Nebraska's track and field team will send 13 athletes to the NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas, hoping for top 15 finishes in both the men's and women's competitions. The meet begins Friday at 10:00 a.m. It will be streamed LIVE on ESPN360, which you can access on UNL's campus, among other places. Check your local cable company.

The men will have nine competitors, and a legitmate shot of finishing inside the top five if the chips fall right:

High jumper Paul Hamilton: No. 1 in the nation with a jump of 7-4 1/4, Hamilton had a poor Big 12 meet in the same A&M building, but he'll return with as good a chance as any jumper in the nation of winning

Long jumpers Nicolas Gordon, Chris Phipps and LeRon Williams: The most formidable trio in the collegiate ranks, all three - especially Gordon - enjoyed terrific Big 12 meets and have a shot at All-American honors. Gordon broke the Big 12 meet record with a jump of 26-1 1/2 and ranks No. 3 in the nation. Phipps and Williams are tied for 10th.

60-meter hurdlers Lehann Fourie and Kirkland Thornton: These two have been battling back and forth all season. Fourie's best time is 7.75 seconds (T-7th nationally) while Thornton is just behind with 7.76 (T-9th nationally). As Fourie told us earlier this year, getting to the NCAA meet is the key. Because in a sprint - and especially in a hurdling event - just about anything can happen.

400-meter sprinter Lukas Hulett: Looks for his third straight All-American indoor performance, which would be a school record. Right now, his time of 46.58 seconds is just outside that top eight, but, again - anything can happen.

Heptathlete Bjorn Barrefors: Just a freshman from Sweden, Barrefors is going to be making his share of trips to the indoor and outdoor NCAA meets over the next four years, and you just might see him in the Olympics. A semester transfer, Barrefors has competed in just a handful of meets at NU, and he's already 7th in the nation.

Pole vaulter Seth Burney: Secured a spot in the NCAA meet with a strong performance at Big 12s, vaulting 17-10 3/4, good for fifth in the country. Certainly in line for All-American honors, don't count him out for top three, either.

The women, meanwhile, are looking to vastly improve on a 67th and 52nd place finish the last two seasons:

High jumper Epley Bullock: Like Hamilton, didn't have her best meet at Big 12s, but remains a threat to finish in the top five. Bullock has a jump of 6-1 1/4 this year, good for fifth nationally, and the way high jump competitions can go, that jump might be good for second this weekend. Texas jumper Destinee Hooker is more or less a lock to win.

Pole vaulter Natalie Willer: Willer's had a consistent indoor season, routinely reaching close to 14 feet on her vaults. Her best is 14 feet itself, good for fifth in the nation.

Pentathlete Megan Wheatley and Chantae McMillian: Both enjoyed great springs and currently ranked 4th and 8th in the nation, respectively. McMillian also got a bid to compete

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