Ross Runs Past Olympian at Kansas Relays

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lawrence, Kan. ? For the first time during the Kansas Relays, sunny skies welcomed the Nebraska track and field team to Hershberger Track on Saturday for the final day of the meet. On Thursday the Huskers battled through a steady rain fall following a lighting delay that lasted for an hour and 40 minutes. On Friday the rain subdued but a chilly wind and cloudy skies still remained. With perfect conditions on Saturday, the Huskers responded with some of the top performances of the meet.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Tyrell Ross successfully defended his 110-meter hurdles title with a time of 14.02. He defeated Olympian Tom Pappas (unattached) who ran 14.22. Ross ran the second-fastest time in the preliminaries Saturday morning at 14.19, trailing Pappas’ time of 14.14. Pappas competed for the United States in the decathlon at the Olympic Games in Sidney in 2000 and in Athens in 2004.

 

“Running against an Olympian really gave me an extra boost. He beat me in the prelims, but I knew I had to defend my title in the finals,” said Ross when asked about how it felt to run against an Olympic athlete.

 

After running the second-fastest time in the 100-meterhurdlespreliminaries Saturday morning at 13.85, freshman Karyn LaCour came back in the afternoon to post the top time in the finals. The Humble, Texas, native earned a victory for the Big Red with a new personal-best time of 13.51. She now ranks No. 7 all-time at Nebraska and is tied for the No. 24 spot in Division I this season. LaCour joins teammate Nikita Eades as a regional qualifier in the 100-meter hurdles.

 

“Running well at a meet of this caliber feels good. I know I can run faster before the end of the year,” said LaCour following her 100-meter hurdles victory.

 

Dan Christensen, Andrew Pearson, Dax Danns and Lukas Hulett teamed to finish in second overall and first among the college teams with a time of 3:09.26. Pearson changed the tide for Big Red during the second leg as Pearson moved the Huskers from seventh to third before handing to Danns. Danns then kept the Huskers in third before handing off to two-time indoor 400-meter All-American Lukas Hulett who propelled the Huskers to a second-place finish. The time improves the Huskers regional-qualifying time by 40-tenths of a second.

 

Freshman Natalie Willer continued to show that she has no fear competing against some of the best female pole vaulters in the country as she finished third overall and second among college athletes with a new personal-best vault of 13-3 1/2 (4.05). She now owns the seventh-best vault outdoors at Nebraska. Indoor Big 12 champion Kate Sultanova of Kansas also vaulted 13-3 1/2, finishing just ahead of Willer with less misses.

 

“It’s exciting to be competing with some of the best vaulters in the country,” said Willer following the meet. “I don’t worry about the competition when I enter a meet. I just go in with the goal of improving my national mark.”

 

“I actually wasn’t surprised to see Natalie (Willer) clear the 13-3 1/2 bar on her first attempt,” added Pole Vault Coach Kris Grimes when asked about what he thought of Willer clearing 13-3 1/2 on her first attempt. “At the 12-11 1/2 bar she really figured out some technical things we’ve been working on lately.”

 

After finishing third in the long jump on April 5, at the Jim Click Shootout and then finishing second at the John Jacobs Invitational on April 12, freshman Nicholas Gordon continued his progression in the outdoor season with a win in the long jump on Saturday. Gordon’s jump of 24-10 (7.57) tied his personal best, which he set at the John Jacobs Invitational. Gordon has now posted an NCAA regional-qualifying jump at every meet during the outdoor season.

 

On the women’s side Zarinah Suluki-Drakes earned an NCAA Regional-qualifying mark in the long jump as she finish ninth overall and forth among college athletes with a jump of 19-11 (6.07). The women’s field was loaded with talent as the 10 jumpers recorded regional-qualifying jumps

 

In a field full of top-tier pole vaulters, redshirt freshman Seth Burney was one of the youngest competitors in the invitational division of the pole vault. Burney used that as motivation as he recorded a regional-qualifying and personal-best mark with a vault of 17-0 3/4 (5.20). With Saturday’s vault, Burney will enter the Midwest Region rankings in the No. 4 spot.

 

Dusty Jonas finished with the highest collegiate jump and second overall mark in the men’s high jump with a leap of 7-1 3/4 (2.18). Freshman Paul Hamilton finished fifth overall with a jump of 6-10 3/4 (2.10). Hamilton has been stuck at the 6-10 3/4 bar all year as it is the highest bar he has been able to clear at all three outdoor meets this season.

 

Following the meet Head Coach Gary Pepin reflected on where his team is at this point of the outdoor season.

 

“The Big 12 Conference is one of the top conferences in the nation and is filled with a lot of great athletes,” Pepin said. “Some of our team is where it needs to be, but we still have along way to go across the board.”

 

In other Husker action Saturday at the Doane Relays in Crete, Neb., Janae Mueller finished third in the 800-meter run with new personal-best time of 2:19.13.

 

The Huskers will now head back to Lincoln for practice early in the week before making a quick turnaround trip to the Drake Relays on April 23-26, in Des Moines, Iowa. Accepted entries for the Drake Relays are expected to be released on Monday, April 21, and will be posted on Huskers.com as soon as they are available. The Huskers will then host their first outdoor meet of the year on Sunday, April 27, the Nebraska Open. The women’s hammer throw and discus as well as the men’s shot put and javelin start the Nebraska Open at 11 a.m. The running events will begin at Noon with the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Live results will be available for both meets at Huskers.com.