Six Huskers to Compete at NCAA Championships

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When to Catch the Huskers
Friday:
Epley Bullock - High Jump (2:30 p.m.)
Lukas Hulett - 400-Meter Prelims (5:40 p.m. - Heat 1:Lane 4)
Sheryl Morgan - 400-Meter Prelims (5:50 p.m. - Heat 4:Lane 3)
Peter van der Westhuizen - Mile Run Prelims (6:45 p.m. - Heat 2)

Saturday:
Dusty Jonas - High Jump (4:45 p.m.)
Paul Hamilton - High Jump (4:45 p.m.)
Peter van der Westhuizen - Mile Run Finals (6:15 p.m.)
Lukas Hulett - 400-Meter Finals (6:55 p.m. - Heat 1:Lane 5)
Sheryl Morgan - 400-Meter Finals (7:05 p.m. - Heat1: Lane 4)

Lincoln - The Nebraska track and field team will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 14 and 15. The meet is hosted by the University of Arkansas at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

The Huskers will send six athletes including automatic qualifiers Dusty Jonas (high jump) and Peter van der Westhuizen (one mile). NCAA provisional qualifiers making the trip include Sheryl Morgan (400 meters), Epley Bullock (high jump), Lukas Hulett (400 meters) and Paul Hamilton (high jump). Seniors Morgan and van der Westhuizen along with freshman Hamilton are making their first career trip to the indoor championships.

Jonas, a three-time indoor All-American, is looking for his first national title as he has finished runner-up twice in 2005 and 2007. Bullock will also try to improve on last year’s finish as she earned All-America honors as a freshman finishing ninth overall and as the fifth American. Hulett also earned All-America honors last year after finishing 11th overall while and as the eighth American.

The meet will begin on Friday, March 14, at 9:45 a.m. (Central) and continue on Saturday, March 15, at 11 a.m. (Central) Check Huskers.com for live results and a recap of each days events. Highlights of the meet can also be seen on ESPN2 on March 20, from 3-4:30 p.m. (Central).

- van der Westhuizen Breaks Four-Minute Mark
Senior Peter van der Westhuizen, running on a 300-meter oversized track in Seattle, Wash., achieved a time he has been chasing his entire career, a sub-four-minute mile. In his last chance to qualify for NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., van der Westhuizen ran an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 3:59.05.

van der Westhuizen ran the second-fastest time at the meet, being topped only by Andrew Acosta of Oregon who ran a 3:58.52. van der Westhuizen now ranks No. 4 in Division I. He was happy to have a spot at the national meet, but even happier to run under four minutes.

"I am very happy that I’ll be going to nationals next week. Being truthful though, running under four minutes is indescribable. This is a time I’ve been after for a long time.

Coach Jay Dirksen knew van der Westhuizen could hit the magical time.

"I’ve known for a long time the Peter (van der Westhuizen) could run under four minutes. Peter just needed some good competition to push him. Most people don’t know that having a good field is important to running a good time. Peter is a runner that steps up to the competition and I couldn’t be happier for him.

van der Westhuizen’s time is the fastest time ever run by a Husker indoors. However, since his time was ran on an oversized track it cannot be counted as the Nebraska indoor record. van der Westhuizen’s time was just faster then Greg Carlberg who ran a time of 3:59.6 in 1971 on an oversized track in Houston, Texas. The Nebraska record is owned by Jean Verster who finished with a time of 4:00.30 in 1986 in Lincoln.

- Huskers Make Case for NCAA Indoors
The Husker track and field team traveled to Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, March 8, with the goal of qualifying more athletes for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. The Huskers achieved their goal, as five Huskers and the men’s 4x400-meter relay improved their NCAA provisional-qualifying marks.

Sheryl Morgan waited until her final chance of the indoor season to run her best 400 meters. The Big 12 indoor 600-yard champion ran a time of 53.08 on the 300-meter oversized track. Coming into the meet, Morgan was ranked No. 16 in Division I with a time of 53.79. She now ranks No. 7 in Division I and has almost certainly guaranteed herself a spot in Fayetteville.

Returning indoor All-American Lukas Hulett also improved his 400-meter time, running in a time of 46.71. The sophomore from Bellevue East had previously run 46.83 at the Iowa State Classic on Feb. 16. His time currently moves him up from No. 15 in Division I to No. 9 and drastically improves his chances of making the trip to the indoor championships.

Lehann Fourie knocked 1/10 of a second off his time in the 60-meter hurdles, as the freshman from South Africa ran a 7.80. The time moves Fourie into a tie for No. 16 in Division I and he now sits on the bubble to get into the national meet. The men’s 4x400-meter relay team also moved onto the bubble, as their time of 3:08.06 ranks them No. 13 in Division I.

Freshman Nicholas Gordon turned in his best leap of the year in the long jump, finishing with a mark of 25-2 1/2 (7.68). The mark is a new personal best for Gordon and improves his NCAA provisional-qualifying mark. However, the jump currently ranks Gordon No. 20 in Division I and will most likely not get him into the national meet.

- Morgan and Bullock Bring Home Big 12 Titles
Senior Sheryl Morgan capped off her final Big 12 Indoor Championships on a high note as the senior from Kingston, Jamaica won the women’s 600-yard run with a time of 1:20.63. Morgan had posted the top time in the Big 12 coming into the event and held on as she defeated two-time Big 12 indoor champion Morgan Bonds of Kansas State. Morgan paced herself until the final turn when she blew away Bonds and Tijahnni Netwon of Oklahoma. Morgan’s time was a new personal best and moves her up to No. 11 all time in the women’s indoor record book. After the race Morgan was focused strictly on what she could do for the team.

"I am very excited and I was just doing my best for the team. It is great to get this win in my senior season."

Morgan’s position coach Mark Devenney knew Morgan would win the event.

"Coming in I new Sheryl (Morgan) would win. She had a disappointing race last year as it looked like she was going to win and she got tripped so that motivated her. She gives me a heart attack sometimes when she starts out so slow, but she knows her abilities so well and never lets people get too far away."

Sophomore Epley Bullock came into the meet with a personal best of 5-8 3/4 (1.75) and left the meet with a new personal best, NCAA provisional- qualifying jump and the seventh-best high jump this year in Division I at 6-0 1/2 (1.84). The returning All-American had struggled throughout the year, but her teammates kept faith in her.

"I’ve had a rough year, but everyone else kept my confidence up. I don’t even know how to explain today. Making that bar (6-0 1/2) is something I’ve been working on forever and making it at the Big 12 meet is unbelievable. This is easily the best meet I have ever been at."

- Women’s Multi-Eventers Pour in the Points
The Husker multi-event group of Megan Wheatley, Chantae McMillan, Kim Shubert, Erin Hannon and Rachel Butler were the driving force behind the Husker women finishing runner up at the 2008 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships. The group accounted for 23 points, which was almost a quarter for the team’s 95 total points.

Wheatley led the group with a runner-up finish. She has already posted an NCAA automatic-qualifying score in pentathlon at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational. She was very excited with her finish and happy to help out the team any way she could.

"Julianne (Kennedy) is a great competitor and I am very excited with my finish. It was awesome that all five of us could score and help out the team. Scoring 23 points for the team was fantastic."

Multi-Events Coach Kris Grimes was very impressed with the effort his athletes put on the track today.

"All of the girls came out and competed and left it all out there today. Megan (Wheatley) is a real trooper and she has had to modify training a bit lately and came out and scored a bunch of points for us. It was great to see us come out and put big points on the board for the team."

- 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.

- T&F Adds 12 New Huskers
The Nebraska track and field team has announced 12 signees to its 2008 class. The men’s team will welcome four athletes while the women’s team adds eight. The class includes five Nebraska natives, two athletes from Iowa, one from Kansas, two from Canada, one from South Africa and one from Panama. Check out Huskers.com for a full bio on all the signees.

Men
- Alonso Edwards (Sprints)
- Adam Mitteis (Distance)
- Pieter Smith (Sprints)
- Adam Wolkins (Javelin)

Women
- Blaire Dinsdale (Distance)
- Brooke Dinsdale (Distance)
- Jessica Furlan (Distance)
- Roxi Grizzle (Javelin)
- Erica Jamik (Distance)
- Tara Korshoj (Jumps)
- Katie White (Distance)
- Morgan Wilken (Throws)

- van der Westhuizen Rockets up Distance Charts
Peter van der Westhuizen 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.

van der Westhuizen recorded a time of 3:59.05 in the mile-run on March 8, at the UW Last Chance Qualifier in Seattle, Wash. However, the race was run on a 300-meter oversized track so it cannot be counted as a Husker indoor record.

- Husker Legend Earns Honor
In the February 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, Feb. 5.

The La Vernia, Texas, native won the 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 7-5 (2.26) at the 2008 Prairie Wolf Invite guaranteed him a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Jonas’ mark at the Prairie Wolf currently has him ranked No. 2 in the nation.

In the Husker record books, Jonas currently is ranked 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.

- Freshmen Continue to Shine Early
During the 2008 indoor season 17 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 this year and has and earned an NCAA provisional-qualifying jump in the long jump at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational. Other winners for the men include Adam Dailey (800m), David Adams (3000m) and Mikel Thomas (mile run).

The women are carried by NCAA provisional qualifier Karyn LaCour, who has posted the top collegiate time in the 60m hurdles in at multiple meets. NCAA provisional-qualifiers Lara Croffod (5,000-meter run) and Arna Erega (60-meter hurdles) have also posted wins, with Crofford also posting wins in the mile run while Natalie Willer has also won the pole vault.

- Pepin Leads Husker Squad for Record Tying 28th Season
Nebraska Head Coach Gary Pepin is coaching the Husker women’s team for the 28th year leads and the men’s team for the 25th year. 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 award return to power Nebraska in 2008. The group is led by Dusty Jonas, one of the premier 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 complement 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 careers. 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 freshmen 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.