Nebraska has been a mainstay on the national scene since former Head Coach Jay Dirksen's arrived in 1983. Dirksen guided at least one Husker team to the NCAA Championships in 17 of his 29 seasons at Nebraska, including five years with both the men's and women's teams competing at nationals.

On the women's side, Nebraska has captured five conference crowns and four district titles. The Huskers have also placed among the top 12 teams at the NCAA Championships on five occasions, including back-to-back third-place finishes in 1988 and 1989.

Along with Nebraska's championship success on the course, the Huskers have been a leader in the classroom. An NU cross country team has earned Nebraska's Herman Award as the team with the highest cumulative grade-point average among all Nebraska athletic teams 13 times since 2000.