Seven to Represent NU at USA Championships

Lincoln ? Nebraska will feature a strong contingent of athletes next week at the USA Outdoor Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., as seven members of this year’s squad are scheduled to compete Wednesday, June 20, through Sunday, June 24, at the Indiana University Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium. <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

The USA Championships serves as the qualifying meet for the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Osaka, Japan. Present and future Olympians will compete for national titles at a venue that is the home of four world records and considered one of the fastest tracks in America.

Included among the group will be three Husker athletes slated to compete during the Junior Championships portion of the meet, which runs in conjunction with the USA Outdoor Championships.

Leading NU’s elite athlete delegation will be Ashley Selig, the highest-rated Husker athlete on the 2007 USATF charts, in the women’s heptathlon. Selig concluded her collegiate career last week with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif., marking her sixth career All-America honor. She enters the USA Championships ranked sixth among the field. The women’s heptathlon is scheduled to run Friday through Saturday.

Dusty Jonas, NU’s highest-rated men’s athlete, will compete in the men’s high jump final Sunday at 12:15 p.m. Jonas, who ranks seventh nationally in his specialty event for 2007 with a season-best height of 7-5 ?, recently earned his sixth consecutive All-America finish during the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento. He will compete against a tough high jump field that will also feature two Big 12 rivals?KansasState’s Scott Sellars and Texas’ Andra Manson?among the event’s top four.

Brysun Stately enters the week ranked 10th among all USATF athletes in the women’s pole vault with her season-best and school-record height of 14-3 ? set back in April during the Kansas Relays. She finished among the top eight this season during both the NCAA indoor and outdoor meets, including a bronze-medal effort last week in Sacramento. Stately is set to compete in the pole vault final Sunday at Noon.

Nebraska’s final competitor in the senior division of the USATF meet, Jeni Steiner, ranks 17th among the women’s shot put field with her personal-best mark of 53-8 ?. She concluded her collegiate career last week with her first career NCAA competition, and her appearance will mark her first-ever USATF seniors competition. The women’s shot put final is scheduled to be held Sunday at 12:45 p.m.

Scott Wims will lead a talented group of three Husker junior athletes into action in Indianapolis. A Fort Wayne, Ind., native who won four Hoosier state titles as a prep, he is ranked among the top-three entries for both the USATF junior men’s 100- and 200-meter dash events. Wims will look to follow up an extremely successful showing at the NCAA outdoor meet, where he recorded personal-best times of 10.32 and 20.61 while adding his second career All-America finish in the 200 (seventh). The junior men’s 100-meter dash prelims (12:30 p.m.) and final (2:30 p.m.) will be contested on Thursday, while the 200-meter rounds (prelims-11:30 a.m.; final-2:40 p.m.) will follow on Friday.

Chantae McMillan and Eric Lund will compete for Nebraska in the women’s long jump and men’s 400-meter hurdles competitions, respectively. The long jump final will be held Thursday at 1 p.m., while Lund will see action in the prelims Friday at 2:10 p.m. and in the final Saturday at 3:25 if he advances.

Several Husker post-collegiate athletes also will be in Indianapolis, including 2005 USA women’s discus champion Becky Breisch. Breisch currently ranks No. 2 on the nation’s 2007 season list, only a foot behind American Record-holder Suzy Powell-Roos, who set the standard earlier this season.

 

Nearly five hours of the USA Outdoor Championships is scheduled to be televised nationally on NBC and ESPN2. NBC will have live coverage of the event on Saturday from 2-3 p.m., and again Sunday from 1-3 p.m. ESPN2's coverage will be Friday, June 22, from 8-9 p.m. (live), and Saturday, June 23, from 7-8 p.m. (tape-delayed).

 

 

Husker 2007 USATF Competitors

2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships

Dusty Jonas?Men’s High Jump: Final?Sunday, 12:15 p.m.

Ashley Selig?Women’s Heptathlon: Friday, 10 a.m.; Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

Brysun Stately?Women’s Pole Vault: Final?Sunday, Noon

Jeni Steiner?Women’s Shot Put: Final?Sunday, 12:45 p.m.

 

2007 Finish Line USA Junior Outdoor Championships

Eric Lund?Men’s 400m Hurdles: Prelims?Friday, 2:10 p.m.; Final?Saturday, 3:25

Chantae McMillan?Women’s Long Jump: Final?Thursday, 1 p.m.

Scott Wims? Men’s 100m: Prelims?Thursday, 12:30 p.m.; Final?Thursday, 2:30

                     Men’s 200m: Prelims?Friday, 11:30 a.m.; Final?Friday, 2:40 p.m.