NU Harriers Open Season Saturday

The Nebraska men’s and women’s cross country teams begin their 2004 campaigns Saturday, Sept. 6, when they travel to Omaha, Neb., for the annual Creighton/UNO Invitational at Chalco Hills Recreation Center.

The women’s 5k race begins at 11 a.m. and is immediately followed by the men’s 8k race at approximately 11:45 a.m. NU faces women’s squads from Creighton University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha, while the Husker men will square off only against Creighton.

NU will send some of its less-experienced runners to Omaha as a tune-up for the Huskers’ long road ahead this season. Men’s team members slated for competition include sophomores Bryce Dickmeyer, Mike Dorazil and Alec Maduza, along with freshmen Kyle Ferry and Andrew Lind. Junior Michaela Lenihan, sophomore Lindsey Finkner and freshmen Joslyn Dalton, Liz Lange, Shelly Langemeier, Betsy Miller and Val Zajac are expected to run for the women’s squad.

"We will only take a limited number of runners (to Omaha) this weekend," said Head Coach Jay Dirksen. "Right now we have no idea what our runners will give us. It will be a good chance to see where some of our people stand and how competitive they can be this season."

Both NU squads began the 2003 season with a bang at last year’s invite. The women claimed the top two individual places on their way to the team title, outdistancing Creigton by a 24-41 score. Senior co-captain Kayte Tranel finished runner-up to former Husker Ann Gaffigan, who won the individual title. Finkner also added a top-10 finish, placing seventh.

The Huskers also claimed the team title in the men’s division, narrowly defeating Drake University, 28-31. Five NU runners finished in the top 10, including Maduza (5th) and Dickmeyer (10th).

NU Women Seek to Expand Success

Coming off their first NCAA Championships appearance since 1999, the Nebraska women enter the 2004 season with hopes of surpassing last year’s strong finish. The Huskers return four letterwinners in seniors Anne Shadle and Tranel, along with sophomores Finkner and Kim Pancoast. Shadle (11th) and Tranel (12th) earned all-region honors for their high finishes at last year’s Midwest Region Championships.

The addition of two very capable freshmen will help soften the loss of last campaign’s two highly-talented seniors. Lange joins the Huskers after a successful prep career at Lincoln Pius X, where she won two Class B Nebraska state cross country titles (2001, 2002), while Dalton comes to NU after winning the 2003 Nebraska all-class gold medal at Fremont High School.

Husker Men Plan to Make Strides

Nebraska’s men’s squad aspires to improve on last season’s 12th-place conference finish. It will be a young team composed of five underclassmen out of the nine runners. NU returns two letterwinners, both of which redshirted last year, in senior co-captains Kyle Doperalski and Eric Rassmussen. Rasmussen is a former All-Midwest Region runner, while Doperalski placed sixth in the steeplechase during the outdoor track and field season at the Big 12 Championships. Nebraska also will benefit from the addition of junior Aaron Nasers, a transfer from Western Michigan. Nasers finished 14th at last year’s Mid American Conference championship meet.

The foundation of the men’s squad will be based on youth. The Huskers add a trio of freshmen--Ferry, Lind and Charles Riley--also will develop alongside a group of three sophomores--Dickmeyer, Dorazil and Maduza.

Looking Ahead

Following this weekend’s Creighton/UNO Invitational, the Nebraska cross country teams will take a week off from competition. NU returns to action Saturday, Sept. 18, when it co-hosts the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational with Nerbaska Wesleyan. Held on the Huskers’ home course at Pioneers’ Park, the invitational begins at 10 a.m. with the women’s 6k race, while the men’s 8k follows at 10:45 a.m.