University of Minnesota Athletics
TRACK AND FIELD TEAM TO HOST MINNESOTA OPEN
5/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
The Gophers hosts the Minnesota Open on Friday, May 4 at 4 p.m. at the Bierman Track and Field Stadium. Minnesota than travels to Iowa City, Iowa to compete in the Iowa Invitational on Saturday, May 5.
Review: Drake Relays
At the 92nd annual Drake Relays on Thursday-Saturday, April 26-28, the Minnesota women's track and field team broke the school's 4x400-meter relay and 3,000-meter steeplechase records. The Gophers won the 4x1600 and discus titles and made two NCAA provisional qualifying marks.
The 4x400 relay team, consisting of senior Amber Day (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills), sophomore Shani Marks (Bagley, Minn./Bagley) and newcomers Jessica Mittelstadt (new Brighton, Minn./Irondale) and Rachael Schutz (Hastings, Minn./Hastings), ran a time of 3:42.61, breaking the school record and placing third in their heat. Marks also placed fourth in her heat in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 59.98 seconds. The time put Marks third on the school's top ten performers list.
Senior Aubrey Schmitt (Hastings, Minn./Hastings) took first place in the discus with a provisional qualifying throw of 170-feet, 8- inches. Schmitt also took home top honors as she threw a fourth place, NCAA provisional qualifying hammer throw of 192-feet, 3-inches. The throw, a personal-best for Schmitt, marked the third event the Hastings, Minn. native has provisionally qualified in for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June. Schmitt placed sixth in the shot put with a toss of 48-feet, 4-inches.
Also placing first at the relays was the 4x1600 team. The team, including sophomore Anita Menden (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie), newcomer Laine Misch (Dobbinton, Ontario/Chesley District), senior Elaine Eggleston (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area) and junior Crystal Glenn (Yacolt, Wash./Battle Ground), ran a time of 20:11.04.
Junior Victoria Moses (New Brighton, Minn./New Brighton) placed fourth in the 3,000 steeplechase and ran a personal best time of 10:51.97. The run broke the school record previously set this season and provisionally qualified Moses for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Junior Jessica Shuster (Minneapolis, Minn./Minneapolis Washburn) placed eighth in the 800-meter run with a personal-best time of 2:09.41. The run places Shuster sixth on Minnesota's top ten performers list.
Review: Macalester Invitational
Minnesota captured first place out of twelve teams at the Macalester Invitational on Saturday, April 28. Mittelstadt led the Gophers with first place finishes in both the 200 and 400-meter dashes with times of 26.30 and 58.90, respectively. Right behind Middelstadt, newcomer Nadine Conboy (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld) placed third in the 200 and second in the 400.
Senior Shannaine Osbourne (Bronx, N.Y./Mount Vernon) won the 100 with a time of 12.00 seconds. Also winning their events were 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams with times of 48.90 and 4:04.30.
In the field, newcomer Alean Frawley (Spring Lake Park, Minn./ Spring Lake Park) won the shot put tossing 46-feet, 6-inches. Teammate Amy Netland (Bagley, Minn./Bagley) captured first in the discus with a thow of 148-1.
Schmitt Named Big Ten Athlete of the Week
Minnesota senior Aubrey Schmitt was named the co-Big Ten Athlete of the Week on April 23. Schmitt shared the award with Michigan distance runner Katie Jazwinski. Schmitt had an eventful weekend in Southern California, participating in three separate meets. She placed fourth in the shot put, fifth in the discus and eighth in the hammer throw at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational. Schmitt followed up with a fourth-place finish in the discus at the Mt. SAC Relays with a NCAA provisional mark of 170-0. She completed her weekend with a fifth-place finish in the hammer at the Long Beach Invitational.
Next Up
The Gophers host the Minnesota Qualifier on Saturday, May 12 at the Bierman Track and Field Stadium.
Players Mentioned
