Huskers Travel to Ames for Big 12 Championships

Lincoln - This Saturday the Nebraska cross country team will compete at the 2008 Big 12 Cross Country Championships. The meet returns to the campus of Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, the site of the inaugural event in 1996.

 

The Husker women will start the morning’s action at 10 a.m. with a 6K race, with the men’s 8K race to follow at 11 a.m. The top men’s and women’s teams are named league champion, while the top 15 runners in each race earn All-Big 12 honors.

Admission is free to the public.

 

No. 27 Huskers Look for More in 2008...

With back-to-back third-place team finishes at the Big 12 Championships in 2006 and 2007, the Husker women’s team will look to improve in the team standings at the 2008 meet. The Husker women enter the meet as one of three teams in the conference ranked in the USTFCCCA top 30.

 

The Huskers enter the meet ranked No. 27 in the nation and will have to contend with the No. 12-ranked Red Raiders of Texas Tech and the No. 17-ranked Bears of Baylor. Texas Tech is the race favorite as it is led by two-time NCAA and Big 12 champion Sally Kipyego. Kipyego will try to become the first three-time individual champion in the event’s history. The Huskers and the rest of the conference must always be on the lookout for Colorado, as even though the Buffaloes enter the meet unranked, they have won 11 of the possible 12 team titles, including every title since 1999.

 

Crofford Looks to Join Goldstein...

Nebraska sophomore Lara Crofford will look to tie teammate Ari Goldstein on Saturday as the only runners on the women’s side at Nebraska with two All-Big 12 honors. Crofford earned All-Big 12 accolades at last year’s meet as a true freshman with her team-leading ninth-place finish. The top 15 runners in both the women’s and men’s races are tabbed as All-Big 12 performers.

 

 In the 12-year history of the conference, Goldstein is the only Husker on the women’s side to earn All-Big 12 honors twice, with a 13th-place finish in 2006 and a 14th-place finish in 2007. The senior from Soldotna, Alaska, was primed to make a run at her third honor in 2008, but an early season battle with mononucleosis forced her to redshirt and push her goal to 2009.

 

Other Huskers on the women’s side to look for in the top 15 include senior Natalja Zarcenko who finished 20th at the conference meet in 2007 while earning All-Midwest Region honors two weeks later. Junior Rachel Carrizales, who has been the Huskers’ second-best runner this year, will also make a push for the top 15 after finishing 23rd at the 2007 meet.

 

Host of Teams in Line to End Colorado’s Reign...

The Husker men will be running in arguably one of the toughest conference championship across the nation on Saturday. The Huskers will have to face five teams ranked in the USTFCCCA top 30, including No. 3 Oklahoma State who received four of the 12 first-place votes in the latest poll. The field will also include No. 17 Colorado, No. 18 Texas A&M, No. 22 Iowa State and No. 30 Texas.

 

Just like on the women’s side, Colorado has dominated the team race since the Big 12 started in 1996. The Buffaloes have won all 12 team titles. Combined the Buffs have won 23 of the 24 team titles, with Kansas State being the only other program with a conference team title, winning the women’s race in 1998.

 

The men’s individual race will be loaded as well, with five of the top-10 finishers from last year returning. 2007 champion Brent Vaughn of Colorado is gone, but his 2007 teammate and meet runner-up Kenyon Neuman will return with the conference title in sight. Other top-10 finishers from 2007 include Ryan Vail (Oklahoma State), Kyle Miller (Texas), David Chirchir (Oklahoma State) and Sean Fleming (Oklahoma State).

 

Husker Men Lean on Adams...

Nebraska redshirt freshman David Adams has carried the men’s squad at every meet this season, posting top-15 finishes at four of five meets, including a victory at the Creighton/UNO Classic and a fourth-place showing at the South Dakota State Classic.

 

Adams will lead a young team in Ames that will try to get back in the top 10 for the first time since 2002 when they finished seventh. The only two upperclassmen joining Adams will be senior Kyle Custer and junior Bryce Somer. The rest of the men’s squad will be made up of three sophomores, one redshirt freshman and one true freshman.

 

Adams will also try to post the first All-Big 12 performance on the men’s side since James Bowler in 2001, when he finished sixth. The highest finisher since Bowler was Peter van der Westhuizen last year, with a 23rd-place finish.

 

Husker Women Opens Eyes in Terre Haute...

The Nebraska women’s cross country team made a strong statement on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Terre Haute, Ind., as the Huskers finished ninth overall at the Indiana State Pre-Nationals. The Huskers competed in a 42-team field that included 14 top-40 ranked teams including top-five teams Florida State (No. 3) and Princeton (No. 5).

The Huskers, who entered the meet unranked, received a strong outing from sophomore Lara Crofford who finished 10th overall with a time of 20:39 in the white race. Crofford’s finish propelled the women’s team to a ninth-place finish, downing six top-40 teams.

Crofford has now finished in the top-10 at every meet this year, including two meet victories at the BYU Autumn Classic and most recently at the South Dakota State Classic. Out of the 281 runners, Crofford was joined in the top 100 by teammates Rachel Carrizales (50th ? 21:21.2), Jen Pancoast (68th ? 21:33.9) and Natalja Zarcenko (93rd ? 21:49.3).

 

Mighty Minnesota No Match for Crofford...

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 finishline 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.