Huskers Face Loaded Field in Terre Haute

Lincoln - This weekend the Nebraska cross country team will travel to two of the larger meets of the season. The Huskers will send its top-seven men’s and women’s runners to the Indiana State Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind., while the rest of the squad will travel south to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Chile Pepper Festival.

 

The women’s 6K race in Indiana is set for 10:35 a.m. (Central) with the men’s 8K race to follow at 11:10 a.m. In Arkansas, the men will run their 10K race first at 9:45 a.m., followed by the women’s 6K race at 10:30 a.m.

 

Check Huskers.com for results and a full recap of both meets.

 

Loaded Field Awaits Big Red in Terre Haute...

With over 80 teams set to run in Terre Haute, Ind., at the Indiana State Pre-Nationals the men’s and women’s fields will be broken up into two evenly matched races, with the first race called the blue race and the second called the white race.

 

The women’s blue race will be first at 10 a.m. (Central) and it includes 41 teams with 14 of them ranked in the top 40 nationally, including No. 1 ranked Washington. The Husker women will run in the second race at 10:35 a.m. that is filled with 42 teams overall. The white race includes 14 top-40 teams as well, including No. 3 Florida State and No. 5 Princeton.

 

The Husker men will run in the first men’s race at 11:10 a.m. and will compete against 41 other teams. The Huskers will see some familiar faces as Big 12 Conference schools Baylor (No. 4), Missouri and Oklahoma State (No. 2) are running in the first race as well. The men’s blue race will follow at 11:50 a.m. and includes Big 12 schools Colorado (No. 3), Kansas, Kansas State and Texas (No. 21) in the 40-team field.

 

Crofford Beats Out Mighty Minnesota...

Before the 2008 season got under way Head Coach Jay Dirksen couldn’t say enough good things about sophomore Lara Crofford.

 

“Last year Lara (Crofford) ran well beyond her age. I expect big things out of her in 2008,” said Dirksen.

 

A native of Newville, Pa., Crofford had a breakout freshman season in 2007 that saw her earn All-Big 12 and All-Midwest Region honors as well as make a trip to the NCAA Championships. She was the first Husker freshman on the women’s side to reach the NCAA Championships since Jeannette Zimmer in 1998.

 

Crofford has been outstanding in 2008, winning two of the first three meets she has competed in this season.

 

Crofford’s performance at the South Dakota State Classic on Saturday, Oct. 4, was arguably her most impressive in a Husker uniform as she earned top honors, defeating every member of Minnesota’s No. 4 ranked women’s team, including Heather Dorniden, a 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials competitor.

 

Adams Carries Men to Another Victory...

Redshirt freshman David Adams continued to shine in his first season in the scarlet and cream. The York, Neb., native has led the men at all four meets during the season, leading the men to three meet titles. Adams finished fourth overall with a time of 25:34 on the 8K course at the South Dakota State Classic. Adams was he was beat out by Brad Lowery (SDS Alumni) who ran a time of 24:47 and former Husker Peter van der Westhuizen (unattached) who ran a time of 25:20. James Krajsa of Minnesota State (25:20) was the only collegiate to down Adams.

 

Zarcenko Makes Senior Debut...

Senior Natalja Zarcenko hit the course for the first time all season in Brookings, S.D., at the South Dakota State University Classic on Saturday, Oct 4. Zarcenko, who earned All-Midwest Region honors in 2007, had been held out through the first three meets due to a foot injury.

 

The Valmiera, Latvia, native was missed early in the season, but other veteran runners such as Jen Pancoast and Rachel Carrizales along a slew of young talent led by Lara Crofford picked up the slack for the Big Red.

 

Zarcenko’s absence was noticed most at the BYU Autumn Classic where the Huskers finished runner-up to No. 23 BYU. Head Coach Jay Dirksen noted afterwards that with Zarcenko’s addition, the Huskers would have had a real shot at winning the team title.

 

In Zarcenko’s first race back she was the fourth Husker to cross the finish line and the 16th overall with a time of 18:32, helping the women’s squad to a runner-up finish.

 

Afterwards, Head Coach Jay Dirksen was excited to have Zarcenko back in the lineup.

 

“It was great to have Natalja (Zarcenko) back and with this being her first race we know she is just going to get better each week.”

 

Huskers Defend Home Turf...

For the fourth consecutive year on the women’s side and the third straight year on the men’s side, the Nebraska cross country teams won the men’s and women’s collegiate division at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational.

 

The Husker women, who have won the meet five of the last six years, were led by sophomore Lara Crofford and her second-place finish. Crofford also finished second last year, but cut nearly a minute off her time this year to finish the 6K course in 21:32. Junior Rachel Carrizales posted a 21:51, her best time ever on the course, to take home fifth, while senior Jen Pancoast ran 22:22 for ninth to help NU put three runners in the top 10. Sophomore Jen Webers took 11th (22:45) and freshman Erica Hamik placed 19th (23:10) to round out NU’s scorers.

 

“With the women, I was really pleased with every person that ran,” Head Coach Jay Dirksen said. “They all ran very intelligently. They didn’t go out too hard, didn’t fade and got themselves up in the race.”

 

Redshirt freshman David Adams paced the Huskers with a time of 25:34 over the 8K course. Nebraska’s top finisher in all three races this season, Adams finished eighth overall. Sophomore Todd Gulizia earned 10th with a time of 25:53, while fellow sophomore Peter Falcon crossed the line in 26:05 for 14th. Junior Bryce Somer cut over two minutes off his time from last year with a 26:16 for a career-best time on the course. NU’s final scorer was sophomore Brad Doering in 29th place (26:32).

 

“I thought David Adams and Todd Gulizia ran very strong races,” Dirksen said. “They weren’t in the category of the first people, but this is only Adams’ third race in college and first 8K.”

 

Crofford and Carrizales Go 1-2 in Provo...

The Nebraska cross country team received its first true test of the 2008 season on Saturday, Sept 6, at the BYU Autumn Classic in Provo, Utah.  The Huskers not only had to the deal with an altitude adjustment of 4,551 feet, but also had to compete against a BYU Cougar team that finished 22nd on the men’s side and 25th on the women’s side at the 2007 NCAA Championships.

 

Sophomore Lara Crofford showed no ill effects due to the altitude as she dominated the women’s field, running 19:10.9 in the 5K race. Crofford finished nearly 18 seconds ahead of teammate Rachel Carrizales (19:28.2) and over 30 seconds ahead of BYU’s top runner, Anna Sperry (19:41.7). Crofford and Carrizales were joined in the top 15 by senior Jen Pancoast (11th) and sophomore Jen Webers (15th).

 

Even with Crofford and Carrizales pacing the overall field, the Big Red (51) finished runner-up in the team standings as BYU (35) placed four runners in the top 10. Head Coach Jay Dirksen was encouraged with his team’s finish, considering the Husker women were missing two of its top runners, Ari Goldstein (illness) and Natalja Zarcenko (injury).

 

“Lara (Crofford) ran great and Rachel (Carrizales) may have run the best I have ever seen her run,” Dirksen said. “If we had our full team here with Ari (Goldstein) and Natalja (Zarcenko) I think we would have had a very good shot at winning the team title.”

 

For the second straight week redshirt freshman David Adams was the top Husker runner on the men’s side, finishing 11th overall with a time of 21:47.1 in the four-mile race. Adams led the Husker men to a team title last week at the Creighton/UNO Classic with a first-place finish.

 

Adams, along with teammates Todd Gulizia (17th) and Peter Falcon (25th) led the men to a third-place finish (87). BYU (15) and Utah State (59) took the top two spots. The Cougars were led at home by Stephan Shay (21:00.3). Shay won the men’s individual title while seven other Cougars placed in the top 10.

 

Big Red Sweeps Individual Titles in Omaha...

The Nebraska cross country team kicked off the 2008 campaign on Saturday at the Creighton/UNO Classic at the Chili Greens. The Huskers swept the individual titles as redshirt freshman David Adams won the men’s 6K race in 19:05.73 and sophomore Jen Webers won the women’s 4K race in 14:37.

 

Adams’ victory powered the men’s team to its first team victory at the meet since 2006, after finishing runner-up last year. Adams was followed by five other Huskers in the top 10, including Peter Falcon (fifth), Mikel Thomas (sixth), Anthony Oberle (seventh), Bryce Somer (eighth) and Brad Doering (ninth). True freshman Jesse Adams finished 11th in his first collegiate race with a time of 19:56.74

 

After three straight wins, the women’s squad finished runner-up to Augustana College (Sioux Falls, S.D.). Following a redshirt year in 2007, senior Betsy Miller finished third in her first race since Nov. 11, 2006. The Huskers saw promise out of their newcomers as true freshman Erica Hamik (seventh), Katie White (10th) and Michelle Fluitt (12th) finished 3-5-6 for the Big Red. After not competing in 2007 and redshirting the 2008 track and field season due to a stress fracture, redshirt freshman Ashley Miller finished eighth overall and fourth among Husker runners.