Nebraska athletics is ending 2024 on a high note. The university’s track and field started slow early in January, with not-so-stellar results from the indoor half of the season. The Husker Men finished the season, tying for 13th position. Meanwhile, the women’s volleyball team narrowly missed out on the NCAA title, statistically having a good season with just three losses.

The men’s basketball roster also ended 2024 with a bang, bringing home the 2024 Diamond Head Classic trophy. So now Husker’s athletics revealed their ambitions to elevate the school’s track and field. Earlier, the NU official X-handle unveiled that they had “officially broken ground on phase two of @HuskerTFXC’s brand new outdoor complex.”

Approved in September, the second phase of the 10.5 million-dollar complex aims to elevate Huskers’ track and field facilities to new heights. The Nebraska Track & Field/Cross Country page reposted the update with their own caption: “Raising the bar in everything we do.” The university hopes to make massive upgrades to make the complex a one-stop solution for everything track and field.

These updates include permanent seating for 2,000 fans and several other facilities related to hosting meets at the complex. They are also building a state-of-the-art space for all track and field events that happen indoors during the opening months of the season, including throwing events. However, Nebraska’s plans go far beyond providing world-class indoor and outdoor practice spaces.

Athletic Director Troy Dannen laid out NU’s mission to become a powerhouse in college track and field. “With this complex, our track and field program will be positioned to host high-caliber events, including the prestigious Big Ten Championship in the spring of 2026,” he said in a statement according to KETV. However, the complex seems to be part of a bigger revamp at NU.

Are the winds of change blowing at Nebraska athletics?

The massive track and field project is something the Huskers athletics hopes will push their track and field program to become as successful as the volleyball program. However, they’ve already inaugurated another giant athletics complex on campus. Just days before announcing phase two of their track and field complex, the Nebraska Huskers unveiled their 300,000 sq. ft. athletics facility.

They named the venue The Osborne Legacy Complex after legendary Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne. The facility boasts amenities like a nutrition area, recovery area, new locker rooms, and a massive new gym for the athletes to get their workouts in. Besides these amenities, the facility also boasts team meeting rooms, an auditorium, and a players’ lounge.

Now NU hopes to give a similar, if not grand, treatment to the track and field program. According to KETV, the university has announced that they plan to get the entire facility operational by October 2024. And while it’ll be too late to host any of the NCAA events for the upcoming season, Nebraska Athletics is hopeful that the NCAA will find the complex as a suitable venue for the 2026 championships.