Huskers Stay in Lincoln for Prairie Wolf Invite

Lincoln - The Huskers return to the Devaney Center this weekend for the Prairie Wolf Invite after traveling last weekend to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Classic and to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Invitational. However, the Huskers will be a visitor this weekend as the meet is hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan.

This will be the Huskers last meet before the Big 12 Conference Indoor Championships next weekend. After being hosted last year by Iowa State, the meet makes its return to Lincoln from Feb. 29 through March 1.

Tickets for the meet will be $6 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. University of Nebraska students will not be able to use their IDs to get into the meet.

- Huskers Reach Five Provisionals in Ames
The Husker track and field team left the Iowa State Classic on Saturday night with five NCAA provisional times. On Saturday, Peter van der Westhuizen and Natalja Zarcenko each set qualifying times in the one mile, while Sheryl Morgan and Lukas Hulett set times in the 400-meter dash. On Friday, Lara Crofford hit the provisional time in the 5,000-meter run.

For the second-straight week van der Westhuizen came very close to a four-minute mile. His second-place time of 4:01.49 increased his NCAA provisional-qualifying time in the one mile. van der Westhuizen currently ranks 16th in the nation and second in the Big 12.

Zarcenko ran very well on the women’s side as her seventh-place time of 4:47.94 was good enough to earn her an NCAA provisional time in the one mile. The time was a new personal best for Zarcenko and gives her the third-best time in Husker indoor history when the one mile is ran on an oversized track.

Hulett bettered his NCAA provisional-qualifying time in the men’s 400-meter dash with a fifth-place time of 46.83. Hulett’s time currently ranks him second in the Big 12 and ties him for sixth nationally. Hulett was happy with his time, but knows he can run faster.

"I was happy to run a better time, but I know I can do better. Right now coach (Matt Martin) and I are experimenting with not going as hard at the beginning so I have more at the end. I’m used to starting fast, so it’s an adjustment. My goal is to run a 46.5," said Hulett.

Morgan also clocked in at an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 53.95 in the women’s 400-meter run. Morgan’s time placed her in second. Her time of 53.79 at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational remains her season best.

Freshman Lara Crofford moved up to No. 6 in the nation in the 5,000-meter run with a new personal-best time of 16:28.08 (oversized). She shattered her old time by 15.35 seconds. Crofford not only set a new personal best, but also improved her NCAA provisional-qualifying time and moved herself into the No. 1 spot in the Husker record book when the 5,000-meters is ran on an oversized track. Crofford finished runner-up to Big 12 Conference foe Lisa Koll, who ran a time of 15:52.37, on her home track. Koll and Crofford rank 1-2 on the Big 12 performance list. Crofford definitely saw a difference running on the larger track.

"I really liked running on the larger track because there are less turns. However, I also missed not having the bank. My goal coming in was to run the fastest I ever have," said Crofford.

Freshman Lehann Fourie continued to run at a high caliber in the 60-meter hurdles as he placed second at 7.95. Sophomore Tyrell Ross also advanced to the finals and finished in seventh place at 8.12. The men’s field started out with 62 participants.

For the first time all season freshman Karyn LaCour did not win the women’s 60-meter hurdles. LaCour placed third overall with a time of 8.41. Natasha Ruddock of Essex County finished with the top time at a blazing 8.13.

In the men’s triple jump, both Chris Nuttelman and Mauro Parnell each finished in the top ten. Nuttelman finished third with a new personal-best jump of 49-1 3/4 (14.98), Parnell finished tied for tenth at 46-6 1/4 (14.18).

Dax Danns showed his speed in the 60-meter dash as he finished in fifth out of 75 athletes with a time 6.80. Nick Makukutu placed 10th in the men’s 600-yard run with a time of 1:12.13 and Joslyn Dalton placed 13th out of 35 athletes in the women’s 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:50.54.

In the field events for the women, Zarinah Suluki-Drakes’ triple jump of 40-1 1/2 (12.23) placed her sixth overall and fifth among college jumpers. Epley Bullock jumped seventh best overall and fifth best collegiately in the women’s high jump with a jump of 5-7 (1.70).

Alson on Friday, Todd Gulizia ran well in the men’s 5,000-meters as he placed ninth with a time of 14:38.94. Gulizia topped his previous personal-best time by an unbelievable 22.57 seconds.

Freshman Scott Jorgenson finished with the seventh-best mark in the long jump among the college ranks with a jump of 23-3 1/2 (7.10). Bryan Bell finished ninth in a very competitive men’s 35-pound weight throw field with a mark of 61-5 (18.73).

- Huskers Travel to Tyson Invitational
On Saturday, Kim Shubert made her high jump debut with a sixth-place finish at 5-8 (1.73) in the women’s championship division. Shubert had not competed since the first meet of the year, where she threw the shot put at the Holiday Inn Invitational. Shubert said it felt great to finally compete again.

"I was really happy with my height, and I was real close to making the next mark (5-10; 1.78). It has been rough not competing. It felt so great to wear the Nebraska uniform again," said Shubert.

Freshman Paul Hamilton jumped 6-9 1/2 (2.07) in the men’s championship division of the high jump. Hamilton’s jump placed him ninth overall and eighth among college athletes in the championship division. Hamilton would have placed third in the college division of the high jump.

Team co-captain Leandra McGruder placed 16th in a very competitive championship division of the women’s triple jump with a jump of 40-2 3/4 (12.26). McGruder would have placed seventh in the college division.

For the Huskers, the meet was rounded out with Seth Burney and Zac Holoch who placed 14th and 16th respectively in the men’s championship division of the pole vault. Both Burney and Holoch vaulted 16-6 (5.03), with Burney placing higher due to less misses. The pair would have placed second and third in the college division. Former Husker Ray Scotten, competing unattached, won the championship division of the pole vault with a vault of 18-4 1/2 (5.60). The vault was a new personal best for Scotten and qualifies him for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

On Friday, Nicholas Gordon continued his fantastic freshman season against one of the nation’s best collegiate fields, winning the long jump title at the 2008 Tyson Invitational Friday afternoon.

Gordon won the collegiate division of the long jump with an NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of 24-9 3/4 (7.56). Overall, Gordan’s mark placed him fourth among college athletes competing at the Tyson Invitational. The winner of the championship division was Ngoni Makusha of Florida State, who jumped an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark of 26-0 1/4 (7.93).

Gordon has now claimed a first-place jump in every meet he has competed in this year. He won the long jump at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational (24-10; 7.57), while winning the triple jump at both the Conference Challenge (49-11 1/4; 15.22) and adidas Classic (48-10 1/4; 14.89). Gordon will look to also bring home a title in the men’s triple jump tomorrow, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. (central).

On the women’s side, freshman Natalie Willer placed 14th overall and 11th among collegiate athletes in the championship division of the pole vault. Willer finished the afternoon with a vault of 12-6 (3.81). She was not able to vault past 12-11 3/4 (3.96), which would have been a new personal best and NCAA provisional-qualifying mark. The field was packed full of competition, as 10 athletes reached either NCAA automatic or provisional qualifying heights on Friday.

- Huskers Hit the Books
The Nebraska track and field team earned an amazing 89 spots on the 2007 Big 12 Fall Commissioner’s Honor Roll, released by the Big 12 Conference on Wednesday, Feb. 13.

The men’s team contributed 52 athletes to the list, with the women adding another 37. Nine athletes produced perfect 4.0 grade-point averages. On the men’s side, Anthony Oberle, Ben Schutter, Bryce Somer and Issar Yazhbin produced 4.0 grade-point averages in the fall, while Joslyn Dalton, Betsy Miller, Kim Shubert, Kayla Ubel and Natalie Willer added perfect semesters on the women’s side.

Overall, an impressive list of 298 Nebraska student-athletes across all sports claimed spots on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Academic Honor Roll. Among the 298 student-athletes who achieved 3.0 or better grade-point averages during the semester, 35 Huskers posted perfect 4.0 GPAs.

Nebraska’s approach to recruiting the nation’s finest student-athletes yielded a remarkably diverse contingent of fall academic honorees that included representatives of 31 U.S. states and 16 foreign countries, including honor roll members from four Canadian provinces. Husker honor roll members also came to Nebraska from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Jamaica, Latvia, Mexico, Scotland, South Africa and Sweden.

The Huskers’ Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Academic Honor Roll class also carried a distinct state flavor with 114 native Nebraskans among the 298 award winners.

- Go the Distance
Husker distance runners posted three NCAA provisional-qualifying times this year at the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa. Peter van der Westhuizen (4:01.49) and Natalja Zarcenko (4:47.94) each reached the magic time in the one-mile run and Lara Crofford’s second-place finish at 16:28.28 earned her a provisional mark in the 5,000-meter run. All three saw their fastest time of the year on the 300-meter oversized track.

- No. 1 in the Big 12
Seniors Andrew Pearson (Seward, Neb.) and Sheryl Morgan (Manchester, Jamaica) continue to hold the No. 1 spots in the 600-yard run on both the men’s and women’s side of the Big 12 performance list.

Pearson’s time of 1:10.37 at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational ranks him 12th all-time in the Husker indoor record book and ranks him on top of 37 other Big 12 athletes this year.

Morgan’s time of 1:21.94 ranks her 14th all-time in the Husker indoor record book. She currently is ranked above 34 other Big 12 athletes, including last year’s Big 12 indoor champion, Morgan Bonds of Kansas State.

- van der Westhuizen Rockets up Distance Charts
van der Westhuizen now ranks third all-time in the Husker indoor record book in the one-mile, 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter runs after winning the one mile at the adidas Classic, 5,000 meters at the Conference Challenge and 3,000 meters at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational. van der Westhuizen has been using the longer races as building blocks for the one mile.

"It is a grueling schedule and you have to train very hard to stay at the top. Running the 3,000 and 5,000-meter races help me build stamina and reach my goal of 3:59.50 or better in the mile," said van der Westhuizen, referencing that 3:59.50 is the NCAA automatic qualifying mark for the one-mile run.

- Husker Legend Earns Honor
In the latest issue of Track and Field News, the publication celebrated its 60th birthday with a list of the best track and field athletes over the past six decades. Under the "Best College Woman" section, former Husker Merlene Ottey was named the best collegiate woman sprinter.

Ottey is easily the most decorated track and field athlete in Nebraska history as she won 14 national championships from 1980 to 1984. Ottey also competed in seven straight Olympic Games from the 1980 games in Moscow to the 2004 games in Athens. Over her seven Olympics, Ottey was runner-up three times and also earned five bronze medals, including earning the silver in the 100- meter dash (1992 Barcelona), 200-meter dash (1996 Atlanta) and 4x100-meter relay (Sydney 2000). Ottey still holds 13 school records, including four relay marks.

Ottey earned indoor national championships in the 55-meter dash (1984), 60-yard dash (1982), 300-yard dash (1982), 4x220-yard relay (1982), 60-meter dash (1981) and 300-meter dash (1980-81). Outdoors she won titles in the 100-meter dash (1983), 200-meter dash (1983), 1982 (100-meter dash), 4x100-meter relay (1982), 100-meter dash (1981) and 200-meter dash (1980-81).

- Jonas Named Big 12 Track and Field Athlete of the Week
Senior team captain Dusty Jonas was honored as the Big 12 Men’s Track and Field Athlete of the Week for his performance at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational, the league office announced Tuesday.

The La Vernia, Texas, native won last week’s meet with a mark of 2.20m (7-2 1/2) in the high jump. Jonas has already posted an NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the high jump this year as his winning mark of 2.25m (7-4 1/2) at the 2008 Conference Challenge secured him a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Jonas’ mark at the Conference Challenge currently has him tied with Scott Sellers (Kansas State) for the No. 1 mark this year in the Big 12 and Division I.

In the Husker record books, Jonas currently is tied for fifth indoors. Outdoors he is tied for second at 7-5 3/4 with Shaun Kologinczak. Both trail Shane Lavy, who jumped 7-6 1/2 in 1999.

Jonas is a six-time NCAA All-American in the high jump, earning the honor three times each in the indoor and outdoor seasons. He also has won the U.S. Junior High Jump Championship, Pan American Junior High Jump Championship and has finished as high as second at the NCAA Championships.

- Wheatley is Automatic at Multi-Events
Sophomore Megan Wheatley (Perth, Australia) was the headliner of the Frank Sevigne meet on day one, destroying her personal best in the pentathlon by 511 points, as she posted an NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 4,122 points en route to a second-place finish. Wheatley only lost to first-place winner Shevell Quinley of Arizona by three points. On the way to her record setting day, she also set new personal bests in the 60-meter hurdles (8.69), high jump (1.64m; 5-4 1/2), long jump (5.93m; 19-5 1/2) and 800-meter run (2:18.46). Wheatley’s performance ranks sixth on NU’s all-time record book.

"My goal coming in was to make the automatic qualifying mark, with it out of the way now I can focus on the Big 12 Conference and NCAA Indoor Meets. I am very happy with my marks today, but I am not satisfied as my goal is to move even farther up on the all-time list," Wheatley said.

- Jonas Jumps to Top of Rankings
Husker senior Dusty Jonas made a big impact during his first home meet of the year as he tied his personal best with a mark of 2.25 (7-4 1/2) in the high jump. Jonas’ jump not only was an NCAA automatic qualifying mark, but also boosted him to the top of the NCAA rankings as he is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation behind conference rival Scott Sellers of Kansas State in the high jump.

- Husker Sophomores Push the Bar
A pair of young Huskers are making quite an impact this year on the high jump as sophomores Erin Hannon and Epley Bullock have combined to own two of the top four spots on the Big 12 performance list. Hannon and Bullock are currently tied for the top spot with Kelsey Erb of Kansas and Tiffanie Synacek of Iowa State, as all four have jumped 1.75m (5-8 3/4). Hannon achieved the mark at the Conference Challenge, while Bullock reached the mark at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational

- Freshmen Continue to Shine Early
So far this season 14 events have been won by Husker freshmen. Leading the pack for the men are Paul Hamilton of Sidney, Neb. and Nicholas Gordan of Kingston Jamaica. Hamilton achieved a NCAA indoor provisional mark in the high jump with a leap of 2.19m (7-2 1/4) in his first collegiate meet. Gordon has won both the triple jump or long jump at every meet he has competed in and earned an NCAA provisional-qualifying jump in the long jump at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitataionl. Other winners for the men include Adam Dailey (800m) and David Adams (3000m).

The women are carried by NCAA provisional qualifier Karyn LaCour, who has posted the top collegiate time in the 60m hurdles in her first four of her first five collegiate meets. NCAA provisional-qualifier (5,000-meter run), Lara Crofford, has also posted wins in the mile run and 5,000m Natalie Willer has also won the pole vault.

- Pepin Leads Husker Squad for Record Tying 28th Season
Nebraska Head Coach Gary Pepin is beginning his 28th year guiding the Husker women’s team and 25th year coaching the NU men's squad. With this year, Pepin will tie former Husker coach Frank Sevigne as the longest-tenured track and field coach in school history. Sevigne logged 28 seasons leading the NU men’s program from 1956 through 1983.

Pepin has helped the Husker women combine for 38 of their 40 conference titles, while also notching 20 of the program’s 21 top-five NCAA team finishes, including each of Nebraska’s three indoor national championships.

Pepin has led the men's team to 26 of its 58 indoor and outdoor conference crowns, while also notching two NCAA top-five placings. The Huskers' second-place finish at the 1996 NCAA Indoor Championships ranks as the squad's highest at an NCAA meet.

- Four NCAA All-Americans Back at it for Nebraska Men’s Squad
Four Husker men who have combined to win seven individual and one relay All-America awards return to power Nebraska in 2008. The group is led by Dusty Jonas, one of the premiere high jumpers in the country.

Jonas enters his final season with the Huskers in search of the one elusive element of his career, an individual national title. Jonas owns six All-America finishes in the last three years, including runner-up showings indoors in both 2005 and 2007. With one final chance for the gold, Jonas will be one of the Huskers to watch in 2008.

Three young Husker sprinters will compliment the seasoned veteran. Junior Dan Christensen and sophomores Lukas Hulett and Scott Wims were part of the 4 x 400-meter relay that earned All-America honors by virtue of their eighth-place performance at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Wims also earned All-America recognition outdoors for his seventh place in the 200-meters at the outdoor championships. These three sprinters plus sophomore Dax Danns should form the core of the team.

- Two NCAA All-Americans Return for NU Women
The Huskers return two women for the 2008 season who have each earned NCAA All-America honors during their outstanding. Kayla Wilkinson returns for her second attempt at a senior season after redshirting in 2007 due to shoulder surgery, while Epley Bullock is back for her sophomore year following a remarkable debut campaign.

Wilkinson captured her All-America honor with a runner-up finish in the javelin at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships with a toss of 177-7. Had it not been for an injury in 2007, she would have been poised to make a run for a national title in the event last year. That goal resurfaces this season, as well as Wilkinson’s attempt to reclaim the Big 12 javelin title, which she won in both 2005 and 2006.

While Wilkinson has years of collegiate experience under her belt, Bullock is the epitome of young stardom. She finished ninth in the high jump (eighth American) at the 2007 indoor championships with a career-high leap of 6-0, winning one of three freshman All-America honors for the Huskers last season. Bullock again qualified for the NCAA Championships in the high jump during the outdoor season, only to finish 24th. With continued improvement and increased collegiate experience, the Allen, Texas, native should be a serious contender to score in both high jumps this year.

- Huskers Live at Home in 2008
The Husker track and field team will not be leaving the state of Nebraska much during the 2008 indoor track season. The team only plans on leaving Lincoln four more times before the start of the outdoor season.

The team will travel to Ames, Iowa twice for the Iowa State Classic and the Iowa State Last Chance Meet; Nebraska will then make two trips to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Tyson Invite and the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

The Huskers will host four of their own meets, the Bob Devaney Sports Center Indoor Track will be the host site for this year’s Big 12 Conference Indoor Championships. The Huskers will also be attending the NWU Invite and the Prairie Wolf Invite, however, each of those meets is being held at the Devaney Center. All in all the Huskers will have the privilege of competing at the Devaney Center for seven of their 11 meets.