Outlook
After sitting out the 2002 season with stress fractures, Dana Carne is eagerly awaiting a chance to lace up the spikes for his senior season. The former Nebraska high school state record holder in the 3,200-meter run should play a prominent role for the team this fall. If Carne, voted captain by his teammates, can stay healthy, he figures to be among the top runners for the Huskers.
"Dana exhibited that he was an elite high school athlete early in school, but he missed most of his senior year with injuries," Head Coach Jay Dirksen said. "The few times he has been able to run, he runs at such a high level on such small training that we know this is a young man who has the ability to be an outstanding runner. We are hoping that he can train consistently enough at some level so we can get him out there racing."
2002 (Junior)
Carne was forced to sit out his junior year of cross country with an injury. Carne did race a few times during the indoor and outdoor track season on very limited training. His only indoor competition came in the Prairie Wolves Invite in mid-February, where he finished the 3,000-meter race in 9:03.77. On the outdoor oval, Carne laced up the spikes twice, earning a season-best 15:05.59 in the 5,000-meter run at the Kansas Relays.
2001 (Sophomore)
In his first year as a Husker, Carne started the season off with a first-place finish at the Bearcat Distance Classic in Maryville, Mo. In the following meet, Carne finished fourth at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational. Running an 8,000-meter season best of 24:59.5 at the Roy Griak Invitational, Carne was instrumental in the Huskers finishing ahead of several nationally ranked teams, which ultimately led to a trip to the NCAA Championships. As the season wore on, Carne developed leg problems and could not finish the campaign.
On the track, Carne set a season-best in the 3,000-meter run (8:37.98) at the adidas Invitational in February, before being sidelined with an injury.
2000 (Colorado State)
In 2000, Carne was among the top seven runners at Colorado State. One of only two freshmen to crack the lineup, he finished 96th at the Roy Griak Invitational in late September. A member of Colorado State's conference and regional teams, Carne finished in 30th place (26:42.9) at the Mountain West Conference Championships and was 71st (33:27.9) at the NCAA Mountain Regional.
1999 (Colorado State)
Carne redshirted his first year at Colorado State because of illness and injuries.
High School
Carne, coached by Gary Wiemer at Omaha North, finished no lower than third in the Class A high school state cross country championships during his four years. He finished third as a freshman and sophomore before capturing the Class A title in 1997, making him only the third Viking to win the crown. He added a runner-up finish at the state meet as a senior in 1998.
At the 1998 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, Carne finished 32nd after a fourth-place finish (15:12.52) at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside 5,000-meter course. He finished behind future NCAA All-Americans Jorge Torres, Jason Hartmann and Dathan Ritzenhein. Carne was separated by less than nine seconds from the winner Torres, who set the course record, and later went on to win the 2002 NCAA cross country individual title.
During his senior season on the track, Carne set the all-time Nebraska state record for the 3,200-meter run with a time of 9:06.57 at the Arcadia Invitational in Arcadia, Calif. Battling several injuries throughout his high school career, Carne placed second (9:28.39) at the 1998 Class A state meet. In 1997, Carne finished third in Class A in the 1,600-meter run and eighth in the 3,200-meter run. At the 1996 Class A state meet, Carne ran to a second-place finish in the 3,200-meter run and a fourth-place finish in the 1,600-meter run.
Personal
The son of Scott and Susan Carne, Dana was born July 18, 1980, in Omaha, Neb. He has two brothers, Brad, 25, and Jeff, 16. Dana is a biological sciences major. With a stellar academic record, Carne was initiated into the Mortar Board, an exclusive organization that puts him in the top one-percent of all seniors on campus. Carne holds a 3.99 grade-point average and serves as the vice president of the Nebraska Student-Athlete Adivsory Board.