University of Nebraska athletic teams continued their rise across the board among national programs in 2005-06, as 15 of the Huskers’ 23 varsity sports finished the year ranked among the top 25 teams in the country last season.
The Nebraska volleyball team enjoyed the greatest success of the Husker programs, advancing to the NCAA title match for the fifth time in school history. The Husker volleyball team, which stretched its streak of consecutive home sellouts at the NU Coliseum to 71, won the Big 12 Conference title and finished second nationally to lead an impressive list of six NU programs that closed the year among the top five teams in the nation.
Individually, 37 Nebraska student-athletes captured 48 All-America awards in their respective sports, including NCAA indoor and outdoor long jump national champion Arturs Abolins, NCAA outdoor women’s discus champion Dace Ruskule, NCAA air rifle champion Kristina Fehlings, American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player-of-the-Year Christina Houghtelling, and National Tenpin Coaches Player-of-the-Year Lindsay Baker.
The Nebraska rifle program contributed the best finish in school history by adding an NCAA runner-up finish and its second straight Great America Rifle Conference championship, while the Husker bowling team produced a third-place NCAA finish. The Nebraska women’s track and field added a tie for fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while the women’s gymnastics team added a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships after advanced to the NCAA Super Six Finals for the seventh time in the past nine years. The Nebraska wrestling team wrapped up another strong season at No. 5 in the final national dual rankings.
In addition to the top-level success of Nebraska’s teams, the Huskers also produced major improvements in several sports. The Nebraska football team, which extended its NCAA-record of consecutive home sellouts at Memorial Stadium to 275, returned to the top 25 in the national rankings with its 24th-place final ranking from the Associated Press. NU finished the year with an 8-4 record and an Alamo Bowl victory over Michigan. The Huskers celebrated three more wins than their 2004 campaign.
The Nebraska softball team advanced to the NCAA Regional finals and finished the season with a 44-12 record, an eight-game improvement in the victory column over 2005. The Huskers finished with the third-best winning percentage in school history and a No. 14 final national ranking.
The Nebraska women’s golf team also enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history, advancing to the NCAA Championships for just the third time in school history while finishing 20th. The Huskers finished eighth at the NCAA Central Regional, after not making a regional tournament in 2005.
The Husker men’s golf program also experienced a major jump, vaulting from 12th to sixth at the Big 12 Conference Championships while qualifying for NCAA Central Regional competition for the first time since 1999. The women’s cross country team leaped four spots from ninth to fifth in the final conference standings while finishing fifth in NCAA Midwest Regional competition. The men’s cross country team also finished two spots higher at the Big 12 meet than in 2004.
The women’s swimming and diving team also continued to show improvements in the pool, scoring points at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2001, placing 36th overall.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams also continued to make strides. The women’s basketball team earned a postseason bid for the third straight season and won a pair of postseason games for the first time in school history. The Huskers’ 19 wins were the most since the 1998-99 season. The Husker men also finished with 19 wins and earned a postseason berth after advancing to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals for the first time since 1998.
The Nebraska baseball team capped another strong season by playing host to an NCAA Regional tournament for the fifth time in the past six years. The Huskers finished with a 42-17 record and advanced to the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament for the second straight year. Nebraska also set another school record for average home attendance, attracting 5,092 fans per game to Hawks Field.
The Nebraska track and field programs added four top-20 national team finishes at the NCAA Championships, while adding three of Nebraska’s Big 12 runner-up finishes across all of its sports. The Nebraska soccer team tied for second in the Big 12 standings and won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight season, finishing the year ranked 21st nationally.
The wrestling team finished 16th at the NCAA Championships, while the women’s tennis team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year - marking the first two NCAA trips in that sport in school history.
Spring Season HighlightsAcross all spring sports, Nebraska produced one of its best seasons in school history. Husker teams earned NCAA Championship berths in baseball, softball, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s golf, and women’s tennis, marking the first time in school history that Nebraska had seven spring sports claim NCAA bids. Geographically, only one other northern-based school in the nation earned NCAA berths in those seven sports.
The Nebraska baseball team made another run into the postseason by hosting an NCAA Regional for the fifth time in the past six seasons. The Huskers finished with a 42-17 record, while finishing third in the Big 12 regular-season standings with a 17-10 mark. The Huskers, who advanced to the Big 12 Tournament title game for the second straight year and finished 15th in the final Baseball America rankings, were one of seven Big 12 schools to earn bids in the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska’s average home attendance of 5,092 fans per game was the top mark in school history and included a weekend series crowd of more than 25,000 for the Huskers’ final regular-season series against Oklahoma.
Individually, five Huskers earned first-team All-Big 12 honors, including second-team All-American Luke Gorsett (outfield) and third-team All-Americans Tony Watson (pitcher) and Ryan Wehrle (shortstop). Wehrle became the first NU shortstop to earn first-team all-conference honors since Larry Mims in 1985. The Huskers also produced a strong showing in the Major League Baseball player draft, as right-handed pitcher Joba Chamberlain was chosen in the first round by the New York Yankees, giving the Huskers first-round draft picks in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.
The softball team made its 12th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the regional championship game in Iowa City. A league-high six Huskers earned All-Big 12 honors, including three first-team selections.
The men’s and women’s track and field teams produced a pair of individual national champions who claimed three NCAA titles. Arturs Abolins became the first male long jumper in school history to capture an NCAA title during the indoor national meet, then completed an NCAA championship sweep with another title outdoors to help the men to a pair of top 20 national finishes.
Dace Ruskule captured her first NCAA title in the discus to help the women claim a tie for fourth place at the outdoor national meet in June. Priscille Lopes added a pair of runner-up finishes on the year in the 60-meter and 100-meter hurdles, while Becky Breisch added a runner-up finish in the outdoor shot put. Breisch closed her career at Nebraska as a 10-time All-American, while Lopes enters her final season at Nebraska as an eight-time All-American.
The women’s tennis team continued its growing success by advancing to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. Newcomer Kim Hartmann made an instant impact by capturing Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year honors.
The women’s golf team made a move up the leaderboard at the Big 12 Championships at the Lincoln Country Club, finishing in a tie for fourth in the final standings, before qualifying for its third-ever NCAA Championships with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Central Regional. Nebraska’s 20th-place finish at the NCAA Championships marked the second-best finish in school history, while the Huskers posted their top four-round score and single-round score in NU history at the NCAA Championships.
The men’s golf team surged from a 12th-place showing in 2005 to a sixth-place finish in 2006 at the Big 12 Championships. The Huskers also qualified for NCAA Central Regional competition for the first time since 2000.
Winter Season HighlightsThe winter sports season brought abundant success for the Huskers, as the rifle, bowling and women’s gymnastics teams all produced top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships, while the wrestling team added a top-five final national dual ranking.
The Nebraska rifle team produced the best season in school history by finishing second at the NCAA Championships, while capturing seven All-America awards. Misty Chanek and Kristina Fehlings each claimed All-America awards in both the air rifle and smallbore, while Fehlings captured the NCAA air rifle title. Kirsten Weiss (smallbore), Andrea Franzen (air rifle) and Kim Chrostowski (air rifle) also claimed national honors. The Huskers also captured the Great America Rifle Conference crown, while Chanek was named the GARC Senior of the Year, while Coach Launi Meili claimed GARC Coach-of-the-Year honors.
The bowling team won an unprecedented eight consecutive regular-season tournament titles before finishing third at the NCAA Championships. It was the third straight top-three finish for Coach Bill Straub and the Huskers at the first three NCAA Championships in history.
Coach Dan Kendig’s women’s gymnastics team rolled to another outstanding season, earning a seventh trip to the NCAA Super Six Finals in the past nine years. Seven Huskers combined to win 10 All-America certificates at the NCAA Championships, including three-time first-team All-American Emily Parsons.
The wrestling team forged to a No. 5 national dual ranking during the year and sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. The Huskers finished 16th at the NCAA Championships, while B.J. Padden (3rd, 197 pounds) and Jacob Klein (7th, 174 pounds) earned All-America honors.
The men’s basketball team finished with a .500 or better record for the third straight season by finishing with a 19-14 record and a postseason tournament berth. The Huskers also advanced to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals for the first time since 1998.
The women’s basketball enjoyed one of its best seasons in recent memory by advancing to its third straight postseason tournament while finishing with a 19-13 record. NU’s 19 victories were the most since 1998-99, while the Huskers also posted a pair of postseason wins for the first time in school history. Kiera Hardy captured first-team All-Big 12 honors for the second straight season and will have a chance to become just NU’s third three-time first-team all-conference selection next season. Kelsey Griffin earned a spot on the Big 12’s All-Newcomer Team and was chosen as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the Dallas Morning News.
Fall Season HighlightsThe Nebraska volleyball program added another chapter to its storied tradition by advancing to the NCAA title match for the fifth time in school history while making its 12th consecutive trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. National Coach of the Year John Cook and the Huskers claimed the Big 12 title and finished with a 33-2 overall record, while Christina Houghtelling captured AVCA National Player-of-the-Year honors. Sarah Pavan, who earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Year accolades, joined Houghtelling and Melissa Elmer as first-team All-Americans, while Jennifer Saleaumua added third-team All-America honors.
The volleyball team’s success on the court also carried over into the stands, where the Huskers extended their consecutive home sellout streak to 71 matches at the NU Coliseum. Nebraska nearly sold out Qwest Center Omaha for the NCAA Regionals with crowds of more than 15,000. Nebraska hosts the NCAA semifinals and final at Qwest Center Omaha in 2006 - an event that sold out 11 months in advance.
The Nebraska football team made major strides on the field in Coach Bill Callahan’s second season, closing the year on a three-game winning streak to finish with an 8-4 record and a No. 24 national ranking. The Huskers capped a strong finish with a 32-28 victory over a top-25 Michigan team in the Alamo Bowl. The Huskers also extended their NCAA-record home sellout streak at Memorial Stadium to 275 games.
Junior quarterback Zac Taylor rewrote the Nebraska passing record book in his first season with the Huskers, while place-kicker Jordan Congdon and defensive end Barry Turner earned freshman All-America honors. The Huskers also had four players chosen in the NFL Draft, including second-round pick Daniel Bullocks.
The Husker soccer team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive year under Coach John Walker and finished with a 14-8-1 record. The soccer team also produced its 10th straight top-25 finish, while finishing in a tie for second in the Big 12 standings with a 6-3-1 record. Brittany Timko also earned her second straight Big 12 Player-of-the-Year award.
The men’s and women’s cross country also made strides in the 2005, as the women’s team finished fifth at the Big 12 Championships and fifth at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. Senior Kayte Tranel led the Husker women’s resurgence, becoming just the fifth female runner in school history to earn All-America honors with her 28th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The men’s program also improved two spots at the Big 12 Championships with it’s 10th-place showing.
