Huskers Get Final Tune-up in adidas Classic

Lincoln -- The Nebraska track and field team will compete in its final regular-season indoor meet this weekend when it hosts the adidas Classic at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Track on Saturday.

The Huskers will use this meet for final preparations for the Big 12 Championships, since NU will take next week off before hosting the conference meet, Feb. 27-28.

The adidas Classic begins at 10 a.m. with the field events, and action on the track will take place beginning at 11 a.m.

Nebraska is coming off a fantastic weekend in which the Huskers claimed four automatic and eight provisional qualifying marks for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The adidas Classic will feature athletes from Colorado, Western Michigan, Wichita State, Southeast Missouri, Colorado State, Oklahoma Baptist, South Dakota, North Dakota State, Lincoln University, Butler County Community College, and Manhattan College.

The Huskers will see Colorado for the first time this season, after facing off against Big 12 foes Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State last weekend in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.

A Look at the Field
The adidas Classic will feature athletes from 12 different schools. Wichita State returns to compete for the second week in a row. The Husker men 60-meter hurdlers will have another solid competition this weekend, with the Shockers’ Shannon Armstrong returningto defend his title from a week ago. Armstrong ran a time of 7.80 in the hurdles to tie the eighth-best time in the country this season and defeated NU sophomore Courtney Jones, who took second in 7.90.

Colorado State will bring Magnus Lohse to compete with Carl Myerscough in the shot put. Myerscough leads the country with his throw of 67-10 1/4 last weekend, while Lohse is sixth on the national descending order list with his throw of 63-2.

Husker Invitational Highlighted By Several Key Performances
Priscilla Lopes had just one of the many outstanding performances for the Huskers last weekend in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational. Lopes automatically qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships and re-wrote the Nebraska 60-meter hurdle record two different times on Saturday. Lopes ran a school-record time of 8.19 in the semifinals and then improved that record to 8.15 in the finals for the win.

Ashley Selig also had a spectacular meet, scoring a nation-leading 3,958 points in the pentathlon on the first day of the Husker Invite.

Carl Myerscough also set the nation-leading mark in the men’s shot put in his first competition of the season, throwing the shot 67-10 1/4.

Dmitrijs Milkevics ran an outstanding 800 meters, clocking an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 1:48.75 to easily win the event and set the second fastest time in Nebraska school history.

Senior Brad Teeple also had a strong meet, winning the men’s pole vault competition with a career-best and NCAA provisional mark of 17-6 1/2.

Ineta Radevica won both the long and triple jump competitions, automatically qualifying for the national championship meet in the triple jump with her leap of 43-10 1/2 for the first time this season.

Anne Shadle also claimed her first NCAA provisional qualifying mark, running a time of 4:47.74 in the mile to take a fourth-place finish and improve her personal record by better than five seconds.

The Best of the Best
The Huskers boast some of the best track and field athletes in the country, and they have the rankings to prove it. Nine NU marks rank in the top five among NCAA Division I performances, while Ashley Selig and Carl Myerscough are leading the country.

Selig set the top mark in the NCAA pentathlon last weekend in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational, with her score of 3,958 points. The next time Selig will compete in the pentathlon will be the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

Myerscough landed his nation-leading mark of 67-10 1/4 in the shot put in his first competition of the season last week.

Sophomore Priscilla Lopes improved to third on the women’s 60-meter hurdle list with her time of 8.15, in the Husker Invite. Lopes is also tied at 18th on the 200-meter list with her time of 23.98.

Showing Nebraska’s depth in the women’s pole vault, three Huskers rank in the top 10 in the nation, including Jenny Green who ranks second, Jessie Graff (tied for seventh), and Christi Lehman (tied for 11th). In the men’s pole vault, senior Brad Teeple is tied at fifth on the national list with his clearance of 17-6 1/2.

Dmitrijs Milkevics’ time of 1:48.75 in the 800 meters currently ranks fourth in the nation.

Ineta Radevica’s leap of 21-0 1/2 in the long jump is second in the nation, after leading the country last week. Radevica’s mark of 43-10 1/2 in the triple jump ranks fourth.

Dusty Stamer’s time of 6.67 is tied for seventh in the nation in the 60-meter dash.

In the shot put, Becky Breisch improved to third on the national descending order list with her throw of 56-1 3/4, while Leann Boerema moved up to 12th with her mark of 52-10 last weekend.

Big 12 Standings
Several Huskers hold the top spot in the Big 12 rankings, and several more rank near the top of their events.

The Husker women pole vaulters have a firm grip on the conference race, taking the 1-2-3-5 spots, led by Jenny Green and followed by Jessi Graff, Christi Lehman and Alissa Koerner.

Ineta Radevica is on top of the long jump with a mark of 21-0 1/2 and the triple jump with a leap of 43-10 1/2.

Dmitrijs Milkevics took over the top spot in the 800 meters with his spectacular run last weekend.

Carl Myerscough is leading the conference and the nation in the shot put (67-10 1/4), as is Ashley Selig in the pentathlon (3,958).

Eric Rasmussen is second in the conference with a time of 14:38.56 in the 5,000-meter run, clocked last weekend. Ann Gaffigan leads the 5,000 meter run (17:14.75) and is fourth in the women’s 3,000 meters with a time of 9:45.03, and Anne Shadle is fourth in the mile (4:47.74).

Dusty Stamer is second behind Oklahoma’s DaBryan Blanton in the 60-meter dash with a personal-best time of 6.67, which he ran at the Holiday Inn Invitational. Oliver Williams Jr. is ranked fourth in the 60 meter and sixth in the 200 meters.

Going 2-3-4 in the 60-meter hurdles are sophomore Courtney Jones (7.90), Richard Davidson Jr. (7.95) and Nenad Loncar (8.01).

On the women’s side, Priscilla Lopes ranks sixth on the 60-meter dash list (7.46), fifth in the 200 (23.98) and third in the hurdles (8.15).

Brad Teeple took over the top spot in the men’s pole vault with his leap of 17-6 1/2.

Daniel Roper is ranked third in the long jump (24-8 1/2) and fifth in the triple jump (48-11 3/4), while Jason Thompson is fourth in the triple jump (49-9 1/4).

Danny Hill is ranked fourth in the 600-yard run with his time of 1:10.77.

Becky Breisch took over the lead in the women’s shot put with her throw of 56-1 3/4. Teammate Leann Boerema is behind her in third with a throw of 52-10.

Selig is followed in the pentathlon by teammate Sara Jane Baker in third (3,676 points). Chris Richardson ranks second on the men’s heptathlon list, followed by Martin (3rd) and Jesse Colburn (5th).

Nebraska Women Remain Ranked Fourth
For the third consecutive week, the Nebraska women remained ranked fourth in the TrackWire rankings. The Husker men improved to 18th place after being tied for 19th last week.

The TrackWire 25 is a power ranking which projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA meet, factoring injury reports and other variables supported by information gathered from coaches and NCAA-qualifying competitions.

The Louisiana State women and the Arkansas men are the heavy favorites to repeat as national champions in 2004. Each team returns two national champions, including one with multiple championships.

The Nebraska women have been projected to score 36 points in the national championship meet, while the men are projected to score 11 points in the team race.

In the team power rankings, the Nebraska women are ranked first in the nation with 288.69 points, followed by LSU with 279.15. The NU men are ranked fourth behind Florida, Michigan, and Brigham Young. The power rankings simulate a dual-meet score, made up of each school’s top two performances in each event.

Huskers Set to Compete in Prairie Wolf Invite
A handful of Nebraska athletes are set to compete on Friday night in the Prairie Wolf Invitational hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Track.

Several athletes are getting in a practice competition, while others are trying off events. The multi-event athletes will also get some work in several different events.

800 Meter Record In Jeopardy
Dmitrijs Milkevics put the Nebraska school record in the 800 meters in serious jeopardy of falling last weekend. Milkevics ran the second fastest time school history with his 1:48.75 clocking in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.

The current record holder is Dieudonne Kwizera, who ran a time of 1:48.37 on March 4, 1989.

Milkevics was just .38 of a second off of the record after just beginning to run the 800 this season. Milkevics previously ran the 400 before making the transition to the 800 meters in 2004.

Selig In Driver’s Seat of Pentathlon
Sophomore Ashley Selig recorded the NCAA-leading mark in the women’s pentathlon last weekend at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational with her score of 3,958 points.

The mark provisionally qualifies Ashley for the first NCAA indoor pentathlon in history and should be a solid enough mark to get her into the national meet.

While the mark is the best collegiate mark in the country, Selig was unimpressed with several of her marks in the competition last weekend. Her score was still 13 points shy of her career-best mark, which was set at the Big 12 Indoor Championships last season.

Selig did set a new career-best indoor mark in the shot put, with her throw of 37-3 1/4.

Myerscough Just Needs One Throw
Carl Myerscough only needed one throw in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational to record the nation-leading mark. The Hambleton, England, native unleashed a winning throw of 67-10 1/4 on his first attempt of the competition to set the national standard.

Myerscough was pleased with the consistency of his throws, notching marks of 67-10 1/4, 66-8, 64-7 1/4, 65-4 1/4, 66-6 1/2, and 66-8 1/2 in his series.

While he was happy with the series as a whole, Myerscough said he would have liked to have landed a larger throw. While it would have been impressive, it obviously wasn’t necessary to take the nation’s lead.

Shadle Clinches Provisional Mark
Junior Anne Shadle provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time in her career last weekend with a time of 4:47.74 in the mile run.

Shadle’s time was the fourth-best in Nebraska school history and eclipsed her previous personal-best mark by more than five seconds.

During 2003, Shadle qualified for her first NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The South Sioux City, Neb., native finished third at the NCAA Midwest Regional in the event to earn a berth in the national championships. Shadle went on to set a new school record in the event with a time of 10:32.21 for a 20th place finish at the national meet.

Radevica Quietly Making Mark
One of Nebraska’s four 2003 outdoor national champions, Ineta Radevica has been impressive in the long and triple jumps this season, but has done it quietly and without much notice.

Radevica claimed an automatic-qualifying mark in the long jump in the very first week of the season with her leap of 21-0 1/2. That mark still ranks second in the nation.

Last week in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational, Radevica claimed the long and triple jump titles, capturing her first automatic-qualifying mark in the triple jump with her leap of 43-10 1/2.

Devaney Center Standards Raised
Three Bob Devaney Sports Center records fell over the weekend, as well as seven Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational Records.

Florida’s Candice Scott reset her own Devaney Center record in the women’s weight throw with a launch of 75-5 1/2.

Minnesota’s Mitch Potter ran a fantastic race in the men’s 400 meters, setting a new standard of 46 seconds flat.

North Carolina’s Alice Schmidt, an Elkhorn, Neb., native also set a new Devaney record time in the 800 meters, with her run of 2:05.33.

Making the Transition
Kade Pittman and Willie Amos made the transition from the football field to the track last weekend for the first time in their careers.

Pittman ran a time of 7.07 in the 60-meter dash, which is the fifth best mark on the squad this season.

Amos ran the second leg in the 4x400-meter relay for Nebraska’s "B" Relay team. The team posted a time of 3:18.29, while Amos posted a split of 49.9.

Husker Hurdlers Showcase Outstanding Depth
Three of the top four 60-meter hurdlers in the Big 12 Conference compete for Nebraska. Sophomore Courtney Jones has led the Huskers early in the 2004 season, running a career-best time of 7.90 last weekend at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.

Jones time provisionally qualified him for the NCAA Indoor Championships, as did teammate Richard Davidson Jr.’s time of 7.95 ran in the semifinals of the same meet. The pair rank second and third in the conference, followed by teammate Nenad Loncar, who has clinched a season-best run of 8.01.

The Huskers will try to make up the loss of departed senior All-American David Davis Jr. in the hurdles. Davis won the 2003 Big 12 Indoor championship in the 60-meter hurdles, while Loncar took fourth (8.02) and Jones finished fifth (8.02).

The Huskers have posted outstanding early season times despite Loncar missing a few weeks of training and Richardson returning from a medical redshirt season.

Breisch Improves For a Fourth Week
Junior Becky Breisch has improved her mark in the shot put every week this season, including her throw of 56-1 3/4 in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.

The 2003 NCAA outdoor champion threw the shot 54-5 1/2 in the Panther Open to begin the 2004 season with an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark. The following week at the Holiday Inn Invitational, Breisch improved the mark to 54-8 to win that meet as well.

In the Tiger Classic, Breisch unleashed another fantastic throw of 55-1 1/2 to take her game once again to the next level.

The Edwardsburg, Mich., native was rewarded for that throw, earning Big 12 Conference Athlete-of-the-Week honors last week.

Lopes Clocks New NU Hurdle Record
Sophomore Priscilla Lopes has been impressive in the first month of her career in a Nebraska uniform. Lopes has run a faster time in the 60-meter hurdles almost every time she has gotten in the blocks.

In the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational, Lopes ran a time of 8.21 in the preliminaries to tie her previous season-best mark. In the semifinals, she set her first Nebraska school record with an 8.19 clocking, and in the finals Lopes dropped her time even farther to 8.15.

The time automatically qualified the Whitby, Ontario, native for the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., March 12-13.

Lopes went on to run an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 23.98 in the 200 meters.

Lopes currently ranks third in the NCAA in the hurdles and is tied at 18th place on the 200 meter list.

Grand Island Natives Great Additions for NU
The Nebraska track and field team has three outstanding additions from Grand Island, Neb., for the 2004 season. Phenomenal freshmen pole vaulters Jenny Green and Gable Baldwin have made an immediate impact for the Huskers in the air, while junior Dusty Stamer, who took up his spikes after a brief stint on the Husker football team, burst onto the Big 12 sprint scene.

Green has already set the school record in the pole vault, clearing 13-9 1/4 in the first week of the season. She also broke the Hearnes Fieldhouse record at Missouri, clearing 13-7 1/4.

Baldwin is fifth in the league in the men’s pole vault, with a leap of 16-11 3/4 at the Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev., in week one.

Stamer has already ran the Huskers’ fourth best time in school history in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.67 at the Holiday Inn Invite.

NU Returns Four National Champs in 2004
Nebraska is the only Division I university that returns four 2003 NCAA individual national champions to its 2004 squad. The Huskers return Carl Myerscough (indoor and outdoor shot put), Eric Eshbach (outdoor pole vault), Ineta Radevica (outdoor triple jump) and Becky Breisch (outdoor shot put).

North Carolina comes the closest to Nebraska, returning three individual national champs from the 2003 season, including indoor shot put winner Laura Gerraughty.

The Huskers also return the services of seven All-Americans, including Kyle Odvody (high jump), Na’Tassia Vice (high jump) and Artur Wszelaki (javelin) in addition to the four national champions.