University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Men Head to Drake for NCAA Championships
6/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Gopher Track This Week:
NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Wednesday-Saturday – June 8-11, 2011
Drake Stadium
Hosted by Drake U. – Des Moines, Iowa
Gophers Travel to Drake for NCAA Championships
Minnesota will have three individuals and its 4x400-meter relay compete at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday-Saturday, June 8-11. Drake University plays host to the event on the famed blue track of Drake Stadium.
Television Coverage of the NCAA Meet
CBS will televise portions of the NCAA Outdoor Championships live on Friday, June 10, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., and on Saturday, June 11, from 12-2 p.m. The entire event will also be streamed live on the web on NCAA.com and GoDrakeBulldogs.com.
NCAA Championships History
Texas A&M is the two-time defending team champion, having captured its first NCAA outdoor track title in 2009 then repeating year ago. Minnesota won its only national team title in 1948. The Gophers’ top national finish in recent history was ninth in 1997 and 2003. The last top-20 finish at the outdoor NCAA meet was a tie for 15th in 2004. Minnesota sent four athletes to the Championships in 2010, but did not score.
Riding the Momentum of Indoor NCAAs
The Golden Gophers have two athletes competing this week who helped Minnesota to a sixth-place showing at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships. Harun Abda earned All-America honors in the 800 meters and the distance medley relay, while Micah Hegerle earned national acclaim in the weight throw. Both are now making NCAA Outdoor Championships debut.
2010 NCAA Championships Competitors and NCAA Schedule
Harun Abda (So., Fridley, Minn.) 800m Wed., June 8 - 6:15 p.m. (semifinal)
Fri., June 10 - 7:20 p.m. (final)
Micah Hegerle (So., Dodge Center, Minn.) Hammer Thurs., June 9 - 3 p.m. (final)
Brock Spandl (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.) Pole Vault Wed., June 8 - 5:30 p.m. (final)
4x400m Relay Thurs., June 9 - 8:20 p.m. (semifinal), Sat., June 11 - 1:50 p.m. (final)Jacob Capek (So., Rochester, Minn.)
Harun Abda
Kevin Bradley (So., Shoreview, Minn.)
John Holton (So., Greenfield, Wis.)
NCAA Championships – Gophers’ Event Preview
Following is an event-by-event preview for the Gophers at the NCAA Championships.
The 800 meters – Harun Abda is a rising star in the 800 meters. Abda is seeded fourth in the event heading into the NCAA meet after running a school-record time of 1:46.81 at the NCAA West Prelim. The top seven seeds at NCAAs came from the West. Abda placed fifth in the 800 meters at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships and is a three-time career All-American. This is his first appearance, however, at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The 4x400-meter relay – The foursome of Jacob Capek, John Holton, Kevin Bradley and Harun Abda are seeded 21st in the NCAA field. Capek is a redshirt freshman, while the rest of the crew are sophomores. The Gophers ran a season-best time of 3:07.82 in the national quarterfinal at the NCAA West Prelim meet, the fastest 4x400m clocking by a Minnesota foursome since 2006.
The Pole Vault: Senior Brock Spandl will make his first appearance at an NCAA Outdoor Championships. Spandl does have NCAA experience, earning All-America honors in the heptathlon as a junior in 2010. Spandl has cleared 17-0 3/4 several times this season, including the NCAA West Prelim. Spandl was the 2011 Big Ten runner-up in the decathlon and missed the NCAA Championships field in the event by just five points.
The Hammer – Sophomore Micah Hegerle makes his NCAA Outdoor debut in the hammer. Hegerle, the Big Ten champion in 2010 and runner-up in 2011, is seeded 16th after throwing 207-8 at the NCAA West Prelim meet. His season-best toss is 212-9. Hegerle captured his first career All-America honor earlier this season by placing eighth in the weight throw.
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.
Players Mentioned
