University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Cross Country Ranked Ninth Nationally
9/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
The Minnesota women’s cross country team, the defending Big Ten champion, is ranked No. 9 in the first U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll of the season, released today.
The Golden Gophers, the top ranked team in the Midwest Region, have plenty of Big Ten company in the poll. A total of seven Conference teams were mentioned, topped by Michigan State at No. 8, Minnesota at No. 9 and Illinois at No. 10 among the top 10. Other ranked Big Ten teams are No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 17 Michigan and No. 27 Iowa. Penn State received votes.
The Pac-10 Conference placed four of its teams in the top five of the poll, led by 2007 national runner-up Oregon in the top spot. Washington is ranked No. 3, while defending national champion Stanford checks in at No. 4 and Arizona State at No. 5. Florida State is tabbed at No. 2.
“We are honored to be considered one of the finest teams in the country,” said Golden Gopher head coach Gary Wilson, who is in his 24th season at Minnesota. “We know, though, that these polls are just a nice recognition at this point of the season. Our team has lofty goals for the season and is putting in the hard work every day to be successful.”
Minnesota notched a 12th-place showing at the 2007 NCAA Championships. Coupling that finish with the Gophers’ finishes of ninth in 2005 and 11th in 2006, give Minnesota a trio of top-12 NCAA finishes that only five teams (Stanford, Illinois, Arizona State, Colorado and Michigan) can match.
The Gophers captured the victory in the Oz Memorial Run recording a perfect score of 15 points to open their 2008 campaign,. Minnesota hosts the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational, annually one of the largest cross country meets in the nation, on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The Golden Gophers, the top ranked team in the Midwest Region, have plenty of Big Ten company in the poll. A total of seven Conference teams were mentioned, topped by Michigan State at No. 8, Minnesota at No. 9 and Illinois at No. 10 among the top 10. Other ranked Big Ten teams are No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 17 Michigan and No. 27 Iowa. Penn State received votes.
The Pac-10 Conference placed four of its teams in the top five of the poll, led by 2007 national runner-up Oregon in the top spot. Washington is ranked No. 3, while defending national champion Stanford checks in at No. 4 and Arizona State at No. 5. Florida State is tabbed at No. 2.
“We are honored to be considered one of the finest teams in the country,” said Golden Gopher head coach Gary Wilson, who is in his 24th season at Minnesota. “We know, though, that these polls are just a nice recognition at this point of the season. Our team has lofty goals for the season and is putting in the hard work every day to be successful.”
Minnesota notched a 12th-place showing at the 2007 NCAA Championships. Coupling that finish with the Gophers’ finishes of ninth in 2005 and 11th in 2006, give Minnesota a trio of top-12 NCAA finishes that only five teams (Stanford, Illinois, Arizona State, Colorado and Michigan) can match.
The Gophers captured the victory in the Oz Memorial Run recording a perfect score of 15 points to open their 2008 campaign,. Minnesota hosts the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational, annually one of the largest cross country meets in the nation, on Saturday, Sept. 27.
2025 Griak Invitational Hype
Friday, September 19
Cinematic Recap: 2025 Oz Memorial
Tuesday, September 02
Cinematic Recap: 2024 NCAA Championships
Monday, November 25
NCAA Championship Send Off
Thursday, November 21