Huskers Close Out Regular Season with Tune-Up

The Nebraska track and field team will host its final indoor home meet of the season with the Nebraska Tune-Up this Friday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Indoor Track. The Tune-Up is the final regular season indoor meet for the Huskers, and admission is free. The meet will start with field events at Noon and competition on the track will begin at 12:40 p.m. Division I foes competing against the Huskers on Friday include Drake, Kansas City, Omaha, South Dakota and Creighton's cross country team.

The Huskers are gearing up for the Big Ten Indoor Championships next week in Geneva, Ohio. Friday's meet will give some Huskers a chance to make their case for a roster spot at next week's conference meet, while others will look to build momentum in their events heading into the Big Ten Championships.

Setting the Bar
• Ieva Turke led the Huskers at Pittsburg State over the weekend, winning both the triple jump (43-0 1/2, 13.12m) and long jump (19-10 3/4, 6.06m) titles. She has now picked up five individual titles this season and her triple jump mark of 43-0 1/2 (13.12m) ranks ninth in NU history and No. 2 in the Big Ten this season.
• Erika Freyhof ran the second-fastest time (16:18.28) in program history on any size of track in the women's invitational 5,000 meters at Iowa State last week. 
• Sophomore George Kusche ran a time of 7:50.93 in the 3,000 meters at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational two weeks ago to win the event with a school record, a meet record and a new Bob Devaney Sports Center record. His time is currently No. 2 in the Big Ten this season.
• Kusche broke his own mile record at the Washington Invitational earlier this season with a time of 3:57.93 on the oversized track to own the mile record at Nebraska outright.
• Freshman Brent Wetovick has been a part of seven winning events this season. He has won two 800-meter races, two 600-meter races, was a part of two winning 4x400-meter relay teams and ran a leg in a winning distance medley relay.
•  Kristina Insingo has three shot put titles to her name this indoor season. She set a new PR with a toss of 55-0 (16.76m) at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational earlier this month. Her mark moved her up to No. 4 in school history in the event.
• Nebraska swept both team titles at both the Mark Colligan Memorial and adidas Classic scored quadrangular meets at the Devaney Center earlier this season.
• Nebraska won 20 individual titles as a team at the Graduate Classic to open the season, bettering last season's individual title count of 14.

New Nebraska Top-10 Marks
The Huskers have achieved several all-time top-10 indoor marks in school history so far in 2020:
• George Kusche - Mile (No. 1 - 3:57.93*)
• George Kusche - 3,000m (No. 1 - 7:50.93)
• Erika Freyhof - 5,000m (No. 2 - 16:18.28*)
• Alencar Pereira - Weight Throw (No. 3 - 68-0 1/2, 20.74m)
• Burger Lambrechts Jr. - Shot Put (No. 4 - 64-8, 19.71m)
• James Joycey - Weight Throw (No. 4 - 67-10 3/4, 20.69m)
• Kristina Insingo - Shot Put (No. 4 - 55-0, 16.76m)
• Burger Lambrechts Jr. - Weight Throw (No. 7 - 65-7 1/2, 20.00m)
• Isaiah Hutchinson - 200m (No. 7 - 21.17)
• Elsa Forsberg - Mile (No. 7 - 4:42.16*)
• Judi Jones - 3,000m (No. 7 - 9:27.28*)
• Brent Wetovick - 600m (No. 8 - 1:18.18)
• Elsa Forsberg - Mile (No. 9 - 4:46.06)
• Judi Jones - 3,000m (No. 9 - 9:36.19)
• Ieva Turke - Triple Jump (No. 9 - 43-0 1/2, 13.12m)
• Jordan De Spong - 3,000m (No. 10 - 8:13.47*)
*oversized track

Nebraska Ranked in USTFCCCA #EventSquad Rankings
The Husker track and field team has several event groups ranked highly in the USTFCCCA #EventSquad Rankings this season. The ranking system uses the best qualifying marks from a team's top-four ranked athletes in the event.
• #4 - Women's Shot Put
• #4 - Women's Triple Jump
• #5 - Women's High Jump
• #5 - Men's Weight Throw
• #7 - Men's Shot Put
• #8 - Men's 60m Hurdles
• #9 - Women's Long Jump

Husker Men Crowned 2020 Indoor Dual Meet Champions
The Nebraska men's track and field team has been crowned the indoor dual meet champions by Track & Field News Magazine for the second straight season.

The Huskers claimed the title on the strength of two home quadrangulars, the Mark Colligan Memorial and the adidas Classic, as well as outstanding running-event balance. The Nebraska men won the eighth-straight Mark Colligan Memorial title with 178.5 points, topping Oklahoma (146), North Dakota State (122) and Oral Roberts (55.5). The following week, the Husker men claimed the adidas Classic team title with 199 points, defeating Illinois State (117), South Dakota (117) and Kansas City (81).

Nebraska posted a 6-0 record in dual meets to top No. 2 Indiana (1-0) and No. 3 Texas A&M (2-0) for the top spot. Akron (2-0) finished fourth and Oklahoma (2-1) rounded out the top five. 

All of this is just a precursor to the big prize, the season-long comprehensive rankings released during the outdoor season. To be ranked, a team must compete in one or more dual meets (defined as a scored meet between four or fewer teams) during the indoor season. Teams are ranked on wins and losses, marks, and strength and depth of dual meet schedule. Teams are rewarded for taking dual meet competition seriously. The Nebraska men won the absolute - indoor and outdoor combined - dual meet championship in 2017. 

Pepin Named B1G and USTFCCCA Men's Midwest Region Coach of the Year
Nebraska track and field head coach Gary Pepin was named the Big Ten Men's Indoor Coach of the Year and the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2019. 

The Big Ten honor marked Pepin's sixth selection as Big Ten Coach of the Year since the Huskers joined the conference in 2011-12, and it was his 28th all-time conference coaching accolade. The 2019 Big Ten men's indoor title was Pepin's 73rd career conference title and 43rd indoors. He has guided the Husker men to three Big Ten indoor titles in the last five seasons.

Pepin, in his 40th year as head coach at Nebraska, has also been honored as region coach of the year 11 times in the past 15 years. Of his 11 region coaching honors, three are men's indoor coach of the year (2005, 2015, 2019). 

Husker Men Out to Defend Big Ten Indoor Title
The Nebraska men won the 2019 Big Ten Indoor Championship in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Angela Mercurio, Lakayla Harris, Mayson Conner and Elijah Lucy all won individual Big Ten indoor titles for the Big Red. 

The Husker men entered the final day of the Big Ten Championships with an 11-point lead and led the entire day until Indiana took a 90-89 lead with only the 4x400-meter relay remaining. However, the Huskers' relay team of Givon Washington, Tony Nou, Lucy and Isaiah Hutchinson ran a season-best of 3:09.12 to finish fifth, while Indiana finished eighth in 3:11.71. The Huskers finished with 93 points, and Indiana had 91, giving NU its first team crown since 2016.

The Husker men won their 67th all-time conference title and 38th indoors with the victory. It was the fifth Big Ten title for the Husker men since joining the conference in 2012. For legendary head coach Gary Pepin, it marked his 73rd career conference title and 43rd indoors.

Conner was crowned the high jump champion after clearing a personal-best 7-3 3/4 (2.23m), which put him in a tie for ninth in school history. Conner had the competition locked up as the only jumper to clear 7-2 1/4 (2.19m), and he was perfect through that height. The McCool Junction native went on to achieve a new personal best and give the Husker men the Big Ten indoor high jump title for the fifth time in the last six years. Conner was the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Freshman of the Year.