Talley Breaks Hammer Throw School Record

Alex Talley broke the hammer throw school record as the Nebraska track and field team began a weekend of competition at the Sooner Invitational in Norman, Okla., on Friday.

Talley won the gold medal in the hammer throw with a mark that ranks No. 2 in the NCAA this season. He launched the hammer 234-1 (71.36m), a personal best and the top throw in Nebraska school history by more than 11 feet. The previous school record was 222-7 (67.85m), set by Nick Percy in 2016. Talley’s previous best was 233-1 (71.05m) while at North Dakota State in 2021. Talley now holds both the outdoor hammer throw and indoor weight throw school records. 

Henry Zimmerman placed fifth in the hammer throw with an all-time best throw of 213-1 (64.95m). That mark ranks fourth-best in school history. 

The Huskers placed four men in the top five of the shot put. Maxwell Otterdahl led the way in second place with a throw of 64-10 (19.76m), the No. 6 throw in Nebraska outdoor history. Talley was third at 62-2 1/4 (18.95m). Kevin Shubert was fourth at 60-4 3/4 (18.41m), and Nick Ronnfeldt placed fifth at 58-2 (17.73m), a personal best. 

Ashley McElmurry and Favour Wanjoku both set outdoor personal bests in the long jump to place third and fourth, respectively. McElmurry jumped 20-0 1/2 (6.11m), while Wanjoku posted a jump of 19-2 1/2 (5.85m). 

Passmore Mudundulu was third in the men’s long jump after a big PR of 23-6 3/4 (7.18m). Nya Diew placed fifth in the women’s shot put with a personal-best mark of 48-11 (14.91m). Drake Burton and Colton Emeott both cleared 15-11 (4.85m) in the pole vault to finish third and fourth, respectively. 

On the track, five Huskers posted preliminary times good enough to qualify for the finals on Saturday. Tyler Drew had the top 110-meter hurdles qualifying time (14.53). Emma Algarin ran a new PR of 11.82 in the 100 meters to qualify with the fourth-fastest time. Johanna Ilves (14.02), Kerrigan Myers (14.03) and Winsome Harris (14.04) all reached the 100-meter hurdles final. 

The Sooner Invitational continues on Saturday with the Huskers starting competition at 11:30 a.m.