University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Arkansas Invitational
Gophers Compete at Arkansas Invitational
3/31/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
March 31, 2012
The Minnesota women's track and field team finished competition at the Arkansas Spring Invitational this evening in Fayetteville, Ark. The Golden Gophers earned wins in five events and saw two athletes move up on the schools' top-10 list. This weekend's meet allowed the Gopher coaches to identify some of the strengths and weaknesses of their team.
"It was a pretty good opener, but we've got a lot of work to do, and six weeks to do it," head coach Matt Bingle said.
Chimerem Okoroji headlined Minnesota's efforts today. She clocked in with one of the nation's top 20 100-meter dash times of the spring, winning the event in 11.62 seconds. Later in the day, she set a personal record of 23.91 in the 200, moving up to No. 4 on Minnesota's all-time list. Okoroji was also part of the Gophers' first-place 4x100m relay team. Todea-Kay Willis, Nyoka Giles, Okoroji, and Kylie Peterson improved upon last week's winning time with a 45.22 today.
Willis also won the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 1 inch (6.13m). Laura Docherty (9:44.08) and Ashlie Decker (9:56.32) claimed the top two spots in the 3,000m run in the 80-degree heat. Paige Orcutt started out the Gophers' day on the track with a victory in the 3,000m steeplechase (10:58.82).
In addition to the five wins, several other Gophers turned in high finishes. Megan Geyen had one of the Gophers' most impressive races of the day. She became Minnesota's fifth-best all-time performer in the 400 when she finished second in 54.67 seconds, bettering her career best by about two seconds. She later anchored the 4x400m relay to a second-place finish (3:42.05), with Sharyn Dahl, Giles, and Kelly Stalpes running before her.
Katie Murgic was the third Gopher to move into the top-10 in an event. She ranks 10th all-time in pole vault after clearning 11-11 3/4 (3.65m). Several other Minnesota athletes placed in the top four in their events. For complete results, click here.
Next up for the Gophers will be the Stanford Invitational (April 6-7) and the Hamline Invitational (April 6).
Players Mentioned
