University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota High School Distance Champion Elizabeth Yetzer Becomes a Gopher
11/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Yetzer is perhaps the most highly decorated runner to ever commit to the Golden Gophers and will compete in both the sports of cross country and track. The Lakeville North senior is a two-time Minnesota Class AA cross country champion, winning the 2005 title in a record time of 13 minutes, 59.3 seconds. Yetzer first competed in the state meet as a seventh-grader, placing fourth, then fifth as an eighth-grader and third as a high school freshman before capturing runner-up honors as a sophomore in 2003 and winning her first state cross country medalist honor in 2004. Yetzer placed seventh in the Foot Locker National Championship last fall.
“Elizabeth is every bit as nice, intelligent, humble and classy as she is talented,” said Wilson. “ We are so thrilled to have her as part of our Golden Gopher family.”
Yetzer, who choose Minnesota over Duke and Michigan, is also a star performer on the track. She captured the long distance double in leading her Lakeville North track team to the Minnesota Class AA title last spring, winning her second state title in the 1,600-meter run (4:42.12) and her first 3,200-meter crown in a state-record time of 10:16.59. Yetzer burst on the national scene winning the 2-mile run (10:15.23) at the 2005 Nike Outdoor Nationals, adding a fourth-place showing in the 1-mile run (4:43.12).
Yetzer will join her sister, Annie, on the Golden Gopher roster. Annie redshirted her sophomore season this fall in cross country due to an Achilles tendon injury.
Rue is a pole vault/hurdle specialist in her senior season at Robbinsdale-Armstrong High School. Rue has a Minnesota Class AA state title in both the pole vault and the 100-meter hurdles on her resume. At the 2005 state meet, Rue cleared 12 feet, 9 inches to win the pole vault in record fashion then minutes later ran to a runner-up finish in the 100-meters hurdles in a time of 14.92 seconds. Rue added a seventh-place showing the 300-meter hurdles in a time of 46.72. As a sophomore, Rue won her first state crown in the 100-meter hurdles and placed fourth in the pole vault.
“Alicia is a fantastic addition to our vault group,” said Wilson. “We are all thrilled to have a vaulter and student of her caliber. She will make an immediate impact on our team.”
The Golden Gopher women’s cross country team will compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Monday in Terre Haute, Ind. The Minnesota women’s track team is poised to improve on its third and fourth-place finishes at the indoor and outdoor Big Ten Conference Championships, respectively, a year ago.