Sidney grad Deer breaks own school record at Bearcat Classic

Tanquary wins 600-yard dash for Nebraska-Kearney

Published on Feb. 8, 2026

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University of Nebraska-Kearney senior Mitchell Deer, a Sidney High School graduate, broke his own school record in the 400 meters at the Northwest Missouri State Bearcat Classic on Saturday. Deer finished second in the event with a time of 47.59 seconds, meeting the NCAA Division II provisional standard. Freshman Talissa Tanquary, also from Sidney, won the women's 600-yard dash for the Lopers.

Why it matters

Deer and Tanquary's performances highlight the success of student-athletes from Sidney, Nebraska competing at the Division II level and continuing to set new school records and win events for the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

The details

Deer's time of 47.59 seconds in the 400 meters broke his own previous UNK record. He also helped the Lopers' men's 4x400-meter relay team finish third in a provisional-qualifying time of 3:15.72. Tanquary won the women's 600-yard dash in 1:27.66 and later competed on UNK's women's 4x400-meter relay team, which placed sixth.

  • Deer broke his own UNK school record in the 400 meters on Saturday, February 8, 2026.
  • Tanquary won the women's 600-yard dash on Saturday, February 8, 2026.

The players

Mitchell Deer

A senior at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and a graduate of Sidney High School, Deer broke his own school record in the 400 meters at the Bearcat Classic.

Talissa Tanquary

A freshman at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and a native of Sidney, Nebraska, Tanquary won the women's 600-yard dash at the Bearcat Classic.

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The takeaway

Deer and Tanquary's performances demonstrate the continued excellence of student-athletes from Sidney, Nebraska, who are representing the University of Nebraska-Kearney at a high level and breaking school records in the process.