Huskers Set to Host Big Ten Championships

The Nebraska cross country team will host the Big Ten Championships on Sunday, October 28 at the Mahoney Golf Course. The women’s 6K race will be ran at 10:45 a.m. and the men’s 8K race will begin at 11:45 a.m.

This will be the first time Nebraska has hosted the Big Ten Championships since joining the conference in 2011. It will also be the first time that the Mahoney Golf Course has served as a championship site for cross country. Mahoney has only hosted one meet previously, the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational on September 15 of this year.

"I think any team that came and raced in our September meet has a good idea of the fast sections and some of the hills to push," Harris said. "They also know that the finish has an uphill."

George Kusche and Mark Freyhof will look to lead the Huskers again this weekend. Both have consistently been top performers for the Big Red. Kusche has placed in the top-five in three of the four meets he competed in this season, while Mark Freyhof has finished in the top-five on two occasions and in the top 10 once.

"I look forward to wearing the Nebraska "N" as I represent such a great university and state at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships," Mark Freyhof said. "I got to race over the course earlier this season and look forward to racing on it again. Having the Big Ten Championships at home this year is such a privilege because many of the people who put so much time into our team will be able to watch a very talented race at home."

Erika Freyhof and Judi Jones have paced the Huskers in all four meets they have ran in this season. Erika Freyhof is coming off the best race of her career, running a time of 21:17.9 at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals. Jones also earned a personal best time of 22:18.6 at the Pre-Nationals. Both Erika Freyhof and Jones have each finished in the top-five once this season and the duo has led Nebraska in every meet they have competed in.

"Running at Nebraska means running for something greater than yourself," said Jones. "I was out last season, so I am very excited to be back running at the Big Ten Championships. The goal is to help our team place the highest in our program's history. It is special for us to host the Big Ten Championships in Lincoln and is all the more reason to place our best."

All four of the top performers for Nebraska are very familiar with the Mahoney Golf Course as they all ran at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational earlier this season. Kusche and Mark Freyhof both finished in the top five, placing second (24:41.4) and fourth (24:48.0), respectively. Erika Freyhof led Nebraska with a 12th-place finish at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite with a time of 21:51.9. Jones also finished in the top 20 with a time of 22:05.2 to place 18th.

"Our team goals are always to move up in the standings from a year ago," Harris said. "This is a very tough cross country conference. The Big Ten is respected and usually has several teams at the NCAA Championships. We also have a goal to have several individuals up in the race trying for All-Big Ten honors. The fans should enjoy seeing the runners several times in the race. We hope to have a great crowd."

The Big Ten Championships will be televised live on BTN Plus (available on the BTN2Go digital platform) and will also air live on FloSports. The 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championships will air on BTN on a tape-delayed basis at 7 p.m. (CT) on Monday, October 29. Live results can also be found by following this link.

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS Sunday, October 28, 2018

Host: The University of Nebraska

Course: Mahoney Golf Course - 7900 Adams Street, Lincoln, NE 68507

Course Maps (6K Map) (8K Map)

 

Team Information

Starting Times: Women - 10:45 AM (6,000 Meters) / Men - 11:45 AM (8,000 Meters)

Timing: Prime Time Timing will be in charge of timing the event.

Race Numbers: Two numbers, large enough to enable identification, should be worn. They should be securely pinned on the front and back of each athlete's shirt so they are plainly visible. Teams will be able to pick up their packets with race numbers at the Coaches Administrative meeting on Saturday.

Championship Format: The women's distance is 6,000 meters and the men's distance is 8,000 meters. The squads will be limited to nine competitors each. The first five finishers for each team will be included in the team scores and the next two runners act as pushers to displace the scorers from other teams.

Ties in team and individual competition at the Big Ten Championship shall not be broken. Duplicate awards will be ordered by the conference office.

Awards: The women's award ceremony will begin immediately following the end of the protest period approximately at 12:30 p.m. with the men's ceremony to follow immediately after the conclusion of the women's.

Conference Awards:
Two large team championship trophies, one for women's champion and one for the men's champion

Six individual awards for the first three finishers in each race

The all-conference teams shall be recognized at the end of the championship

First Team All-Big Ten (Finishers 1-7) and Second Team All-Big Ten (Finishers 8-14) will also be awarded at the conclusion of the event

Awards for the Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year will be selected the Tuesday following the Big Ten Championships. Awards for the Athlete of the Year will be selected the Tuesday following the NCAA Championships.

Medical Information: Athletic Training will be located in the large tent at the Northwest corner of the team camp area. This is adjacent to the hospitality area as well as near the starting and finishing areas. This will be available to teams throughout the championship.

EMT's and emergency equipment will also be on site. A certified athletic trainer will be present throughout the championship and a physician will be present or on call throughout the championship as well.

Media Information
Work Area: Will be located inside the clubhouse at Mahoney Golf Course.

Results: Complete race results will be sent to each school's SID and the conference following the completion of the race. Results will also be posted on Huskers.com. Results will be printed out and distributed after each race.

Fan Information

Spectator Parking: Event day parking is available in the designated lots at Mahoney Park located north of the course. Parking is $5 per vehicle at the entrance to the park and event staff will be on hand to direct fans where to park. Spectators will enter via 70th and Fremont Street. (Parking Map)

Spectator Admission: Admission to the meet is free for all ages.

Merchandise: Championship merchandise and programs will be sold at the Mahoney Golf Course for the duration of the championship. Programs and gear will be on sale until they are sold out.

Concessions: Concessions will be sold on-site for fans in attendance on competition day at the golf course. Concessions are located at the south end of the course at the clubhouse.