Nebraska Track & Field Takes on U.S. Trials and International Championships

Just call the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Thrower U.

Four throwers from the Nebraska track and field team have won their state’s national championships. Two of them have qualified for their Olympic teams.

Winning the javelin was Emanuela Casadei for Italy, Rhema Otabor for the Bahamas and Arthur Petersen for Denmark. In the shot put, Axelina Johansson took the title for Sweden.

Before we go into the javelin throwing performances, let’s first explain how the Olympic qualifying competitions work.

To qualify for the Olympic Games, one must meet certain standards during a certain period of time. For the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, that period was from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

If you don’t meet that standard, you have to wait until all participating countries have completed their national competitions and hope that not enough people have reached the qualifying mark, and that you are close enough to that mark, to be invited to participate.

In the javelin throw, the Olympic qualifying mark for women is 64.00 meters (209-11 3/4).

Casadei won the Italian national title with a new personal best of 56.49m (185-4). Her previous best of 53.35m (175-0 1/2) would still have put her on the podium, but with a bronze medal.

Petersen stayed on the European continent and won the Danish national title in the javelin throw with a throw of 79.67 meters (261-4 1/2).

The Olympic standard for the men’s javelin throw is 85.50 m (280-6 1/4), meaning that Petersen, even with a personal best throw of 79.73 (261-7) at the Drake Relays on April 25, 2024, is still waiting to see if he qualifies for the Olympics for Denmark.

The two Olympic qualifiers have also produced national championships for the Huskers the past two seasons.

With a list of achievements including 2023 NCAA Outdoor Women’s Shot Put National Champion, 2023 NCAA Indoor Women’s Shot Put Runner-Up, 2022 & 2024 NCAA Bronze Medalist, Indoor and Outdoor School Record Holder, Johansson added the Swedish national title with an 18.97m ( 62-2 3/4) swell.

Johansson achieved the Olympic standard for the women’s shot put – 18.80m (61-8 1/4) – at the Michael Johnson Invitational, where she won with a throw of 18.82 (61-9).

The junior is no stranger to the international stage, having competed for Sweden in a number of competitions and taking home bronze at the 2023 European Games.

The reigning Bahamian national champion, back-to-back NCAA national champion, Nebraska school record holder and NCAA record holder in the javelin, Otabor won the javelin in her home country with a throw of 58.18 m (190-10 1/2) and will go to Paris to represent her country. This will be her first Olympic Games.

Otabor is another Husker with international experience. She has already brought home equipment for the Bahamas four times: the 2021 NACAC U20 Championships, where she finished first, the 2022 NACAC Championships, where she finished third, the 2023 Pan American Games, where she finished second, and the 2023 NACAC U23 Championships, where she finished first.

Otabor finished her career with the Huskers as a two-time national champion and with an NCAA National Championship Meet Record, NCAA Record, School Record and Bahamian Record throw of 64.19m (210-7).

Back on American soil, the Huskers had a number of athletes vying for a spot on Team USA.

Reigning NCAA national champion and school record holder in the 110-meter hurdles, Darius Luff made it to the semifinals before finishing 14th with a time of 13.37 seconds.

Luff had won the NCAA National Title on that same track just three weeks earlier with an astonishing personal best of 13.19. He leaves Nebraska as the holder of the School Record in the indoor 60-meter hurdles, the outdoor 110-meter hurdles and with a day to commemorate his accomplishments: Darius Luff Day falls on June 7.

Husker high jumper Jenna Rodgers set a new personal record with a jump of 1.91 meters, but she fell in the jump-off when she jumped 1.93 meters, shattering her Olympic dream.

Nebraska sophomore sprinter Garrett Kaalund surprised many with the fourth fastest qualifying time after the preliminaries when he blasted out of lane 9 in the first heat with a 20.28s 200m run. Kaalund was then placed in lane 6 for the semifinals, sandwiched between Nike athlete Kyree King and Adidas prodigy Erriyon Knighton. However, before coming off the turn, Kaalund stopped and walked off the track with a noticeable limp, ending his debut at the Olympic Trials.

The 2024 season was an eventful one for the sophomore from San Antonio, Texas, as he broke his own school record in the 200 meters with a run of 20.25 at the NCAA West preliminary round to finish fourth and qualify for the NCAA National Championships. At the championships, he finished 13th and was named Second-Team All-American with a time of 20.38.

Back on the field, 2024 NCAA Runner-Up Tyus Wilson finished third in the men’s high jump with a distance of 2.24m (7-4 ¼). Wilson tied for the highest mark with PUMA athlete JuVaughn Harrison, as both athletes failed to clear 2.27m (7-5 ​​¼), but Wilson still had to scratch while Harrison made one failed attempt at 2.24m.

The junior from Sterling, KS has yet to reach the Olympic standard height of 2.33m (7-7 ¾) and will have to wait and see if he qualifies for Team USA with his season-best height of 2.29m (7-6).

Former Husker track and field athlete Mayson Connor also competed in the men’s high jump finals, but dropped out at 2.21m (7-3) after opening a 2.16m (7-1) lead on his first attempt.

Maddie Harris was Nebraska’s last chance to be represented on Team USA for Track and Field. Unfortunately, she launched the javelin 56.21m (184-5), which was only good for fifth place at the US Olympic Team Trials. The senior from Lee’s Summit, MO did not compete for Nebraska during the 2024 season, but did finish fourth at the 2023 NCAA National Championships.

The XXXIII Olympiad in Paris begins on July 26, and the athletics (track and field) events begin on August 1.

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