The Nebraska football program announced on Thursday that six players have been voted by their teammates as captains for the 2015 season, the first under Head Coach Mike Riley.

The group includes three players each on offense and defense, and consists of two seniors and four juniors. The players come to the Nebraska program from six different states.

Offensively, senior offensive tackle Alex Lewis, junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr, and junior wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp were named captains. Senior defensive end Jack Gangwish, junior defensive tackle Maliek Collins and junior safety Nate Gerry will represent the 2015 Blackshirts as captains.

“It is quite an honor to be elected by your teammates as a captain, particularly in a program with the history and tradition of Nebraska,” Riley said. “This group will be outstanding representatives for our football team, beginning with leadership in the summer workouts.”

Armstrong Jr. has been Nebraska’s starting quarterback the past two seasons. The Cibolo, Texas, native posted the third-best total offense season in Husker history as a sophomore in 2014.

Lewis the only returnee on the offensive line who started all 13 games for Nebraska in 2014. The Tempe, Ariz., native joins his father in having been elected as a Nebraska team captain. Bill Lewis was a Husker captain in 1985, when he earned All-America honors at center. The Lewis’ are the third family to have a father-son duo named as Nebraska team captains. Tom Ruud and sons Barrett and Bo served as captains, as did Dean Steinkuhler and his sons, Ty and Baker.

Westerkamp has played a key role in the Nebraska passing game the past two seasons, including 44 catches and five touchdowns as a sophomore. Westerkamp’s selection marks the third straight year a receiver has served as a Nebraska captain.

A fifth-year senior from Wood River, Neb., Gangwish continues a long line of Nebraska natives and walk-ons who have served as Nebraska captains. Gangwish’s selection marks the 10th straight year a Nebraska native has been named a team captain. Gangwish is the second player in three seasons to become a captain after originally joining the program as a walk-on, joining offensive lineman Spencer Long (2013). Gangwish played in every game last season and made 19 tackles.

A Kansas City product, Collins was a stalwart for the Husker defensive line last season, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore. Collins had 45 tackles, including a team-leading 14 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Gerry enters his junior season as the leading returning tackler for the Blackshirt defense. The Sioux Falls, S.D., product made 88 tackles last season. He also ranked among the Big Ten leaders with five interceptions and was a second-team all-conference pick. Gerry is the fourth defensive back in the past three seasons to serve as a team captain, joining Ciante Evans in 2013, and Corey Cooper and Josh Mitchell in 2014.

Nebraska will move into the next phase of preparation for the 2015 season when summer conditioning begins in full next week. Big Ten Media Days in Chicago are set for July 30-31, with the Huskers’ annual Fan Day scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 5 at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska begins practice on Aug. 6 as it prepares to open the season on Sept. 5 at Memorial Stadium against BYU.

Former Nebraska Heisman-winning quarterback Eric Crouch and Outland Trophy award winner Zach Wiegert are among 76 former Football Bowl Subdivision players on the 2016 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot, which was released by the National Football Foundation on Tuesday.

Crouch is on the ballot for the fifth straight year, while this year marks the first time Wiegert had made an appearance. The 2016 class will be announced on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, the Friday before the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Crouch will look to become the second Husker quarterback in the College Hall of Fame, joining Tommie Frazier who was part of the 2013 class. Crouch became Nebraska’s third Heisman Trophy winner in 2001 after leading the Huskers to the National Championship game. An option-based quarterback out of Omaha’s Millard North High School, Crouch set the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 59, and he amassed 7,915 career total offensive yards. A consensus All-American in 2001, Crouch also reeled in the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Davey O’Brien Award and the Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year award.

Wiegert was a 1994 unanimous first team All-American and is one of eight Huskers to win the Outland Trophy. A native of Fremont, Neb., Wiegert  helped lead the Huskers to 1994 National Championship after NU played in the 1993 title game. The Huskers averaged 340 yards per game on the ground in 1994 and Wiegert led Nebraska with 113 pancake blocks. He even earned one first-place vote for the Heisman, ending up tied for ninth with 27 points. In addition to winning the Outland, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, a consensus All-American, the UPI Lineman of the Year and the Touchdown Club of Columbus Offensive Lineman of the Year. His No. 72 jersey was retired before the 1995 season.

Trev Alberts became the 17th Nebraska player in the College Football Hall of Fame and will be inducted in December. He was the fourth Husker in seven years to be named to the Hall,  joining 2013 inductee Tommie Frazier, 2011 honoree Will Shields and 2009 inductee Grant Wistrom.

Anthony Abidin led the NU with a second place finish at 65kg. The Dix Hills, N.Y., native compiled a 33-6 overall record at 141 pounds as a junior in the 2014-15 season. Abidin won an 8-5 decision against Missouri’s Matthew Manley before getting defeated by a 10-0 tech fall to North Carolina’s Evan Henderson in the first place match.

Tyler Berger and Tim Lambert each earned third place finishes in their respective weight classes. Berger competed at 70kg and won by a 9-4 decision over Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer of Iowa State in the 3rd place match. Lambert competed at 57kg and downed Phillip Laux of the University of Iowa by an 11-2 decision in the 3rd place match.

Micah Barnes earned a 5th place finish at 80kg. Barnes defeated Nicolas Kee by a 10-0 tech fall in the 5th place match. Collin Jensen (HWT) also brought home a medal. Jensen defeated Columbia University’s Garrett Ryan by a 10-3 decision in the 7th place match. Aaron Studebaker (86kg) was defeated by a 6-3 decision in the 7th place match by Penn’s Canaan Bethea.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska men’s basketball coach Tim Miles’ new contract also has changes in how he earns certain bonuses.

The athletic department released the contract to reporters on Monday. It was previously announced that the contract would extend through the 2019-20 season and that Miles would be paid just over $2 million this year.

Miles’ new bonus structure calls for him to earn $100,000 for a Big Ten regular-season or tournament championship. His NCAA tournament bonuses remain the same, starting at $150,000 for the Cornhuskers earning a bid.

No longer will Miles receive bonuses for winning 20 games, finishing in the top four of the Big Ten, being coach of the year, making the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament or playing in the NIT.

Austin, Texas – The Nebraska track and field team earned eight more NCAA Championships bids on the final day of the NCAA West Preliminary Round on Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium. In all, the Huskers earned 17 bids with 19 athletes set to compete in Eugene, Ore., June 10-13.

The Huskers grabbed three bids in the women’s triple jump to begin the day. Junior Mollie Gribbin was fourth in the event with a first attempt jump of 42-8 (13.00m). Gribbin will make a repeat trip to outdoor nationals, albeit in a different event as she competed in the long jump last year. Senior Ellie Ewere placed sixth by jumping 42-3 1/2 (12.89m) and will look to repeat as a first-team All-American in the event. Sophomore Omaha North grad Danielle Jones is headed to nationals for the first time in her career after leaping a career-best 42-3 1/2 (12.89m) to lock up a bid. She entered the event seeded 36th but finished seventh with her career day. Freshman Angela Mercurio also set a PR of 41-10 1/2 (12.76m) but just missed the top 12.

Grand Island product Steven Cahoy will head to nationals after clearing through 17-6 1/2 (5.35m) in the pole vault. The sophomore also made indoor nationals this year for the first time in his career. Beau Simmons also narrowly missed a nationals bid, finishing 13th by clearing a personal-best 17-4 1/2 (5.30m).

After an hour-long weather delay, Nikita Pankins, Ricco Hall, Antoine Lloyd and Cody Rush ran a 39.86 in the 4×100 relay to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships with the final qualifying time.

Hall later ran a season-best 20.75 in the 200 meters to earn trip to nationals in that event as well. A four-time All-American with relay teams, Hall will make his second career nationals appearance in the 200 meters after also qualifying during the indoor season.

Sophomore Sarah Firestone clinched a national berth in the javelin for the first time in her career, reaching 163-10 (49.95m) on her last attempt to finish fifth in the event.

In the night’s final event, the men’s 4×400 relay team of Cody Rush, Drew Wiseman, Levi Gipson and Jake Bender earned a bid to nationals yet again with a time of 3:06.02 to win heat two. The Huskers were sixth at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships and second at the past two NCAA Indoor Championships in the event.

NCAA Championships Qualifiers (Eugene, Ore. – June 10-13)
Mollie Gribbin (Triple Jump)
Ellie Ewere (Triple Jump)
Danielle Jones (Triple Jump)
Steven Cahoy (Pole Vault)
Men’s 4×100 Relay (Pankins, Hall, Lloyd, Rush)
Ricco Hall (200 meters)
Sarah Firestone (Javelin)
Men’s 4×400 Relay (Rush, Wiseman, Gipson, Bender)
Will Lohman (Hammer Throw)*
Will Lohman (Shot Put)*
Marusa Cernjul (High Jump)*
Drew Wiseman (400-meter hurdles)*
Nick Percy, Discus*
Tierra Williams, Long Jump*
Jazmin McCoy, Long Jump*
James White, High Jump*
Landon Bartel, High Jump*

* = qualified on Thursday or Friday

Austin, Texas – The Nebraska track and field team earned four more bids to the NCAA Championships on Friday, bringing the total to nine after two days at the NCAA West Preliminary Round at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Senior Will Lohman highlighted the day by qualifying for nationals in both the hammer throw and shot put. Lohman earned his second straight trip to nationals with a hammer throw of 215-10 (65.79m), good for fourth place in the event. The Chewelah, Wash., native was an honorable mention All-American in the event last year and is the Husker school-record holder. He then recorded a 61-4 (18.69m) throw on his last shot put attempt to finish 10th and reach the NCAA finals in the event for the first time in his career.

Marusa Cernjul clinched a bid in the high jump. The senior from Celje, Slovenia took care of business by clearing 5-11 1/2 (1.82m) to punch her ticket. It marks the second career NCAA Outdoor Championships appeareance for Cernjul. The 2015 indoor second-team All-American has not been to the NCAA Outdoor Championships since her freshman year in 2012 after battling injuries the past two seasons.

Drew Wiseman snatched a bid in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 50.49 to place third in his heat and earn the automatic berth. The sophomore from Bismarck, N.D., entered the week seeded 26th in the event, but his career-best effort in Friday’s race was the seventh-fastest time overall. He will make his first trip to nationals in an individual event after running in relays three times already in his career.

Antoine Lloyd qualified for Saturday’s 110-meter hurdle NCAA quarterfinal, as he ran 13.83 to place third in his heat and earn an automatic bid. Sean Pille’s time of 13.88 was good for fifth in his quick heat and was fast enough to earn him a spot in Saturday’s quarterfinal.

Ricco Hall will also race on Saturday, as he reached the 200-meter quarterfinal with a season-best time of 20.79 to finish second in his heat and automatically qualify for the quarterfinal.

The NCAA West Region Preliminary Round will conclude tomorrow as the Huskers will look to qualify more athletes for the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Fans can follow live results and watch a free live stream throughout the day’s events.

NCAA Championships Qualifiers (Eugene, Ore. – June 10-13)
Will Lohman (Hammer Throw)
Will Lohman (Shot Put)
Marusa Cernjul (High Jump)
Drew Wiseman (400-meter hurdles)
Nick Percy, Discus*
Tierra Williams, Long Jump*
Jazmin McCoy, Long Jump*
James White, High Jump*
Landon Bartel, High Jump*

* = qualified on Thursday

Huskers Advancing to Quarterfinals on Sunday
Antoine Lloyd (110-meter hurdles)
Sean Pille (110-meter hurdles)
Ricco Hall (200 meters)

Austin, Texas – Five members of the Nebraska track and field team punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships with their performances on Thursday at the NCAA West Preliminary Round at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus.

Over the course of the three-day meet, the Huskers will compete to earn top-12 finishes in their events to secure a bid to the national meet in Eugene, Ore., in two weeks.

On a first day that featured strong wind and two lightning delays, Nick Percy (discus), Tierra Williams (long jump), Jazmin McCoy (long jump), James White (high jump) and Landon Bartel (high jump) became the first five Huskers to lock in a spot at the NCAA Championships. Four of the five NU qualifiers were freshmen or sophomores.

Percy, a freshman from Ventnor, England, threw the discus 182-8 (55.69m) on his second attempt to finish ninth in the event and become the first Husker to qualify.

Williams, a sophomore from Auburn, Neb., will make a repeat trip to nationals after unleashing the best jump of her career, 20-10 1/2 (6.36m) on her first jump. She finished first in her flight and sixth overall. McCoy, also a sophomore, jumped 20-5 3/4 (6.24m) on her last attempt to finish ninth in the competition. The Kansas City, Mo., native will also make a repeat trip to nationals.

White, a senior high jumper from Grandview, Mo., will make his first NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance after clearing a season-best 7-2 1/2 (2.20m) on his first try to place fifth. Bartel, a freshman from Ashland, Mo., cleared 7-1 1/2 (2.17m) and finished ninth to earn his first NCAA bid.

In preliminary action, Drew Wiseman advanced to Friday’s 400-meter hurdle NCAA quarterfinal with a time of 51.88, good for second in his heat and the 15th-fastest time overall.

Levi Gipson and Jake Bender both qualified for the 400-meter quarterfinal. Gipson’s time of 47.03 was 20th overall and was fourth-best among non-automatic qualifiers to earn him a bid. Bender earned an automatic bid, charging down the stretch to finish second in his heat at 47.05.

Shawnice Williams advanced to the 800-meter quarterfinal by running 2:09.52. She earned the final non-automatic qualifying spot in the field.

Competition will continue on Friday at Noon with the women’s discus. Fans can follow live results or watch the action via a free live stream, which begins at 4:30 p.m. (CT).

Huskers Advancing to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon
Nick Percy, Discus (9th)
Tierra Williams, Long Jump (6th)
Jazmin McCoy, Long Jump (9th)
James White, High Jump (5th)
Landon Bartel, High Jump (9th)

Huskers Advancing to NCAA Quarterfinals on Friday
Drew Wiseman, 400m hurdles
Levi Gipson, 400m
Jake Bender, 400m
Shawnice Williams, 800m

Lincoln – University of Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook announced Thursday the hiring of Chris Tamas as an assistant coach, with his wife, Jennifer (Joines) Tamas, joining the Huskers as a volunteer assistant. Chris Tamas was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Cal Poly the past two seasons, while Jen served as a volunteer assistant there.

Cook said Tamas, a former U.S. Men’s National Team captain who also spent two years as an assistant at Minnesota, brings tremendous playing and coaching experience, as well as recruiting ability to the Huskers. He will primarily oversee Nebraska’s middle blockers, coordinate blocking defense and scouting reports, while assisting in recruiting. Tamas replaces Dan Meske, who took the head coach position at Augustana (S.D.).

“Going through the search process, we were really impressed with the quality of candidates interested in Nebraska volleyball,” Cook said. “Chris really stood out to us because of his playing experience with the U.S. National Team and that he’s played under some great coaches. He has been in the Big Ten, so he’s familiar with the conference and what it takes to compete at this level. He’s also been at two programs in rebuilding modes in UC Riverside and Cal Poly, and that’s when you really learn how to coach. I admire the fact that he helped rebuild a program basically from scratch, a program that is ready to take off after the players he brought in last year.”

In Tamas’ first season at Cal Poly in 2013, the Mustangs posted an eight-win improvement over 2012. Tamas’ seven-player recruiting class in 2014 was ranked 23rd nationally by PrepVolleyball.com, and the Mustangs’ top hitter, setter and blocker in 2014 were all freshmen, including Big West Conference All-Freshman Team member Raeann Greisen (3.55 kills per set). The Mustangs regularly started five of the seven freshmen Tamas helped bring in.

“I have been fortunate enough to travel the world through my playing and coaching career – from the collegiate to the national and professional levels – and what the University of Nebraska does for the sport of volleyball is unrivaled,” Tamas said. “From the passionate and knowledgeable fans to the dedicated and hardworking staff, we couldn’t be more excited to join this program. We’re looking forward to working with Coach Cook, developing our student-athletes, and together achieving world-class results.”

As an assistant coach at Minnesota from 2011-12, he helped lead the Golden Gophers to an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance in 2011 and an Elite Eight showing in 2012. In addition to scouting, Tamas was tasked with training Minnesota’s setters, and the Golden Gophers finished the 2012 season with the Big Ten Conference’s top offense and ranked eighth nationally in kills per set. With Minnesota, Tamas worked under Hugh McCutcheon, who directed the United States Men’s National Team to a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the U.S. women’s team to a silver medal in 2012. Prior to his time with Minnesota, Tamas spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons at UC Riverside under 2008 Olympic assistant coach Ron Larsen.

Tamas’ wife, Jennifer (Joines) Tamas, was a four-time All-American middle blocker at Pacific (2000-03) and silver medalist with the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She played professionally for eight years in Japan, Italy, Russia, Azerbaijan and Puerto Rico and was the U.S. Women’s National Team captain for four years.

“I coached Jen on two USA teams previously, and she’s very good friends with Jordan Larson-Burbach and Nancy Metcalf (Meendering),” Cook said. “She’s interested in coaching now that she’s retired from playing professionally. Jen and Chris together are going to make a very big impact on our program.”

Jen Tamas added: “I look forward to joining my husband and bringing our family into the Lincoln Community. There is no better place in the country to play volleyball and raise a family. We are honored to join such a storied program. As a former Olympian and captain of our women’s national team, I understand the unique combination of leadership skills, dedication to training, and commitment to the team that is needed at the highest level. We look forward to helping develop these traits in our young women here at Nebraska.”

Both Chris and Jen Tamas bring with them accomplished collegiate and professional playing careers.

Chris Tamas was a 2003 graduate of Pacific with a degree in sports sciences. He was a four-year starter for the Tigers and a unanimous AVCA All-America first team selection and team Most Valuable Player during his 2003 senior season, Tamas remains first in program history in assists (5,086), third in assists per set (13.46), fourth in service aces (84), 10th in digs (498) and 14th in total bocks (221). In four years with the United States Men’s National Team (1999, 2003, 2005-06), Tamas made 34 appearances and in 1999 helped the squad to a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Havana. As national team captain in 2003, Tamas helped lead the United States to a bronze medal at the World University Games in Daegu, South Korea.

A training camp invitee for the United States squad that eventually captured the 2008 Olympic gold medal, Tamas also helped U.S. sides to silver at the 2005 World Grand Champions Cup in Japan and, as a setter, to a gold at the 2006 NORCECA Championships in Mexicali, Mexico.

As a professional, Tamas competed for six years overseas with clubs Protect Eye Orion (Netherlands), Antigos Alunos (Portugal), Real Grupo (Spain), Erdemir (Turkey), Dionysos (Cyprus) and Isku (Finland). In Finland and Cyprus, Tamas helped his clubs to national cup championships.

As a middle blocker with the United States Women’s National Team, Jen Tamas made more than 60 appearances in eight years while serving as captain for four years. Aside from assisting the U.S. to silver at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Tamas helped lift the country to gold at the 2012 Pan-American Cup.

She was the 2003 Big West Conference Player of the Year and 2000 Big West Freshman of the Year at Pacific, where she led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament each year. Tamas earned communications and business degrees at Pacific.

Nebraska incoming freshman Jack McVeigh will represent Australia next month at the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Greece. McVeigh was one of the 12 players announced Thursday by Basketball Australia.

The tournament runs from June 27 to July 5, and Australia will face Canada (June 27), Tunisia (June 28) and Italy (June 30) in pool play. The team will leave Australia on June 10 and play tune-up games in Spain and Croatia before heading to Greece. Australia is seeking its first medal in the event since 2003, when Andrew Bogut led Australia to a gold medal, while featuring former Husker great Aleks Maric.

McVeigh, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound guard/forward from Gold Coast, Queensland, signed with the Huskers earlier this spring. He has extensive experience in the national team pipeline, as McVeigh was chosen to captain the Under-19 National Team in 2014, but was unable to play because of illness. McVeigh, who has played with the Senior National Team at the 2014 Sino-Australia Challenge, also played for the Australian Select Team in 2014 and at the Adidas Nations event in 2013.

Kiki Stokes was recognized for an outstanding junior season on Wednesday, May 27, when she was named a third-team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

The 15th Nebraska softball player to be recognized as an NFCA All-American, Stokes is the first Husker outfielder to earn All-America accolades since Kim Ogee in 2002. Twelve Huskers have combined to earn 19 All-America honors under Head Coach Rhonda Revelle, including three players in the last two seasons.

“Kiki is very deserving of this honor,” Revelle said. “The coaching staff knew she had the potential to be an All-American, and we challenged her to meet that potential. Kiki worked extremely hard and put in a tremendous amount of preparation for this season. As a coach, nothing is more rewarding than seeing a student-athlete reach her potential and be rewarded and recognized for her efforts.”

Stokes’ hard work and dedication certainly paid off, as she earned the first all-conference, all-region and All-America accolades of her career. Stokes hit .407 as a junior with nine doubles, five triples, 11 homers and 51 RBIs, matching or exceeding her career totals entering the year in each of those categories.

A native of Olathe, Kan., Stokes was one of the nation’s most dynamic offensive threats in 2015. Boasting a potent combination of power and speed, Stokes did it all as the Huskers’ leadoff hitter for all 58 games. In addition to posting the sixth-highest batting average in school history, Stokes set school records with 66 runs scored and 17 hit-by-pitches. She also drew 34 walks to post a .532 on-base percentage, the highest single-season mark in the history of Nebraska softball. In addition to setting three school records, Stokes ranked seventh in Husker history in triples, ninth in hits (72) and 12th in RBIs.

One of only five Division I players to record 10 home runs and five triples in 2015, Stokes ranks 13th nationally in runs scored and 38th in on-base percentage. In a testament to her versatility, Stokes produced 50 hits, 50 runs, 50 RBIs and 50 free passes (combined walks and hit-by-pitches) this season, one of only seven players nationally to accomplish that feat.

A team tri-captain, Stokes helped Nebraska to a strong finish. The Huskers posted 35 victories and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, before being eliminated in the regional round with a 10-inning loss at No. 5 LSU, which advanced to the Women’s College World Series. Stokes went 4-for-7 in two games against the Tigers this season, highlighting her success against top competition. Stokes hit .475 (19-for-40) with three doubles, one triple, four homers and nine RBIs in 12 games against ranked teams, including a .478 average (11-for-23) with one double, one triple, three homers and five RBIs in six contests against top-10 opponents.

Stokes will look to lead Nebraska to even greater success in 2016, when she looks to bookend her career with Women’s College World Series appearances after helping the Huskers make it to Oklahoma City as a freshman in 2013.