Husker Squads Ranked in Preseason Top 15

Lincoln ? The Nebraska track and field team will open the 2010 indoor season with both the men’s and women’s teams ranked in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association top 25. Released Monday night by the USTFCCCA, the Husker men will start the season ranked No. 4 in the country, while the women’s squad is ranked No. 11. Florida State holds the men’s top spot, while conference rival Texas A&M is atop the women’s rankings.

 

The 2010 Husker men return a strong team from a year ago that finished tied for fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the team’s top finish since 1996 when it placed second to George Mason. Leading the way in 2010 will be junior Nicholas Gordon, who is the reigning NCAA indoor long jump national champion and Big 12 indoor long jump champion. Including Gordon, the Huskers return six of their eight NCAA indoor qualifiers and four of their five indoor All-Americans for last season, while also returning three other athletes who have previously earned All-America honors indoors.

 

A young squad in 2009, the Husker women return all four of their NCAA qualifiers from last season’s team that placed 29th at the national meet, including three athletes that earned four All-America honors. Seniors Epley Bullock and Megan Wheatley will be expected to carry the team, as the two have combined to earn four All-American honors and two indoor Big 12 titles in their careers. Bullock will be in search of her fourth straight All-America finish in the high jump, a feat that no other female high jumper has ever achieved at NU, while Wheatley will work to defend her Big 12 indoor pentathlon crown and improve on her fourth-place finish at the national meet.

 

The Big 12 Conference continues to show why it is one of, if not the top, conference for track and field in the country with a nation-leading eight schools ranked in the men’s top 25, while the Big 12 and SEC share the top spot on the women’s side with five apiece. Nebraska is joined on the men’s side by No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 11 Baylor, No. 14 Texas Tech, No. 21 Oklahoma State, No. 22 Kansas State, and No. 25 Kansas. On the women’s side, Texas A&M and Nebraska are followed by No. 15 Texas, No. 16 Baylor and No. 21 Oklahoma.

 

Fans who want to watch some of the top track and field athletes in the country are encouraged to attend Huskers’ 2010 season-opening meet on Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Devaney Center Indoor Track, when NU hosts the Holiday Inn Invitational. Set for 4 p.m. on Friday and Noon on Saturday, fans can purchase tickets on Huskers.com, by calling 1-800-8BIGRED or by stopping by the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office, located directly west of Memorial Stadium. For more information and a complete meet schedule, as well as information about the rest of the 2010 season, log on to Huskers.com.