Husker Distance Groups Stand Out Friday

Nebraska’s weekend on the track entered high gear Friday, as the squad had groups of athletes in competition at three separate meets across the country. Leading the way were Huskers Peter van der Westhuizen and Natalja Zarcenko, who posted outstanding efforts in the 1,500-meter run at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif.

 

Both Huskers clocked personal best times to reach the NCAA regional qualifying standards for their events, while also moving up on NU’s all-time event charts.

 

The lone Nebraska men’s athlete at Mt.SAC, van der Westhuizen moved into fifth place all-time at NU in the men’s 1,500 with a third-place time of 3:41.74, a time that would have ranked third nationally entering the weekend. The Husker junior was the second collegian finisher, and only fractions of a second behind Providence’s Max Smith (3:41.64). His previous career best was 3:43.62 in his first outdoor meet at Nebraska in 2005.

 

Zarcenko jumped into the eighth position on NU’s all-time performance list in the women’s 1,500 with a fourth-place effort of 4:22.55 in her first attempt at the event this season. A sophomore from Valmiera, Latvia, she won the first of two heats by a comfortable margin of nearly two seconds to earn her first regional mark of the year. Senior Kim Pancoast also competed in the event and placed 19th in 4:28.99, which was just over a second shy of meeting the regional requirement.

 

Nebraska’s largest travel group of the weekend kicked off the John Jacobs Invitational in Norman, Okla., with a distance carnival featuring four different events on both men’s and women’s sides. Thunderstorms in the area delayed much of the distance action, as both men’s and women’s 5,000-meter run events still were not completed by 11 p.m.

 

Sophomores Rachel Carrizales and Joslyn Dalton provided Nebraska with some early excitement in Oklahoma with a pair of personal-best finishes in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Carrizales placed fourth while falling just short of the NCAA regional standard with her career-low time of 10:51.71, while Dalton followed in sixth place (11:06.31). The two times rank as the third- and fourth-fastest, respectively, on the Huskers’ all-time event chart.

 

In the men’s steeplechase, freshman Brian Parr, who has already surpassed the regional standard this season, garnered runner-up honors with a time of 9:15.46.

 

Elsewhere, Nebraska’s five entries at the Audrey Walton Combined Events completed their first multi-event competitions of the outdoor season during day two in Columbia, Mo. Conditions were less than ideal for the second straight day, as the meet was once again held under cold and windy settings.

 

Senior Lee Martin put together a strong final day to reach the national provisional qualification for this year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships while placing third overall with 7,010 points in the men’s decathlon. Martin set an individual event best in the discus with a spin of 140-7, while he matched his previous best in the pole vault of 13-3 ?.

 

Sophomore Skyler Reising earned fifth place with 6,740 points after recording three individual bests in five events?the 110-meter hurdles (16.19), discus (129-0) and javelin (159-1). Fellow sophomore Pat Burke, who also notched a lifetime best in the javelin (107-4), concluded his first competition of 2007 in 11th place.

 

For the Husker women, junior Kim Shubert finished day two of the women’s heptathlon in the same position she started with a second-place total of 4,769 points. Shubert clocked a personal best of 2:25.48 in the 800 meters while also setting a new best mark in the javelin of 98-5. Freshman Erin Hannon finished ninth with 4,190 after setting an outdoor lifetime best of 2:44.87 in the 800.

 

Nebraska’s weekend continues Saturday, as the John Jacobs Invitational will feature more than 60 Huskers in competition. The NU distance group that competed at Mt.SAC on Friday will travel to Long Beach, Calif., to run the 800 meters at the Long Beach Invitational.

 

 

Audrey Walton Combined Events Results
Women’s Heptathlon (100h, HJ, SP, 200m, LJ, Jav, 800m)

2. Kim Shubert, 4,769 (14.92, 5-7 ?, 33-8, 27.04, 16-4 ?, 98-5, 2:25.48)

9. Erin Hannon, 4,190 (15.95, 5-5 ?, 32-1 ?, 28.04, 17-6 ?, 76-0, 2:44.87)

 

Men’s Heptathlon (100m, LJ, SP, HJ, 400m, 110h, DT, PV, Jav, 1,500m)
3. Lee Martin, 7,010 (11.51w, 21-10 ?, 40-5 ?, 6-3 ?, 51.50, 15.46w, 140-7, 13-3 ?, 165-5, 4:40.43) PNQ
5. Skyler Reising, 6,740 (11.45, 22-1 ?, 41-5 ?, 6-4 ?, 52.84, 16.19, 129-0, 12-11 ?, 159-1, 4:52.78)
11. Pat Burke, 6,372 (11.68, 20-2 ?, 32-7 ?, 6-6, 53.77, 15.67, 107-4, 12-11 ?, 152-9, 4:37.96)

 

 

John Jacobs Invitational Results

Women’s 800-Meter Run

28. Betsy Miller, 5:01.62

 

Women’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
4. Rachel Carrizales, 10:51.71 PR
6. Joslyn Dalton, 11:06.31 PR
14. Jennifer Fritz, 12:31.14

 

Men’s 800-Meter Run

20. Ethan Luebbe, 1:58.87

22. Andrew Lind, 1:58.98

 

Men’s 1,500-Meter Run

15. Vince Sickler, 3:58.79

 

Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase

2. Brian Parr, 9:15.46

10. Kyle Custer, 9:50.32

 

 

Mt. SAC Relays Results

Women’s 1,500-Meter Run Univ./College

5. Natalja Zarcenko, 4:22.55 RQ, PR

19. Kim Pancoast, 4:28.99

 

Men’s 1,500-Meter Run Univ./College

3. Peter van der Westhuizen, 3:41.74 RQ, PR (2nd collegian)

 

RQ- NCAA regional qualification

PNQ- NCAA provisional qualification

PR- Personal-best mark