Huskers Earn 17 Bids to NCAA Championships

Austin, Texas - The Nebraska track and field team earned eight more NCAA Championships bids on the final day of the NCAA West Preliminary Round on Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium. In all, the Huskers earned 17 bids with 19 athletes set to compete in Eugene, Ore., June 10-13. 

The Huskers grabbed three bids in the women's triple jump to begin the day. Junior Mollie Gribbin was fourth in the event with a first attempt jump of 42-8 (13.00m). Gribbin will make a repeat trip to outdoor nationals, albeit in a different event as she competed in the long jump last year. Senior Ellie Ewere placed sixth by jumping 42-3 1/2 (12.89m) and will look to repeat as a first-team All-American in the event. Sophomore Omaha North grad Danielle Jones is headed to nationals for the first time in her career after leaping a career-best 42-3 1/2 (12.89m) to lock up a bid. She entered the event seeded 36th but finished seventh with her career day. Freshman Angela Mercurio also set a PR of 41-10 1/2 (12.76m) but just missed the top 12. 

Grand Island product Steven Cahoy will head to nationals after clearing through 17-6 1/2 (5.35m) in the pole vault. The sophomore also made indoor nationals this year for the first time in his career. Beau Simmons also narrowly missed a nationals bid, finishing 13th by clearing a personal-best 17-4 1/2 (5.30m).

After an hour-long weather delay, Nikita Pankins, Ricco Hall, Antoine Lloyd and Cody Rush ran a 39.86 in the 4x100 relay to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships with the final qualifying time. 

Hall later ran a season-best 20.75 in the 200 meters to earn trip to nationals in that event as well. A four-time All-American with relay teams, Hall will make his second career nationals appearance in the 200 meters after also qualifying during the indoor season.

Sophomore Sarah Firestone clinched a national berth in the javelin for the first time in her career, reaching 163-10 (49.95m) on her last attempt to finish fifth in the event. 

In the night's final event, the men's 4x400 relay team of Cody Rush, Drew Wiseman, Levi Gipson and Jake Bender earned a bid to nationals yet again with a time of 3:06.02 to win heat two. The Huskers were sixth at last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships and second at the past two NCAA Indoor Championships in the event. 

NCAA Championships Qualifiers (Eugene, Ore. - June 10-13)
Mollie Gribbin (Triple Jump)
Ellie Ewere (Triple Jump)
Danielle Jones (Triple Jump)
Steven Cahoy (Pole Vault)
Men's 4x100 Relay (Pankins, Hall, Lloyd, Rush)
Ricco Hall (200 meters)
Sarah Firestone (Javelin)
Men's 4x400 Relay (Rush, Wiseman, Gipson, Bender)
Will Lohman (Hammer Throw)*
Will Lohman (Shot Put)*
Marusa Cernjul (High Jump)*
Drew Wiseman (400-meter hurdles)*
Nick Percy, Discus*
Tierra Williams, Long Jump*
Jazmin McCoy, Long Jump*
James White, High Jump*
Landon Bartel, High Jump*

* = qualified on Thursday or Friday