Husker Runners Head to NCAA Regional

Lincoln -- The Nebraska men’s and women’s cross country teams head to Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 15, for the NCAA Midwest Region Championships. The men’s 10,000-meter race begins at 11 a.m., followed by the women’s 6,000-meter race at Noon.

The top two teams in each race automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships in Waterloo, Iowa, on Monday, Nov. 24. Thirteen at-large berths will also be available for teams that do not finish in the top two.

The women’s race consists of 30 teams, including one team ranked in the Nov. 4 FinishLynx Women’s Cross Country poll, No. 20 Missouri.

NU is coming off a sixth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. Head Coach Jay Dirksen hopes his team can benefit from the tough competition it has faced this season.

"Our schedule will definitely help us," Dirksen said. "Our goal is to finish in the top two and we’re certainly capable of being there if we run like we’re capable of running."

In the men’s race, 28 teams will compete, including two teams ranked in the Nov. 5 MONDO Men’s Cross Country poll, No. 23 Oklahoma State and No. 30 Iowa.

Despite a 12th-place finish at the conference meet, Dirksen is pleased with the effort that the men’s team is displaying.

"I’ve been real pleased with the effort the team has shown in practice," Dirksen said. "We’ll try to end the season on a positive note."

Huskers Claim Nine First-Team Academic All-Big 12 Honors
Nine Nebraska runners were among 114 Big 12 Conference student-athletes named to the 2003 Men’s and Women’s Academic All-Big 12 cross country teams, the Big 12 office announced on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Six Husker women were named to the first team, while three Husker men were also honored as first-team selections.

NU accounted for nine of the 94 combined first-team selections. Seniors Ann Gaffigan and Kathryn Handrup, juniors Anne Shadle and Kayte Tranel, sophomore Michaela

Lenihan and redshirt freshman Kim Pancoast represented the Huskers on the women’s team. Shadle is a repeat selection, having earned first-team honors in 2002 as well.

The Huskers also placed three student-athletes on the men’s first team. Seniors Dana Carne and Paul Wilson and junior Tim Williams represented Nebraska on the team. Williams made the team for the second time in his career, having also been named to the first team in 2002.

NU Women Drop Out of Poll
The Nebraska women’s cross country team dropped out of the Nov. 6 FinishLynx Women’s Cross Country poll. The Huskers had been as high as No. 20, before falling to 25th after the Big 12 Championships. NU had been ranked for six straight weeks after entering the rankings for the first time at No. 30, following its impressive performance at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 27.

Final Weekly Release Next Week
The final cross country weekly release will appear next Tuesday, Nov. 18. The release will include a season recap and senior spotlight section, as well as NCAA Championships information, should either team qualify for the meet.