The Nebraska Athletics Department has announced that former Nebraska baseball All-Americans Darin Erstad, Alex Gordon and Shane Komine will have their jerseys retired in a ceremony prior to the start of the Huskers' game against Illinois on Friday, March 24.
 
Erstad, Gordon and Komine become the first three players to earn the high distinction in the program's 117-year history.
 
"It is fitting that Darin Erstad, Shane Komine and Alex Gordon are the first Husker baseball players to be honored with a retired jersey," said Nebraska Vice Chancellor, Director of Athletics Trev Alberts. "Each of them left a lasting legacy of excellence and helped elevate Nebraska baseball to new heights. Darin, Shane, and Alex are members of our Athletics Hall of Fame and have been great ambassadors for Nebraska, and we look forward to honoring them this spring."
 
Erstad was a history maker on the diamond, and he was also the starting punter on the Huskers 1994 national championship football team. A three-year letterwinner from 1993 to 1995, Erstad was the first Husker to be a conference player of the year and was NU's first finalist for a national player-of-the-year award. Despite playing only three seasons, he ended his career with a school-record 261 hits, while also finishing second all-time in doubles (46), third in home runs (41) and RBI (182) and fifth in runs scored (188). Erstad was a first-team All-American, the Big Eight Co-Player of the Year and a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award in 1995 after hitting .410 with 19 home runs, 79 RBI and a school-record 46 extra-base hits.
 
After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft, Erstad went on to have a 14-year career, where he became the first player in MLB history to win Gold Glove awards at multiple positions. The three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time All-Star led the majors with 240 hits, won a Silver Slugger Award and became the first leadoff hitter in MLB history to drive in 100 runs in 2000. Erstad returned to Nebraska as a volunteer coach in 2011, before serving as head coach for eight seasons from 2012 to 2019. Under Erstad, the Huskers went 267-193-1, won the 2017 Big Ten regular-season title and had four Regional appearances.
 
After earning freshman All-America honors in 2003, Gordon was honored as a first-team All-American in both 2004 and 2005. In 2005, he was the consensus national player of the year, winning the Golden Spikes, Brooks Wallace, Dick Howser and the ABCA National Player-of-the-Year Awards. In addition to his accolades at the national level, Gordon was the two-time district player of the year and two-time Big 12 Player of the Year. A third baseman at Nebraska, he led the Huskers to a school-record 57 victories in 2005, when Nebraska captured its first College World Series victory. The Lincoln native hit .353 in his NU career with 53 doubles, 11 triples, 44 home runs and 189 RBI.
 
A 2004 U.S. National Team member, Gordon went on to have a stellar professional career after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft. Named Baseball America's 2006 Minor League Player of the Year in his first professional season, he was a three-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner in left field, while also winning the 2014 Platinum Glove Award as the top defensive player in the American League. Gordon capped his 14-year career in the Majors with 1,643 hits, 357 doubles, 26 triples, 190 home runs, 749 RBI and 867 runs with the Royals. Gordon has also given back to the University of Nebraska, donating $1 million toward the Alex Gordon Training Complex, an indoor training facility for the Nebraska baseball and softball programs.
 
One of the top pitchers in NCAA history, Komine rewrote the Husker pitching record book while leading the program to new heights. He posted a 41-8 record with a 2.84 ERA over 68 career appearances and 59 starts, tossing 18 complete-games and four shutouts. In 431 career innings, Komine posted 510 strikeouts, the fifth-highest totally in NCAA history. He ended his career with the all-time school records for wins, innings, starts, complete-games, strikeouts and shutouts. Along the way, Komine became the first two-time first-team All-American in program history, and he was a three-time All-American overall.
 
A National Player of the Year finalist in 2000, Komine was selected as the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year in both 2000 and 2001, after being recognized as the 1999 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a first-team freshman All-American. Nebraska recorded 190 victories in Komine's four seasons, including the first two 50-win seasons in program history (2000, 2001). Komine also helped lead the Huskers to the first two College World Series appearances in program history in 2001 and 2002. Following his Husker career, Komine was selected in the ninth round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft, and he played two seasons for the Oakland Athletics. He also excelled in the classroom at Nebraska, as he was a second-team Academic All-American as a senior.

Huskers Back Home for Big Game with Illini

Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-9, 6-6 Big Ten)
vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (18-6, 8-5 Big Ten)
Thursday, February 9, 2023, 7 p.m. (CT)
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, Nebraska
Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Live Video: B1G+ 
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (6:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM/1400 AM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Special Event: Black History Celebration/DEI Rising Coaches

Huskers Back Home for Big Game With Illini
The Nebraska women's basketball team returns to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday night to open an important two-game series with Illinois.

Tip-off between the Huskers (14-9, 6-6 Big Ten) and the Fighting Illini (18-6, 8-5 Big Ten) is set for 7 p.m. (CT) with tickets on sale now at Huskers.com. A live video stream will be provided to subscribers of B1G+. 

The game also can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on 107.3 FM and 1400 AM in Lincoln along with 590 AM in Omaha, Huskers.com and the Huskers App.

Nebraska and Illinois are both battling for position in the heart of the Big Ten standings. The Huskers are coming off their second straight win, a 78-66 victory at Northwestern on Monday night in Evanston. Nebraska led from start to finish, building as much as a 22-point lead before securing the double-digit road victory.

Illinois comes to Lincoln as one of the nation's most improved teams under first-year Head Coach Shauna Green.  The Fighting Illini own an 11-game improvement in the win column from a year ago (7-20) and have already secured just their second winning season since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011-12 (Illinois - 19-14, 2012-13). The Illini sit just ahead of the Huskers in the NCAA NET Rankings as well, coming in at No. 35 in front of No. 39 Nebraska.

Isabelle Bourne, a 6-2 junior from Canberra, Australia, led Nebraska at Northwestern with 18 points and eight rebounds. Bourne has averaged 19.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in Nebraska's last two wins to increase her season averages to 11.5 points and 6.5 boards. Bourne, a two-time honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice, has averaged 19.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in her last three games against Illinois.

Sam Haiby is also surging for the Big Red while contrinuing to increase her quickness, explosiveness and endurance after missing 10 of Nebraska's first 11 games with an injury. The 5-9 graduate guard from Moorhead, Minn., is coming off a season-high 17 points at Northwestern. Her effort in Evanston followed her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Michigan State in Lincoln last Thursday. Since returning to the starting lineup against Michigan (Dec. 28), Haiby is averaging 11.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals. Over the last six games, those numbers have increased to 14.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.2 steals.

Alexis Markowski notched her 11th double-double with 11 points and and 10 rebounds in the win at Northwestern. The 6-3 sophomore who ranks second in the Big Ten with 9.6 rebounds per game, trailing only Kendall Bostic from Illinois. Markowski was named to the Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 on Friday, Feb. 3. Markowski was the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and ranks second among the Huskers with 12.1 points per game while leading the Big Red with 1.0 block per contest. She owns three straight double-doubles and five in her last seven games. Her 11 double-doubles on the year are tied for 22nd nationally and ninth on the individual season charts at Nebraska (Emily Cady, 2014-15). Markowski's next double-double will her 18th, which will move her into the top 10 on NU's career double-double list with two-time WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge (1995-98).

Jaz Shelley continues to be a leader for the Huskers. The 5-9 guard from Moe, Australia (pronounced MO-ee), is averaging team bests with 12.5 points, 6.5 assists and 1.6 steals. Shelley finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and a career-high-tying four blocked shots in the win at Northwestern. She crossed the 1,000-point scoring mark in her career in the closing minutes against the Wildcats (706-Nebraska; 296-Oregon).

Maddie Krull (Omaha, Neb.) rounds out Nebraska's starting five with 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists on the season. Krull has scored in double figures in four of the last eight games. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-9, 6-6 Big Ten)
34 - Isabelle Bourne - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 11.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg
40 - Alexis Markowski - 6-3 - So. - C/F - 12.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg
1 - Jaz Shelley - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 12.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg
4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Gr. - G - 10.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg
42 - Maddie Krull - 5-9 - So. - G - 5.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Off the Bench
21 - Annika Stewart - 6-3 - So. - F - 6.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg
14 - Callin Hake - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 5.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg
15 - Kendall Moriarty - 6-1 - So. - G - 3.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg
44 - Maggie Mendelson - 6-5 - Fr. - F/C - 3.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
32 - Kendall Coley - 6-2 - So. - F/G - 1.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg
2 - Trinity Brady - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner (Out) - 5-10 - So. - G - 10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
Seventh Season at Nebraska (110-93); 16th Season Overall (303-202)

Illinois Fighting Illini (18-6, 8-5 Big Ten)
23 - Brynn Shoup-Hill - 6-3 - So. - F - 6.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
44 - Kendall Bostic - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 10.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg
1 - Genesis Bryant - 5-6 - Jr. - G - 15.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg
3 - Makira Cook - 5-6 - Jr. - G - 17.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg
24 - Adalia McKenzie - 5-10 - So. - G - 14.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Off the Bench
11 - Jada Peebles - 5-10 - Sr. - G - 6.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg
12 - Jayla Oden - 5-9 - So. - G - 4.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg
14 - Geovana Lopes - 6-3 - Gr. - F/C - 1.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg
21 - Aicha Ndour - 6-6 - Jr. - C - 1.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg
4 - Kam'Ren Rhodes - 5-6 - Fr. - G - 2.1 ppg, 0.6 rpg
33 - Samantha Dewey - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 1.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg
0 - Camille Jackson - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 1.0 ppg, 0.6 rpg
13 - Liisa Taponen - 6-5 - Fr. - C - 0.3 ppg, 0.4 rpg
Head Coach: Shauna Green (Canisius, 2002)
First Season at Illinois (18-6); Ninth Season Overall (174-81)

Scouting The Illinois Fighting Illini
Coach Shauna Green brings her first Illinois team to Lincoln with an 18-6 overall record and an 8-5 Big Ten mark, including handing No. 5 Iowa its only Big Ten loss of the season (Jan. 1). The Fighting Illini also have two losses to current No. 2 Indiana and losses at current No. 12 Michigan and No. 13 Ohio State along with a home Big Ten loss to Purdue (62-52, Jan. 26). The setback to Purdue joins a non-conference loss to Delaware (Nov. 26) as the Illini's only losses this season to unranked opponents.

Illinois is coming off a 69-62 home win over Minnesota on Sunday to complete a season series sweep of the Golden Gophers.

Illinois was ranked briefly in both the AP and WBCA Top 25 polls a few weeks ago and the Fighting Illini are currently the No. 2 team receiving votes outside both polls (27th).

A win for Illinois against the Huskers would give the Illini their most wins in a season since 2012-13 when they went 19-14 under then-first-year head coach Matt Bollant. Since then, Illinois has not had a winning season and recorded no more than 15 wins in any campaign. Illinois has not had a 20-win campaign since Jolette Law's first season leading the Illini in 2007-08 (20-15).

Illinois ended 2021-22 with a 92-74 loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament second round at Indianapolis in the final game of Coach Nancy Fahey's five years with the Illini. Fahey finished with a 42-99 overall record, including a 7-77 Big Ten mark.

Green and the Illini have changed the trajectory of their program by finding ways to maximize the strengths of several key players from a year ago while adding three impact transfers, including two who followed Green from her previous coaching stop at Dayton.

Makira Cook, a 5-6 junior who spent two seasons at Dayton, leads the Illini with 17.8 points per game. Cook was a second-team All-Atlantic 10 selection last season and a member of the A-10 All-Tournament team. She averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists as a sophomore at Dayton.

Fellow Dayton transfer Brynn Shoup-Hill has joined the Illinois starting five. The 6-3 sophomore forward is averaging 6.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Shoup is hitting better than 40 percent (29-72) of her three-point attempts on the season.

A third transfer, junior guard Genesis Bryant from NC State, has made a major impact by averaging 15.3 points and a team-leading 3.9 assists. She also ranks second among the Illini with 1.2 steals. The 5-6 Bryant is a knock-down shooter who has connected on 43.8 percent (57-130) of her three-point attempts.

While the new faces in the Illinois program have made impacts, returning players Kendall Bostic, Adalia McKenzie, Jada Peebles, Jayla Oden and Geovana Lopes have played major roles in the Illini's success. Bostic, a 6-2 junior forward, is averaging a double-double with 10.5 points and a Big Ten-best 10.1 rebounds per game. She also leads the Illini with 41 blocks on the year.

Sophomore guard Adalia McKenzie has grown into one of the league's most explosive wing players averaging 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds while leading the Illini with 1.5 steals per game.

Senior Jada Peebles leads the Illini off the bench with 6.1 points while hitting a team-best 47.4 percent (37-78) from three-point range. Sophomore guard Jayla Oden has added 4.3 points as a part-time starter in the Illinois backcourt, while graduate forward Geovana Lopes gives the Illini a solid and experienced eight-player rotation.

As a team, Illinois is hitting 46 percent of its shots from the field, including a sizzling 37.7 percent from three-point range. The Illini also have hit 76.4 percent of their free throws. They own a plus-7.1 rebound margin and a plus-1.2 turnover margin. Illinois is averaging 77.3 while allowing 64.1 points per game on the season.

In Big Ten play only, the scoring margin for Illinois has narrowed to 73.0-70.8, while the rebound gap as shrunk to 36.5-34.2, but the Illini have expanded their turnover margin to plus-1.6. They have hit 43.3 percent from the field, including 32.8 percent from long range and 77.3 percent at the line.

Nebraska vs. Illinois Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Illinois 18-5, including eight consecutive victories. 

Jaz Shelley led Nebraska with a career-high-tying 32 points and a school-record nine three-pointers in Nebraska's 92-74 win over Illinois in the second round of the 2022 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis (March 3). Shelley added seven assists in a spectacular effort, hitting 11-of-16 shots from the field overall. Alexis Markowski added 22 points and nine rebounds in Coach Nancy Fahey's last game leading the Illini. Isabelle Bourne (15) and Sam Haiby (10) both contributed double figures for the Big Red. Adalia McKenzie led Illinois with 18 points, and Jayla Oden contributed 14 off the bench.

Shelley also scored 21 points on five three-pointers in an 82-63 win in Champaign (Feb. 12, 2022). Isabelle Bourne added 17 points and seven rebounds. Sam Haiby was also outstanding with 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.

Nebraska is 15-3 against Illinois as Big Ten Conference foes, including 13-2 in Big Ten regular-season conference games. The last win in the series for Illinois came with a 79-70 decision over the Huskers at the Big Ten Tournament (March 1, 2017).

Nebraska owns four straight wins over the Illini in Champaign and six straight over Illinois at Pinnacle Bank Arena. NU is 8-1 against the Illini in Lincoln. The only Illinois win came with a 62-52 victory over the Huskers on Jan. 17, 2013.

The series dates back to an 89-86 Nebraska win over the Illini on March 3, 1982 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Husker Numbers to Watch
Sam Haiby is one assist away from No. 7 on the NU career list (444, Amy Stephens, 1985-89).

Isabelle Bourne (576) needs four rebounds to catch Catheryn Redmon at No. 21 on Nebraska's career rebound list (580, 2008-11).

Sam Haiby is 28 points away (1,513) from matching Angie Miller for No. 12 on Nebraska's all-time scoring list (1,541 points, 1984-87).

Isabelle Bourne is 11 points away from catching Kate Cain at No. 29 on NU's scoring list (1,085, 2018-21) and 15 points from Nafeesah Brown at No. 28 (1,089, 1992-94). Issie's older sister, Callie, recently reached the 1,000-point mark in her fifth season at Idaho State, achieving the milestone at San Diego (Nov. 25) in career game No. 118.

Sam Haiby needs nine rebounds to match Pyra Aarden (611, 1993-96) in 19th on Nebraska's career rebound list. Haiby is 15 rebounds away from Carol Garey at No. 18 (617, 1979-80). 

Alexis Markowski is one point away from 700 and 14 rebounds away from 500 in her career.

Maddie Krull is four points away from 600 in her college career.

Injuries Altering Nebraska's Season
While Nebraska is squarely in the hunt for a second straight NCAA Tournament bid (NET No. 39), the Huskers have had their journey through the season challenged with several injuries to key players.

Despite Nebraska returning five starters (Isabelle Bourne, Alexis Markowski, Jaz Shelley, Allison Weidner, Sam Haiby) from last year's team that went 24-9 overall and 11-7 in the Big Ten, Haiby missed 10 of the first 11 games this season with a leg injury suffered in practice (Sept. 12).

Trinity Brady, a fourth-year guard, started the first eight games in place of Haiby, before Brady suffered a concussion in the first half of a loss at No. 9 Virginia Tech (Dec. 1). Brady has missed the last 15 games.

Despite the loss of Brady and the absence of Haiby, Nebraska notched an impressive 90-67 road win at No. 20 Maryland (Dec. 4) in the first start by Maddie Krull as a Husker.

However, prior to Nebraska's next game with Wisconsin (Dec. 7), the Huskers lost Isabelle Bourne to an upper body injury suffered in practice. Bourne missed three games, as Annika Stewart made the first three starts of her career. Nebraska went 3-0 with wins over Wisconsin, Samford and Wyoming.

Bourne returned to the starting lineup for a 3OT win over Kansas (Dec. 21), but Allison Weidner suffered a season-ending leg injury early in the fourth quarter of the victory over the Jayhawks. Weidner has missed Nebraska's last 10 games and underwent season-ending surgery (Jan. 10).

Weidner's injury hastened the return of Sam Haiby to the starting lineup for Nebraska's Big Ten loss to No. 14 Michigan (Dec. 28).

Nebraska was forced to make another adjustment to its starting five in a win at Purdue (Jan. 18), when Maddie Krull missed a start because of illness. Freshman Callin Hake made her first career start and played well with eight points and three rebounds. Krull also played huge off the bench, overcoming illness for one of her best performances of the season, finishing with 15 points in the victory over the Boilermakers.

The only two Huskers to start all 23 contests this season are Jaz Shelley and Alexis Markowski, despite Markowski battling multiple nagging injuries from preseason to the present. Shelley ranks second in the Big Ten with 35.2 minutes played per game.

Huskers Face Historic Strength of Schedule
Nebraska's game with No. 10 Iowa (Jan. 28) was its ninth this season against an AP Top 25 team at game time, and the Huskers are scheduled to face at least two more current top-25 foes. If those numbers hold, it would give NU a school-record-tying 11 games against AP Top 25 teams. No other Nebraska team has ever faced more than 11 AP Top 25 opponents (2000-01). 

Since entering the Big Ten (2011-12), the Huskers had never played more than eight games in a season against AP Top 25 foes prior to this season.

Nebraska's game with Iowa was its fourth against an AP Top 10 team this season. The Huskers have never faced more than five AP Top 10 teams in the same season, and the Huskers will meet current AP No. 6 Iowa again on Feb. 18 in Lincoln, after playing current No. 18 Michigan in Ann Arbor (Feb. 12).

Nebraska Notables
Isabelle Bourne recently became the 36th 1,000-point scorer in Nebraska history, achieving the milestone in the fourth quarter of NU's win over Penn State (Jan. 11). She is just the 22nd player in NU history to achieve the combined career milestones of 1,000 points (1,074) and 500 rebounds (576) joining teammate Sam Haiby (1,513 points, 602 rebounds) in that prestigious group.

Sam Haiby is one of just four players in Nebraska history to rank among the school's top 20 in points (13th, 1,513), rebounds (20th, 602) and assists (8th, 443). Haiby joins Maurtice Ivy, Anna DeForge and Emily Cady as the only other Huskers on that elite list.

Preseason All-Big Ten center and 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.) is one of the Big Ten's top rebounders, averaging 9.6 boards to go along with her 12.1 points per contest. The 6-3 center owns 11 double-doubles on the season and leads the Huskers with 23 blocks.

Jaz Shelley opened Big Ten play with 29 points in a road upset at No. 20 Maryland (Dec. 4), before pumping in 31 points in a win over Wisconsin (Dec. 7). She also had 21 points and five assists in a loss to No. 14 Michigan (Dec. 28). She just missed a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a win over Penn State (Jan. 11).

Nebraska has knocked down 10 or more threes on 10 occasions this season and is 10-0 when hitting double-digit threes. Nebraska's most recent double-digit three-point effort came on 10-of-21 shooting at Northwestern (Feb. 6). The Huskers' most recent double-digit effort inside Pinnacle Bank Arena came on 13-of-28 shooting against Penn State (Jan. 11). 

Kendall Moriarty put the exclamation point on the win over Penn State (Jan. 11) with a running, half-a-hook three from beyond halfcourt in the closing seconds to beat the shot clock. Moriarty's improbable shot, which came on a Nebraska baseline inbounds play, was Scott Van Pelt's "The Best Thing I Saw Today" on ESPN. 

Husker Nuggets
The Huskers have hit at least one three in 454 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two threes in 333 consecutive games.

Nebraska has hit 10 or more threes 22 times in the last 62 games, including 10 times in 2022-23. NU opened 2022-23 by hitting 14-of-34 threes in a win over Omaha (Nov. 7), before going 10-for-27 in a win over Houston Christian (Nov. 11). The Huskers added 11-for-28 long-range shooting in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Puerto Rico (Nov. 25), before knocking down 12-of-30 in a win over Mississippi State (Nov. 26). The Huskers hit 12-of-25 threes in a win at No. 20 Maryland (Dec. 4) and added 13-of-28 shooting in a win over Wisconsin (Dec. 7). NU knocked down double-digit threes for the third straight game on 11-of-29 shooting against Samford. The Huskers hit 10-of-17 threes in the second half alone to produce a third consecutive double-digit three-point performance for the first time in school history. NU added 10 threes, including three in triple OT in a win over No. 20 Kansas (Dec. 21). The Huskers connected on 13-of-28 threes in a run past Penn State (Jan. 11), before sinking 10-of-21 in a win at Northwestern (Feb. 6).

Through the first 20 seasons with the three-point shot in women's basketball (1988-2007), Nebraska hit 10 threes in a game just six times (591 games).

Huskers Welcome Colorado State, South Dakota

Lincoln, Neb. - The Nebraska women's tennis team will host two matches this week as it welcomes Colorado State on Friday at 4 p.m CT and South Dakota on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. CT at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center. The live stream and stats will be available on huskers.com. Updates will also be posted @HuskerWTennis on Twitter. 

Scouting Colorado State
• The Rams finished the 2021-22 season with a 15-8 overall record, including a 8-2 conference record. 
• This is Head Coach Mai-Ly Tran's second season with the Rams. Her first season, Tran led Colorado State to the most successful season in program history. 
• The Rams have a balanced roster with one freshman, one sophomore, one junior, two seniors and three graduate students. 

Series History with Colorado State
• Nebraska has met Colorado State on the court 23 times and is undefeated against the Rams. 
• The last time the Huskers faced the Rams was in 2022 and Nebraska won the match 4-0. 

Scouting South Dakota
• The Coyotes finished the 2021-22 season with a 11-12 overall record, including a 5-2 conference record. 
• This is Head Coach Brett Barnett's ninth season with South Dakota. 
• USD has a roster of two freshmen, two sophomores and four seniors.
• This season, the Coyotes have 0-2 record in away matches. 

Series History with South Dakota
• Nebraska has a 5-0 overall record against South Dakota.
• Nebraska and South Dakota's last matchup was in 2022 where Nebraska won the match 4-0.

Up Next
• The Huskers stay home to host Washington State on Friday, Feb. 17. 

NU Travels to OSU, Hosts Rutgers

Behind a three-dual winning streak, the Nebraska wrestling team (9-3, 5-1 Big Ten) will face No. 5 Ohio State in Columbus on Friday before returning home to host No. 23 Rutgers on Sunday. The dual against the Buckeyes is set for 6 p.m. and will be aired on BTN. Sunday's match against the Scarlet Knights will begin at noon with streaming on B1G+.

No. 5 Ohio State (12-2, 6-1 Big Ten) enters Friday's match after a recent 21-12 victory over Northwestern. The Buckeye lineup features nine ranked wrestlers, led by #3 Sammy Sasso (149). On the Scarlet Knights side, the team has five ranked wrestlers and two receiving the honorable mention title. Most recently, No. 23 Rutgers (10-5, 2-4 Big Ten) defeated Maryland on the road, 28-7.

The Huskers return to action after dominating performances last weekend over Illinois and Purdue. NU recorded victories in a combined 12 bouts.

History: Nebraska and Ohio State meet for the 15th time in series history on Friday. The Huskers lead the all-time series 9-5 and won the most recent matchup between the teams, 19-14, in the 2019-20 season.

The Huskers will look for their fifth win over the Scarlet Knights on Sunday, as Nebraska is 4-1 all-time against Rutgers. NU is looking for a third-straight win as the team has one the last two meetings.

Up Next: NU will close out regular season competition as it hosts Arizona State on Sunday, Feb. 19. Action will start at 1:30 p.m. and be aired on BTN.

Nebraska's Projected Lineup*:

*InterMat rankings used     
 
Ohio State Projected Lineup*: 

*InterMat rankings used    

Rutgers' Projected Lineup*: 

*Intermat rankings used 

Scouting the Buckeyes:

• Last season, Ohio State went 9-3 and 5-3 in conference competition, and the team finished 13th at last year's NCAA Championships.
• Sammy Sasso (149) won against a pair of ranked opponents last week, besting No. 13 Shayne Van Ness of Penn State and No. 4 Yahya Thomas of Northwestern. He is 33-0 in Big Ten duals heading into Friday night's dual.
• Coached by Tom Ryan (28th season at Ohio State); Career Record: 306-147-2 

Scouting the Scarlet Knights:

• Last season, Rutgers went 16-5 and 3-5 in conference competition, with ranked wins over No. 22 Princeton, No. 21 Illinois and No. 16 North Carolina.
• Saturday's win over Maryland secured double-digit victories for the 14th season under head coach Scott Goodale. Goodale is currently 209-89-1 in his 16th season.
• Brian Soldano is the highest individual heading into the final week of the regular season with an 18-6 record. He has secured a team-leading 51 team points.

Back Points
Quick Notes

• Nebraska won its fifth Cliff Keen Invitational team title in program history on Dec. 3.
• This month, Cronin claimed his first Big Ten and NCAA Wrestler of the Week honor of his career, when the conference and the NCAA announced its award winners. Additionally, this week Silas Allred was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week after his two consecutive pins over the weekend. 
• Labriola was named the NCAA Wrestler of the Week and the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week, when the award winners were announced last month.
• In this week's Intermat NCAA Wrestling Rankings, Husker junior Robb takes the top spot at 157 pounds. Senior Labriola, graduate Cronin and redshirt sophomore Brock Hardy join Robb in the top five rankings as Labriola sits in second at 174 pounds and Cronin (125) and Hardy (141) are fifth. Additionally, Pinto (184) is 15th and Allred is 10th.
• Last month, the Big Red finalized its 2023 recruiting class. Weston Dalton, Ethan DeLeon, Cooper French, Tanner Frothinger, Hampton Kaye-Kuter, Alan Koehler, Kael Lauridsen, Camden McDanel, Matthew Moore, Griffin Ray, Ethan Stiles and Dominic Thebeau will be joining the team for the 2023-24 season.
• Team leaders by category among starters:
  • Dual Record: Robb/Labriola (11-0)
  • Dual Points: Robb (43)
  • Dual Takedowns: Labriola (41)
  • Pins: Allred (7)
  • Technical Falls: Robb (5)
  • Major Decisions: Pinto (8)
  • Quickest Pin: Cronin (0:30) 

Christopulos Earns CGA National Gymnast of the Week Accolades

Nebraska men's gymnast Taylor Christopulos was named National Co-Gymnast of the Week, announced by the College Gymnastics Association on Wednesday. The accolades follow Christopulos' impressive performance in the dual meet against No. 5 Michigan this past weekend. Christopulos shares this award with Zach Nunez from Oklahoma.

Christopulos highlights his performance for Nebraska by collecting the all-around title (81.55). The junior finished in second on floor with a career-best score of 14.40, helping set a season-high team score (69.50) for NU on the event. He also collected a second-place finish on vault (14.55).

Christopulos set a career-best on parallel bars (13.90) landing in third place and finishing fourth on high bar (13.45). He also rallied to notch a season-best score on rings (13.40) and assisted the squad to a season-high team score (68.25) on the event.

Because of his success, Christopulos now ranks third on floor (14.367) and vault (14.717), ninth on high bar (13.65), and sixth in the all-around (81.800).

Throughout his collegiate career, Taylor has totaled 12 individual titles, with five of those titles coming off the current season, tallying one all-around, two on floor, and two on vault. 

CGA announced National Co-Rookie of the week accolades to Ignacio Yockers at Oklahoma and Maddox Peterson at Army.

No. 6 Nebraska will return to competition on Friday, Feb. 17, in a triangular against No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 13 Simpson College in Lincoln, Neb. Fans can purchase tickets at Huskers.com/tickets. The meet will commence at 7 p.m. (CT) with a live video stream for B1G+ subscribers. Fans can follow @NebraskaMensGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet.

Huskers Sweep B1G Field Athletes of the Week

Nebraska track and field athletes Till Steinforth and Axelina Johansson swept the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors, the conference office announced on Wednesday. 

Steinforth broke the Nebraska heptathlon school record and Devaney Center facility record at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational over the weekend. He scored 6,082 points, which shattered the old school record by 188 points and moved him to No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 3 in the nation. Steinforth won the heptathlon 60m with a time of 6.87, the heptathlon long jump at 24-11 (7.59m) (PR), the heptathlon 60-meter hurdles in 7.96, the heptathlon pole vault at 17-0 3/4 (5.20m) (PR), and also set a personal best in the 1,000m (2:47.58). 

Johansson recorded not one, but two school-record throws to win the shot put title at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational with one of the all-time best throws in NCAA history. Johansson set a new shot put school record on her second throw, only to break it again on her third throw with a winning mark of 63-4 (19.30m). The previous indoor school record was 60-7 3/4 (18.48m) by Tressa Thompson in 1997. Johansson's career mark vaulted her to No. 1 in the NCAA this season, and it is the second-best shot put throw worldwide in 2023 and the second-best women's collegiate indoor throw of all-time, behind only Raven Saunders' 64-2 1/2 (19.56m) in 2017. Johansson's personal record is now the Swedish indoor national record as well.

Huskers Look to Rally at Penn State