Husker notes: track & field, gymnastic results; commit spurns Nebraska

LINCOLN — Grant Anderson cleared 7 feet, 3 inches on his third attempt to edge teammate Landon Bartel for the high jump title at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational on Saturday.

Anderson’s mark is the second best in the Big Ten behind Bartel, who cleared 7-3¾ at the Mark Colligan Memorial on Jan. 20.

The Huskers claimed 11 events in Saturday’s competition in front of 2,072 fans at the Devaney Center.

Moujtaba Mohammed won an individual event at the Invitational for the third time in his career, finishing the 600 meters in 1 minute, 17.76 seconds. Ashleigh Carr won the women’s race to complete the event sweep for the Huskers.

The Huskers also swept both 1,600-meter relays, with both the men and the women finishing with their best times of the season. The men’s team of Sam Bransby, Elijah Lucy, Mohammed and Andy Neal ran a 3:08.67, while the women’s team (Kierra Griggs, Jasmine Barge, Lakayla Harris and Chelsey Jones) finished at 3:40.80.

Antoine Lloyd (7.83) won the men’s 60-meter hurdles, Angela Mercurio pulled into a tie for the best mark in the women’s triple jump at 43-¼.

The Huskers will compete at the Iowa State Classic and the Pittsburg State Classic beginning Friday.

Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at Lincoln

Men

Event winners: 60 meters: 1, Terence Ware, Barton County CC, 6.71. 200: 1, Christian Lyon, Barton County CC, 21.55. 4, Elijah Lucy, NU, 21.59. 400: 1, Andrew Neal, NU, 47.19. 600: Moujtaba Mohammed, NU, 1:17.76. 800: Decano Cronin, Fort Hays State, 1:50.55. 4, Ty Moss, NU, 1:51.52. Mile: 1, Jordan De Spong, NU, 4:06.41. 3,000: 1, Thobile Mosito, Cloud County CC, 8:24.33. 3, Austin Post, NU, 8:26.21. 5,000: 1, Thobile Mosito, Cloud County CC, 14:42.87. 9, Alec Sery, NU, 15:17.99. 60 hurdles: 1, Antoine Lloyd, NU, 7.83. 1,600 relay: 1, Nebraska A (Sam Bransby, Elijah Lucy, Moujtaba Mohammed, Andrew Neal), 3:08.67. Shot: 1, Grant Appier, Unattached, 62-2½. Weight: 1, Grant Wickham, Hastings, 68-3. 3, Nicholas Percy, NU, 65-2¼. High jump: 1, Grant Anderson, NU, 7-3. Triple jump: 1, Jace Anderson, NU, 48-8¼. Long jump: 1, Caleb Cowling, Hastings, 24-½. 3, Elijah Lucy, NU, 23-9¼. Vault: 1, Jeff Coover, Under Armour, 17-5½. 3, Tyler Loontjer, NU, 17-1½. Heptathlon: 1, Zachery Ziemek, Adidas, 6.89. 4, Cale Wagner, NU, 7.0.

Women

Event winners: 60 meters: 1, Lake Kwaza, Unattached, 7.39. 2, Lakayla Harris, NU, 7.40. 200: 1, Briana Guillory, Iowa, 23.26. 2, Lakayla Harris, NU, 23.88. 400: 1, Briana Guillory, Iowa, 52.57. 2, Kierra Griggs, NU, 53.26. 600: 1, Ashleigh Carr, NU, 1:31.20. 800: 1, Rosie Chamberlain, UCF, 2:10.05. 6, Emma Bresser, NU, 2:12.77. Mile: 1, Adva Cohen, Iowa Central CC, 4:42.44. 18, Nicole Colonna, NU, 5:13.86. 3,000: 1, Rachel King, South Dakota State, 9:36.53. 5, Erika Freyhof, NU, 9:51.08. 5,000: 1, Katie Wetzstein, LRC Racing, 16:44.34. 60 hurdles: 1, Deshaunda Morrison, Arizona State, 8.39. 2, Jasmine Barge, 8.42. 1,600 relay: 1, Nebraska A (Kierra Griggs, Jasmine Barge, Lakayla Harris, Chelsey Jones), 3:40.80. 3,200 relay: x. Shot: 1, Maggie Ewen, Arizona State, 59-9½. 5, Toni Tupper, NU, 53-9¾. Weight: 1, Maggie Ewen, 72-11. High jump: 1, Marusa Cernjul, Unattached, 6-½. 2, Petra Luteran, NU, 5-8¾. Triple jump: 1, Angela Mercurio, NU, 43-¼. Long jump: 1, Jhoanmy Luque, Iowa State, 20-7¼. 2, Raynesha Lewis, NU, 19-7¾. Vault: 1, Taylor Amann, Wisconsin, 13-7½. 2, Madeline Holland, NU, 12-11½. Pentathlon: 1, Georgia Ellenwood, Wisconsin, 4,259. 7, Shauna Tweedy, NU, 3,110.

Sienna Crouse wins fourth straight vault title as Huskers down Minnesota

LINCOLN — Sienna Crouse scored a 9.875 to win her fourth straight vault title as No. 9 Nebraska held on to beat No. 22 Minnesota 196.850-196.375 at the Devaney Center on Saturday night.

Crouse, who scored a 9.95 on the vault last week to win Big Ten event specialist of the week honors, recorded a 9.90 on her first attempt Saturday and a 9.85 on the second.

The Huskers (4-0, 4-0 Big Ten) won three of the four events, but trailed 49.225-49.175 after the first rotation in which the Gophers (5-2, 3-2) recorded two 9.90-plus scores on the uneven bars.

But they pushed ahead in the second rotation and held a slim lead going into the floor exercise in the fourth. Megan Schweihofer scored a career-high 9.95 to win the event. Crouse posted a 9.925 to finish tied for second, and the Huskers posted a season-high team score of 49.475.

Nebraska will travel to Iowa next Saturday.

Matthew Tago spurns Nebraska, commits to Oregon State

Despite building momentum with Nebraska in recent weeks, quarterback Matthew Tago committed to Oregon State on Saturday evening.

In a planned announcement Tago broadcast live through his Twitter feed, the 6-foot-3, 228-pound prospect from Quartz Hill High School in Lancaster, California, reached for the Beavers baseball cap instead of the Nebraska and Utah lids. His parents spoke inside their home packed with friends and family before their youngest of four children made his decision public. Both said they didn’t know what their son would do beforehand.

Tago thanked his coaches, friends and family, then capped it by saying, “For the next four to five years, I’ll be going to Oregon State,” as the room erupted in cheers.

The move is a departure from the direction Tago had been trending after his Jan. 26 official visit to Nebraska. He didn’t visit anywhere last weekend.

Nebraska’s class remains at 19 known pledges/signees after Friday’s news that York defensive tackle Masry Mapieu wouldn’t sign with the Huskers due to academic concerns. NU’s incoming group entered the weekend ranked in the top 25 by every major recruiting service.

More than a dozen schools offered a scholarship to Tago, including USC, Colorado, Washington State and UCLA, to whom he was committed for four months before the school fired coach Jim Mora. But Nebraska — which offered Jan. 2 — was the only program viewing him as a college quarterback.

“All my other offers are at linebacker,” Tago told The World-Herald in mid-January. “This is my only quarterback offer, so it’s a big deal.”

Such an opportunity seemed far off for Tago when he watched perhaps his favorite quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, excel at Oregon under Scott Frost in 2008 and 2009. It felt closer when he began exchanging direct messages on Twitter with Nebraska’s new head coach in December.

”I know what (Frost) does with him and Marcus Mariota and all them,” said Tago, who is of Samoan descent. “I’d pinch myself playing in his offense.”

The lead recruiter of the consensus three-star prospect for the Beavers is former Nebraska linebackers coach Trent Bray, who served briefly as NU’s interim coach after Mike Riley was fired Nov. 25.

Tago finished his final prep season completing 251 of 386 passes (65 percent) for 3,173 yards and 38 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He also ran for 500 yards and 16 scores while showcasing an elusiveness in the pocket and an occasional willingness to truck a defender. As a linebacker, he netted 61 tackles (11 for loss) as Quartz Hill finished 13-2.

”I think me just being able to escape the pocket and just change the game with my legs is a big part of my game,” Tago said. “I’m not scared to hit, either, so if I have to I’ll run somebody over and be physical on the quarterback side.”

Nebraska lost 2017 starting quarterback Tanner Lee to the NFL draft but returns sophomore Patrick O’Brien and redshirt freshman Tristan Gebbia and inked four-star California prospect Adrian Martinez during the early signing period. It also gained a UCF transfer Noah Vedral, a redshirt freshman from Wahoo Neumann who is set to walk on this year before going on scholarship.

But Husker coaches wanted Tago in the fold. QB coach Mario Verduzco made an in-home visit last month while Frost, offensive coordinator Troy Walters and offensive line coach Greg Austin all stopped by his high school a week later Jan. 22.

Tago told The World-Herald he was not adamant about playing quarterback, but also wouldn’t back away from the challenge despite what appears to be a talented room. The aspiring criminal justice major is thinking about one day becoming a police officer like his older brother, Christian, who wrapped up his football career as a linebacker at San Jose State in 2016.

”Wherever I go, I’m going to compete,” Tago said. “They could have 30 dudes at a position, and if they want me at that position I’m going to go compete no matter what.”

Nebraska isn’t done going head to head on the recruiting trail with Oregon State, which hired Riley as an assistant in early December. Three-star wide receiver Andre Hunt — who will choose between NU, OSU and San Diego State — is set to make his announcement Wednesday on signing day. The wideout is good friends with Tago and attends Lancaster (California) Paraclete High School a few miles from the quarterback’s home.

Hunt, who is one of five official visitors Nebraska is hosting this weekend, said he and Tago would make their college choices independent of each other but have spoken about the potential of being on the same team.

Share: