University of Minnesota Athletics
Seeking Another Repeat
11/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Golden Gopher Cross Country This Week:
NCAA Midwest Region Cross Country Championships
Host - Oklahoma State
Saturday, Nov. 15
Women 11 a.m. (CT)
Men 11:45 a.m. (CT)
OSU Cross Country Course Stillwater, Okla.
Golden Gopher Watch List Nov. 15, 2008
Minnesota Compete in NCAA Midwest Region Championships - The Minnesota men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, Nov. 15 to compete in the NCAA Midwest Region Championships. The 6-kilometer women’s race begins at 11 a.m., and is followed by the men’s 10-kilometer race at 11:45 a.m.
Gophers Chase NCAA Championships Berths - The top two team finishers from the nine regional championships around the country earn automatic berths to the Nov. 24 NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
Gopher Women Defend Big Ten Title, Seek Region Repeat - Minnesota won its second consecutive Big Ten title two weeks ago and enters the NCAA Midwest Region Championships as the defending champion.
Hassan Mead Wins Big Ten Title, Gophers Third - Sophomore Hassan Mead captured the Big Ten individual title and was named the Big Ten’s Runner of the Year. Senior Chris Rombough placed third overall, matching the Gophers’ team finish.
Gary Wilson Named Big Ten Coach of the Year - Veteran head coach Gary Wilson was honored as the Big Ten Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. Wilson is in his 24th season with the Gophers.
NCAA Midwest Region Championships
The Minnesota women’s cross country team looks to secure an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships with a top-two finish at the 2008 Midwest Region Championships. Oklahoma State is the host for the 2008 regional meet, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Okla. The women’s 6-kilometer race is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Experience and Depth on Gophers’ Side
The Golden Gophers have plenty of experience and depth as they chase their ninth NCAA Championships berth in 12 years. Of the nine athletes traveling to the Midwest Region meet (only seven will compete, two are alternates), six have all-region accolades on their collegiate cross country resumes. Senior Gabriele Anderson and juniors Jamie Cheever and Elizabeth Yetzer are two-time All-Midwest Region honorees. Megan Duwell and Heather Dorniden captured all-region accord last season, while Amy Laskowske earned the honor as a freshman in 2006.
Duwell the Gophers’ Top Runner in 2008
Junior Megan Duwell has paced Minnesota as the Golden Gophers’ number-one runner all season. Duwell captured All-Big Ten First Team honors with a fourth-place finish at the Conference Championships two weeks ago. She has improved vastly in this her junior season. During NCAA competition in 2007, Duwell was the Gophers’ number-six runner at both the regional and national meets.
NCAA Berth at Stake
Thirty-one (31) teams will earn berths to the NCAA Championships, which will be run in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 24. The top two teams from each of the nine regions automatically qualify for the Championships. Another 13 at-large teams will be added to the field and announced on Monday, Nov. 17. In addition, four individual competitors from each region, who are not part of qualifying teams, will also earn their way into the Championships field. These individuals must finish in the top 25 at the regional championship to qualify. Additionally two individuals will be chosen at large by the NCAA committee.
Big Ten Teams Top Midwest Region Field
The three Big Ten teams in the Midwest Region are the top nationally ranked teams in the field as well, with Minnesota leading the way at No. 7, followed by Illinois at No. 14 and Iowa at No. 20. The only other ranked team in the Midwest Region field is No. 29 Nebraska.
NCAA Berth Virtually a Lock for Gophers
Minnesota’s goal is to earn one of the two automatic qualifying berths from the Midwest Region. Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, however, the Golden Gophers have virtually locked up an NCAA invitation by their performances in other big meets throughout the season, especially wins at the Griak Invitational and the Big Ten Championships. A Gophers’ NCAA bid in 2008 would be their fourth consecutive and ninth over the last 12 seasons.
Minnesota is the Defending Midwest Region Champion
Minnesota collected six all-region finishes last fall to compile 79 points and win the Golden Gophers’ first NCAA Midwest Region title. Jamie Cheever led the Gophers with an eighth-place showing a year ago at the Championships held in Peoria, Ill.
Top Minnesota Finishes at the Midwest Region Meet
Minnesota has made its mark with team depth at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships The Gopher have never celebrated an individual medalist. The top finish by a Gopher was a runner-up effort in 2005 by Ladia Albertson-Junkans. Former Gopher All-American Emily Brown was third in 2005 and 2006.
The Golden Gopher Lineup
Seven Golden Gophers will compete at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships. A team’s final lineup does not have to be declared until the day of the competition. Following is a list of possible participants and any previous experience at the regional meet.
Gabriele Anderson (Sr., Perham, Minn./Perham)
2006 - 17th, 21:35.62
2007 - 22nd, 21:00
Jamie Cheever (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest)
2006 - 10th, 21:09.92
2007 - 8th, 20:23
Heather Dorniden (Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount)
2006 - 26th, 21:51.77
2007 - 21st, 20:59
Megan Duwell (Jr., West Bend, Wis./West Bend West)
2007 - 24th, 21:03
Amy Laskowske (Jr., Palatine, Ill./Palatine)
2006 - 20th, 21:41.37
Felicitas Mensing (Grad., Neuhausen, Germany/Kepler Gym./Coastal Carolina)
2005 - 37th, 21:28 ***Southeast Region
2006 - 33rd, 21:37 ***Southeast Region
Nikki Swenson (So., Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd)
Mallory Van Ness (Jr., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View/Missouri)
Elizabeth Yetzer (Jr., Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North)
2006 - 18th, 21:36.02
2007 - 13th, 20:46
Golden Gophers Ranked No. 7
Minnesota is ranked No. 7 in this week’s the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I poll. The Gophers spent two weeks earlier this season ranked No. 4, the highest in school history. The Big Ten has seven teams ranked in the top 25. No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 10 Michigan State join Minnesota in the top 10. The other four ranked Big Ten teams are No. 14 Illinois, No. 17 Michigan, No. 20 Iowa and No. 25 Penn State.
Gary Wilson Named Big Ten Coach of the Year, Anderson Honored
Golden Gopher women’s cross country coach Gary Wilson, a 24-year Minnesota veteran and the dean of the league coaches, was named the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, the Conference officials announced. Wilson guided his Gophers, who are currently ranked seventh in the nation, to their second Big Ten cross country title in as many seasons last weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“This is really a program of the year honor,” Wilson said. “Because without having my assistant coaches in Sarah Hesser and Kallie Suske and various support people helping our team, none of this would be possible.”
The conference honor is the third in four seasons for Wilson, who was also named the Big Ten Outdoor Track Coach of the Year in 2006, his final season as head track & field coach.
Senior Gabriele Anderson, an All-Big Ten Second Team performer, was honored as Minnesota’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes, one honored from each school, are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The student-athlete must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside the sports-competition setting.
Michigan State’s Nicole Bush, the Big Ten champion, was honored as the Athlete of the Year. Wisconsin’s Caitlin Comfort was honored as the Freshman of the Year.
Minnesota Repeats as Big Ten Champion
The Minnesota women’s cross country team defended its Big Ten title on Sunday, collecting 63 points, edging Wisconsin (67) by just four points. Junior Megan Duwell paced the Golden Gophers with a fourth-place finish, covering the 6-kilometer course on the University of Michigan Golf Course in a time of 20 minutes, 29.7 seconds. Duwell earns All-Big Ten First Team honors for her performance.
The story of the race for the Gophers was the late surge by senior Gabriele Anderson. Anderson climbed to a 10th-place finish, passing three Badgers in the last 300 meters of the race. Anderson clocked a time of 21:07.2 and earned All-Big Ten Second Team accord.
“The race didn’t play out like I thought it might,” said Anderson. “I wasn’t quite where I thought I could be, but I have confidence in my kick. Wisconsin ran really well. I’m glad I was able to make up enough ground to make a difference. You obviously don’t know at the time. I guess we really needed it. We knew coming in that the race would be a tight battle. I’m really happy and honored to win another Big Ten title in my senior season.”
The Gophers know very well how important each and every team point can be. Minnesota captured the first Big Ten title in school history just a year ago, and by a single point over Michigan State. This season, it was only four points separating first and second place. Obviously Anderson’s heroics were instrumental, but the efforts of the remaining scoring Gophers cannot be overlooked.
Junior Amy Laskowske grabbed the final spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team by placing 14th in a time of 21:22.8. Mallory Van Ness and Jamie Cheever tallied the final points for the Gophers with back-to-back finishes in 17th place (21:27.5) and 18th place (21:31.2), respectively.
“We didn’t necessarily run our best race, but we ran a smart race,” said Golden Gopher head coach Gary Wilson. “Wow we just kept rallying, in the last 1,000 meters, the last 500 meters, the last 300 meters. Gabe (Gabriele Anderson) was our hero catching those three Wisconsin kids.”
Minnesota has built a reputation of winning with depth. It took more than depth to win today, it also took a solid dose of heart.
“Our pack from our first runner to our fifth was as tight as we would have liked,” Wilson added. “But I’ll tell you one thing. When our three, four and five separated a bit from our top two, they just kept plugging away.”
The Gophers need that mentality since Wisconsin and Michigan State, who finished third with 83 points, took the race out at an extremely fast pace. Midway though the race, the Gophers were nowhere to be found on the leaderboard.
“I heard the team scores at the midway point and thought, oh no, this is not good,” Wilson stated. “Wisconsin was out there pounding it. Michigan State went out hard. All I could think was that we needed to keep our composure. Turns out we did what needed to be done to be to come out on top. I’m extremely proud of this team.”
Duwell’s fourth-place finish is the highest Gopher finish since 2006 (Emily Brown third). The junior from West Bend, Wis., has been the Gophers’ number-one runner all season.
“I went out knowing I needed to get in good position right away,” said Duwell. “I was able to keep contact with the top group and then work off them. I tried to make a move at the end but they stayed with me. It was a good race.”
On the team title, Duwell said the confidence of winning last season was more of a factor than feeling like the Gophers entered the 2008 Championships with a target on their back. “We went into the meet expecting that anything would happen. We went out there and put it all on the line. I’m excited how it turned out.”
Four other Gophers competed in the meet. Felicitas Mensing finished 31st with a time of 21:50.4, followed by Heather Dorniden in 32nd in 21:52.9. Nikki Swenson placed 61st with a time of 22:33.6. Elizabeth Yetzer was 80th in 23:24.8.
Golden Gopher Coaching Staff
Gary Wilson is in his 24th season heading the Minnesota program. He is assisted by volunteer assistant head coach, Sarah Hesser, who is in her fourth season on the coaching staff after competing for the Golden Gophers. Kallie Suske is also a volunteer assistant.
Players Mentioned
