The athletic fields at Nebraska have become living laboratories where science, management and hands-on experience come together — preparing the next generation of turfgrass professionals one field at a time.
Many students in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s plant and landscape systems major partner with Nebraska Athletics, applying classroom concepts to the daily demands of collegiate sports turf management.
Most of the turfgrass students working with Nebraska Athletics began the program in their first semester on campus. For these students, the experience has provided far more than a campus job. It has become an extension of the classroom and, in many cases, a pathway into the turfgrass industry.
“Working at Nebraska Athletics has provided our students with valuable opportunities to expand their knowledge of the turf industry,” Anne Streich, a professor of practice in agronomy and horticulture, said. “Prior to this experience, many had only worked in the golf industry.”
Streich teaches the Introductory Turfgrass Management course, coaches the turfgrass competition team, supervises internship experiences and serves as academic adviser to all turfgrass science and management students.
Students working for Nebraska Athletics are involved in nearly every aspect of field maintenance, and they are overseen by Alex Harter and David Berger. Responsibilities include mowing, painting, aeration, seeding, irrigation management, topdressing and fertilizer and pesticide applications across facilities such as the soccer field, football practice fields and the track and field venue.
“Working with a successful sports program provides valuable experience in collegiate athletics,” Aaron Barnhouse, a senior, said. “It also opens the door to hands-on internships — whether on golf courses or managing sports fields — where we can apply what we learn in the classroom.”
Jaden Krenzer, who graduated in May, said working at a sports turf facility, rather than a golf course, allowed him to develop a different set of turf management skills focused on a smaller area.
Carson Vachal, who also graduated in May, said the opportunity allowed him to broaden his experience beyond baseball fields.
“I just wanted to see the other side of sports turf,” Vachal said. “I’ve done a lot of baseball, so I wanted to see if maybe I’d like soccer and football a lot more. I wanted to gain more knowledge about sports turf.”
The work also exposed students to large-scale athletic field projects, including Nebraska Athletics’ transition from cool-season grasses to warm-season bermudagrass on one of the practice football fields.
“Alex and David have both been excellent mentors, sharing their knowledge and providing opportunities for the students to gain hands-on experiences managing high-quality sports turf fields,” Streich said.
Through this process, students observed and experienced the different management strategies required for maintaining an aggressive warm-season grass compared with the cool-season grasses more commonly used in Nebraska.
“One of the biggest differences is the maintenance and protocols that we do with warm-season grass,” Harter said. “You’re a little more aggressive with bermudagrass. We topdress and verticut more often and mow it at a different height.”
Because bermudagrass thrives in warmer weather and spreads through rhizomes and stolons, it recovers more quickly from athletic traffic and requires different moisture management strategies than Kentucky bluegrass surfaces. Harter said learning to manage multiple turf systems gives students a competitive advantage entering the workforce.
Ryan Knipping, a junior in the program, said the experience revealed the level of precision required to maintain elite athletic facilities.
“My biggest takeaway from working with the athletics department is just how much work it takes to maintain a high-level practice field,” Knipping said.
Students say classroom instruction provides the scientific foundation behind mowing, irrigation, fertilization and pest management, but the real understanding comes from applying those concepts in the field. From repairing irrigation heads and lines to operating spray equipment and troubleshooting turf issues, the work connects theory to real-world results.
“Trial and error is kind of a big thing in this industry,” Barnhouse said. “Being able to come out here and apply what you’re learning in the classroom is the most beneficial part.”
Berger, who oversees the Barbara Hibner Soccer Stadium field, said student employees are essential to the operation's success.
“They just do a tremendous job,” Berger said. “We couldn’t do our jobs without them. They're the heart and soul of this crew, and we could not maintain the surfaces as well as we do without them.”
