University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Chases Fourth Straight Big Ten Title
2/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships
Saturday-Sunday
Feb. 27-28, 2010
Hosted by Penn State
Multi-Sport Facility
Univeristy Park, Pa.
2010 Minnesota Women’s Track & Field Watch List
• Golden Gophers Seek Fourth Consecutive Title - The Minnesota women’s track & field team travels to Penn State this weekend (Feb. 27-28) to compete in the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Golden Gophers are the three-time defending team champion. The last Minnesota team to win four straight Big Ten titles was the Gopher men’s tennis team from 1992-95.
• BTN Televises Championships - The Big Ten Network will televise the Big Ten Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships on a tape-delayed basis airing on Tuesday, March 9, at 7 p.m. CT.
• Rue the Class of Big Ten Pole Vaulters - Senior Alicia Rue goes after her third straight Big Ten indoor pole vault title. She is the top qualifier in the field and the only Big Ten vaulter to clear over 14-feet this season.
• Youth Key in Gophers’ Indoor Championships Chances - Minnesota brings a youthful squad that includes 21 freshmen and sophomores on the Gophers’ Big Ten roster. Of these 21 athletes, 13 are making their first appearance at a Big Ten Championships.
The Big Ten Championships
The Minnesota women’s track & field team travels to Penn State this weekend, Feb. 27-28, to compete in the 2010 Big Ten Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships. Action gets underway on Saturday at 8 a.m. CT, with the running of the 60-meter hurdles to kick off the pentathlon competition. A full slate of championship events begins Sunday at 10 a.m. CT.
BTN Televises Big Ten Indoor Track Championships
The Big Ten Network will televise a one-hour highlight special of the Big Ten Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. CT.
Going For Four Straight
Minnesota is the three-time defending Big Ten indoor track champion. If the Golden Gophers manage to collect a fourth, they would be the first Minnesota team since the Gopher men’s tennis team (1992, 93, 94, 95) to win four consecutive conference titles. The only other Minnesota team to win four straight Big Ten titles is the men’s gymnastics team (1977-80).
Rue Looks for Third Title
Senior Alicia Rue is the two-defending Big Ten indoor champion in the pole vault and has continued to raise the bar even high this season. Rue tops the Big Ten and ranks second in the nation with a leap of 14-4 1/2 this season. She won three Big Ten Field Event Athlete of the Week awards this indoor season and has captured the award a dozen times in her career.
The only athlete in Minnesota history to win more than two consecutive Big Ten titles in an event is Liz Roehrig, who won the pentathlon four straight years (2005-08).
A Different Look for the Gophers
Perennial Big Ten scorers such as Heather Dorniden, Liz Roehrig, Julie Schwengler and Jamie Cheever have graduated leaving a youthful, yet talented, Golden Gopher squad with the challenge of continuing Minnesota’s most successful track era.
The Gophers does return 54 of their 129 points from the 2009 title run but overall MInnesota brings a young team to the 2010 Big Ten meet. Twenty-one (21) of the 32 allotted spots for the Big Ten meet will be filled by freshmen or sophomores. Additionally, 13 Gophers will be making their Big Ten Championships debut.
Events to Watch for the Gophers
Minnesota needs to score big points in these events to contend for the defense of its Big Ten title.
The pole vault: Alicia Rue has been the class of the Big Ten pole vaulters for the last two years. She is the only Conference vaulters to clear 14 feet this season. The key will be the Gophers’ depth. Samantha Sonnenberg was the runner-up a year ago. The Gophers have a third vaulter in sophomore Becca Pilkerton, with the capability to score as well.
The sprints. The Gophers had three true freshmen in Kylie Peterson (third), Chimerem Okoroji (fifth) and Nyoka Giles (sixth) combine to score 13 points in the 60-meter dash a year ago.
The distance events. The Gophers will rely on a pair of All-Americans in Megan Duwell and Amy Laskowske to pace the team in the distance events. Both are expected to double win the 3,000 and 5,000 meters. Duwell is a two-time NCAA cross country All-American who placed seventh in the NCAA Cross Country Championships last fall. She won the 2009 Big Ten 10,000-meter run title but missed NCAA outdoor competition with a foot injury. Laskowske captured All-American honors in the 10,000 meters last year.
Keep Track of These Gophers Too
Watch for these Golden Gophers to make an impact for Minnesota this weekend. Senior sprinter Rikita Butler will compete in the 200 and 400-meter dashes. She has been running the best times of her career coming in. Butler will also figure into the Gopher relay lineups. Nikki Swenson will be a key to the Gophers middle-distance chances. Swenson placed third in the 800 meters a year ago. DeAnne Hahn is the Gophers’ best hope of scoring in the throwing events. She comes into the weight throw seeded fifth.
The Gopher Rookies are Ready to Go
Last year, Minnesota’s freshmen scored 21 points in the Big Ten indoor meet. This season’s top rookies for the Gophers are middle-distance runner Alena Brooks, who is scheduled to run the 600 meters, and jumper Stormy Nesbit, who will compete in the long and triple jumps.
Gabe Anderson Granted Sixth Season of Outdoor Track Eligibility
Track/cross country standout Gabriele Anderson was honored with the Richard “Pinky” McNamara Student-Athlete Achievement Award at the recent U of M Scholar-Athlete Awards Ceremony. The award is given to a student-athlete who has inspired all by making an extraordinary effort to succeed despite difficult circumstances, persevering during a time of tremendous adversity and/or overcoming a great challenge.
After helping the Gopher cross country team to back-to-back Big Ten titles, Anderson embarked on her senior track season in 2009 with high expectations. She ran a runner-up finish in the mile helping the Gophers win another Big Ten indoor track team title. Then in April, she was diagnosed with adenoid cystic caranoma (a cancer of the neck). With an uncertain future and knowing of her battle ahead, Anderson decided to run one more race before treatment five days ahead of her. She responded by running a career-best time, the seventh-fastest time in school history, in the 1,500-meter run. Anderson underwent surgery and treatment while her team wore “Gabe” patches on their uniforms. She made a successful petition to the NCAA for a sixth season and will complete her Minnesota track career this outdoor season.
The Golden Gopher Coaching Staff
Matt Bingle is in his fourth season as the Golden Gophers head women’s track & field coach and his eighth overall coaching in the Minnesota program. Bingle is a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year honoree. Bingle heads an extremely experienced coaching staff that includes assistants Gary Wilson (25th season, third as an assistant coach after 21 years as head coach) and Lynne Anderson (30th season).
Players Mentioned
