University of Minnesota Athletics
Three Individuals and Relay Advance to Finals at NCAA Track
6/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
High jumpers John Albert and Kevin Netzer, shot putter Karl Erickson and the Golden Gopher 4x400-meter relay advanced to finals in preliminary action at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday.
Albert and Netzer both cleared 7 feet, 1 1/2 inches. A total of 14 jumpers cleared the height and advanced to Saturday's finals. Albert earned All-America honors earlier this spring at the NCAA indoor meet, while Netzer will be chasing his first All-America citation.
Erickson landed a throw of 62-0 1/2 in the shot put and stands in fourth place heading into Saturday evenings final. Erickson placed fifth to garner All-America honors in the event last season. He will also compete in the discus competition on Friday.
The 4x400-meter relay, the national runner-up a year ago, was clocked with a season-best time of 3 minutes, 3.35 seconds. The time put up by the relay of Adam Steele, Robb Merritt, Mikael Jakobsson and Mitch Potter is also the second best relay time in school history.
Five other Golden Gophers competed but did not advance to finals in their respective events. Bryant Howe tied for 15th in the high jump with a height of 7-0 1/4, while Lynden Reder was 16th in the hammer throw with a heave of 201-4. On the track, Trent Riter finished 11th in the 800-meter run with a time personal-best time of 1:48.20, Martin Robeck placed 17th in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:48.81 and Luke Mullranin was 22nd in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:15.45.
The NCAA Championships continue through Saturday.
