NU women’s programs are finding great success. The major men’s programs are not. Trev Alberts was asked why | Football

Two days after the Nebraska baseball team dropped to 13-21 this season and one day after the Husker softball team improved to 33-9, Trev Alberts was asked on his radio show about the state of athletics at NU.

Specifically, the first-year Husker athletic director was asked by a caller Monday why the Husker women’s programs are having so much success, and why the men’s biggest programs collectively are not.

“It’s a great question,” Alberts said on the Husker Sports Radio Network. “If we knew what the answer was, we would have cracked that a long time ago.”

Alberts’ comments come in the midst of the Husker baseball team struggling a year after making the NCAA Tournament. The NU men’s basketball team was 10-22 and the NU football team was 3-9.

Combined, NU’s three major men’s sports are 26-52 during the 2021-22 athletic year.

Meanwhile, the volleyball team made the NCAA Tournament championship match and the Husker women’s basketball team made the NCAA Tournament. The bowling team won a national title last year. Now the Husker softball team is in a prime position to make the NCAA Tournament, and on Monday moved into the D1Softball Top 25.

Alberts noted that some of the women’s teams are finding great success with even fewer resources than some of the men’s programs.

“The one thing that’s important to me is let’s not take anything away from those programs, especially the women’s programs that are being successful,” Alberts said. “It’s obvious the women’s programs are having more success than the men’s (programs) right now, but sometimes we get fixated on from the negative perspective of the men not performing. I want to make sure we celebrate the success of softball, women’s basketball and bowling and all those programs.”

As for sports like football and men’s basketball, Alberts said there’s a lot of work to do.

But, “I’m confident in the leadership in some of our men’s programs, but we talk about this a lot, we know what the expectations are,” Alberts said. “And quite frankly, there really aren’t a lot of excuses to why we can’t be successful. We’re going to keep working at it.”

Other notes from Alberts’ radio appearance:

* Everything remains on track for the Huskers’ new football facility to open in the summer of 2023.

Alberts said “inflationary pressure” has led the total cost to rise from $150 million to $160 million. About $107 million has been raised, Alberts added. The private fundraising goal is $115 million.

* Memorial Stadium tours will begin again May 18, Alberts said. Tours had been halted because of the pandemic.