Green Soars in Comeback Debut

LINCOLN?The Nebraska track and field team opened the 2006 indoor season Friday by holding the annual Holiday Inn Invitational at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Indoor Track. Four Huskers claimed wins on the first day of competition, led by sophomore Jenny Green in the women’s pole vault.

 

Green, who is returning from a redshirt campaign last year, earned gold in the pole vault with an NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of 12-11 1/2. Head Coach Gary Pepin believed the performance was a good starting point for the two-time All-American in only her sophomore season.

 

“To me, the most impressive thing about Jenny is not necessarily the height, but the fact that she’s back healthy and able to train,” Pepin said. “She had a lot of confidence today, so I think there is a lot of upside. For her to do that at the first meet of the year, we’re really proud of her.”

 

Another Husker athlete returning from a redshirt season, senior Becky Breisch, won the women's 20-pound weight throw competition over sophomore teammate Tamara Solari in her first meet competing for Nebraska since the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The eight-time NCAA All-American Breisch threw 57-9 1/2 in her first weight throw competition in nearly two years after suffering an elbow injury.

 

On the track, the distance races proved to be some of Nebraska’s brightest events on Friday. Sophomore Channing Anseth notched a big performance in the women’s 5,000-meter run during her first meet as a Husker. Anseth won the race with a personal-best time of 17:21, a time that ranks ninth on NU’s all-time indoor performance list. Junior Peter van der Westhuizen dominated the men’s 3,000 meters, winning in a personal-best time of 8:25.28 that was nearly 21 seconds quicker than the runner-up finisher.

 

Redshirt freshman Joslyn Dalton made her Nebraska track and field debut in the women’s mile with a first-place time of 5:07.92, finishing just ahead of senior Kayte Tranel, who clocked a 5:10.93. Junior Danute Ceika earned third place in the women’s 1,000 meters in 3:06.17.

 

Defending NCAA indoor pentathlon champion Ashley Selig opened her senior season strong with a runner-up finish in the women’s long jump (18-11 3/4). She also notched the second-fastest time of the day in the 60-meter hurdle preliminaries with a time of  8.77 to win her heat. Teammate Sara Jane Baker also won her prelim heat with a time of 9.21, while sophomore Kim Shubert (9.41) gave NU a third hurdler in Saturday’s semifinals.

 

Senior Aaron Ross opened his indoor season in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 8.04 to post the quickest mark of the day in the men’s preliminaries. Senior Courtney Jones won his heat with nearly the same time (8.04), while sophomore Ben Schutter also advanced to Saturday’s semis.

 

Six-time NCAA All-American Priscilla Lopes coasted to the day’s top time in the prelims of the women’s 60-meter dash with a clocking of 7.46. Redshirt freshman Chi Kalu gave the Huskers two competitors in Saturday’s finals with her time of 7.83. Freshman Chase Weaver was the lone Nebraska men’s athlete to advance in the 60 after he won his preliminary heat in 7.07.

 

One of the most entertaining events to watch on Friday was the men’s long jump final, which featured Husker freshman Robert Rands going toe-to-to with sophomore LeRon Williams, who finished fourth at last year’s Big 12 Outdoor Championships for NU.

 

Rands briefly grabbed a late lead after pushing Williams from the top spot with a leap of 23-11 on his next-to-last jump, but Barton Country Community College’s Frankie Gaston stole the event on his final attempt with a mark of 24-2 1/4. It appeared that Rands would have regained the lead on his final jump, but his foot barely crossed the foul line for a scratch. Williams finished third (23-10 3/4), only 1/4 inch behind Rands.

 

The Holiday Inn Invitational continues Saturday at the Devaney Center Indoor Track with running and field events each beginning at Noon.