Kusche Breaks Mile School Record in Ohio

Nebraska track and field junior George Kusche broke his own mile school record to highlight the second day of action at the SPIRE Big Ten Invitational on Saturday. The Huskers were split between the meet at the SPIRE Institute and the Hawkeye B1G Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa. 

Kusche won the mile race with a time of 3:57.74 on the oversized track at the SPIRE Institute. It was his third-career sub-four-minute mile and topped his previous school record of 3:57.93, set on Feb. 1, 2020 in Seattle. 

“It was a very good race today and I ran well and came away with a new personal best, which I’m pleased with,” Kusche said. “The season is off to a good start so far and I’m going to keep working hard to get ready for the upcoming conference meet.”

Kusche, who won the Big Ten cross country title two weeks ago, wasn’t the only distance runner to shine on Saturday. Junior Dais Malebana – who already owns the third-fastest 5,000 meters in school history – ran the third-fastest 3,000 meters in school history on any size of track on Saturday. Malebana’s time of 8:00.46 put him at second in the event on the day and ranks only behind Kusche (7:50.93) and David Adams (7:58.62) in NU indoor history. 

Meanwhile in Iowa City, Burger Lambrechts Jr. was the shot put champion at the Hawkeye B1G Invitational with a throw of 64-4 (19.61m), his best of the season so far. Kevin Shubert took third place for the Huskers at 60-8 1/2 (18.50m). 

Ieva Turke and the Husker women dominated the triple jump at Iowa. Turke jumped 41-11 1/4 (12.78m) to lead four Huskers in the top seven. Ashley McElmurry was the runner-up at 40-1 1/2 (12.23m), an indoor personal best, and Darby Thomas was sixth with a mark of 39-3 1/4 (11.97m), another indoor PR. Zionn Pearson placed seventh at 39-0 1/2 (11.90m). For the men in the triple jump, Terrol Wilson took second place with a new indoor personal best, 51-0 3/4 (15.56m). Passmore Mudundulu also set an indoor PR, 47-9 1/4 (14.56m), to finish fifth. Micaylon Moore was sixth at 47-8 (14.53m), also an indoor personal best. 

Papay Glaywulu was the triple jump runner-up at the SPIRE Big Ten Invitational with a jump of 51-9 3/4 (15.79m). On the track, the men’s 4×400-meter relay of Tony Nou, Alex Nelson, Cory Berg and Bryce Barrett finished fourth in Ohio with a time of 3:14.35.

Emma Bresser (1:35.55) placed fifth in the 600 meters, and Emma Algarin (24.79) finished eighth in the 200 meters at Iowa. Garrison Hughes placed sixth in the pole vault at 16-6 3/4 (5.05m), while Tyler Loontjer was the runner-up competing unattached, clearing 17-4 1/2 (5.30m). 

Zach Morrison recorded an eighth-place finish in the weight throw with a new personal best of 61-9 1/2 (18.83m). Maddie Harris threw a personal-best 57-9 1/2 (17.61m) in the weight throw to finish 10th. Marika Spencer finished eighth in the shot put at 46-7 1/2 (14.21m). 

The Huskers will take next weekend off before competing at the Big Ten Indoor Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio on Feb. 25-27.