LINCOLN, Neb. - Omaha track and field competed indoors Friday for the first time in the 2024-25 campaign in the Husker Holiday Open in Lincoln.

"It truly was incredible to see our athletes supporting one another and coaching one another out there today," said head coach Cliff Cisar. "From non-competing athletes like Milan Coggins and Shona Juliana, to the groups competing alongside one another. You could see from the first to the last event, the investment they were putting into each other. It showed in the performances from seasoned veterans to freshman starting their careers. I can't tell you how exciting it was to listen, observe, and celebrate 17-plus weeks of work that went into this pre-season meet. And the best thing is, the best is yet to come!"

Cisar continued, "With a couple of second place finishes, Tania Gleason and Jade Jackson both had a great meet. They have worked diligently since the summer began and these performances were a testament to those efforts. They will be a force to be reckoned with within the league come championship season."

In the long jump, Omaha etched third, fourth, fifth and sixth-place finishes, highlighted by Julia Niemeyer's 5.30m mark, a .33m improvement from last year's season opener. Jade Jackson also logged improvement over last season's lid-lifter with a 5.04m long jump, a .05m improvement from 2023-24.

Kaitlin Hellbusch set a personal best in the high jump with a PR of 1.65m (over five feet) to place sixth overall in the meet.

Emma Klein led the triple jumpers with a 11.36m jump (.10m improvement from 2023-24), an event in which Omaha finished fourth through seventh. Newcomer Kate Kelly had a stellar opener with a leap of 10.85m mark. Ali Wiseman opened up her sophomore campaign with a effort of 10.47m, a .17 improvement over her opener last season.

In the 60m dash Tania Gleason led the Mavericks with a fifth place finish and new personal best of 7.78, good enough to tie Gleason for 10th all-time in program history. Avyn Urbanski matched her 2023-24 opening time, recording a 7.85 and Ashley Ostrand ran a near personal best with a time of 8.05, a .25-second improvement over her 2023-24 opening time.

Jackson led the Mavericks with second place overall finish in the 60m hurdles and a new PR of 8.86. Her time ties her for seventh all-time in program history. Newcomer Chloe Ahrens opens her Maverick career with a sixth place finish in a time of 9.38.

In the 300m event, Omaha locked down fourth through sixth place finishes. Ava Robinson led a trio of Mavericks with a fourth place finish in a new PR time of 40.83 –– more than a second faster than her 2023-24 opening mark. Macy Persinger won her heat with a new PR time of 41.04, while Jocelynn Skoda opens her freshman campaign with a great race to finish second in her heat with a time of 41.50.

Gleason led the Mavericks with a second place finish and a new indoor PR of 24.86 in the 200m. Her time increases her hold on as the seventh fastest all-time in program history. Avyn Urbanski finished in sixth place with a time of 25.80, only a tenth of a second off her indoor PR. Ashley Ostrand finished in 13th place in 26.59, a new indoor personal best.

Omaha track and field returns to action after the holidays when the Mavericks head back to Lincoln for the Graduate Classic on Jan. 17 at the Devaney Center Indoor Track.