University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Head Towards Optimistic Outdoor Season
3/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Wilson knows that each season, each team will be judged on its own accord. Each team has the opportunity to make its own destiny. And often a team's success hinges on the leadership of just a handful of athletes striving to better their own individual performances
The 2003 Golden Gopher women's track and field team began the 2003 campaign with a mountain of challenges. After the academic year began last August, Minnesota lost 11 scholarship student-athletes, including two All-Americans, for reasons varying from injury to personal issues to transfer. With these athletes, a Big Ten title was within reach. Without them, questions mounted.
The Gophers battled adversity and frustration yet found the pathway to success behind the veteran leadership of Wilson, the long-time throws coach Lynne Anderson and the newcomer to the Gopher staff, sprints/jumps coach Matt Bingle. Minnesota placed seventh at the 2003 Big Ten Indoor Championships but finished just 7.5 points out of fourth place. These Gophers competed like champions and represented the University of Minnesota with pride and class.
The Golden Gophers squad is not loaded with super stars, but Wilson does have dedicated student-athletes set on working toward lofty but achievable goals. The Gophers have solid veteran leadership throughout the events. The Gophers also have talented freshmen hungry to immediately make their mark. Wilson and the Gophers have the elements in place to have a successful 2003 outdoor campaign.
"We have a great group of seniors on this team and we want to compete well for them, " said Wilson. "They have really paid their dues and we want them to go out the best way possible.
"It's also exciting that we have so many young and talented athletes coming in," added Wilson. "We are excited about the future. We have been out recruiting hard and we have to do as well as we possibly can with the upperclassmen we have in place."
The sprints crew provided some exciting moments last season, and this year's sprinters have high hopes of building on past achievements. The sprinters have a good blend of experienced and youthful talent.
Sophomore Melissa Woltman and freshman Majik Reed give the Gophers a speedy one-two punch in the short sprints. Woltman sprinted to the third-best time in Minnesota history, clocking in at 7.57 seconds this spring. Reed performed exceptionally in her first collegiate indoor season and posted a time of 7.60, good for fourth-best all-time.
The longer sprinting events are the territory of talented freshman Kou Luogon and fifth- year senior Lisa Mickelson. It only took a few meets for Luogon to write her name into the record books, running a school-record 54.78 in the 400-meters. She went on to place third in the event at the indoor Big Ten meet. Mickelson continues to improve with each race. She ran to a fourth-place finish at Big Tens with a personal-best of 56.47. Together Luogon and Mickelson scored 11 points, the most in any single event at this season's Big Ten Indoor Championships.
The mid-distance crew is led by senior Shani Marks. Marks won the 600-meter Big Ten title in 2001 and placed second this season. Marks ran the 400 and the 600 indoors, but her biggest contribution to the Gophers this season in is the triple jump, where she earned All-America honors a year ago outdoor and recently placed sixth at the NCAA 2003 indoor to again earn All-American honors.
Senior Jessica Shuster is a veteran mid-distance and relay runner with one season of outdoor eligibility remaining. Shuster placed third in the 800-meters at the 2001 Big Ten Outdoor meet and has been part of several record-setting relays during her career.
Junior Rachel Schutz adds another force to the Gopher arsenal, while Allyson DeVries and Tanna-Marie Simmons</ a> bring competition and depth to the mid-distance crew.
The distance corps is led by cross country standout, junior Darja Vasiljeva. Vasiljeva's best events on the track are the mile indoors and the 1,500 meters outdoors. Laura Bjork and Zoe Nagell add experience to the mix, while Jen Hess and Carly Emil are top rookies expected to make immediate contributions.
Marks is also a key cog in the Gopher hurdling corps. The 400-meter hurdles is one of Marks' marquee events, having finished second and third in the event at the last two Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Sophomores Elizabeth Woolford and Sharyl Schutz concentrate specifically on the hurdles.
The throwers are stocked with incoming talent, and along with returning veteran Alean Frawley, hope to regain a solid scoring presence they provided throughout the past seasons. Frawley is the top Gopher in the shot put, while freshmen Sara Clinkenbeard and Elizabeth Alabi will be throwers to watch as they begin their Gopher careers.
Frawley is a wonderful example of an athlete putting in the time and hard work throughout her career and having it pay off in her senior season. Frawley improved her personal-best in the shot put by over three feet in 2003, landing a toss of 52-4 1/2 for the third-best indoor effort in school history.
The throws will be even stronger come outdoors as the discus and hammer events are added into the mix.
Senior Erica Findlay and junior Monica Stearns form a solid duo in the pole vault for the Gophers. Both have taken turns as the school record holder in the event. Stearns grabbed the indoor record, clearing 12-10 to garner second-place in the Big Ten Indoor Championships in early March. Findlay, the previous outdoor record holder at 12-6, placed fifth at Big Tens. The vaulters' 10.5 points at Big Tens was second only to the 400-meter crew in points contributing to the team total.
The triple jump is the strongest event among the jumps for the Gophers. Marks returns for her senior season looking to better her All-America performance in the event a year ago. Marks broke the school record three times during the indoor season, including her leap of 43-11 1/4, which placed her second in the Big Ten. Junior Saree Zweifel adds scoring potential to the jumps. She set a new personal record with her jump of 39-1 at the 2003 ndoor conference meet, earning a point for the team.
A highlight of the season is also having the Men's and Women's Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships on the Golden Gophers' home track on May 16-18.
"It is a great honor to host the Big Ten Championships," stated Wilson. "Anytime you host, you have an advantage. I think it is worth at least 10 points on the scoreboard and maybe one or two places in the team standings.
"With the great showing we had indoor and the addition of some key events outdoors, we feel that going after third place is a realistic goal. The athletes know what they have to do to reach that goal, and from what I saw at the Big Ten Indoor meet, it is achievable. Conquering this goal would be remarkable considering what this team has endured."
Veteran head coach Gary Wilson has pretty much seen it all in his 18 seasons at Minnesota. He's had teams laden with high expectations whose performance was hindered by injury. He's had teams that had little expected of them but in turn achieved great things. He's also had solid teams that lived up to expectations. Over the past five years his team has produced four top-three Big Ten finishes and were runners-up in 2000 outdoor.
Wilson knows that each season, each team will be judged on its own accord. Each team has the opportunity to make its own destiny. And often a team's success hinges on the leadership of just a handful of athletes striving to better their own individual performances
The 2003 Golden Gopher women's track and field team began the 2003 campaign with a mountain of challenges. After the academic year began last August, Minnesota lost 11 scholarship student-athletes, including two All-Americans, for reasons varying from injury to personal issues to transfer. With these athletes, a Big Ten title was within reach. Without them, questions mounted.
The Gophers battled adversity and frustration yet found the pathway to success behind the veteran leadership of Wilson, the long-time throws coach Lynne Anderson and the newcomer to the Gopher staff, sprints/jumps coach Matt Bingle. Minnesota placed seventh at the 2003 Big Ten Indoor Championships but finished just 7.5 points out of fourth place. These Gophers competed like champions and represented the University of Minnesota with pride and class.
The Golden Gophers squad is not loaded with super stars, but Wilson does have dedicated student-athletes set on working toward lofty but achievable goals. The Gophers have solid veteran leadership throughout the events. The Gophers also have talented freshmen hungry to immediately make their mark. Wilson and the Gophers have the elements in place to have a successful 2003 outdoor campaign.
"We have a great group of seniors on this team and we want to compete well for them, " said Wilson. "They have really paid their dues and we want them to go out the best way possible.
"It's also exciting that we have so many young and talented athletes coming in," added Wilson. "We are excited about the future. We have been out recruiting hard and we have to do as well as we possibly can with the upperclassmen we have in place."
The sprints crew provided some exciting moments last season, and this year's sprinters have high hopes of building on past achievements. The sprinters have a good blend of experienced and youthful talent.
Sophomore Melissa Woltman and freshman Majik Reed give the Gophers a speedy one-two punch in the short sprints. Woltman sprinted to the third-best time in Minnesota history, clocking in at 7.57 seconds this spring. Reed performed exceptionally in her first collegiate indoor season and posted a time of 7.60, good for fourth-best all-time.
The longer sprinting events are the territory of talented freshman Kou Luogon and fifth- year senior Lisa Mickelson. It only took a few meets for Luogon to write her name into the record books, running a school-record 54.78 in the 400-meters. She went on to place third in the event at the indoor Big Ten meet. Mickelson continues to improve with each race. She ran to a fourth-place finish at Big Tens with a personal-best of 56.47. Together Luogon and Mickelson scored 11 points, the most in any single event at this season's Big Ten Indoor Championships.
The mid-distance crew is led by senior Shani Marks. Marks won the 600-meter Big Ten title in 2001 and placed second this season. Marks ran the 400 and the 600 indoors, but her biggest contribution to the Gophers this season in is the triple jump, where she earned All-America honors a year ago outdoor and recently placed sixth at the NCAA 2003 indoor to again earn All-American honors.
Senior Jessica Shuster is a veteran mid-distance and relay runner with one season of outdoor eligibility remaining. Shuster placed third in the 800-meters at the 2001 Big Ten Outdoor meet and has been part of several record-setting relays during her career.
Junior Rachel Schutz adds another force to the Gopher arsenal, while Allyson DeVries and Tanna-Marie Simmons</ a> bring competition and depth to the mid-distance crew.
The distance corps is led by cross country standout, junior Darja Vasiljeva. Vasiljeva's best events on the track are the mile indoors and the 1,500 meters outdoors. Laura Bjork and Zoe Nagell add experience to the mix, while Jen Hess and Carly Emil are top rookies expected to make immediate contributions.
Marks is also a key cog in the Gopher hurdling corps. The 400-meter hurdles is one of Marks' marquee events, having finished second and third in the event at the last two Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Sophomores Elizabeth Woolford and Sharyl Schutz concentrate specifically on the hurdles.
The throwers are stocked with incoming talent, and along with returning veteran Alean Frawley, hope to regain a solid scoring presence they provided throughout the past seasons. Frawley is the top Gopher in the shot put, while freshmen Sara Clinkenbeard and Elizabeth Alabi will be throwers to watch as they begin their Gopher careers.
Frawley is a wonderful example of an athlete putting in the time and hard work throughout her career and having it pay off in her senior season. Frawley improved her personal-best in the shot put by over three feet in 2003, landing a toss of 52-4 1/2 for the third-best indoor effort in school history.
The throws will be even stronger come outdoors as the discus and hammer events are added into the mix.
Senior Erica Findlay and junior Monica Stearns form a solid duo in the pole vault for the Gophers. Both have taken turns as the school record holder in the event. Stearns grabbed the indoor record, clearing 12-10 to garner second-place in the Big Ten Indoor Championships in early March. Findlay, the previous outdoor record holder at 12-6, placed fifth at Big Tens. The vaulters' 10.5 points at Big Tens was second only to the 400-meter crew in points contributing to the team total.
The triple jump is the strongest event among the jumps for the Gophers. Marks returns for her senior season looking to better her All-America performance in the event a year ago. Marks broke the school record three times during the indoor season, including her leap of 43-11 1/4, which placed her second in the Big Ten. Junior Saree Zweifel adds scoring potential to the jumps. She set a new personal record with her jump of 39-1 at the 2003 ndoor conference meet, earning a point for the team.
A highlight of the season is also having the Men's and Women's Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships on the Golden Gophers' home track on May 16-18.
"It is a great honor to host the Big Ten Championships," stated Wilson. "Anytime you host, you have an advantage. I think it is worth at least 10 points on the scoreboard and maybe one or two places in the team standings.
"With the great showing we had indoor and the addition of some key events outdoors, we feel that going after third place is a realistic goal. The athletes know what they have to do to reach that goal, and from what I saw at the Big Ten Indoor meet, it is achievable. Conquering this goal would be remarkable considering what this team has endured."
Players Mentioned
