Nebraska track and field junior Mayson Conner became the first Husker men's high jumper to medal at the NCAA Championships in more than a decade, as he finished third at the championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Friday. 

A junior from McCool Junction, Nebraska, Conner cleared a new outdoor personal best of 7-3 3/4 (2.23m) on his second attempt to jump into third place in the standings. He remained in that spot at the end of the competition to capture his first career NCAA Championships medal, and he picked up his second-career USTFCCCA All-America First-Team honor. Conner finished seventh at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships and 12th at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships in his freshman season.

The last Husker men's high jumper to medal at the NCAA Outdoor Championships was Paul Hamilton, who also finished third in 2010. Conner's mark is tied for fifth in NU outdoor history. His six team points gave the Nebraska men a tie-for-37th finish in the team standings. 

Fellow junior Michael Hoffer also competed in the high jump on Friday but was unable to clear the opening bar. Hoffer picked up USTFCCCA honorable mention in both the high jump and long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this week. 

Huskers Announce 2021 Volleyball Schedule

The Nebraska volleyball program and the Big Ten Conference announced the 2021 regular season schedule on Friday.
 
The Huskers will begin the 2021 campaign on Aug. 27-28 by hosting Tulsa, Colgate and Kansas State in a tournament at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The following weekend, the Big Red will welcome Omaha, Georgia and Arizona State to the Bob Devaney Sports Center for another home tournament.  
 
Nebraska will face in-state foe Creighton at the CHI Health Center Omaha on Wednesday, Sept. 8 before returning home to host Utah on Saturday, Sept. 11. The Utes reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Omaha this spring and were ranked No. 17 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll.
 
The Huskers' final week of non-conference action will feature a road trip to Stanford on Sept. 14 and a home match on Sept. 18 against Louisville, coached by former Husker player and assistant coach Dani Busboom Kelly. The Cardinals reached an NCAA Regional Semifinal in the spring and finished the year at No. 11 in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
 
Nebraska's 20-match Big Ten schedule features single-play matches against Northwestern (road), Michigan (home), Michigan State (home), Minnesota (road), Ohio State (road) and Maryland (home). The Huskers will play home-and-home series against Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue and Wisconsin.
 
The University of Nebraska Athletic Department is planning for 100 percent capacity for all home fall sporting events. Online season ticket renewals for volleyball will be available within the next two weeks. 

Start times and TV information will be added to the Huskers.com schedule page as they become known.

2021 Nebraska Volleyball Schedule

Smith Notches Win at Palmer Cup

Nebraska women's golfer Kate Smith teamed with Vanderbilt's William Moll for a Mixed Fourball victory to help Team USA at the Arnold Palmer Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, on Friday.

Smith, an All-American from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, joined Moll, a first-team All-SEC performer from Houston, Texas, in defeating the Swedish pair of Ingrid Lindblad (LSU) and Pontus Nyholm (Campbell) 1UP. 

The victory by Smith and Moll helped the U.S. team earn a 6-6 split of the 12 team points up for grabs in the Mixed Fourball matches at the Arnold Palmer Cup on Friday. Action continues at the Palmer Cup on Saturday with 12 more points on the line in Foursome competition.

Smith Earns Two More Palmer Cup Wins

Nebraska women's golfer Kate Smith captured two more victories to improve to 3-0 and help earn three big points for Team USA at the 25th annual Arnold Palmer Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, Saturday.

Smith, the 2021 Big Ten Champion from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, joined U.S. teammate Lauren Hartlage for a 3&2 win over Team International's Agathe Laisne and Ana Pelaez Trivino in Saturday morning's Mixed Foursome competition.

Smith, a 2021 WGCA and Golfweek All-American, was joined by the three-time All-American Hartlage from the University of Louisville in notching a key win for the U.S. squad. Team International's Laisne (France) was a 2019 first-team All-American and Big 12 Champion at Texas, while Pelaez Trivino (Spain) was a two-time All-American at South Carolina.

The victory by Smith and Hartlage helped Team USA pull within one point (12.5-11.5) heading into Saturday afternoon's second round of Mixed Foursome play at the Arnold Palmer Cup. Team International gained momentum with four consecutive victories in Match 19 through Match 22 to take a 12.5-9.5 lead, before Pierceson Coody (Texas) and William Moll (Vanderbilt) teamed for a 2&1 victory in Match 23. Smith and Hartlage then finished out the crucial final match of the morning to help Team USA build momentum heading into the afternoon foursomes.

Team USA gained a measure of control heading into Sunday's singles competition by winning nine of the 12 matches in the afternoon foursomes, including a dominant 5&4 win for Smith and Brad Reeves, the 2021 Pac-12 Champion at Arizona, in Match 30. It was one of three 5&4 victories for Team USA in the afternoon foursomes

Smith and Reeves rolled to victory in just 14 holes over Virunpat Olinkitkunchai (Thailand), who was a 2021 All-American and two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection at Maryland, and her teammate Puwit Anupansuebsai (Thailand). Anupansuebsai was a two-time All-American and the 2020 Mountain West Conference Champion at San Diego State.

Team USA earned an 8-5-3.5 edge in the afternoon mixed foursomes to take a 20-16 overall lead. A total of 24 points will be up for grabs in 24 singles matches at the Arnold Palmer Cup in Sunday's final round of competition. The United States owns a 12-11-1 all-time edge in the history of the Arnold Palmer Cup.

Knapton Takes Seventh in 3-Meter Final

Nebraska All-American Abigail Knapton took seventh in the three-meter springboard final at the U.S. Olympic Diving Team Trials on Saturday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.

Knapton, the 2021 Big Ten Diver of the Meet from Omaha, closed the three-meter competition with a score of 809.10.

Krysta Palmer (Reno, Nevada), who turns 29 on Sunday, claimed the top spot in the event and a spot on the U.S. Olympic Diving Team with a winning total 1,011.95. Hailey Hernandez, an 18-year-old and recent high school graduate, finished second (926.55) to join Palmer on the Olympic Team. Minnesota's Sarah Bacon, who was a silver medalist at last month's World Cup, took third (912.10) to just miss out on a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Although Palmer is 11 years older than Hernandez, she has actually been diving three years less than the youngster who has been diving competitively since age 7. Palmer did not take up the sport until age 20.

Knapton, a six-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Champion out of Omaha Marian High School, will be back in action battling for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Diving Team on Sunday night during the platform competition. Knapton, a graduate student at Nebraska with one season of eligibility remaining, is the only diver to advance to the finals in both the three-meter springboard and the platform at the U.S. Trials.