University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gopher Men's Track Places Eighth at NCAAs
3/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
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Minnesota had all eight of its athletes competing in the NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., leave with All-America honors. The Golden Gophers finished in eighth place with 21 points, Minnesota's highest NCAA Indoor Championships finish since placing sixth in 1993.
Arkansas cruised to the team title with 52 points. Auburn placed second with 28 points.
Senior Toby Henkels (Worthington, Minn./Worthington) collected his sixth All-America award, placing fourth in the 800-meters with a time of 1 minute, 48.26 seconds. Michigan's Nate Brannen won the title with a time of 1:47.79.
The Golden Gophers' 1,600-meter relay placed fourth as well, crossing the finish line in a clocking of 3:06.27. Mikael Jakobsson (Orebro, Sweden/Bisbergska), Andy Wohlin (St. Paul, Minn./Concordia Academy), Adam Steele (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) and Mitch Potter (Isantia, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) earned All-America honors for the second straight season, matching their fourth-place finish from 2002. LSU captured the relay title with a time of 3:04.79. Potter, Steele and Jakobsson are three-time All-Americans in the event.
Potter added All-America honors in the 400-meters with a fifth-place finish with a time of 46.02 seconds. Tennessee's Gary Kikaya sprinted to the title with a time of 45.71. Potter has captured All-America honors in each of his three NCAA Indoor Championships appearance and now has a total of seven All-America accolades in his Golden Gopher career.
Sophomore Karl Erickson (Zumbro Falls, Minn./Rochester Century) captured the first All-America award of his career with a fifth-place finish in the shot put. Erickson tossed the shot a distance of 63 feet, 7 3/4 inches. Nebraska's Carl Myerscough won the event with a throw of 70-6 1/4.
On Friday, the Gophers' medley relay team of Neil Hanson (Granada, Minn./Fairmont), Steele, Henkels and Martin Robeck (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) placed sixth and garnered All-America honors.
