.

"I never could have imagined he would make the progress he did last year," Martin said. "He’s tremendously dedicated and that should pay off for him again this year."

The Huskers added another talented sprinter in freshman Tesfa Latty, who joined the team over the summer. Latty previously won the Jamaican high school championship in the 100 meters and should make a major impact this season.

"Tesfa is a talented sprinter," Martin said. "He also has loads of potential to do more than just the 100. He could be a major factor in the Big 12 Conference."

While NU is loaded in the sprint events, the hurdles appear to be another team strength. Included in the group is every member from last year’s school-record-setting 4x110-meter shuttle hurdle relay team that ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Seniors Nenad Loncar and Richard Davidson, as well as junior Courtney Jones, all appear ready to step up their performance levels, while junior Aaron Ross also looks to add scoring potential in the high hurdles.

"Loncar, Davidson and Jones are all proven conference-meet scorers," Martin said. "I think each one has the capability to make it to that NCAA level, while Ross looks to be in his best shape ever and should be a big surprise this year on the conference scene."

The Huskers suffered a serious blow to their corps of intermediate sprinters/hurdlers during fall training with a knee injury to sophomore Andrew Pearson, who led the team in both the 400 and 400-meter hurdles as a freshman in 2004. Seniors Andy Nelson and Mark Harrison will be looked on to fill the void after competing in last year’s indoor national meet on NU’s ninth-place 4x400-meter relay.

"Mark returns after a great year indoors in the 400," assistant coach Billy Maxwell said. "He could still improve, while Andy Nelson has the ability to be one of Nebraska’s all-time greats in the 400-meter hurdles. I think he’s on the verge of becoming an All-American-type hurdler."

Newcomers Jaron Dock (Nebraska) and Phillip Damaska (Michigan), both former state high school champs in the 400, will also be given the chance to contribute.

Middle Distance
Another impact group of athletes for the 2005 Huskers will be their middle distance crew. Two individual All-Americans return, sophomore Dmitrijs Milkevics and junior Aaron Nasers, while Maxwell cites five sure-fire prospects overall.

Milkevics experienced a record-setting freshman campaign, collecting a pair of All-America honors in the 800 meters to go with his Big 12 Conference indoor title for the same distance. The native of Latvia capped his season with a semifinal-round appearance in the Olympic Games. While already owning the Nebraska indoor school records in the 600-yard and 800-meter runs, it appears the best performances still lie in the future for Milkevics.

"I look for great things from Dmitrijs," Maxwell said. "I think he has an excellent chance to win an NCAA championship this year."

While Nasers also earned All-America status in the 800 last year, his talents may also lend themselves to success in the 1,500-meter run.

"Aaron will probably run both the 800 and 1,500 this year," Maxwell said. "We have a lot of talent in both those areas, and Aaron is definitely near the top of that."

Tim Williams returns for his junior year after an injury-plagued 2004 season. His range of ability should also allow him to compete anywhere from 800 meters to the mile.

A pair of highly regarded in-state runners, Jack Lemke and Greg Peterson, will be given a chance to make their marks. Lemke won the 2004 Nebraska Class A 800-meter title at Omaha Benson, while Peterson claimed the All-Class and Class C gold medals at Oakland-Craig High School.

"Lemke had one of the best 800-meter high school times in the country last year," Maxwell said. "And Peterson is also an outstanding runner."

Distance
One area Nebraska will be looking for improvement in is its distance group. Dana Carne, last year’s highest distance finisher at both conference meets, graduated but three upperclassmen return to add valuable experience in the area.

"Our men’s distance runners should be improved from where we were last year," assistant head coach Jay Dirksen said.

Senior Eric Rasmussen redshirted last season, but should be a factor for NU in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs.

"Eric had a good enough cross country season in the fall that I think he should start running well on the track," Dirksen said.

Meanwhile, senior Kyle Doperalski returns after making a giant leap onto the conference scene when he finished sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at last year’s Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

"Kyle was a nice surprise in the steeplechase last year at the Big 12 meet," Dirksen said. "But the steeple has been rough on him, and he may switch to the 10,000 this year."

Dirksen believes senior Paul Wilson could be this year’s sleeper in the steeplechase.

"Paul, I think, will be a big surprise for us," Dirksen said. "We’re really excited about him running the steeplechase with the way he’s looked during fall training. There may be people wondering just where in the world this guy came from."

Throws
The Huskers lost one of the most decorated athletes in school history with the graduation of four-time NCAA shot put champion Carl Myerscough. Assistant coach Mark Colligan believes he has a few athletes who can step out of Myerscough’s long shadow and aid NU’s bid at a repeat sweep of the conference championships.

Redshirt freshman Bubba Kramer and sophomore transfer Chase Beideck will attempt to fill the giant void left in both the shot put and discus.

Kramer spent 2004 honing his skills in both events while recovering from a wrist injury. Beideck arrives at NU after qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships in the shot put at Nebraska-Kearney.

"Bubba’s recovered from his wrist injury and is shaping into a star of the future in the shot put," Colligan said. "Along with Chase (Beideck), both will be a bit of a surprise in the conference as to how much their discus has come along."

Sophomore Issar Yazhbin claimed the Big 12 championship in the hammer throw in his first attempt last year, while just missing out on an NCAA Championships bid. He should make a run at a trip to nationals this year, while also advancing in the weight throw.

"I have nothing but the highest expectations of Issar this year," Colligan said. "He has also found an appetite for the weight throw, and I think he will excel in that this year, too."

Tom Donlin returns in his junior year as the Huskers’ proven leader in the weight throw, having claimed bronze at last year’s conference championships. Colligan expects Donlin to further his development in the hammer throw, just like Yazhbin in the weight throw.

"Tom holds the possibility to step up and qualify for nationals in the weight throw," Colligan said, "and has had another year to adjust to the hammer. He should be improved there."

Other young athletes Colligan recognizes as up-and-comers include sophomore Adam Evans and redshirt freshman Samuel Morris, although both are still relatively inexperienced.

Nebraska will rely on a cast of untested athletes in the javelin, although Colligan is pleased with the effort invested by each to learn the event. Sophomore Matt Senske and freshman Thorin Meyer could be major contributors in that area.

Jumps
NU has a wealth of experience returning in the long and triple jump events in 2005. Arturs Abolins and Daniel Roper each turned in outstanding freshman campaigns and scored in both the 2004 indoor and outdoor conference meets.

Pepin has one of the Big 12 Conference’s finest long jumpers in Abolins, who claimed the 2004 indoor conference title, and just missed out on All-America honors by finishing ninth at the NCAA outdoor meet. Along with the long jump, Abolins will also attempt to aid the men’s team in other events this year.

"Arturs is a fine long jumper for us," Pepin said. "But he needs to contribute for us in more than a single event, and I think he’ll do a good job with the sprints, as well."

Roper returns for his sophomore year as the Huskers’ top triple jump performer. After respective finishes of fifth and fourth at the 2004 indoor and outdoor conference meets, Pepin has high expectations for Roper in both the triple and long jump events.

"Daniel, right now, is better in the triple jump than the long jump," Pepin said. "But, before all is said and done, he’s going to be a fine jumper for us in both."

The Huskers added a pair of accomplished high school horizontal jumpers to this year’s squad in Demea Carter and LeRon Williams. Though both freshmen compiled successful prep careers, adjusting to college competition will not be easy.

"Those long and triple jumpers had good high school careers," Pepin said. "Whether they’ll develop fast enough to score for us this year, I’m not sure."

With the losses of Travis Baker and Kyle Odvody, who both produced top-10 conference finishes last season, the return of junior Aaron Plas will prove especially important to a young and talented group of NU high jumpers this season.

Plas tied for eighth at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, while earning seventh place at the outdoor meet. He also will try to earn a return trip to the NCAA Championships after missing out during the last campaign. Plas finished 14th at indoor nationals as a freshman in 2003.

A trio of highly touted newcomers joins the NU high jump ranks this year. Dusty Jonas was a two-time Texas prep runner-up who has recorded a personal-best leap of 7-3, while Patrick Burke (Class A) and Sean Jamison (Class C) both claimed 2004 Nebraska state high school championships.

"We added some solid high school high jump prospects," Pepin said. "Once again, though, they are still freshmen. We’ll have to see how they work out for us this year."

Pole Vault
Nebraska will be missing a lot of talent in the pole vault this year following the graduation of former national champion Eric Eshbach and All-American Brad Teeple. Both athletes ranked on NU’s top-five career-best indoor and outdoor performance lists. The potential of several talented returnees and newcomers should soften the losses considerably.

Junior Ray Scotten, a transfer from Southern Illinois, arrives at Nebraska sporting a long resume. The former Indiana state high school champion vaulted his way to All-America status as a Saluki when he claimed fifth at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships. Scotten’s career-best height of 18-0 3/4 would rank second on NU’s all-time outdoor performance list.

"Ray is a motivated athlete, a hard worker who has made some technical changes this year," assistant coach Rick Attig said. "I see Ray consistently vaulting in the 18-foot range, and maybe eventually getting into the mid- to high-18s."

Sophomore Gable Baldwin possesses the potential to also soar high for the Huskers, both this year and in the future.

"I think Gable is going to try to be right there with (Scotten)," Attig said.

Two athletes Attig cites as making great strides during the fall training season are juniors Nic Petersen and Danny Tylka.

"Nic has had a tremendous fall, with a lot of gains in his technique," Attig said. "I think he can end up having a really good year. Danny Tylka also had a very good fall, and I think he will jump well."

Junior Patrick Southern rounds out an impressive group of returning NU pole vaulters. Southern should see gains in his performance this year, as well.

The Huskers brought in a group of four freshmen vaulters to compete this season in Adam Froelich, Zachary Holoch, Daniel Wallace and Nick Watson. While their progress probably will not be critical to NU’s success this season, their development will play a key role in the fortunes of future Husker squads.

Multi-Events
With former Big 12 indoor heptathlon champion Chris Richardson gone, Attig will look to a group of three athletes to provide scoring opportunities at the conference and national championships in 2005.

Senior Jesse Colburn returns from a knee injury that hampered him during much of the 2004 outdoor season and forced him to miss the decathlon at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Colburn earned fourth place in the heptathlon at the indoor conference meet.

"I think Jesse is going to have a good year," Attig said. "His knee didn’t seem to be bothering him this fall."

Senior Kyle Goerl is another athlete who has performed well on the conference level. He finished eighth in the decathlon at last year’s outdoor conference meet and should be one of the Huskers’ main competitors this fall.

Sophomore Lee Martin emerged as a possible star in the decathlon last season at the Audrey Walton Combined Events Carnival after recovering from an injury.

"I feel strongly that he would have placed fairly high last year at the indoor conference meet if he hadn’t been injured," Attig said.

Attig is excited about the emergence of freshmen Skyler Reising and Nathan Kumm, although he believes they will need time to adjust to college competition.