University of Minnesota Athletics
2006 Minnesota Men's Track & Field Season in Review
6/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
The Minnesota men’s track & field team completed yet another successful season with a 22nd-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Karl Erickson tallied 10 of the Gophers’ 11 points with fourth-place finishes in the shot put and discus. Aaron Buzard added a point with an eighth-place showing in the 400-meter dash. The Gophers’ standing marked the fifth top-25 finish in the 11-year tenure of head coach Phil Lundin.
A Mix of Experience and Youth
The Golden Gopher contingent representing Minnesota was a mix of weathered veterans with plenty of NCAA Championships experience and athletes getting their first taste of a national meet. Of the nine Minnesota athletes who competed, four (John Albert, Karl Erickson, Kevin Netzer and Trent Riter) have competed in 16 national championships between them. Adewole Adebayo, Jason Erickson and Walter Langkau made their first trip to an NCAA Championships.
Erickson Sets Minnesota All-America Standard
Senior thrower Karl Erickson earned All-America honors in both the shot put and discus at his final NCAA Championships to become the most highly decorated individual track & field athlete in school history. He earned seven All-America citations (five in the shot put and two in the discus) to better Ron Backes (five-time shot put All-American, 1984-86) for the most individual event honors in school history. Several athletes have earned more total All-America awards when including those collected on relays.
Albert Earns Third Academic All-America Award
Minnesota senior John Albert was named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team for men’s cross county/track & field, as awarded by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Albert is a three-time Academic All-American, the first triple honoree in Golden Gopher men’s track & field history. Albert, a Bloomington, Minn., native, was also a two-time All-American and two-time Big Ten champion in the high jump during his Minnesota career. A team captain, Albert was honored with a 2006 Top Five Award, an honor bestowed on the top five male and female student-athletes with the highest grade point averages in the Athletic Department. He graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in business.
Erickson Places Fourth in Both Shot Put and Discus
Senior Karl Erickson put an exclamation mark on a fine Golden Gopher throwing career by earning his seventh career All-America honor, his fifth in the shot put, placing fourth in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Erickson added one last personal best in the shot, landing a throw of 65 feet, 4 3/ 4 inches in the second throw of the final. The effort was his first over 65 feet after setting career bests in his last two meets, the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Midwest Region Championships. Erickson’s final throw of the NCAA meet was his second best of his collegiate career, 65-1 1/2. “It’s been a long week but I’m very happy with the way I finished my career,” said Erickson. “It was nice to finally hit that 65-foot mark and end on a PR (personal best).” Earlier in the meet, Erickson collected All-America honors in the discus with a fourth-place finish. He landed his best effort of 187 feet on his fifth attempt. The throw moved him temporarily into third but Washington State freshman Matt Lamb bettered Erickson’s throw on his final attempt. North Carolina’s Vikes Gowda won the event with a throw of 198-8. “Everyone had the same conditions and the wind wasn’t good today for the discus,” said Erickson, regarding how the distance that won the national championship was within his reach. “It feels good though to finish as high as I did.” The fourth-place showing is the highest of his career at the NCAA Championships.
Buzard Sprints to All-America Honors in 400 Meters
Junior Aaron Buzard also earned All-America honors for the Gophers, placing eighth in the 400-meter dash. Buzard, running in lane one, was unable to make up the stagger of the field and crossed the finish line in a time of 45.91 seconds. The All-America honor is the third of Buzard’s career but his first in the outdoor 400-meter dash.
Riter Selected to All-America Honors in 800 Meters
Senior Trent Riter was selected to All-America honors in the 800-meter run. Riter competed in the 800-meter semifinal in the final race of his Gopher career. Riter, running in his third NCAA Outdoor Championships in the event, posted a time of 1 minute, 48.83 seconds to finish 13th overall. In Division I track and field, the top eight finishers in each event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including relays, are accorded All-America status by the U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association. In the individual (non-relay) events, if one or more of the top eight finishers are of another nationality, eight American-born athletes are selected in addition to any foreign-born All-Americans.
The Gophers’ High-Flying Senior Tandem
Senior high jumpers Kevin Netzer and John Albert saw their collegiate careers end at the NCAA Championships. Both have earned All-America honors and Big Ten titles in the event. Both graduated this spring; Albert with a degree in business, Netzer in elementary education. They are also roommates, who have just as much fun competing against each other as they do leapers from other schools. In their final collegiate meet, Netzer cleared 7-1 1/2 to advance to the final, but only cleared 6-10 3/4 in that final to place 12th. Albert cleared a height of 7-0 1/4 in the preliminary competition.
Gearman Gets His Wish, a Midwest Region Title and a Trip to the NCAAs
Junior Derek Gearman transferred to Minnesota from NCAA Division II South Dakota, motivated by the opportunity to test his talents against a higher level of competition. Granted he did complete and earn All-America honors at the NCAA Division II Championships a year ago, Gearman realized his goal and competed against the top collegiate triple jumpers in the nation at the NCAA Championships. Gearman placed 12th in the event with a jump of 49-3 1/2. He landed a much farther jump, 51-4 1/4, during the prelims to advance to the final. Gearman was a surprise winner of the Midwest Region title in the event, soaring a career-best 52-5 1/4, the second-best leap in school history. Gearman needed a second chance and he took full advantage of the one he received, capturing the triple jump title at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships. He did not perform as well as he had hoped in the preliminary round where he landed a jump of 50 feet (15.24m) on his first jump, but then fouled both his other attempts. After the first of two flights, Gearman was in third place. He basically thought his day was over since a talented second flight, which included leapers all with better qualifying marks coming into the regional, was yet to come. The wait was difficult but Gearman’s second chance was granted as he made the field of nine jumpers, albeit in eighth place, who advanced to the final, and earned three additional jumps. Gearman fouled his first attempt of the final, then soared over a foot further than he ever had in the event, landing a jump of 52-5 1/4 to leap over his competitors and into first place. The mark held and Gearman is off the NCAA Championships as the Midwest Region champion.
The 4x400m Relay Was the Gophers’ Surprise Entry at NCAA Championships
Minnesota’s 4x400-meter relay provided the Gophers with one of its biggest surprises of the Midwest Regional, placing third and advancing to the NCAA Championships. The Gophers’ 4x400-meter relay ran a season-best time of 3:07.38 in the prelims to finish 15th. The foursome of Adewole Adebayo, Jason Erickson, Aaron Buzard and Walter Langkau clocked the eighth-fastest time in school history. Buzard ran the anchor leg of the relay throughout the season, but Gopher coach Phil Lundin decided to switch Buzard and Langkau in the lineup in order to save his prize sprinter’s legs for open 400-meter competition. At the Midwest Region meet, the Gophers headed into the race with the seeded 10th and running in the first, and considered slower, heat. Aaron Buzard ran an amazing anchor leg of 44.9 seconds took over the lead in the final 50 meters. Minnesota then sat and watched as their time of 3:07.96, matching the eighth-fastest time in school history, solidifying their ticket to Sacramento. Joining Buzard on the relay was Adewole Adebayo, Jason Erickson and Walter Langkau. Adebayo, Erickson and Langkau are all making their first trips to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Buzard Named Midwest District Track Athlete of the Year
Minnesota junior sprinter Aaron Buzard was named the U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association 2006 Midwest District Track Athlete of the Year. The recipients of the awards were nominated and voted upon by NCAA Division I coaches.
Players Mentioned
