Huskers Play Host to First Outdoor Meet in Three Years

Lincoln --The Nebraska track & field team will play host to its first outdoor track meet in three years Saturday, on the newly refinished Ed Weir Stadium track, which received a $2 million replacement in 1999. The Huskers will rededicate the new track and celebrate 25 years of women's athletics at the Husker Open, which begins at noon. Nebraska last hosted an outdoor track meet on May 9, 1997.

NU will welcome athletes from over 20 institutions to the Husker Open (including Big 12 foe Iowa State), as well as a handful of unattached athletes.

For media passes please contact David Wilson in the Nebraska Sports Information office at (402) 472-7781.

Also this week, four native Texans-turned Huskers will travel to compete in the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, Wednesday through Saturday. Pole vaulters Eric Eshbach and Johnathan Henly, both from Orange, Texas, along with jumper Tobyn Rucker (Kileen, Texas) and high jumper Shaun Kologinczak (Spring, Texas) will make the trip.

NU's Chandler, Price own nation's best marks this season
Nebraska junior Chris Chandler jumped into the nation's lead in the 100 meters Saturday, running a school-record and Cromwell Field-record time of 10.16 at a quadrangular in Los Angeles. The previous Cromwell Field record of 10.17 was held by USC's Sultan McCullough, who finished second to Chandler on Saturday with a time of 10.22.

In his first outdoor meet of the season, Chandler, who automatically qualified for the NCAA meet, shattered the Husker school record of 10.25, set by Riley Washington in 1994. Chandler won the 200 meters at the USA Indoor Championships on March 5.

Husker junior Melissa Price took the nation's lead in the hammer throw on March 18, with a toss of 210-7 at the College Station Relays. Price's automatic qualifying mark was just short of her school-record throw of 213-1, recorded May 12, 1999. The winning mark at last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships was 207-2.