Ben Scott was one of 40 centers nationally named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, announced on Friday, Aug. 4. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the nation’s top center. The award is named after former Husker Dave Rimington, a two-time unanimous All-American, two-time winner of the Outland Trophy and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Scott is in his first season at Nebraska in 2023 after transferring from Arizona State. He spent four seasons with the Sun Devils, redshirting in 2019 before starting 28 games from 2020 to 2022. Last season, Scott was Arizona State’s starting center after starting at right tackle during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He helped Arizona State rank seventh nationally in rushing during the shortened 2020 season.

A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Scott is the second Husker to earn a spot on a national award watch list after punter Brian Buschini was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list on Aug. 2.

Nebraska Players on Preseason Watch Lists

Brian Buschini, Punter (Ray Guy Award)
Ben Scott, Offensive Line (Rimington Trophy)

HUSKERS CLOSE TRIP WITH 82-62 WIN

Barcelona, Spain - Freshman Eli Rice had 16 points to lead six players in double figures as Nebraska wrapped up its Spain trip with an 82-62 win over the Barcelona All-Stars Saturday night.

Rice hit 6-of-8 shots from the floor, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and finished the trip averaging 16.0 ppg on nearly 50 percent shooting to help the Huskers to a 3-0 mark.

Nebraska took control of the game in the first four minutes of the second half, as Juwan Gary keyed an 18-0 spurt to turn a 32-20 halftime lead into a 30-point cushion. Gary scored nine of his 13 points in the spurt and finished the night hitting 6 of 7 shots from the floor. He also grabbed five rebounds in 13:33 of playing time, as he was on a minutes restriction following offseason shoulder surgery.

NU cruised from there, leading by as much as 33 points in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter before settling for a 20-point win.  C.J Wilcher finished with 14 points while Cale Jacobsen (13), Jamarques Lawrence (10) and Ramel Lloyd Jr. (10) all finished in double figures. 

Wilcher finished the trip averaging 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, as Nebraska had at least five players reach double figures in all three contests while averaging nearly 86 points per game. 

The Huskers exclusively used their freshmen and sophomores in the final 10 minutes, including extended minutes for Jacobsen and fellow walk-ons Jeff Grace III and Henry Burt. 

Nebraska shot 56 percent from the field, including 10-of-24 from 3-point range and dished out 25 assists on 33 baskets.  Jacobson paced the team with nine assists and also had a team-high nine caroms, as Nebraska enjoyed a 42-33 advantage on the glass. 

Nebraska got It going offensively early, racing out to a 22-10 lead after 10 minutes. Wilcher scored seven of his nine first-half points in a 12-4 run to open the contest, as Nebraska went 9-13 from the field in the opening 10 minutes. 

The Huskers scored the first five points of the second quarter to extend the margin to 27-10 after a Lawrence 3-pointer. The host chipped away at NU’s advantage and pulled to within nine before Rice’s 3-pointer with 1:03 left in the half pushed the lead back to double figures at the break. 
The Huskers will wrap up their trip to Spain tomorrow before returning home on Monday.

TAKAHASHI TAKES NEBRASKA WOMEN'S AMATEUR TITLE

Miu Takahashi fired a final-round 74 to capture the 49th Nebraska Women's Amateur Championship at Fremont Golf Club on Thursday, Aug. 3.

Takahashi, a junior-to-be on the Nebraska women's golf team, closed the 54-hole tournament at 225 (+12), edging 2023 Nebraska Junior Amateur champion Julia Karmazin by one stroke. Danica Badura (South Dakota) of Aurora and Katie Ruge (Kansas) from Omaha tied for third at 227 (+14).

Takahashi (Nasu-machi, Japan) opened the tournament with an even-par 71 on Monday, before battling her way to an 80 on Tuesday. The final round, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, slid back to Thursday because of conditions in Fremont on Wednesday. Takahashi entered the final round in a tie for third at 151, three strokes back of Ruge (148) and one shot behind Wahoo's Lauren Thiele (Wichita State).

The road to the championship seemed much more unlikely after Takahashi took a quadruple bogey on No. 3. She finished the front nine at 41 (+6). However, she regrouped on the back nine to play spectacular golf that included birdies on No. 10, No. 13 and No. 17 to close with a 33 (-3) over the final nine holes and a one stroke win. Ruge settled for a 41 (+5) on the back nine, while Thiele managed a 38 (+2) after matching Takahashi's 41 (+6) on the front. Karmazin played solid golf with an even-par 35 on the front Thursday, before settling for a 38 on the back, leaving just enough room for Takahashi to surge to the title.

Takahashi will be back in action next week when she participates alongside teammate Kelli Ann Strand at the 123rd U.S. Women's Amateur Championship at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles (Aug. 7-13).

DALMAGRO FINALIZES HUSKER WOMEN’S TENNIS STAFF

Nebraska Women’s Tennis Head Coach German Dalmagro has added Maddie Kobelt to his staff as assistant coach ahead of the 2023-24 season.

“I’m very excited to welcome Maddie to the Husker family,” Dalmagro said. “She was a great college tennis player then went on to play on the WTA tour for several years with great results. She is coming with a lot of experience as a player that will help develop our team on and off the court.

During her coaching career at Syracuse, they had really good results, and I know her passion, work ethic and coaching philosophy will help us maximize our team potential. We have a talented group that is eager to get to work, and I’m very thankful Maddie believed in my vision and the direction we can take the team. We have a lot of resources at Nebraska and having her on board will help us achieve goals as we strive to make Nebraska great.”

Kobelt has spent the last three years as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Syracuse. In 2022-23, Kobelt helped the Orange to a season-high ITA ranking of No. 16. In her time as an athlete at Syracuse, Kobelt was a team captain, played No. 1 singles and doubles, and reached a career-high ITA ranking in doubles of No. 32. Kobelt was also named to the 2013 All-Big East Team and the 2014 All-ACC Second Team.

After her college career, Kobelt played professionally and reached career-high ITF rankings of No. 893 in singles and No. 294 in doubles, while earning 12 career professional doubles titles. 

Kobelt was an assistant coach at Kenyon College (2018-20), helping lead the team to a No. 11 ITA Division III ranking and two NCAC Conference Championships. She is the sister of Nebraska men’s tennis coach Peter Kobelt.

“I would like to thank Head Coach German Dalmagro and Executive Associate AD Keith Zimmer for this amazing opportunity to join the Nebraska family,” Kobelt said. “I am honored to represent the Huskers and excited to start working with Coach Dalmagro and this outstanding group of young women. Nebraska’s commitment to excellence and incredible support of their student athletes are unmatched. The possibilities are endless for what this team can achieve.”

KOBELT TO LEAD HUSKER MEN’S TENNIS, SARMIENTO NAMED ASSISTANT

Peter Kobelt has been named the interim head coach of the Husker men’s tennis team, Nebraska Vice Chancellor, Director of Athletics Trev Alberts announced Friday. Additionally, Kobelt has named former NCAA Champion and professional player, Raymond Sarmiento, as an assistant coach.

“Peter has played at the highest level collegiately and also had a productive pro career,” Alberts said. “I know our team will benefit from his competitive nature, proven results and strong desire to elevate our program. Peter has established rapport with this team and has been instrumental in the improvement of our program, and I’m eager to see the continued positive impact he can have on Nebraska Tennis.”

Kobelt joined the Husker staff as an assistant coach in June of 2022 and helped the team reach an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) season-high ranking of 45th. The Huskers stayed in the top 50 rankings for much of the 2022-23 season. 

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be the next leader of the Nebraska men’s tennis program,” Kobelt said. “I would like to thank Trev Alberts and Keith Zimmer for their belief in me to continue pushing the program forward. I’d also like to thank Sean Maymi for bringing me to Nebraska and for being a great mentor. Nebraska has become home for me, and I am excited to see what this year’s team can accomplish.”

Before coming to Nebraska, Kobelt served as the volunteer assistant coach at Kentucky for two seasons (2020-22), helping the Wildcats finish as the 2022 NCAA runner-up and a No. 7 national ranking. He was responsible for implementing the doubles strategy and on-court fitness for the entire team and coached the No. 1-ranked ITA player, Liam Draxl, to the semifinals of the 2021 NCAA men’s singles competition. Kobelt also played a significant role in the development of No. 4 Gabriel Diallo and No. 33 Millen Hurrion. 

Kobelt played collegiately and professionally. On the ITF and ATP men’s professional tours, he peaked with a No. 332 singles and No. 378 doubles ranking. Kobelt was a tennis standout at Ohio State, finishing his career as one of the most successful men’s tennis players in school history. He led Ohio State to its first NCAA National Indoor Team Championship in 2014 and was selected as the 2014 ITA National Indoor Championship’s Most Outstanding Player. Kobelt currently holds the Buckeye all-time record for  career doubles wins with 139 and is No. 4 in Buckeye history with a combined 244 singles and doubles wins. During his career, he held the ITA No. 1 singles ranking and the No. 2 doubles ranking. 

Joining Kobelt in advance of the 2023-24 season is Sarmiento, who played four years of collegiate tennis at USC (2010-14) where he was part of three NCAA National Championship teams. A two-time team captain, the five-time All-American reached career-high NCAA rankings of No. 2 in singles and No. 1 in doubles. 

“I am beyond excited to welcome Ray to Nebraska,” Kobelt said. “His experience as a player and as a coach are top notch, and I believe he is going to play a huge part in our success. He knows firsthand what a national championship locker room looks like while playing at the University of Southern California as well as coaching grand slam champion Emma Raducanu. Ray knows what it takes to be great, and our guys are going to benefit from him immensely.”

After his college career, Sarmiento played professionally on the ITF/ATP Tour (2015-2021), where he reached career-high rankings of No. 287 in singles and No. 386 in doubles. He also won two singles titles and four doubles titles on the ITF tour. 

During the 2020-21 season, Sarmiento returned to his alma mater to serve as a volunteer assistant coach and helped lead the Trojans to the 2021 Pac-12 Championship and the quarterfinals of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Sarmiento also coached the No. 1-ranked doubles team of Daniel Cukierman and Riley Smith. 

Additionally, Sarmiento worked as a trainer and assistant coach for Raducanu, a Grand Slam champion and former WTA top-10 player. During this time with Raducanu, she notched notable wins over former world No. 1s Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka. 

“I would like to thank Trev, Keith, Peter and the University of Nebraska Athletics for this amazing opportunity to help lead Nebraska Tennis,” Sarmiento said. “My journey has led me to this moment, and I am thrilled to get started and embark on this new chapter.

“I fully embrace the responsibility of my new role and the chance to contribute my competitiveness and tenacity to our team. My utmost goal is to elevate this exceptional program to the pinnacle of college tennis. However, equally important to me is the overall development of our athletes, supporting them in their ambitions and guiding them toward future success.

“As we move forward, I understand the importance of upholding the high standards and strong core values that represent the University of Nebraska. Together, we will continue to set an example of excellence in all our endeavors. I am motivated and ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead, and I am confident that, united, we will achieve all the goals we set out together. Go Big Red!”

HUSKERS REMEMBER, HONOR FIRST ALL-AMERICAN KARI UPPINGHOUSE

Nebraska Athletics and Husker soccer will honor Kari Uppinghouse - the first All-American in program history - with a moment of silence prior to its exhibition game against South Dakota State on Tuesday, Aug. 8, following Uppinghouse's recent passing in Louisville, Ky.

Uppinghouse captured first-team All-America honors for the Huskers in 1996 as the Big 12 Conference Co-Player of the Year. She was also a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection and a two-time member of the Big 12 All-Tournament team.  The 5-11 midfielder from Littleton, Colo., came to Nebraska in 1995 after spending her freshman season at George Mason, where she helped the Patriots to the 1993 NCAA Championship match.

She was Nebraska's team MVP as a redshirt sophomore in 1995, before helping to ignite the rise of Husker soccer as team captain and with an All-America campaign in 1996. Uppinghouse finished the season with 48 points on 19 goals and 10 assists, ranking eighth nationally with seven game-winning goals. She powered Nebraska to the inaugural Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles, as the Huskers rolled to a 23-0 record before falling at Portland in the NCAA quarterfinals.

Nebraska went a combined 41-5 in her final two seasons, and Uppinghouse closed her career with 104 points on 42 goals and 20 assists.

She earned an invitation to U.S. Women's National Team Camp and played professional soccer in New York before moving on to careers in the insurance industry and healthcare consulting.

Uppinghouse passed away in Louisville, Ky., on July 25, 2023 at the age of 48. She is survived by her husband of eight years, Dusty VerHey, and her stepdaughters Stela and Celia. Kari is the daughter of David and Mary Uppinghouse and has a sister, Amy. Kari's infectious smile and personality will be remembered and missed by all the teammates and friends she made during her time at the University of Nebraska.

A celebration of life will be held for Kari Jane Uppinghouse VerHey at Lake Forest Country Club in Louisville on Saturday, Aug. 12 (2-4 p.m.). Funeral services will be held Friday, Aug. 18 (1 p.m.) at St. Andrew Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo.