Nebraska's Chris Hiser was named Big Ten Freshman by the Big Ten Conference on Monday afternoon, following his impressive performance this past Saturday, March 12 in the tri-meet against Air Force and Army in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Hiser competed on floor in the triangular at Air Force, registering a career-high 14.25 and finishing in fourth overall for the freshman. 

This marks the third Big Ten honor the Longmeadow, Mass. native has collected during the 2022 season. Hiser last claimed this honor Feb. 7.

"Chris continues to impress me with his work ethic, determination and his desire to improve! I am so proud of him and the awards he has earned so far in his young career," said Coach Chuck Chmelka.

Heading into the tenth week of the 2022 season, No. 3 ranked Nebraska currently holds the third-place position in the NCAA on floor with a 4-score average of 68.450. Notably, only trailing 0.5 tenths behind No. 2 ranked Oklahoma. 

Michigan's Paul Juda was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week

Up next, the Huskers are set to take on Ohio State next Sunday, March 20 for their final regular-season meet in Columbus, Ohio. The meet is set to begin at 12:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed on the Big Ten Network.

NU Travels South To Battle No. 58 UCF

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-10) @ #58 UCF Knights (5-9)
Wednesday, March 16 at 5 p.m. CT
USTA National Campus (Orlando, Fla.)
Live Stats: https://scores.tennisticker.de/usa/ustanc/conf/lp.html?lid=84
Live Video: https://www.ustanationalcampus.com/en/home/watch.html

The Nebraska men's tennis team is coming off a tough loss to No. 61 Cornell a week after Victor Moreno Lozano and Nic Wiedenhorn advanced to the semifinals in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships. Nebraska will look to get back on track as they meet No. 58 UCF in their fifth ranked matchup in the last six games.
 
Live streams and stats are available in the links provided above. Updates will be posted to Huskers.com and @HuskerMTennis on Twitter.

Scouting UCF
• The Knights enter Saturday's matchup with an 5-9 record, having won four of their last five matchups.
• UCF has one player on the ITA Top-125 Singles Rankings List: (No. 61 Trey Hilderbrand) and three teams on the ITA Top-80 Doubles Rankings List: (No. 37 Lleyton Cronje/Bogdan Pavel, No. 56 Trey Hilderbrand/Cooper White, No. 60 Cooper White/Lleyton Cronje).
• Against Ohio State, White and Cronje took down the Buckeyes' No. 1 doubles team and the top-ranked doubles team in the nation, 6-3.
• The Knights just announced the signing of Yassine Dlimi who holds a 24-8 juniors record and has reached a ranking as high as No. 4 in Morocco.
 
Series History
• The Huskers and Knights have only met once before in 2003, where UCF knocked off Nebraska 6-1 in Orlando.
• Nebraska and UCF meet for the second time in Orlando, while the two have never faced off at the Dillon Tennis Center.
• The two teams do not share a common opponent, but the Knights have squared off against three ranked Big Ten teams that the Huskers will meet later in the year.

Up Next
• The Huskers will return home after a month away as they host No. 44 Oregon at the Dillon Tennis Center in Lincoln, Neb. on March 23 at 11 a.m.
 
Hietaranta Continues Strong 2022 Campaign
• Roni Hietaranta started the year off strong, winning his first six singles matches to begin the season with a 6-0 record. Dating back to the fall, he now has 15 total singles wins which marks the most on the team thus far.
• On Jan. 25, Hietaranta was named Big Ten Co-Athlete of the Week after singles wins over Baylor and Oklahoma. He knocked off the No. 54 ranked singles competitor in the nation, defeating Oklahoma's Jordan Hasson, 6-4, 7-5. The Lappeenranta, Finland native also defeated Baylor's Cole Gromley in the No. 6 spot, 6-1, 6-3.
• Three weeks ago, Hietaranta rallied back from a 4-2 hole to knock off Wichita State's Orel Ovil and clinch the victory for the Huskers. He won the singles match against Ovil 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Last weekend, he knocked off Princeton's Filippos Astreinidis in consecutive sets to push his spring record to 7-3.

Moreno and Wiedenhorn Shine In Singles/Doubles Play
• Victor Moreno Lozano is currently tied for the second-most wins for the Huskers as he boasts a 5-4 singles record for Nebraska this season. He's gathered three victories in the No. 5 spot and two in the No. 6 spot for the Big Red, defeating Wichita State's Alex Richards to help fuel to comeback victory for Nebraska three weeks ago.
• Nic Wiedenhorn is 2-7 in singles action, but has regularly competed towards the top of the lineup for the Huskers. He began the season winning two of his first three matches and even knocked off Oklahoma's Baptiste Anselmo, 7-6(10), 7-6(6).
• In doubles action, the duo made it to the semifinals of the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships, knocking off three, seeded teams in the tournament. They boasted a 5-1 record over the six games they played, and are now 8-6 as a team overall, with the most doubles wins on the team.

Tough Schedule
• Nebraska has matched up against six, top 75 teams in its first 12 games to begin the spring season. They lost to No. 2 Baylor at home, 6-1, and No. 24 Oklahoma on the road, 5-2 earlier in the year.
• In the Blue-Gray National Classic, they dropped matches to both No. 29 Princeton and No. 25 Auburn. Nebraska recently lost to No. 19 Pepperdine before taking part in the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships this past weekend.
• Once they reach the back half of their schedule, the Huskers will meet currently ranked opponents in seven of their last 11 games.

Haebig Ready for Fourth Nationals Trip

Fifth-year senior Autumn Haebig is set to take the national stage for the fourth time and represent the Huskers at the 2022 NCAA Championships in Atlanta, Ga., March 16-19.

The meet kicks off with the 800 freestyle relay on Wednesday night at McAuley Aquatic Center, before individual events hit the water on Thursday morning. Haebig opens her week in the 500 freestyle prelims during the Thursday morning session held at 9 a.m. (CT) and will compete for a spot in the finals at 5 p.m. (CT). Haebig notched a 14th-place finish at nationals in the 500 free during the 2021 season.           

Haebig will return to the pool on Thursday morning to swim in the 200 freestyle, an event the senior from Grafton, Wis., finished sixth in at the 2022 Big Ten Championships. Haebig became the first Nebraska swimmer to win an individual Big Ten title when she won the 200 free at the 2021 Big Ten Championships. This week marks Haebig's fourth time qualifying for the NCAAs in the 200 free (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022). A year ago, Haebig clocked a 1:44.39 to finish ninth and tie her school record. 

On Friday, Haebig will round out her week in the 100 freestyle prelims at 9 a.m. (CT) and hopes to earn a spot in the finals Friday night.

A live video stream of the event will be available through ESPN3.

Nebraska at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships
Atlanta, Ga.
March 16-19, 2022

Thursday, March 17
500 Free - Prelims (Autumn Haebig)  - 9 a.m.  
500 Free - Finals - 5 p.m.

Friday, March 18
200 Free - Prelims (Autumn Haebig) - 9 a.m.
200 Free - Finals - 5 p.m.

Saturday, March 19
100 Free - Prelims (Autumn Haebig) - 9 a.m.
100 Free - Finals - 5 p.m.

Huskers Face Toreros in Tuesday Double Header

The Nebraska softball team (15-7) is set for a Tuesday double header with the San Diego Toreros (11-17). The Toreros are led by former Husker standout MJ Knighten in her second season as the head coach.

The first game will start at 5 p.m. CT at the USD Softball Complex. The second game is set to start at approximately 7:30 p.m. CT or 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.

The games will be broadcasted live on the Huskers Radio Network and Huskers.com with the call from Nate Rohr.

The Huskers are coming off of a 4-1 weekend at the Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State Tournament. NU picked up its first win after a walk-off two-run homer from Cam Ybarra lifted the Big Red to a 10-9 win over Sacramento State. In the second game of the weekend, Nebraska faced Cal State Fullerton, winning 3-1.

On day two, NU faced Boston University,  winning 5-2 with the help of a sixth-inning rally that tallied three home runs from Peyton Glatter, Brooke Andrews and Billie Andrews.

On day three, the Huskers fell to Central Florida, 7-3. Closing out the weekend, Nebraska claimed a 9-0 victory over host Long Beach State.

Scouting the Opponents
San Diego (11-17) is coming off of a 2-2 finish at the Torero Classic. USD opened the weekend with a 9-7 win over CSUN before falling to Weber State, 3-1. The Toreros picked up their second win with a 2-1 victory over CSUN, but fell to San Diego State, 4-3, to finish the weekend.

USD is led by redshirt junior Alexia Torculas who holds a .299 batting average. The Salinas, Calif., native has tallied 26 hits including two doubles, one triple and six RBIs. Senior Noelle Hee has also lifted the offense, hitting 2 home runs and notching 17 RBIs.

In the circle for San Diego, redshirt junior Madison Earnshaw has led with a record of 5-5. The San Carlos, Calif., native has thrown three  complete games, striking out 43. Earnshaw has also earned two saves. Courtney Rose (4-6) has also been a leader in the circle, tallying two saves and 72 strikeouts.

MJ Knighten, former Husker who played at Nebraska from 2014-17, will lead the Toreros in the first match up between the two schools.

Follow the Huskers
Fans can listen to the live broadcast on the Huskers Radio Network or Huskers.com with the call from Nate Rohr. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter (@HuskerSoftball).

Huskers in the Ranks

• The Huskers are currently ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference with a .316 batting average.
• Averaging 1.68 home runs per game, the Big Red ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference.
• NU is ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference in runs per game, averaging 6.77.
• Nebraska holds a .417 on base percentage which ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference.
• NU has dominated in slugging percentage with a .566, ranking No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 16 nationally.
• The Huskers have tallied 95 walks through 22 games, a number that ranks first in the Big Ten and ninth nationally.
• Averaging 0.23 triples per game, NU ranks third in the Big Ten.

Nebraska Quick Hits

• Billie Andrews ranks first nationally with 14 home runs.
• The sophomore also ranks No. 1 in the NCAA with 0.64  home runs per game.
• Andrews also ranks first in runs per game with an average of 1.36.
• Cam Ybarra ranks first in the conference in triples with 3 and triples per game (0.18).
• In the game against Northern Colorado, Olivia Ferrell made her 100th appearance in the circle.
• Sydney Gray ranks third in the Big Ten with seven home runs.
• Billie Andrews, Sydney Gray and Kaylin Kinney have all slugged two home runs in one game this season.
• Against New Mexico State, Camyl Armendariz smashed her first career hit, a home run to help the Huskers to a 14-4 win.
• Courtney Wallace set a career-high with 10 strikeouts against Central Florida.
• In the game against Long Beach State, Olivia Ferrell matched her career-high with 10 strikeouts.

Huskers Host NMSU in Midweek Series

NEBRASKA vs. NEW MEXICO STATE
March 15-16, 2022
Hawks Field | Lincoln, Neb.
 
Tuesday, March 15 – 6:35 p.m.
Pitching: RHP Dawson McCarville (1-1) vs. RHP (Cam Blazek (1-1)
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Husker Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
 
Wednesday, March 16 – 1:35 p.m.
Pitching: TBD vs. TBD
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Husker Radio Network – Lincoln (1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App

The Nebraska baseball team continues its 10-game homestand at Hawks Field with a two-game midweek series vs. New Mexico State on Tuesday-Wednesday, March 15-16.
 
First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., while Wednesday's contest is set for 1:35 p.m. at Hawks Field.
 
Tuesday and Wednesday's games will be broadcast live on B1G+. Fans can also listen to Greg Sharpe and Ben McLaughlin call the action on Tuesday night and Sharpe and Nick Handley on the call Wednesday on the Huskers Radio Network. Both games will be carried on KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln and KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha. Every game this season can be heard for free on Huskers.com and the Official Nebraska Huskers App for both iOS and Android devices.
 
Last Time Out
Nebraska split a two-game series with Omaha after a 6-5 walk-off victory for the Big Red on Monday afternoon at Hawks Field. The Mavericks took the first game on Sunday with a 4-3 walk-off victory in Omaha. On Monday, Huskers led 5-3 after seven innings until the Mavericks tied it up at five in the top of the ninth. Max Anderson looped a double down the left field line in the bottom of the ninth with one out and came around to score on Griffin Everitt's walk-off RBI single. Everitt had a career day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI and two runs.
 
3/13: Omaha 4, Nebraska 3
3/14: Nebraska 6, Omaha 5
 
Next Up
Nebraska continues play at home after the midweek series with the Aggies, welcoming Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to Hawks Field for a three-game series on Friday-Sunday, March 18-20.
 
Scouting the New Mexico State Aggies
• New Mexico State enters the midweek series with a 9-4 record (1-2 WAC) after dropping their three-game series vs. Seattle U last weekend at home.
• Gunner Antillon is hitting .434 with nine doubles, two home runs, 13 RBI and 15 runs to lead the Aggies at the plate this season. Logan Gallina has a team-high five homers and 17 RBI while hitting .426 this season, followed by Ryan Grabosch (.353) and Cal Villareal (.351).
• Tuesday night starter Cam Blazek has made four appearances, making one start, and is 1-1 on the season with a 7.84 ERA. Blazek has allowed nine runs on 11 hits and has 11 strikeouts in 10.1 innings of work.
• As a team, the Aggies are hitting .323 with 149 hits, 35 doubles, six triples, 19 home runs and 108 runs. The NMSU pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.53, while allowing 58 runs, 47 earned, and striking out 147 hitters in 120 innings.
• Head coach Mike Kirby is in his third season at New Mexico State and has posted a career record of 41-42.
 
The Series
• Nebraska leads the all-time series over New Mexico State, 5-3.
• In their last meeting, the Huskers posted a 6-4 win over the Aggies at the Dairy Queen Classic in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn. on March 3, 2012.
 
Leading Off
• Luke Jessen is hitting a team-best .333 at the plate, followed by Griffin Everitt (.327) and Colby Gomes (.324).
• Griffin Everitt leads the Huskers with three home runs, 11 RBI and nine runs, while Max Anderson and Brice Matthews are tied with Everitt with a team-high nine runs.
• In four appearances, Koty Frank has a 1.35 ERA after allowing only four runs, three earned, in 20 innings on the mound.
• Emmett Olson has made a team-high six appearances on the mound this season, followed by Tyler Martin and Mason Ornelas with five appearances each.
• As a team, Nebraska is hitting .258 with 119 hits, 19 doubles, five triples, eight homers and 60 runs.
• The Husker pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.03, while allowing 66 runs, 52 earned, and striking out 108 in 116 innings.
 
Home Sweet Home
• Nebraska began a string of 10 consecutive games at home at Hawks Field vs. Omaha on Monday.
• With the 6-5 walk-off victory over the Mavericks on Monday, the Huskers improved to 16-6 in home games under head coach Will Bolt.
• The Big Red went 10-5 last season at Hawks Field after going 5-1 in the 2020 campaign before the season was canceled due to COVID-19.