EUGENE, Ore. – Maddie Harris and Axelina Johansson earned medals in the javelin and shot put, respectively, on Thursday at Hayward Field on the second day of the NCAA Track and Field Championships.
Harris, a sophomore, led the Husker women with a second-place finish in the javelin to earn the silver medal. The two-time Big Ten champion and school-record holder logged a best throw of 189-3 (57.69) to earn first-team All-America honors and score eight team points for the NU women. Harris was a national qualifier last year but finished 19th. Her finish is the best by a Husker woman at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2006.
Johansson, a freshman for the Big Red, earned the NCAA bronze medal in the shot put to score six team points and also collect first-team All-America accolades. A second-team All-American indoors after an 11th-place finish, Johansson bettered that on Thursday with a throw of 59-3 (18.06m) to put her on the podium in her first outdoor championships. It was the best finish by a Husker woman in the outdoor shot put since 2006.
With their 14 combined points through five of 21 events, the Nebraska women are tied for second place with 14 team points behind Arizona State (18).
LaQwasia Stepney finished 13th in the long jump in her first trip to the NCAA Championships to earn second-team All-America accolades. The Big Ten outdoor silver medalist, Stepney’s mark was 20-5 (6.22m).
Husker javelin thrower Mirta Kulisic finished 14th in the competition to earn second-team All-America honors for the first time in her career. The sophomore recorded a season-best throw of 171-9 (52.35m) to achieve her best finish at nationals after placing 20th as a freshman last year.
