Owusu, Pepin Earn Big 12 Conference Indoor Honors

Dallas, Texas -- Nebraska All-American sprinter Lesley Owusu was named the Big 12 Conference Indoor Female Performer of the Year and Husker Head Coach Gary Pepin earned men's and women's coach-of-the-year honors by a vote of the league's head track and field coaches, the Big 12 Conference announced Thursday. The Nebraska men and women swept the conference indoor titles last weekend for the second consecutive year.

Owusu, a three-time All-American, led Nebraska as the senior claimed event titles in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. The Slough, Berkshire, England native set the Big 12 indoor meet record in the 400 meters with a time of 52.37 en route to scoring a meet-high 21.5 points for the Huskers. Her 400-meter time ranks second in the nation.

Pepin has guided the Huskers to 19 of the past 21 indoor conference titles on the women's side, while the men have won seven of the last eight indoor league crowns. Pepin, in his 21st year at the helm of the Husker squad, was also named the 2000 Big 12 Indoor Women's Coach of the Year, and earned the honor on both sides outdoors.

Texas A&M sprinter Brandon Evans was voted the top male performer, while Iowa State's Daniel Kaczmarczyk and Colorado's Sara Gorton were selected freshmen of the year.

Nebraska will play host to a last chance meet this Saturday at 10 a.m., before traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., for the NCAA Championships March 9-10.