Nebraska track and field completed the Graduate Classic on Saturday at the Devaney Center Indoor Track, climbing the all-time list in three events and accomplishing five marks that rank in the top five of the NCAA.
Jenna Rogers cleared 6-02.75 (1.90m) to win the high jump and move to No. 2 in Nebraska history. That mark puts Rogers at the top of the NCAA for the 2024 season. Rebecca Pecora (5-8, 1.73m) and Brooklyn Miller (5-7, 1.70m) notched second- and third-place finishes in the high jump to take over the top three spots for the Huskers. Tyus Wilson is tied for 10th in the NCAA after clearing 7-1 (2.16m) in the men’s high jump to win the event. Reid Nelson finished second with a height of 6-10 3/4 (2.10m).
Mine De Klerk hit the third-best shot put mark in the NCAA, winning the event with a 57-3 (17.45m). That is the fourth-best distance in school history from the Oregon transfer. Amelia Flynt added a runner-up finish with a 54-5 1/2 (16.60m), cracking the all-time list at eighth and tying her for sixth in the country. Kalynn Meyer took home third, throwing for 50-5 1/2 (15.38m). Kevin Shubert (63-02, 19.25m) and Cade Moran (58-11 1/4, 17.96m) finished first and second in the shot put. Shubert’s mark is ranked fourth in the NCAA this season.
Velecia Williams grabbed the triple jump title with a distance of 42-3 1/2 (12.89m). That marks a personal best and the seventh-best leap in the NCAA this season. Rhianna Phipps took second with a jump of 40-8 1/4 (12.40m). Micaylon Moore led the Huskers in the men’s triple jump with the No. 6 leap in the country to place first (51-5, 15.67m). Terrol Wilson finished second with a 50-4 1/2 (15.35m).
Nebraska claimed the top three spots in the women’s mile, led by Berlyn Schutz. The freshman from Lincoln clocked a 4:50.13 to finish first. Brynna McQuillen and Cami Merickel placed second and third with times of 4:59.37 and 5:02.41. Taya Skelton came in at fifth with a time of 5:07.31.
Abrielle Artley secured the women’s 400m victory (56.80) in her first time competing for Nebraska. Marie Pfannenstiel came in fifth with a personal-best 1:00.75. In the men’s 400m, Micah Moore finished in 51.20 to place fourth.
Johanna Ilves (8.44) and LaQwasia Stepney (8.73) went 1-2 in the 60m hurdles, after Ilves posted a personal-best 8.42 in the prelim. Till Steinforth went on to win the men’s 60m hurdles, clocking a personal-best 7.85.
In the 800m, Hayley Trotter and Zoie Ecord (2:17.40) produced top-three finishes. In her first meet as a Husker, Trotter posted a Big Ten-leading 2:15.20. On the men’s side, Niko Schultz ran the 15th-fastest time in the NCAA this season, crossing the line first at 1:51.55. Freshman Gabe Nash clocked a 1:52.26 as the runner-up.
Arianna Walker ran a 24.86 in the women’s 200m, grabbing second. In the 600m, Cory Berg covered the track in 1:27.03 to place fifth. Ashley McElmurry (7.80) and Lorenzo Paissan (6.78) led the Huskers in the 60m, with McElmurry placing fourth in the women’s race and Paissan taking third in the men’s race.
Sam Kirchner cruised to the men’s 3000m win in 8:27.82. Colby Erdkamp added a fifth-place finish, clocking a 8:40.05. Emma Ralston placed second in the women’s 3000m with a time of 10:07.78. Trevor Acton (4:16.53) and Sadio Fenner (4:17.24) provided top-five finishes in the men’s mile, taking fourth and fifth.
The Husker men (Garrett Kaalund, Tyrell Pierce, Kavian Kerr, Steinforth) teamed up to clock a 3:09.93 in a 4x400m relay victory, the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA this season. The women (Artley, Ilves, Darby Thomas, Pecora) added a 4x400m relay win in 3:47.96.
Nebraska returns to action next weekend at the Prairie Wolf Indoor Invitational on Friday, Jan. 19 and the Mark Colligan Memorial on Saturday Jan. 20. Both meets will be hosted at the Devaney Center Indoor Track.
