University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Women Set for NCAA Championships
6/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Wednesday-Saturday – June 8-11, 2011
Drake Stadium
Hosted by Drake U. – Des Moines, Iowa
Gophers Ready for NCAA Championships
The Minnesota women’s track & field team will send seven athletes to compete in the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 8-11, in Des Moines. 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 champion after winning its first NCAA team crown in 2009. Minnesota has recorded six top-20 finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships: 18th in 1990 and 1991, 19th in 1996 and 2006, a tie for 13th in 2008 and 18th in 2009. The most points scored by Minnesota at the outdoor national meet was 15 points in 2008. The Gophers scored 8.0 points a year ago in placing in a time for 31st.
A Quick Look at the Gopher Roster
The Golden Gophers will be represented by seven student-athletes who will compete in four individual events and the 4x100-meter relay.
2011 NCAA Championships Competitors and NCAA Schedule
Samantha Sonnenberg (Sr., Waukesha, Wis.) Pole Vault Frid, June 10 - 5:25 p.m. (final)
Nikki Swenson (Sr., Dawson, Minn.) 1,500m Thurs., June 9 - 6 p.m. (semifinal)
Sat., June 11 - 12:18 p.m. (final)
Nikki Tzanakis (Sr., Chippewa Falls, Wis.) Discus Wed., June 8- 3 p.m. (final)
Todea-Kay Willis (Jr., Marvis Bank, Jamaica) Long Jump Wed., June 8 - 5:30 p.m. (final)
4x100m Relay Wed., June 8 - 5:30 p.m. (semifinal), Sat., June 11 - 12:03 p.m. (final)
Todea-Kay Willis
Nyoka Giles (Jr., Diego Martin, Trinidad)
Chimerem Okoroji (Jr., Eau Claire, Wis.)
Alena Brooks (So., Diego Martin, Trinidad)
Three Gophers Return to NCAA Outdoor Championships
Minnesota’s NCAA Championships lineup includes two athletes who have NCAA Outdoor Championships experience on their resumes. Nikki Swenson leads the way with NCAA appearances in both 2009 (800m) and 2010 (1,500m). Nikki Tzanakis (discus - 2010) also has competed at the outdoor national meet. Pole vaulter Samantha Sonnenberg, who is a two-time competitor in the NCAA Indoor Championships and two-time All-American, will make her NCAA Outdoor Championships debut.
4x100m Relay Makes Gopher History
Minnesota’s 4x100-meter relay of Todea-Kay Willis, Nyoka Giles, Chimerem Okoroji and Alena Brooks will make Golden Gopher track history on Wednesday as the very first 4x100m relay to compete in the NCAA Championships. The Gopher foursome earned an automatic berth into the NCAA semifinal with a third-place finish in the quarterfinal heat at the NCAA West Prelim.
NCAA Championships - Gophers’ Event Preview
Following is an event-by-event preview for the Gophers at the NCAA Championships.
The 1,500 meters – Senior Nikki Swenson will make her third trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships and compete in the 1,500 meters for the second consecutive season. Swenson is seeded seventh in the NCAA field with her career-best time of 4:18.38 clocked in the national quarterfinal at the NCAA West Prelim.
The 4x100-meter relay – The Gophers’ 4x100-meter relay is seeded 23rd in the field with a time of 44.99 seconds. 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 posted a second-best time of 44.96 seconds.
The Pole Vault – Senior Samantha Sonnenberg earned 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 in the nation with a school-record height of 14-3 1/4. It took a height of 13-5 1/4 to advance from the NCAA West Prelim.
The Long Jump – Todea-Kay Willis makes her NCAA debut in the long jump. Willis joins Christin Kingsley (2006, 08) as the only Gopher long jumper to advance to the NCAA meet.. Willis owns a season-best leap of 21-1 1/2, the Minnesota school record. Willis is seeded 13th in the long jump field after landing a jump of 20-5 at the NCAA West Prelim.
The Discus –Senior Nikki Tzanakis advanced to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season.Her career-best throw of 180-1 was ranked fifth in the nation. She goes into the NCAA meet seeded 11th after landing a throw of 172-7 at the NCAA West Prelim.
Players Mentioned
