Morgan Pushes Husker Women to Second-Place Finish

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln?Senior Sheryl Morgan won her first career conference title in the 400-meter hurdles Sunday to help propel the Nebraska women to a solid runner-up finish during the final day of the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships at NU’s Ed Weir Stadium.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

The Husker women, who rode the backs of four individual event champions during the weekend, exceeded all expectations with a final total of 117 team points to finish behind only conference champion Texas A&M (140). NU placed fifth in an extremely balanced men’s team race with 86 points, only 24.5 points behind team champion Oklahoma (110.50), which earned its first career Big 12 crown.

 

Morgan used a late kick during the final 100 meters of the intermediate hurdles to collect NU’s first conference win in the event since Susan Hendrick in 1991. Her winning time of 57.04 ranked third all-time in Husker history.

 

Morgan ended one of the Big 12’s most impressive streaks during her run to victory in 57.04, which marks the nation’s seventh-fastest time this season. She helped NU become the first non-Texas school to win the event at the Big 12 meet, as well as erase Texas’ eight-year run of event champions.

 

“This is my last year and I wanted a gold medal, so I’ve really worked hard,” Morgan said. “I think the crowd helped me to finish this race strong.”

 

Junior Dusty Jonas, who was seeking his first-ever conference title in the men’s high jump, got caught up in what was probably the top competition during the entire 2007 NCAA season so far. Jonas only was able to place third after clearing 7-4 ?, which tied his best height ever at a Big 12 meet. Kansas State’s Scott Sellars won the event after breaking both the Ed Weir Stadium and Big 12 meet records with a clearance of 7-7 ?. Texas’ Andra Manson earned silver honors at 7-6 ?, which also surpassed the previous facility standard.

 

In addition to Jonas, Huskers claimed bronze-medal finishes in five other events Sunday: freshman Brian Parr (9:04.28) in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase; junior Peter van der Westhuizen (3:46.06) in the men’s 1,500 meters; senior Aaron Ross (13.96) in the men’s 110-meter hurdles; freshman Tim Grier (personal best 51.21) in the men’s 400-meter hurdles; and the NU men’s 4x100-meter relay team of senior Nate Probasco and freshmen Tyrell Ross, Dax Danns and Scott Wims (40.12).

 

Other Huskers posting standout performances Sunday included sophomores Rachel Carrizales and Joslyn Dalton, who placed fourth and fifth in the women’s steeplechase with respective career-best times of 10:36.50 and 10:38.79; sophomore Zarinah Suluki-Drakes (42-8 ?w) and freshman Leandra McGruder (41-11 ?w), who each set lifetime bests while earning All-Big 12 honors in the women’s triple jump; and senior Casie Witte (148-0) and junior Gyorgyi Farkas (144-9), who placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the women’s javelin. Farkas’ javelin effort marked her first career NCAA regional qualification.

 

Freshman Scott Wims also posted a career-best time of 10.38 while finishing fifth in the men’s 100-meter dash, while he added a fifth-place finish in the 200-meter dash (20.95). Senior Jeni Steiner continued her recent run of success with a fourth-place heave of 51-4 ? in the women’s shot put.

 

"I felt that our women's team had an unbelieveable effort this weekend," Head Coach Gary Pepin said. "We lost a couple girls during the meet that hurt, but overall we competed very, very well. The men's finish was really disappointing. We just had some athletes who were unable to get the job done this weekend. It's one of those things when you have two teams that it's tough to judge. Sometimes you have teams that go beyond and above what is expected, and other times things don't quite go so well."

 

Nebraska next takes a weekend off to prepare for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 25-26.

 

Final Women’s Team Scores
1. Texas A&M, 140
2. Nebraska, 117
3. Texas, 89
4. Texas Tech, 87
5. Kansas, 78

 

Final Men’s Team Scores
1. Oklahoma, 110.50
2. Texas Tech, 100
3. Texas, 96
4. Colorado, 92
5. Nebraska, 86

 

Sunday Husker All-Big 12 Performers

Women’s 1,500 Meters
5. Kim Pancoast, 4:32.80

 

Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles
1. Sheryl Morgan, 57.04

 

Women’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
4. Rachel Carrizales, 10:36.50
5. Joslyn Dalton, 10:38.79

Women’s 4x100-Meter Relay
7. Nebraska, 47.29

 

Women’s 4x400-Meter Relay
8. Nebraska, 3:45.09

 

Women’s Triple Jump
7. Zarinah Suluki-Drakes, 42-8 ?w
8. Leandra McGruder, 41-11 ?w

 

Women’s Shot Put
4. Jeni Steiner, 51-4 ?

 

Women’s Javelin
4. Casie Witte, 148-0
5. Gyorgyi Farkas, 144-9

 

Men’s 100 Meters
5. Scott Wims, 10.38
7. Dax Danns, 10.48

 

Men’s 200 Meters
5. Scott Wims, 20.95

 

Men’s 400 Meters
7. Lukas Hulett, 46.68

 

Men’s 1,500 Meters

3. Peter van der Westhuizen, 3:46.06

 

Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles
3. Aaron Ross, 13.96

8. Tyrell Ross, 14.21

 

Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles
3. Tim Grier, 51.21

6. Andrew Pearson, 51.98

 

Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
3. Brian Parr, 9:04.28

 

Men’s 4x100-Meter Relay
3. Nebraska, 40.12

 

Men’s 4x400-Meter Relay
5. Nebraska, 3:08.95

 

Men’s High Jump
3. Dusty Jonas, 7-4 ?

 

Men’s Pole Vault
6. Gable Baldwin, 17-2 ?