University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Travel to Oregon for NCAA Prelims
5/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women'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 Women’s Track & Field Watch List
• Golden Gophers Travel to NCAA West Prelims - The Minnesota women’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.
• NCAA Championships Qualifying - With the exception of the heptathlon, 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.on Sunday, May 22 at 12 p.m.
• 16 Gophers Headed to Prelims - Minnesota will be represented by 16 student-athletes at the NCAA :Preliminary Meet, Gophers will compete in 16 of the 20 events contested at the meet.
NCAA Preliminary Meet Up Next for Gophers
A contingent of 16 student-athletes from the Minnesota women’s track & field team travels to Eugene, Ore., this week, Thursday-Saturday, May 26-28 for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary Meet. The University of Oregon will host the meet 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 heptathlon, 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.
A Look at the Gophers
The Golden Gophers will be represented by 16 student-athletes, including both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays, at the NCAA West Prelim meet. The roster will include 10 Gophers with NCAA prelim/regional experience. Five Gophers - Emily Betz, Sharyn Dahl, Katie Moraczewski, Stephanie Price and Missa Varpness - will be making their NCAA prelim debut. Gophers will compete in 16 of the 20 events contested at the NCAA West Prelims.
A Trio of Gophers Seek Return Trip to NCAA Outdoor Championships
Minnesota’s NCAA West Prelim lineup includes three athletes who have NCAA Outdoor Championships experience on their resumes. Nikki Swenson leads the pack with NCAA appearances in both 2009 (800m) and 2010 (1,500m). Elizabeth Yetzer (1,500m - 2009) and Nikki Tzanakis (discus - 2010) also have competed at the outdoor national meet. Pole vaulter Samantha Sonnenberg is a two-time competitor, and two-time All-American, has never advanced to the outdoor NCAA meet.
Cross Country Success Brings Talent to the Track
Minnesota has competed in the last six NCAA Cross Country Championships with top-12 finishes from 2005-09. That success is reflected in the Gophers’ lineup for this week’s West Preliminary Round meet. There are three runners competing who were major contributors to Minnesota’s cross country success and were part of at least one NCAA top-12 finish: Nikki Swenson (1,500m), Elizabeth Yetzer (1,500m) and Stephanie Price (10,000), All three of those runners listed earned All-Midwest Region honors at least twice in their Gopher cross country careers with Price capturing All-America honors in 2010.
Missa Varpness and Katie Moraczewski, along with Swenson and Price, were members of the Gophers’ 2010 cross country squad that placed 27th in the NCAA Championships. Price, Varpness and Swenson earned All-Region honors last fall.
West Preliminary Round - Gophers’ Event Preview
Following is an event-by-event preview for the Gophers at the NCAA West Preliminary Meet.
The 100 meters – Junior Chimerem Okoroji will compete in an individual event at the NCAA Prelim meet for the first time after making her debut in the 4x100-meter relay a year ago. Okoroji clocked a personal-best time of 11.53 seconds to finish fourth at the Big Ten Championships. She is seeded 23rd coming into the meet.
The 200 meters – Sophomore Nyoka Giles makes her second appearance at a NCAA prelim/regional meet in the 200 meters. Giles owns a top time of 23.93 seconds this season.
The 400 meters – Sophomore Alena Brooks owns the school record with a time of 53.55 seconds and is ranked 24th in the event. Brooks competed in the 800 meters at the NCAA West Prelims a year ago.
The 1,500 meters – Minnesota has seniors Nikki Swenson and Elizabeth Yetzer entered in the 1,500 meters. Yetzer advanced to the NCAA Championships in the event last year, Yetzer in 2009. Yetzer ran a season-best time of 4:20.39 at the Mt. SAC Relays and is ranked 11th in the field. Swenson, the Big Ten runner-up, clocked a season-best time of 4:24.62 and is seeded 29th.
The 5,000 meters – Missa Varpness is a redshirt freshman making her NCAA prelim debut. Her best time in the event this season is 16:31.17.
The 10,000 meters – Cross country All-American Stephanie Price will compete in her first NCAA post-season track event. She clocked a season-best time of 34:01.15 at the Mt. SAC Relays; a time ranked 21st in the prelim field.
The 3,000-meter steeplechase – Redshirt Katie Moraczewski is the second of two redshirt freshmen who will compete in the NCAA West Prelim. Moraczewski’s best time in the event is 10:33.66.
The 400-meter hurdles – Juniors Sharyn Dahl and Kelly Stalpes will compete in the 400-meter hurdles. Dahl is perhaps the most improved Gopher this season. She clocked a career-best time of 58.44 seconds in placing third at the Big Ten Championships to rank 13th in the NCAA prelim field. Stalpes makes her third appearance in the NCAA prelim/regional round and comes in with a season-best time of 1:00.26.
The 4x100-meter relay – The Gophers’ 4x100-meter relay will compete in the prelim/regional round of the NCAAs for the third straight season. Chimerem Okoroji has been a member of this relay all three years. In 2011, she is joined by Todea-Kay Willis, Nyoka Giles and Alena Brooks. The relay is seeded 14th with a time of 44.96 seconds.
The 4x400-meter relay – The 4x400-meter relay of Sharyn Dahl, Nyoka Giles, Kelly Stalpes and Alena Brook broke the Minnesota school record with a time of 3:38.33 in their last outing, placing third in the Big Ten Championships. The relay is seeded 17th.
The Pole Vault – Senior Samantha Sonnenberg hopes to earn her first NCAA Outdoor Championships berth after earning All-America acclaim at the last two indoor national meets. Sonnenberg is the highest ranked Gopher, coming in seeded fourth with a school-record height of 14-3 1/4.
The Long Jump – Todea-Kay Willis will make her second appearance in the NCAA Prelim Meet in the long jump. She owns a season-best leap of 21-1 1/2, the Gopher school record. Willis is seeded seventh in the long jump field.
The High Jump – Senior Natalie Devine makes her third prelim/regional appearance in the event. Devine’s best height this season is 5-8 1/2.
The Discus –Senior Nikki Tzanakis is making her third prelim/regional NCAA appearance in the discus. Tzanakis advanced to the NCAA Championships a year ago. Her career-best throw of 180-1 is seeded No. 5.
The Hammer – Junior DeAnne Hahn is making her second prelim/regional NCAA appearance in the event. Her best toss is 181-6.
The javelin – Sophomore Emily Betz is set to make her NCAA Prelim debut in the javelin. Her best throw of the season is 142-8.
Nikki Swenson Tops Gophers at Big Ten Meet
Nikki Swenson led the Gophers with two top finishes, second in the 1,500 meters and fourth in the 800 meters, at the 2011 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The Golden Gophers finished seventh overall.
Yetzer Accomplished Something Even Heather Dorniden Didn’t
Heather Dorniden is the most decorated Golden Gopher women’s track athlete in Minnesota history, but senior Elizabeth Yetzer accomplished something even Dorniden didn’t in her track career. Yetzer anchored the Gophers’ 4x1,600-meter relay to victory at the 2011 Drake Relays to claim her fourth career title in the same event and becoming the first Gopher to accomplish that feat. Dorniden finished her Gopher career with a Minnesota-best six Drake Relays crowns. Yetzer finished her career with five.
Sonnenberg Captures Second Career All-America Honor
Minnesota senior Samantha Sonnenberg captured her second career All-America honor placing seventh in the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas, on March 12. Sonnenberg matched a season-best height clearing the bar at 13 feet, 11 1/4 inches.
Sonnenberg struggled early needing clearing the opening height of 13-1 1/2 on her third attempt. She cleared the next three heights, including her final bar, on her second attempt. Sonnenberg had three attempts at her career-best height of 14-1 1/4, the height she cleared in placing seventh at last year’s NCAA meet. Arkansas junior Tina Sutej won the national title with a height of 14-7 1/4.
Sonnenberg was the only Gopher competing at the NCAA Championships. Minnesota finished with two team points.
Four Track Women Among Top Five Student Athletes
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). The Gopher women’s track team impressively claimed four of those five spots awarded. Top Five Award recipients were Becca Gusmer, Amy Kubat, Chimerem Okoroji and Kathryn Ritter.
Women’s Track Team Wins Community Service Award
The Golden Gopher women’s track team was honored with the Community Service Award at the annual Golden Goldy’s Awards Banquet. Community service hours are recorded by personal submission or student-athletes who volunteer through team or department organized events from April 15, 2010-April 10, 2011. The women’s track team record 3,394 hours, averaging 32.02 hours per student-athlete.
Graduating Gophers
Eleven (11) Gophers graduated in May of 2011 - Ashley Deisting, Jamie Dittmar, Katie Dyson, Katie Salvatore, Annie Spieth, Lyndie Bosshart, Natalie Devine, Bianca Dougan, Brooke Robertson, Krista Skoglund and Samantha Sonnenberg.
The Golden Gopher Coaching Staff
Matt Bingle is in his fifth season as the Golden Gophers head women’s track & field coach and his ninth 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 (26th season, third as an assistant coach after 21 years as head coach)and Lynne Anderson (31st season).
NCAA West Preliminary Meet
Thursday-Saturday – May 26-28, 2011
Hayward Field
Hosted by Oregon – Eugene, Ore.
2011 Minnesota Women’s Track & Field Watch List
• Golden Gophers Travel to NCAA West Prelims - The Minnesota women’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.
• NCAA Championships Qualifying - With the exception of the heptathlon, 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.on Sunday, May 22 at 12 p.m.
• 16 Gophers Headed to Prelims - Minnesota will be represented by 16 student-athletes at the NCAA :Preliminary Meet, Gophers will compete in 16 of the 20 events contested at the meet.
NCAA Preliminary Meet Up Next for Gophers
A contingent of 16 student-athletes from the Minnesota women’s track & field team travels to Eugene, Ore., this week, Thursday-Saturday, May 26-28 for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary Meet. The University of Oregon will host the meet 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 heptathlon, 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.
A Look at the Gophers
The Golden Gophers will be represented by 16 student-athletes, including both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays, at the NCAA West Prelim meet. The roster will include 10 Gophers with NCAA prelim/regional experience. Five Gophers - Emily Betz, Sharyn Dahl, Katie Moraczewski, Stephanie Price and Missa Varpness - will be making their NCAA prelim debut. Gophers will compete in 16 of the 20 events contested at the NCAA West Prelims.
A Trio of Gophers Seek Return Trip to NCAA Outdoor Championships
Minnesota’s NCAA West Prelim lineup includes three athletes who have NCAA Outdoor Championships experience on their resumes. Nikki Swenson leads the pack with NCAA appearances in both 2009 (800m) and 2010 (1,500m). Elizabeth Yetzer (1,500m - 2009) and Nikki Tzanakis (discus - 2010) also have competed at the outdoor national meet. Pole vaulter Samantha Sonnenberg is a two-time competitor, and two-time All-American, has never advanced to the outdoor NCAA meet.
Cross Country Success Brings Talent to the Track
Minnesota has competed in the last six NCAA Cross Country Championships with top-12 finishes from 2005-09. That success is reflected in the Gophers’ lineup for this week’s West Preliminary Round meet. There are three runners competing who were major contributors to Minnesota’s cross country success and were part of at least one NCAA top-12 finish: Nikki Swenson (1,500m), Elizabeth Yetzer (1,500m) and Stephanie Price (10,000), All three of those runners listed earned All-Midwest Region honors at least twice in their Gopher cross country careers with Price capturing All-America honors in 2010.
Missa Varpness and Katie Moraczewski, along with Swenson and Price, were members of the Gophers’ 2010 cross country squad that placed 27th in the NCAA Championships. Price, Varpness and Swenson earned All-Region honors last fall.
West Preliminary Round - Gophers’ Event Preview
Following is an event-by-event preview for the Gophers at the NCAA West Preliminary Meet.
The 100 meters – Junior Chimerem Okoroji will compete in an individual event at the NCAA Prelim meet for the first time after making her debut in the 4x100-meter relay a year ago. Okoroji clocked a personal-best time of 11.53 seconds to finish fourth at the Big Ten Championships. She is seeded 23rd coming into the meet.
The 200 meters – Sophomore Nyoka Giles makes her second appearance at a NCAA prelim/regional meet in the 200 meters. Giles owns a top time of 23.93 seconds this season.
The 400 meters – Sophomore Alena Brooks owns the school record with a time of 53.55 seconds and is ranked 24th in the event. Brooks competed in the 800 meters at the NCAA West Prelims a year ago.
The 1,500 meters – Minnesota has seniors Nikki Swenson and Elizabeth Yetzer entered in the 1,500 meters. Yetzer advanced to the NCAA Championships in the event last year, Yetzer in 2009. Yetzer ran a season-best time of 4:20.39 at the Mt. SAC Relays and is ranked 11th in the field. Swenson, the Big Ten runner-up, clocked a season-best time of 4:24.62 and is seeded 29th.
The 5,000 meters – Missa Varpness is a redshirt freshman making her NCAA prelim debut. Her best time in the event this season is 16:31.17.
The 10,000 meters – Cross country All-American Stephanie Price will compete in her first NCAA post-season track event. She clocked a season-best time of 34:01.15 at the Mt. SAC Relays; a time ranked 21st in the prelim field.
The 3,000-meter steeplechase – Redshirt Katie Moraczewski is the second of two redshirt freshmen who will compete in the NCAA West Prelim. Moraczewski’s best time in the event is 10:33.66.
The 400-meter hurdles – Juniors Sharyn Dahl and Kelly Stalpes will compete in the 400-meter hurdles. Dahl is perhaps the most improved Gopher this season. She clocked a career-best time of 58.44 seconds in placing third at the Big Ten Championships to rank 13th in the NCAA prelim field. Stalpes makes her third appearance in the NCAA prelim/regional round and comes in with a season-best time of 1:00.26.
The 4x100-meter relay – The Gophers’ 4x100-meter relay will compete in the prelim/regional round of the NCAAs for the third straight season. Chimerem Okoroji has been a member of this relay all three years. In 2011, she is joined by Todea-Kay Willis, Nyoka Giles and Alena Brooks. The relay is seeded 14th with a time of 44.96 seconds.
The 4x400-meter relay – The 4x400-meter relay of Sharyn Dahl, Nyoka Giles, Kelly Stalpes and Alena Brook broke the Minnesota school record with a time of 3:38.33 in their last outing, placing third in the Big Ten Championships. The relay is seeded 17th.
The Pole Vault – Senior Samantha Sonnenberg hopes to earn her first NCAA Outdoor Championships berth after earning All-America acclaim at the last two indoor national meets. Sonnenberg is the highest ranked Gopher, coming in seeded fourth with a school-record height of 14-3 1/4.
The Long Jump – Todea-Kay Willis will make her second appearance in the NCAA Prelim Meet in the long jump. She owns a season-best leap of 21-1 1/2, the Gopher school record. Willis is seeded seventh in the long jump field.
The High Jump – Senior Natalie Devine makes her third prelim/regional appearance in the event. Devine’s best height this season is 5-8 1/2.
The Discus –Senior Nikki Tzanakis is making her third prelim/regional NCAA appearance in the discus. Tzanakis advanced to the NCAA Championships a year ago. Her career-best throw of 180-1 is seeded No. 5.
The Hammer – Junior DeAnne Hahn is making her second prelim/regional NCAA appearance in the event. Her best toss is 181-6.
The javelin – Sophomore Emily Betz is set to make her NCAA Prelim debut in the javelin. Her best throw of the season is 142-8.
Nikki Swenson Tops Gophers at Big Ten Meet
Nikki Swenson led the Gophers with two top finishes, second in the 1,500 meters and fourth in the 800 meters, at the 2011 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The Golden Gophers finished seventh overall.
Yetzer Accomplished Something Even Heather Dorniden Didn’t
Heather Dorniden is the most decorated Golden Gopher women’s track athlete in Minnesota history, but senior Elizabeth Yetzer accomplished something even Dorniden didn’t in her track career. Yetzer anchored the Gophers’ 4x1,600-meter relay to victory at the 2011 Drake Relays to claim her fourth career title in the same event and becoming the first Gopher to accomplish that feat. Dorniden finished her Gopher career with a Minnesota-best six Drake Relays crowns. Yetzer finished her career with five.
Sonnenberg Captures Second Career All-America Honor
Minnesota senior Samantha Sonnenberg captured her second career All-America honor placing seventh in the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas, on March 12. Sonnenberg matched a season-best height clearing the bar at 13 feet, 11 1/4 inches.
Sonnenberg struggled early needing clearing the opening height of 13-1 1/2 on her third attempt. She cleared the next three heights, including her final bar, on her second attempt. Sonnenberg had three attempts at her career-best height of 14-1 1/4, the height she cleared in placing seventh at last year’s NCAA meet. Arkansas junior Tina Sutej won the national title with a height of 14-7 1/4.
Sonnenberg was the only Gopher competing at the NCAA Championships. Minnesota finished with two team points.
Four Track Women Among Top Five Student Athletes
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). The Gopher women’s track team impressively claimed four of those five spots awarded. Top Five Award recipients were Becca Gusmer, Amy Kubat, Chimerem Okoroji and Kathryn Ritter.
Women’s Track Team Wins Community Service Award
The Golden Gopher women’s track team was honored with the Community Service Award at the annual Golden Goldy’s Awards Banquet. Community service hours are recorded by personal submission or student-athletes who volunteer through team or department organized events from April 15, 2010-April 10, 2011. The women’s track team record 3,394 hours, averaging 32.02 hours per student-athlete.
Graduating Gophers
Eleven (11) Gophers graduated in May of 2011 - Ashley Deisting, Jamie Dittmar, Katie Dyson, Katie Salvatore, Annie Spieth, Lyndie Bosshart, Natalie Devine, Bianca Dougan, Brooke Robertson, Krista Skoglund and Samantha Sonnenberg.
The Golden Gopher Coaching Staff
Matt Bingle is in his fifth season as the Golden Gophers head women’s track & field coach and his ninth 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 (26th season, third as an assistant coach after 21 years as head coach)and Lynne Anderson (31st season).
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/ Women's Track & FieldDyandra Gray | 2025 All-American
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