Sophomore standout from South Africa has already established himself as one of the elite runners in program history, but Kusche seeks to elevate his and Cornhuskers’ national profile with performances in Albuquerque 

By Angela Mercurio for DyeStat

George Kusche has been instrumental in helping the University of Nebraska build a more formidable distance program since his arrival in 2018 from South Africa.

Kusche, 21, now has an opportunity Friday and Saturday to not only enhance his individual resume, but add to a growing legacy in Lincoln with a breakthrough performance in his debut at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.

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Kusche is entered in the mile and 3,000 meters following program records in both events this season, looking to end the Cornhuskers’ distance drought at the national indoor final.

Nebraska has never produced a finalist in the men’s 3,000 and has achieved only two All-America first-team honors in the men’s mile, with Jean Verster finishing fourth in 1986 and Jonah Kiptarus placing second in 1996. The only individual national championship in any indoor distance event for the Cornhuskers came when Anne Shadle captured the women’s mile title in 2005.

“Being a Nebraska athlete, it’s always special because Nebraska distance hasn’t always been the best in the past,” Kusche said. “So I would like to think that I’m helping the program mature into a more mature and more developed program.”

In addition to making program history in the 3,000 and becoming the first Nebraska national qualifier in the indoor mile since Peter van der Westhuizen in 2008, Kusche has additional motivation after missing out on qualifying for the Division 1 outdoor 1,500-meter final by 0.15 seconds in his semifinal race in June in Austin, Texas.

“There’s always a distinction between you as a personal athlete and you as a Nebraska athlete. For me, it means that you’ve developed into being one of the best in the country. So it’s obviously a confidence booster for me that I could get there,” Kusche said. “And for me, it’s a big opportunity because every time you get the opportunity to do well at nationals you can improve your name as an athlete. If you do well, you can always get into bigger races in outdoor season. Personally for me, it’s a positive thing that last year I did not make it and this year I did make it – especially doing two events.”

Two weeks ago, Kusche placed third in the mile in 4:09.68, along with earning a bronze in the 3,000 by clocking 8:14.02 at the Big Ten Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Ohio, with Wisconsin senior star Oliver Hoare capturing both titles in 4:09.42 and 8:13.65.

Although the medals further enhanced Kusche’s elite profile at Nebraska, they also created an even greater desire to challenge himself against a pair of elite fields at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

“I went for the win [at Big Tens]. I was running up front. I got passed the last 40 meters from the line. It’s always disappointing to lose, but I really felt like I had good races. I put myself out there, I kicked. I’m not disappointed in the way I ran,” Kusche said. “Obviously I would like to win. I hit a bit of lactic in the last 100 meters in both of my races at Big Tens, so it’s something I will work on now. Also, I’m not going to focus on Oliver, because there are 14 other guys that are good. But I guess I learned to adapt my tactics to run a little smarter.”

Kusche is seeded 11th in the mile at 3:57.93, achieving the program record Feb. 1 at the University of Washington Invitational where he finished third behind Nike Bowerman Track Club professionals Evan Jager and Sean McGorty.

He is seeded 15th in the 3,000 at 7:50.93, with Kusche securing Nebraska’s all-time mark Feb. 8 at home by winning the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at Devaney Center.

“I worked very hard for it, so it’s always nice getting rewarded with a fast time. You don’t plan on breaking a record, you just run as fast as you can and hopefully break the record in the process,” Kusche said. “In the 3,000, it was very special because Nebraska fans are very enthusiastic and they will always support you in whatever endeavor you try. It was very special to have thousands of fans in the Devaney Center cheering me on; at least I think that helps a lot.

“Especially when you look at how close the qualifications are, my time was 7:50.93 and the last person to qualify for indoor nationals was 7:51.0. So seven-splits, it’s really close. So maybe if the people weren’t there cheering you on to give you the extra courage, you never know what would have happened. So I’m very happy and grateful towards the fans.”

Kusche rightfully gives a lot of credit to the loyal fans at Nebraska for pushing him and celebrating alongside him in his achievements. And they have a lot of success to celebrate with him. In addition to his record-breaking races this season, he achieved many accolades in his first year at Nebraska in 2018-19, along with his sophomore cross country season.

In his first conference cross country championship meet as a freshman, Kusche finished third at the 8-kilometer distance in 23:39, the best showing ever by a Husker at the Big Ten Championships, and the best finish by a Nebraska male runner in any conference meet since 1997.

Kusche then finished fourth at the 10-kilometer distance at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships to become the first Husker since 2010 to qualify for the Division 1 Cross Country Championships. He placed 55th at the national cross country final in Wisconsin, the best Husker finish at the NCAA meet since 2008, and best by a male runner since 1997. His efforts awarded him the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Kusche continued changing the narrative for Nebraska by placing second to Hoare in November at the Big Ten Cross Country Championship by clocking 23:31.6 on the 8-kilometer course in Columbus, Ohio, the best ever individual result for a Nebraska male runner at the conference final. He also became the first Husker to compete at back-to-back NCAA Cross Country Championships since 2001-02, but struggled under difficult conditions to place 165th at the LaVern Gibson Championship course in Terre Haute, Ind.

“Cross country nationals went horribly for me. I had a lot of small injuries that disrupted my training, but all in all it wasn’t a good experience,” Kusche said. “But it always makes you a little bit stronger and tougher when you fail. I’m not really going to think about cross country nationals, it’s a different sport and I’m a different person – or a different athlete at least than I was back then. I won’t keep cross country nationals in my head at all.”

Despite all the firsts he has been able to achieve in less than two years in Lincoln, it is interesting why Kusche chose to attend a school without a dominant history in the distance, considering he was recruited as one of the top runners from South Africa. He had run 1:47.45 in the 800 for fourth at the South African National Championships, and had a PR of 3:58.96 in the mile.

“Before I came to the U.S. I wasn’t aware that track and field as such a team-orientated sport, where I’m from in South Africa it’s really more an individual sport, you compete for yourself. You compete for your university but you’re not part of a team, you’re more of an individual athlete than anything else,” Kusche said. “So I really didn’t know about the team culture in the U.S. and the NCAA system. I really didn’t take that into account when I chose Nebraska.

“However, I have a really good coach that I’m very happy with. And I knew that before I came, so I chose Nebraska because Coach Dave (Harris). I like his personality and we get along very well, which I think is just as important as being a good coach. I felt like the balance between the academics and sport departments are very well developed. I feel like Nebraska is a very good combination of being good in academics and good in sports, and also the facilities are great.”

Regardless of whether Nebraska is yet to be considered a household name in the Big Ten or on a national level when it comes to middle-distance and cross country, Kusche believes his commitment, drive and ambition have contributed to increased expectations for future athletes and teams.

“Recruits, especially in high school, the higher-class athletes still want to go to a team, they don’t want to go to a program because of an individual,” Kusche said. “But I will definitely say I contributed to a shift in the culture. I’ve seen a lot of people working harder, running more consistently, and training more consistently because of the example I set. So I will definitely say I contributed to the culture of running at Nebraska.”

Fellow sophomore Ryan Martins has learned quickly there are no limits as to what Kusche or the Cornhuskers can achieve in the coming months and years.

“What I find most impressive about George is his relentless work ethic in pursuit of becoming the best runner he can be,” Martins said. “He’s not a guy who ever gets too comfortable where he’s at. It’s one thing to be one of the best in the country, but to stand out amongst such a talented group and to be regarded as the best of them all is what drives him.”

Some of Kusche’s success this season has been the result of a change in his training plan

“Last season I raced a lot more compared to this season. Before this season my coach and I decided we wanted to race less, but when we race we want to make a huge success out of it,” Kusche said. “The racing volume went down a lot, but we decided that when I decide to take a race on we would make it an all-out effort where I make sure I run well and hit the qualifying standards for nationals without problems.”

With the prospect of only one race Friday and the potential for two finals Saturday, Kusche stands to benefit from the championship schedule in Albuquerque in pursuit of not only a podium finish, but his quest to challenge for a national title.

“The mile and 3K is not like Big Tens, where it’s mile prelims, 3,000 finals, and then mile finals,” Kusche said. “At nationals, it’s mile prelims, mile finals and then 3,000 finals. So, my focus will be primarily on the mile. Then, I want to do the 3,000 and test my abilities in that event as well.”