University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Women's Track to Mt SAC & LSU
4/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Gopher Track This Week:
Mt. SAC Relays
Thursday - April 15, 2010
Walnut, Calif.
LSU Alumni Gold Invitational
Friday-Saturday
April 16-17, 2010
Hosted by Louisiana State
Bernie Moore Track & Field Stadium
Baton Rouge, La.
Gophers Head South and West for Meets This Week
Minnesota will compete a smaller number of athletes this week competing in two venue: the Mt. SAC Relays and the LSU Alumni Gold Meet. The Mt. SAC Relays are contested April 15-17 in Walnut, Calif. The LSU Alumni Gold Invitational are Friday-Saturday, April 16-17, in Baton Rouge, La.
Lots and Lots of Laps
Five Golden Gopher distance runner make up the contingent heading to the Mt. SAC Relays, an event known for competitive distance running events. The Gophers will run in three races of the 10,000 meters. All-American Amy Laskowske leads the way. A year ago at the meet, Laskowske ran her career best and the second-fastest 10K in Gopher history (33:42.52). She will be joined in the Invitational 10,000 meters by Mallory Van Ness. Meghan Mason will compete in the Olympic Development 10K, while Kelly Wilson and Katie Dyson will run in the Open 10K event.
Gophers Travel into Tiger Territory
Minnesota will travel 21 athletes, basically sprinter, hurdlers, jumpers and throwers, to the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational. The Invitational field is expected to feature over 20 schools. In SEC country, the Gopher sprinters will take on their biggest challenge of the young outdoor season. Kylie Peterson will be a Gopher to watch in the 100-and 200-meter dashes. School recordholder Rikita Butler will be among a talented field of 400-meter runners.
Only one event, the discus will be held on Friday. The javelin kicks off competition on Saturday at 9 a.m. The 3,000-meter steeplechase, scheduled for 11 a.m., is the first event on the track.
Duwell Breaks Her Own Record
Senior Megan Duwell broke her own Minnesota school record in the 5,000-meter run at the Sun Angel Classic. Duwell placed second overall, the first collegian, clocking a time of 16 minutes, 4.55 seconds, over three seconds faster than her previous record time. Duwell’s time currently ranks fifth in the country.
Sonnenberg Reaching New Heights
Samantha Sonnenberg leaped to No. 2 on the Golden Gopher all-time list of pole vaulters with a jump of 13-6 1/4 to win the event at the Sun Angel Classic. The vault was almost five inches better than her best outdoor vault of her Gopher career.
Mid-Distance Runs Tough at Sun Angel Classic
Gabriele Anderson headlined the performances of the Minnesota middle-distance crew competing at the meet. Anderson placed seventh in the premiere 1,500-meter race with a career-best time of 4:20.56, the fifth-fastest time in Gopher history. Teammates Elizabeth Yetzer and Nikki Swenson placed third and fourth, respectively, in another 1,500-meter section. Yetzer posted a time of 4:23.14, while Swenson ran a career-best time of 4:24.34.
Hahn Hammers a Career Best
DeAnne Hahn won the hammer throw with a personal-best toss of 192 feet at the Hamline Invitational last Saturday. Hahn’s throw ranks as the third best in Golden Gopher history.
Two of Hahn’s teammates also won events at the meet. Caty Dongoske won the shot put with a throw of 42-4 ¼. Emily Betz captured the javelin title with an effort of 134-7.
Alena Brooks Earns Two Silver Medals in Caribbean Games
Minnesota freshman Alena Brooks captured two silver medals representing her homeland of Trinidad & Tobago in the 2010 Carifta Games in George Town, Cayman Islands on April 2-3. Brooks ran a time of 2 minutes, 8.97 seconds to finish second in the 800-meter run. She also anchored the 4x400-meter relay (3:37.32) to a gold medal, making up ground on her leg and nearly catching champion Jamaica at the tape. Brooks also competed in the 400-meter dash, finishing fourth in a time of 54.83 seconds.
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).
Mt. SAC Relays
Thursday - April 15, 2010
Walnut, Calif.
LSU Alumni Gold Invitational
Friday-Saturday
April 16-17, 2010
Hosted by Louisiana State
Bernie Moore Track & Field Stadium
Baton Rouge, La.
Gophers Head South and West for Meets This Week
Minnesota will compete a smaller number of athletes this week competing in two venue: the Mt. SAC Relays and the LSU Alumni Gold Meet. The Mt. SAC Relays are contested April 15-17 in Walnut, Calif. The LSU Alumni Gold Invitational are Friday-Saturday, April 16-17, in Baton Rouge, La.
Lots and Lots of Laps
Five Golden Gopher distance runner make up the contingent heading to the Mt. SAC Relays, an event known for competitive distance running events. The Gophers will run in three races of the 10,000 meters. All-American Amy Laskowske leads the way. A year ago at the meet, Laskowske ran her career best and the second-fastest 10K in Gopher history (33:42.52). She will be joined in the Invitational 10,000 meters by Mallory Van Ness. Meghan Mason will compete in the Olympic Development 10K, while Kelly Wilson and Katie Dyson will run in the Open 10K event.
Gophers Travel into Tiger Territory
Minnesota will travel 21 athletes, basically sprinter, hurdlers, jumpers and throwers, to the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational. The Invitational field is expected to feature over 20 schools. In SEC country, the Gopher sprinters will take on their biggest challenge of the young outdoor season. Kylie Peterson will be a Gopher to watch in the 100-and 200-meter dashes. School recordholder Rikita Butler will be among a talented field of 400-meter runners.
Only one event, the discus will be held on Friday. The javelin kicks off competition on Saturday at 9 a.m. The 3,000-meter steeplechase, scheduled for 11 a.m., is the first event on the track.
Duwell Breaks Her Own Record
Senior Megan Duwell broke her own Minnesota school record in the 5,000-meter run at the Sun Angel Classic. Duwell placed second overall, the first collegian, clocking a time of 16 minutes, 4.55 seconds, over three seconds faster than her previous record time. Duwell’s time currently ranks fifth in the country.
Sonnenberg Reaching New Heights
Samantha Sonnenberg leaped to No. 2 on the Golden Gopher all-time list of pole vaulters with a jump of 13-6 1/4 to win the event at the Sun Angel Classic. The vault was almost five inches better than her best outdoor vault of her Gopher career.
Mid-Distance Runs Tough at Sun Angel Classic
Gabriele Anderson headlined the performances of the Minnesota middle-distance crew competing at the meet. Anderson placed seventh in the premiere 1,500-meter race with a career-best time of 4:20.56, the fifth-fastest time in Gopher history. Teammates Elizabeth Yetzer and Nikki Swenson placed third and fourth, respectively, in another 1,500-meter section. Yetzer posted a time of 4:23.14, while Swenson ran a career-best time of 4:24.34.
Hahn Hammers a Career Best
DeAnne Hahn won the hammer throw with a personal-best toss of 192 feet at the Hamline Invitational last Saturday. Hahn’s throw ranks as the third best in Golden Gopher history.
Two of Hahn’s teammates also won events at the meet. Caty Dongoske won the shot put with a throw of 42-4 ¼. Emily Betz captured the javelin title with an effort of 134-7.
Alena Brooks Earns Two Silver Medals in Caribbean Games
Minnesota freshman Alena Brooks captured two silver medals representing her homeland of Trinidad & Tobago in the 2010 Carifta Games in George Town, Cayman Islands on April 2-3. Brooks ran a time of 2 minutes, 8.97 seconds to finish second in the 800-meter run. She also anchored the 4x400-meter relay (3:37.32) to a gold medal, making up ground on her leg and nearly catching champion Jamaica at the tape. Brooks also competed in the 400-meter dash, finishing fourth in a time of 54.83 seconds.
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
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
MD
/ Women's Track & Field
SPR
/ Women's Track & FieldMD
/ Women's Track & Field
THR
/ Women's Track & Field
DIST
/ Women's Track & FieldDIST
/ Women's Track & Field
SPR
/ Women's Track & Field
PV
/ Women's Track & Field
DIST
/ Women's Track & FieldDIST
/ Women's Track & Field
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/ Women's Track & Field
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