Huskers Athletics Produce Strong 2003-04 Season

Lincoln -- University of Nebraska athletic teams enjoyed a stellar year during the 2003-04 season.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams combined to win three Big 12 Conference titles, while the Husker softball team added a rare sweep of the league regular-season and tournament crowns. On the national level, the women’s bowling team contributed the first-ever NCAA bowling title to its impressive hardware haul, while the women’s indoor and outdoor track and field team and the wrestling team each added top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships.

Overall 13 of Nebraska’s 23 varsity sports earned top-25 national finishes at the NCAA Championships or in the national polls. Individually, 35 Nebraska student-athletes captured 50 All-America awards in their respective sports, including six Huskers who claimed seven individual national titles.

Along with the remarkable championship-level success of Husker individuals and teams, several other Nebraska programs also displayed resurgent performances in 2003-04. The women’s basketball team produced one of the nation’s top-10 turnarounds with a 10-game improvement in the win column and its first postseason tournament appearance since 2000. The men’s basketball team added one of the nation’s top turnarounds, while advancing to postseason play for the first time since 1999.

"Overall, I think we had a good year," Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson said. "We had teams excel at the top of the Big 12 Conference, which is the toughest conference in college athletics, and we had teams perform well in the NCAA Championships as well. I am excited about the future and watching these excellent teams progress. I also appreciate the continued success we have had in our academic programs."

Fall Season Highlights
The fall sports season began with a 10-3 showing on the gridiron that included a 17-3 win over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl. The Huskers produced the 24th 10-win season in school history and advanced to their NCAA-record 35th consecutive bowl game. They also returned to the final Associated Press rankings after a one-year absence with a No. 19 final AP ranking. The football team continued to build momentum by attracting a school-record 61,417 fans for the annual Red-White Spring Game in April for the debut of Coach Bill Callahan’s West Coast Offense.

The volleyball team advanced to its 10th consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 by advancing the regional semifinals. The Huskers finished in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 10 for the fourth consecutive year and closed the year with a 28-5 overall record, a 17-3 Big 12 mark and a No. 9 final ranking.

The Husker soccer team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth consecutive year and finished with a 13-8-1 overall record. The soccer team also produced its eighth consecutive top-25 finish with its No. 23 ranking in the final NSCAA poll.

The women’s cross country team celebrated its first trip to the NCAA Championships since 1999 with a strong 30th-place finish after qualifying for the NCAA meet by winning its first NCAA Midwest Regional title since 1992. The Huskers also tied a school record with four individuals winning all-regional honors.

Winter Season Highlights
After a solid fall season, the Huskers picked up the pace during the winter season with several outstanding team efforts.

The women’s bowling team captured Nebraska’s only team national title of 2003-04 by winning the first-ever NCAA title in Houston, Texas. Coach Bill Straub guided his team to its sixth national title overall and the third team crown since bowling became a varsity sport at Nebraska during the 1997-98 academic year. Shannon Pluhowsky earned MVP honors at the NCAA Championships and went on to an individual national title at the Intercollegiate Bowling Singles Championships.

The wrestling team also closed the season on a high note with a fifth-place showing at the NCAA Championships. Coach Mark Manning led the Huskers to their fifth top-five NCAA finish in school history, and the first since the 1995-96 season. Four Huskers captured All-America honors, including 125-pound NCAA champion Jason Powell, who became the eighth Husker to win an NCAA wrestling title. Powell was also Nebraska’s nominee for the Big 12 Conference Male Athlete-of-the-Year award.

The women’s indoor track and field team raced to a third-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships after cruising to the Big 12 indoor title at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Track. Ineta Radevica (triple jump) and Priscilla Lopes (60-meter hurdles) earned national titles to lead a group of eight female athletes who earned nine All-America awards for NU at the national indoor meet. The men also enjoyed a strong showing with a 19th-place NCAA finish after powering their way to the Big 12 indoor title. Four Huskers earned All-America awards for Coach Gary Pepin, who was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year on the both men’s and women’s side during the indoor season. Overall, Pepin has guided the Huskers to 60 conference team titles in his 24 years as NU’s head coach.

The men’s basketball team experienced one of the nation’s best turnarounds under fourth-year coach Barry Collier. The Huskers played three postseason tournament games in the National Invitation Tournament to make their first postseason appearance since 1998-99. Nebraska finished the season with an 18-13 overall record in 2003-04. NU posted impressive wins over a pair of top-25 teams with victories against No. 12 Kansas and No. 25 Texas Tech. The Huskers were 12-2 against non-conference competition, including a perfect 10-0 at home on their way to a 15-3 overall home record.

The women’s basketball team also produced one of country’s top turnarounds on the court. In Coach Connie Yori’s second season the Huskers experienced a 10-game improvement in the win column, finishing with an 18-12 overall record and a 7-9 Big 12 mark. The Huskers advanced to the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament to make their first postseason appearance since the 1999-2000 season. With a win over Drake in the first round of the WNIT, the Huskers notched their first home postseason victory since 1993.

The women’s gymnastics team continued to contend on the national level despite competing without the services of injured 2003 NCAA All-Around champion Richelle Simpson. The Huskers advanced to the NCAA Championships for the sixth consecutive year after finishing second at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Four Huskers combined for six All-America awards, including first-team All-Americans Kristi Esposito (all-around, balance beam) and Libby Landgraf (uneven bars).

The men’s gymnastics squad finished fourth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation team race. Josh Rasile earned All-America honors with his fifth-place performance on still rings at the NCAA Individual Event Finals for the Huskers.

The women’s rifle team also produced a strong season for the Huskers, finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships. Three Huskers earned All-America awards, including Kristina Fehlings, Misty Chanek and Melissa Downsbrough.

The women’s swimming and diving program also continued its climb back to national prominence with a strong year in the pool. The Huskers produced a 7-2 dual record after going a combined 3-11 the previous two seasons. Freshman Lauren Bailey became the first Husker swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships under third-year coach Pablo Morales. Bailey qualified for nationals in the 400-yard individual medley, the 500 freestyle and the 1,650-yard freestyle. Bailey was the first Husker swimmer since 2001 to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Spring Season Highlights
The men’s and women’s track and field teams experienced even more success outdoors than indoors, as the women matched their third-place indoor finish, while the men improved on their indoor finish with a 13th-place team showing outdoors. The men added a Big 12 outdoor championship to their trophy collection. Ineta Radevica (triple jump), Becky Breisch (discus) and Carl Myerscough (shot put) all came home with national titles from the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Meet. Six Husker women combined for eight All-America awards during the outdoor season, while seven Husker men earned All-America awards in four events.

On the diamond, the Nebraska softball team captured the Big 12 regular-season title and the Big 12 Tournament title behind the right arm of senior pitcher Peaches James. The Big 12 Player of the Year provided one of the most dominant seasons in school history, setting school single-season and career records for strikeouts. The second-team NFCA All-American also tossed the second perfect game in school history in Nebraska’s win over Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament. James was later named Nebraska’s nominee for the Big 12 Conference Female Athlete-of-the-Year and Sportsperson-of-the-Year awards. The Huskers, who finished with a 45-17 overall record, including a 14-3 regular-season Big 12 mark, advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Lincoln Regional. Nebraska fell just two wins shy of its eighth trip to the Women’s College World Series.

The Husker baseball team also produced the top player in the league, as sophomore third baseman Alex Gordon claimed Nebraska’s third consecutive Big 12 Conference Player-of-the-Year award. Gordon, who earned unanimous first-team All-America honors after hitting .365 with 18 homers and 75 RBIs, will try to lead Nebraska back to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 after missing out on its first tournament appearance in six seasons with a 36-23 overall record.

The women’s tennis team finished with a 16-9 overall record, while working its way into a top-75 ranking throughout much of the season. Gitte Ostermann also earned a trip to the NCAA Singles Championships. The men’s tennis squad managed a 9-13 overall record while earning its first top-75 national ranking since the 2001-02 season. The men’s golf team finsihed a strong spring season by finishing in the top two at its final three regular-season tournaments, before seeing its season come to an end at the Big 12 Championships. The women’s golf team produced a strong fall season, including a pair of tournament titles. The women’s golf team also ended its season at the Big 12 Championships.

Nebraska’s Individual National Champions|
Along with the team accomplishments on the field, individual Husker athletes across all sports also produced remarkable accomplishments throughout the year. The Huskers crowned six national champions who earned seven individual titles during the 2003-04 athletic season.

• Ineta Radevica (Senior, Kraslava, Latvia) swept the women’s NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in the triple jump to finish her illustrious career as a three-time national champion and an 11-time All-American. She added a runner-up finish in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Meet.
• Becky Breisch (Junior, Edwardsburg, Mich.) added a national title of her own for the Husker women’s track and field team with the NCAA discus title at the 2004 outdoor meet. She added a title in the women’s shot put in 2003 to become the first female thrower in NU history to win titles in both the shot and discus.
• Priscilla Lopes (Sophomore, Whitby, Ontario) erupted onto the national scene by winning the women’s 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She added a second-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Meet, while also earning All-America honors in the 60-meter dash indoors.
• Carl Myerscough (Senior, Hambleton, England) added an NCAA title in the men’s outdoor shot put to close his career as a four-time national champion and a seven-time All-American.
• Jason Powell (Senior, Midwest City, Okla.) capped his Nebraska wrestling career with an NCAA title at 125 pounds to lead the wrestling team to its fifth-place team finish at the NCAA meet. He closed his career as just the second four-time All-American in Nebraska wrestling history.
• Shannon Pluhowsky (Junior, Phoenix, Ariz.) was named the MVP of the NCAA Bowling Championships before earning an individual national title at the National Collegiate Bowling Singles Championships less than one month later. Pluhowsky also claimed her third straight U.S. Amateur title.

Individual All-Americans (35 Athletes/50 Total Awards/41 First-Team Awards)
Becky Breisch, Junior, Edwardsburg, Mich., Women’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor Shot Put/Outdoor Discus/Outdoor Shot Put)
Josh Bullocks, Sophomore, Chattanooga, Tenn., Football (1st Team, Free Safety)
Misty Chanek, Sophomore, Ganado, Texas, Rifle (2nd Team, Smallbore)
Angela Dies, Freshman, Heidelberg, Germany, Women’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor Long Jump)
Melissa Downsbrough, Senior, State College, Pa., Rifle (3rd Team, Air Rifle/Smallbore)
Melissa Elmer, Sophomore, Fort Wayne, Ind., Volleyball (2nd Team, Middle Blocker)
Eric Eshbach, Senior, Orangefield, Texas, Men’s Track & Field (1st Team, Outdoor Pole Vault)
Kristi Esposito, Freshman, Slidell, La., Women’s Gymnastics (1st Team, All-Around/Balance Beam)
Kristina Fehlings, Freshman, Fairfax, Va., Rifle (1st Team, Air Rifle/3rd Team, Smallbore)
Ann Gaffigan, Senior, Springfield, Ill., Women’s Track & Field (1st Team, 3,000-Meter Steeplechase)
Alex Gordon, Sophomore, Lincoln, Neb., Baseball (1st Team, Third Base)
Jenny Green, Freshman, Grand Island, Neb., Women’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor Pole Vault/Outdoor Pole Vault)
Peaches James, Senior, Omaha, Neb., Softball (2nd Team, Pitcher)
Jacob Klein, Sophomore, Valley Center, Kan., Wrestling (1st Team, 165 Pounds)
Libby Landgraf, Senior, Fort Collins, Colo., Women’s Gymnastics (1st Team, Uneven Bars/2nd Team, Vault)
Kyle Larson, Senior, Funk, Neb., Football (1st Team, Punter)
Christi Lehman, Junior, Newton, Kan., Women’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor Pole Vault)
Priscilla Lopes, Sophomore, Whitby, Ontario, Women’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor 60-Meter Hurdles, Indoor 60-Meter Dash/Outdoor 100-Meter Hurdles)
Dmitrijs Milkevics, Freshman, Riga, Latvia, Men’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor 800 Meters/Outdoor 800 Meters)
Matt Murray, Junior, Colby, Kan., Wrestling (1st Team, 141 Pounds)
Carl Myerscough, Senior, Hambleton, England, Men’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor Shot Put/Outdoor Shot Put)
Aaron Nasers, Sophomore, Kalamazoo, Mich., Men’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor 800 Meters)
Jason Powell, Senior, Midwest City, Okla., Wrestling (1st Team, 125 Pounds)
Nate Probasco, Freshman, Scribner, Neb., Men’s Track & Field (1st Team, Outdoor 4x100-Meter Relay)
Ineta Radevica, Senior, Kraslava, Latvia, Women’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor and Outdoor Triple Jump/Indoor and Outdoor Long Jump)
Josh Rasile, Senior, Phoenix, Ariz., Men’s Gymnastics (1st Team, Still Rings)
Jamie Saas, Junior, Aurora, Ill., Women’s Gymnastics (2nd Team, Balance Beam)
Ashley Selig, Sophomore, Lincoln, Neb., Women’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor Pentathlon/Outdoor Heptathlon)
Travis Shufelt, Junior, Oconto, Wis., Wrestling (1st Team, 149 Pounds)
Shelldon Simpson, Senior, East Hartford, Conn., Men’s Track & Field (1st Team, Outdoor 4x100-Meter Relay)
Dusty Stamer, Junior, Grand Island, Neb., Men’s Track & Field (1st Team, Outdoor 4x100-Meter Relay)
Brad Teeple, Senior, Sturgis, Mich., Men’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor Pole Vault)
Na’Tassia Vice, Senior, Mesquite, Texas, Women’s Track & Field (1st Team, Indoor High Jump)
Oliver Williams Jr., Sophomore, Bronx, N.Y., Men’s Track & Field (1st Team, Outdoor 4x100-Meter Relay)
Michelle Zabawa, Freshman, Omaha, Neb., Women’s Gymnastics (2nd Team, Vault)