University of Minnesota Athletics
Veteran Crew Earn Bids to NCAA Indoor Track
3/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
The Minnesota women’s track & field team will send two individuals and a relay to this weekend’s NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships at College Station, Texas. Texas A&M will host the national meet on Saturday-Sunday, March 13-14.
The five Golden Gophers, all native Minnesotans, headed to the NCAA meet are experienced national-meet competitors. The Minnesota contingent is led by seven-time All-American Heather Dorniden, who will compete in her seventh national meet in the 800-meter run. Dorniden, a senior from Inver Grove Heights, Minn., is also expected to run the lead-off, 1,200-meter leg of the distance medley relay.
Pole vaulter Alicia Rue earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish a year ago, and this season enters the NCAA meet with the top seed. Rue, a junior from Plymouth, Minn., has cleared a national-best and Minnesota record vault of 14 feet, 4 inches. The two-time Big Ten indoor champion makes her second indoor NCAA Championships appearance, her third overall.
The Gophers’ distance medley relay is seeded 12th in the nation heading into the meet. Minnesota had plenty of options in deciding the runners to compete in the DMR, but have settled on the foursome of Dorniden, Julie Schwengler (Sr., Rapid City, S.D., Jamie Cheever (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) and Gabriele Anderson (Sr., Perham, Minn.). These four Gophers own a combined 13 NCAA Track Championships appearances.
“I’m excited to get to the NCAA meet and see how it goes,” said Golden Gopher head coach Matt Bingle. “Our athletes who earned their way into the NCAA field are capable of doing very well. It also fun to see a group of homegrown Minnesotans representing our team.”
Minnesota tied for 15th place at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
ESPN360.com will stream portions of the championships live both days. Remaining coverage will be available on www.NCAA.com. Additionally, ESPN2 will air a 90-minute show on Monday, March 23 at 1:30 p.m. CT.
The five Golden Gophers, all native Minnesotans, headed to the NCAA meet are experienced national-meet competitors. The Minnesota contingent is led by seven-time All-American Heather Dorniden, who will compete in her seventh national meet in the 800-meter run. Dorniden, a senior from Inver Grove Heights, Minn., is also expected to run the lead-off, 1,200-meter leg of the distance medley relay.
Pole vaulter Alicia Rue earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish a year ago, and this season enters the NCAA meet with the top seed. Rue, a junior from Plymouth, Minn., has cleared a national-best and Minnesota record vault of 14 feet, 4 inches. The two-time Big Ten indoor champion makes her second indoor NCAA Championships appearance, her third overall.
The Gophers’ distance medley relay is seeded 12th in the nation heading into the meet. Minnesota had plenty of options in deciding the runners to compete in the DMR, but have settled on the foursome of Dorniden, Julie Schwengler (Sr., Rapid City, S.D., Jamie Cheever (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) and Gabriele Anderson (Sr., Perham, Minn.). These four Gophers own a combined 13 NCAA Track Championships appearances.
“I’m excited to get to the NCAA meet and see how it goes,” said Golden Gopher head coach Matt Bingle. “Our athletes who earned their way into the NCAA field are capable of doing very well. It also fun to see a group of homegrown Minnesotans representing our team.”
Minnesota tied for 15th place at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
ESPN360.com will stream portions of the championships live both days. Remaining coverage will be available on www.NCAA.com. Additionally, ESPN2 will air a 90-minute show on Monday, March 23 at 1:30 p.m. CT.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Track & Field
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/ Women's Track & FieldMD
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/ Women's Track & FieldMD
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