Nebraska Football fans will have an opportunity to meet the 2023 Huskers on Sunday, July 30 at the 2023 Nebraska Football Fan Day presented by Ludacka Wealth Partners. This year’s Fan Day will be held inside the Hawks Championship Center from 3-5 p.m.

While the event will move inside to a climate-controlled environment, the seating for Fan Day will be like past years. Players will be seated with their position groups throughout the field in the Hawks Center.

Fans planning to attend 2023 Nebraska Football Fan Day should familiarize themselves with the following information.

Parking

  • Lots around Memorial Stadium and the Hawks Center will be free and open to the public. Fans are encouraged to park in the followings lots: Lot 8 (North Stadium), Champions Club, Lot 1 (Stadium Driving Parking Garage), Lot 5 (NE of Hawks Center) or Lot 9 (14th and Salt Valley Roadway Garage).  Some lots may be unavailable because of scheduled lot maintenance.

Fan Entrances

  • Fans will be able to enter the Hawks Center through two entrances beginning at 3 p.m.
  • Lines will form outside of the Hawks Center on the southwest and northwest corners of the building.
  • Nebraska’s Clear Bag policy is not in effect for Fan Day, but all fans and carry-in items are subject to inspection.
  • Following the completion of Fan Day at 5 p.m., fans will be asked to allow players and football staff to leave the field to continue their packed schedule for the day. The team will begin preseason practice on Monday, July 31.

Coach Rhule

  • Head Coach Matt Rhule’s autograph line will be limited to young Husker fans entering 8th grade and younger.
  • Approximately 400 children will be randomly selected to be part of Coach Rhule’s line.
  • Parents wishing to sign their children up for an opportunity to be part of Coach Rhule’s line should sign their child up for by Monday, July 24 at 5 p.m. The sign-up form can be accessed at Huskers.com/autograph-line.  Selected fans will be notified by Wednesday, July 26.
  • Specific details regarding Coach Rhule’s line will be sent directly to those individuals who are randomly selected.

Player Seating and Fan Lines

  • The seating arrangement and lines for players will be similar to recent Fan Days.  Players will be seated on the field near the East Sideline of Hawks, with lines running across the field from West to East.
  • Assistant coaches will be seated with their respective position groups.
  • A detailed map of player seating, entrance locations and other information will be available closer to Fan Day.
  • Event staff members will be stationed at each line to indicate traffic flow and where fans should line up.
  • As the event nears completion, event staff members at the end of long lines will do their best to advise fans on whether they are likely to make it through a line before the conclusion of Fan Day.

Autograph Items/Husker Fan Shop

  • Autograph cards with a full 2023 roster and other items will be available for fans.
  • Fans are asked to limit their autograph requests to one item per player/coach.
  • A Husker Fan Shop location with the latest adidas apparel, 2023 posters, and other merchandise will be located inside the Hawks Championship Center. Additional information on Husker Fan Shop locations will be available soon.
  • A marketing tent will be available near the middle of the field.

Restrooms/Concessions

  • Restrooms will be available in the main lobby of the Hawks Championship Center.
  • Water and pop will available for sale on the field during the Fan Day.

Memorial Stadium

  • While Nebraska Football Fan Day festivities will take place in the Hawks Center for the comfort of fans and players, limited access to Memorial Stadium will be available for a fan photo opportunity. 
  • Fans wishing to access the Memorial Stadium field, should exit the Hawks Center and enter the Memorial Stadium at Gate 11 (NW corner).

SHELLEY RETURNS TO NBA SUMMER LEAGUE

Nebraska's Jaz Shelley is participating in the second annual SALA Series at the NBA Summer League this week in Las Vegas.

The SALA Series helps aspiring young leaders connect with NBA and professional executives in interactive seminars while building relationships to position themselves for future careers in professional sports and beyond.

Last summer, Shelley participated in the inaugural NBA Student-Athlete Summit (July 12-15) in Las Vegas. She spent a week participating in panel discussions, networking sessions and behind-the-scenes tours of the NBA Summer League. The Summit was created as a branch of the NBA's SALA platform - an events and media company that brings together a diverse group of accomplished leaders from across a wide variety of industries.

Shelley, a senior point guard from Moe, Australia, was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023, after claiming second-team All-Big Ten honors and a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team in 2022. Last season, she averaged team bests of 14.5 points, 6.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game while adding 4.8 rebounds.

HUSKERS ADD GOBEL FOR 2023

The Nebraska soccer team added a talented in-state player to a roster that includes six newcomers, when Head Coach John Walker announced the addition of Lincoln native Alexa Gobel for the 2023 season. 

“Nebraska is a competitive school academically and athletically,” Gobel said. “After meeting with the coaches and players, I knew it would be a great fit for me. Growing up around the Big Ten and now being able to play in it is a dream come true. I can’t wait to be a Husker.”

Gobel, a recent Lincoln Southwest graduate, was a mainstay in the goal for the Silver Hawks. She tallied 10 shutouts and 61 saves during her senior season and was also a two-time Super State Second-Team honoree and a 2023 member of the Girls Class A All-State team. Additionally, she is a three-time All-Conference and two-time All-City selection. Gobel helped lead LSW to a runner-up finish in 2023, a third-place showing in 2022 and a fifth-place finish in 2021. Gobel also played volleyball and basketball in high school and chose Nebraska over playing volleyball at the University of Albany. 

Academically, Gobel is a National Honor Society member, three-time both Academic All-Conference and Scholar-Athlete and has been named to the Honor Roll with High Distinction four times. 

On the club side, Gobel played for Kenan Sahuric at 402 DA and helped her team to six-straight State Cup Championships. 

MARTIN AND CALLAN PLACE IN TOP 10 AT JUNIOR GOLD

Indianapolis, Ind. - A pair of Nebraska bowlers earned top-10 finishes at the 2023 Junior Gold Championships which wrapped up on Thursday.

Jillian Martin took home runner-up honors in the U20 division while Anna Callan placed seventh in a 76-bowler field. Both Huskers breezed through four rounds of qualifying, which cut the field to 46 bowlers and reached the round of double-elimination portion of the event after the field was whittled down to 16 bowlers. 

In the final 16, Martin, the 2023 NTCA Rookie of the Year, secured the top seed entering double elimination bracket play with Callan coming in as the No. 11 seed. Martin advanced through the first three rounds with wins over Aubrey Kiddle (362-350), Marissa Bills (377-334) and Emma Siekierski (451-333) before falling to Jenn Stretch (384-372). The loss put Martin as the second seed heading into the championship finals. 

In the televised finals, Martin defeated Brystal Beyer, 233-181, to advance to the finals to face top-seeded Jenna Stretch in the championship match. Martin was unable to become the second straight Husker to win the event, falling to Stretch 235-214.

Callan, the defending Junior Gold Champion, opened her first round of bracket play with a win against Brianna Rogers (339-334) before falling to Stretch (385-487) in the second round. Callen would collect one more win in the elimination bracket against Rogers (406-355), but would bow out with a 405-385 loss to Maya Avilez.

PETRIE LEADS AUSTRALIA ON GLASS AT U19 WORLD CUP

Jessica Petrie led Australia on the boards with eight rebounds in 18 minutes, but home-standing Spain ran to an 83-68 win over the Australians in their opening game of the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Madrid on Saturday.

Petrie, a 6-2 incoming freshman forward to the Nebraska program, added two points, one block, an assist and a steal off the bench for Australia.

The game started slow on the offensive end with Australia leading 4-2 three minutes into the contest, before Spain erupted on a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 12-4 first-quarter lead. After a free throw for Australia stopped the run, Spain stretched the lead to 20-5 with an 8-0 run, holding Australia without a field goal for 7:50 overall in the first quarter before Australia knocked down a three-pointer with 35 seconds left in the period.

Spain took a 22-8 edge to the second quarter and Australia was never able to cut the margin to less than 11 points the rest of the half, as the Spanish lead ballooned to 54-28 at the break.

Australia refused to quit, cutting Spain's lead to 12 points late in the third quarter, before trimming the margin to single digits at 67-58 with 7:43 left in the game.

Australia finished the day with 50 percent (26-52) shooting from the field, including 10-of-19 from three-point range. But Spain forced 27 turnovers by Australia while committing just 14 miscues. Spain also finished with a plus-seven rebound margin (40-33). Spain hit 31-of-74 shots (.419) from the floor, including 8-of-22 (.364) three-pointers. The Spaniards also outscored Australia 13-6 at the free throw line.

Australia returns to Group A pool play action by taking on Argentina on Sunday at 1:45 p.m. (CT).

HUSKERS ADD TRANSFER PEYTON CODY

The Husker softball team added another talented player to its 2024 roster on Saturday, July 15, when catcher Peyton Cody was announced as a graduate transfer addition to the Nebraska roster. Cody joins the Huskers from St. John's and has one season of eligibility remaining.

Cody played five seasons at St. John’s but is eligible for a sixth season due to a medical redshirt in 2022 and an NCAA eligibility waiver for the 2020 Covid season.

“Peyton is a perfect fit for the Red Team,” Nebraska Head Coach Rhonda Revelle said. “She is a great competitor with a big bat. Peyton is a catcher by trade but has the versatility to play multiple positions. She has a love and passion for the game, and we are anxious to have her join our team.”

Cody played in 149 games with 139 starts at St. John’s. She posted a .316 career batting average with the Red Storm, collecting 134 hits, 29 doubles, 20 home runs and 100 RBIs. A native of Mission Viejo, California, Cody posted a .540 slugging percentage at St. John’s as nearly 40 percent of her career hits went for extra bases.

As a freshman in 2019, Cody was the Big East co-Freshman of the Year, a top-25 finalist for National Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection. She hit .375 as a freshman with 12 doubles, six home runs and 45 RBIs, leading the Red Storm in doubles and RBIs. Her 49 RBIs ranked fifth in school history and were just four shy of the school record.

She started 20 of St. John’s 22 games in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, batting .246. In 2021, Cody hit .309 and led St. John’s in RBIs (21) and tied for the team lead in home runs (5). Her 2022 season was cut short due to a season-ending knee injury after she had played in only seven games.

Cody came back from the injury to post a strong final season with the Red Storm in 2023. She hit .316 over 40 starts, producing nine doubles, eight homers and 27 RBIs.  

Prior to St. John’s, Cody was the Mission Viejo High School Offensive Player of the Year as a senior. As a sophomore, Cody had the game-winning RBI in the Diablos’ win over Moreno Valley View in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship game.

In the classroom, Cody was a three-time Big East All-Academic Team selection at St. John’s. She graduated with a degree in business from St. John’s in May of 2022 and earned her master’s degree in business management in May of 2023.