Husker Men Ranked No. 6 in Preseason Top 25

The Nebraska track and field team will begin the 2015 indoor season next week with the men's team ranked No. 6 in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Top 25 poll. 

The Husker men finished in a tie for 17th at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships, but will start this season with their highest preseason indoor ranking since 2012, when they started fifth.

NU returns its first-team All-America 4x400-meter relay squad of Ricco Hall, Cody Rush, Drew Wiseman and Levi Gipson, which set an indoor school record last season (3:05.69). Gipson also was the 600-meter Big Ten indoor champion in 2014, while Oladapo Akinmoladun won the 60-meter hurdles race in school-record time (7.61). Nebraska's ranking was bolstered by the return of senior James White, who redshirted last season but was a second-team All-America high jumper at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2013. Junior college transfer Jerry Westerfield (Iowa Central CC) brings with him a personal-best long jump of 25-8 3/4 (7.83m) and will look to boost the Huskers in that event this winter.

Florida holds the top spot in the preseason men's rankings. The Big Ten tied with the SEC for the most teams in the preseason men's top 25 with six each.

On the women's side, Florida also claimed the No. 1 spot, while the SEC held eight of the top 25 spots, including five of the top seven. Maryland (No. 14) and Michigan (No. 15) were the top Big Ten teams. Husker senior Ellie Ewere will lead the NU women in 2015, as she was the runner-up in the triple jump at last year's Big Ten Indoor Championships. 

The Huskers are set to open the 2015 season with the Holiday Inn Invitational at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Indoor Track on Jan. 16-17. The meet begins on Friday, Jan. 16 at 4 p.m. and on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 11 a.m.