Nebraska

Nebraska woman’s ALS battle shows power of community support

Published

4 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Nebraska woman’s ALS battle shows power of community support

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) — Tesla Oldfield Davis was a two-sport college athlete at Peru State who loved to move her body.

Years later, that athletic background would give her the mindset and community support she needed to face the biggest challenge of her life.

Gary Oldfield said his daughter was competitive and bubbly, someone everyone wanted to talk to.

“She was softball to start with and then a little bit later, they caught her running up the hills of Peru (State) and asked her if she’d run cross-country. She’d never done it before,” Gary Oldfield said.

Years later, Tesla found out she was pregnant. Amid the excitement, something felt off.

“She started having some twitching and tingling in her leg, thought maybe it’s normal. She’d never had a child before. So, waited a couple months. It got worse,” Gary Oldfield said.

Diagnosis and community response

Following the birth of her daughter, Harbor, and months of testing, 28-year-old Tesla received a devastating diagnosis of ALS.

“It takes your ability to walk, talk, and eventually breathe. And it took that progression,” Gary Oldfield said.

With an average life expectancy of 3-5 years, Tesla wanted to make the most of each day she had left.

“It was tough as a dad, because I watched her – maybe one of the fastest kids on her college softball team – and now she’s completely paralyzed in a wheelchair, but she would never let me get down. That kid was smiling all the time. So, that made it a little bit easier,” Gary Oldfield said.

Tesla Oldfield Davis(Inheritance of Hope)

As Tesla’s medical needs increased, so did the expenses. Nebraska’s athletics community stepped up.

The Nebraska Greats Foundation provides medical and financial assistance to current and former athletes at all of Nebraska’s four-year colleges and universities. They first gave Tesla a hospital bed so she could stay home with her daughter.

“And as her condition deteriorated, we helped with other needs as well, including hospital bills and medical bills and also eventually in-home care until the very end. Over the course of time, there was around $342,000 worth of grants that we okayed for Tesla,” said Monte Kratzenstein, executive director of the Nebraska Greats Foundation.

Kratzenstein said it’s important to Nebraska Greats to get to know the athletes their donations go to and their families, not just write them a check.

“I’m a big fan of that whole idea that the things that you learn in athletics, the perseverance and the resiliency and the strength facing adversity are things that you will use, and Tesla did that,” said Kratzenstein.

Making memories and finding support

Another nonprofit helped Tesla and Harbor make precious memories. Inheritance of Hope sent them to Disney World alongside other parents with terminal illnesses and their kids, called a Legacy Retreat.

“And they didn’t feel so alone. They realized there were other families that could relate to them. And then after their Legacy Retreat, they both continued through our online groups. We call it Hope at Home groups,” said Jill Thompson with Inheritance of Hope.

Tesla even attended virtual support groups from the ICU.

“They reached out and helped her so much,” Gary Oldfield said.

Tesla kept fighting well beyond doctors’ expectations, living 7.5 years with ALS. She took her last breath in August of 2025 at 34 years old.

“She was smiling that day,” Gary Oldfield said.

A picture of Tesla and her daughter Harbor at Tesla's funeral. — A picture of Tesla and her daughter Harbor at Tesla’s funeral.(Gary Oldfield)

Gary’s home is still filled with Tesla’s warmth. His daughter’s legacy proves attitude is everything.

“One of her important quotes that she always told me, and it’s really fitting because of what happened in the end, but she said, ‘God puts air in your lungs, so live your life with purpose.’ And she truly lived her life with purpose,” Gary Oldfield said.

Tesla even created a website to support others battling ALS through their journeys.

Gary said Tesla’s daughter, Harbor, has her mother’s positive attitude and loving spirit. She’s now eight years old and is still supported by Inheritance of Hope through weekly support groups online with other children who have lost a parent to a terminal illness.

Both Inheritance of Hope and Nebraska Greats rely on donations and volunteers to operate.

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Nebraska

What Troy coach Scott Cross said after first-round loss to Nebraska

Published

18 minutes ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

What Troy coach Scott Cross said after first-round loss to Nebraska

Troy coach Scott Cross met with the media following his team’s 76-47 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The victory was the first NCAA Tournament win in Nebraska basketball history.

The Huskers were led by Pryce Sandfort, who scored 23 points in the victory. The former Iowa Hawkeye shot 7-of-13 from the floor and 7-of-12 from the 3-point line. Rienk Mast contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds in the win.

As a team, the Huskers shot 25-of-65 from the field, 14-of-39 from the 3-point line and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Troy shot 13-of-46 from the floor, 8-of-28 from beyond the arc and 13-of-14 from the charity stripe.

Cross told the press that while the defeat was difficult to take, he knows his team won’t let this season be defined by this one loss.

“Thank you for being here. I would like to thank the good Lord for the opportunity to just have your guts absolutely ripped out. It stinks, but I told our guys in the locker room, they’re not defined by this basketball game.”

Troy entered the NCAA Tournament on a four-game winning streak after earning the regular-season and tournament titles in the Sun Belt Conference. Cross acknowledged that this Nebraska team is one of the best teams he’s seen in his over 25 years of coaching.

“They played an amazing team. Nebraska is one of the best teams. I’ve been doing this since 1998. They’re really, really freaking good. The way they shoot the basketball and the way they defend, watching it on video, you’re, like, man, there’s no openings as you watch it on video.”

Nebraska and Vanderbilt will play on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on TNT.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: What Troy coach Scott Cross said after first-round loss to Nebraska

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How to buy Vanderbilt vs. Nebraska 2026 March Madness tickets

Published

12 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

How to buy Vanderbilt vs. Nebraska 2026 March Madness tickets

No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the No. 12 McNeese State Cowboys in the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Vanderbilt eliminated McNeese by a score of 78-68 on Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City. McNeese took the lead early in the first half, but Vanderbilt came back in the second half in a close, back-and-forth game.

Now, Vanderbilt will face off against the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second round at Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City on Saturday, March 21.

Here is everything you need to know in order to buy Vanderbilt vs. Nebraska March Madness basketball second round tickets.

Shop Vanderbilt vs. Nebraska March Madness tickets

When is March Madness 2026?

The First Four tipped off the 2026 March Madness tournament on Tuesday, March 17. The two rounds run between Thursday, March 19 and Sunday, March 22. The tournament concludes with the Final Four on Saturday, April 4 and the National Championship game on Monday, April 6.

Vanderbilt March Madness next opponent

Vanderbilt earned a No. 5 seed in the South regional. They defeated McNeese in its opening game and have advanced to the Round of 32, where they will play the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers. Tickets to Vanderbilt’s Round of 32 game start at $193.

Vanderbilt March Madness basketball tickets

Limited Vanderbilt NCAA Tournament tickets are still available for the Round of 32. Get your Vanderbilt March Madness tickets now.

Shop Vanderbilt basketball tickets

Vanderbilt March Madness schedule

After defeating McNeese on Thursday, No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores will take on No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, March 21. The tipoff time for that game is still to be determined. Shop Vanderbilt Round of 32 tickets now.

More March Madness: Everything fans need to know about the 2026 NCAA Tournament

Vanderbilt March Madness game locations

Vanderbilt will play their Round of 32 game at Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City on Saturday, March 21.

Limited tickets for the Round of 32 March Madness in Oklahoma City are available. Shop your Vanderbilt NCAA Tournament tickets now.

Vanderbilt Sweet 16 tickets

If the Commodores were to advance to the Sweet 16, they’d travel to they’d travel to Houston, Texas. Sweet 16 tickets in Houston are already available starting at $207.

Shop Vanderbilt basketball tickets

March Madness 2026 full schedule for the men’s tournament

April 6: National Championship
March 19-20: First round
March 21-22: Second round
March 26-27: Sweet 16
March 28-29: Elite 8
April 4-5: Final Four

Shop ALL March Madness tickets

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Has Nebraska won an NCAA Tournament game? Cornhuskers’ March Madness history

Published

1 day ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

Has Nebraska won an NCAA Tournament game? Cornhuskers’ March Madness history

Nebraska men’s basketball is amid an historic season in 2025-26, earning a program-best No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It’s unprecedented territory for the Cornhuskers, who have never experienced success in March Madness.

Literally.

Seventh-year coach Fred Hoiberg didn’t make the NCAA tournament with Nebraska until his fifth season with the program in 2023-24. The Cornhuskers missed the big dance again last season, although they won the inaugural College Basketball Crown championship before winning 20 consecutive games to start the 2025-26 season.

No. 13 seed Troy, who’s making its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, won’t be an easy out. Nebraska will also certainly be looking to lift some historical blunders off its shoulders with a win.

Here’s what to know of Nebraska’s NCAA Tournament history:

Has Nebraska ever won an NCAA Tournament game?

Nebraska is the only Power conference program to have never won a Men’s NCAA Tournament game, and has its best chance in program history to win its first when it faces Troy in the first round on Thursday, March 19.

It’s the Cornhuskers’ ninth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, having last made the field in 2024. Nebraska lost to Texas A&M 98-83, despite being a No. 8 seed against the No. 9 Aggies in the first round.

Hoiberg said March 18 that he hasn’t addressed the program’s NCAA Tournament history leading up to the game, and that he doesn’t plan to. He did note, however, that there’s pressure involved with the game.

“I know the first question is going to be Nebraska has never won a tournament game,” Hoiberg said. “We realize that. Have I talked to our players about it? No, I haven’t. They know. They see it. Is there a pressure that goes along with that? Of course there is.”

Hoiberg’s son, Sam Hoiberg, is one of Nebraska’s top players. He also addressed what it would mean for the school to win a March Madness game.

“That’s what I’ve been dreaming of since I became a player in this program,” Sam Hoiberg said. “That’s the only thing left to do is get that tournament win. It’s the unsaid thing in every single room, is we don’t have a tournament win. So being able to do it as a senior would be pretty cool.”