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Jarren Heng Senior
Norfolk, Neb. (Norfolk) Two Letters
Honors & Awards • Nebraska Team Captain (2012, 2013) • Nebraska Most Valuable Runner (2012) • Academic All-Big Ten Fall (2011, 2012) • Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2011, 2012) • Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll (2010) • Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Honor Roll (2011) 2013 (Outlook) Co-captain Jarren Heng hopes to lead the Huskers up the Big Ten standings while earning an individual spot at the 2013 NCAA Championships. Heng was chosen Nebraska’s Most Valuable Runner in 2012, despite suffering a leg injury that limited him at the end of his junior season. Nebraska Coach David Harris said a healthy Heng will be a key component to the Huskers’ success in 2013. “Jarren must stay away from any injuries to have the kind of season to lead our team. His leadership as captain is vital just as it was last year when we were so young,” Harris said. “He could be one of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten by staying healthy and racing well.” 2012 (Junior) After becoming a leader on and off the course for the Huskers in 2011, Heng earned Nebraska’s Most Valuable Runner honor in 2012. A co-captain for the season, Heng started off his junior season with an impressive performance at the UNO/Creighton Classic, placing second overall (27:10.20). It was the highest finish by any Husker runner in 2012. Heng followed that performance by placing seventh at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational, where he posted a time of 25:02.9. It was the fourth top-10 finish of Heng’s career. He added a 16th-place finish (24:20.00) at the KU Rim Rock Farm Classic in Lawrence, Kan. In his third postseason with the Huskers, Heng competed at the Big Ten Championships while battling a leg injury. He finished 71st overall in a time of 25:40 in his final meet of the season. A standout in the classroom, Heng earned academic All-Big Ten honors and claimed a spot on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll for the fall semester. 2011 (Sophomore) Heng ran among the top four for the Huskers all season in 2011, including a pair of top-three finishes. The Norfolk, Neb., native opened his sophomore season by notching a second-place finish at the UNO/Creighton Invitational (27:31.24) to help the Huskers to a second-place finish overall. He continued the success into the next meet at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational, running a time of 25:48.8 to place fourth among the Huskers and 23rd overall. He continued to excel at the SDSU Classic, in Brookings, S.D. He finished second overall in a time of 25:25.9, which helped Nebraska capture the team title. Heng’s final regular-season meet came at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational, where he ran a time of 26:18 to place 242nd overall as the Huskers’ No. 4 runner. Heng continued to perform well during the postseason, producing solid efforts at the Big Ten Championships (67th, 25:36) and at NCAA Midwest Regionals (98th, 33:52.68). Heng earned his first cross country letter during the season. He also performed well in the classroom, claiming academic All-Big Ten honors for the Huskers.
2010 (Freshman) Heng finished among NU’s top seven at every meet, including a 66thplace showing at the Big 12 Championships and a 101st-place finish (32:24.3) at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Ill. Heng opened his college career by taking 11th (27:42.9) at the Creighton/ UNO Invitational in Omaha on Sept. 4. Two weeks later, he finished 26th (26:08.7) at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational at Pioneers Park in Lincoln. He managed a 154th-place showing (25:46.5) at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational, before finishing 188th at the Indiana State PreNationals on Oct. 16. On the track, Heng set personal bests in every event both indoors and outdoors as a freshman. He posted a time of 4:17.33 in the mile at the Nebraska Tune-Up, while adding an 8:37.22 in the 3,000 at the Razorback Invite. He clocked a 15:14.69 in the 5,000 at the adidas Classic. Outdoors, he posted a 3:55.43 in the 1,500 at the Ward Haylett Invite, and a 9:14.02 in the steeplechase at the Pepsi Invitational. High School (Norfolk Catholic) Heng led Norfolk Catholic to four straight Nebraska Class C state cross country titles as the team’s top runner from 2006 to 2009. Norfolk Catholic became just the third school in Nebraska history to win four straight boys cross country team titles, joining Morrill (1979-82) and York (1992-95). Running for coaches Tim Kassmeier and Doug Zoucha, Heng won back-toback state titles and All-Class gold medals in 2008 and 2009, after finishing second in 2007 and fourth in 2006. On the track, Heng added two more individual state titles by winning the Class B 3,200 meters in 2009 and 2010. He also helped the Knights to a team title as a freshman in 2007, when he won a pair of medals. He added three medals as a sophomore in 2008. As a junior in 2009, Heng claimed four state medals, including a title in the 3,200 and a runner-up finish in the 1,600. He added a fourth-place finish in the 800 and ran the anchor leg on the sixth-place 4x800 relay. Heng capped his prep career by defending his state title in the 3,200 meters with a personal-best time of 9:29.20, while also placing eighth in the 800 meters, and running the second leg of the third-place 4x800 relay. Heng finished second in the 1,600 meters for the second straight year to Husker teammate Connor Gibson. Personal Jarren is the son of Jeff and Kristi Heng. Jarren was born on Dec. 18, 1991. Jarren’s cousin Jonah is a member of the cross country team. A Spanish major, Heng earned academic All-Big Ten honors in 2011 and 2012. He also claimed spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall semesters of 2011 and 2012.
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