Huskers Ranked to Begin Outdoor Season

The Nebraska track and field teams will begin the outdoor season this week ranked in the top 20 of the USTFCCCA Rankings that were announced on Tuesday.

The Nebraska men begin the season at No. 9, as the Big Red are the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the preseason poll. The Husker women come in at No. 16. Oregon is the top-ranked men’s team in the preseason poll, while Arkansas took the top spot in the women’s poll. The Huskers will compete at the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge hosted by Arizona State this Friday and Saturday in Tempe, Ariz.

The Husker men return first-team All-American decathlete Cody Walton from last year's team, as well as five second-team All-Americans including Nick Percy, the 2016 discus national champion, and Antoine Lloyd, who was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year for the 2018 indoor season. 

The women also return five second-team All-Americans from last season’s team, including Angela Mercurio, who earned runner-up honors at the 2018 Big Ten Indoor Championships in the triple jump.

The preseason rankings for both the men and the women match their highest outdoor preseason rankings in the last 10 years, as the men were ranked ninth to begin the 2011 season, while the women began the 2010 season ranked 16th.

The Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge begins Friday with the hammer throw and the javelin, beginning at 3 p.m. (CT). The rest of the field events get underway Saturday at 3:30 p.m., while running events begin at 7:15 p.m.