The Nebraska Cornhuskers have just celebrated their 36th annual “A Night at the Lied” on April 27, 2026, at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, honoring seniors Axelina Johansson and Asher Cohen. Present during the event were Huskers’ star volleyball players Harper Murray, Skyler Pierce, Bergen Reilly, Keoni Williams, and others who lit up the event with their high-fashion looks while acting as mascots for the leading winners of the night.
The annual event honors the outstanding athletes of the past year who have made significant contributions to the university’s sports culture, alongside amplifying their own athletic profile. A series of awards is presented to the top prospects across multiple divisions, culminating in the main-eventer honor, which includes the Most Outstanding Female and Male Student-Athlete titles.
This year’s recipients turned out to be two seniors from unique fields who took their game to a level unparalleled. The shotput sensation, Axelina Johansson, was selected as the most outstanding female athlete of the year, while Asher Cohen from the men’s gymnastics division got the male honor. Johansson has been holding on to her decorated Husker track history, where she bagged the national championship thrice, alongside being a six-time All-American and an Olympian.
Cohen has been honored thrice as the All-American, alongside winning a national title on the still rings with a score of 14.50. He has significantly contributed to the popularity of Husker gymnastics while maintaining an outstanding academic GPA score.
The event further shone with the presence of the recent volleyball spring winners, who torched the event with their glamor-filled looks and exotic photo-ops that defined their post-season excitement. Skyler Pierce, Harper Murray, and Laney Choboy were seen engaging in selfies with high-end poses, proving their fashion dominance.
The freshman middle blocker, Keoni Williams, was also seen in the arena, donning a black dress and clicking photos with her teammates, which highlighted her bond with the veteran roster.
Freshman Skyler Pierce was one of many who were the recipients of the prestigious Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award. The award represents the athlete’s leadership skills during critical moments, which Pierce clearly demonstrated with her team coordination and securing the final kill to help Nebraska win its spring volleyball game. In attendance were also fellow teammates, Andi Jackson and Bergen Reilly.
The other winners on the night included Jordyn Frahm, Emmett Johnson, Braden Frager, and many more whose contributions made a key impact in amplifying the Huskers’ name in collegiate sports.
Huskers’ Harper Murray Talks About the Importance of Giving Away the Pregame Ball
Harper Murray is known as the star player of the Huskers volleyball team, and besides her standout record on court, she makes it intentional to connect with fans who invest a great deal of time to project love and admiration for their national team.
Murray does this by throwing a pregame ball toward a fan who specifically wears a jersey with her name or her sign, which highlights her desire to turn a simple pre-game ritual into a ground for personal connection.
“I always look for someone that either has my jersey or a sign of my name on it and I wanna make the effort to give them a ball and do something special for them because again they put that effort into buying my jersey or make a sign for me. So I wanna try and give it back to them in the best way I can,” she said.
This comes amid the Huskers winning their final spring exhibition in the small town of Chadron, Nebraska, inhabited by a small population, which nonetheless sold the arena in minutes, fueling the Huskers’ dominant sweep.
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