EMILY WOOD
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL JUNIOR, GUARD SALINA, KANSAS NEBRASKA OUTSTANDING SCHOLAR 2017 MAY GRADUATE
SHAWN EICHORST
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
ERIC COUFAL
KELLY SCHATZ
SOCCER JUNIOR, GOALKEEPER NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS NEBRASKA OUTSTANDING SCHOLAR 2017 MAY GRADUATE
WRESTLING SENIOR, 133 HOWELLS, NEBRASKA BIG TEN POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP 2016 MAY GRADUATE
NEBRASKA ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS - INDUCTED SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
JOHNNY RODGERS FOOTBALL
NANCY (MEENDERING) METCALF VOLLEYBALL
HEATHER BRINK
GYMNASTICS
NICOLA MARTIAL
TRACK & FIELD
JANET (KRUSE) SELLON
VOLLEYBALL
PHIL CAHOY
GYMNASTICS
WILL SHIELDS FOOTBALL
ANNUAL REPORT
NEBRASKA’S FOCUS: THE BEST STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPERIENCE The primary mission of the University of Nebraska Department of Athletics is to provide all student-athletes with the resources and support they need to be successful in academics, athletics and life. The health, safety and welfare of our student-atheltes is at the heart of every action we take.
INITIATIVES TO BENEFIT STUDENT-ATHLETES
All scholarship student-athletes across our 24 sports have their scholarship based on the maximum full cost of attendance. We are the first in the nation to provide each student-athlete an Apple MacBook Air laptop computer to enhance their learning opportunities. The NoFilter service abroad program is unique to Nebraska. In 2017, a third group of 22 student-athletes and four staff members served in Nicaragua. Nebraska created the first-known program where each studentathlete who has graduated, lettered and exhausted their eligibility will receive support to pursue an internship, study abroad program or attend graduate school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or UNMC. Nebraska Athletics has increased resources and support in all performance-related areas including Sports Medicine, Athletic Training, Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition and the Nebraska Athletics Performance Laboratory.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the University of Nebraska Athletic Department is to serve our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans with Integrity, Trust, Respect, Teamwork and Loyalty.
At the University of Nebraska, we offer our student-athletes unmatched academic, athletics and life skills experiences. We aspire to be and are on the cutting edge of providing the very best student-athlete experience in all of college athletics. With your generous support, we will continue to deliver on our promise that there is “No Student-Athlete Experience Like Nebraska.”
ANNUAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS 2016-17 Husker Graduates Nebraska Academic Achievement Academic All-America Tradition A Night at the Lied Learning Skills for Life Reaching Optimal Performance The Big Ten’s Best Success on the National Level The Nation’s Best Fans and Facilities Nebraska Athletics Leadership Society Student-Athlete Experience Fund Financial Stability
2-3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-21 22-25 26 27 28
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS SHAWN EICHORST WITH VOLLEYBALL ALL-AMERICAN JUSTINE WONG-ORANTES
ON THE COVER
From left: Female Student-Athlete of the Year Tierra Williams, Male Student-Athlete of the Year Drew Wiseman, three-time wrestling AllAmerican TJ Dudley and four-time volleyball All-American Kadie Rolfzen.
660
Nebraska Student-Athletes Across 24 Varsity Sports
1
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
2
GRADUATION 2016-17: 126 HUSKERS EARN DEGREES HUSKER GRADUATES (57): DECEMBER 2016
ALONZO MOORE
FOOTBALL WINNFIELD, LOUISIANA SOCIOLOGY AUGUST 2016 GRADUATE
HUSKER GRADUATES (15): AUGUST 2016 Student-Athlete, Sport (Hometown) Major Alicia Armstrong, Softball (Beatrice, Neb.), Economics Nyle Bartling, Wrestling (Syracuse, Neb.), Agricultural Economics Jordyn Beck, Women’s Gymnastics (Overland Park, Kan.), Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science Amanda Elertson, Soccer (McKinney, Texas), Biological Sciences Meghan Haggerty, Volleyball (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), Marketing Bethany Hedley, Bowling (Watford, England), Journalism/Advertising & Public Relations Mackenna Maddox-Herr, Women’s Tennis (McKinney, Texas), Geography Alonzo Moore, Football (Winnfield, La.), Sociology Jacqueline O’Doherty, Golf (Lincoln, Neb.), Nutrition Science Benny Parker, Men’s Basketball (Kansas City, Kan.), Business Administration Grant Perdue, Men’s Gymnastics (Houston, Texas), Marketing Michael Rose-Ivey, Football (Kansas City, Mo.), Sociology Nikolina Sabo, Swimming & Diving (Zagreb, Croatia), Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science Jake Sueflohn, Wrestling (Watertown, Wis.), Journalism Corey Whitaker, Football (Murrieta, Calif.), Business Administration
Student-Athlete, Sport (Hometown) Major Tommy Armstrong Jr., Football (Cibolo, Texas), Communication Studies Josh Banderas, Football (Lincoln, Neb.), Management Ty Betka, Football (Superior, Neb.), Political Science Hollie Blanske, Women’s Gymnastics (Oak Grove, Minn.), Management/Marketing Aaron Bummer, Baseball (Frisco, Texas), Finance Sam Chamberlain, Men’s Gymnastics (Franklin, Ohio), Criminology & Criminal Justice Jeff Chesnut, Baseball (Omaha, Neb.), Journalism Sam Cotton, Football (Lincoln, Neb.), Business Administration/Marketing Imani Cross, Football (Gainesville, Ga.), Ethnic Studies Christian Cox, Baseball (Aberdeen, S.D.), Nutrition Science Melanie Crawford, Bowling (Plano, Texas), Management Bria Deveaux, Swimming & Diving (Nassau, Bahamas), Finance/Marketing Katherine Ditter, Swimming & Diving (Ralston, Neb.), Management/Marketing Ross Dzuris, Football (Plattsmouth, Neb.), Business Administration Wes Edrington, Baseball (Fishers, Ind.), Mathematics/Physics Scott Elsass, Men’s Tennis (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Finance Austin Epperson, Men’s Gymnastics (Allen, Texas), Criminology & Criminal Justice Jed Fenske, Men’s Track & Field (Sargent, Neb.), Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science Kelsey Fien, Volleyball (Bakersfield, Calif.), Applied Science Trey Foster, Football (Lincoln, Neb.), Marketing Caroline Flynn, Soccer (Lincoln, Neb.), Communication Studies Mollie Gribbin, Women’s Track & Field (Montpelier, Vt.), Psychology Sam Hahn, Football (DeWitt, Neb.), Agronomy Samantha Hardewig, Swimming & Diving (Cincinnati, Ohio), Art/Art History & Criticism Marc Herrmann, Men’s Tennis (Rohrbach, Germany), Accounting/Finance Christian Hodson, Men’s Track & Field (Hastings, Neb.), Management Colton Howell, Baseball (O’Fallon, Mo.), Mathematics Garret Johns, Football (Aurora, Neb.), Agronomy Danielle Jones, Women’s Track & Field (Omaha, Neb.), Criminology & Criminal Justice Katie Kraeutner, Soccer (North Saanich, B.C.), Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science Spencer Lindsay, Football (Kearney, Neb.), History Tanner Lubach, Baseball (Lincoln, Neb.), Business Administration Ariel Martin, Women’s Gymnastics (Chicago, Ill.), Advertising & Public Relations Kevin Maurice, Football (Orlando, Fla.), Management Magdalena Mical, Rifle (Clearwater, Fla.), Advertising & Public Relations/French Mitch McCann, Football (Omaha, Neb.), Marketing Madison McConkey, Women’s Gymnastics (Lincoln, Neb.), Business Administration Graham Nabity, Football (Omaha, Neb.), Construction Management Robby Painter, Football (Centennial, Colo.), Mechanical Engineering Sean Pille, Men’s Track & Field (Oakland, Neb.), Elementary Education Jake Placzek, Baseball (La Vista, Neb.), Communication Studies Logan Rath, Football (Giltner, Neb.), Agricultural Economics Brandon Reilly, Football (Lincoln, Neb.), Management/Marketing Amber Rolfzen, Volleyball (Papillion, Neb.), Business Administration
HUSKER GRADUATES EXCEL IN COMPETITION, CLASSROOM, COMMUNITY BRIA DEVEAUX
SWIMMING & DIVING NASSAU, BAHAMAS FINANCE/MARKETING DECEMBER 2016 GRADUATE
126
Husker Student-Athlete Graduates in 2016-17
HOLLIE BLANSKE
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS SIX-TIME ALL-AMERICAN OAK GROVE, MINNESOTA MARKETING/MANAGEMENT DECEMBER 2016 GRADUATE
AARON BUMMER
BASEBALL MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT 2017 FRISCO, TEXAS FINANCE DECEMBER 2016 GRADUATE
ANNUAL REPORT
HUSKER GRADUATES CAME FROM 23 STATES, 9 FOREIGN COUNTRIES Kadie Rolfzen, Volleyball (Papillion, Neb.), Advertising & Public Relations Chris Schindler, Men’s Tennis (Hanau, Germany), Accounting/Finance Nicole Schwery, Swimming & Diving (Roca, Neb.), Biological Systems Engineering Brad Simpson, Football (Omaha, Neb.), Communication Studies Dawna Tyson, Softball (Corona, Calif.), Communication Studies Dylan Utter, Football (Papillion, Neb.), History Jordan Westerkamp, Football (Lombard, Ill.), Management Jason Wiltz, Football (New Orleans, La.), Sociology Aaron Wong, Men’s Golf (Chandler, Ariz.), Advertising & Public Relations/Broadcasting Nate Wong, Men’s Golf (Chandler, Ariz.), Advertising & Public Relations/Broadcasting Justine Wong-Orantes, Volleyball (Cypress, Calif.), Child, Youth & Family Studies Ford Zitsch, Men’s Tennis (Columbia, Mo.), Agronomy Tanner Zlab, Football (Wilber, Neb.), Agronomy/Fisheries & Wildlife
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We are committed to providing our more than 600 student-athletes with the opportunities and support they need to be successful in every aspect of the student-athlete experience. We will support them in every way we can as they work to reach their ultimate goal - graduation.
HUSKER GRADUATES (54): MAY 2017 Student-Athlete, Sport (Hometown) Major Oladapo Akinmoladun, Men’s Track & Field (Grandview, Mo.), Nutrition Science/Microbiology Gage Anderson, Wrestling (Seattle, Wash.), Psychology Lisa Andersson, Women’s Tennis (Varberg, Sweden), Marketing Rachel Arthur, Softball (Lincoln, Neb.), Criminology & Criminal Justice Christian Bailey, Football (San Clemente, Calif.), Finance Micah Barnes, Wrestling (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), Psychology Brandon Benson, Men’s Track & Field (Axtell, Neb.), Agribusiness Matthew Bloch, Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field (Valley Village, Calif.), Finance Jaycee Carter, Rifle (Live Oak, Calif.), Agribusiness Courtney Claassen, Soccer (Parkville, Mo.), Advertising & Public Relations Michael Colgate, Men’s Golf (Sarasota, Fla.), Accounting TJ Dudley, Wrestling (Irmo, S.C.), Psychology Morgan Dworak, Women’s Track & Field (Lincoln, Neb.), Advertising & Public Relations Eric Engler, Wrestling (Beatrice, Neb.), Architectural Studies Nick Fuller, Men’s Basketball (Sun Prairie, Wis.), Management Matt Gilbert, Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field (Fenton, Mich.), Accounting/Actuarial Science/Finance Levi Gipson, Men’s Track & Field (Lincoln, Neb.), Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science Mary Hanna, Women’s Tennis (Saline, Mich.), Advertising & Public Relations Zach Hannon, Football (Kansas City, Mo.), Management/Marketing Allie Havers, Women’s Basketball (Mattawan, Mich.), Psychology Kari Heck, Women’s Track & Field (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Biological Systems Engineering Kelly Hunter, Volleyball (Papillion, Neb.), Management/Marketing Collin Jensen, Wrestling (Mobridge, S.D.), Management Dwayne Johnson Jr., Football (Houston, Texas), Criminology & Criminal Justice Jaycie Johnson, Soccer (Lake Winnebago, Mo.), Advertising & Public Relations Anya Kalenta, Women’s Basketball (Minsk, Belarus), Chemistry Pat Kelly, Baseball (Red Wing, Minn.), Criminology & Criminal Justice Mate Koroknai, Men’s Track & Field (Debrecen, Hungary), Electrical Engineering Jennie Laeng, Women’s Gymnastics (West Middlesex, Pa.), Psychology
Tim Lambert, Wrestling (Forest Hills, Mich.), Fisheries & Wildlife Matthew Leuty, Baseball (Shoreview, Minn.), Marketing Joel Lopez, Football (St. Charles, Ill.), Child, Youth & Family Studies Rachel Martin, Rifle (Peralta, N.M.), Classics & Religious Studies Katerina Matysova, Women’s Tennis (Erding, Germany), Psychology Gabe Miller, Football (Mishawaka, Ind.), Animal Science Sydney Miramontez, Soccer (Lenexa, Kan.), Advertising & Public Relations Eric Montoya, Wrestling (Albuquerque, N.M.), Management Lexie Oak, Women’s Track & Field (Kansas City, Mo.), Mechanical Engineering Jacob Olson, Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field (Kearney, Neb.), Chemical Engineering Kristi Oslund, Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Business Administration Jacy (Wicker) Phillips, Soccer (Dallas, Texas), Child, Youth & Family Studies Sarah Pravecek, Women’s Golf (Omaha, Neb.), Marketing Edgar Propst, Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field (Baltimore, Md.), Criminology & Criminal Justice Gabe Rahn, Football (Le Mars, Iowa), Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science Esther Ramacieri, Women’s Basketball (Repentigny, Quebec), Marketing Julia Roller, Swimming & Diving (Naperville, Ill.), Dietetics Sanjaya Roy, Men’s Gymnastics (Douglassville, Pa.), Psychology Kelly Schatz, Soccer (Naperville, Ill.), Finance/Marketing Kiki Stokes, Softball (Olathe, Kan.), Child, Youth & Family Studies Aaron Studebaker, Wrestling (Raymond, Neb.), Animal Science Jamie Sutcliffe, Football (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Marketing Coleman Tokar, Men’s Gymnastics (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mathematics Education Tai Webster, Men’s Basketball (Auckland, New Zealand), Sociology Emily Wood, Women’s Basketball (Salina, Kan.), Management
DWAYNE JOHNSON JR.
FOOTBALL HOUSTON, TEXAS CRIMINOLOGY & CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAY 2017 GRADUATE
KIKI STOKES
SOFTBALL ALL-AMERICAN OLATHE, KANSAS CHILD, YOUTH & FAMILY STUDIES MAY 2017 GRADUATE
ERIC MONTOYA
WRESTLING TWO-TIME ALL-AMERICAN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO MANAGEMENT MAY 2017 GRADUATE
23
Number of States Represented by Husker Graduates in 2016-17
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
4
ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS: RECORD GSR, APR, GPA EFFORTS Led by Executive Associate Athletic Director Dennis Leblanc, 14 fulltime staff members work closely with every student-athlete to provide guidance, support and resources until graduation. Nebraska is dedicated to fostering personal and academic growth as student-athletes flourish into leaders in their respective fields of study. Available to all, the academic support team assists student-athletes with the transition from high school to college and college to post-graduation.
LOTTE SJULIN
SOFTBALL BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES OMAHA, NEBRASKA 2016-17 SAAC PRESIDENT 2016 HOMECOMING QUEEN
NEBRASKA ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN 2016-17 ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATE (MINIMUM FOR ALL SPORTS)
977
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE HONOR ROLL MEMBERS
731
ACADEMIC MEDALLION WINNERS
293
ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN SELECTIONS
209
HUSKER STUDENT-ATHLETE GRADUATES
126
4.0 GPA SEMESTERS FOR HUSKERS
98
NEBRASKA GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE (%)
88
BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS
59
CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS
4
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMBINED GPA (RECORD)
3.218
NCAA POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
2
NCAA ELITE 90 AWARD WINNERS
2
SENIOR CLASS FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
2
Nebraska student-athletes continued to raise the bar in academic achievement in 2016-17. Each of Nebraska’s sports produced an Academic Progress Rate (APR) of at least 977, while posting a Nebraskarecord 88 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR). The Huskers also posted a record combined grade-point average of 3.218 during the academic year. Nebraska student-athletes combined for 98 perfect 4.0 GPA semesters in 2016-17, including softball player, Homecoming Queen and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Lotte Sjulin (left).
DICK AND PEG HERMAN FAMILY STUDENT LIFE COMPLEX
88%
Nebraska’s School-Record Graduation Success Rate
ANNUAL REPORT
5
JASON WILTZ DENNIS LEBLANC
EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
FOOTBALL NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA SOCIOLOGY 2016 DECEMBER GRADUATE
Academic services is housed in the state-of-the-art Dick and Peg Herman Family Student Life Complex. Displays honoring Nebraska’s nation-leading 329 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and nation’s best 17 NCAA Top Ten Awards are located in the Herman Complex. The Hall of Distinction proudly displays the more than 6,000 names of Husker student-athletes who have both earned a letter in their sport and finished their journey with a college degree. Nebraska is committed to the success of its current and former student-athletes for life. In 2016-17, Nebraska’s 660 student-athletes came from 24 countries with 37 total international students and 38 states across America. A total of 428 student-athletes were on scholarship, while 199 Huskers were native Nebraskans. Following Nebraska’s three graduation ceremonies each year, Nebraska Athletics hosts graduates and their familes in a celebration at Memorial Stadium. Every student-athlete who graduates, letters and finishes their athletic career at Nebraska receives a ring. After graduating, every Husker student-athlete who has lettered and exhausted their eligibility has an opportunity to receive $7,500 to pursue an internship, study abroad experience or graduate school.
KATERINA MATYSOVA
WOMEN’S TENNIS ERDING, GERMANY PSYCHOLOGY 2017 MAY GRADUATE
NEBRASKA HALL OF DISTINCTION - HOME TO 6,129 HUSKER LETTERWINNER GRADUATES
3.218
Record GPA of Husker Student-Athletes in 2016-17
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
6
HUSKERS CONTINUE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA TRADITION
KADIE ROLFZEN VOLLEYBALL
CAROLINE FLYNN SOCCER
DANIELLE BREEN GYMNASTICS
DREW WISEMAN TRACK & FIELD
ACADEMICS - Advertising & Public Relations (December 2016 Graduate) - NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship ($7,500) - Three-Time Academic All-Big Ten
ACADEMICS - Communication Studies (December 2016 Graduate) - Nebraska Outstanding Scholar - Three-Time CoSIDA Academic All-District - Three-Time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar - Four-Time Academic All-Big Ten
ACADEMICS - Accounting - Two-Time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar - Two-Time Academic All-Big Ten - Six-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (4.0 GPA)
ACADEMICS - Electrical Engineering - CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year (Track & Field, 2017) - Two-Time First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American (2015, 2017) - Two-Time NCAA Elite 90 Award (Indoor, 2015; Outdoor, 2017) - Nebraska Male Student-Athlete of the Year (2017) - Big Ten Medal of Honor (2017) - Nebraska Outstanding Scholar - Three-Time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American Senior, Papillion, Nebraska
ATHLETICS - Two-Time First-Team AVCA All-American (2015, 2016) - Four-Time AVCA All-American - Four-Time First-Team All-Big Ten LIFE - NCAA Woman-of-the-Year Nominee (2016-17) - Senior CLASS All-American (2016) - Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award (2014)
329
Nebraska’s Nation-Leading CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American Senior, Lincoln, Nebraska
ATHLETICS - U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team (2016) - No. 40 Overall Pick in NWSL Draft (Portland Thorns FC, 2017) - Second-Team All-Big Ten (2016) LIFE - Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award (2016) - Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President (2015-16) - Four-Time Tom Osborne Citizenship Team - NoFilter Service Trip Abroad Dominican Republic (2016)
Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American Junior, Ames, Iowa
ATHLETICS - Second-Team All-American (Beam, 2017) - NCAA Lincoln Regional Champion (Beam, 2017) - Big Ten All-Championship Team (Beam, All-Around, 2016) - Two-Time Second-Team All-Big Ten (2016, 2017) LIFE - Nebraska Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award (2017) - Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2016) - Three-Time Tom Osborne Citizenship Team
First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American Senior, Bismarck, North Dakota
ATHLETICS - Six-Time All-American (400 Hurdles [2], 4x400 Relay [4]) - Three-Time First-Team All-American (4x400 Relay) - First-Team All-Big Ten (4x400 Relay, Outdoor, 2014) LIFE - Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2015)
ANNUAL REPORT
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS
JENNIE LAENG GYMNASTICS
TIERRA WILLIAMS TRACK & FIELD
CHRIS WEBER FOOTBALL
ACADEMICS - Psychology (May 2017 Graduate) - NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship - Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship - Nebraska Outstanding Scholar - Three-Time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar - Three-Time Academic All-Big Ten - Eight-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll
ACADEMICS - Child, Youth & Family Studies - Nebraska Female Student-Athlete of the Year (2017) - Big Ten Medal of Honor (2017) - Two-Time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2016, 2017) - Three-Time Academic All-Big Ten - Eight-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll
ACADEMICS - Nutrition Science - CoSIDA Academic All-District VII (2015, 2016) - Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2015, 2016) - Three-Time Academic All-Big Ten - Eight-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll
ATHLETICS - First-Team All-Big Ten (2017) - Big Ten Co-Champion (Bars, 2015) - Three-Time Big Ten All-Championship Team (Bars)
ATHLETICS - Four-Time All-American - Two-Time First-Team All-American (Triple Jump, Indoor, Outdoor, 2016) - Two-Time Second-Team All-American (Long Jump, Outdoor, 2015, 2016) - Four-Time First-Team All-Big Ten
NCAA Postgraduate Scholar Big Ten Postgraduate Scholar Senior, West Middlesex, Pennsylvania
LIFE - Nebraska Heart & Soul Award (2017) - Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award (2015) - Four-Time Tom Osborne Citizenship Team - NoFilter Service Trip Abroad Nicaragua (2017) - Post-Eligibility Opportunity to study abroad (Peru, Summer 2017)
Nebraska Female Student-Athlete of the Year Senior, Auburn, Nebraska
LIFE - Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award (2016) - Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2017) - Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar (2016, 2017)
7
CoSIDA Academic All-District Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Junior, Elkhorn, Nebraska
ATHLETICS - 36 Games as Nebraska Linebacker - Nebraska Walk-on of the Year (2015) LIFE - Four-Time Brook Berringer Citizenship Team - Four-Time Tom Osborne Citizenship Team - Nebraska Uplifting Athletes President
731
Record Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll Members in 2016-17
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
8
“A NIGHT AT THE LIED” STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARDS The 27th annual Academic Awards Celebration featured the presentation of 900 awards, including 293 academic medallions to Husker student-athletes across all sports. Nebraska recognized its Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year (Drew Wiseman and Tierra Williams), its Best Male and Female Athletes and its Outstanding Male and Female Newcomers, while also naming its Outstanding Scholars, Heart and Soul Award winners, Herman Team GPA Award winners and Life Skills Award of Excellence team champions. Long-time Athletic Department Administrator Al Papik was presented the Herman Lifetime Achievement Award.
JERALD FOSTER
FOOTBALL, OFFENSIVE LINE WITH GERALD & JILL FOLTZ
JUSTINE WONG-ORANTES NICK PERCY
TRACK & FIELD, DISCUS 2016 NCAA CHAMPION VENTNOR, ENGLAND
VOLLEYBALL, LIBERO FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA
INAUGURAL SAM FOLTZ HERO 27 LEADERSHIP AWARDS
NEBRASKA’S BEST MALE & FEMALE ATHLETES
900
Awards Presented at “A Night at the Lied”
WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING HERMAN TEAM GPA AWARD (3.578)
Connor Adamsick, Gymnastics Danielle Breen, Gymnastics Karlye Cygan, Track & Field Zack Darlington, Football Kristen Dowell, Track & Field Jordan Ehly, Swimming & Diving Tanner Farmer, Football/Wrestling Nate Fisher, Baseball Jerald Foster, Football Emily Gillman, Golf Briana Holman, Volleyball Taylor Kadavy, Softball Megan Kuo, Gymnastics Daniel Leal, Gymnastics
Jake McSteen, Baseball Angela Mercurio, Track & Field Allison Morris, Bowling Alli Peterson, Soccer Austin Post, Cross Country/Track Nina Radulovic, Rifle Sanjaya Roy, Gymnastics Aris Shino, Wrestling Katt Sickle, Swimming & Diving Maddie Simon, Basketball Bonnie Smith, Cross Country/Track Madi Unzicker, Softball Chase Wolinski, Track & Field
ANNUAL REPORT
CELEBRATING SUCCESS OF HUSKER STUDENT-ATHLETES
9
No other school celebrates student-athlete achievement better than the University of Nebraska. We are so grateful for the vision and support of the Dick and Dale Herman families to make this very special night a continued success.
ABIGAIL KNAPTON
CHAD LUENSMANN
BASEBALL, PITCHER FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA
DIVING, PLATFORM FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN OMAHA, NEBRASKA
HANNAH HUSTON PERFORMANCE Special guest Hannah Huston, a Grand Island native, Lincoln school teacher and a finalist on the hit TV show “The Voice” paid special tribute to former Husker punter Sam Foltz by singing Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind.” Nebraska honored Foltz, who passed away in a tragic car accident in July of 2016, with the naming of the Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Awards.
NEBRASKA’S OUTSTANDING NEWCOMERS
293
MEN’S GYMNASTICS
HERMAN TEAM GPA AWARD (3.480)
Huskers Earned Gold (85), Silver (67) or Bronze Academic Medallions (141)
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
10
NEBRASKA LIFE SKILLS SERVING THE COMMUNITY
EVAN TAYLOR
Nebraska’s award-winning Life Skills program, led by Senior Associate Athletic Director Keith Zimmer, assists Husker student-athletes with total-person development, including the transition to college, community outreach, career services, relationship building, leadership, money management, alcohol/drug awareness and much more. Life Skills fosters life-long relationships with Husker letterwinners through the N-Club, fostering a commitment by former and current Huskers to build relationships and stay connected for life. Life Skills presents annual career fairs, networking nights, interview preparation, athlete networking, Gallup StrengthsQuest, Husker Hire and other networking opportunities.
TREY FOSTER FOOTBALL LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
JENNIE LAENG GYMNASTICS WEST MIDDLESEX, PENNSYLVANIA
JORDY TSHIMANGA
BASKETBALL CINCINNATI, OHIO
BASKETBALL MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA
COLLIN JENSEN WRESTLING MOBRIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA
HUSKER HEROES The Husker Heroes Outreach Event is specifically designed for individuals with disabilities and their families to interact and play games with first-year Huskers. Husker student-athletes annually complete more than 400 service projects totaling 7,500 hours of community service, impacting 35,000 individuals.
HEART & SOUL AWARD WINNERS
35,000 People Impacted by Husker Community Outreach Efforts
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
LIFE SKILLS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
In 2016-17, Nebraska Athletics hosted the second annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit
with nearly 1,000 student-athletes and staff attending. The Osborne and Berringer teams require Huskers to complete at least six service projects on an annual basis. A record 386 Huskers were named to the Osborne Citizenship Team in 2017. A record 82 Nebraska football players were named to the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team in 2017, powering them to the Life Skills Team Award of Excellence.
ANNUAL REPORT
BUILDING BETTER LEADERS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE
PAULA ANDRIE
TRACK & FIELD, POLE VAULT ALL-AMERICAN GILLETTE, WYOMING ECOLOGY INTERN (NEW ZEALAND) AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (FALL 2016)
11
We are proud to be a leader in athletics in all areas, and that includes our goal to unconditionally respect, embrace, include, celebrate and accept the varied backgrounds and cultures of our 600-plus student-athletes who represented 24 countries and 38 states across America in 2016-17.
LAMAR JACKSON
FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE BACK ELK GROVE, CALIFORNIA
MIKE RILEY
NEBRASKA FOOTBALL HEAD COACH
POST-ELIGIBILITY OPPORTUNITIES The only program of its kind, Nebraska’s Post-Eligibility Opportunities (PEO) Program provides Husker graduates the opportunity to utilize up to a $7,500 scholarship for an internship, study abroad experience, or graduate coursework at UNL or UNMC. Since the program’s inception in December 2015, 62 Huskers have received $435,000 in PEO funds with experiences spanning five continents, nine countries and 13 states. The program, which boasts a 96 percent job placement success rate, was recognized with the NACE Chevron Award as the most innovative program in college career services in 2017.
N-CLUB LETTER JACKET CEREMONY SERVICE TRIP ABROAD 22 HUSKERS ASSIST IN NICARAGUA IN 2017
386
Members of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2016-17
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
12
ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE PREPARING TO BE THE BEST FOR LIFE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
Since 1969, Nebraska Athletics has reinforced its sterling reputation of innovation in strength and conditioning. Nebraska was the first NCAA school to have a paid strength and conditioning coach, the first to lift weights in-season, the first to hold an official summer conditioning class for student-athletes and the first to offer a degree for strength coaching. The National Strength and Conditioning Association was founded at Nebraska and has since become the nation’s largest strength and conditioning research association.
ATHLETIC MEDICINE
Fourteen full-time strength and conditioning coaches work with student-athletes at three different modern facilities: The Ndamukong Suh Strength and Conditioning Center in the Myers Performance Center in Memorial Stadium; the Alloy Strength Complex in the Hawks Championship Center; and the Hendricks Training Complex adjacent to the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Under the direction of Dr. Lonnie Albers, (pictured) the dedicated staff members on the Athletic Medicine team provide total care for Nebraska student-athletes across all sports, while managing their orthopedic and medical needs with a team of highly experienced, board-certified professionals. The Athletic Medicine staff includes 13 full-time athletic trainers, seven graduate assistant trainers and two full-time athletic psychologists. Nebraska is one of the few schools in the country that provides a full-time board-certified medical doctor. The main athletic medicine department, named after longtime trainer George “Sully” Sullivan, is located on the first floor of the Myers Performance Center in the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex within Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska also created a Director of Strength and Conditioning Research position, working with both the NAPL and the Strength and Conditioning staff. The position was created to increase collaboration and multiply opportunities for innovative solutions to improve performance.
Medical and orthopedic clinics are conducted on site in the George Sullivan Athletic Training Room in the Osborne Athletic Complex where a digital X-ray unit, a procedures room and a pharmacy are located. A fully staffed athletic training room is located in the Hendricks Training Complex/Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Nebraska’s sports dietitians work with the Lewis Training Table manager and executive chef to plan and prepare meals. Lunch and dinner meals are augmented for student-athletes with enhanced snacks, protein shakes and smoothies.
To prevent injury and illness, incoming student-athletes receive comprehensive testing at no cost, including a baseline physical, sickle cell test, EKG, hemoglobin, hematocrit, basic metabolic profile and urinalysis testing.
All student-athletes are offered a morning pre-/post-workout meal during the academic year. To help address weekend nutritional needs, Nebraska Athletics created the Husker Bucks Program that allocates funds ($10 on Saturdays and $10 on Sundays) for student-athletes to use for snacks at select area restaurants.
NDAMUKONG SUH STRENGTH & CONDITIONING CENTER
14
Full-Time Strength & Conditioning Coaches at Nebraska
PERFORMANCE NUTRITION
Nebraska has a tremendous history in sports nutrition and training table services as one of the first institutions to have a full-time nutritionist on staff. Nebraska’s four full-time sports dietitians help Husker studentathletes make healthy choices focusing on performance nutrition strategies, hydration, quality food choices and proper supplementation.
ANNUAL REPORT
TESTING, TRAINING, TEACHING & TREATING STUDENT-ATHLETES FOR SUCCESS IN SPORTS & LIFE
13
Our student-athletes are at the center of everything we do. Nebraska has increased resources and support in all performance-related areas, including Sports Medicine, Athletic Training, Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition and the Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory.
NEBRASKA ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE LABORATORY
The Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory (NAPL) is recognized as the first performance research center within a collegiate department of athletics. The NAPL features a talented multidisciplinary team that includes a full-time director, an assistant director, endocrinology lab director, one research post-doctoral fellow and a research analyst. Located in East Memorial Stadium, the NAPL collaborates with Strength and Conditioning staff, Nutrition staff, Athletic Medicine staff, sports programs and the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior (CB3) to offer the highest level of integration and sport performance technologies and systems. The NAPL includes the Mark and Debra Classen Cardio Area, James and Karen Linder Dynamic Performance Center, Markin Family Collaborative Center, Thayer Family Athletic Research Lab, and state-of-the-art equipment donated by the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation. The NAPL is a world-leading research and performance facility including simulated athletic environments for studying performance, incorporating a camera system to track human movement in 3D, force plates to measure ground reaction forces, and state-of-the-art technology to assess physiological biomarkers, investigate exercise cardiovascular capacity and measure body composition.
The focus of the Thayer Family Athletic Research Lab is preparation for recovery from competition by measuring salivary biomarkers prior to and post-competition. Follow-up with coaches and athletes is designed to provide further support to athletic staff and student-athletes in different areas of expertise. iDexa is a state-of-the-art method to analyze body composition and has continued using it as a more accurate and reliable method to measure body composition.
SPORTS ANALYTICS
The Sports Analytics Department began in July of 2015. The department is responsible for working with coaches, staff and other members to collect, analyze and summarize data to enhance performance and provide solutions. Projects range from opponent and self-scouting, to decision-making and strategy, to recruiting and identification of conference or national trends. The Director of Sports Analytics and Data Analysis and staff work to improve individual student-athlete and team performance. The applications of the analysis assist in injury prevention, strength testing, academic performance and competitive performance.
LEWIS TRAINING TABLE
25,000 Square Feet Inside the Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
14
BIG TEN CHAMPIONS: HUSKERS CLAIM THREE TEAM CROWNS
I just told the team this has been one of the toughest grinds for a conference championship. I really want them to celebrate this as a great effort in the toughest conference I’ve ever seen.
2016 BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS The Nebraska volleyball team captured the Big Ten Conference title and returned to the NCAA semifinals for the second consecutive season and the 13th time in the illustrious history of the program. Led by Head Coach John Cook, the Huskers finished the season with a 31-3 overall record that included a 19-2 conference mark on their way to their first Big Ten title since 2011. Nebraska defeated 17 top-25 opponents during the season and recorded victories over New Hampshire, TCU, Penn State and Washington to advance to the NCAA Semifinals before losing to Texas. Six Huskers earned All-America honors, including Kadie Rolfzen (1st, Papillion, Nebraska), Justine Wong-Orantes (1st, Cypress, California), Kelly Hunter (2nd, Papillion, Nebraska), Amber Rolfzen (3rd, Papillion, Nebraska), Mikaela Foecke (HM, West Point, Iowa) and Briana Holman (HM, DeSoto, Texas). Wong-Orantes was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, while Kadie Rolfzen was a first-team Academic AllAmerican, earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and was named a Senior CLASS All-American. Sydney Townsend (Lincoln, Nebraska) earned an NCAA Elite 90 Award.
297
All-Time Nebraska Team Conference Championships
2017 BIG TEN WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS CO-CHAMPIONS Coach Dan Kendig led the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team to its 25th NCAA Championship appearance in 2017. The Big Red finished seventh overall and produced a 29-10 record. The Huskers also earned a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. A trio of Huskers earned a total of four All-America awards, led by first-team All-American sophomore Sienna Crouse (Fargo, North Dakota), who finished fourth on the vault at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Senior Ashley Lambert (Newport News, Virginia) added a second-team honor on vault and another second-team award on floor exercise for the Huskers. Junior Danielle Breen (Ames, Iowa) rounded out the NU All-Americans with her secondteam finish on balance beam. Breen continued the team’s historic success in the classroom as well by capturing second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Senior Jennie Laeng (West Middlesex, Pennsylvania) was Nebraska’s top all-arounder and captured NCAA and Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarships. Taylor Houchin (Republic, Missouri) captured 2017 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year and first-team all-conference honors.
ANNUAL REPORT
HUSKERS CAPTURE FIVE INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE TITLES CODY WALTON
TRACK & FIELD HEPTATHLON FOREST LAKE, MINNESOTA
ANTON STEPHENSON GYMNASTICS VAULT FISHERS, INDIANA
BRITTNI WOLCYZK
TRACK & FIELD JAVELIN COQUITLAM, B.C. CANADA
15
STEVEN CAHOY
TRACK & FIELD POLE VAULT GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA
NICK PERCY TRACK & FIELD DISCUS VENTNOR, ENGLAND
2017 BIG TEN BASEBALL REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPIONS The Husker baseball team won its first Big Ten Conference regular-season championship and the program’s first conference championship since 2005 with a 21-3 victory over Penn State in the last regular-season game on May 20 in University Park, Pennsylvania. Under the leadership of Head Coach Darin Erstad and staff, the Huskers finished the season with a 35-22-1 overall record, that included a 16-7-1 mark in the Big Ten. Erstad was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and the Husker baseball program qualified for its second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. Junior outfielder/ pitcher Jake Meyers (Omaha, Nebraska) led the Huskers by capturing third-team All-America accolades as one of five finalists for the John Olerud Award. Meyers was joined on the first-team All-Big Ten squad by junior designated hitter Scott Schreiber (Menasha, Wisconsin). Leading Nebraska with seven homers, Schreiber also had 15 doubles, 51 RBI and a .330 batting average.
1,396
All-Time Nebraska Individual Conference Champions
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
16
NATIONAL POWERS: 42 HUSKERS CLAIM 44 ALL-AMERICA AWARDS MEN’S GYMNASTICS, 6TH, NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
RIFLE, 6TH, NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Nebraska men’s gymnastics team posted its best finish at the NCAA Championships since 1999 with a sixth-place finish. The Huskers, who claimed their sixth top-10 NCAA Championship finish in eight seasons under Coach Chuck Chmelka, have made 15 consecutive NCAA appearances. Senior Austin Epperson (Allen, Texas) earned first-team All-America accolades with his NCAA runner-up finish on the floor exercise. Junior Kyle King (Mesquite, Texas) earned second-team All-America honors on the floor as well. Sophomore Anton Stephenson (Fishers, Indiana) also made history for the Huskers prior to the NCAA Championships, as he became Nebraska’s first Big Ten champion in men’s gymnastics. Stephenson won the Big Ten vault title after helping the Huskers to a fifth-place team finish at the conference meet. In addition to their success in competition, the Husker men’s gymnastics team captured the 2017 Herman Team GPA Award by posting a 3.480 combined GPA.
Nebraska finished sixth at the 2017 NCAA Championships to claim the third consecutive top-eight national finish for third-year coach Ashley MacAllister. The Huskers, who made their fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships in 2017, earned their 13th all-time appearance to the NCAA Championships since rifle became a varsity sport at Nebraska in 1998-99. Junior Dacotah Faught (Amenia, North Dakota) earned second-team All-America honors in air rifle while freshman Samantha Peterson (Ham Lake, Minnesota) was an honorable-mention All-American in smallbore.
ALL-AMERICANS KYLE KING & AUSTIN EPPERSON
ALL-AMERICANS DACOTAH FAUGHT & SAMANTHA PETERSON
2017 NCAA RUNNER-UP NEBRASKA BOWLING TEAM The Husker bowling team, led by National Coach of the Year Bill Straub, advanced to the NCAA Championship match for the fifth consecutive season, taking runner-up honors for the second straight year. Nebraska, which has captured five NCAA titles, notched its 13th top three national finish in the first 14 years of NCAA women’s bowling. Junior Julia Bond (Aurora, Illinois) earned first-team All-America honors while third-team All-American Gazmine Mason (Cranston, Rhode Island) was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Junior Kelly Belzeski (Schererville, Indiana) and sophomore Meghan Straub (Lincoln, Nebraska) added honorable-mention All-America honors.
6
Nebraska Teams Finished in NCAA Top 10 in 2016-17
ANNUAL REPORT
FIVE HUSKER TEAMS FINISH IN TOP 10 FOOTBALL NOTCHES NINE WINS WRESTLING, 9TH, NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
SWIMMING & DIVING, BEST NCAA FINISH SINCE 2001
Head Coach Mark Manning guided the Nebraska wrestling program to its 21st top-10 NCAA team finish while producing four All-Americans. The Huskers, who finished ninth at the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, notched their third straight top-10 finish. In a loaded Big Ten that featured eight of the top 13 teams at the NCAA Championships, Nebraska battled to a 12-4 overall dual record that included a 6-3 Big Ten mark to tie for fourth in the conference standings. Senior TJ Dudley (Irmo, South Carolina) earned his third All-America award with a thirdplace finish at 184 pounds. Fellow senior Eric Montoya (Albuquerque, New Mexico) captured his second straight All-America honor with his sixth-place showing at 133 pounds. Senior Aaron Studebaker (Raymond, Nebraska) added a fifth-place finish at 197 pounds for his first AllAmerica award. Sophomore Tyler Berger (Prineville, Oregon) also earned his first All-America award finishing fifth at 157 pounds.
The Nebraska swimming and diving team posted its best finish since 2001, with freshman diver Abigail Knapton (Omaha, Nebraska) capturing first-team All-America honors with a fourth-place finish on the platform. Knapton’s performance, which marked the best finish ever by a Husker diver in any event at the NCAA Championships, powered Nebraska to a 33rd-place finish. Knapton became the first Husker female diver in history to earn first-team All-America honors on the platform and was named Nebraska’s Outstanding Female Newcomer across all sports. Senior diver Anna Filipcic (Omaha, Nebraska) capped her Husker career as the Big Ten runner-up in the three-meter dive and finished third on the one-meter board at the conference championships. Led by Head Coach Pablo Morales, Nebraska went 6-0 in dual competition and captured the Herman Team GPA Award across all women’s sports for the third consecutive season with a 3.578 combined GPA.
ALL-AMERICANS AARON STUDEBAKER & TJ DUDLEY
17
ALL-AMERICANS ABIGAIL KNAPTON & ANNA FILIPCIC
HUSKERS EARN 53RD BOWL BID IN SCHOOL HISTORY WITH 50TH NINE-WIN SEASON The Nebraska football team finished with a 9-4 overall mark that included a 6-3 Big Ten record. Second-year coach Mike Riley led Nebraska to a 7-0 start, climbing as high as No. 7 in the national rankings before the Huskers suffered their first setback of the season. Nebraska’s 7-0 start included an exciting 35-32 win over No. 22 Oregon at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers were ranked among the nation’s top 25 throughout the remainder of the regular season, culminating with a 38-24 loss to Tennessee in the Franklin American Mortgage Company Music City Bowl in Nashville. Senior safety Nathan Gerry earned second-team All-America honors from USA Today and third-team honors from the AP before being chosen in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Senior Jordan Westerkamp finished second in Nebraska history with 167 career receptions and 18 receiving touchdowns.
13
Nebraska Teams Competed in Postseason Championships
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
18
COMPETING AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL; SOCCER HOSTS NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME MEN’S GOLF
WOMEN’S GOLF
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Under 17-year Head Coach Bill Spangler, senior Michael Colgate (Sarasota, Florida) became the first Nebraska men’s golfer to claim an NCAA Regional berth since 2012, when he was selected as an individual to the 2017 NCAA Regional. He finished in a tie for 65th and led the team with a 72.91 stroke average.
Freshman Kate Smith (Detroit Lakes, Minnesota) captured Nebraska’s first individual NCAA Regional bid since 2012. She set Nebraska’s season stroke average record with a 73.90 average. Junior Audrey Judd (Olathe, Kansas) added an individual tournament title.
Senior Tai Webster (Auckland, New Zealand) led the Nebraska men’s basketball team with 17.0 points per game and ranked fourth in the conference in scoring to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors. Head Coach Tim Miles also helped sophomore Glynn Watson Jr. (Bellwood, Illinois) continue to emerge as a leader as he averaged 13.1 points per game. Nebraska posted a 12-19 record (6-12 Big Ten).
MICHAEL COLGATE, NCAA REGIONAL
KATE SMITH, NCAA REGIONAL
TAI WEBSTER, ALL-BIG TEN
SOCCER, NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND Led by Head Coach John Walker, the Husker soccer team qualified for its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, and defeated South Dakota State in the first round of NCAA action on November 11th at Barbara Hibner Stadium. The Huskers saw their season come to an end after a 2-0 loss to No. 18 UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Morgantown, West Virginia. Seniors Jaycie Johnson (Lake Winnebago, Missouri) and Caroline Flynn (Lincoln, Nebraska) led the Huskers to 11 wins, the most since 2013. Nebraska finished with an 11-6-5 overall record, including 5-3-3 in Big Ten play to finish sixth in the conference. Johnson’s performance earned her third-team NSCAA All-America honors, while Flynn eared first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
SYDNEY MIRAMONTEZ COURTNEY CLAASSEN
SENIOR, MIDFIELDER LENEXA, KANSAS
SENIOR, MF/FORWARD PARKVILLE, MISSOURI
JAYCIE JOHNSON
SENIOR, FORWARD THIRD-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN LAKE WINNEBAGO, MISSOURI
12
A Total of 12 Huskers Won First-Team All-America Honors
CAROLINE FLYNN
SENIOR, MF/FORWARD FIRST-TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
ANNUAL REPORT
CULMER, WALTON LEAD ALL-AMERICA EFFORTS ON TRACK WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SOFTBALL
CROSS COUNTRY
First-year coach and Husker letterwinner Amy Williams helped the Huskers through a rebuilding season. The Huskers finished the year with a 7-22 record (3-13 Big Ten) and notched a 76-74 OT win over NCAA Tournament-bound Michigan State in their home finale. Two freshmen, Hannah Whitish (Barneveld, Wisconsin) and Nicea Eliely (Colorado Springs, Colorado) will help form the foundation for the future.
Hall of Fame Coach Rhonda Revelle helped her team battle through a rare rebuilding year in 2017 when the team posted a 24-29 record (13-10 Big Ten). MJ Knighten (Buena Park, California) closed an outstanding Husker career by becoming Nebraska softball’s first Senior CLASS Award finalist. A four-time All-Big Ten selection, MJ also earned second-team AllMidwest Regional honors in 2017.
In his fifth season leading the Nebraska men’s and women’s cross country programs, Coach David Harris helped the men’s program to a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Huskers were led at regionals by Wyatt McGuire (North Platte, Nebraska, 43rd place). The Husker women added a 19th-place finish among 33 teams at regionals, improving three spots from their 2015 performance. Anna Peer (Bettendorf, Iowa) led the women with a strong 30th-place showing at the Big Ten Championships.
NICEA ELIELY & HANNAH WHITISH
MJ KNIGHTEN, ALL-AMERICAN
WYATT MCGUIRE & ANNA PEER
19
TRACK & FIELD, HUSKERS EARN 18 ALL-AMERICA AWARDS The Husker track and field programs continued their All-America traditions under the leadership of Gary Pepin, who has led Nebraska to 72 conference titles and more than 500 AllAmerica awards in his 37 seasons as head coach. A total of 17 Husker men and women track and field athletes captured a total of 18 first-or second-team All-America honors. The Husker men finished fourth at the 2017 conference indoor meet before tying for 49th at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The men finished third at the Big Ten Outdoor meet before tying for 69th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Cody Walton (heptathlon, indoor), Steven Cahoy (pole vault, outdoor), Nick Percy (discus, outdoor) and Brittni Wolczyk (javelin, outdoor) all captured Big Ten individual titles. The Husker women finished sixth outdoors at the conference meet after settling for eighth indoors. Junior Kaiwan Culmer (Nassau, Bahamas) led the Huskers with a sixthplace finish in the triple jump at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships. Walton added a seventhplace showing in the decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to give the Big Red a pair of first-team All-Americans in 2017. The track and field program also swept Nebraska’s Male (Drew Wiseman) and Female (Tierra Williams) Student-Athlete-of-the-Year awards across all sports.
KAIWAN CULMER
TRACK & FIELD NASSAU, BAHAMAS FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN INDOOR TRIPLE JUMP
44
All-America Awards Earned by 42 Huskers in 2016-17
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
20
ALL-AMERICA STUDENT-ATHLETES CONTINUE TO CALL NEBRASKA HOME BEACH VOLLEYBALL
MEN’S TENNIS
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Nebraska opened its beach volleyball season with a home win at the Hawks Championship Center before playing eight consecutive matches in Hawaii during a challenging 2017 campaign. The Huskers, who closed the beach season with a 5-7 record, suffered six losses to opponents ranked among the top-seven teams in the nation. Sophomores Kenzie Maloney (Louisville, Kentucky) and Briana Holman (DeSoto, Texas) will help fill the void of four departed seniors.
Coach Kerry McDermott completed his 37th season at the helm of the men’s tennis program in 2016-17, helping a young Husker team to a 5-19 overall record. Sophomores Toby Boyer (Ham Lake, Minnesota), Micah Klousia (Springfield, Iowa) and freshman Dylan Bednarczyk (Woodbridge, Ontario) all recorded double-digit win totals.
The Nebraska women’s tennis team improved its overall and Big Ten records for the fourth consecutive year, finishing with an 18-7 overall record (5-6 Big Ten). Led by 26-year veteran Head Coach Scott Jacobson, NU earned a spot in the Big Ten Tournament. Freshman Claire Reifeis (Indianapolis, Indiana) recorded 20 singles and 24 doubles wins.
BRIANA HOLMAN, ALL-AMERICAN
TOBY BOYER
CLAIRE REIFEIS
NEBRASKA’S 42 ALL-AMERICANS EARN 44 AWARDS IN 2016-17 ASHLEY LAMBERT
SENIOR, GYMNASTICS THREE-TIME ALL-AMERICAN NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA
FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS (12) Tyler Berger, So., Wrestling, 157 Pounds Julia Bond, Jr., Bowling Sienna Crouse, So., Gymnastics, Vault Kaiwan Culmer, Jr., Track & Field, Indoor Triple Jump TJ Dudley, Sr., Wrestling, 184 Pounds Austin Epperson, Sr., Gymnastics, Floor Abigail Knapton, Fr., Swimming & Diving, Platform Eric Montoya, Sr., Wrestling, 133 Pounds Kadie Rolfzen, Sr., Volleyball, Outside Hitter Aaron Studebaker, Sr., Wrestling, 197 Pounds Cody Walton, Jr., Track & Field, Decathlon Justine Wong-Orantes, Sr., Volleyball, Libero SECOND-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS (20) Jasmine Barge, So., Track & Field, Outdoor 400 Hurdles Landon Bartel, Jr., Track & Field, Outdoor High Jump Jake Bender, Sr., Track & Field, Outdoor 4x400 Sam Bransby, Jr., Track & Field, Outdoor 4x400 Danielle Breen, Jr., Gymnastics, Beam Dacotah Faught, Jr., Rifle, Air Rifle Isaiah Griffith, Fr., Track & Field, Outdoor Long Jump Kelly Hunter, Jr., Volleyball, Setter Kyle King, Jr., Gymnastics, Floor Ashley Lambert, Sr., Gymnastics, Vault, Floor
27
Nebraska’s All-Time Team National Championships
Antoine Lloyd, Jr., Track & Field, Outdoor 110 Hurdles Petra Luteran, Fr., Track & Field, Outdoor High Jump Mike McCann, Sr., Track & Field, Outdoor High Jump Angela Mercurio, Jr., Track & Field, Outdoor Triple Jump Andy Neal, Jr., Track & Field, Outdoor 4x400 Nick Percy, Jr., Track & Field, Discus Toni Tupper, So., Track & Field, Shot Put Tierra Williams, Sr., Track & Field, Outdoor Long Jump Drew Wiseman, Sr., Track & Field, Outdoor 400 Hurdles, Outdoor 4x400 Brittni Wolczyk, So., Track & Field, Javelin THIRD-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS (5) Nathan Gerry, Sr., Football, Safety Jaycie Johnson, Sr., Soccer, Forward Gazmine Mason, Sr., Bowling Jake Meyers, Jr., Baseball, Pitcher/Outfield Amber Rolfzen, Sr., Volleyball, Middle Blocker HONORABLE-MENTION ALL-AMERICANS (5) Kelly Belzeski, Jr., Bowling Mikaela Foecke, So., Volleyball, Outside Hitter Briana Holman, Jr., Volleyball, Middle Blocker Samantha Peterson, Fr., Rifle, Smallbore Meghan Straub, So., Bowling
ANNUAL REPORT
21 JASMINE BARGE
SIENNA CROUSE SOPHOMORE, VAULT GYMNASTICS ALL-AMERICAN FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA
SOPHOMORE, HURDLES TRACK & FIELD ALL-AMERICAN FLORISSANT, MISSOURI
TYLER BERGER
SOPHOMORE, 157 WRESTLING ALL-AMERICAN PRINEVILLE, OREGON
AMBER ROLFZEN
SENIOR, MIDDLE BLOCKER VOLLEYBALL ALL-AMERICAN PAPILLION, NEBRASKA
KELLY HUNTER
JUNIOR, SETTER VOLLEYBALL ALL-AMERICAN PAPILLION, NEBRASKA
ANGELA MERCURIO ANTOINE LLOYD
JUNIOR, HURDLES TRACK & FIELD ALL-AMERICAN KENTWOOD, MICHIGAN
JUNIOR, TRIPLE JUMP TRACK & FIELD ALL-AMERICAN KITCHENER, ONTARIO, CANADA
157
All-Time Individual National Championships Won by Huskers
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
22
WORLD-CLASS FACILITIES GIVE HUSKERS COMPETITIVE EDGE Nebraska continues to focus on improving its facilities and the gameday experience at all athletic venues. In 2017, Memorial Stadium will feature new video screens, ribbon boards and wrap-around video boards on the northeast and northwest towers. The North Stadium video board resolution will tighten from 20-millimeter to 10-millimeter pixels, creating a clearer, crisper picture. In 2014, Memorial Stadium added the largest wireless network system at a college football stadium in history, along with a state-of-the-art sound system In 2015, a new center-hung video board and sound system was installed at the Devaney Center to improve the game-day experience for Husker volleyball, wrestling and men’s and women’s gymnastics fans, while creating an awesome atmosphere for Husker student-athletes across those sports. Also in 2015, Hibner Soccer Stadium and the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center were completed to provide outstanding facilities for those Husker teams.
At Nebraska, I get to work at a place where I get to share what I do with people that care. We are all in this together because this is our place, our state, our school. We love representing you. We want to represent you at the highest level.
MEMORIAL STADIUM - SOLD OUT SINCE 1962
354
Consecutive Memorial Stadium Sellouts Since 1962
SID & HAZEL DILLON TENNIS CENTER
ANNUAL REPORT
HUSKER HOMES CONTINUE TO IMPROVE GAME-DAY EXPERIENCE
23
Nebraska fans are the greatest fans in the nation, and they prove it year in and year out with a sellout streak that dates back 16 years. We are extremely fortunate to have the best home-court advantage in all of college volleyball every year.
BOB DEVANEY SPORTS CENTER - HOME OF HUSKER GYMNASTICS, TRACK & FIELD, WRESTLING
BOB DEVANEY SPORTS CENTER - HOME OF HUSKER VOLLEYBALL
219
Consecutive Volleyball Home Regular-Season Sellouts
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
24
NEBRASKA FANS: BEST IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS Nebraska’s fan support continues to be unmatched in college athletics. In 2016-17, nine Husker programs ranked among the top 20 nationally in average home attendance, including football, volleyball, baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s gymnastics, wrestling and soccer. In all, nearly 1.3 million fans attended Husker home events in 2016-17. Nebraska also continued two record-sellout streaks, with football’s consecutive sellouts at Memorial Stadium reaching 354 games, while volleyball continued the longest regular-season streak in NCAA women’s history by pushing its streak to 219 matches. Nebraska was the only NCAA Division I program to rank in the top 15 nationally in attendance in football and men’s basketball in 2016-17. Volleyball led the nation with an NCAA-record attendance for the third consecutive season in the Devaney Center.
HIBNER SOCCER STADIUM
NEBRASKA TOP 20 ATTENDANCE BY SPORT VOLLEYBALL
1ST
MEN’S BASKETBALL
11TH
BASEBALL
6TH
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
16TH
MEN’S GYMNASTICS
7TH
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
17TH
WRESTLING
8TH
SOCCER
18TH
FOOTBALL
NEBRASKA RIFLE RANGE
PINNACLE BANK ARENA - HOME OF HUSKER MEN’S & WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
15,000
Husker Men’s Basketball Average Attendance in Pinnacle Bank Arena
10TH
ANNUAL REPORT
HUSKER FANS SHOW SUPPORT AT RECORD LEVELS
25
Thank you for your unmatched support of Nebraska Athletics. Our student-athletes and coaches appreciate you being there in the stands and being heard loud and clear at our events. Even when you cannot attend, we appreciate you passing on your tickets to family and friends. There truly is No Place Like Nebraska and No Fans Like Husker Fans!
DEVANEY NATATORIUM
BOWLIN STADIUM
HAWKS FIELD AT HAYMARKET PARK - HOME OF HUSKER BASEBALL
9
Nebraska Teams Ranked in the Top 20 in Attendance
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
26
NEBRASKA ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP SOCIETY MATTIE FOWLER
CHRIS BRASFIELD
NEBRASKA ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
SHAWN EICHORST
NEBRASKA DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
JIM DELANY
NEBRASKA ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
BIG TEN CONFERENCE COMMISSIONER
PRESENTERS AT THE 2016 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS LEADERSHIP SOCIETY INVESTORS’ MEETING
The Nebraska Athletics Leadership Society is the annual giving program in support of the Student-Athlete Experience Fund. Investors who prioritize philanthropic giving and reach select gift milestones earn membership in the Leadership Society. On Friday, September 30th, 2016, Nebraska Athletic Development hosted the Inaugural Leadership Society Investors’ Meeting. More than 150 investors gathered inside the West Stadium Club to hear how alumni, friends, families and corporate partners can create an exclusive Nebraska Student-Athlete Experience. The first-of-its-kind investors meeting covered A to Z in Nebraska Athletics with a keynote address from Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, an executive report from Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst, a creative presentation on recruiting millennials from Chris Brasfield, a speech on the student-athlete experience from softball letterwinner Mattie Fowler, a financial update from Chief Financial Officer John Jentz, and many other fact-filled reports from members of the athletic department’s leadership team. Nebraska Athletics is committed to letting investors know exactly what we are doing and more importantly, why we are doing it.
300
Membership Goal of Leadership Society by 2020
It was the first time the Nebraska Athletic Department gathered a collection of investors together and further explainced where and why dollars were being invested.
ANNUAL REPORT
NEBRASKA ATHLETICS STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPERIENCE FUND
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Our priority is to provide students with the resources they need to compete at the highest level both on and off the field. To strategically strengthen the resources that support 660 student-athletes, we’ve put the Student-Athlete Experience Fund at the forefront of our annual fundraising program. Contributions to the Student-Athlete Experience Fund help us build an unmatched environment to recruit the finest students who are motivated to earn a college degree and compete for championships. The Nebraska Student-Athlete Experience Fund provides for scholarships, academic support, laptop computers, post-eligibility opportunity programs, life skills programming, medical care and training, meals and nutrition, travel, equipment, recruiting and the resources provided by the Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory. Investments into the Nebraska Student-Athlete Experience Fund do not pay for the salaries and benefits of Nebraska Athletic employees, the operational expenses of the marketing, ticketing, business, development, events and compliance offices, fan experiences or other amenities or general University support. Nebraska Athletics is proud to thank 16,993 donors from 49 states and four countries who provide $36 million in support to the Nebraska Student-Athlete Experience Fund.
Give to: NEBRASKA STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPERIENCE FUND 625 STADIUM DRIVE, PO BOX 82484 LINCOLN, NE 68501-2848 800 (8-BIG-RED) OR (402) 472-3111 HUSKERS.COM/DONATE
INVEST IN THE NEBRASKA STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPERIENCE FUND GERMAN DALMAGRO
WOMEN’S TENNIS ASSISTANT COACH
MADDIE SIMON
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SOPHOMORE, FORWARD LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
49
States represented by donors to Nebraska Athletics.
2016-17 NEBRASKA ATHLETICS
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FINANCIAL STABILITY: SELF-SUSTAINING PROGRAM GIVES BACK NEBRASKA ATHLETICS RECEIVES $0 in Nebraska tax revenue $0 from the state of Nebraska budget $0 from the University of Nebraska budget $0 from University of Nebraska student fees
NEBRASKA ATHLETICS CONTRIBUTES
$3 million in sales tax revenue $5 million to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s academic mission $6 million in University of Nebraska-Lincoln tuition $9 million in other University goods/services $246 million in economic impact to the city of Lincoln
THE NEBRASKA STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPERIENCE
Nebraska Athletics is one of the few self-sustaining intercollegiate athletic programs in the country that also gives back to the university. In the 2016-17 fiscal year, Nebraska drew nearly 1.3 million fans across all sports through the gates of its world-class facilities. This incredible interest and support enables Nebraska Athletics to invest in the studentathlete experience, as well as the overall game-day experience. Academically and athletically, Nebraska facilities rank among the best in the Big Ten Conference and across the nation. In 2015, Nebraska opened the doors to a state-of-the-art women’s soccer stadium and indoor/outdoor men’s and women’s tennis complex. In the summer of 2017, enhancements were made inside Memorial Stadium including new video and ribbon boards. Despite these upgrades, Nebraska had no debt payments for any athletic facilities in 2016-17, the only public Power 5 school to do so. Nebraska received $112,142,961 in revenue and totaled $103,745,775 in expenses in 2016-17. Ticket sales (33%) and revenue from the Big Ten Conference and NCAA (22%) account for 55% of Athletics annual revenues, while payroll (37%) and the Student-Athlete Experience Fund (36%) account for 73% of expenses. USA Today (NCAA Finances 2015-16) reported that Nebraska is one of only 11 schools (among all public Division I schools) that does not receive any university or state subsidies to support its operation. The Chronicle of Higher Education identified Nebraska as one of only 10 athletic departments that gave more money back to the school than it received in subsidies. Husker Athletics operates with a positive net margin and contributes approximately $20 million to UNL annually including almost $15 million spent with campus partners purchasing goods and services such as tuition, housing, utilities, printing, security services and band support.
As a direct result of continued support from season ticket holders and donors, Nebraska is well-positioned to continue its mission of recruiting and educating the best and brightest student-athletes in intercollegiate athletics. We are committed to supporting our studentathletes without the aid of state or university funding and we will continue to give back to the academic mission of this great university. Nebraska is a leader in providing all the resources and support necessary for its student-athletes to become successful and will continue to strategically invest in its student-athletes. In August of 2014, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors restructured the way member institutions and conferences, including the Big Ten, govern themselves. Nebraska has a history and tradition like no other of providing first-class benefits and support to student-athletes. This change in governance, and subsequent legislation, has paved the way for Nebraska to enhance the benefits and experiences for student-athletes.
EXAMPLES OF ENHANCED BENEFITS
All scholarship student-athletes across all sports have their scholarship calculated based on the full cost of attendance. Every Husker student-athlete has an opportunity to receive an Apple MacBook Air laptop to assist them academically. Nebraska has increased resources and support in all academic and performance-related areas, including but not limited to Academic Services, Life Skills, Athletic Medicine, Athletic Training, Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition and Dining Services (Training Table). The University of Nebraska created the first-of its kind Post-Eligibility Opportunity program (PEO), where every student-athlete who has graduated and exhausted their athletic eligibility, will be provided assistance to pursue an internship, participate in a study abroad program or attend graduate school. Nebraska Athletics has organized service trips abroad each year, giving more than 20 student-athletes opportunities to experience different cultures while assisting communities in Guatemala (2015), Dominican Republic (2016) and Nicaragua (2017).
HUSKERS ENJOY NEW LAPTOPS PROVIDED BY THE STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPERIENCE FUND
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Nebraska Produced $112 Million in Revenue in 2016-17
BOB ELLIOTT
MILT TENOPIR
FOOTBALL (1974-2002) SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
FOOTBALL JULY 8, 2017
CAL BENTZ
SWIMMING & DIVING (1978-2000) JULY 4, 2017
NEARLY 80,000 FANS ATTEND 2017 NEBRASKA SPRING GAME
The University of Nebraska is proud to claim a diverse student-athlete population, that in 2016-17, represented 24 countries and 38 states across America. Nearly 1,000 student-athletes and staff attended the second annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit in 2017. Reka Czuth (second from left), a two-time Husker All-American and Big Ten champion for the track and field team from Pecs. Hungary, was a featured speaker at the Summit. Men’s gymnast Sanjaya Roy (far left, Douglassville, Pennsylvania), football wide receiver Zack Darlington (middle, Apopka, Florida), hurdler Kristen Dowell (second from right, Edwardsville, Illinois) and swimmer Jordan Ehly (Las Cruces, New Mexico) were all members of the first annual Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Team.