Husker Long Jumpers Sweep Panther Classic for NU Track and Field Team

Cedar Falls, Iowa - The Nebraska women's long jumpers swept the Panther Classic at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to lead the Nebraska track and field team Saturday night.

 

Ineta Radevica won the long jump with a NCAA provisional-qualifying leap of 20-8 1/2, which was the sixth-best mark in NU school history.  Vesna Kostic took the silver with a 20-5 leap.  Kostic won the long jump last week at the Holiday Inn Invitational with a provisional-qualifying mark of 20-7 1/4.  Krisztina Kovesi came up in third with a mark of 19-9 3/4.

 

"In most areas, it has been a really good meet," head coach Gary Pepin said.  "We've shown a lot of improvement and we saw some teams that we don't normally see.  The long jump marks were good and hopefully each meet is a crescendo to the end of the season."

 

Freshman Aaron Plas won his first high jump competition as a Husker, with a leap of 6-10 3/4.  Plas defeated junior teammate Kyle Odvody on misses.  In the women's high jump, Nicole Kadyszweski jumped to a silver finish with a leap of 5-7 1/4.  Sara Jane Baker also reached 5-7 1/4, but took third with misses.

 

"Aaron is a freshman that didn't have a good first meet, but he did much better tonight," Pepin said.  "He is really improving and if he can jump 6-10 on a consistent basis and hit a bigger mark occasionally, he is going to be really good."

 

Junior Adam Patrick opened the meet with a victory in the 35-pound weight throw, hurling a season-best mark of 58 feet 8 1/2 inches.  The Huskers went one-two in the women's weight throw, with senior Amanda Moreley taking the title in the event with a mark of 58-9 1/4, followed by Tia DeSoto with a throw of 58-8 1/2.

 

Brad Teeple took his first victory of the season in the pole vault over teammate Eric Eshbach, with each vaulting a height of 17-0 3/4.  Teeple defeated Eshbach on misses for the title.

 

Senior Shelley-Ann Brown raced to a victory in the 60-meter hurdles in a NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 8.31seconds and a third-place finish in the 60-meter dash in 7.58 second, dropping .09 off of her preliminary time.

 

"Shelley-Ann had a good meet," Pepin said.  "She competed in several events and ran prelims and finals in several and did a solid job."

 

Redshirt freshman Priscilla Lopes competed unattached and won her second meet in as many weeks with a time of 7.47 seconds in the 60 meters.  She was runner-up to Brown in the 60-meter hurdles, with a time of 8.32.

 

In the hurdles, NU newcomer Nenad Loncar continued his outstanding debut in scarlet and white, taking third place with a time of 8.08 seconds in the finals. In the men's sprints, Shelldon Simpson, raced to third place in 6.89 seconds.  Simpson, also took fourth place in the 200-meter dash in a time of 22.21 seconds.

 

Senior Cheryl Harmon won the women's 600-meter run in a time of 1:35.43.  On the men's side, redshirt freshman Andy Nelson ran to a bronze finish in 1:23.31.

 

Ann Gaffigan also won the 1,000 meters in a time of 2:56.64, edging out Atalie Barber from the University of Iowa, by .04 of a second. Lucas Bauman captured the men's 1,000-meter title in 2:28.49.  Anne Shadle ran to a silver finish in the 3,000 meters in 9:59.68.

 

The Huskers will return to action in Lincoln Saturday, Feb. 8, at the adidas Invitational.  The meet begins at 2 p.m. at the BobDevaneySportsCenter.