Huskers Heat Up Iowa State Track

The Nebraska men’s and women’s track and field teams closed out their opening road weekend of the season Saturday in Ames, Iowa, at the Iowa State Classic and in Fayetteville, Ark., at the Tyson Invitational. Among NU’s top performances were a pair at <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>IowaState that rank among the nation’s leaders in 2007.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Peter van der Westhuizen posted the fastest time in the indoor mile for the Nebraska men’s team in more than 20 years while winning the event at IowaState in a personal-best clocking of 4:01.79. Only former Huskers Greg Carlberg (3:59.6) and Jean Verster (4:00.64) have notched lower times at NU, with Carlberg’s performance dating back to 1971 and Verster’s extending back to 1986.

 

In addition to van der Westhuizen’s quick time, he also stretched his current unbeaten streak to five races (in four different events) dating back to the season-opening Holiday Inn Invitational. His new personal-best mile time currently ranks 11th among all NCAA athletes for 2007, including second in the Big 12.

 

Nebraska also received an impressive performance from its men’s 4x400-meter relay that earned bronze-medal honors Saturday in a blazing time of 3:08.17. The Huskers fielded a very young group comprised of senior Nate Probasco, redshirt freshman Daniel Christensen and freshmen Scott Wims and Lukas Hulett that earned the squad’s first NCAA provisional qualification in the event since 2004, when NU placed ninth at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

 

Entering the weekend, only Baylor and LSU owned better marks in the NCAA than what Nebraska’s relay turned in on Saturday. The time ranks as the fifth-fastest overall in program history, as well as No. 4-rated mark on an oversized track (more than 200 meters).

 

Other notable Husker performances at Iowa State included those from: redshirt freshman Brian Parr, who ran a personal-best 8:15.21 (10th place) in the men’s 3,000 meters; redshirt freshman Tyrell Ross, who placed seventh in the men’s 60-meter hurdles while tying his career best of 8.01; freshman Epley Bullock, who tied for second in the women’s high jump (5-11 ?); and senior Jeni Steiner, who recorded a season best of 49-11 in the women’s shot put.

 

Meanwhile in Arkansas, senior Gable Baldwin matched the best height this season for the NU men’s team in the pole vault, set Friday by freshman teammate Seth Burney, with a clearance of 17-4 ? in the men’s Championship division. Baldwin’s vault earned sixth place overall and fourth among collegians.

 

Chris Nuttelman continued the solid start to his redshirt freshman season with a career-best leap of 48-7 ? to place fourth overall in the men’s College triple jump. The performance marked the second straight week that Nuttelman eclipsed 48 feet in the event.

 

Also in action was junior Dusty Jonas, who placed fourth in the men’s Championship high jump with a height of 7-1 ?. The event proved to be one of the most competitive of the weekend at the Tyson Invitational, as the top three finishers all reached 7-4 ? or higher. Texas’ Andra Manson posted a winning clearance of 7-7 ?.

                                                                                                              

Nebraska returns to Lincoln to prepare for the upcoming Big 12 Indoor Championships by participating in the Prairie Wolf Invitational on Friday at the Devaney Center Indoor Track. Competition is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.