Track and Field
Nebraska track and field hosted the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational this weekend. The Huskers won nine event titles and set two new school records.
Sophomore Till Steinforth was Nebraska’s first record-breaker, winning the men’s heptathlon with a score of 6,082 points, topping Bjorn Barrefors’ 2012 school record of 5,894. Across the two days, Steinforth won four of the seven events—the 60-meter dash, long jump, 60-meter hurdles and pole vault. Steinforth’s score also puts him at No. 3 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the Big Ten this season.
Sophomore thrower Axelina Johansson was the other Husker to set a new record, winning the women’s shot put on Saturday with a throw of 63 feet, 4 inches (19.30 meters). Johansson’s throw surpassed Tressa Thompson’s throw of 60 feet, 7 3/4 inches (18.48 meters), which was set in 1997. She also became the Swedish indoor national record-holder and is currently No. 1 in the NCAA this season for the event.
Senior high jumper Mayson Conner also notched a new personal best, clearing 7 feet, 4 1/4 inches (2.24 meters) to win the event. Conner’s jump moved him to No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 2 in the NCAA.
Most of the other victories came in the field events. Junior jumper Ashley McElmurry won the women’s long jump, leaping 18 feet, 7 1/4 inches (5.67 meters). Senior thrower Taylor Latimer won the women’s weight throw with a toss of 72 feet, 6 1/4 inches (22.10 meters). Junior thrower Max Otterdahl won the men’s weight throw with a throw of 70 feet, 10 inches (21.59 meters). Senior thrower Jonah Wilson won the men’s shot put, launching it 66 feet, 6 inches (20.27 meters).
On the track, junior hurdler Darius Luff claimed the men’s 60-meter hurdles title, winning in a time of 7.74 seconds. Another big victory for Nebraska came by freshman sprinter Garrett Kaalund, who won the men’s 400-meter dash in a time of 47.84 seconds.
The final win for the Huskers came in the men’s 4x400-meter relay, where freshman Julian Watson, senior Nick Bryant, sophomore Niko Schultz and Kaalund won the title with a time of 3.10.36.
The Huskers are back in action next weekend as they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Tyson Invitational.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
Nebraska men’s and women’s tennis were both in action over the weekend. The Men’s Tennis team fell to Cornell on Saturday, only recording a single point in their 4-1 loss while the women swept Gonzaga and North Dakota 4-0.
In their first double header of the season, the Nebraska women began their day against Gonzaga. The doubles matches began with Raphaёlle Lacasse and Ana Carmen Zamburek for Nebraska defeating Gonzaga’s Adrianna Sosnowska and Cate Broerman 7-5 on court one. On court two, Anfisa Danilchenko and Samantha Alicea clinched the doubles point for Nebraska in their win over Kianna Oda and Rose Hayes 6-0.
In singles play, the Huskers got off to a hot start and didn’t look back. Isabel Adrover Gallego secured a victory against Kianna Oda 6-1, 6-2, handing the Huskers another point. On court six, Lucy Loy of Nebraska defeated Caroline Wernli 6-3, 6-4. On court two, Danilchenko was down 4-0 in her first set against Gonzaga’s Sosnowska but came back to win in a tiebreaker, 7-6, 6-2, handing Nebraska the overall win.
In their second match of the day, the Nebraska women defeated the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. At the No. 2 spot, Danilchenko and Alicea defeated North Dakota’s Jule Schulte and Nore Heinitz 6-2. On court three, Adrover Gallego and Vivien Sandberg clinched the doubles point for Nebraska, defeating Charlotte Bowles and Nyah Kauders 6-4. For the final singles matches of the day, Alicea started at No. 4 for Nebraska and bested Andrea Jansson 6-2, 6-1. On court five, Sandberg claimed victory over Schulte 6-4, 6-2. In the No. 3 spot, Adrover Gallego defeated Heinitz by a score of 6-1, 6-4, handing Nebraska its second shutout victory of the day.
The Nebraska men won their first set against Cornell, a doubles match that took place on court two. William Gleason and Calvin Mueller recorded Nebraska’s first win of the match, defeating Cornell’s Adit Sinha and Radu Papoe 6-4.
Cornell tied it up on court three, as Nebraska’s Lars Johann and Roni Hietaranta were defeated in a tight 7-5 match against Samuel Paquette and Petar Teodorovic. But Nic Wiedenhorn and Shunya Maruyama clinched Nebraska’s lone point with a win over Vladislav Melnic and Jack McCarthy on court one, winning 7-6 after they fell behind 5-1 in the tiebreaker, rallied back and won the next six points.
Unfortunately for the Huskers, that would not be enough for them to take the match. In the singles section, Nebraska was unable to come out with a win in any of their games. Cornell won four straight matches and never looked back to clinch the win. On court six, Ilarion Danilchenko lost in his season debut to Cornell’s McCarthy, 6-1, 6-4. On court three, Teodorovic defeated Johann to hand Cornell its second point of the day. Cornell moved closer to a victory when Papoe defeated Hietaranta 7-6, 6-3. To finalize the win for Cornell, Sinha defeated Mueller 6-4, 6-4.
The Nebraska women will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 10 at home against Colorado State. The men will face off against Drake on Wednesday, Feb. 8.