Huskers Welcome 37 Newcomers to Campus

The Nebraska track and field program added 37athletes to its roster this week with the beginning of fall semester classes. The group features 20 men’s athletes and 17 women’s athletes, including 18 Nebraska natives and four from outside the United States.

The Husker women’s team experienced the largest influx of athletes this year in the jumps area, as 10 of the 17 newcomers own at least some experience in either the high jump, long jump, triple jump or pole vault events. The largest event groups represented by the NU men’s newcomers were the sprints and hurdles, as eight of the athletes will compete in either area while at Nebraska. The Husker men also added five men's distance athletes.

Two transfer students will compete for NU in 2007, including NCAA All-American Brysun Stately, who earned sixth place as only a freshman at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif., while competing for USC.

This year’s Husker freshman class also features six athletes who will compete for the Nebraska cross country team this fall, including five men’s runners.

The following is a breakdown of this year’s class by event grouping:

Women
Sprints - 2
Sprints/Hurdles - 1
Distance - 1
Horizontal Jumps - 3
High Jump - 3
Horizontal/High Jumps - 1
Multi Events - 2
Pole Vault - 2
Throws - 2

Men
Sprints - 4
Sprints/Hurdles - 4
Middle Distance - 1
Distance - 5
Horizontal Jumps - 1
High Jump - 2
Pole Vault - 1
Throws - 2

Husker Women’s Newcomers
Sprints
Sarah Lyons, Omaha, Neb. (Brownell-Talbot HS)?Lyons concluded a brilliant Nebraska prep career in 2006 by sweeping the All-Class Gold Medals in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dash events. She owns the overall state record for the 200 (24.06) in addition to Class C standards in the 100 and 400.

Alyssa Vierregger, Springfield, Neb. (Platteview HS)?Vierregger was a four-year qualifier to the Nebraska Class B state meet in both the 100- and 200-meter dash events. She finished second in the 100 and third in the 200 as a junior in 2005 and owns top marks of 12.1 and 25.5, respectively.

Sprints/Hurdles
Nikita Eades, Aurora, Colo. (Littleton HS)?Eades was the 2006 Colorado Class 5A (largest) runner-up finisher in the 100-meter hurdles. She owns top marks of 13.86 in the 100-meter hurdles and 42.91 in the 300-meter hurdles.

Distance
Elizabeth Marsh, Wichita, Kan. (East HS)?Mash earned top Kansas Class 5A state meet finishes of sixth place in the 3,200 meters and eighth place in the 1,600 meters as a sophomore in 2004. She will also compete in cross country at NU, and owns top times of 5:30.9 over 1,600 meters and 11:54.4 for the 3,200.

Horizontal Jumps
Leandra McGruder, Jefferson City, Mo. (Jefferson City HS)?McGruder won 2006 Missouri Class 4A state titles in both the long jump and triple jump. She owns career bests of 19-6 ? in the long jump and 40-4 in the triple jump.

Chantae McMillan, Rolla, Mo. (Rolla HS)?McMillan finished runner-up to NU teammate McGruder in the long jump at the 2006 Missouri Class 4A state meet after claiming the title as a junior in 2005. She owns bests of 19-9 ? in the long jump and 40-0 in the triple jump.

Danielle Smith, Bellevue, Neb. (West HS)?Smith was the 2006 Nebraska Class A runner-up in the triple jump. She owns a best of 38-10 ? in the event.

High Jump
Epley Bullock, Allen, Texas (Allen HS)?Bullock claimed runner-up honors in the high jump as a junior at the 2005 Texas state meet. She owns a personal best of 6-0.

Jessi Kissel, Kennedale, Texas (Kennedale HS)?Kissel placed fifth in the high jump at the 2006 Texas Class 3A state meet. She owns a top mark of 5-6 for the event.

Shawna Malm, Central City, Neb. (Central City HS)?Malm was a three-year qualifier to the Nebraska Class B state meet in the high jump, while also qualifying as a junior in the long jump. She owns a top high jump mark of 5-4.

Horizontal/High Jumps
Erin Hannon, Bradford, Pa. (Bradford Area HS)?Hannon won 2006 Pennsylvania AAA sate titles in the high jump and triple jump, while also placing in the 100-meter hurdles and long jump. She also competed at the 2006 Nike Indoor national meet, placing second in the high jump. Hannon has posted marks of 14.98 in the 100-meter hurdles, 5-10 in the high jump, 40-0 in the triple jump and 3,372 in the pentathlon.

Multi-Events
Gyorgi Farkas, Budapest, Hungary?Farkas comes to Nebraska to compete in the combined events. She owns a personal-best heptathlon score of 5,550, a total that would have placed her sixth at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships. Farkas’ individual bests include marks of 19-10 ? in the long jump and 5-10 in the high jump.

Megan Wheatley, Perth, Australia (Penrhos College)?Wheatley arrives at NU as the top-ranked junior Australian athlete in the heptathlon. She recently finished 16th at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Beijing, China, and owns a personal-best score of 5,323 for the event.

Pole Vault
Lindsay Maher, Utica, Neb. (Centennial HS)?Maher was a two-time Nebraska Class B champion in the pole vault for Centennial High School. She owns a career-best height of 11-10 in the event.

Brysun Stately, Citrus Heights, Calif. (Rancho Cordova HS/USC)?Stately transferred to Nebraska from USC after an All-American sixth-place finish in the pole vault at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships. A former California high school champion in the event, she owns a personal-best mark of 13-7 ? and will have four years to complete three seasons of eligibility at Nebraska.

Throws
Beth Christensen, Bennington, Neb. (Bennington HS)?Christensen earned runner-up honors in the discus at the 2006 Nebraska Class C state meet. She owns a personal best of 137-11 for the event.

Amanda Latsch, Lincoln, Neb. (East HS)?Latsch was the 2006 Nebraska Class A state champion in the shot put, while also adding runner-up honors in the discus. She owns top marks of 45-5 in the shot and 139-11 in the discus.

Husker Men’s Newcomers
Sprints
David Huebner, North Platte, Neb. (North Platte HS/Nebraska-Kearney)?Huebner transferred to NU from Nebraska-Kearney, where he finished seventh in 55-meter dash at the 2006 RMAC Indoor Championships. He earned the bronze medal as a senior in the 100-meter dash at the 2005 Nebraska Class A state meet and owns top times of 10.80 in the 100, 22.49 (wind aided) in the 200 and 7.04 in the 60-meter dash indoors.

Lukas Hulett, Bellevue, Neb. (East HS)?Hulett set the Nebraska state-record time of 46.98 in the 400-meter dash as a senior before sweeping the All-Class Gold Medals in both the 200 and 400 at the 2006 Nebraska Class A state meet. He owns a top 200-meter clocking of 21.53.Seth Burney, Beatrice, Neb. (Beatrice HS)?Burney concluded a brilliant prep career by claiming the 2006 Nebraska All-Class Gold Medal in the pole vault. He also broke NU teammate Gable Baldwin’s former state record with a personal-best clearance of 16-7 during his senior season.

Josh Pretzer, Beatrice, Neb. (Beatrice HS)?Pretzer qualified for the 2006 Nebraska Class B state meet in four events, claiming gold in the 400-meter dash and silver in the 100, 200 and long jump. He owns respective top marks of 49.52, 10.91, 22.15 and 23-1 ?.

Scott Wims, Ft. Wayne, Ind. (Northop HS)?Wims was the 2006 Indiana state champion for both the 100- and 200-mete dash events and owns respective personal-best times of 10.43 and 21.10. He served as an alternate on the United States’ 4x100-meter relay that claimed the silver medal at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Beijing, China, last weekend.

Sprints/Hurdles
Tim Grier, Stone Mountain, Ga. (Hiram HS)?Grier is an all-around athlete who earned the 2006 Georgia state title in the 300-meter hurdles, while also finishing second at the state indoor meet in the pentathlon and third in the 60-meter hurdles. He placed fourth in 400 hurdles at the 2006 USATF Junior Outdoor Championships. Also a walk-on defensive back for the Husker football team, Grier owns top marks of 3,745 in the pentathlon, 36.74 in the 300-meter hurdles, 51.34 in the 400 hurdles and 8.03 in the 60 hurdles.

Eric Lund, Milford, Neb. (Milford HS)?Lund earned silver-medal finishes in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles as a senior at the 2006 Nebraska Class B state meet. He owns top respective times of 14.5 and 38.75.

Nicholas Makukutu, Missouri City, Texas (Marshall HS)?Makututu ran on Marshall’s state champion 4x400-meter relay as a senior in 2006. He will compete in the hurdles at Nebraska, and he owns a personal-best time of 37.50 for the 300-meter hurdles.

Jamie Ryder, London, Ontario, Canada (Sir Frederick Banting HS)?Ryder owns the Canadian Junior national record of 7.92 in the 60-meter hurdles indoors. He won the 2006 Ontario Athletics Association title in the 110-meter hurdles outdoors, while finishing runner-up in the 60 hurdles at the National Scholastic indoor meet in New York. He owns a top 110-meter hurdles time of 13.86.

Middle Distance
Andris Licsak, Budapest, Hungary (Duna?jv?rosi AC)?Licsak arrives at Nebraska as a middle-distance specialist from Budapest, Hugary. He owns top times of 1:50.51 in the 800-meter run and 48.32 in the 400 meters.

Distance
Mackenzie Jeffrey, Otoe, Neb. (Syracuse HS)?Jeffrey earned finishes of third in the 1,600-meter run and fifth in the 800 meters at the 2006 Nebraska Class B state meet. He owns respective personal bests of 4:25.96 and 1:58.27 for the events.

Tom Johnson, Seattle, Wash. (O’Dea HS)?Johnson, also a member of the NU cross country team, finished 22nd place as a senior at the 2006 Washington state cross country meet. On the track, Johnson has posted top times of 1:57.26 in the 800-meter run, 4:21.86 over 1,600 meters and 9:39.90 for the 3,200.

James Laville, Carmichael, Calif. (Jesuit HS)?Laville, who also will compete for the NU cross country team, finished second in the mile as a senior at the Sacramento Meet of Champions, while placing 32nd at the California Interscholastic Federation Division 2 state cross country meet. He owns a top time in the mile of 4:25.76.

Ethan Luebbe, Utica, Neb. (Centennial HS)?Luebbe was a three-year qualifier for the Nebraska Class B state meet and won the 800-meter run state title as a sophomore in 2004. He owns top times of 1:55.29 for the 800 and 4:31.69 over 1,600 meters.

Bryce Somer, Yankton, S.D. (Yankton HS)?Somer, who also will compete for the NU cross country team during the fall, finished sixth at the 2005 South Dakota state cross country meet. He owns top track times of 4:46 in the 1,600-meter run and 10:05 over 3,200 meters.

Horizontal Jumps
Tomy Johnson, Omaha, Neb. (Millard West HS)?Johnson was a 2006 Nebraska Class A state meet qualifier in the triple jump. He owns a lifetime best of 43-2 ? in the event.

High Jump
John Ottun, Fremont, Neb. (Fremont HS)?Ottun earned runner-up honors in the high jump at the 2006 Nebraska Class A state meet. He owns a top height of 6-9.

Brandon Sheppard, Danville, Calif. (Danville HS)?Sheppard qualified for the 2006 California state meet in the high jump after ranking among the state’s top-10 performers as a senior. He owns a personal best of 6-8 in the high jump.

Pole Vault
Seth Burney, Beatrice, Neb. (Beatrice HS)?Burney concluded a brilliant prep career by claiming the 2006 Nebraska All-Class Gold Medal in the pole vault. He also broke NU teammate Gable Baldwin’s former state record with a personal-best clearance of 16-7 during his senior season, while setting the state meet record with a height of 16-0 1/4 to conclude his high school career.

Throws
Jack Heiman, Elkhorn, Neb. (Elkhorn HS)?Heiman will throw discus at Nebraska. He finished seventh during high school competition of the 2006 Kansas Relays and owns a top mark of 179-5 in the event.

Max McShane, Elkhorn, Neb. (Elkhorn HS)?McShane earned third place in the shot put at the 2006 Nebraska Class A state meet. He owns a top career throw of 58-8 ? in the event.