University of Minnesota Athletics
Three Women Tracksters Receive At-Large Bids to NCAAs
5/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Smith, a sophomore from Bemidji, Minn., will be making her second trip to the NCAA Championships in the pole vault. Smith cleared a career-best 13 feet, 3 3/4 inches at the Midwest Region Championships to earn an at-large berth.
Both Kingsley (So., Fargo, N.D.) and Schwengler (Jr., Rapid City, S.D.) will be making their first trips to the NCAA meet. Kingsley will compete in the long jump, after briefly owning the school record in the event and placing sixth at the regional meet with a leap of 20-8 1/2. Schwengler joins Midwest Region champ Heather Dorniden in the 800-meter run at the NCAA Championships. Schwengler’s top time in the event this season is 2 minutes, 6.58 seconds, from the Georgia Spec Towns Invitational in April.
The trio joins six Golden Gophers who earned automatic berths with top-five finishes at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships: Dorniden in the 800 meters, Liz Alabi in the hammer, Emily Brown in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Liz Podominick in the shot put, Ruby Radocaj in the javelin and Liz Roehrig in the heptathlon.
In 2006, the Minnesota women’s track & field team has enjoyed its best season in school history. The Golden Gophers finished a best-ever 12th at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, then won the program’s first conference title at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The highest the Gophers have placed at the NCAA Outdoor Championships was 18th in both 1990 and 1991.
Players Mentioned
