Huskers Add Talent From Five Countries

Head Coach Gary Pepin has announced the addition of seven talented student-athletes to the Nebraska track and field program.
 
“This year we made the decision to emphasize quality over quantity in recruiting,” Head Coach Gary Pepin said. “I believe that this class embodies that. It is an excellent start, as evidenced by the number of state and national champions we have signed. I am proud of our staff, they put a lot of effort in securing this class. While it is a good start, we want to keep the ball rolling this spring!”

The group consists of five women and two men who hail from five different countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Jamaica and Finland. Nebraska inked both the men’s and women’s U20 long jump national champions from Germany in Till Steinforth and Mikaelle Assani, and also signed the U20 Finnish triple jump champion, Ella Nisula.

 

Three of the additions will join the Huskers for the 2021 season, including Joey Daniels, Ramonia Clarke and Nisula.

Women

Mikaelle Assani (Jumps) – Karlsruhe, Germany

One of the top prep jumpers in the World, Mikaelle Assani hails from Karlsruhe, Germany, where she was the U20 long jump champion in 2020. She posted an indoor long jump personal best of 20-11 in January of 2020, a mark that ranks No. 6 among U20 jumpers in the World this year and would rank No. 1 among United States high school jumpers in 2020. The jump of 20-11 would rank sixth in the Nebraska indoor record book, just above 10-time All-American Mara Griva’s mark of 20-10.

 

Ramonia Clarke (Sprints) – Craighead, Jamaica (Spalding)

Craighead, Jamaica, native Ramonia Clarke will suit up for the Huskers in 2021. Clarke owns a personal best of 54.42 in the 400 meters and finished sixth in the event at the 2019 Jamaican Championships. Clarke ran the first leg of the Jamaican relay team that placed third in the 4×400 at the 2019 Penn Relays. She has also posted a time of 24.73 in the 200 meters.

 

Ashlyn Giles (Throws) – Leesport, Pa. (Schuylkill Valley)

Ashlyn Giles owns personal bests of 46-1 ½ in the shot put and 134-9 in the discus. Giles took fourth at the 2019 Pennsylvania state meet with a throw of 40-5 ½, which broke the previous school record of 39-11 that had stood at Schuylkill Valley High School since 1979. Giles went on to place fourth in the emerging elite shot put at the 2019 New Balance Outdoor Championships.

 

Brooklyn Miller (Jumps/Throws) – St. Joseph, Mo. (St. Joseph Christian)

A well-rounded athlete, Brooklyn Miller owns personal bests of 129-7 in the javelin and 5-5 in the high jump. As a sophomore in 2019 Miller was named All-News-Press Now Girls Track Athlete of the Year after winning the high jump, placing second in the javelin and contributing to a seventh place finish in the 4×400-meter relay at the Missouri Class 1 state championships.   

 

Ella Nisula (Jumps/Hurdles) – Oulu, Finland

Ella Nisula hails from Oulu, Finland, and will join the Huskers for the 2021 season. A talented triple jumper, Nisula has recorded a personal-best jump of 42-4 and captured the 2020 Finnish U20 national title in triple jump. Nisula’s triple jump mark would rank second among United States female high school jumpers in 2020 and would have led the NU women’s team in 2019. Nisula has also performed well on the track, posting a time of 14.18 in the 100-meter hurdles, a time that would have ranked third among Husker hurdlers in 2019.

 

Men

Joey Daniels (Hurdles) – Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (Princeton/Cameron Heights HS) – graduate transfer from Princeton

Joey Daniels, a graduate-transfer sprinter and hurdler from Princeton, joined the Nebraska track and field team in the fall of 2020. A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Daniels was a five-time Ivy League champion and a second-team All-American in 2019. As a Tiger, Daniels won Ivy League titles in the 60-meter hurdles three times and the 110-meter hurdles twice. Daniels placed 12th at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110-hurdles with a personal-best tying time of 13.70. Daniels has also performed well in the classroom, as he has been named a USTFCCCA All-Academic selection four times.

 

Till Steinforth (Combined Events) – Germany

German decathlete Till Steinforth won the German U20 long title in 2020 and has posted a personal-best decathlon score of 7,270. Steinforth’s score would rank No. 1 among United States high school marks in 2020, topping the current high score of 6,611. Steinforth’s other top marks include, long jump (24-6) and 110-meter hurdles (14.24).