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The Nebraska cross country team starts 2017 season at the Augustana Twilight in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Friday, Sept 1 at Yankton Trail Park. The races commence at 8 p.m.
The Nebraska cross country teams returns to the course in 2017, with its sights set on returning to the NCAA Championships this season. With a total of six letterwinners returning, as well as a talented group of newcomers, both the men and the women are looking to take the next step on the conference and national level.
The Huskers will compete at a four meets before postseason action begins, as NU hopes to hit its stride during the later stages of the season. The season begins with the Augustana Twilight on Friday, Sept. 1 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before the Huskers return home to host the Greeno/Dirksen Invite at Pioneers Park in Lincoln on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. NU will round out the month of September by competing at the Sam Bell Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 30, hosted by Big Ten foe Indiana.
NU will compete at the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Illinois on Friday, Oct. 13 as a final preparation for the Big Ten Championships, which are set for Sunday, Oct. 29 in Bloomington, Indiana. The NCAA Midwest Regional will take place in Ames, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 10, and the 2017 NCAA Championships will be held Saturday, Nov. 18 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Nebraska Women’s Preview
The Husker women return each of the three runners who lettered last season, including most valuable runner Anna Peer, Katrina Santiago and Bonnie Smith. The NU women are coming off a 13th-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Peer led the Huskers with top-50 finishes at both the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Midwest Regional in 2016. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native is a three-time team MVP and looks to build off of her strong junior season after sitting out the 2015 season with an injury. Santiago finished ninth at both the Augustana Twilight and the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational last season, and she posted NU’s second-best finishes at both the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Midwest Regional. Smith, Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner last season, posted a top-15 finish at the Augustana Twilight in 2016 and finished in Nebraska's top four in all five meets she competed in.
Nicole Colonna, who was named the team’s most improved runner last season, also returns with hopes of reaching new heights in 2017. Colonna notched top-20 finishes at both the Augustana Twilight and Greeno/Dirksen Invitational last season. Seniors Kendall Cast and Haley Harsin should be strong contributors to the team this season. Nebraska's strong freshman class from last season returns intact as sophomores with Rachel Brush, Elsa Forsberg, Judi Jones and Jessi Smith all set for solid second years in the Husker careers. Two track and field athletes - Ashleigh Carr and Rebecca Moore - are training with cross country this fall. Redshirt freshman Lillian Markusch and a class of six true freshmen are poised to compete for the Huskers for the first time. The freshmen include Emma Bresser, Erika Freyhof, Cameron Hucke, Kaitlynn Johnson, Diana Lado Andrea and Ally Talpash.
Nebraska Men’s Preview
On the men’s side, team leaders Wyatt McGuire and Austin Post will look to guide the squad to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2001. NU finished 10th at last season’s Big Ten Championships with 275 points, its best finish since joining the conference in the 2011 season. McGuire, named Nebraska’s most valuable runner in 2016, was NU’s top finisher at both the Big Ten Championships (35th) and the NCAA Midwest Regional (43rd) last season. Post has been a consistent performer in each of his first three seasons and looks to take the next step as a senior leader. Other returning letterwinners include talented sophomores Jordan De Spong and Karson LeComte, who was voted NU’s most improved runner last season. Senior Peter Spinks and junior Alec Sery are also experienced runners for the Huskers, while junior Eric Karl II, sophomore Ryan Bates and redshirt freshman Mark Freyhof add solid depth for the Huskers. Four freshmen join the fold in 2017: Nate Farrell, Ryan Martins, Bailey Timmons and Alexander Tollinger. Meanwhile, Ty Moss - a two-year veteran of the Nebraska track and field team - is training with cross country this fall.