Huskers Roll to adidas Classic Titles

LINCOLN, Neb. - The Nebraska track and field teams ran away with the men's and women's team titles at the 2015 adidas Classic before 1,130 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday. 

The Husker men combined for nine event titles to total 200 points. Colorado State finished second with 138, while UT Arlington (108) and Oral Roberts (50)rounded out the field. The NU women won 11 events and amassed 187 points. Colorado State took second with 152, and UT Arlington (103) and Oral Roberts (46) were third and fourth, respectively.

Ricco Hall had a strong day with a PR of 6.77 to win the 60-meter dash, and then the top time in the Big Ten this season in the 400 meters of 46.78. It is the seventh-fastest time in the nation this season. Hall led a good day for the Husker sprinters. Brittany Johnson set a PR of 7.50 to win the women's 60 meters. Melissa-Maree Farrington won the 60-meter hurdles for the third time this season with a PR of 8.39, while Sean Pille won his first 60-meter hurdles race of the season in 8.02. 

Freshman high jumper Landon Bartel set a personal best of 7-1 3/4, the second-best mark in the Big Ten this season and seventh in the nation. He won the event over teammate and redshirt freshman Grant Anderson, who also cleared a personal best of  7-0 1/2, now the third-best mark in the Big Ten.

In her first time running the 400 meters this season, Kadecia Baird won the title in 54.29, and Shawnice Williams took the women's 600 meters in 1:33.22 in her first time running the event this year. Levi Gipson won the men's 600 meters with a season-best 1:17.82, as the Huskers won titles in eight straight races to take control in the team standings.

Connor Gibson picked up the title in the 800 meters, his third individual event title of the season in three different races. Gibson ran an impressive 1:52.71, a new PR and the best time by a Husker this season. Anna Peer ran the 3,000 meters in a personal-best 9:47.08 to win the event by more than 15 seconds. 

In field events, Steven Cahoy set a PR in the pole vault and won the title after clearing 17-1 1/2, good for second in the Big Ten this season. Huskers took the top four spots in the competition. NU also claimed the top four finishes in the women's long jump, with Tierra Williams taking her third title of the season with a leap of 19-7. Mollie Gribbin won her second straight triple jump with a leap of 40-1 1/4, and Paula Andrie and Marusa Cernjul also won event titles for the second straight week. Andrie won the pole vault with a mark of 13-5, while Cernjul cleared 6-0 1/2 in the high jump a week after her nation-leading performance of 6-1 1/4. 

Carlie Pinkelman (51-9 3/4) and Will Lohman (season-best 60-6) swept the shot put titles for the Big Red. Pinkelman is unbeaten in the event this season, while Lohman has now won two shot puts in a row. 

The Nebraska women's 4x400 relay team of Kari Heck, Brittany Johnson, Shawnice Williams and Kadecia Baird won with a time of 3:44.81. The Husker men capped off the day with NU's 20th title, as Levi Gipson, Jacob Bender, Drew Wiseman and Cody Rush won in 3:12.08, the third-best time in the Big Ten.

The Huskers host the 40th Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational next Friday and Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Indoor Track.