Five Huskers Qualify for NCAA Championships

DES MOINES, Iowa?Nebraska began its efforts at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships Friday, as five Huskers grabbed automatic-qualifying bids to the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Drake University’s Drake Stadium.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Senior Issar Yazhbin led the way for the Huskers after breaking his own month-old school record in the men’s hammer throw with a toss of 207-7 that earned him third place. His former personal best of 207-3 at the Nebraska Open on April 29th broke Greg Armitage’s former <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska standard of 207-2. Yazhbin’s performance Friday earned him a second career trip to the NCAA Championships, and the first since 2005. He missed the entire 2006 season while rehabbing from a severe groin injury.

 

“I had a good day today, and also I thought I was fairly consistent in the ring,” Yazhbin said. ”This field was very tough, but I came into the day mentally prepared to throw further than I had all year. It’s also the first time I’ve ever done really well at Drake, so that was a bonus.”

                                                                                                                         

Another Husker senior, Gable Baldwin, survived a jump-off in the men’s pole vault to earn fifth place and his fourth career bid to the NCAA meet. Baldwin and Oklahoma’s Scott Martin each tied for the fifth position after clearing 17-1, but the Husker All-American was able to reach a season-best 17-3 on the fourth bar of the jump-off to secure the No. 5 slot.

 

“Conditions were not really good for vaulting today with some swirling winds, but Gabe did a nice job of battling,” said assistant coach Kris Grimes, who coaches the Husker vaulters. “He had some of his best jumps of the season during that jump-off. We started to see some of the special things he’s been doing lately in practice show up in competition, and I’m optimistic about what he can do in a couple of weeks at nationals.”

 

Nebraska notched two automatic qualifiers in the women’s long jump, as freshmen Leandra McGruder and Chantae McMillan placed fourth and fifth, respectively. McGruder reeled off a huge personal-best leap of 20-4 ?, nearly a half foot better than her previous best, while McMillan recorded a top wind-aided jump of 20-3. The two Huskers entered the weekend ranked 18th and eighth, respectively, among the regional field.

 

“Both Leandra and Chantae competed really hard,” Head Coach Gary Pepin said. “Each has been consistently improving here toward the end of the season, so the hard work they’ve been putting in seems to be paying off. To have two freshmen like that qualify for the national meet is pretty impressive, so we’re definitely proud to have them as Huskers.”

 

Senior Jeni Steiner also recorded a solid effort to place fifth in the women’s shot put, clinching her first career trip to the NCAA Championships during her final opportunity. Steiner’s mark of 53-5 was only three inches shy of her personal best, as well as only her second career toss over 53 feet.

 

Junior Kim Shubert placed herself in good position to earn an at-large selection to the NCAA meet in the high jump after placing sixth with a lifetime-best clearance of 5-11 ?.

 

On the track, Husker athletes advanced through the preliminary rounds with seven finals-qualifying performances.

 

Freshman Scott Wims had a good first regional experience by advancing in both the men’s 100- (10.41-fifth seed) and 200-meter dash (20.79-fifth seed) events, while also running a leg on the eighth-place 4x100-meter relay (40.67) that will compete in Saturday’s final heat. Senior teammate Nate Probasco also earned a finals spot in the 200 by winning his prelim heat in 20.97, in addition to running on the relay.

 

Nebraska also will have two finalists in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, as senior Aaron Ross and freshman brother Tyrell Ross each clocked times of 14.02 to earn the third and sixth seeds, respectively. Aaron Ross won his prelim heat, while Tyrell Ross added a leadoff leg on the 4x100-meter relay.

 

Joining the six Husker men’s finalists will be senior Sheryl Morgan, who cruised through the prelims of the women’s 400-meter hurdles with the day’s second-best time of 57.98. The Big 12 champion won her prelim heat by more than two full seconds.

 

The Midwest Regional continues Saturday. Field events begin the day at 1 p.m., while running events are scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

                                       

 

NCAA Midwest Regional Championships ? Day One
Drake Stadium?Des Moines, Iowa

 

Women’s 1,500-Meter Run

14. Kim Pancoast, 4:28.27

 

Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles?Prelims

9. Nikita Eades, 13.85p PR

 

Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles?Prelims

2. Sheryl Morgan, 57.98 FQ

 

Women’s High Jump

6. Kim Shubert, 5-11 ? PR

9. Casie Witte, 5-9 ?

T-11. Epley Bullock, 5-7 ?

T-13. Ashley Selig, 5-7 ?

T-19. Erin Hannon, 5-7 ?

 

Women’s Long Jump

4. Leandra McGruder, 20-4 ? PR, NQ

5. Chantae McMillan, 20-3w NQ

9. Zarinah Suluki-Drakes, 19-6 ?

 

Women’s Shot Put

5. Jeni Steiner, 53-5 NQ

 

Women’s Javelin
15. Casie Witte, 138-4

 

Men’s 100-Meter Dash?Prelims

5. Scott Wims, 10.41 FQ

12. Dax Danns, 10.59

 

Men’s 200-Meter Dash?Prelims

3. Nate Probasco, 20.97 FQ

5. Scott Wims, 20.79 FQ

14. Dax Danns, 21.43

 

Men’s 400-Meter Dash?Prelims

9. Lukas Hulett, 46.76

 

Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles?Prelims
3. Aaron Ross, 14.02p FQ

6. Tyrell Ross, 14.02p FQ

 

Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles?Prelims

11. Tim Grier, 51.95

15. Andrew Pearson, 52.72

 

Men’s 4x100-Meter Relay?Prelims

8. Nebraska (T. Ross, Wims, Probasco, Danns), 40.67 FQ

 

Men’s Pole Vault

5. Gable Baldwin, 17-1 NQ

-- Zac Holoch, No Height

-- Nic Petersen, No Height

 

Men’s Long Jump

7. Dusty Jonas, 24-4 ?

10. Arturs Abolins, 23-3 ?

11. Daniel Roper, 23-3 ?

 

Men’s Hammer Throw

3. Issar Yazhbin, 207-7 SR, PR, NQ

19. Aaron Bozarth, 173-8

20. Bryan Bell, 173-2

 

FQ ? Finals qualifier

NQ ? NCAA automatic qualifier

PR ? Personal best

SR ? School Record