Record 75 Schools Registered for Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally

The Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Monday, Nov. 4 promises to be the largest rally associated with the Husker women's basketball season opener since the event helped open the doors to Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013.

As of Wednesday, Oct. 30, a record 75 school districts from around the state have registered to participate with more than 3,800 students and accompanying adults committed to attending the event, which will take place prior to the Nebraska women's basketball team's season-opening game against Omaha on Monday, Nov. 4.

Registration for the event was open through Monday, Oct. 21, and interested administrators from school districts across Nebraska were encouraged to contact Kate Frazier (kfrazier@huskers.com) to register for the 2024 Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally.

In 2023-24, the pep rally welcomed more than 3,300 students and accompanying adults from 62 middle grades schools from across the state of Nebraska. 

The pep rally helped the Huskers attract the second-largest opening-day crowd in program history with 7,065 fans on hand at PBA, trailing only the 9,750 fans on hand for the opening game in the history of the building against UCLA in 2013.

The event, which is co-sponsored by the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame, features positive messages from Husker student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators. This year’s Pep Rally will mark the sixth time since 2013 (also 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) the event has been paired with Nebraska’s season-opening women’s basketball game.

The Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally, which is focused on 4th through 8th grade students across the state of Nebraska, not only includes inspiring messages from current and former Nebraska student-athletes and staff members, it also includes complimentary pizza from Nebraska Athletics and water provided by Pepsi for students and accompanying school staff members.

The 2024 Pep Rally is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at approximately 10:45 a.m., prior to Nebraska and Omaha taking the court for pregame warm-ups ahead of their noon tip-off.

The event program will include messages from Nebraska women's basketball Head Coach Amy Williams and Husker women's basketball players Alexis Markowski, Allison Weidner, Kendall Moriarty and Kendall Coley, along with volleyball players Merritt Beason and Bergen Reilly, track and field athletes Micaylon Moore and Niko Schultz and baseball players Drew Christo and Caleb Clark.

Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rallies at Women's Basketball
2024 - TBA (attendance) / 3,800 (students/staff - 75 schools) vs. Omaha
2023 - 7,065 (attendance) / 3,300 (students/staff - 62 schools) vs. Northwestern State
2022 - 6,233 (attendance) / 2,500 (students/staff - 40 schools) vs. Omaha
2021 - 4,476 (attendance) / 1,600 (students/staff - 30 schools) vs. Maine
2019 - 5,250 (attendance) / 2,000 (students/staff - 27 schools) vs. Alabama A&M
2013 - 9,750 (attendance) / 4,000 (students/staff - 45 schools) vs. UCLA