Huskers Gear Up for Augustana Twilight

The Nebraska cross country team will begin the 2019 season at the Augustana Twilight in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Friday, Sept. 6 at Yankton Trail Park. The women's 5K will begin at 8:30 p.m. and will be followed by the men's four-mile race.

The Husker men have won the Augustana Twilight team crown in five of the last six seasons. The women last won the team title in 2015 and have finished in the top-three at the meet in each of the last six seasons.

Men's Preview
The Big Red men are ranked eighth in the USTFCCCA Midwest Region rankings, their highest preseason ranking since joining the Big Ten and their best ranking since beginning No. 7 in the 2010 preseason rankings. The Huskers, who were ranked as high as No. 8 in the region last year, finished eighth at the NCAA Midwest Regional in 2018.

The 2019 Huskers feature 15 returners and three freshmen. Nine letterwinners return from last year's squad, including 2018 NCAA Championships members George Kusche and Mark Freyhof. Kusche finished 55th at the National Championships, while Mark Freyhof was 103rd. Kusche's finish was the best finish by a Husker at the National Championships since 2008 and the best finish by a Nebraska male runner since 1997.

Wyatt McGuire rejoins the squad this season after missing last season with an injury, giving the Huskers three returning All-Region members. Kusche placed fourth and Mark Freyhof was 10th at the 2018 NCAA Midwest Regional, while McGuire finished 14th in 2017. Consistent 2018 top-five Husker finishers Bailey Timmons, Jordan De Spong and Myles Fleming are all back this season.

Women's Preview
Nebraska will begin the season at No. 11 in the Midwest Region rankings. This is the first time the Husker women have been ranked in the preseason since the Huskers were ranked eighth in 2011. Last season, the women's team finished 14th at the NCAA Midwest Regional.

The 2019 team will include 18 returners and nine newcomers. Four letterwinners return from last season, including 2018 All-Region member Erika Freyhof. Erika Freyhof set the tone for the Huskers at the 2018 Midwest Regional and finished 11th, good for the best finish by a Husker female at the NCAA Regional Championships since 2010.

Judi Jones also returns to the team, after finishing in the top-two for Nebraska in every race she ran last season. Elsa Forsberg, Rachel Brush and Grace Pagone are also back, all of which were consistent top-five Nebraska finishers in 2018.

Last Season at the Twilight
The Husker men won the meet with a score of 34 points in the 7K, while the women finished second in the 5K with a score of 45 points.

Mark Freyhof was the top finisher for the men with a second-place finish, clocking a time of 21:26.40. Kusche crossed the finish line 0.42 seconds later and placed third (21:26.82). Timmons ran a time of 21:48.54 and placed sixth. Ryan Kennedy and De Spong both finished just outside the top 10 with times of 22:01.18 (11th) and 22:04.16 (12th), respectively.

Erika Freyhof led the women's squad and placed second with a time of 17:18.76. Jones ran a time of 17:27.56 and finished fourth. Brush was the third member of the Big Red to cross the finish line and clocked a time of 17:58.44 to place ninth. Forsberg and Pagone also placed in the top 20 with times of 18:33.99 (18th) and 18:41.10 (20th), respectively.
 

AUGUSTANA TWILIGHT Friday, September 6, 2019
Host: The Augustana Twilight is hosted by Augustana University. This Friday will mark the ninth edition of the meet.

Course: Yankton Trail Park (3901 S Minnesota Ave)

Course Map (5K & Four-Mile Map)

Starting Times: Women – 8:30 p.m. (6K) / Men – 9 p.m. (Four-Mile)

Timing & Results: Unofficial results will be tallied, recorded and posted at https://results.dakotatiming.com.