Nebraska junior libero Lexi Rodriguez was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team announced on Friday. Rodriguez was one of just three players who was unanimously selected by the league's 14 head coaches. 

Additionally, the Huskers were picked second in the preseason poll behind Wisconsin. Minnesota was third, followed by Penn State and Purdue.

Rodriguez is a two-time AVCA All-American and All-Big Ten selection. The Sterling, Ill., native was a unanimous All-Big Ten pick last year after leading the Huskers to a nation-leading .128 opponent hitting percentage with 4.26 digs per set. Rodriguez earned AVCA second-team All-America accolades in 2022, and she was a first-team All-American and the AVCA National Freshman of the Year in 2021, as well as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. 

2023 PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM

 
* = Unanimous selection

2023 BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL

1. Wisconsin
   2. Nebraska
   3. Minnesota
   4. Penn State
   5. Purdue
   6. Ohio State
   7.  Illinois
   8. Indiana
   9. Maryland
   T10. Michigan
   T10. Northwestern
   12. Michigan State
   13. Iowa
   14. Rutgers

NEBRASKA FOOTBALL FAN DAY SET FOR SUNDAY

Nebraska Football fans will have an opportunity to meet the 2023 Huskers this 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, along with the Fan Day map.

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 (14^th 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 is limited to young Husker fans entering 8th grade and younger.
• Approximately 400 children were pre-selected for Coach Rhule's line from a sign up list that closed on Monday, July 24.
• Specific details regarding Coach Rhule’s line were sent directly to those individuals who were 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. There will also be a Fanatics trailer located at the bottom of the Pedestrian bridge near the Northwestern corner of Memorial Stadium, as well as an adidas container located outside Gate 2 (Southwest cofner of Memorial Stadium).
• 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. Fans may also bring a clear bottle of water into the event.

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).

JORGENSON GRABS THIRD QUALIFYING TIME

Soon-to-be Husker sophomore Gena Jorgenson added a third Olympic Trials-qualifying time in the 400-meter freestyle at the TYR Pro Championships in Irvine, Calif., on Thursday.

In the preliminary rounds of the event, Jorgenson swam a 4:15.12. Jorgenson also qualified for the finals in the 400-meter freestyle and went in as the seventh seed. She grabbed an eighth-place finish with a time of 4:16.58.  

Jorgenson also posted standard qualifying times in two events at the Columbia sectionals earlier this month. She notched a career-best and meet-record 8:44.58 in the 800 freestyle and a meet-record 16:40.17 in the 1500 freestyle.

Rising junior JoJo Randby and rising senior Sarah Barton have also posted qualifying times this summer. Randby won the 100-meter breaststroke at the Columbia sectionals with a qualifying, career-best time of 1:10.02. Barton secured a win in the 200-meter butterfly and posted a qualifying time of 2:13.49.

ROGERS SELECTED TO NCAA COMPETITION OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

Nebraska high jumper Jenna Rogers, a rising junior from Rutherford, N.J., was appointed a student-athlete representative of the NCAA Division I Competition Oversight Committee on Friday.

The committee focuses on overall student-athlete experience and administration of regular season and championship competition for sports other than football and men’s and women’s basketball. 

Rogers is a three-time Big Ten champion and four-time All-American in the high jump. Last week, Rogers won the NACAC U23 high jump title in Costa Rica. 

Outside of athletics, Rogers was named an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2022 and 2023, has been a part of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll since Fall 2020 and was a member of the 2023 Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Rogers’ position will run from August 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025.

About the NCAA Competition Oversight Committee
The Competition Oversight Committee will have oversight responsibility of regular season and championships administration in sports other than football and men’s and women’s basketball, including supervision of qualification and/or selection procedures for Division I and National Collegiate Championships. The committee will prioritize enhancement of the student-athlete educational experience (academically and athletically) and, in doing so, promote student-athletes’ personal growth and leadership development.

The Competition Oversight Committee will review recommendations from sports committees and process other issues related to the administration of those championships. The sports committees (other than football and men’s and women’s basketball) will report directly to the Competition Oversight Committee. The committee will assume many of the responsibilities of the former NCAA Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet. The NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee, an Association-wide committee, will report Division I issues directly to the Competition Oversight Committee.