The Nebraska cross country team makes its way to Shelbyville, Ind. this weekend for the 2020 Big Ten Championships on Saturday, Jan. 30 at Blue River Memorial Park. The women’s 6K race is set for 11:30 a.m. (CT) and the men’s 8K race is set for 1 p.m. (CT).
“In this strange season, we are ready to race in our only meet of the year,” Nebraska Head Coach David Harris said. “The men are hoping to continue a five-year trend of moving up in the standings and the women are trying to finish in the top-10.”
This weekend marks the first official cross country race in over a year for the Huskers with the postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season by the Big Ten due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ten men and 12 women will represent Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship races, with 12 runners making their first appearance at the event. Among those with prior experience at the conference championship, Erika Freyhof and Mark Freyhof will be racing for the fourth time at the championship event.
Both races can be streamed live on BTN+ (additional subscription required). Live results will be available on PT Timing. BTN will also air the championships at 11:30 a.m. (CT) on Saturday, Feb. 6. Additional viewings of the event will be broadcast on BTN on Feb. 7 at 7 a.m., Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. and Feb. 9 at 2 p.m.
NUMBERS TO NOTE
2 – The best finish by a Nebraska male runner at the Big Ten Championships (George Kusche, 2019)
6 – The highest team finish for the Nebraska men at the Big Ten Championships (2019)
7 – The best team finish for the Husker women at the Big Ten Championships (2011)
14 – The top finish by a female Husker at the Big Ten Championships (Anna Peer, 2014)
1996 – The last time Nebraska had a cross country conference champion (Jonah Kiptarus – Big XII Championships)
Huskers at the 2020 Big Ten Championships
2019 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP
The 2019 Big Ten Championships saw the men finish sixth and the women finish 10th. The men’s finish was the best result by the squad at a conference meet since finishing sixth at the 2010 Big XII Championships. On the women’s side, the group earned its best result at the conference championship meet since 2011.
George Kusche led the Huskers with a runner-up finish in the 8K with a time of 23:57.8. His performance earned him the best individual finish at the Big Ten Championships by a Nebraska male runner in program history. He also received first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second consecutive season.
Erika Freyhof paced the women, finishing 23rd with a time of 20:57.9. Her result was good for the best finish individually by a Husker female at the conference meet since Anna Peer finished 14th in 2014.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
2020 Big Ten Championships Central
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021
Course: Blue River Cross Country Venue, Blue River Memorial Park (725 Lee Blvd, Shelbyville, IN 46176)
Course Map (6K Map & 8K Map)
Starting Times: Women – 11:30 AM CT (6K) / Men – 1 PM CT (8K)
Timing & Results: Unofficial results will be posted at http://pttiming.com. Official results will be available after the conclusion of the meet at https://bigten.org and https://huskers.com.
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