Huskers Make Clean Sweep at Creighton/UNO Classic

Omaha, Neb. ? The Nebraska cross country team started 2009 on a high note Saturday morning at the Chili Greens in Omaha, Neb., as the Huskers swept the Creighton/UNO Classic team titles behind individual champions Erica Hamik and Brad Doering. The wins marked the second straight year that the Huskers have won both individual titles, after Jen Webers and David Adams won their first career races last season. It is also the second straight team title for the Husker men and the fourth title for the Husker women in the last five years.

 

The Husker women were dominant over Creighton and Nebraska-Omaha as Hamik, a sophomore, led a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for the Huskers with a time of 18.57 in the 5K race. Hamik was followed by Webers, Ashley Miller, Ari Goldstein and Katie White.

 

“Our first five were very strong today,” Coach Jay Dirksen said. “As a group we ran a lot better than I thought we would and that is encouraging.”

 

 

For the men, the Huskers placed six runners in the top 10 and eight in the top 15. Doering paced the pack with an 8K time of 26:19. A junior from Yuba City, Calif., Doering was joined in the top 10 by Jesse Adams (3rd), Bryce Somer (4th), Eric Thies (5th), Anthony Oberle (6th) and Tommy Brinn (9th).

 

“We have a lot of young guys that are still trying to find their place,” Dirksen said. “That was Brad’s (Doering) first win and he looked very comfortable being out in front.”

 

The Huskers will now hit the practice course for the next two weeks before they host their lone home meet of the year, the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational. Scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, the women’s 6K race is set for 10 a.m., with the men’s 8K race to follow at 10:45 a.m. The Huskers swept the university division titles last season, with the women winning their fourth straight title and the men their third straight crown. For more information about the meet, check out Huskers.com.