University of Minnesota Athletics
Blankenship, Burkstrand Advance in NCAA Prelims
5/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Minnesota middle distance runners Ben Blankenship and Travis Burkstrand advanced to the quarterfinal rounds of their events to highlight the Golden Gopher men’s track & field team’s performance in the first day of the NCAA West Preliminary Round meet in Austin, Texas.
Blankenship, a junior from Stillwater, Minn., earned an automatic qualifier to the next round by placing fifth in his heat of the 1,500-meter run clocking a time of 3 minutes, 44.43 seconds. Blankenship finished with the 18th-best qualifying time overall as a total of 24 runners move into the Saturday’s quarterfinal round. Twelve runners, the top five from each of the two quarterfinal races plus the two best times, will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 9-12.
Blankenship, a 2010 indoor All-American and a 2009 NCAA Championships participant in the 1,500 meters, ran a strategic race knowing the importance of a top-five finish. At the bell lap, Blankenship was among a group of five runners at the front of the pack. With 200 meters left, Blankenship moved to the outside shoulder of leader and eventual heat winner Andrew Wheating of Oregon. Down the final stretch, Blankenship eased up in the last 30 meters crossing the finish line in fifth place.
Burkstrand, a redshirt freshman from Apple Valley, Minn., enjoyed a successful debut in his first NCAA track post-season competition. Burkstrand ran to a third-place finish in his heat of the 800 meters, finishing with a time of 1:49.63 to advance to Friday’s quarterfinal.
A number of Gophers competed but saw their seasons come to a close. Andy Richardson finished 11th in his heat and 30th overall in the first round of the 1,500 meter with a time of 3:49.86. Harun Abda and David Pachuta finished fifth in their respective heats of the 800 meters but failed to advance. Abda placed 32nd overall with a time of 1:50.28, while Pachuta was 36th in 1:50.64.
Sean King was the only Gopher competing in the sprint events. King ran a time of 10/77 seconds in the 100 meters finishing eighth in his heat and 36th overall.
Battling the Texas heat, 82 degrees at the 9 p.m. start, Matt Barrett and Pieter Gagnon competed in the 10,000-meter run. Barrett finished 30th in a time of 30:43.05, while Gagnon was 33rd in 31:21.43. The top 12 advanced to Eugene with the final qualifying spot timed at 29:47.54.
In the field events, Paul Hoplin finished 18th in the javelin with a throw of 195 feet. The top 12 advanced to the NCAA Championships. The distance needed to garner a berth to the NCAA Championships was 214-11.
Trey Davis and Tyler Kleinhuizen competed in the shot put. Davis finished 28th with a throw of 54-7 1/4. Kleinhuizen tied for 40th-place with a throw of 51-7 3/4. The top 12 advanced to the NCAA Championships with the final qualifying throw marked at 57-9 3/4.
The NCAA West Preliminary Round meet continues through Saturday.
Blankenship, a junior from Stillwater, Minn., earned an automatic qualifier to the next round by placing fifth in his heat of the 1,500-meter run clocking a time of 3 minutes, 44.43 seconds. Blankenship finished with the 18th-best qualifying time overall as a total of 24 runners move into the Saturday’s quarterfinal round. Twelve runners, the top five from each of the two quarterfinal races plus the two best times, will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 9-12.
Blankenship, a 2010 indoor All-American and a 2009 NCAA Championships participant in the 1,500 meters, ran a strategic race knowing the importance of a top-five finish. At the bell lap, Blankenship was among a group of five runners at the front of the pack. With 200 meters left, Blankenship moved to the outside shoulder of leader and eventual heat winner Andrew Wheating of Oregon. Down the final stretch, Blankenship eased up in the last 30 meters crossing the finish line in fifth place.
Burkstrand, a redshirt freshman from Apple Valley, Minn., enjoyed a successful debut in his first NCAA track post-season competition. Burkstrand ran to a third-place finish in his heat of the 800 meters, finishing with a time of 1:49.63 to advance to Friday’s quarterfinal.
A number of Gophers competed but saw their seasons come to a close. Andy Richardson finished 11th in his heat and 30th overall in the first round of the 1,500 meter with a time of 3:49.86. Harun Abda and David Pachuta finished fifth in their respective heats of the 800 meters but failed to advance. Abda placed 32nd overall with a time of 1:50.28, while Pachuta was 36th in 1:50.64.
Sean King was the only Gopher competing in the sprint events. King ran a time of 10/77 seconds in the 100 meters finishing eighth in his heat and 36th overall.
Battling the Texas heat, 82 degrees at the 9 p.m. start, Matt Barrett and Pieter Gagnon competed in the 10,000-meter run. Barrett finished 30th in a time of 30:43.05, while Gagnon was 33rd in 31:21.43. The top 12 advanced to Eugene with the final qualifying spot timed at 29:47.54.
In the field events, Paul Hoplin finished 18th in the javelin with a throw of 195 feet. The top 12 advanced to the NCAA Championships. The distance needed to garner a berth to the NCAA Championships was 214-11.
Trey Davis and Tyler Kleinhuizen competed in the shot put. Davis finished 28th with a throw of 54-7 1/4. Kleinhuizen tied for 40th-place with a throw of 51-7 3/4. The top 12 advanced to the NCAA Championships with the final qualifying throw marked at 57-9 3/4.
The NCAA West Preliminary Round meet continues through Saturday.
Players Mentioned
MD
/ Men's Track & Field
DIS
/ Men's Track & Field
MD
/ Men's Track & Field
DIS
/ Men's Track & Field
THR
/ Men's Track & Field
DIS
/ Men's Track & Field
THR
/ Men's Track & Field
SPR
/ Men's Track & Field
THR
/ Men's Track & Field
MD
/ Men's Track & Field
MD
/ Men's Track & FieldCHS Home Grown Gophers: Emmett Gerres
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