University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gophers Set for NCAA West Prelim
5/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Gopher Track This Week:
NCAA West Preliminary Meet
Thursday-Saturday – May 26-28, 2011
Hayward Field
Hosted by Oregon – Eugene, Ore.
2011 Minnesota Men’s Track & Field Watch List
• Golden Gophers Travel Largest Squad in School History to NCAA West Prelims - The Minnesota men’s track & field team travels to Eugene, Ore., this week to compete in the 2011 NCAA Preliminary Meet. The University of Oregon plays host to the three-day event on Thursday-Saturday, May 26-28.
• Following the Gophers- Look to gophersports.com for live coverage from the meet. Another source to get the latest information on the Gophers is to become a fan of the Minnesota Men’s Track/CC Facebook page.
• That’s a Big Group of Gophers - Minnesota will be represented by 24 student-athletes at the NCAA :Preliminary Meet, the largest Golden Gopher contingent sent to an NCAA track championship event. Gophers will compete in 13 of the 20 events contested at the meet.
• NCAA Championships Qualifying - With the exception of the decathlon, the NCAA West Preliminary Meet serves as the first round of the NCAA Championships or the qualifying round to the NCAA Championships. To advance to the NCAA Championships at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 8-11, athletes and relays must finish in the top 12 of the preliminary rounds. The NCAA East Preliminary Meet is in Bloomington, Ind.
Gophers Begin NCAA Competition
Minnesota will have 24 student-athletes competing this week at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary Meet in Eugene, Ore. The University of Oregon will host the meet Thursday-Saturday, May 26-28, at the historic Hayward Field.
Follow the Gophers on Gophersports.com, Facebook
Minnesota track & field fans will be able to follow the Gophers at the NCAA West Preliminary Meet via gophersports.com, Facebook and Twitter. For those who are looking for an interactive means of following the Gopher tracksters, the live blog on gophersports.com is your best bet. Facebook and Twitter will also be loaded with tidbits from the Championships. Whether you are at the meet or on your computer at home, we hope you enjoy this personalized coverage of the event.
Second Year for East/West NCAA Prelims
This is the second season in which the NCAA will host East and West Preliminary meets. The East Preliminary meet will be held May 26-28 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.
The Gophers will be joined by three other Big Ten teams in the West: Illinois, Iowa and Illinois. The seven remaining Big Ten teams head to the East Preliminary meet site.
In all individual events, except the decathlon, the top 48 qualifiers receive Preliminary round bids. The top 24 relays qualify for the Prelims. To advance to the NCAA Championships at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 8-11, athletes and relays must finish in the top 12 of the respective preliminary rounds.
The Gopher Roster Breakdown
The 24 Golden Gophers advancing to the 2011 NCAA West Preliminary Meet includes 21 athletes competing in individual events and the 4x400-meter relay. The total of 24 athletes competing in the West Preliminary Meet in 2011 is the most the Gophers have ever advanced to postseason outdoor track action. Gophers will compete in 13 of the 20 events at the West Preliminary Meet.
Riding the Momentum of Indoor NCAAs
The Golden Gophers have five athletes competing this week who helped Minnesota to a sixth-place showing at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships. Those five athletes all earned All-America honors: Harun Abda (800m, DMR), Nick Hutton (DMR), Travis Burkstrand (DMR), Micah Hegerle (weight) and Ben Peterson (pole vault). None of them have competed in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Hassan Mead Enjoys Triumphant Return
Hassan Mead made a triumphant return to Big Ten competition winning the 10,000-meter run and adding a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters. Mead missed the 2010 indoor and outdoor track season with an Achilles tendon injury before suffering a collapsed lung forcing him to sit out the 2010 cross country campaign. All told, Mead did not race for 15 months prior to beginning his comeback on the track back in February.
Mead is a six-time All-American, three in track and three in cross country. He has twice placed sixth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA outdoor meet to earn All-America honors. Though Mead qualified for the West Prelim meet in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, he will only run the 5,000, looking for his third trip to the NCAAs.
The 10K title Mead won in 2011, was Mead’s sixth Big Ten track title. Mead also won Big Ten cross country titles in 2008 and 2009.
A Good Mix on Experience and Youth
A dozen (12) of the 24 Gophers competing in the NCAA West Preliminary Meet are either redshirt freshmen or sophomores. David Pachuta, Ben Peterson, Brock Spandl and Mike Torchia are the only seniors on the Gophers’ post-season roster for the preliminary meet.
Ten Gophers making their NCAA West Prelim debuts are Kevin Bradley, Jacob Capek, Addison Demer, Sean Duling, Max Hanson, Paul Hilsen, John Holton, Nick Hutton, Quentin Mege and Ryan Todhunter.
Mege, Hegerle a Pair of Sensational Sophomores in the Hammer Throw
Minnesota enjoyed a program first in 2011, having two 200-plus foot hammer throwers in Quentin Mege and Micah Hegerle. Though only sophomores, both have Big Ten titles on their resumes - Mege in 2011 and Hegerle in 2010. Hegerle, who was the Big Ten runner-up this season, ranks second in school history with a mark of 212-9. Mege ranks fourth at 207-8, his mark in winning the Big Ten title.
Five Gophers Advance in 800 Meters
The fact that Minnesota won the 4x800-meter relay title at the Drake Relays should come as no surprise when one looks at the Gophers’ NCAA West Prelim roster and finds five runners competing in the 800 meters. All five are from suburban Twin Cities and competed against each other in high school. Set to run for the Gophers are Harun Abda (Fridley), Travis Burkstrand (Apple Valley), Max Hanson (Buffalo), Nick Hutton (Apple Valley) and David Pachuta (Eagan).
West Preliminary Round – Gophers’ Event Preview
Following is an event-by-event for the Gophers at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
The 100 meters – Junior Sean King is the only Gopher sprinter set to compete in an individual event. King is coming off a career-best time of 10.43 seconds in placing seventh in the Big Ten Championships.
The 800 meters – As mentioned above, five Gophers will compete in this event. Leading the way is Harun Abda, who is seeded 13th with a time of 1:48.54. Only a sophomore, Abda is already a three-time All-American and placed fifth in the 800 meters at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships. Nick Hutton is ranked 15th in the field after posting a time of 1:48.73 in placing third at Big Tens. Other Gophers in the field are David Pachuta (22nd, 1:48.91), Travis Burkstrand (35th, 1:49.70) and Max Hanson (41st, 1:49.83).
The 1,500 meters – Junior Andy Richardson will make his second prelim/regional NCAA appearance. His season-best time is 3:4712. Junior Paul Hilsen makes is NCAA debut and has a best of 3:47.13.
The 5,000 meters – Junior Hassan Mead returns to NCAA competition for the first time since the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Mead is a two-time All-American in this event in outdoor track. He comes in seeded 20th with a time of 13:45.68.
The 10,000 meters – The Gophers will be represented by senior Mike Torchia and sophomore Pieter Gagnon. Torchia is making his third NCAA prelim/regional appearance but his first in the 10,000 meters. He is ranked 19th with a time of 29:13.20. Gagnon makes his second NCAA prelim appearance in the 10K and comes in ranked 23rd with a time of 29:24.11.
The 110-meter high hurdles – Two Gophers will make their NCAA prelim debut in the hurdles. Junior Sean Duling has a season-best time of 14.29, while sophomore Ryan Todhunter comes in with a time of 14.30.
The 4x400-meter relay – The foursome of Jacob Capek, John Holton, Kevin Bradley and Harun Abda are seeded 12th with a time of 3:08.12. Capek is a redshirt freshman, while the rest of the crew are sophomores. Only Abda has another event to run at the prelims.
The Pole Vault: Ben Peterson and Brock Spandl are both seniors looking to extend their collegiate careers. Peterson, was the NCAA indoor runner-up this season, but has been hampered by an ankle sprain during the outdoor season. Peterson is seeded sixth with a vault of 17-7 3/4. Spandl has cleared 17-0 3/4 several times this season and comes in ranked 23rd. Spandl was the 2011 Big Ten runner-up in the decathlon and missed the NCAA Championships in the event by just five points.
The Long Jump – Junior Addison Demer makes his NCAA prelim debut in both the long jump and triple jump. Demer’s best jump of the season measured 24-7 3/4.
The Triple Jump – Sophomore Oladipo Fagbemi is seeded 18th with a triple jump of 51-2 3/4. He landed that jump, a career best by over a foot, in placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships. Demer also PR’d at the Big Ten meet with a leap of 50-1 3/4, his first 50-foot plus effort.
The Shot Put – Junior Trey Davis is will make his third NCAA prelim/regional appearance in the event and comes in with a season-best throw of 57-11. He is ranked 25th coming into the meet.
The Discus – The Gophers will have three throwers compete in the discus for the second straight season: sophomore Micah Hegerle, Trey Davis and junior Tyler Kleinhuizen. Hegerle has the top throw for the Gophers, 180-1 to rank 22nd. Davis has a season-best of 173-9, while Klieinhuizen, who placed third at Big Tens, comes in with a best of 172-10.
The Hammer – Big Ten runner-up Micah Hegerle is seeded 10th with his top throw of the season - 212-9. Conference champion Quentin Mege will make his NCAA prelim debut and is ranked 14th with a throw of 207-8.
Blankenship Decides to Redshirt Outdoor Season
All-American Ben Blankenship will redshirt the 2011 outdoor season. Blankenship, the two-time Big Ten mile champion, will have a full indoor-outdoor season of eligibility in 2012.
Gophers Edged by Iowa to Break Big Ten Title Streak at Five
Minnesota fell just 2.5 points short of celebrating its sixth consecutive Big Ten Conference title (indoor/outdoor). Iowa bettered the Gophers by that margin to win its first Big Ten crown since 1967 at the Big Ten meet in Iowa City on May 13-15.
Quentin Mege and Hassan Mead captured Big Ten titles to lead the way for the Gophers. Mege landed a throw of 207-8 to win the hammer, while Mead captured the title in the 10,000 meters in a time of 29:04.79. Adding a second-place for the Gophers was Micah Hegerle in the hammer.
Gophers Finish Best-Ever Sixth at NCAA Indoor Championships
The Minnesota men’s track & field team received All-America performances from every athlete as the Golden Gophers compiled 27 points to finish in a tie (Indiana) for sixth place in the 2011 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas. The Gophers, the three-time defending Big Ten champion, were ranked No. 18 entering the Championships but enjoyed a spectacular overall performance matching the highest indoor NCAA finish in school history.
“What an outstanding weekend,” said Golden Gopher head coach Steve Plasencia. “You come into these national meets hoping your guys perform well. Our team did more than perform well, they excelled, and I’m so happy for them all. What a great accomplishment for our program to place sixth and have every one of the guys earn All-America honors.”
The Gophers received a big lift from Ben Blankenship, who ran to a national runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter run. Blankenship clocked a time of 8 minutes, 4.65 seconds to place second. The Gopher senior led several laps in the middle of the race, a race in which the pace was far from consistent. Blankenship retook the lead as the race entered the bell lap. Stanford’s Elliott Heath used a strong final lap to overtake Blankenship on the final turn and win in 8:03.71.
“I felt great after the DMR (he ran the 1,600 leg in a blistering time of 3:54.61 on Friday night),” said Blankenship. “Coming into the 3K, you know all these guys are great runners. All I tried to do was stay out of traffic and trouble and be in a position to give it all at the end. It’s a great feeling too to have the team finish so well.”
Harun Abda added a fifth-place finish in the 800 meters running a time of 1:49.51. Abda positioned himself on the outside shoulder of Connecticut’s Michael Rutt for the first three laps of the race. The final lap was an all-out sprint. Alabama senior Fred Samoei caught Rutt at the tape winning in 1:48.33 by four hundreds of a second.
Both Blankenship and Abda collected two All-America honors at the NCAA meet. The duo was also half of the Gophers’ distance medley relay that placed third on Friday.
Micah Hegerle earned All-America honors with an eighth-place finish in the weight throw assuring the entire Gopher NCAA lineup would come home with national accolades. Hegerle, the Big Ten champion in the event, tossed the 35-pound weight a distance of 67 feet, 9 3/4 inches. This was Hegerle’s NCAA Championships debut.
Minnesota celebrated its second consecutive top-8 finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Gophers finish matches the best NCAA Indoor Championships showing in school history, matching Roy Griak’s 1993 squad’s sixth-place finish at the national indoor meet.
Florida repeated as the team champion with 52 points, followed by Texas A&M (40), BYU (34), LSU (31) and Florida State (30).
NCAA Day One Recap
Pole vaulter Ben Peterson finished as the national runner-up and the Gopher distance medley broke a school record in placing third as the Minnesota men’s track & field team enjoyed a banner day at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Friday, March 11, in College Station, Texas.
“We really couldn’t have asked for a better first day,” said Golden Gopher head coach Steve Plasencia. “I’m so proud of these guys.”
Peterson picked the perfect time to clear 18 feet for the first time his career as he earned his first All-America accolade. The Gopher senior matched the winning height cleared by Washington’s Scott Roth. Roth took home the national title making 18-0 1/2 on his first attempt, while Peterson cleared the bar on his second. Both missed three vaults at the height of 18-2 1/2.
Peterson is just the fourth vaulter in Minnesota history to clear the 18-foot barrier. The height ties for the third best in school history.
The distance medley relay has become a much anticipated race to complete the first day of NCAA competition at the indoor championships. Minnesota’s foursome of Nick Hutton, Harun Abda, Travis Burkstrand and Ben Blankenship bettered their own school record clocking a time of 9 minutes, 29.70 seconds.
The Gophers were in eighth place after three legs of the relay as the baton was passed to Blankenship for the anchor 1,600-meter leg. Arizona, Stanford and BYU had separated themselves from the pack but were unable to keep up the pace. Blankenship, along with Indiana anchor Andrew Bayer worked their way back to the leaders to set up a fantastic final lap.
BYU’s Miles Batty took the lead and managed to hold off a late surge by Bayer and Blankenship. Blankenship charged coming off the final turn and nearly caught Batty and Bayer. Blankenship, who will compete in the 3,000 meters on Saturday, ran an amazing 1,600-meter split of 3:54.61.
The Cougars won the title with a time of 9:29.28. Indiana was second at 9:29.65. Minnesota finished third for the second consecutive year.
Before Abda handled the 400-meter leg of the distance medley relay, the Gopher sophomore ran his way into the final in the 800 meters. Abda led for most of the race before cruising through the final with one of the three automatic qualifiers from his heat. He clocked a time of 1:49.09.
Minnesota Wins Third Consecutive Big Ten Indoor Crown
The Golden Gophers won three individual titles and one relay crown to win the Big Ten Indoor team title compiling 117.33 points. Minnesota’s 13.67-point margin of victory (over runner-up Indiana’s 104.5) is closest race in the team standings since 2001. The Gophers celebrated back-to-back-to-back Big Ten team indoor track titles (2009, 2010, 2011) for the first time in their history.
Minnesota crowned three individual champions, led by Harun Abda and Ben Blankenship, who defended their Conference titles in the 600 meters and mile, respectively. The duo was joined by Nick Hutton and Travis Burkstand to form the Big Ten champion distance medley relay. Winning the Gophers’ only title in a field event was Micah Hegerle in the weight throw.
Men’s Track Wins Third Golden Goldy’s Award
The Golden Gopher men’s track & field team was named the Minnesota Male Team of the Year for the third consecutive season at the Golden Goldy’s Awards. Head coach Steve Plasencia was voted as the Minnesota Male Sport Coach of the Year. The Golden Goldy’s is a year-ending celebration of the Minnesota Athletics Department sponsored by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).
Track Men Among the Best of the Best
Each year, Minnesota Athletics recognizes the 10 student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point averages with the Top Five Award (five men, five women). Addison Demer, Sean Duling and Mike Shelendich were honored with the Award for the second consecutive year. In addition to the Top Five, track senior Mike Torchia was honored as a receipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award, presented to one male and one female student-athlete who is accomplished in the four major areas emphasized by the NCAA Student-Athlete Wellfare Program: Academics, Athletics, Leadership and Volunteerism.
Graduating Gophers
Eight Gophers graduated in May of 2011 - Matt Clauer, Trey Davis, Addison Demer, Sean Duling, Paul Hoplin, Tyler Kleinhuizen, Hassan Mead, Ben Peterson, Mike Shelendich, Brock Spandl and Aaron Studt. Davis, Hoplin and Mead will return for a fifth-year of eligibility and enter grad school.
Head Coach Steve Plasencia
Minnesota’s Steve Plasencia is in his third season as the Golden Gopher head coach after leading the Gophers to a pair of Big Ten sweeps in his first two seasons as the head coach. Plasencia has served the Gophers’ head men’s cross country coach for 15 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 2011 Team Captains
The Golden Gopher team captains for the 2011 season are Sean Duling, Joey Schwecke, Hassan Mead and Aaron Studt.
NCAA West Preliminary Meet
Thursday-Saturday – May 26-28, 2011
Hayward Field
Hosted by Oregon – Eugene, Ore.
2011 Minnesota Men’s Track & Field Watch List
• Golden Gophers Travel Largest Squad in School History to NCAA West Prelims - The Minnesota men’s track & field team travels to Eugene, Ore., this week to compete in the 2011 NCAA Preliminary Meet. The University of Oregon plays host to the three-day event on Thursday-Saturday, May 26-28.
• Following the Gophers- Look to gophersports.com for live coverage from the meet. Another source to get the latest information on the Gophers is to become a fan of the Minnesota Men’s Track/CC Facebook page.
• That’s a Big Group of Gophers - Minnesota will be represented by 24 student-athletes at the NCAA :Preliminary Meet, the largest Golden Gopher contingent sent to an NCAA track championship event. Gophers will compete in 13 of the 20 events contested at the meet.
• NCAA Championships Qualifying - With the exception of the decathlon, the NCAA West Preliminary Meet serves as the first round of the NCAA Championships or the qualifying round to the NCAA Championships. To advance to the NCAA Championships at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 8-11, athletes and relays must finish in the top 12 of the preliminary rounds. The NCAA East Preliminary Meet is in Bloomington, Ind.
Gophers Begin NCAA Competition
Minnesota will have 24 student-athletes competing this week at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary Meet in Eugene, Ore. The University of Oregon will host the meet Thursday-Saturday, May 26-28, at the historic Hayward Field.
Follow the Gophers on Gophersports.com, Facebook
Minnesota track & field fans will be able to follow the Gophers at the NCAA West Preliminary Meet via gophersports.com, Facebook and Twitter. For those who are looking for an interactive means of following the Gopher tracksters, the live blog on gophersports.com is your best bet. Facebook and Twitter will also be loaded with tidbits from the Championships. Whether you are at the meet or on your computer at home, we hope you enjoy this personalized coverage of the event.
Second Year for East/West NCAA Prelims
This is the second season in which the NCAA will host East and West Preliminary meets. The East Preliminary meet will be held May 26-28 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.
The Gophers will be joined by three other Big Ten teams in the West: Illinois, Iowa and Illinois. The seven remaining Big Ten teams head to the East Preliminary meet site.
In all individual events, except the decathlon, the top 48 qualifiers receive Preliminary round bids. The top 24 relays qualify for the Prelims. To advance to the NCAA Championships at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 8-11, athletes and relays must finish in the top 12 of the respective preliminary rounds.
The Gopher Roster Breakdown
The 24 Golden Gophers advancing to the 2011 NCAA West Preliminary Meet includes 21 athletes competing in individual events and the 4x400-meter relay. The total of 24 athletes competing in the West Preliminary Meet in 2011 is the most the Gophers have ever advanced to postseason outdoor track action. Gophers will compete in 13 of the 20 events at the West Preliminary Meet.
Riding the Momentum of Indoor NCAAs
The Golden Gophers have five athletes competing this week who helped Minnesota to a sixth-place showing at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships. Those five athletes all earned All-America honors: Harun Abda (800m, DMR), Nick Hutton (DMR), Travis Burkstrand (DMR), Micah Hegerle (weight) and Ben Peterson (pole vault). None of them have competed in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Hassan Mead Enjoys Triumphant Return
Hassan Mead made a triumphant return to Big Ten competition winning the 10,000-meter run and adding a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters. Mead missed the 2010 indoor and outdoor track season with an Achilles tendon injury before suffering a collapsed lung forcing him to sit out the 2010 cross country campaign. All told, Mead did not race for 15 months prior to beginning his comeback on the track back in February.
Mead is a six-time All-American, three in track and three in cross country. He has twice placed sixth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA outdoor meet to earn All-America honors. Though Mead qualified for the West Prelim meet in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, he will only run the 5,000, looking for his third trip to the NCAAs.
The 10K title Mead won in 2011, was Mead’s sixth Big Ten track title. Mead also won Big Ten cross country titles in 2008 and 2009.
A Good Mix on Experience and Youth
A dozen (12) of the 24 Gophers competing in the NCAA West Preliminary Meet are either redshirt freshmen or sophomores. David Pachuta, Ben Peterson, Brock Spandl and Mike Torchia are the only seniors on the Gophers’ post-season roster for the preliminary meet.
Ten Gophers making their NCAA West Prelim debuts are Kevin Bradley, Jacob Capek, Addison Demer, Sean Duling, Max Hanson, Paul Hilsen, John Holton, Nick Hutton, Quentin Mege and Ryan Todhunter.
Mege, Hegerle a Pair of Sensational Sophomores in the Hammer Throw
Minnesota enjoyed a program first in 2011, having two 200-plus foot hammer throwers in Quentin Mege and Micah Hegerle. Though only sophomores, both have Big Ten titles on their resumes - Mege in 2011 and Hegerle in 2010. Hegerle, who was the Big Ten runner-up this season, ranks second in school history with a mark of 212-9. Mege ranks fourth at 207-8, his mark in winning the Big Ten title.
Five Gophers Advance in 800 Meters
The fact that Minnesota won the 4x800-meter relay title at the Drake Relays should come as no surprise when one looks at the Gophers’ NCAA West Prelim roster and finds five runners competing in the 800 meters. All five are from suburban Twin Cities and competed against each other in high school. Set to run for the Gophers are Harun Abda (Fridley), Travis Burkstrand (Apple Valley), Max Hanson (Buffalo), Nick Hutton (Apple Valley) and David Pachuta (Eagan).
West Preliminary Round – Gophers’ Event Preview
Following is an event-by-event for the Gophers at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
The 100 meters – Junior Sean King is the only Gopher sprinter set to compete in an individual event. King is coming off a career-best time of 10.43 seconds in placing seventh in the Big Ten Championships.
The 800 meters – As mentioned above, five Gophers will compete in this event. Leading the way is Harun Abda, who is seeded 13th with a time of 1:48.54. Only a sophomore, Abda is already a three-time All-American and placed fifth in the 800 meters at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships. Nick Hutton is ranked 15th in the field after posting a time of 1:48.73 in placing third at Big Tens. Other Gophers in the field are David Pachuta (22nd, 1:48.91), Travis Burkstrand (35th, 1:49.70) and Max Hanson (41st, 1:49.83).
The 1,500 meters – Junior Andy Richardson will make his second prelim/regional NCAA appearance. His season-best time is 3:4712. Junior Paul Hilsen makes is NCAA debut and has a best of 3:47.13.
The 5,000 meters – Junior Hassan Mead returns to NCAA competition for the first time since the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Mead is a two-time All-American in this event in outdoor track. He comes in seeded 20th with a time of 13:45.68.
The 10,000 meters – The Gophers will be represented by senior Mike Torchia and sophomore Pieter Gagnon. Torchia is making his third NCAA prelim/regional appearance but his first in the 10,000 meters. He is ranked 19th with a time of 29:13.20. Gagnon makes his second NCAA prelim appearance in the 10K and comes in ranked 23rd with a time of 29:24.11.
The 110-meter high hurdles – Two Gophers will make their NCAA prelim debut in the hurdles. Junior Sean Duling has a season-best time of 14.29, while sophomore Ryan Todhunter comes in with a time of 14.30.
The 4x400-meter relay – The foursome of Jacob Capek, John Holton, Kevin Bradley and Harun Abda are seeded 12th with a time of 3:08.12. Capek is a redshirt freshman, while the rest of the crew are sophomores. Only Abda has another event to run at the prelims.
The Pole Vault: Ben Peterson and Brock Spandl are both seniors looking to extend their collegiate careers. Peterson, was the NCAA indoor runner-up this season, but has been hampered by an ankle sprain during the outdoor season. Peterson is seeded sixth with a vault of 17-7 3/4. Spandl has cleared 17-0 3/4 several times this season and comes in ranked 23rd. Spandl was the 2011 Big Ten runner-up in the decathlon and missed the NCAA Championships in the event by just five points.
The Long Jump – Junior Addison Demer makes his NCAA prelim debut in both the long jump and triple jump. Demer’s best jump of the season measured 24-7 3/4.
The Triple Jump – Sophomore Oladipo Fagbemi is seeded 18th with a triple jump of 51-2 3/4. He landed that jump, a career best by over a foot, in placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships. Demer also PR’d at the Big Ten meet with a leap of 50-1 3/4, his first 50-foot plus effort.
The Shot Put – Junior Trey Davis is will make his third NCAA prelim/regional appearance in the event and comes in with a season-best throw of 57-11. He is ranked 25th coming into the meet.
The Discus – The Gophers will have three throwers compete in the discus for the second straight season: sophomore Micah Hegerle, Trey Davis and junior Tyler Kleinhuizen. Hegerle has the top throw for the Gophers, 180-1 to rank 22nd. Davis has a season-best of 173-9, while Klieinhuizen, who placed third at Big Tens, comes in with a best of 172-10.
The Hammer – Big Ten runner-up Micah Hegerle is seeded 10th with his top throw of the season - 212-9. Conference champion Quentin Mege will make his NCAA prelim debut and is ranked 14th with a throw of 207-8.
Blankenship Decides to Redshirt Outdoor Season
All-American Ben Blankenship will redshirt the 2011 outdoor season. Blankenship, the two-time Big Ten mile champion, will have a full indoor-outdoor season of eligibility in 2012.
Gophers Edged by Iowa to Break Big Ten Title Streak at Five
Minnesota fell just 2.5 points short of celebrating its sixth consecutive Big Ten Conference title (indoor/outdoor). Iowa bettered the Gophers by that margin to win its first Big Ten crown since 1967 at the Big Ten meet in Iowa City on May 13-15.
Quentin Mege and Hassan Mead captured Big Ten titles to lead the way for the Gophers. Mege landed a throw of 207-8 to win the hammer, while Mead captured the title in the 10,000 meters in a time of 29:04.79. Adding a second-place for the Gophers was Micah Hegerle in the hammer.
Gophers Finish Best-Ever Sixth at NCAA Indoor Championships
The Minnesota men’s track & field team received All-America performances from every athlete as the Golden Gophers compiled 27 points to finish in a tie (Indiana) for sixth place in the 2011 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas. The Gophers, the three-time defending Big Ten champion, were ranked No. 18 entering the Championships but enjoyed a spectacular overall performance matching the highest indoor NCAA finish in school history.
“What an outstanding weekend,” said Golden Gopher head coach Steve Plasencia. “You come into these national meets hoping your guys perform well. Our team did more than perform well, they excelled, and I’m so happy for them all. What a great accomplishment for our program to place sixth and have every one of the guys earn All-America honors.”
The Gophers received a big lift from Ben Blankenship, who ran to a national runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter run. Blankenship clocked a time of 8 minutes, 4.65 seconds to place second. The Gopher senior led several laps in the middle of the race, a race in which the pace was far from consistent. Blankenship retook the lead as the race entered the bell lap. Stanford’s Elliott Heath used a strong final lap to overtake Blankenship on the final turn and win in 8:03.71.
“I felt great after the DMR (he ran the 1,600 leg in a blistering time of 3:54.61 on Friday night),” said Blankenship. “Coming into the 3K, you know all these guys are great runners. All I tried to do was stay out of traffic and trouble and be in a position to give it all at the end. It’s a great feeling too to have the team finish so well.”
Harun Abda added a fifth-place finish in the 800 meters running a time of 1:49.51. Abda positioned himself on the outside shoulder of Connecticut’s Michael Rutt for the first three laps of the race. The final lap was an all-out sprint. Alabama senior Fred Samoei caught Rutt at the tape winning in 1:48.33 by four hundreds of a second.
Both Blankenship and Abda collected two All-America honors at the NCAA meet. The duo was also half of the Gophers’ distance medley relay that placed third on Friday.
Micah Hegerle earned All-America honors with an eighth-place finish in the weight throw assuring the entire Gopher NCAA lineup would come home with national accolades. Hegerle, the Big Ten champion in the event, tossed the 35-pound weight a distance of 67 feet, 9 3/4 inches. This was Hegerle’s NCAA Championships debut.
Minnesota celebrated its second consecutive top-8 finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Gophers finish matches the best NCAA Indoor Championships showing in school history, matching Roy Griak’s 1993 squad’s sixth-place finish at the national indoor meet.
Florida repeated as the team champion with 52 points, followed by Texas A&M (40), BYU (34), LSU (31) and Florida State (30).
NCAA Day One Recap
Pole vaulter Ben Peterson finished as the national runner-up and the Gopher distance medley broke a school record in placing third as the Minnesota men’s track & field team enjoyed a banner day at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Friday, March 11, in College Station, Texas.
“We really couldn’t have asked for a better first day,” said Golden Gopher head coach Steve Plasencia. “I’m so proud of these guys.”
Peterson picked the perfect time to clear 18 feet for the first time his career as he earned his first All-America accolade. The Gopher senior matched the winning height cleared by Washington’s Scott Roth. Roth took home the national title making 18-0 1/2 on his first attempt, while Peterson cleared the bar on his second. Both missed three vaults at the height of 18-2 1/2.
Peterson is just the fourth vaulter in Minnesota history to clear the 18-foot barrier. The height ties for the third best in school history.
The distance medley relay has become a much anticipated race to complete the first day of NCAA competition at the indoor championships. Minnesota’s foursome of Nick Hutton, Harun Abda, Travis Burkstrand and Ben Blankenship bettered their own school record clocking a time of 9 minutes, 29.70 seconds.
The Gophers were in eighth place after three legs of the relay as the baton was passed to Blankenship for the anchor 1,600-meter leg. Arizona, Stanford and BYU had separated themselves from the pack but were unable to keep up the pace. Blankenship, along with Indiana anchor Andrew Bayer worked their way back to the leaders to set up a fantastic final lap.
BYU’s Miles Batty took the lead and managed to hold off a late surge by Bayer and Blankenship. Blankenship charged coming off the final turn and nearly caught Batty and Bayer. Blankenship, who will compete in the 3,000 meters on Saturday, ran an amazing 1,600-meter split of 3:54.61.
The Cougars won the title with a time of 9:29.28. Indiana was second at 9:29.65. Minnesota finished third for the second consecutive year.
Before Abda handled the 400-meter leg of the distance medley relay, the Gopher sophomore ran his way into the final in the 800 meters. Abda led for most of the race before cruising through the final with one of the three automatic qualifiers from his heat. He clocked a time of 1:49.09.
Minnesota Wins Third Consecutive Big Ten Indoor Crown
The Golden Gophers won three individual titles and one relay crown to win the Big Ten Indoor team title compiling 117.33 points. Minnesota’s 13.67-point margin of victory (over runner-up Indiana’s 104.5) is closest race in the team standings since 2001. The Gophers celebrated back-to-back-to-back Big Ten team indoor track titles (2009, 2010, 2011) for the first time in their history.
Minnesota crowned three individual champions, led by Harun Abda and Ben Blankenship, who defended their Conference titles in the 600 meters and mile, respectively. The duo was joined by Nick Hutton and Travis Burkstand to form the Big Ten champion distance medley relay. Winning the Gophers’ only title in a field event was Micah Hegerle in the weight throw.
Men’s Track Wins Third Golden Goldy’s Award
The Golden Gopher men’s track & field team was named the Minnesota Male Team of the Year for the third consecutive season at the Golden Goldy’s Awards. Head coach Steve Plasencia was voted as the Minnesota Male Sport Coach of the Year. The Golden Goldy’s is a year-ending celebration of the Minnesota Athletics Department sponsored by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).
Track Men Among the Best of the Best
Each year, Minnesota Athletics recognizes the 10 student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point averages with the Top Five Award (five men, five women). Addison Demer, Sean Duling and Mike Shelendich were honored with the Award for the second consecutive year. In addition to the Top Five, track senior Mike Torchia was honored as a receipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award, presented to one male and one female student-athlete who is accomplished in the four major areas emphasized by the NCAA Student-Athlete Wellfare Program: Academics, Athletics, Leadership and Volunteerism.
Graduating Gophers
Eight Gophers graduated in May of 2011 - Matt Clauer, Trey Davis, Addison Demer, Sean Duling, Paul Hoplin, Tyler Kleinhuizen, Hassan Mead, Ben Peterson, Mike Shelendich, Brock Spandl and Aaron Studt. Davis, Hoplin and Mead will return for a fifth-year of eligibility and enter grad school.
Head Coach Steve Plasencia
Minnesota’s Steve Plasencia is in his third season as the Golden Gopher head coach after leading the Gophers to a pair of Big Ten sweeps in his first two seasons as the head coach. Plasencia has served the Gophers’ head men’s cross country coach for 15 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 2011 Team Captains
The Golden Gopher team captains for the 2011 season are Sean Duling, Joey Schwecke, Hassan Mead and Aaron Studt.
Players Mentioned
MD
/ Men's Track & Field
MD
/ Men's Track & Field
SPR
/ Men's Track & Field
DIS
/ Men's Track & Field
JS
/ Men's Track & Field
HJ
/ Men's Track & Field
THR
/ Men's Track & Field
JU
/ Men's Track & Field
HUR
/ Men's Track & Field
JU
/ Men's Track & Field
DIS
/ Men's Track & Field
THR
/ Men's Track & Field
DIS
/ Men's Track & Field
SPR
/ Men's Track & Field
THR
/ Men's Track & Field
MD
/ Men's Track & Field
SPR
/ Men's Track & Field
THR
/ Men's Track & Field
DIS
/ Men's Track & Field
MD
/ Men's Track & Field
PV
/ Men's Track & Field
MD
/ Men's Track & Field
JU
/ Men's Track & Field
SPR
/ Men's Track & Field
PV
/ Men's Track & Field
THR
/ Men's Track & Field
SPR
/ Men's Track & Field
DIS
/ Men's Track & FieldTrack & Field Season Hype
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