Huskers Earn 11 Bids to NCAA Championships

The Nebraska track and field team secured 11 bids to the NCAA Indoor Championships, set for March 10-11 in Albuquerque, N.M. The 11 entries are the most for the Huskers at the NCAA Indoor Championships since 2011. 

The top 16 student-athletes in each event qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships each year. Nebraska’s qualifiers are Mayson Conner (high jump), Lishanna Ilves (long jump), Axelina Johansson (shot put), Taylor Latimer (weight throw) Darius Luff (60m hurdles), Maxwell Otterdahl (shot put and weight throw), Jenna Rogers (high jump), Brithton Senior (60m hurdles), Till Steinforth (heptathlon) and Jonah Wilson (shot put). 

Live championship coverage will be streamed on ESPN+ on Friday, March 10 starting at 10:30 a.m. (CT) and Saturday, March 11 starting at 12:30 p.m. (CT). There will be two television re-airs of the meet. The first re-air will take place on Sunday, March 12 on ESPNU at 5 p.m. (CT). The second re-air will take place on Monday, March 13 on ESPNU starting at 6 p.m. (CT). To access the live stream, visit plus.espn.com. 

Live championship results will be available here.  

 

Nebraska’s 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships Qualifiers

Athlete, Event, NCAA Rank, Season Best

Mayson Conner, High Jump, 5th, 7-4 1/4 (2.24m) – won the Big Ten indoor high jump title for his fifth career Big Ten high jump gold medal…hit a new personal best this indoor season of 7-4 1/4 (2.24m), which ranks tied for ninth in school history…is a five-time All-American in the high jump, including a 13th-place finish at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships. 

Lishanna Ilves, Long Jump, t-8th, 21-3 1/4 (6.48m) – was a second-team All-American at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing 16th…is a two-time Big Ten champion in the long jump and set a new indoor personal best of 21-3 1/4 (6.48m), the No. 4 long jump in school history. 

Axelina Johansson, Shot Put, 2nd, 63-4 (19.30m) – broke the indoor school record with a mark of 63-4 (19.30m) this season and won the Big Ten indoor title…finished 11th at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships as a freshman and third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships…was named the Big Ten Women’s Outdoor Freshman of the Year in 2022. 

Taylor Latimer, Weight Throw, 14th, 73-0 3/4 (22.27m) – set a new weight throw school record four times during the indoor season, including a PR of 73-0 3/4 (22.27m) to finish fourth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships…making her first appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships but was a two-time All-American in the shot put at Kansas State. 

Darius Luff, 60m Hurdles, t-7th, 7.63 – won the Big Ten indoor title with a personal-best 7.63, the No. 3 time in school history, one year after entering the final as the favorite before being disqualified for a false start…was an All-American last year after finishing seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships. 

Maxwell Otterdahl, Shot Put, 9th, 65-10 1/4 (20.07m) – finished third at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and had a personal-best throw of 65-10 1/4 (20.07m) at the Texas Tech Open, the No. 4 throw in school history…was a first-team All-American in the shot put at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing eighth…won the Big Ten outdoor shot put and discus titles last season. 

Maxwell Otterdahl, Weight Throw, 12th, 73-2 1/2 (22.31m) – placed fourth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and set a new PR of 73-2 1/2 (22.31m) this season, the No. 2 mark in school history…was a first-team All-American in the shot put at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing eighth…won the Big Ten outdoor shot put and discus titles last season. 

Jenna Rogers, High Jump, t-5th, 6-2 1/4 (1.89m) – was the Big Ten indoor high jump runner-up after clearing a personal-best…….won the Big Ten indoor and outdoor high jump titles in 2022 as a true freshman…was a two-time first-team All-American last year by finishing seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships and tying for sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. 

Brithton Senior, 60m Hurdles, t-12th, 7.69 – earned the Big Ten silver medal in the 60m hurdles behind teammate Darius Luff…ran a personal-best 7.69 this indoor season, the No. 5 time in school history…transferred to Nebraska from South Dakota for the 2023 season…was a second-team All-American at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing 10th. 

Till Steinforth, Heptathlon, 4th, 6082 – broke the Nebraska school record in the heptathlon with 6,082 points at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational…did not compete in the heptathlon at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, but finished fourth in the long jump…making his first NCAA Championships appearance. 

Jonah Wilson, Shot Put, 2nd, 68-5 (20.85m) – won the Big Ten indoor shot put title with a new personal best of 68-5 (20.85m), the No. 2 throw in school history…transferred to Nebraska from Washington for the 2023 season…was a three-time All-American at Washington, including a ninth-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships.