Huskers Host 37th Annual Sevigne Meet

Meet: Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational
Where: Lincoln, Neb. (Devaney Center Indoor Track
When: Friday, Feb. 3 (Noon) & Saturday, Feb. 4 (10 a.m.)
Live Results: Huskers.com

The Nebraska track and field team will be at home this weekend to host the 37th Annual Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at the Devaney Center Indoor Track.

One of the top indoor meets in the country, the Huskers will host  12 other Division I teams during the two-day meet. The men's and women's combined events will start the action on Friday at noon, while the women's weight throw will be the first field event at 5 p.m. and the first running event will be at 6 p.m. with the women's 60-meter hurdle prelims. The heptathletes will be first again on Saturday at 10 a.m., while both the field and running events will start at Noon.

The Husker Invitational is named in honor of former track and field Head Coach Frank Sevigne, who fought a gallant battle against cancer prior to his death on Jan. 29, 1985. Sevigne was posthumously inducted into the United States Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Dec. 4, 2004, in Portland, Ore.

Sevigne brought a wealth of success to Nebraska athletics. He oversaw a total of 11 national champions, 42 All-Americans and 103 individual conference champions. One of his former athletes, sprinter Charlie Greene, added an Olympic gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay at the 1968 Games.

Tickets are still available for the meet at Huskers.com, by calling 1-800-8BIGRED or at the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office. For fans who can't make it to the Devaney Center, live results will be available on Huskers.com.

Huskers Men Win Mark Colligan Memorial

The Nebraska Track and Field team honored former assistant coach Mark Colligan as the Huskers competed in the first Mark Colligan Memorial at the Devaney Center Indoor Track last Saturday. The Husker men finished first in the team rankings with 152.50 total points, while Illinois was second with 143.50 points. The Husker women came in third (123.50), as Michigan was first (161.50) and Illinois was second (133).

Huskers Sweep adidas Classic

The Nebraska track and field team swept the meet titles at the adidas Classic for the fourth straight year on Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Devaney Center Indoor Track. The Husker women dominated the field with 203 points, while Houston finished second with 117 points. The men's race was a bit tighter, but NU held off Iowa, 175-133.

NCAA Ticket Punched

Senior Luke Pinkelman used an impressive performance at the adidas Classic to secure a spot a the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boise, Idaho. He notched his third career trip to the national meet with a toss of 63-7 1/2 in the shot put. He also came in first in the shot put at the Mark Colligan Memorial with a throw of 63-8 1/4 (19.41), marking his second-straight NCAA automatic-qualifying performance of the season.

Record-Setting Performances

Senior Ashley Miller etched her name into the Husker record books in the 3,000 meters at the adidas Classic, with a personal-best time of 9:21.59 in the event, placing her second all-time among top 3,000 meter performers at Nebraska. With a personal-best time of 2:08.26 in the 800 meters at the Mark Colligan Memorial, Miller now ranks ninth all-time in the event at Nebraska.

Jarren Heng finished first in the 5,000 meters at the Mark Colligan Memorial, recording a personal-best time of 14:29.71. He now ranks eighth all-time in the event at Nebraska.

Huskers Earn Big Ten Honors

Nebraska seniors Ashley Miller and Luke Pinkelman were honored by the Big Ten Conference on Monday, Jan. 23 after being selected as the Big Ten Female Track and Male Field Athletes-of-the-Week. The accolade marked the first Big Ten Indoor Track and Field weekly award for both Miller and Pinkelman.

Pinkelman was honored for the second-consecutive week after being selected as the Big Ten Co-Field Athlete-of-the-Week on Monday, Jan. 30. He earned the accolade after placing first in the shot put with an NCAA-qualifying mark of 63-8 1/4 at the Mark Colligan Memorial.

Phipps Continues Success

Nebraska senior jumper Chris Phipps picked up where he left off last season, claiming titles in the long jump (25-2) and triple jump (51-9) at the Holiday Inn Invitational. He went on to take the long (25-2) and triple jump (51-6 1/2) titles at the adidas Classic. Phipps notched another title at the Mark Colligan Memorial, recording a jump of 24-1 1/2 (7.35) in the long jump to take top honors.

Polacek Leading Pole Vaulters

Nebraska senior Nate Polacek has led the Husker pole vaulters so far in 2012, notching three top finishes in the event and a season-best mark of 17-7 3/4 (5.38) at the Mark Colligan Memorial.

Know How to Throw

The Husker throws squad is well represented on the NCAA top-50 list with four athletes in the shot put and two in the weight throw.

Luke Pinkelman leads the way with the fourth best shot put mark in the country at 63-8 1/4, while Tyler Hitchler ranks 11th in the shot put (60-10) and Chad Wright is 19th (59-11 1/4).

Others on the list include Carter Wasem (weight throw - 39th), Annie Jackson (shot put - 40th) and Taylor Jensen (weight throw- 38th).

Winning Ways

The all-time winningest track and field coach in the history of the Big 12 and the former Big Eight Conference, Nebraska Head Coach Gary Pepin enters his 32nd season at NU during the 2012 track and field season. The longest tenured active coach in Cornhusker athletics, 2012 will be Pepin's 29th season as head coach of both the Husker men's and women's track teams. Pepin captured 23 Big 12 titles as the Huskers' leader.

In his first 31 seasons at Nebraska, Pepin has coached athletes to 56 NCAA titles, 476 All-America honors and 512 conference titles.

103 and Counting

After winning 51 Big Eight titles during the conference's history from 1974-1996, the Huskers continued to dominate since moving to the Big 12 Conference for the 1997 season. NU won a league-high 23 team titles during the Big 12's 14-year history, including the program's historic 100th conference team title in 2007 at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

The Huskers added their 101st and 102nd titles during the 2009 and 2010 outdoor seasons when they became the first men's team in Big 12 history to win back-to-back team titles at the outdoor conference meet.

Nebraska also added to its lead of 103 in 2011 as the Husker women took the 2011 Big 12 Indoor Championship. The Huskers won the championship over four-time defending champion Texas A&M.

All-America Pipeline

Nebraska has been a staple at the NCAA Indoor Championships as the men's team alone has produced 116 All-America awards.  The men's squad has been on quite a roll as they have had at least one athlete earn All-American honors at the past 21 national meets. Since the indoor championships began in 1965, the Huskers have failed to leave with at least one All-America award on just five occasions, including 1975, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1990.

The women's team has been just as good indoors since the national meet started in 1980. Along with three straight national titles from 1982 to 1984, the Huskers have two or more All-Americans at every meet except for 2002 when they failed to earn a honor.