Carne Paces Husker Men to Victory, Women Finish Third

Maryville, Mo., -- In the first competition of the season, the Nebraska men's cross country team placed six runners in the top seven, including capturing the top four places, en route to securing the team title at the Bearcat Distance Classic in Maryville, Mo., Saturday morning. The Huskers tallied 15 points to earn their first victory of the season, finishing ahead of Creighton, which totaled 48 points.

The race marked the first collegiate competition for many NU runners, as four of the seven athletes Coach Jay Dirksen selected for the meet were freshmen.

"The men really ran well," Dirksen said. "Our top six were all within 68 seconds of each other which is really pretty good. I was really pleased with all the men that ran."

Newcomer Dana Carne was impressive in his first action, covering the 6,000-meter course in 20:12.5 to capture the men's individual title. A sophomore transfer from Colorado State, Carne was an excellent high school distance runner for Omaha North, before injuries slowed his progress.

"It was great to see Dana Carne look so good," Dirksen said. "He has been injured the last couple of years and it's just great to see him healthy again and running well."

Sophomore Paul Wilson earned runner-up honors, finishing in 20:32.9, while freshman Luke Garringer, the 2000 Nebraska high school cross country champion, finished third in 20:59.7. Meanwhile, freshman Tim Williams finished fourth in 21:04.8, but Northwest Missouri State's Bryce Good finished ahead NU freshman Scott Wandzilak, preventing the Huskers from sweeping the top five places. Wandzilak finished sixth in 21:19.1, followed by sophomore Marc Clinard (21:20). Freshman Joe Shreve was the final Husker to cross the line, finishing 12th in 21:43.9.

The Husker women's team also competed in Maryville, finishing third with 55 points. Sophomore Morgan Hartman, who competed in only three meets last season because of injury, was the Huskers' top runner, completing the 4,000-meter course in 16:30.4 to finish seventh overall. Although Hartman and the Huskers' were unable to successfully defend their 2000 title, Dirksen said he was pleased with how the team competed.

"This was a good meet to start at," Dirksen said. "We'll get better as we go along. It's just good to see Morgan back running again."

Imperial Neb., native Monica Barger, a transfer from Colby Community College, was the second Husker to cross the line, finishing 11th in 16:50, while freshman Michele Steube finished 13th in 17:02.3. Sophomore Hillary Laird and junior Melissa Drozda both battled quadriceps injuries to finish 22nd (17:23.5) and 29th (17:45.6), respectively. Drake's Tracey Bearden won the individual title in a time of 15:27.8.

Nebraska will next be in action on Saturday, Sept. 15, when it plays host to the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational at Pioneers Park. The event will kick off with the women's 5,000-meter race at 10 a.m., followed by the men's 8,000-meter race at 10:45 a.m.