Mavericks Heading To Lincoln, South Dakota
Feb 4, 2010 | General, Track & Field
Weekly Release
The Week Ahead: The University of Nebraska at Omaha track and field team will once again participate in two meets this week. Team members will compete in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at Lincoln on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 5 and 6. Action begins at 5 p.m. on Friday and 12 p.m. on Saturday. The Mavericks also will take part in the John Dalton Open at South Dakota on Saturday. Competition begins at 8 a.m.
The Coaches: Steve Smith is in his fourth season as the head coach of the University of Nebraska at Omaha track program after more than two decades of success as an assistant in Kansas, Lincoln and at UNO. Smith was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Assocation Indoor Coach of the Year after guiding the Mavericks to a stunning win in the 2009 MIAA Indoor Championships in March. UNO finished the season fifth in the nation indoors. Smith is assisted by #Chris Richardson# (jumps and pentathlon/heptathlon), John Mulligan (distances) and Rich Emsick (throws).
New Addition: The UNO women's track and field team added two-time Nigerian triple jump champion #Nkeiruka Domike# to its roster this semester. Domike won the triple jump in her home country with a leap of 45 feet, 9 1/4 inches in July of 2009. She won the same event in 2006 with a jump of 45 feet, 5 3/4 inches. She earned a fifth-place finish at the 18th Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia in March of 2006 with a leap of 43 feet, 5 1/4 inches.
Setting A High Standard: Shot putter #Heather Minssen# has the top national mark in the shot put. Minssen threw 49' 2 1/4” to reset her own school record and personal best on Jan. 23 at the Iowa State Invitational. She has already automatically qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championship and has thrown more than four inches farther than the second-place throw by Rebecca Stier of Winona State.
Other Qualifiers: #Shannon Moore# qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in a second event last week. She posted a score of 3,630 in the pentathlon at the Husker Multi-Event Challenge on Jan. 30, the third highest mark in nation in the event this season and second best in the MIAA. Moore has already qualified in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.84, good for eighth in the nation and tops in the league. Sophomore #Maja Mihalinec# has already qualified in the 200 meters with a time of 24.69. It is the seventh-best time in the nation and the best mark in the MIAA. She's also qualified in the 60 meters at 7.64, tying her for eleventh nationally and second in the league. Junior #Kayla Koepke# is ranked twelfth nationally with a time of 57.14 in the 400 meters. It's also best in the MIAA. UNO's 4 x 400 meter relay team of Koepke, Mihalinec, Anja Puc and Moore is third in the nation and first in the MIAA with a mark of 3:50.00.
School Record: Junior #Anja Puc# set a new school record in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:54.57 to win the event at the Holiday Inn Invitational on Jan. 15. She beat the old school record by more than two seconds. For her performance, she was named the MIAA's Track Co-Athlete of the Week on Jan. 18 along with Missouri Southern's Kimi Shank. Puc already holds the school record in the 800 meters (2:05.91).
What's Next: The Mavericks are back on the track and in the field next Saturday at the Wayne State Wildcat Open on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.
The Week Ahead: The University of Nebraska at Omaha track and field team will once again participate in two meets this week. Team members will compete in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at Lincoln on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 5 and 6. Action begins at 5 p.m. on Friday and 12 p.m. on Saturday. The Mavericks also will take part in the John Dalton Open at South Dakota on Saturday. Competition begins at 8 a.m.
The Coaches: Steve Smith is in his fourth season as the head coach of the University of Nebraska at Omaha track program after more than two decades of success as an assistant in Kansas, Lincoln and at UNO. Smith was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Assocation Indoor Coach of the Year after guiding the Mavericks to a stunning win in the 2009 MIAA Indoor Championships in March. UNO finished the season fifth in the nation indoors. Smith is assisted by #Chris Richardson# (jumps and pentathlon/heptathlon), John Mulligan (distances) and Rich Emsick (throws).
New Addition: The UNO women's track and field team added two-time Nigerian triple jump champion #Nkeiruka Domike# to its roster this semester. Domike won the triple jump in her home country with a leap of 45 feet, 9 1/4 inches in July of 2009. She won the same event in 2006 with a jump of 45 feet, 5 3/4 inches. She earned a fifth-place finish at the 18th Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia in March of 2006 with a leap of 43 feet, 5 1/4 inches.
Setting A High Standard: Shot putter #Heather Minssen# has the top national mark in the shot put. Minssen threw 49' 2 1/4” to reset her own school record and personal best on Jan. 23 at the Iowa State Invitational. She has already automatically qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championship and has thrown more than four inches farther than the second-place throw by Rebecca Stier of Winona State.
Other Qualifiers: #Shannon Moore# qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in a second event last week. She posted a score of 3,630 in the pentathlon at the Husker Multi-Event Challenge on Jan. 30, the third highest mark in nation in the event this season and second best in the MIAA. Moore has already qualified in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.84, good for eighth in the nation and tops in the league. Sophomore #Maja Mihalinec# has already qualified in the 200 meters with a time of 24.69. It is the seventh-best time in the nation and the best mark in the MIAA. She's also qualified in the 60 meters at 7.64, tying her for eleventh nationally and second in the league. Junior #Kayla Koepke# is ranked twelfth nationally with a time of 57.14 in the 400 meters. It's also best in the MIAA. UNO's 4 x 400 meter relay team of Koepke, Mihalinec, Anja Puc and Moore is third in the nation and first in the MIAA with a mark of 3:50.00.
School Record: Junior #Anja Puc# set a new school record in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:54.57 to win the event at the Holiday Inn Invitational on Jan. 15. She beat the old school record by more than two seconds. For her performance, she was named the MIAA's Track Co-Athlete of the Week on Jan. 18 along with Missouri Southern's Kimi Shank. Puc already holds the school record in the 800 meters (2:05.91).
What's Next: The Mavericks are back on the track and in the field next Saturday at the Wayne State Wildcat Open on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & FieldWednesday, August 26
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
