Harriers Qualify for Nationals

On to the NCAA Championships
The Husker women earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The Husker women finished fourth at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships last weekend, but their schedule strength and wins over quality competition helped them earn and the invite to the championships.

This is the third consecutive year they have competed in the NCAA championship meet. Last year the Huskers finished 19th. Amy Wiseman placed 94th overall and was the top Husker finisher.

Huskers at the NCAA Championships
The Husker women, under the direction of Coach Jay Dirksen, have compted in 13 NCAA championships during his 15-year tenure. This will mark the 14th appearance in the national championships for Dirksen. The Nebraska women recorded consecutive third-place finishes in 1988 and 1989. Their highest finish in the 90s was a 12th-place finish at the 1991 meet and they are coming off a 19th-place finish from last season. Sammy Resh Gdowski owns the best individual finish at the NCAA meet for an Nebraska runner. She placed 7th in 1988.

The mens team placed seventh at the NCAA meet in 1996, their best showing in school history. They were fueled by the 2-3 performance from Jonah Kiptarus and Cleophas Boor.

The Last Time Out: NCAA Midwest Regionals
The Husker men and women competed in the Midwest Regionals at R.A.F.T. Recreational Ranch in Wichita, Kan., on Saturday, Nov. 14. The Husker women placed fourth at the meet out of 23 teams. The men placed 13th out of 22 teams.

Freshman Jeannette Zimmer led the Husker women finishing 11th overall covering the 5,000-meter course in 17:43.7. Zimmer was followed by Amy Wiseman who finished 20th overall with a time of 17:52.6. Zimmers and Wisemans performances earned them All-Midwest Region honors.

Senior Lou Petricca got off to a good start and led the Husker men for the first time this season. Petricca finished the 10,000-meter course in 32:15.40 taking the 43rd-place overall. Junior transfer Tony Smith followed Petricca finishing 51st overall covering the course in 32:33.80.

A Look Back: The 1997 NCAA Championships
Fueled by All-America performances from senior Cleophas Boor and freshman Jeroen Broekzitter, the 21st-ranked Nebraska mens cross country team ran to an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

The Huskers tallied 294 points for the 11th-place showing. Second-ranked Stanford upset Arkansas for the second consecutive season, 53-56, capturing the team title. Big 12 Champion Colorado placed third.

Boor earned his second cross country All-America award in as many seasons, finishing the 10,000-meter race in a time of 29:22, good for sixth place. Boor was 28 seconds off the leader, Mebrahtom Keflezighi of UCLA, who completed the course in a time of 28:54. After a third-place finish at last seasons NCAA Championships, Boor becomes just the third Husker to earn multiple All-America honors.

Broekzitter, who is only the second Husker to win a regional title, placed 20th overall in a time of 30:06. With his 20th-place finish, Broekzitter became just the ninth harrier in Husker History to earn All-American honors on the cross country course.

In the womens competition, Nebraska totaled 457 for a 19th-place finish. Second-ranked Brigham Young won the team title with a total of 100 points, edging top-ranked Stanfordss total of 102 points. Big 12 Champion Colorado placed third at the event. The Huskers were led by freshman Amy Wiseman who finished in 17:56 for 94th.

The NCAA Womens Field
Nebraska will be competing against 24 ranked teams out of 31 in the meet at the national championships. The Husker were among 13 of the at-large teams who gained a berth into the championship meet. The remaining 18 teams were regional qualifiers from each of the nine regions.

North Carolina State, Wake Forest, North Carolina, William & Mary, Kansas State, Missouri, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Florida, South Florida, Tennessee, Brigham Young, Colorado, Northern Arizona, Colorado State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Villanova, Georgetown, Arizona, Stanford, Washington, Oregon, UCLA, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Texas, Providence and Cornell will all be competing.