University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Chase NCAA Championships Berth
11/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Golden Gopher Cross Country This Week:
NCAA Midwest Region Cross County Championships
Host - Bradley U.
Saturday, Nov. 13
Women — 11 p.m. (CST)
Men — 12:15 p.m. (CST)
Newman Golf Course
Peoria, Ill.
Golden Gopher Watch List
• Bring on the NCAAs - The Minnesota men’s and women’s cross country teams look to punch tickets into the NCAA Championships field when the Golden Gophers travel to Peoria, Ill., to compete in the NCAA Midwest Region Championships. The top two teams from the regional earn automatic NCAA berths, while additional at-large berths are announced on Monday, Nov. 15. The NCAA Championships is on Monday, Nov. 22, in Terre Haute, Ind.
• Golden Gopher Women Look to Defend Title - The Minnesota women’s cross country team is the three-time defending team champion of the Midwest Region. Last year, the Gophers had their entire lineup capture all-region honors.
• Gophers to Watch - Junior Stephanie Price and redshirt freshman Missa Varpness have been the Gophers’ top runners all season on the women’s side. Price was the Big Ten runner-up. The men are led by a trio of runners in seniors Ben Blankenship and Mike Torchia and sophomore Pieter Gagnon. Blankenship finished third in the Big Ten Championships.
• Gopher All-American Mead to Miss Season - Gopher senior All-American Hassan Mead will miss the 2010 season due to injury. A three-time All-American, Mead won Big Ten and Midwest Region titles in 2008 and 2009.
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 2010 Midwest Region Championships. Bradley is the host for the 2010 regional meet, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Ill. The women’s 6-kilometer race is scheduled for 11 a.m. CST, and will be immediately followed by the men’s race.
Minnesota is the Three-Time Defending Midwest Region Champion
Minnesota is the three-time defending team Midwest Region champion. The Golden Gophers saw six runners earn all-region accord in 2007 to win their first team title, then repeated the feat with six all-region performers and the defense of their team crown in 2008. In 2009, the Gophers celebrated having all seven competitors run to all-region honors to compile a winning total of 60 points.
New Face to the Gopher Squad
What a difference a year can make, but hopefully, the Gophers will manage the same outcome. The Gophers entered the 2009 Midwest Region meet with a lineup that could draw on the experience of 13 past regional races. This year - the Gophers only have three as Nikki Swenson, Stephanie Price and Kayla Wagner have run in one regional championships a piece. So, the Gophers will have four runners compete in their first NCAA Midwest Region Championships on Saturday.
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. 22. 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. 15. 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.
Four Teams in Midwest Region Field Nationally Ranked
No. 13 Iowa State is the highest-ranked team in the NCAA Midwest Region Championships field. Other ranked teams are No. 20 Minnesota, No.23 Oklahoma State and No. 24 Tulsa.
NCAA Berth Looking Good for Gophers
Minnesota’s goal is to earn one of the two automatic qualifying berths from the Midwest Region. If Minnesota does not score an automatic qualifier, the Golden Gophers have built a solid resume of work from the regular season making an at-large bid likely. A Gophers’ NCAA bid in 2010 would be their sixth consecutive and 11th over the last 14 seasons.
Top Minnesota Individual 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 is second with runner-up efforts by Ladia Albertson-Junkans in 2005 and Megan Duwell in 2009. Former Gopher All-American Emily Brown was third in 2005 and 2006, while Duwell was fourth in 2008.
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.
Ashlie Decker (Fr., Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling Catholic)
Laura Docherty (RFr., St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall)
Rachel Drake (RFr., White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake)
Katie Moraczewski (RFr., White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake)
Stephanie Price (Jr., Mankato, Minn./Loyola Catholic HS)
2009 - 19th, 21:26.9
Claire Rindo (So., Berlin, Wis./Berlin)
Nikki Swenson (Sr., Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd HS)
2009 - 21st, 21:32.3
Missa Varpness (RFr., Montevideo, Minn./Montevideo)
Kayla Wagner (So., Baldwin, Wis./Baldwin-Woodville HS)
2009 - 20th, 21:28.5
Kelly Wilson (Sr., Ortonville, Mich./Brandon)
Stephanie Price Second in the Big Ten, Gophers Finish Third
Minnesota junior Stephanie Price ran to a runner-up finish and was joined by two teammates on the all-conference team as the Golden Gopher women’s cross country team placed third in the Big Ten Cross Country Championships on Oct. 31.
The Gophers tallied 90 points, 16 off of Michigan State’s winning total of 74. Michigan edged Minnesota for second with 88 points. Wisconsin hosted the meet at its new Zimmer Championships Course in Verona, Wis.
“I thought we ran a really nice team race,” said Golden Gopher head coach Gary Wilson. “When you finish in third by two points of course there are a million places you could look at for where you could have picked up those points. But, I couldn’t be prouder of this team. They are a great, hard-working, group of young women.”
Price covered the 6-kilometer course in a time of 19 minutes, 55.5 seconds, the fastest time in Golden Gopher history over that distance and the first time a Gopher clocked a sub-20 minutes time. This is the first time Minnesota competed at the Zimmer Course. In the 30-year history of the Big Ten meet, Price’s second-place finish is only bettered by Gopher alum Eileen Donaghy who won the title in 1987.
Price ran with the lead pack from the opening gun then broke away from the rest of the field with eventual Big Ten champion Emily McLeod. McLeod used a late surge to win by less than 2 seconds, running a time of 19:53.8.
“The race is still kind of a blur,” said Price after the awards ceremony. “The race was fast from the start. It was fun. This course really moves.”
Price earns All-Big Ten First Team accord with her finish. Teammates redshirt freshman Missa Varpness and senior Nikki Swenson earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors with their performances as well.
Varpness placed 11th in her first Big Ten race, clocking a time of 20:38.4. Swenson, a multiple conference awardwinner in her Gopher track career, collected her first Big Ten cross country honor with a 13th-place showing in a time of 20:45.3.
Ashlie Decker, a true freshman, was the fourth finisher for the Gophers, placing 19th in a time of 20:52.6. Minnesota scored three freshmen in its top five. Redshirt freshman Katie Moraczewski was the Gophers’ fifth runner, finishing 46th in a time of 21:28.8.
Also competing for the Gophers were Kayla Wagner, who finished 49th in 21:31.9; Kelly Wilson, who was 60th in 21:45.5; Rachel Drake, who placed 68th in 21:57.0 and Laura Docherty, who finished 72nd in 22:05.8.
2010 Big Ten Conference Cross Country Championships
Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010
Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course – 6K
Verona, Wis.
Team Results
1. Michigan State 1-7-17-22-27-(30)-(42) 74
2. Michigan 4-12-18-26-28-(43)-(59) 88
3. Minnesota 2-11-13-19-45-(47)-(57) 90
4. Penn State 9-14-23-25-35-(46)-(50) 106
5. Indiana 5-15-29-32-36-(37)-(38) 117
6. Ohio State 10-16-39-41-56-(73)-(75) 162
7. Wisconsin 3-6-48-54-61-62)-(74) 172
8. Iowa 8-34-44-51-53-(64)-(70) 190
9. Illinois 24-31-33-55-60-(63)-(65) 203
10. Northwestern 20-40-58-66-67-(69)-(76) 251
11. Purdue 21-49-52-68-71-(72)-(77) 261
Top Individuals
1. Emily McLeod 19:53.8
2. Stephanie Price (Minnesota) 19:55.5
3. Emily Sisson (Wisconsin) 20:02.8
4. Danielle Tauro (Michigan) 20:20.1
5. Sarah Pease (Indiana) 20:23.3
6. Caitlin Comfort (Wisconsin) 20:26.4
7. Carlie Green (Michigan State) 20:34.4
8. Betsy Flood (Iowa) 20:35.2
9. Brooklyne Ridder (Penn State) 20:37.3
10. Eilen Birmingham (Ohio State) 20:38.2
Other Golden Gopher Finishes
11. Missa Varpness 20:38.4
13. Nikki Swenson 20:45.3
19. Ashlie Decker 20:52.6
46. Katie Moraczewski 21:28.8
49. Kayla Wagner 21:31.9
60. Kelly Wilson 21:45.5
68. Rachel Drake 21:57.0
72. Laura Docherty 22:05.8
Stephanie Price a Two-Time Big Ten Runner of the Week
Minnesota junior Stephanie Price has been recognized as the Big Ten Runner of the Week twice in 2010. Her first career honor came after she won medalist honors at the Oz Memorial. She added her second Conference weekly honor with a runner-up finish at the Griak Invitational.
Price Second in Griak, Gophers Seventh as a Team
Golden Gopher junior Stephanie Price finished second in the Griak Jack Johnson Women’s Gold Race, pacing Minnesota to a seventh-place finish in an extremely deep and talented Division I field. Price ran a career-best time of 20 minutes, 40.75 seconds, the 19th-best time in Gopher history, over the 6-kilometer Les Bolstad Course in Falcon Heights, Minn.
Price was the only Gopher to finish in the top 25 as Minnesota scored 185 team points. Arizona won the race with 76 points, topping the 29-team field which included nine teams that competed in the 2009 NCAA Championships.
Redshirt freshman Missa Varpness was the second finisher for the Gophers, finishing 28th overall in her first career Griak and clocking a time of 21:46.40, also a career best. True freshman Ashlie Decker, who ran to Griak runner-up honors twice in high school, was 39th in a time of 21:56.90.
Golden Gopher Coaching Staff
Gary Wilson, the dean of the Big Ten women’s cross country coaches, is in his 26th season heading the Minnesota program. He is assisted by volunteer assistant head coach, Sarah Hesser, who is in her sixth season on the coaching staff after competing for the Golden Gophers.
