Pepin Earns Big 12 Men's Indoor Honor

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>DALLAS, Texas? Nebraska track and field coach Gary Pepin was honored as the 2007 Big 12 Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year, the conference office announced Friday. The selection marks the eighth time in 11 years that the Huskers’ head coach has received the award from his fellow league coaches.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Pepin led the Husker men’s team to a tie for this year’s Big 12 indoor team championship with league rival Texas last weekend after each squad registered 93 points in Ames, Iowa. Nebraska featured a model team effort during its victory run, as no Huskers were crowned individual champions for the first time in the program’s 98 all-time league championship wins.

The conference crown marked the ninth victory in 11 years for the NU men, who now own 33 all-time indoor conference titles and 13 total indoor and outdoor wins in the Big 12 era.

The all-time winningest coach in the history of the Big 12 Conference and the former Big Eight, Pepin is in his 27th season at Nebraska. He has served as the head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams for each of the last 24 years after spending three seasons guiding only the women’s squad. Pepin also has been selected three times as Big 12 Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year. The Pittsburgh, Kan., native has led his teams to 64 of Nebraska’s 98 conference team championships since arriving at NU in 1981.

Nebraska attempts to add some additional qualifiers for next week’s NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend, as it sends 14 athletes to NCAA Qualifier meets in Arkansas, Iowa and Washington. The national indoor meet runs Friday, March 9, through Saturday, March 10.