Mavs Enjoy Highlights of First D-I Campaign
May 22, 2012 | General
Season Highlights
OMAHA, Neb. - The UNO Mavericks scored a series of milestone wins, school records and major announcements during their first season of Division I competition. At the same time, the Mavs continued another trend for which they have become well known – excellence in the classroom.
In the first year of their four-year transition from Division II to Division I, the Mavericks found success against D-I opponents. For men's soccer, it came immediately. In their first-ever game, the Mavericks stunned Summit League foe UMKC, beating the 'Roos 2-1 on Aug. 26. Mo Salama had the game-winning goal in a signature win for head coach Jason Mims' team.
UMKC was also the victim for the UNO volleyball team's first D-I win. The Mavericks outlasted their hosts 3-2 on Oct. 19, led by Natalie Ebke and Abby Sorensen who combined for 23 kills.
UNO's women's soccer team picked up its first D-I win when it bumped off Summit League opponent South Dakota, 3-2, in a road game on Aug. 28. Jordyn Braun had the game-winner in the second half.
Also in the fall, UNO cross country knocked off Creighton in its first meet of the season for its first Division I win. The 26-29 win in dual action was a highlight for a young Maverick team that featured five freshmen.
UNO men's golf returned to action after more than three decades. The freshman-heavy team earned its best finish with a second at the Nebraska Intercollegiate. Mike Shukis earns the Mavs' first medalist finish, winning the Nebraska-Kearney Invitational on Sept. 19 and 20.
Women's golf picked up a win at the Truman Bulldog Classic in October. During the same month, the Mavs also took second in the 18-team RMAC/NSIC Crossover, an event they hosted in spite of not being a member of either conference.
During the winter, UNO men's basketball beat Northern Illinois, 77-72, on Dec. 3 to earn its milestone Division I win. Maverick fans also saw Mitch Albers season-long pursuit of Dean Thompson's school scoring record. Albers finished his outstanding career as UNO's second-leading all-time scorer with 1,790 career points, just 26 shy of Thompson's record.
It was a news-making season for men's basketball. Before the season even began, the Mavericks announced they would begin playing their home games at the new, state-of-the-art Ralston Arena and Events Center the following season.
The women's basketball team posted its highest win total in three years, earning 15 wins including a 65-58 come-from-behind win at Summit League foe Western Illinois for its first D-I victory.
UNO swimming and diving picked up two D-I wins, stopping South Dakota 165-126 for its first victory and beating Northern Iowa in double-dual action, 162-128 on Jan. 14. The season also had its individual highlights. Colleen Klaiber broke the school's 100 yard butterfly record with a time of 56.11, and Maddie Hutt set a new school record in the 200 yard breaststroke with a time of 2:20.17. The Mavs also set a new school record in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:35.08.
Also during the winter season, the Maverick hockey team, UNO's only Division I team until this past year, set a new school record drawing a crowd of 16,138 to its game with No. 1 Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 13. It was the first sellout of the CenturyLink Center in school history. The Mavericks would snap UMD's nation-leading 17-game unbeaten streak the following night with a 3-1 win.
In the spring, the UNO baseball team picked up its first Division I victory, beating Texas A&M Corpus Christi in its second game of the season on Feb. 18. The Mavs also earned a 3-2 win over crosstown rival Creighton on March 27 and a 3-1 win at Iowa the following night to highlight their season.
The Mavericks earned their first Division I win in softball with a 12-4 romp over Alabama State on Feb. 17. The Mavs would go 19-18 against D-I competition in their first season, and pitcher Dana Elsasser posted a sterling 1.07 ERA in 27 appearances.
UNO track and field got its first Division I wins in a double-dual meet at Tulsa on March 17, beating their hosts, 48-47 and edging Kansas State, 54-48. During both the indoor and outdoor season, the Mavericks also set new school records. Indoors, Amanda Vorthmann set the school's 3,000 meter mark at 9:50.04 on Feb. 17. Outdoors, Vorthmann set the 3,000 meter steeplechase mark twice, finishing with a season best mark of 10:44.10 at the Drake Relays. Kathie-Lee Laidley tied the school's long jump mark outdoors at 19-11.
UNO men's and women's tennis concluded the parade of first Division I wins. The men beat Western Illinois, 4-3 on April 16 while the women blanked the Leathernecks 7-0 the same day.
Academically, the Mavericks once again brought their best. They finished the academic year with a combined grade point average of 3.206. In the fall, 87 students made the Dean's List (GPA of 3.5 or better) and another 32 made the Chancellor's List (4.0 GPA). The numbers were nearly identical in the spring when 86 students made the Dean's List and another 26 earned Chancellor's List honors.
The UNO women's golf team posted the highest GPA for the season at 3.706 while the hockey team had the best men's GPA for the second straight year at 3.440. Twenty hockey players – a remarkable 77 percent of the roster – were named to the Dean's List.
To improve that academic support of its student-athletes, UNO athletics announced in January a major gift from local benefactors Brian and Carey Hamilton for a new academic excellence center to be built in the Sapp Fieldhouse. Construction of the center will begin in the summer with completing expected by the start of the 2012-13 academic year.
OMAHA, Neb. - The UNO Mavericks scored a series of milestone wins, school records and major announcements during their first season of Division I competition. At the same time, the Mavs continued another trend for which they have become well known – excellence in the classroom.
In the first year of their four-year transition from Division II to Division I, the Mavericks found success against D-I opponents. For men's soccer, it came immediately. In their first-ever game, the Mavericks stunned Summit League foe UMKC, beating the 'Roos 2-1 on Aug. 26. Mo Salama had the game-winning goal in a signature win for head coach Jason Mims' team.
UMKC was also the victim for the UNO volleyball team's first D-I win. The Mavericks outlasted their hosts 3-2 on Oct. 19, led by Natalie Ebke and Abby Sorensen who combined for 23 kills.
UNO's women's soccer team picked up its first D-I win when it bumped off Summit League opponent South Dakota, 3-2, in a road game on Aug. 28. Jordyn Braun had the game-winner in the second half.
Also in the fall, UNO cross country knocked off Creighton in its first meet of the season for its first Division I win. The 26-29 win in dual action was a highlight for a young Maverick team that featured five freshmen.
UNO men's golf returned to action after more than three decades. The freshman-heavy team earned its best finish with a second at the Nebraska Intercollegiate. Mike Shukis earns the Mavs' first medalist finish, winning the Nebraska-Kearney Invitational on Sept. 19 and 20.
Women's golf picked up a win at the Truman Bulldog Classic in October. During the same month, the Mavs also took second in the 18-team RMAC/NSIC Crossover, an event they hosted in spite of not being a member of either conference.
During the winter, UNO men's basketball beat Northern Illinois, 77-72, on Dec. 3 to earn its milestone Division I win. Maverick fans also saw Mitch Albers season-long pursuit of Dean Thompson's school scoring record. Albers finished his outstanding career as UNO's second-leading all-time scorer with 1,790 career points, just 26 shy of Thompson's record.
It was a news-making season for men's basketball. Before the season even began, the Mavericks announced they would begin playing their home games at the new, state-of-the-art Ralston Arena and Events Center the following season.
The women's basketball team posted its highest win total in three years, earning 15 wins including a 65-58 come-from-behind win at Summit League foe Western Illinois for its first D-I victory.
UNO swimming and diving picked up two D-I wins, stopping South Dakota 165-126 for its first victory and beating Northern Iowa in double-dual action, 162-128 on Jan. 14. The season also had its individual highlights. Colleen Klaiber broke the school's 100 yard butterfly record with a time of 56.11, and Maddie Hutt set a new school record in the 200 yard breaststroke with a time of 2:20.17. The Mavs also set a new school record in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:35.08.
Also during the winter season, the Maverick hockey team, UNO's only Division I team until this past year, set a new school record drawing a crowd of 16,138 to its game with No. 1 Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 13. It was the first sellout of the CenturyLink Center in school history. The Mavericks would snap UMD's nation-leading 17-game unbeaten streak the following night with a 3-1 win.
In the spring, the UNO baseball team picked up its first Division I victory, beating Texas A&M Corpus Christi in its second game of the season on Feb. 18. The Mavs also earned a 3-2 win over crosstown rival Creighton on March 27 and a 3-1 win at Iowa the following night to highlight their season.
The Mavericks earned their first Division I win in softball with a 12-4 romp over Alabama State on Feb. 17. The Mavs would go 19-18 against D-I competition in their first season, and pitcher Dana Elsasser posted a sterling 1.07 ERA in 27 appearances.
UNO track and field got its first Division I wins in a double-dual meet at Tulsa on March 17, beating their hosts, 48-47 and edging Kansas State, 54-48. During both the indoor and outdoor season, the Mavericks also set new school records. Indoors, Amanda Vorthmann set the school's 3,000 meter mark at 9:50.04 on Feb. 17. Outdoors, Vorthmann set the 3,000 meter steeplechase mark twice, finishing with a season best mark of 10:44.10 at the Drake Relays. Kathie-Lee Laidley tied the school's long jump mark outdoors at 19-11.
UNO men's and women's tennis concluded the parade of first Division I wins. The men beat Western Illinois, 4-3 on April 16 while the women blanked the Leathernecks 7-0 the same day.
Academically, the Mavericks once again brought their best. They finished the academic year with a combined grade point average of 3.206. In the fall, 87 students made the Dean's List (GPA of 3.5 or better) and another 32 made the Chancellor's List (4.0 GPA). The numbers were nearly identical in the spring when 86 students made the Dean's List and another 26 earned Chancellor's List honors.
The UNO women's golf team posted the highest GPA for the season at 3.706 while the hockey team had the best men's GPA for the second straight year at 3.440. Twenty hockey players – a remarkable 77 percent of the roster – were named to the Dean's List.
To improve that academic support of its student-athletes, UNO athletics announced in January a major gift from local benefactors Brian and Carey Hamilton for a new academic excellence center to be built in the Sapp Fieldhouse. Construction of the center will begin in the summer with completing expected by the start of the 2012-13 academic year.
Tuesday, September 01
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
