Jonas, Yazhbin Post Big Efforts at Nebraska Open

Lincoln?Nebraska’s first home outdoor meet of the season proved to be an overwhelming success, as several Huskers completed the weekend with phenomenal marks during the Nebraska Open at NU’s Ed Weir Stadium. Among the notable Huskers with solid days included junior Dusty Jonas, who swept the men’s high jump and long jump, and senior Issar Yazhbin, the new school record-holder in the men’s hammer throw.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

NU concluded the day with 15 event victories, while Huskers added 13 regional-qualifying performances, including five new marks.

Yazhbin easily won the men’s hammer with a toss of 207-3 on his fourth of six attempts, which just barely surpassed the former school record of 207-2 set by former Husker Greg Armitage in 1996. Yazhbin’s previous career best of 206-11 was registered during his junior season of 2005 at the Big 12 Championships. He is competing in his final season for NU after utilizing a redshirt in 2006 while dealing with a groin injury.

“Today was very rewarding, because I’ve been working hard all year trying to come back from last season,” Yazhbin said. “I haven’t been having the best of luck this year with things like being sick, but today was good. I had been having a good week in practice, and I finally feel like I’m ready to throw even further.”

Assistant coach Mark Colligan said that Yazhbin’s record should be rewarding considering the past injury problems he was forced to overcome.

“He desperately wanted to be a part of Husker history in that way,” Colligan said. “We didn’t lose hope that he could reach (the record) when he got hurt, but it was a challenge for him. He was aware of it from the time he got on campus, and when he started to set his ambitions that was certainly one of the goals at the top of the list.”

Only Yazhbin’s performance could have overshadowed that of Jonas, who posted big marks while winning both the men’s high jump and long jump events. He started the day by leaping a wind-aided distance of 25-5 ? in the long jump, a personal best by nearly 1 ? feet, while later clearing 7-5 ? in the high jump, which was only a centimeter shy of the 7-5 ? mark he registered as a sophomore in 2006.

Jonas’ efforts vaulted him up alongside the top athletes in the both Big 12 Conference and NCAA performance lists. While his high jump, which now leads the conference and sits third nationally, was no surprise, the long jump effort came virtually out of nowhere. He now ranks second in the Big 12 and sixth nationally for the event after previously never breaking 24 feet in the event during his Husker career.

“I’m actually more excited about the long jump than my high jump today,” Jonas said. “I’ve been working on that, particularly the landing, with (Head Coach Gary Pepin). This week I finally seemed to figure it out. All I wanted was 24 feet and maybe a regional qualification, but I don’t know what got into me today. I was just excited to be here. I was disappointed about yesterday (when he high jumped 7-0 ? at the Drake Relays), and I felt that I really needed to do something.”

Adding a big mark in the long jump was freshman Chante McMillan, who continued her outdoor surge with a wind-aided leap of 20-6 ? that won the women’s long jump. McMillan, who redshirted the indoor season while rehabbing from fall ankle surgery, overtook the Big 12’s top position this season with the personal-best jump. Freshman Danielle Smith also recorded a career best of 41-0 ? while winning the women’s triple jump, a mark that was negated for regional-qualifying purposes due to a +4.3 wind reading, but her No. 2 mark of 40-7 was just under the legal limit to earn her a regional berth.

Other personal bests came from senior Jeni Steiner, who registered a mark of 52-0 to win the women’s shot put; sophomore Chi Kalu who ran respective times of 11.8 and 24.69 in the women’s 100- and 200-meter dash events; senior Casie Witte, who qualified for NCAA regionals for the first time in her career in the women’s javelin (150-2); junior Aaron Bozarth, a first-time regional qualifier in the men’s hammer (184-10); and senior Igor Somda, who broke out in the men’s triple jump with a big-time personal best of 48-7 ?.

Freshman Scott Wims also returned to run for the eighth time this weekend after running seven races Friday through Saturday at the Drake Relays, and he capped the weekend with <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska’s first regional-qualifying performance this season in the men’s 200-meter dash (21.07).

Junior Peter van der Westhuizen is still scheduled to run the 1,500 meters later this evening against some of the nation’s top competitors at the Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. The Husker currently leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally in the event.

Nebraska gears up for the upcoming Big 12 Outdoor Championships by hosting its final regular-season meet, the Nebraska Invitational, Saturday at Ed Weir Stadum. Admission to the meet will be free, and events are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Nebraska Open ? Results
Ed Weir Stadium
Lincoln, Neb.

Women’s 100-Meter Dash
2. Chi Kalu, 11.8 PR

Women’s 200-Meter Dash
2. Chi Kalu, 24.69 PR
9. Casie Witte, 26.42w
10. Kim Shubert, 26.48w
14. Erin Hannon, 27.23

Women’s 800-Meter Run
1. Kim Pancoast, 2:12.64

Women’s 1,500-Meter Run
1. Kim Pancoast, 4:30.4
2. Betsy Miller, 4:48.5
3. Elizabeth Marsh, 4:59.2

Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles
1. Nikita Eades, 13.6
2. Ashley Selig, 13.8
7. Kim Shubert, 14.7
8. Erin Hannon, 15.5

Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles
2. Nikita Eades, 1:03.99
12. Bridget Meduna, 1:13.10

Women’s High Jump
T-2. Ashlee Dickinson, 5-7
T-7. Leandra McGruder, 5-1

Women’s Long Jump
1. Chantae McMillan, 20-6 ?w RQ, PR
2. Leandra McGruder, 19-6 ?
4. Casie Witte, 18-7w

Women’s Triple Jump
1. Danielle Smith, 41-0 ?w +4.3w PR, RQ (40-7w, +3.4)

Women’s Pole Vault
1. Brysun Stately, 13-5 ? RQ
3. Jenny Green, 12-9 ? RQ
7. Lindsey Maher, 11-11 ?

Women’s Shot Put
2. Jeni Steiner, 52-0 RQ, PR
7. Kacie Sharp, 43-8 ?
9. Gyorgyi Farkas, 42-0
13. Ashley Selig 37-8 ?

Women’s Discus
1. Dace Ruskule, 170-0 RQ
6. Kacie Sharp, 145-4

Women’s Hammer Throw
5. Tamara Solari, 166-10
16. Lisa Minnick, 132-5

Women’s Javelin
1. Casie Witte, 150-2 RQ, PR
2. Gyorgyi Farkas, 138-0

Men’s 100-Meter Dash
8. Pat Burke, 11.3w

Men’s 200-Meter Dash
1. Scott Wims, 21.07 RQ

Men’s 800-Meter Run
2. Andrew Lind, 1:55.21

Men’s 1,500-Meter Run
1. Kyle Custer, 4:01.67
5. Mackenzie Jeffrey, 4:07.06

Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles
1. Tyrell Ross, 14.12w
4. Jamie Ryder, 15.05w
11. Skyler Reising, 16.22
14. Aaron Ross, 23.72w (fell)

Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles
5. Tim Grier, 53.04
7. Tyrell Ross, 54.38
9. Jared Gillmore, 54.88

Men’s High Jump
1. Dusty Jonas, 7-5 ? RQ
2. Pat Burke, 6-8 ?

Men’s Pole Vault
2. Zach Holoch, 16-6 ? RQ
T-10. Lee Martin, 13-1 ?
T-10. Skyler Reising, 13-1 ?

Men’s Long Jump
1. Dusty Jonas, 25-5 ?w RQ, PR

Men’s Triple Jump
1. Igor Somda, 48-7 ? PR

Men’s Discus
9. Bryan Bell, 149-0

Men’s Hammer Throw
1. Issar Yazhbin, 207-3 RQ, PR **School Record**
3. Aaron Bozarth, 184-10 RQ, PR
4. Eric Peterson, 178-6

Men’s Javelin
3. Thorin Meyer, 181-5
8. Ryan Petrocchi, 164-4
13. Pat Burke, 153-0
15. Skyler Reising, 147-0

RQ- NCAA regional qualification

PR- Personal-best mark