Huskers Win Jim Click Shootout Team Title With Dominant Performance

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Tucson, Ariz. ? The Nebraska track and field team was firing on all cylinders at its first outdoor meet of the season as it not only won the 2008 Jim Click Shootout with 398 points, but also produced 28 NCAA Regional qualifiers. The teams competing included Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State and Georgia while the scoring was done with a combined team scoring system that added the men’s and women’s team scores together. The Big Red was closely balanced with the women scoring 198 points and the men scoring 200. The women qualified in 10 events for the regional meet and the men added another 16 qualifiers.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Individually senior co-captain Kayla Wilkinson was the story of the meet as she returned to competition for the first time in more than a year and a half. Wilkinson showed she is back at her All-America form as she walked away with the win in the javelin with a new facility record and regional-qualifying throw of 179-07 (54.75). The next closest competitor was Sigr Sveinsdottir of Georgia who was not even close to Wilkinson at 163-7. Four of Wilkinson’s six throws were over 50 meters with her record-breaking throw coming on her final attempt.

 

“It was very great to wear the Nebraska ?N’ again,” Wilkinson said. “Being out so long with my injury I was very nervous with my first throw. Coming in I didn’t really have a mark I wanted to hit, I just wanted to throw as far as I could. I am very happy with where I am at after today.”

 

“We wanted to not have her (Kayla Wilkinson’s) expectations too high with her being out so longer,” Nebraska throws Coach Mark Colligan said. “I have to give so much credit to our rehabilitation staff as they have done a great job of getting her back to 100 percent. I wanted her to put together a good series of throws and she did that. Now hopefully we can get focused on the goals we had set before her injury came about.”

 

On the men’s side Dusty Jonas showed no let down after having two weeks off after his NCAA indoor championship in the high jump as Jonas set a new facility record with an regional-qualifying leap of 7-5 (2.26), clearing the bar on his first attempt. Jonas then went after what would have been a new personal-best of 7-6 1/2. The mark also would have tied the Nebraska outdoor high jump record currently held by Shane Lavy (1999), but Jonas missed on his attempts.

 

Three Huskers won multiple events at the meet, scoring a total of 54 points for the team.

 

Dax Danns ran away with 100 and 200 meter wins as he produced regional-qualifying times in each at 10.44 and 21.02, respectively. Nikita Eades swept the hurdles with a time of 1:03.34 in the 400-meter hurdles and a regional-qualifying time of 13.69 in the 100-meter hurdles. Leandra McGruder took first in both the women’s long jump and triple jump as she barely beat out teammate Zarinah Suluki-Drakes in both events. McGruder jumped 19-6 ? (5.95) in the long jump while her and Suluki-Drakes both hit regional-qualifying marks in the triple jump at 41-8 (12.7) and 40-8 ?, respectively.

 

Four other Huskers won events and reached regional-qualifying marks. Rachel Carrizales set the tone for the day for the Huskers as she and teammate Joslyn Dalton ran away with the 3,000-meter steeplechase as Carrizales’ time of 10:48.62 was just below the regional-qualifying standard of 10:50.25, while Dalton finished at 10:57.78. Freshman Lehann Fourie narrowly beat out teammate Tyrell Ross in the 110-meter hurdles as Fourie’s regional-qualifying time of 13.93 was just quick enough to beat out Ross’ regional-qualifying time of 14.13. Natalja Zarcenko paced the field in the 1,500 meters as she was the only athlete in the event to regional qualify with a time of 4:26.01. Kacie Sharp was the last Husker to post a winning regional-qualifying mark as her toss of 50-4 ? (15.35) in the shot put was also a new personal best.

 

Other Huskers hitting regional qualifying marks included Nicholas Gordon (long jump and triple jump), Epley Bullock (high jump), Natalie Willer (pole vault), Keith Lloyd (hammer throw and shot put), Bryan Bell (hammer throw), Austin Braman (javelin), Adam Dailey (400-meter hurdles), Cylend Simmons (400-meter hurdles), Paul Hamilton (high jump), Bubba Kramer (shot put) and Trey Jordan (shot put).

 

The Huskers will now return to Lincoln to prepare for the John Jacobs Invitational in Norman, Okla. The meet is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 11, and continue at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 12. Check Huskers.com later in the week for a detailed meet schedule.