Veterans Lead Huskers into 2006 Season

Veterans Peter van der Westhuizen and Bryce Dickmeyer will provide leadership for a young and improving group of runners on the 2006 Nebraska men’s cross country team.

Last season, van der Westhuizen made a major splash on the Big 12 cross country circuit, finishing 25th individually at the conference meet. The South African’s performances throughout the season helped Nebraska begin its ascension up the Big 12 standings, finishing 10th as a team in 2005.

With his first full season of cross country training behind him, van der Westhuizen could give the Huskers an even larger boost as a junior, according to Nebraska Coach Jay Dirksen.

"Peter is a proven runner. He brought a lot of experience with him from South Africa and even in transition last year he ran very well," Dirksen said. "He never complains and has a great attitude toward running. Most importantly, he is a team guy."

While van der Westhuizen gave the Huskers a major lift in his first season, Dickmeyer has been a stabilizing force on the men’s squad throughout his career.

The Fremont, Neb., native enters his second straight season as Nebraska’s captain, becoming just the fourth runner in Husker history to serve as a captain in back-to-back years.

Dickmeyer, the lone senior on the 2006 squad, provides leadership both on and off the cross country course for the Huskers. In competition, Dickmeyer finished as one of Nebraska’s top runners in every meet during the season, including a 74th-place showing at the Big 12 Championships and a 92nd-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.

Off the course, Dickmeyer carries a 3.85 GPA as a mechanical engineering major and is a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 honoree in cross country. He has also claimed six consecutive spots on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll.

Dirksen said Dickmeyer’s dedication in athletics and academics will continue to set the tone for the Huskers. Last season with Dickmeyer leading the way, the Nebraska men’s cross country team earned the men’s Herman Award, presented annually to the men’s team with the highest grade-point average.

"Bryce is dedicated toward running and academics. He is a great example of what being a student-athlete is all about," Dirksen said. "He adds lots of stability to the team, and I think he will have his best season this year."

While Dickmeyer and van der Westhuizen were the leaders of a 2005 NU roster that consisted of just six runners, the Huskers’ numbers have doubled in 2006, as 12 men are set to compete for the Big Red, including five with previous cross country experience at the Division I level.

Among the candidates hoping to make a major impact for the Huskers in 2006 are a pair of sophomores who got their first taste of collegiate running last season.

Brian Parr finished third or higher for the Huskers in five of the seven meets in 2005. Parr posted Nebraska’s best finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional competition, finishing 82nd in a 10K time of 33:26, and he was the Huskers’ No. 2 runner at the Big 12 Championships with a career-best 8K time of 26:03.

His strong postseason finish highlighted a season of improvement for the Fremont, Neb., native, who shaved more than two minutes off his 8K time from the start of the season to the Big 12 Championships.

Sophomore Kyle Custer also contributed throughout his freshman season. The Cambridge, Neb., native improved his 8K time by more than four minutes from the opening competition of the season to the Big 12 Championships, putting him in position to contend in Nebraska’s more competitive lineup in 2006.

"Brian Parr had some flashes of brilliance and Kyle Custer made big improvement last year," Dirksen said. "After a great summer of training, I look for Brian to make a giant step forward this year and down the road, I can see him being a high-level runner in the Big 12 Conference.

"Kyle didn’t come with a lot of experience, but he has done some great training to get to where he is now. I think he’ll really come around this year."

In addition to the four returning runners from the 2005 squad, Nebraska will benefit from the return of two former Huskers, Alec Maduza and Andrew Lind, who did not compete for the Huskers a year ago.

Maduza, a native of Wisconsin, will enter his junior season of eligibility with the cross country team, after running for NU in both 2003 and 2004. Maduza attended the University of Wisconsin last season but was not a member of the cross country or track and field teams. In 2003, Maduza was Nebraska’s top finisher at the Big 12 Championships. He was also one of NU’s top runners at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational and Roy Griak Invitational in 2004.

Maduza has the potential and experience to make an immediate impact on the Huskers’ fortunes in 2006.

Lind, who ventured back to his home state to attend the University of Oregon in 2005-06, returns to Nebraska this season. The junior will be ineligible to compete because of NCAA transfer rules. In 2004, Lind ran in four meets for Nebraska, including a No. 3 finish among the Huskers at the Creighton/UNO Classic.

"We’re really happy to have these two guys back. They will both add some stability to the team," Dirksen said. "Alec has upped his training a lot and I think sitting out last season actually helped him. He showed improvement in track and I think he’ll have a good year."

The newcomers consist of a five-person freshman class and junior Vince Sickler, a native of Kearney, Neb., who earned NCAA Division III All-America honors on the track at Nebraska Wesleyan.

In-state recruits Ethan Luebbe (Waco, Neb.) and Mackenzie Jeffrey (Otoe, Neb.) add to a contingent of six native Nebraskans on the Husker roster. James Laville from Carmichael, Calif., and Tom Johnson from Seattle, Wash., add a West Coast flavor to the Husker roster. Bryce Somer, a native of Yankton, S.D., rounds out the 2006 Husker roster.

"Their experience level is down, but it will be nice to have some depth that we didn’t have last year," Dirksen said of the freshmen. "I think they have some potential, though. They’re all in the same boat and are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and excited about running in college."

The Huskers will face a challenging schedule highlighted by the 17th annual Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational on Sept. 16 at Pioneer’s Park, after opening the year this weekend on Sept. 3 at the Creighton/UNO Classic. Nebraska will face some of the the nation’s elite the following week (Sept. 23) at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn. NU travels to the South Dakota State Classic in Brookings, S.D., Sept. 30, before closing the regular season at the very competitive Chile Pepper Festival on Oct. 14 in Fayetteville, Ark.

Nebraska will take a weekend off to prepare for the Big 12 Championships in Lawrence, Kan., Oct. 27. The Huskers will make a return trip to St. Paul, Minn., for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 11. The NCAA Championships will be held in Terre Haute, Ind., Nov. 20.