Huskers Travel to Stanford Invitational

Several members of the Nebraska men's and women's track and field teams begin their 2006 outdoor seasons this weekend by competing in the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. Action begins at 11 a.m. Central on both Friday and Saturday.

A group of 24 athletes, consisting mainly of throwers, is slated for competition this weekend. Fifteen Huskers are entered in throwing events, while only one will compete in a non-throws field event. Eight others are schedulded to compete in running events. A complete list of NU competitors, along with a schedule of events, may be found on page 2 of this week's Husker track & field notes. Live results from the Stanford Invite will be available at the following web site: Live Results

Nebraska's Stanford Invitational Entries
Women
Becky Breisch - Shot Put, Discus
Amber Curtis - Discus, Hammer Throw
Elizabeth Lange - 800m
*Dace Ruskule - Discus
Jamie Senkbile - Hammer Throw
Kacie Sharp - Shot Put, Discus, Hammer Throw
Tamara Solari - Hammer Throw
Jeni Steiner - Shot Put, Discus, Hammer Throw
Kayte Tranel - 10,000m
*Kayla Wilkinson - Javelin
Natalja Zarcenko - 1,500m

Men
Chase Beideck - Shot Put, Discus
Aaron Bozarth - Discus
Tom Donlin - Hammer Throw
*Brett Druba - Javelin
Adam Evans - Hammer Throw
Courtney Jones - 110m Hurdles
Keith Lloyd - Shot Put, Discus, Hammer Throw
*Thorin Meyer - Javelin
Andy Nelson - 400m Hurdles
Andrew Pearson - 400m Hurdles
Aaron Plas - High Jump
Aaron Ross - 110m Hurdles
Gatis Spunde - 400m Hurdles
Peter van der Westhuizen - 1,500m

*-Will make 2006 season debut.

Added Outdoor Events Provide Boost
Both the NU men's and women's teams will receive a boost from additional events held during the outdoor season. The Husker women will greatly benefit from the added throwing disciplines, chiefly the discus and javelin, while the men return NCAA qualifiers in the 400-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter relay.

The discus will be one of the women's squad's deepest events, as 2004 NCAA champion Becky Breisch, who also won the USATF title last summer, returns after redshirting during the 2005 outdoor campaign. Breisch should be considered the overwhelming favorite to claim her second NCAA title, as her career best would have won last year's national meet by more than 13 feet.

Another Husker talent in the discus is Dace Ruskule, a 2004 Olympian who won the Big 12 title last spring. While Ruskule struggled at the 2005 NCAA outdoor meet, she ranked among the nation's top five athletes for the entire season. Amber Curtis, who qualified for the NCAA Midwest Regional as a freshman last year, also returns.

Kayla Wilkinson opens her junior season in the javelin already as one of Nebraska's best in the event. After notching the school's No. 2 all-time performance and winning her first Big 12 title as a sophomore in 2005, Wilkinson looks to take the next step to All-American status this season.

On the men's side, Mark Harrison returns after sitting out the indoor season due to exhausted eligibility. Harrison made huge gains in the 400-meter hurdles near the end of the 2005 outdoor campaign and finished 17th in the prelims at the NCAA Championships. He should also give NU another talented pair of legs in the 4x400-meter relay. Other Huskers who will compete in the intermediate hurdles include Andrew Pearson, Andy Nelson and Gatis Spunde.

Three members of Nebraska's 4x100-meter relay returns for the second straight season with hopes of another Big 12 championship. Last season's team of Arturs Abolins, Oliver Williams Jr., Nate Probasco and Dusty Stamer broke the school record after claiming a second straight conference title. With only Stamer to replace this year, the Huskers once again hold the potential to be dangerous in the event.

Baker Hits Provisional Standard
Five Husker multi-event athletes opened Nebraska's 2006 outdoor season last week at the Jim Click Combined Events in Tucson, Ariz.

Sara Jane Baker registered a personal-best score of 5,485 (wind aided) while finishing second in the women's heptathlon. She met the NCAA provisional qualification for the third straight year during the competition, and was only 15 points shy of the automatic standard. Baker set one individual event best with a throw of 133-0 in the javelin. She earned her first Big 12 Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Week honor for the performance.

Kim Shubert also set a career-best total of 4,723 points while claiming seventh place in the heptathlon.

Three Husker men competed in their first decathlons of 2006, including Lee Martin, who placed third in Group 1 (10th overall) with 6,528 points (wind aided). Skyler Reising (6,293w) and Pat Burke (6,256) each competed in the decathlon for the first time as Huskers and finished fifth (12th overall) and seventh (15th overall), respectively, in Group 1.

Eight Huskers Named All-Americans
Eight members of the Nebraska men’s and women’s track and field teams officially were named NCAA Indoor All-Americans last week by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Each athlete competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this month.

Arturs Abolins, who won his first NCAA title in the men’s long jump, and Sara Jane Baker, who tied for 11th place in the women’s high jump, were the only Huskers to be honored for the first time in their careers. Becky Breisch, the fourth-place finisher in the women’s shot put, claimed the ninth honor of her career, while Priscilla Lopes won her seventh award after finishing second in the women’s 60-meter hurdles.

Other Husker award winners included Ashley Selig (fifth career honor), who earned fifth place in the women’s pentathlon; Dusty Jonas (third career honor) and Aaron Plas (third career honor), the fifth- and seventh-place finishers in the men’s high jump; and Ray Scotten (fourth career honor), who finished 11th in the men’s pole vault.

In Division I track and field, the top eight finishers in each event at the NCAA Indoor Championships, including relays, earn All-America status. In the individual (non-relay) events, if one or more of the top eight finishers are of another nationality, eight American-born athletes are selected in addition to any foreign-born All-Americans.

Abolins Wins First NCAA Title
Arturs Abolins polished off one of the most successful indoor seasons in school history with his first national title in the long jump earlier this month.

The Riga, Latvia, native won the first NCAA long jump crown in Nebraska history at the NCAA Indoor Championships after breaking the school record with a leap of 26-7 1/4 on his final attempt to overtake Texas A&M's Fabrice Lapierre for first place.

Prior to the attempt, Abolins trailed Lapierre by 3 3/4 inches with his mark of 26-0 3/4, which he recorded on his final attempt of three preliminary jumps. He barely reached the finals of the event, jumping only 20-0 1/4 and fouling on his two attempts prior to the 26-0 3/4 leap.

Abolins had never broken the 26-foot mark in his career before the meet. His previous career best of 25-9 1/2 was recorded on the same Tyson track one month prior at the Tyson Invitational. He jumped 25-8 1/4 in late February to earn his second career Big 12 indoor title. Abolins concluded off a tremendous indoor season that saw him go undefeated against collegiate competitors.