Red Letter Day for Huskers at Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational

Lincoln -- Nebraska junior Anne Shadle and the Husker women's cross country team earned first place at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational at Pioneers Park on Saturday. At the only home meet of the season, Shadle crossed the tape of the 6,000-meter course in a career-best 21:33, 11 seconds shy of the course record, in helping Nebraska defeat second-place Air Force, 28-52, in the University division.

On the men's side, senior Dana Carne led the Huskers to a second-place team finish, with his 10th place individual finish, in a time of 26:03 on the 8,000-meter course. Air Force captured the University division team title by claiming the top nine individual spots.

Head coach Jay Dirksen said Shadle has improved greatly from last year, when she finished 13th at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational.

"Anne's vastly improved from last year," Dirksen said. "Her confidence and comfort level have risen significantly."

Shadle, who also runs track for the Huskers, has seen much improvement in her three seasons at NU, being named Nebraska's Most Improved Cross Country Runner in 2002. Adjusting to the longer distance (she runs the 800-meters, 1,000-meters, 1,500-meters, and 3,000-meters in track) has provided the biggest challenge for Shadle. After two full seasons, Shadle is beginning to come into her own on the larger 6,000-meter course.

"I just concentrated on staying relaxed," Shadle said. "I have a lot more confidence and a much better understanding for the mental part of the distance. Knowing the course so well also helps because I know how to pace myself."

The team championship marked the 10th Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational title for the women, while Shadle's individual finish marked the fourth time a Husker placed first in the 14-year history of the meet.

In addition to Shadle, Nebraska accounted for four of the top five individuals, with senior Ann Gaffigan recording her fourth straight top 10 finish at the invitational, placing second in 21:50. Junior Kayte Tranel claimed the first top-five finish of her career, finishing in fourth-place at 22:12 and senior Kathryn Handrup recorded her first top-10 finish at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational, placing fifth at 22:29.

Sophomore Michaela Lenihan finished 25th in 23:50, her first top-25 finish on a 6,000-meter coure. Freshmen Lindsey Finkner and Farah Jadran also ran well. Finkner, who redshirted last season, finished her first 6,000-meter course in 21st place (23:40) and Jadran finished 30th (24:15).

in the men's competition, six Huskers placed in the top 20 of the University division, led by Carne. A trio of Huskers finished together in 13th, 14th and 15th places. Sophomore Eric Dall showed dramatic improvement in his second year, finishing the race in 13th place in a personal-best 26:13, more than two minutes faster than he completed the Pioneers Park course last year (28:24.59). Senior Paul Wilson finished 14th in 26:15 and junior Tim Williams finished in 15th place in a time of 26:25, his best finish ever at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational.

The freshmen on the men's side continued to start strong as each of the three improved upon their time from the season-opening Creighton/UNO Invitational Sept. 6. Alec Maduza placed 17th at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational in 26:35 compared to 28:02.40 in his first race, Bryce Dickmeyer finished 20th in 27:11 compared to 28:43.96 in Omaha, and Mike Dorazil finished 24th in 27:29 compared to 29:52.72 two weeks ago.

Carne, the team captain, was pleased with the team's performance on Saturday.

"I thought our team looked great," Carne said. "When I finished, I looked behind me and saw a group of teammates crossing the finish line."

Nebraska faces a stiff challenge next weekend as it travels to the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota Saturday, Sept. 27. The meet, featuring several ranked teams, should provide the Huskers with a good idea of where they stand.

"We've ran well so far this season," Dirksen said. "But, the level of competition will really increase next weekend."