Friday Five: Nebraska reaches another high point in the Directors’ Cup

The Huskers post their best Directors’ Cup result of the Big Ten era, Axelina Johansson adds another national honor and two former men’s basketball players move on to NBA opportunities.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska athletics had a pretty good week for résumé updates.

The department recorded its best Directors’ Cup point total of the Big Ten era, Axelina Johansson added another national award to a career already full of them and Jillian Martin received recognition for everything she accomplished on the lanes, in the classroom and around the community.

There was also some next-step news for Rienk Mast and Sam Hoiberg, plus a first look at who will represent Nebraska football at Big Ten Media Days next month.

Let’s get to it.

Nebraska finishes 17th in the Directors’ Cup

Nebraska finished 17th in the final 2025-26 Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, matching its best placement since finishing 13th in 2000-01. The Huskers scored 929 points, their highest total since joining the Big Ten Conference. It is also Nebraska’s third straight top-25 finish and the fourth consecutive year the department has improved in the standings.

The final jump came after strong spring performances. Baseball earned points for reaching the NCAA Tournament, while the men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams combined for 183.75 points after both finished in the top 10 nationally.

Nine Nebraska programs finished in the top 10 during the year. Wrestling placed third, men’s gymnastics was fourth, and volleyball, softball, rifle and bowling all finished fifth. Women’s outdoor track and field tied for eighth, while men’s basketball and men’s outdoor track and field both placed ninth.

That is a much broader list than Nebraska has produced in some recent years, which is probably the bigger takeaway. A strong Directors’ Cup isn’t made possible by one or two successful teams. Instead, it requires enough programs to contribute across the entire calendar.

Nebraska was one of eight Big Ten programs in the top 25, joining UCLA, USC, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and Wisconsin. The Big Ten and SEC combined to occupy 17 of the top 25 spots.

Axelina Johansson wins the Honda Award

Axelina Johansson is the first Nebraska athlete to win the Honda Award for track and field.

Johansson joins softball winner Jordy Frahm as a finalist for the 2026 Honda Cup and Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. The award will be presented July 27 on CBS Sports Network.

“I want to start off by (thanking) the CWSA voters for selecting me for this award,” Johansson said in a statement. “There are so many amazing women in this sport, so being named the best female college athlete in track and field is such an honor and feels absolutely amazing. I could not have done it without the team around, so I truly want to thank Nebraska and all the resources they have provided me during these past five years, my family, teammates, friends and coach St. Clair for believing in me.”

The honor follows a senior season in which Johansson won both the indoor and outdoor NCAA shot put titles. She set the indoor collegiate record at 19.72 meters and won the outdoor championship with a meet-record throw of 19.92 meters. Johansson also produced the second-farthest outdoor throw in NCAA history while winning the Big Ten title at 19.97 meters.

She finished her Nebraska career with four NCAA championships, six Big Ten titles and eight All-America honors. The USTFCCCA also named her the National Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.

“Winning the Honda Award is an incredible honor and a testament to Axelina’s hard work and dedication,” coach Justin St. Clair said. “Her perseverance, resilience, and commitment to excellence have made this achievement possible. We couldn’t be prouder of Axelina, this recognition is so well deserved, and we are thrilled to celebrate her success.”

Johansson was also named one of 10 women’s semifinalists for The Bowerman, the top individual honor in collegiate track and field. She is only the second Nebraska woman to reach the semifinalist stage, joining 2024 selection Rhema Otabor. Three finalists will be announced June 29.

Jillian Martin earns Conference USA Scholar-Athlete honor

Jillian Martin’s latest recognition accounts for more than what she accomplished as a bowler. Martin was named the 2025-26 Conference USA Scholar-Athlete Award winner for bowling. The honor considers athletic achievement, academic performance and community service.

Martin is one of seven bowlers in Nebraska history to earn four All-America awards, and all four were first-team selections. She was the 2025 NTCA Bowler of the Year, represented Team USA and won three Professional Women’s Bowling Association events.

Her latest professional victory came earlier this month at the U.S. Women’s Open, where she climbed from the fourth seed to win four consecutive matches and capture her second major title.

Martin also graduated this spring with a degree in biological sciences. She was a three-time CSC Academic All-District selection, a finalist for Nebraska Female Student-Athlete of the Year and a 2026 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award winner. She also earned a place on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team four times.

Rienk Mast and Sam Hoiberg get NBA opportunities

Rienk Mast and Sam Hoiberg will both continue their basketball careers with NBA organizations. Mast is joining the Indiana Pacers after helping Nebraska win a school-record 28 games and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time.

The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season. He reached double figures 24 times and recorded five 20-point games. His season also included a triple-double against FIU with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Mast finished his college career with 1,849 points, 1,094 rebounds and 351 assists across his time at Bradley and Nebraska.

Hoiberg will join the Phoenix Suns after completing one of the more unusual career arcs in recent program history. He arrived as a walk-on and left as an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection and a member of the conference’s All-Defensive Team. As a senior, Hoiberg averaged career highs of 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals.

He also set Nebraska’s single-season assist-to-turnover ratio record at 3.75-to-1, which ranked ninth nationally. His 70 steals were the most by a Husker in 25 years, and he finished seventh in school history with 162 career steals.

Nebraska selects its Big Ten Media Days representatives

Justin Evans, Luke Lindenmeyer and Andrew Marshall will join coach Matt Rhule at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on July 30. The group gives Nebraska one representative from each major area of the roster.

Evans is the veteran of the offensive line, with 31 career starts and experience at both guard and center. He started every game at center last season and helped clear the way for first-team All-American running back Emmett Johnson.

Lindenmeyer is coming off his best season at Nebraska. The tight end started all 13 games and caught 29 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns, earning honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition. He also remains one of Nebraska’s more dependable blockers on the perimeter.

Marshall represents the defense after making an immediate impact in his first year following a transfer from Idaho. He started all 13 games at cornerback, recording 45 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception and four pass breakups. Nebraska finished third nationally in pass defense last season and Marshall earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors.

Media Days can sometimes become a parade of quarterbacks, so Nebraska’s selections stand out in contrast. That said, all three are experienced players whose value has come through consistency, versatility and a lot of snaps. That probably says something about who Rhule trusts to represent the program as the 2026 season gets closer.

We are not at kickoff yet, but the summer calendar is moving.