Huskers Set to Play Host to Big 12 Championships

Lincoln?Nebraska welcomes the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships to Lincoln for the first time this weekend, as the Huskers prepare to host their first outdoor conference meet at Ed Weir Stadium since 1996 this Friday through Sunday. NU will have a chance to reach the century mark in all-time conference championships with a sweep of the team titles.

The Big 12 meet marks NU's first team-scored event of the 2007 outdoor season. Both Husker teams will be searching for their first individual champion of the year, as neither squad featured a winner at the Big 12 indoor meet back in late February at Ames, Iowa. Despite recording no wins, the men's team was able to tie Texas for the 98th conference victory in school history.

Rosters for the Big 12 outdoor meet are limited to 32 athletes each for the men's and women's teams. An individual may be entered in any number of events, provided they compete in each event. As usual, a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 team scoring system will be utilized. Nebraska's 2007 Big 12 outdoor rosters are listed below.

Friday's opening session will consist mainly of combined event action with the first half of both the women's heptathlon and men's decathlon competitions, but the men's and women's discus and 10,000-meter run finals will each be held on the first day. All preliminary track events will take place Saturday afternoon and early evening following the conclusion of multi-events. Remaining field event finals will be split evenly between Saturday and Sunday, while running event finals will begin at 1:15 p.m. Sunday.

All-session tickets are available for $15 and can be purchased in advance by visiting the NU ticket office web site or calling  800-8-BIGRED. Single-session tickets, priced $8 for adults and $6 for ages high school and younger, will be available beginning May 11.

Complete coverage from the Big 12 Outdoor Championships can be found throughout the week by visiting the meet homepage on Huskers.com. Live results will be provided during the meet by Delta Timing Group. A schedule of events is listed here, while Nebraska's final Championships rosters will be released Thursday afternoon on Huskers.com.

> Nebraska's 2007 Big 12 Outdoor Championships Rosters
Women (28)
Athlete?Declared Events
Epley Bullock?High Jump
Rachel Carrizales?3,000m Steeplechase
Joslyn Dalton?3,000m Steeplechase
Ashlee Dickinson?High Jujmp
Nikita Eades?100m Hurdles
Gy?rgyi Farkas?Javelin
Jenny Green?Pole Vault
Erin Hannon?Heptathlon; High Jump
Chi Kalu?100m; 200m
Lindsey Maher?Pole Vault
Leandra McGruder?Long Jump; Triple Jump
Chantae McMillan?Long Jump
Betsy Miller?800m; 1,500m
Lisa Minnick?Hammer Throw
Sheryl Morgan?400m Hurdles
Kim Pancoast?800m; 1,500m; 5,000m
Justine Roach?400m Hurdles
Dace Ruskule?Discus
Ashley Selig?Heptathlon
Kacie Sharp?Shot Put; Discus
Kim Shubert?Heptathlon; High Jump
Danielle Smith?Triple Jump
Tamara Solari?Hammer Throw
Brysun Stately?Pole Vault
Jeni Steiner?Shot Put; Discus
Zarinah Suluki-Drakes?Long Jump; Triple Jump
Casie Witte?Heptathlon; High Jump; Javelin
Natalja Zarcenko?1,500m

Men (32)
Athlete?Declared Events
Arturs Abolins?Long Jump
Gable Baldwin?Pole Vault
Bryan Bell?Hammer Throw
Aaron Bozarth?Hammer Throw
Pat Burke?Decathlon; High Jump
Kyle Custer?1,500m; 3,000m Steeplechase
Dax Danns?100m; 200m
Tim Grier?400m Hurdles
Zac Holoch?Pole Vault
Lukas Hulett?400m
Dusty Jonas?High Jump; Long Jump; Triple Jump
Andr?s Lics?k?800m
Andrew Lind?800m
Ethan Luebbe?800m
Lee Martin?Decathlon; High Jump
Thorin Meyer?Javelin
Chris Nuttelman?Triple Jump
Brian Parr?3,000m Steeplechase
Andrew Pearson?400m Hurdles
Eric Petersen?Hammer Throw
Nic Petersen?Pole Vault
Nate Probasco?200m
Robert Rands?Long Jump
Skyler Reising?Decathlon; High Jump
Daniel Roper?Long Jump; Triple Jump
Aaron Ross?110m Hurdles
Tyrell Ross?110m Hurdles
Erwin Schmidt?800m
Vince Sickler?1,500m
Peter van der Westhuizen?1,500m
Scott Wims?100m; 200m
Issar Yazhbin?Hammer Throw

> Nebraska Big 12 Outdoor Bits
● The Husker women are in search of their eighth Big 12 title, including their third outdoor crown (2000, 2005).
● The men will attempt to earn their fifth sweep of the indoor and outdoor titles in the Big 12's 11-year existence (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004).
● NU leads the Big 12 with 13 men's Big 12 titles and is tied for first with Texas with four outdoor wins.
● Daniel Roper can become the first Husker male four-time triple jump conference champ with a victory Sunday.
● Nate Probasco would become NU's first repeat outdoor 200-meter champion since Olympic gold medal-winner Charlie Greene accomplished the feat (1966-67).
● Ashley Selig will look to become NU's first two-time conference champ in the outdoor heptathlon.
● Arturs Abolins will attempt to match Corburn Thomson's (1929-31) record of four conference long jump titles.

> <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships...The Last 10 Years
Women
Year?Place?NU Finish (Points)?Champion (Points)?NU Individual Titles
2006?Waco, Texas?Third (100.5)?Texas (131)?Four
2005?Manhattan, Kan.?First (126.67)?Nebraska (126.67)?Five
2004?Norman, Okla.?Second (139.5)?Texas (151)?Six
2003?Austin, Texas?Second (130.67)?Texas (188)?Five
2002?Columbia, Mo.?Third (117.5)?KansasState (121)?Three
2001?College Station, Texas?Second (117.5)?KansasState (128.25)?Two
2000?Columbia, Mo.?First (169)?Nebraska (169)?Four
1999?Waco, Texas?Fourth (97)?Texas (168)?Two
1998?Columbia, Mo.?Second (113)?Texas (151)?Three<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Men
Year?Place?NU Finish (Points)?Champion (Points)?NU Individual Titles
2006?Waco, Texas?Second (90.5)?Texas (135)?Three
2005?Manhattan, Kan.?Second (136)?Texas Tech (149.50)?Three
2004?Norman, Okla.?First (172)?Nebraska (172)?Five
2003?Austin, Texas?Third (113)?Texas (132)?Three
2002?Columbia, Mo.?First (143)?Nebraska (143)?Three
2001?College Station, Texas?Seventh (59)?Texas A&M (159)?None
2000?Columbia, Mo.?First (134)?Nebraska (134)?One
1999?Waco, Texas?Second (128)?Texas (151)?One
1998?Columbia, Mo.?First (155)?Nebraska (155)?Five

> Enhanced Ed Weir Stadium Ready for Big 12 Championships
While Nebraska owns a long history of playing host to the Big 12 Indoor Championships at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, the program will host an outdoor conference meet for the first time this weekend since the final Big 8 Outdoor Championships in 1996. In fact, this weekend will mark the site's first championship meet of any kind since the inaugural NCAA Midwest Regional in 2003.

Ed Weir Stadium has undergone several improvements in the last few years, including a complete replacement of surfaces in 2000, when NU celebrated the facility's 25-year anniversary with a $2 million upgrade to the current Mondo synthetic rubber track.

Nebraska's recent additions of the Hawks Championship Center and Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex also have benefited the track. The Hawks facility provides the program with a second indoor training facility and additional locker room space, restrooms and concessions areas, while a new media area was included in the Osborne Complex.

> Talented Field to Visit Ed Weir Stadium
The arrival of the Big 12 Outdoor Championships to Ed Weir Stadium signals that another world-class field of athletes will be featured in competition in Lincoln. NU served as host for six straight Big 12 indoor meets from 2001 through 2006.

Highlighting this year's field will be some staggering totals including 20 NCAA champions, 94 All-Americans (with 192 career honors) and 26 returning 2006 Big 12 outdoor champions. Big 12 athletes currently own 34 top-five positions on the NCAA's season performance list, as well as five top-ranked athletes.

Nebraska's Dace Ruskule is the lone conference holdover who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

For a complete team-by-team breakdown of the 2007 Big 12 outdoor field, see page 6 of this week's Husker Track & Field Notes.

> Eight Huskers Look for Repeat Big 12 Performances
Nebraska boasts nine former Big 12 champions on its 2007 roster, including eight who will compete this weekend. Two Husker men will attempt to defend 2006 outdoor conference crowns: Nate Probasco (200 meters) and Daniel Roper (triple jump).

Probasco won his second career Big 12 200-meter championship last season to go along with a pair of previous titles in the 4x100-meter relay. He leads all active Huskers?men or women?with four titles. Close behind is Roper, who became the first Husker ever to sweep the indoor and outdoor triple jump last season for his third career titles.

Also with three Big 12 crowns are Arturs Abolins and Ashley Selig. Selig, who did not compete during the indoor season, has won three straight women's Big 12 combined events challenges in which she has competed, dating back to the 2005 indoor season. Abolins will be competing in his first Big 12 meet of the year after missing the indoor championships with a calf muscle injury.

For a complete list of NU's Big 12 champions, see page 5 of this week's Husker Track & Field Notes.

> Graduates Lead NU in Big 12 Tune-Up
Nebraska dodged several strong thunderstorms on Saturday while playing host to its final dress rehearsal for the Big 12 Championships with the Nebraska Invite.

Headlining the meet for NU were individuals who won 16 event titles. Three wins also were recorded by a pair of women who earned their degrees earlier Saturday.

Jeni Steiner celebrated graduation with her finest career meet as a Husker, as she set personal-best marks while winning both the women’s shot put and discus events. One week after reaching 52 feet in the shot for the first time in her career, Steiner extended the mark by more than 1 1/2 feet with a winning distance of 53-8 1/2 on her final attempt.

Steiner added victory in the discus with a lifetime-best throw of 170-10, marking the first time in 2007 that she had claimed multiple individual event titles in a meet.

In addition to Steiner, Casie Witte claimed an event title in the women’s long jump (18-5 3/4) after receiving a diploma earlier in the day.

Six Huskers added brand-new NCAA regional qualifications during the day, including those by:
● Nate Probasco?Ran 20.67 in the 200-meters dash, only 0.08 off the school record he tied in 2005.
● Joslyn Dalton?Notched NU's fastest time of the year in the women's steeplechase (10:48.18).
● Kim Pancoast?Ran 4:26.28 in the 1,500 meters after graduating earlier in the day.
● Daniel Roper?Leaped an outdoor career-best 24-8 1/4 in the long jump.
● Dusty Jonas?Earned his team-leading third regional qualification with a mark of 49-5 1/2 in the triple jump.
● Sheryl Morgan?Regionally qualified in the first attempt at the 400 meters for an NU woman this season (53.24).

> NU Records Falling Like Rain this Spring
Following an indoor season that featured not a single school-record-setting performance, Huskers picked up the pace outdoors with four such efforts in a 10-day period in mid-April.

The Nebraska men's 4x200-meter relay team of Scott Wims, Lukas Hulett, Dax Danns and Nate Probasco got the ball rolling by clocking a time of 1:23.12 at the Kansas Relays on April 20, erasing the previous mark of 1:23.27 set in 1987 by a squad comprised of former Huskers Bill Trott, Dave Burrage, Mark Perry and Bob Jelks. The record lasted only a week, as the same Husker team re-set its own mark at 1:22.62 during the Drake Relays on April 27.

Brysun Stately followed up NU's first record of 2007 with one of her own in the women's pole vault on April 21 at KU. Stately shattered the Husker record in the event with a winning clearance of 14-3 1/4 to become the first NU women's athlete ever to surpass the 14-foot mark.

The performance eclipsed the former NU record held by teammate Jenny Green, who vaulted 13-11 1/4 as a freshman at the 2004 Texas Relays to set what was then a Big 12 Conference record. Stately tied Green’s mark on the attempt prior to setting the record, as she reached 13-11 1/4 on her third try to keep herself in the competition.

Stately became the first NCAA athlete to clear 14 feet outdoors this season, and the height was nearly a half foot better than all other national marks recorded prior to the weekend. She also tied the Kansas Relays record set in 2004 by Andrea Dutoit.

The most recent school record to fall came at the hands of Issar Yazhbin in the hammer throw on April 29 during the Nebraska Open. Yazhbin recorded a mark of 207-3 to break Greg Armitage's 1996 record of 207-2 by an inch on his fourth of six attempts. Yazhbin previously ranked second on NU's list at 206-11, which he registered during the 2005 Big 12 outdoor meet.

> Jonas Leads Husker Regional Qualifiers
Of Nebraska's 37 NCAA Midwest Regional qualifiers, none have done more to bolster his team's title hopes this season than Dusty Jonas. The five-time All-American leads the squad with three regional qualifications in individual events.

While his high jump effort of 7-5 1/4 comes as no surprise?he has finished as the NCAA runner-up in the event twice during his career?Jonas' long jump and triple jump qualifications certainly do. The Husker junior had never broken 24 feet during his career in the long jump prior to a 25-5 1/2 leap two weeks ago, and he followed that breakout performance with his first career regional mark in the triple jump during his first attempt of the year.

Four other Huskers?Nate Probasco (200), Lukas Hulett (400), Scott Wims (100, 200) and Dax Danns (100)?own regional marks in their individual events to go with a pair of such qualifications in the men's 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays.

Casie Witte paces the women's team with regional marks in the high jump and javelin after having provisionally qualified for the NCAA meet in the heptathlon.

> Nebraska’s 2007 NCAA Outdoor Qualifiers
Women
NCAA Outdoor Championships Qualifiers
Name.............. ......................... Event   Mark (NCAA rank)
Ashley Selig... ........ Heptathlon (auto)   5,595 (9th)
Casie Witte.... ......... Heptathlon (prov)   5,255 (22nd)

 

NCAA Midwest Regional Qualifiers
Name.............. ......................... Event   Mark (NCAA rank)
Epley Bullock. .................. High Jump   5-10 3/4 (t22nd)
Rachel Carrizales............ 3,000m SC   10:49.81 (96th)
Joslyn Dalton. ................. 3,000m SC   10:48.18 (86th)
Nikita Eades... ............. 100m Hurdles   13.85 (77th)
Jenny Green.. .................. Pole Vault   12-9 1/2 (t40th)
Leandra McGruder.......... Triple Jump   40-6 1/4 (92nd)
Chantae McMillan............ Long Jump   20-6 1/4 (t100th)
Sheryl Morgan......................... 400m   53.24 (30th)
                                     400m Hurdles   58.52 (17th)
Kim Pancoast. ...................... 1,500m   4:26.28 (89th)
Dace Ruskule. ....................... Discus   180-5 (4th)
Ashley Selig... .................. High Jump   5-8 3/4 (t51st)
Kim Shubert... .................. High Jump   5-10 3/4 (t22nd)
Danielle Smith................ Triple Jump   40-7 (t94th)
Brysun Stately .................. Pole Vault   14-3 1/4 (1st)
Jeni Steiner... .................... Shot Put   53-8 1/2 (11th)
                                               Discus   170-10 (20th)
Z. Suluki-Drakes............... Long Jump   19-9 (t70th)
                                        Triple Jump   42-0 1/2 (t27th)
Casie Witte.... .................. High Jump   5-10 1/2 (t33rd)
                                               Javelin   150-2 (53rd)
Natalja Zarcenko..................... 800m   2:09.59 (t90th)
                                              1,500m   4:21.57 (30th)

 

Men
NCAA Outdoor Championships Qualifiers
Name........... ........................... Event   Mark (NCAA rank)
Lee Martin... ............ Decathlon (prov)   7,010 (27th)

 

NCAA Midwest Regional Qualifiers
Name........... ........................... Event   Mark (NCAA Rank)
Arturs Abolins.................. Long Jump   24-11 3/4(17th)
Gable Baldwin.................. Pole Vault   17-2 3/4 (t16th)
Aaron Bozarth............ Hammer Throw   184-10 (115th)
Dax Danns... ........................... 100m   10.50w (t66th)
Tim Grier..... ............... 400m Hurdles   51.36 (23rd)
Zach Holoch .................... Pole Vault   16-6 3/4 (t39th)
Lukas Hulett ........................... 400m   46.65 (31st)
Dusty Jonas. .................... High Jump   7-5 1/4 (3rd)
                     .................... Long Jump   25-5 1/2 (6th)
                     ................... Triple Jump   49-5 1/2 (t68th)
Chris Nuttelman.............. Triple Jump   49-10 (51st)
Brian Parr.... ................... 3,000m SC   8:58.30 (32nd)
Andrew Pearson.......... 400m Hurdles   51.99 (60th)
Nic Petersen .................... Pole Vault   16-6 3/4 (t39th)
Nate Probasco......................... 200m   20.67 (8th)
Daniel Roper................... Triple Jump   51-8 1/4 (t14th)
                     .................... Long Jump   24-8 1/4 (t32nd)
Aaron Ross.. ............... 110m Hurdles   13.99 (26th)
Tyrell Ross... ............... 110m Hurdles   14.00w (t27th)
Peter van der Westhuizen  ..... 800m   1:50.04 (t51st)
                     ......................... 1,500m   3:41.74 (8th)
Scott Wims.. ........................... 100m   10.40w (t29th)
                     ........................... 200m   21.07 (t53rd)
Issar Yazhbin....................... Hammer   207-3 (25th)
Relays......... ........................ 4x100m   40.21 (22nd)
                                              4x400m   3:06.09 (5th)

> Parr Ends NU Steeplechase Drought
Brian Parr has had a solid freshman season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase capped by a time of 8:58.30 during a runner-up performance at the Drake Relays on April 28. His time at Drake marked the fastest by a Husker in the event in nearly a decade, as former Huskers David Olson (8:50.15) and Jeroen Broekzitter (8:51.89) each broke the nine-minute barrier back in 1997.

Parr opened his Husker outdoor career with a bang, as the redshirt freshman met the NCAA regional standard in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase by winning Section 3 at the Stanford Invitational on March 31 with a then-personal-best time of 9:05.95.

With the time, Parr became the first Husker to record a regional qualifying mark in the men's steeplechase since the NCAA instituted the regional format in 2003.

> Husker Relays Solid at Drake
Nebraska wasted little time in receiving solid efforts from its men's relays this season, as the 4x100- and 4x400-meter groups each qualified for regionals in their first opportunities this season during the Texas Relays.

Dax Danns, Lukas Hulett and Nate Probasco each ran on both relay squads, with Scott Wims (4x100) and Andrew Pearson (4x400) interchanged between the groups. The 4x100 relay posted a time of 40.48 to finish sixth in the prelims (since improved to 40.34), while the 4x400 relay clocked the prelims' fastest time of 3:07.67.

Those times were further lowered at the Drake Relays, as the teams recorded new season bests of 40.21 and 3:06.09, respectively. While the 400-meter time came from the same foursome during the Drake prelims, the 1,600-meter crew lined up with Danns instead of Pearson for both prelim and final heats. The squad also ran under 3:07 during the prelims.

The only returning member of both relays from last year is Probasco, but Pearson ran on the 2004 indoor edition that placed ninth at the NCAA Championships. Each of the other three athletes is a true freshman. The best times that NU managed to run in 2006 were 39.70 for the 4x100 and 3:07.37 for the 4x400.

> Stately Vaults to NCAA Lead
Brysun Stately accomplished more than just setting a school record with her phenomenal performance at the Kansas Relays. More than two weeks later, her pole vault mark of 14-3 1/4 still sits atop the NCAA's season performance list.

Stately is the lone Husker to garner a No. 1 national ranking in 2007. Outside the collegiate realm, the effort helped her surpass the "A" qualifying standard to this summer's USATF Championships for the first time in her career. The two-time All-American is the highest-ranked Husker on the USATF's season performance list at No. 4.

On the world list, Stately currently sits tied for 10th in the pole vault. Her mark surpassed the IAAF's "B" standard for both the 2007 World Championships and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

> Abolins Continues Progress in Long Jump
The NCAA championship defense of Arturs Abolins officially began at the Texas Relays, as the Husker senior saw his first competition of the season in the men's long jump with a fifth-place leap of 24-7 (wind-aided). He has continued to show progress in his attempted return to the form that won him two NCAA titles a year ago.

Abolins, who missed nearly the entire indoor season with a strained calf muscle, took the first step by earning a qualification to the regional meet with his performance in Austin. He followed up that effort with a winning leap of 24-10 at the John Jacobs Invitational, and he inched closer to the 25-foot plateau with a mark of 24-11 3/4 at Drake. While he has yet to even approach his career best, he still ranks 17th nationally in the event this spring.

> NU Collects Three Big 12 AOW Awards
While Nebraska concluded the indoor season without earning a Big 12 athlete-of-the-week honor for the first time in recent memory, a productive outdoor season has led to three Huskers receiving conference accolades:
● Dace Ruskule?April 3, placed as the top collegian in the women's discus at the Stanford Invitational.
● Brysun Stately?April 24, broke the school record in the pole vault with the NCAA's top mark this season.
● Dusty Jonas?May 1, registered top-six NCAA efforts in the high jump and long jump at the Nebraska Open.

> Husker Record-Book Climbers
The 2007 outdoor season has seen several Huskers move into the school's top-10 performance list for their respective events. In all, Huskers have registered 17 new top-10 marks during the campaign:

John Jacobs Invite/Mt. SAC Relays (April 12-13):
● Rachel Carrizales?Ran the No. 3 time of 10:51.71 in the women's steeplechase.
● Joslyn Dalton?Ran the No. 4 time (11:06.31) in the women's steeplechase.
● Peter van der Westhuizen?Ran the No. 5 time (3:41.74) for the men's 1,500 meters, moving up from seventh.
● Sheryl Morgan?Moved up from ninth to eighth on the women's 400 hurdles chart with a time of 59.43.
● Natalja Zarcenko?Entered the women's 1,500-meter rankings at No. 8 with a time of 4:22.55.
● Nikita Eades?Entered the women's 100 hurdles list at 10th with a time of 13.85.

Kansas Relays (April 18-21):
● Casie Witte?Moved into 10th on the women's heptathlon chart with 5,255 points.
● Sheryl Morgan?Moved into eighth on the women's 400-meter hurdles chart with a time of 59.33.
● Brysun Stately?Set the school record in the women's pole vault at 14-3 1/4.
● Zarinah Suluki-Drakes?Entered the women's triple jump top 10 at No. 8 (42-0 1/2).
● Jeni Steiner?Entered the women's discus top 10 at No. 10 (169-1).
● Women's 4x100-Meter Shuttle Hurdle Relay?Tied NU's No. 8 all-time mark of 58.80.
● Men's 4x200-Meter Relay?Set the school record with a time of 1:23.12.

Penn Relays (April 26):
● Sheryl Morgan?Ran the No. 6 400 hurdles time of 58.56, moving up from eighth place.

Drake Relays (April 27-28):
● Men's 4x200-Meter Relay?Broke its week-old school record with at time of 1:22.62.
● Natalja Zarcenko?Moved into fifth on NU's women's 1,500-meter chart in 4:21.57.

Nebraska Open (April 29):
● Issar Yazhbin?Broke the school record for the men's hammer throw with a toss of 207-3.
● Dusty Jonas?Became NU's No. 6 all-time performer in the men's long jump with a wind-aided leap of 25-5 1/2.
● Casie Witte?Moved into fifth place on NU's women's javelin list with a throw of 150-2.
● Lindsey Maher?Moved into ninth place on NU's women's pole vault chart at 11-11 3/4.

Nebraska Invitational (May 5):
● Joslyn Dalton?Moved from fourth to third on NU's women's steeplechase list (10:48.18).
● Jeni Steiner?Moved into ninth from 10th on the women's discus chart (170-10).

For a complete updated list of NU's outdoor records, see pages 23-24 of this week's Husker Track & Field Notes.

> Successful Opening Heptathlon for Selig
Ashley Selig competed for the first time in a combined events challenge for Nebraska since the 2006 indoor season at the Texas Relays, as she earned an automatic berth in the women's heptathlon for the NCAA outdoor meet.

Selig totaled a score of 5,595 points, easily passing the auto standard of 5,500 while finishing in fifth place. She also managed to record a personal best of 24.89 (wind-aided) in the 200 meters during the competition. Selig currently ranks seventh nationally with the heptathlon score, while she leads all Big 12 athletes in the quest for her second career conference title in the event.

The Lincoln, Neb., native is competing this season after a year-long layoff that saw her redshirt the 2006 outdoor season while rehabbing from recurring back and hip injuries. She was ineligible to compete during the past indoor season because of exhausted eligibility.

> Huskers in the 'Dandy Dozen'
The Trackwire 25 projection of the 2007 outdoor season was updated this week with both Husker squads keeping spots in the rankings. The NU women, boosted by recent performances by Jeni Steiner in the throws, are tied for 16th this week, while the men's squad earned a share of the 22nd position.

The Trackwire scoring is calculated by track and field statistician Gary Verigin, who utilizes an individual event rankings system named the 'Dandy Dozen.' Huskers among the 'Dandy Dozen' athlete rankings included:

Women
Brysun Stately, PV?2nd
Dace Ruskule, DT?6th
Jeni Steiner, SP?8th; DT?7th
Sheryl Morgan, 400h?10th
Ashley Selig, Hep?11th

Men
Dusty Jonas, HJ?3rd
4x400m Relay?4th
Arturs Abolins, LJ?7th
P. van der Westhuizen, 1,500m?10th

> Women Ranked 17th in Coaches Poll
Nebraska continued its recent outdoor run in the USTFCCCA track coaches poll after earning the poll's No. 17 position last week. NU was ranked 16th two weeks ago.

The Husker women received a high rating of 19th during the indoor season, but they were only included in the poll's first release before dropping out of the rankings. The NU men, who have yet to receive a spot during the outdoor season, received a top position of No. 7 indoors.

> Wilkinson to Sit Out 2007 Season
The Nebraska women will be without one of their strongest returnees during the outdoor season, as senior Kayla Wilkinson is redshirting while rehabbing from shoulder surgery she underwent during the winter.

Wilkinson became NU's second-highest finisher ever in the women's javelin at the NCAA Championships by placing runner-up as a junior last season. She additionally broke the school record earlier in the year with a mark of 181-2 at the Nebraska Invitational. While Wilkinson would have been the nation's top returning athlete in the javelin this season, she is expected to be completely healthy for the 2008 outdoor season, when she should vie for a spot on the United States' Olympic team.

> NU Men Tie Texas For Big 12 Indoor Crown
Nebraska earned a tie for its ninth Big 12 men’s indoor title, as the team race at the 2007 Big 12 Indoor Championships came down to the final event. NU placed fifth in the women’s race with 69.50 points.

NU benefited from the perfect storm of circumstances to catch up to Texas after finishing third in the men’s 4x400-meter relay to conclude the weekend. The NU squad clocked in with a season-best time of 3:07.90, while UT’s squad failed to earn a top-eight placing to knot the final score at 93-93.

The title marked Nebraska’s 98th all-time conference track championship between both men’s and women’s squads. The victory was due to a total team effort featuring big performances by several athletes, none which finished as individual champions. This marked the Huskers’ first conference championship team that did not feature an individual event winner.

> NCAA Indoor Recap
Nebraska concluded the indoor track season with eight athletes in competition at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Husker men finished among the nation's top 25 teams for the sixth straight season with nine team points, while NU athletes combined for eight All-America honors.

Dusty Jonas nearly single-handedly kept the top-25 streak alive for the NU men after he finished runner-up in the men's high jump for the second time in three seasons. Jonas' final clearance of 7-4 1/2 marked his best ever in NCAA competition while earning him a fifth career All-America finish in as many chances.

The men's 4x400-meter relay team of Nate Probasco and Scott Wims, Daniel Christensen and Lukas Hulett provided an additional point with an eighth-place finish after clocking in at 3:08.68. NU's relay, which was the lone group among the field featuring as many as three freshmen, was the first Husker relay to earn a point at an NCAA meet since 1996.

Hulett's honor marked his second such accolade of the weekend, as he also finished as the eighth American (11th overall) in the men's open 400-meter competition.

Brysun Stately, who finished sixth in the pole vault at the 2006 NCAA outdoor meet as a freshman for USC, registered the lone team scoring for the NU women, as she tied for seventh in the vault at 13-5 1/4.

NU's other women's athlete in action, Epley Bullock, placed ninth in the high jump after tying her career-best height of 6-0. Bullock helped make the Husker freshmen a near-perfect 5-for-6 in All-America finishes during the weekend.