Nebraska Women's Track Team Opens Season with a Win Over 2002 Big 12 Champions Kansas State at the Wildcat Invitational

Manhattan, Kan. - The University of Nebraska women's track and field team won eight events on the day to take the team title at the Wildcat Invitational in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday afternoon.  NU scored 137 points to defeat Kansas State (117) and Wyoming (69).

 

"It's always good to start off with a win over the Big 12 Champions," head coach Gary Pepin said.  "We learned quite a bit about our team today and it was a good start for our ladies."

 

Shelley-Ann Brown opened her senior season with back-to-back wins in the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles.  Brown set the meet record in the 60-meter dash with a personal-record time of 7.54 and was followed by Vesna Kostic in 7.67.  Brown also took the title in the hurdles in 8.51.

 

"Anybody with multiple event wins in a meet like this is good," Pepin said.  "Shelley-Ann had two really good performances today."

 

Kostic also went on to win the 200-meter dash in 25.41 for her first win of the season.

 

After dominating the entire race, senior Cheryl Harmon took the top spot in the 600-yard run, clocking a time of 1:25.32.

 

Anne Shadle knocked nearly three seconds off of her career-best time in the 1,000 meters for a run of 2:55.93 to take the title.  Kayte Tranel took the gold in the 3,000 meters as the Huskers only competitor, clocking a time of 10:28.18.

 

In the jumps, Ineta Radevica got her first win as a Husker in the long jump with a mark of 19-9.  Krisztina Kovesi followed her up in third place with a leap of 19-1 1/2.  Kovesi took the silver in the triple jump with a mark of 41-1 1/2.  Authea Chambers leapt to a personal-record mark of 40-11 1/4 for a third-place finish in the triple jump.

 

Nebraska swept the pole vault, with Christi Lehman and Alissa Koerner sharing the title with vaults of 12-1 1/2.  Kelly Bowen finished right behind them in third place with a mark o f 11-1 3/4.

 

Amanda Moreley led the Husker throwers, finishing second in the weight throw with a mark of 59-0 1/4 on her first throw of the competition.  Sophomore Becky Breisch also took the silver in the shot put, launching it for a mark of 51-1.

 

Nebraska wrapped up the first meet of the season with a win in the 4x400-meter relay in 3:54.84, made up by Sara Jane Baker, Maggie Elias, Cheryl Harmon and Ashley Selig.

 

The men heptathletes finished their competition Saturday, with Casey Thom taking third place with 5,161 points.

 

The Huskers will open their home season Friday and Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Track at the Holiday Inn Invitational.