University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Women's Track Competes at Kansas Relays
4/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Golden Gopher Track Action This Week
Kansas Relays
Wednesday-Saturday, April 16-19
Host - Kansas Lawrence, Kans.
Memorial Stadium
Wednesday - 10 a.m.
Thursday - 8:30 a.m.
Friday - 9 a.m.
Saturday - 8 a.m.
Minnesota Travels to Kansas Relays
The Minnesota women’s track & field team will travel to two of the biggest meets in the nation in consecutive weeks, starting with the Kansas Relays this weekend, Wednesday-Saturday, April 16-19. The Gophers will then travel to the prestigious Drake Relays the following week.
The Kansas Relays
The Kansas Relays is the fourth-largest meet in the nation. First contested in 1923, the Kansas Relays was begun by legendary Kansas football coach John Outland using the Penn Relays as an example. The meet now has grown to feature 5,300 athletes from the collegiate and high school ranks. Highlighting the field is six Big 12 Conference teams (Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma State. Minnesota and Illinois will represent the Big Ten Conference.
Gophers Make First Trip To Kansas Relays
Though this is the 81st running the Kansas Relays, Minnesota is making its first appearance at the meet.
Matt Bingle an Honorary Referee For Kansas Relays
Golden Gopher head coach Matt Bingle and legendary Seton Hall coach John Moon will serve as honoary referees for the 2008 Kansas Relays. Bingle was selected for the honor after leading the Gophers to the 2007 and 2008 Big Ten Conference indoor team titles and earning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in both his first two seasons as head coach.
Roehrig to Compete in Heptathlon This Week
Junior Liz Roehrig will compete in her first heptathlon since competing in one multi last season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. In that one heptathlon of 2007, Roehrig scored a school-record total of 5,521 points adding to her dominance in the record book where she owns six of the top 10 heptathlon scores in Gopher history. The Kansas Relays heptathlon is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Dorniden and Cheever to Run 1,500 Meters
Two of the Gophers’ most versatile middle distance runners, Heather Dorniden and Jamie Cheever, will square off in the 1,500-meter run. Dorniden moves up in distance from her specialty of the 800 meters, while Cheever will run less distance from her top event, the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Both Dorniden (2:06.07) and Cheever (10:11.33) have recorded Olympic Trials “B” Standards in their specialty event. The “B” standard in the 1,500 meter is 4:19.50.
Roemhildt Returns to Lineup in High Jump
Junior Caitlin Roemhildt, a All-Big Ten Second Team honoree during the indoor season, will return to action for her first outdoor meet after missing the first month with a leg injury. Roemhildt has competed in the NCAA Midwest Region Championships in each of her first two seasons.
Radocaj Lands Olympic Trials “A” Standard
Senior Ruby Radocaj earned her ticket into the Olympic Trials by landing a throw of 187-6, well beyond the “A” Standard of 178-10, in winning the event at the Oregon Pepsi Team Invitational. The U.S. Olympic Trials will be held June 27 - July 6 in Eugene, Ore.
Gophers Win Oregon Pepsi Invitational
Ruby Radocaj set a new school record in wining the javelin in the first event of the Oregon Pepsi Team Invitational, but it was a true freshman Hannah Studt’s effort in meet’s final event, the discus, that proved the difference in Minnesota capturing the team title by a single point.
Radocaj, an All-American in the javelin a year ago, sailed a winning toss of 187 feet, 6 inches to break a school record that had stayed on the books for 13 years (Heather Berlin, 183-2, 1995). The mark in not only an NCAA Midwest Region Championships qualifier, but also surpasses an Olympic A qualifying standard.
Minnesota edged Oregon in the chase for the team title by a single point. The final outcome came down to the discus, which culminated after the events were completed on the track. Gopher senior Liz Podominick captured first place with a throw of 161-8, but the dramatic finish was accomplished by Studt in her final throw. Studt jumped into second place with a throw of 155-10 giving the Gophers the points necessary to edge the Ducks, 193-192. Penn State finished third, while Washington was fourth.
“We feel good about where we are right now as a team,” said Golden Gopher head coach Matt Bingle. “This was really our first solid test of the outdoor season and despite less than ideal weather conditions, we had some very good performances.”
The Gophers added three other titles in the field events. Anna Arciszewska landed a career-best and NCAA regional qualifier in the triple jump winning with a leap of 40-8 3/4. The distance is the fourth-longest jump in school history. Christin Kingsley won the long jump with an effort of 19-7, while Liz Roehrig placed first in the high jump clearing 5-5 3/4.
The middle distance crew once again highlighted the Gophers’ performance on the track. Heather Dorniden ran her first 800-meter race of the outdoor season, winning with a time of 2 minutes, 6.07 seconds. Minnesota gathered first and third-place finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, both bettering the NCAA Midwest Region standard. Jamie Cheever chopped 10 seconds off her personal-best time, the second fastest in Gopher history, winning in 10:11:33. Ladia Albertson-Junkans clocked a time of 10:34.13, the third-best time in school history.
Radocaj, Cheever Named to Big Ten Weekly Honors
Golden Gopher tracksters Ruby Radocaj and Jamie Cheever were named to Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors after leading Minnesota to the team title at the Oregon Pepsi Team Invitational in Eugene, Ore., on April 5.
Radocaj shares the Big Ten Field Event Athlete of the Week with Indiana heptathlete Abbie Stechschulte, while Cheever is the co-Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week with Iowa distance runner Diane Nukuri. Just two meets into the outdoor season, the Gophers have already had athletes earn three Big Ten weekly awards and a total of eight combining the indoor and outdoor seasons. Cheever was honored once during the indoor season. For Radocaj, the award is the first of her career.
Radocaj, a senior from Williamsport, Pa., broke a 13-year old Minnesota record in the javelin with a throw of 187 feet, 6 inches, a mark that ranks as the top throw in the nation this season and betters the Olympic Trials “A” standard. The Gopher All-American broke the long-standing record of 183-2 by Heather Berlin in 1995.
Cheever, a junior from Minneapolis, won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10 minutes, 11.33 seconds. Cheever’s winning time cut nearly 10 seconds off her previous best and is the second-fastest steeplechase in Gopher history. She adds her name to an impressive list of Golden Gophers with NCAA Midwest Region Championships qualifying marks.
A New Event For a Veteran Results in Fantastic Debut
Junior Ladia Albertson-Junkans took on a new challenge in training for the steeplechase and her hard work paid off as Albertson-Junkans ran the third-best time in school history in the event at the Oregon Pepsi Team Invitational. Her time of 10:34.13 is also an NCAA Midwest Region Championships qualifier. Albertson-Junkans redshirted the track season a year ago with a foot injury.
Players Mentioned
