University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Face SEC, ACC at Tiger Classic
4/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Gopher Track This Week:
Tiger Classic
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Hosted by Auburn
Auburn, Ala.
2009 Minnesota Men’s Track & Field Watch List
Golden Gophers Travel to Auburn for Tiger Classic - The Minnesota men’s track & field team travels to Auburn, Ala., this weekend (April 3-4) to compete in the Tiger Classic. The hammer throw will be contested on Friday, while a full slate of events kicks off on Saturday with the long jump at 11:30 a.m.
Taking Time to Help - Gopher sophomore Brock Spandl hails from Moorhead, Minn., an area which is battling against the River River Valley flood waters. Spandl will compete in the pole vault this Saturday, a week after he headed home to fill sand bags to hold back flood waters in his hometown.
Kabia Runs Against Best of SEC, ACC and Big Ten - The100-meter dash will be one of the top events on the track in the Tiger Classic. Gopher senior Ibrahim Kabia, the defending Big Ten 100-meter champion, will be challenged by several top sprinters from major conference schools.
Minnesota Captures Big Ten Title - The Golden Gophers won five individual titles to win the Big Ten Indoor title and put an end to the eight-year dominance of the Wisconsin Badgers.
Gophers Head to Auburn for Tiger Classic
The Minnesota men’s track & field team travels to Auburn, Ala., this weekend (April 3-4) to compete in the Tiger Classic. The hammer throw will be contested on Friday, while a full slate of events kicks off on Saturday with the long jump at 11:30 a.m.
Check Out New Video Features on Gophersport.com
Get to know the inside scoop on your Golden Gophers by visiting the track web pages on gophersports.com. This week’s feature, to be posted on Thursday, will feature Gopher pole vaulter Joe Plencner.
Mix of Big Ten, SEC and ACC at Tiger Classic
The Tiger Classic will give the Golden Gophers a chance to compete against not only several Big Ten schools, but against a number of teams from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as well. Other teams from the Big Ten expected to compete are Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Host Auburn will be joined by SEC members by Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Carolina. The ACC will be represented by Clemson, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.
Gopher Vaulter Spends Time at Home to Help
Sophomore pole vaulter Brock Spandl will travel with the team this weekend after spending last weekend home in Moorhead, Minn., filling sand bags and helping battle the devastating Red River Valley flooding. Spandl opened his 2009 outdoor season by posting an NCAA regional qualifying mark (16-10 3/4) at the Baldy Castillo Invitational.
Gopher Decathletes Get a Workout
Minnesota decathletes R.J. McGinnis and Joey Schwecke, Gophers who went 1-2 at the Big Ten in the pentathlon, will have a busy day on day at the Tiger Classic. McGinnis will focus on field events and will compete in the pole vault, high jump and discus. Schwecke is entered in the 110-meter high hurdles, pole vault and javelin.
Kabia Takes on Impressive Field
The race to watch on the track this weekend is the 100-meter dash. Senior Ibrahim Kabia is the defending Big Ten champion in the event.
Gophers Start Outdoor Season in Arizona
The Golden Gophers collected three NCAA Regional Championships qualifying performances as Minnesota opened the 2009 outdoor season at the Baldy Castillo Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., on March 21.
Pole vaulters Brock Spandl and Joe Plencner led the way placing second and third, respectively, in the event clearing 16 feet, 10 3/4 inches. Both will make return trips to the NCAA Midwest Region meet in May.
Tyler Kleinhuizen landed a throw of 56-0 1/2 to earn a regional qualifier and place fifth in the shot put. .
Ibrahim Kabia led the Gopher effort on the track. Kabia finished fourth in the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.70 seconds.
Other top finishes on the track were fourth-place finishes by Walter Langkau in the 800 meters (1:53.88) and Rick Furseth in the 3,000-meter run (8:31.13). Paul Hoplin finished sixth in the javelin with a throw of 196-3.
Minnesota Wins Big Ten Indoor Team Title
The Golden Gophers won five individual titles to win the 2009 Big Ten Indoor title and put an end to the eight-year dominance of the Wisconsin Badgers. Minnesota cruised to the title with 135.0 points, 42 ahead of second-place Michigan (93.0). The Gophers’ margin of victory is the largest since 2004 and the fourth largest over the last 20 years. Minnesota received Big Ten champion performances from Hassan Mead (3,000m, 5,000m), Matt Fisher (high jump), Aaron Studt (shot put) and R.J. McGinnis (pentathlon).
Plasencia Leads Charges as Head Coach
Minnesota’s Steve Plasencia is in his first season as the Golden Gopher head coach for track & field, but he is far from being a rookie. Plasencia has served the Gophers’ head men’s cross country coach for 13 season and added the title of head track coach in June of 2008. Plasencia is just the fourth Minnesota head track coach since 1937.
The 2009 Team Captains
The Golden Gopher team captains for the 2009 season are Andy Bastian, Ibrahim Kabia, Walter Langkau, and Hans Storvick.
Players Mentioned
