Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney men's track and field team picked up five All-Americans on the first day of the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships in Pittsburg, Kan.

The two-day meet is hosted by Pittsburg State with things wrapping up Saturday night. Check the meet webpage for the complete schedule and live links. 

The afternoon started with three Lopers taking part in the 800-meter prelims. There were three heats with the top two finishers in each, plus the next two top times, advancing to Saturday's finals. Fremont redshirt freshman Wes Ferguson led third heat from start to finish (1:51.24) and is now a two-time All-American. His time was the fourth best with Minnesota State's Tanner Maier (1:50.40) leading the way.

Hastings junior Seth Simonson turned in a season-best 1:51.52 to have the seventh lowest time but won't run in the finals as he was fifth in his heat and ninth overall. He does earn second-team All-American honors for the first time. Also in heat five, Kearney senior Cole Willis was sixth (1:53.25).   

About two hours later, Simonson, Wallace sophomore Micah Swedberg, Willis and McCool Junction Luke Stuckey ran the second-best distance medley relay time (9:41.41) to finish eighth out of 12 teams. That is good for first-team All-American honors and makes this foursome the first men's relay AA squad since the 1989 NAIA indoor meet (two-mile relay, sixth). 

Simonson ran a 2:59.5, Swedberg a 48.1, Willis a 1:51.2 and Stuckey came in at 4:02.3 UNK had 9:41.05 back in February to set the UNK standard. Lee (Tenn.) University was the surprise national champion thanks to a late kick, running a 9:34.41 to nip Simon Fraser of Canada (9:36.05). This is Stuckey's second AA honor, the first for Swedberg and now Simonson is a two-timer.  

Kearney sophomore Brayden Sorensen competes in the high jump Saturday at 3:30 with Ferguson running the 800 finals at 6:25 p.m.