Huskers Set for Drake Relays

The Nebraska track and field team will head to Des Moines, Iowa for the annual Drake Relays this week. The meet will last three days, beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday, 10:15 a.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday.

More than 50 Huskers will take part in the Drake Relays. Meanwhile, an additional 15 student-athletes will compete at the Prairie Wolf Invitational on Friday an Saturday at the Woody Greeno Track on Nebraska Wesleyan’s campus. 

Huskers Vault Up National Rankings

After a strong outing at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas last weekend, both the Nebraska men’s and women’s track and field teams climbed up the USTFCCCA Outdoor Rankings on Monday.

The Husker men moved back into the top 10 at No. 10, up four spots from last week. The Husker women climbed up to No. 11, an improvement of 10 spots from last week’s rankings. It marks the best outdoor ranking for the NU women’s track and field team since the poll was established in 2008. 

The Husker women have three event groups that rank No. 1 nationally: high jump, long jump and shot put. NU’s women’s javelin ranks second and the triple jump is fourth. 

The Husker men also have three event groups that lead the nation: high jump, shot put and javelin. The men’s long jump also ranks fifth nationally. 

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, 10 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 – 61-4 (18.69m)

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)

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

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

10. Dash Sirmon, Men’s Javelin – 240-1 (73.19m)

Steinforth Named B1G Field Athlete of the Week

Nebraska sophomore Till Steinforth was named the Big Ten Men’s Field Athlete of the Week on April 12. Steinforth captured the decathlon title at the Jim Click Shootout in Tucson, Ariz., posting nine personal-best marks and six event wins. Steinforth tallied 7,845 points through the 10 events, moving him up to fourth in school history.

It’s the second career Big Ten weekly award for Steinforth. He was also the Big Ten Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week on Feb. 8. 

Steinforth opened the decathlon on day one with a 100m victory in 10.69 and a long jump win with a personal-best mark of 25-2 (7.67m). In the shot put, Steinforth threw for 45-9 (13.94m) to lead the decathletes. He closed the day with a third-place finish in the high jump with a personal-best 6-4 3/4 (1.95m) and a runner-up finish in the 400m with a personal-best 49.42. 

After taking three decathlon events on the first day, Steinforth opened day two with a decathlon 110m hurdles victory in 14.52. He pitched in another personal-best performance in the pole vault, clearing 16-0 3/4 (4.90m) to win it, moving him up to first in the overall decathlon standings with two events remaining. In the javelin, Steinforth threw for 181-2 (55.22m) to gather his sixth win. Steinforth covered the track in 4:52.50 during the 1500m to cap off his 10 events and secure the 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.