Huskers Head to Ward Haylett Invitational

The Nebraska track and field team is set to compete at Kansas State’s Ward Haylett Invitational on Saturday to close the regular season. Events begin at 10 a.m. (CT) on Saturday at RV Christian Track in Manhattan, Kan. 

Huskers in the Rankings

The Nebraska men’s and women’s track and field teams were ranked in the top 15 in Monday’s USTFCCCA Outdoor Rankings.

The Husker women stayed even at No. 11 during the week six polls. It marks the best outdoor ranking for the NU women’s track and field team since the poll was established in 2008. The Husker men are ranked 14th after the weekend at the Drake Relays.

The Husker women rank first nationally in the high jump. Nebraska’s shot put and javelin crews are second in the country. The Husker men lead the NCAA as an event group in the high jump and shot put. In the javelin, NU is second and in the long jump, the Huskers are fifth.

Shattering School Records 

The Huskers have broken school records four times during the outdoor season: 

• Darius Luff, Men’s 110m Hurdles – 13.39

• Arthur Petersen, Men’s Javelin – 252-11 (77.08m)

• Maddie Harris, Women’s Javelin – 193-1 (58.85m)

• Rhema Otabor, Women’s Javelin – 194-6 (59.28m)

Huskers Among NCAA Leaders

Entering the week, nine Huskers rank in the top 10 nationally in their respective events:

1. Rhema Otabor, Women’s Javelin – 194-6 (59.28m)

2. Maddie Harris, Women’s Javelin – 193-1 (58.85m)

2. Axelina Johansson, Women’s Shot Put – 61-5 (18.72m)

4. Darius Luff, Men’s 110m Hurdles – 13.39

4. Jenna Rogers, Women’s High Jump – 6-1 1/4 (1.86m)

5. Till Steinforth, Men’s Decathlon – 7,845

6. Arthur Petersen, Men’s Javelin – 252-11 (77.08m)

8. Maxwell Otterdahl, Men’s Shot Put – 65-9 3/4 (20.06m)

10. Jonah Wilson, Men’s Shot Put – 65-4 1/4 (19.92m)

Huskers Claim Big Ten Weekly Honors 

The Nebraska track and field program swept the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors on April 26. 

Rhema Otabor collected the Big Ten Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors, while Arthur Petersen was named the Big Ten Men’s Field Athlete of the Week. 

Otabor won the javelin title at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas with a school record-breaking 194-6 (59.28m), a mark that leads the NCAA. Petersen continued the javelin success at the Michael Johnson, breaking the 24-year-old school record with a 252-10 (77.08m) to place second. That is the sixth-best mark in the NCAA this season.

Till Steinforth was the last Nebraska track and field athlete to win a Big Ten Weekly Award, when he claimed the Big Ten Men’s Field Athlete of the Week honor on April 12 after capturing the Jim Click Shootout decathlon title.

2023 Indoor Season Recap

The Huskers are coming off a record-breaking indoor season under first-year head coach Justin St. Clair. Nebraska had 10 indoor All-Americans, while the men had their best national finish (eighth) since 2009 and the women had their best national finish (14th) since 2006. Axelina Johansson (second, women’s shot put), Jonah Wilson (second, men’s shot put) and Darius Luff (third, 60m hurdles) all took home NCAA medals. 

Nebraska’s five Big Ten indoor champions included Luff (60m hurdles), Nick Bryant (600m), Mayson Conner (high jump), Wilson (men’s shot put) and Johansson (women’s shot put). The men finished second in the team standings while the women finished eighth. 

The Huskers also had five new school records set during the indoor season: Luff (60m hurdles), Bryant (600m), Till Steinforth (heptathlon), Johansson (shot put) and Taylor Latimer (weight throw). NU athletes also combined for 22 new top-10 marks in school history. 

2022 Outdoor Season Recap 

The Huskers collected six Big Ten titles at the 2022 Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Minneapolis. Maddie Harris repeated as the Big Ten javelin champion, while Jenna Rogers won the high jump title as a freshman. Mayson Conner won the men’s high jump crown, as he and Rogers won all four Big Ten high jump crowns in 2022. Maxwell Otterdahl was the Men’s Field Athlete of the Championships after sweeping the shot put and discus titles. The men’s 4×400-meter relay team of Jacob Hyde, Alex Nelson, Cory Berg and Nick Bryant also won gold in a surprising upset. 

At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Harris finished second in the javelin while Johansson placed third in the shot put. The Huskers finished with eight All-Americans.