As 2024 wraps up, KETV NewsWatch 7 wanted to highlight the incredible talent and most memorable moments that came out of this year in Nebraska sports.
All eyes were on Caitlin Clark, who entered the February game 39 points away from breaking the NCAA women’s basketball all-time scoring record.
Instead, it was the Huskers making history. The 82-79 win marked just the fourth win over a top-five opponent in program history.
Clark tallied 31 points before being held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Nebraska overcame a 14-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to defeat Iowa.
The 15th-ranked Bluejays snapped UConn’s 14-game winning streak in February in front of a sold-out crowd at the CHI Health Center.
The Jays went on to finish their season with a Sweet 16 appearance.
They came back strong in the fall season, and they once again were able to take down the No. 1 team. Kansas fell 76-63 in December at the CHI Health Center, marking another historic win for the Jays.
Nebraska’s former athletic director Trev Alberts accepted a job at Texas A&M in March.
MORE COVERAGE: Trev Alberts says Nebraska is ‘well positioned’ in email to staff announcing departure to Texas A&M
“From my perspective, there has never been a more consequential time in history for higher education and the evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics,” Alberts said in a statement. “Leadership matters now more than ever before. My interest in Texas A&M is not only due to its prestigious reputation but also because of President Welsh’s compelling vision in which, I believe, Athletics can play a small but important role in helping Texas A&M achieve unprecedented success.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen issues ‘call to action,’ urges NU Board of Regents to appoint permanent president
Husker basketball earned the No. 8 seed in the South region to play NO. 9 Texas A&M in the first round of the tournament.
This marked the first time the Huskers went to the tournament since 2014.
UNO hockey defeated North Dakota to make it to the championship game of the Frozen Faceoff. This was the second time the team made it
‘Built for this moment’: Brothers on UNO hockey team make history at Frozen Faceoff in their hometown. See the story here.
The team went on to play Denver in their first-ever appearance in the Frozen Faceoff, but they ultimately came up short.
They went on to be selected for the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history.
Mike Kemp, UNO hockey’s first head coach and long-time administrator retired in May. He coached the Mavericks for 12 years, starting in July 1996, and moved to associate athletic director in May 2009. In March 2019, he was named senior associate athletic director-events/facilities and in November 2021, he was named executive associated athletic director.
Later in October, the hockey team dedicated the ice at Baxter arena to the Omaha Sports Hall of Famer during their matchup with Wisconsin.
The Novas played their first game in their inaugural season in January. The team was able to capture the hearts of thousands, making it possible to break the attendance record for women’s professional volleyball match in the U.S. as well as in the Pro Volleyball Federation with 11,624 fans in attendance. The team went on to break that same record two more times, on Feb. 18 against Orlando with 11,918 and on March 16 against Orlando with 12,090 fans at the CHI Health Center.
During the playoffs, the Supernovas were able to defeat both San Diego and Grand Rapids to become the first ever Pro Volleyball Federation champs.
Husker baseball completed the come-from-behind win to claim its first Big Ten Championship title in front of more than 13,000 fans at Charles Schwab Field on in May.
Nebraska defeated Penn State 2-1 to become the first team to win the Big Ten Tournament Championship after losing its opening game since Ohio State in 1995.
The Storm Chasers played the Columbus Clippers in the Internatioanl League Playoffs.
After the Clippers got on the board in the first inning, Omaha responded with two runs in the second inning and one run in the third.
Columbus tied things up, but after that the Storm Chasers didn’t allow another Clipper run. They won the championship game 7-3.
Union Omaha made history in November at Werner Park, becoming the first team to win multiple USL League One championships.
The top-seeded Owls shut out Spokane Velocity, 3-0, in front of 5,849 fans, the largest crowd in USL League One Final history.
The win marked the club’s fifth trophy in its fifth year of existence.
Union Omaha owns two USL League One championships and three Players’ Shields.
The Huskers snapped their bowl drought and a 10-game losing streak against the Badgers in November. It was the first time the team became bowl eligible since 2016.
‘It felt great. It felt amazing’: Nebraska players react to clinching Huskers’ first bowl game since 2016. See the story here.
It was later announced in December Nebraska would be heading to New York City for the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. This bowl will mark the first time the Huskers played a bowl game in NYC since the 1962 Gotham Bowl.
They will play Boston College at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
The game is schedule for Saturday, December 28th and will be played at Yankee Stadium with kickoff at 11 A.M. CDT. It will be broadcasted on ABC.
Skutt Catholic snapped Bennington’s 46-game win streak on senior night.
See the highlights in the video below.
The Skyhawks were able to do it all over again to claim the Class B Title over the Badgers 29-26.
Nebraska high school football state championships: Skutt takes down Bennington for Class B Title
Millard South football defeated Westside 27-10 to win the program’s first state championship in 15 years and snap the Warriors Class A record 32-game win streak.
Creighton volleyball went all the way to the Elite 8 in the tournament this year. It was only the second time in program history the Jays made it that far.
‘They are unicorns’: Creighton volleyball standouts balance nursing school with championship goals
Another massive accomplishment the Bluejays could add to their impressive season beside their school record 25-match win streak is when they eliminated back-to-back defending champion Texas during the Sweet 16 matchup.
Nebraska volleyball went all the way to the semifinals before falling to Penn State in the fifth set.
During that nail-biting matchup, Lexi Rodriguez was able to make school history when she broke former Husker Justin Wong-Orantes’ dig record.
READ MORE: Husker volleyball’s Lexi Rodriguez breaks Justine Wong-Orantes’ dig record during NCAA Semifinal game
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