Nebraska Athletics has reached an unprecedented milestone in athletic performance this season.  Nebraska became one of two NCAA institutions, and the first Big Ten program to qualify for a bowl game, plus NCAA postseason play in each of the following sports in the same calendar year— football, volleyball, and soccer in the fall; men’s basketball and women’s basketball in the winter; and baseball and softball in the spring.

Nebraska and Louisville were the only two schools to qualify for postseason play in those seven sports, and Nebraska was the only institution to win at least one game in six of those seven sports.  Even if soccer wasn’t included, only Texas and Arizona State would be the only two other institutions to join Nebraska and Louisville in this shared achievement.

Nebraska is the first and only school to accomplish this rare seven-sport feat among current Big Ten institutions, dating back to 1982, the year the NCAA launched postseason play in women’s basketball and softball.

2013-14 Postseason Recap for the Huskers

To recap postseason play for the Huskers:

• The football team defeated Georgia in the Gator Bowl;
• Volleyball advanced to the Elite Eight;
• Soccer won the Big Ten regular-season title as well as the postseason tournament and defeated Southeastern Louisiana in hosting an NCAA Regional
• Women’s basketball won the Big Ten Conference postseason tournament and for the second-straight year earned a win in the NCAA Tournament
• Men’s basketball team made its first appearance in the Big Dance in 16 years
• Softball tied for the Big Ten regular-season championship, won an NCAA Regional and advanced to a Super Regional for the second straight year, taking eventual national runner-up Alabama to the wire.
• Baseball won one game in its Stillwater regional against Binghamton.

Overall, it was a productive season in more than just the seven sports listed above.  Seven other Husker sports competed in NCAA postseason action over this past year:

• The women’s bowling team was the NCAA Championship runner up
• The rifle team finished fifth at the NCAA Championships
• Women’s gymnastics shared the Big Ten regular-season championship and made it to the Super Six
• Men’s gymnastics placed eighth at the national meet
• Wrestling finished 11^th at NCAA Championships
• Men’s track and field placed 17th indoors and 12th outdoors
• Women’s track and field placed 19th last weekend at the NCAA Outdoor Championships

First for Husker Men’s Basketball and Baseball

This calendar year also brought about another Husker first. The 2013-14 season qualified as the first time in Nebraska Athletics history that our men’s basketball and baseball teams qualified for NCAA Tournaments in the same year. It was also just the third time that both the men’s and women’s programs qualified for the NCAA basketball tournament the same year and the first since 1998 (1993 was the first time).