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After 10 weeks and six highly-competitive meets, the Nebraska men’s and women’s cross country teams put their season’s work to test this Saturday, Nov. 10 in Peoria, Ill., at the 2007 NCAA Midwest Regional.
Saturday’s meet will determine qualifiers for the NCAA Championships, beginning with the men’s 10K at 11 a.m., followed by the women’s 6K at 12:15 p.m. The meet is hosted by BradleyUniversity and takes place at the Bradley and Newman Golf Course.
The Huskers hold a combined 10 top-five finishes (six women’s and four men’s) at the regional meet since 1997, hoping the 2007 competition contains fortune for NU runners to qualify for the national meet in Terre Haute, Ind., Nov. 19.
In 2006, the Husker women ran one of its best meets in school history. Nebraska finished fourth behind Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa, all who went on to finish in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships, including an eighth-place finish from the Illini. Ari Goldstein finished 23rd to lead the Huskers, while Brian Parr led the men in 46th to 13th place, its highest team finish since 2002.
Nebraska’s Entry Lists
2007 NCAA Midwest Regional
Women Men
Jennifer Pancoast Mikel Thomas
Natalja Zarcenko Peter van der Westhuizen
History: Nebraska at the NCAA Midwest Regional
The Nebraska men had their best Midwest Regional finish in 1997 and 2001 when they placed third in each year. In 1997, Jeroen Broekzitter led the men when he was crowned the individual champion. In 2001, James Bowler placed sixth and then went on to finish 78th at the NCAA Championships, the first of two trips to the national meet for Bowler. The last Husker men to earn All-Region honors were Bowler and Eric Rasmussen in 2002.
Four years ago, the Husker women were the 2003 Midwest Regional champions behind Ann Gaffigan’s runner-up finish. Last year, Ari Goldstein led the women to a four-place team finish, just a year after her and Kayte Tranel earned were named to the All-Region team in 2005 with eighth- and 10th-place individual finishes. The Husker women have had a top-10 finisher in six-of-10 seasons since the NCAA Midwest Regional format began in 1997. Prior to that year, the Huskers competed in the District V meet.
Huskers Ranked for Sixth-Straight Week
The Nebraska women are again ranked No. 30 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Division I cross country poll (Nov. 6), following its third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships.
With 25 points, the ranking marks the sixth-straight week the Huskers have been in the poll, dating back to Oct. 2 when they were No. 30. This year is the first time the Husker women have been ranked since 2003, when it won the NCAA Midwest Regional behind Ann Gaffigan’s second-place finish before placing 30th as a team at the NCAA Championships.
Among other Big 12 women’s teams that are ranked is No. 13 Colorado and No. 18 Texas Tech.
All-Big 12 Runners Lead Nebraska into Midwest Regional
Freshman Lara Crofford and junior captain Ari Goldstein have provided a dynamic 1-2 force for the 2007 Husker women. Crofford has led Nebraska in all five meets, including a first-place finish at the season-opening Creighton/UNO Classic. The Big Spring, Pa., native was then runner-up at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational and had top-20 finishes at the Roy Griak Invite, NCAA Pre-Nationals and Big 12 Championships. Crawford’s 18th-place finish at the NCAA Pre-Nationals made her the second-highest freshman finisher in the meet, while 9th at the conference meet earned her All-Big 12 honors.
Goldstein, a 2006 All-Big 12 selection as a sophomore, made it back-to-back all-conference honors after finishing 14th at the Big 12 Championships two weeks ago. She opened the season with a third-place showing at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational and was just three spots behind Crofford at the Roy Griak to finish 23rd. With two All-Big 12 selections, Goldstein is just the fourth women’s runner in school history to earn multiple all-conference honors (also Theresa Stelling, 1992-93; Fran ten Bensel, 1991-92; Sammie Resh, 1987-88).
Anseth Returns for Regional Meet
Nebraska will receive a large boost of confidence this Saturday when senior Channing Anseth runs for the Huskers for the first time in nearly two months. Anseth has been out with injuries since the third week of the season, having only competed in the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational on Sept. 15, where she finished seventh. The Lincoln, Neb., native was 36th at last year’s NCAA Midwest Regional after leading the Huskers in three meets during the 2006 season.
van der Westhuizen Gives Huskers Highest Male Finisher Since 2001
Peter van der Westhuizen broke through in his final conference meet to finish a career-high 23rd at the Big 12 Championships Oct. 26 in Lubbock, Texas. The senior captain has been one of the most talented NU men’s runners in recent history, but was slowed by compartment syndrome the past two years. The injury forced van der Westhuizen out of the 2006 Big 12 Championships after finishing 25th in 2005.
In 2007, van der Westhuizen has led the Nebraska men in three-of-four meets, including a fourth-place finish at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational to lead the Huskers to the University Division team championship. He also finished 84th at the Roy Griak Invite and then 82nd at the NCAA Pre-Nationals before his 23rd-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, the highest finish my a Husker male since 2001 (James Bowler, 6th).
Gulizia Makes Freshman Impact
Freshman Todd Gulizia has been one of the young surprises to the 2007 Husker men, finishing as Nebraska’s highest runner at the Creighton/UNO Classic (2nd) and Roy Griak Invitational (43rd). At the Big 12 Championships, Gulizia’s 39th-place finish was the highest by a Nebraska men’s freshman since Mike Kamm (35th) in 1999. Gulizia will be one of five freshmen in the men’s lineup this Saturday, joining Matt Conahan, Peter Falcon, Eric Thies and Mikel Thomas.
Last Year: Husker Women Finish Fourth at NCAA Midwest Regional
The Nebraska women placed fourth out of 24 squads in the 6K team standings, while the NU men earned 13th place out of 21 teams in the 10K at the 2006 NCAA Midwest Regional in Falcon Heights, Minn., Nov. 11, 2006.
Ari Goldstein led the Nebraska women for the fourth time in seven competitions during the 2006 season in 22nd place with a time of 21:48.92, while Kim Pancoast recorded one of her finest races of the season in a 26th-place clocking of 21:5.82. Natalja Zarcenko was the third Husker to cross the line with a 28th-place mark of 21:56.42, while Jennifer Pancoast finished right behind in 29th with a career-best 6K time of 21:57.32. Channing Anseth rounded out Nebraska’s scoring spots in 36th place (22:08.82).
Meanwhile, the Husker men rode the back of Brian Parr for the fifth time in five meets. Parr earned 38th place with a time of 32:04.74, and Kyle Custer continued his breakout season by finishing 77th in 33:13.19. Alec Maduza crossed the line in 92nd place, while Bryce Dickmeyer concluded his Nebraska career with a time of 33:57.94 (95th place). Ethan Luebbe, who competed while still recovering from an illness, rounded out NU’s scoring in 35:25.34 (125th place). Peter van der Westhuizen did not finish because of his battle with compartment syndrome.
Review: Husker Women Finish 13th at NCAA Pre-Nationals
Freshman Lara Crofford and junior Ari Goldstein each earned All-Big 12 honors while pacing the 30th-ranked Nebraska women’s cross country team to a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships Oct. 26 in Lubbock, Texas. The men finished in 10th place led by a 23rd-place performance from senior Peter van der Westhuizen.
Colorado swept the team titles, with the women’s squad winning for the ninth consecutive season and the men earning their 12th title in 12 tries. Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego (19:22) was the women’s individual champion, while Colorado’s Brent Vaughan led three Buffaloes in the top five with a winning time of 24:22 in the men’s race.
Crofford, competing in her first Big 12 meet, finished ninth in a time of 20:59. Goldstein finished in 14th place with a time of 21:23, after finishing 13th at last year’s championship to become the first Husker woman to earn a second all-conference honor since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, dating back to 1996.
Behind the all-conference performances of Crofford and Goldstein, the women finished third for the second consecutive season, marking just the second time in the Big 12 era NU has posted back-to-back top-three finishes at the conference meet. The Huskers also boasted a pair of All-Big 12 performers for the second straight season after never having more than one all-conference runner through the league’s first 10 seasons.
Junior Natalja Zarcenko (20th, 21:41) and Rachel Carizzales (23rd, 21:50) also finished among the top 25 in the field of 102, while junior Jennifer Pancoast rounded out NU’s team score with a 32nd-place finish in a time of 22:06.
Head Coach Jay Dirksen was pleased with the performance of the women’s team from top to bottom.
“The women ran really well, especially Lara Crofford, but the entire team was great,” Dirksen said. “Jen Pancoast picked off a lot of runners in the last 1,000 meters and really finished strong.”
On the men’s side, van der Westhuizen led the way. The senior captain was unable to finish the 2005 conference meet due to injury, but saved his best Big 12 Championships for his final year. He finished in a time of 25:33 to mark a career-best 23rd-place conference finish, which also marked the highest individual men’s finish since James Bowler took home a 19th-place finish in 2002. The meet also marked the third time in four meets that van der Westhuizen was the Husker men’s top finisher.
Behind van der Westhuizen, the Husker freshmen ran extremely well, accounting for three of Nebraska’s five team scores. Finishing in the top 50 among 100 runners was freshman Todd Gulizia (38th, 26:01) and junior Kyle Custer (47th, 26:22), while freshmen Mikel Thomas (60th, 26:45) and Peter Falcon (62nd, 26:49) rounded out NU’s team score.
Dirksen noted that the men ran a great race, despite the 10th-place finish.
“The men ran the best they have all year and we’ve closed the gap a lot on the teams ahead of us,” Dirksen said. “It’s a shame we only finished 10th because we ran really well.”
The Huskers in Peoria, Ill:
Nebraska last competed in Peoria, Ill., on Nov. 13, 2004 at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The men’s and women’s cross country teams enjoyed their best meet of the season as seven of Nebraska’s 10 runners finished 2004 by recording personal-best times.
Anne Shadle concluded her outstanding career at NU with a 37th-place finish in the women’s 6K, helping the Husker women’s squad finish 11th in the 26-team field. Shadle’s time of 21:39.33 was a season best.
Each of the remaining five women’s runners set career-best 6K times. Lindsey Finkner completed her breakout year by finishing 46th in a time of 21:48.12, breaking her previous record (22:13) by 24 seconds. Kim Pancoast’s 49th-place time of 21:55.82 bettered her previous mark (22:50) by 54 seconds, while Joslyn Dalton (22:29.52) and Val Zajac (23:15.29) rounded out the Huskers’ scoring spots with respective finishes of 78th and 119th.
A pair of seniors wrapped up their Husker careers in the men’s 10K race. Eric Rasmussen closed out his final meet in a time of 32:01.36 to earn 54th place, while Kyle Doperalski collected 76th place in 32:32.76. Bryce Dickmeyer and Alec Maduza, NU’s lone underclassmen competing, placed 101st and 118th, respectively, in career-best 10k times.
Nine Huskers Named to Academic All-Big 12 Teams
Nine Husker cross country runners were named to the 2007 Academic All-Big 12 teams, announced Tuesday, Oct. 23 by the league office.
Nebraska led the conference in 4.0 grade-point averages as three student-athletes achieved the perfect mark in seniors Joslyn Dalton and Alec Maduza and sophomore Bryce Somer. OklahomaState and Texas Tech each boasted a pair of 4.0’s, while IowaState and KansasState had one.
The Huskers had five women and four men named Academic All-Big 12. First team honors require a cumulative 3.20 GPA or better, while the second team consists of those with a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
All five of Nebraska’s women’s selections were named to the first team, marking the fifth-straight year the Husker women have had at least five first-team selections. Juniors Rachel Carrizales, Ari Goldstein, Jen Pancoast and Natalja Zarcenko joined Dalton on the list.
The men had three first-team selections for the second consecutive year as junior Kyle Custer met the required 3.20 GPA in addition to Maduza and Somer. Sophomore Ethan Luebbe gave the Huskers representation on the second team to give the Husker squads a total of nine runners on either the first or second teams.
In addition to the required 3.0 GPA, student-athletes must have also participated in at least 60 percent of his/her team’s scheduled meets. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. A total of 112 cross country runners from the conference were named to the Academic All-Big 12 teams.
The Husker cross country teams have deep roots in academic success as the two squads have earned 13-of-26 Herman Awards, which are given annually to Nebraska’s team with the highest grade-point average.