Huskers Prepare for Big Ten Championships

The Nebraska cross country team will visit Columbus, Ohio, this weekend for the Big Ten Championships on Sunday, Nov. 3. The men's 8K will begin at 9:45 a.m. (CT), with the women's 6K to follow around 10:45 a.m. (CT).

George Kusche is expected to lead the Huskers again this weekend and will be looking to compete for the conference title in the men's race. Last season, Kusche finished third in the 8K with a time of 23:39.0 and his third-place finish was the best finish ever by a Husker at the Big Ten Championships. If Kusche captures the crown or is the runner up, it will be the best finish ever by a Nebraska runner at the Big Ten Championships. The last conference runner-up was Cleophas Boor at the 1997 Big XII Championships and the last cross country conference champion for Nebraska was Jonah Kiptarus at the 1996 Big XII Championships.

Kusche already has two top-five finishes this season in both the races he has ran. He captured the 8K crown at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational and was fifth at the Under Armour Pre-Nationals. Mark Freyhof has been a consistent top-three finisher for the Big Red and has a best finish of 10th this season at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. Jordan De Spong and Ryan Martins have been constant top-four runners for the Big Red and will likely be towards the front of the pack for Nebraska on Sunday.

Erika Freyhof has led Nebraska in every race she has ran this season and will look to do so again at the Big Ten Championships. Erika Freyhof was third at Augustana Twilight, fifth at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational and ninth in Nebraska's division at the Under Armour Pre-Nationals. Judi Jones is a top-two finisher for the Huskers in every meet this season, including a fifth-place finish at Augustana Twilight. Elsa Forsberg has been in the top-three all season, highlighted by a ninth-place finish at Augustana Twilight, and she is expected to be towards the front for the Big Red this weekend. Gabrielle Boucher has made strides since her freshman campaign last year and will likely round out the top-four.

The Big Ten Championships will be televised live on BTN Plus and will also air live on FloSports, available with the purchase of a subscription. Live results will also be available at PT Timing.

A 30-minute highlight package of the races will air on BTN and the Fox Sports App on the following dates/times:
- Monday, Nov. 4 - 6 p.m. (CT), 8:30 p.m. (CT) and 11 p.m. (CT)
- Tuesday, Nov. 5 - 4 p.m. (CT)
- Wednesday, Nov. 6 - 10 a.m. (CT)

Numbers to Know
1997 - The last time the Huskers had a runner-up at the conference meet (Cleophas Boor - Big XII Championships)
1996 - The last time Nebraska had a cross country conference champion (Jonah Kiptarus - Big XII Championships)
3 - The best finish by a Nebraska male runner at the Big Ten Championships (George Kusche, 2018)
7 - The best team finish for the Husker women at the Big Ten Championships (2011)
8 - The highest team finish for the Nebraska men at the Big Ten Championships (2018)
14 - The top finish by a female Husker at the Big Ten Championships (Anna Peer, 2014)

Huskers Competing at the 2019 Big Ten Championships

Husker - Men's Team	Yr.	8K PR
George Kusche	So.	23:31.6
Mark Freyhof	Jr.	24:10.0
Wyatt McGuire	Sr.	24:24.1
Ryan Martins	So.	24:50.3
Jordan De Spong	Sr.	24:58.7
Myles Fleming	So.	25:12.0
Karson LeComte	Sr.	25:14.4
Ryan Kennedy	So.	25:34.3
Jerry Jorgenson	Fr.	26:12.3

 

Husker - Women's Team	Yr.	6K PR
Erika Freyhof	Jr.	20:46.2
Judi Jones	Sr.	21:06.6
Elsa Forsberg	Sr.	21:41.7
Gabrielle Boucher	So.	22:34.7
Grace Pagone	So.	22:46.1
Kaitlynn Johnson	Jr.	22:47.9
Emma Bresser	Jr.	23:19.5
Margaret Pollard	So.	23:50.9
Abby Heffner	Fr.	23:57.2

Last Time Out
The men's squad took 15th in the 8K "Blue" division at the Under Armour Pre-Nationals, while the women's team was third in the 6K "White" division. George Kusche led the men's team and finished fifth with a personal-best time of 23:31.6, earning him the title of the Big Ten Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Oct. 23. Erika Freyhof paced the women's squad and was ninth with a time of 21:15.3.

Last Season at the Big Ten Championships
Nebraska hosted the Big Ten Championships and George Kusche made headlines, placing third with an 8K time of 23:39.0. His third-place finish was the best finish ever by a Husker at the Big Ten Championships and earned him first-team All-Big Ten accolades. The previous best finish by a Nebraska runner was 10th, set by Wyatt McGuire at the championships in 2017.

Mark Freyhof was the second Husker to cross the finish line and placed 18th with a time of 24:10.0. Mark Freyhof's finish was a 29-place improvement from 2017. Bailey Timmons was the third Husker to cross the finish line and placed 50th with a time of 24:56.4. Jordan De Spong and Myles Fleming finished 53rd (24:58.7) and 69th (25:12.0), respectively.

Judi Jones paced the women's squad with a 6K time of 21:06.6 to finish 37th. Erika Freyhof was 46th and clocked a time of 21:26.2. Elsa Forsberg placed 55th and ran a time of 21:41.7. Rachel Brush (22:09.6) and Kaitlynn Johnson rounded out the top-five for the Big Red, placing 72nd (22:09.6) and 94th (22:47.8), respectively.

As a team, the men's squad finished the 8K in eighth place with 179 total points. The women placed 11th in the 6K with 283 points. Both teams had a one spot improvement from their finishes at the 2017 Big Ten Championships.

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019
Host: Ohio State University

Course: Ohio State Golf Club (3605 Tremont Rd, Columbus, OH 43221)
Course Map (6K & 8K Map)

Starting Times: Men - 9:45 a.m. (8K) / Women - 10:45 a.m. (6K)

Timing & Results: Unofficial results will be posted at http://pttiming.com. Official results will be available after the conclusion of the meet at https://bigten.org and https://huskers.com.