University of Minnesota Athletics
Championship Season to Begin Sunday
10/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
| 2014 Big Ten Championships | |||||||||||
| Date | Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014 | 10:45 a.m. | ||||||||||
| Location | Ashton Cross Country Course, Iowa City, Iowa. | ||||||||||
| Tickets | Adults $8/$10 | Youth $3/$5 (pre-sale/walk-up) | Buy Tickets | ||||||||||
| Distance | Women: 6K, 10:45 a.m. | Men: 8K, 11:45 a.m. | ||||||||||
| Coverage | Meet Central | Live Results | @GopherWCCTF | ||||||||||
Oct. 28, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 20 Minnesota women's cross country team begins championship season this weekend at the 2014 Big Ten Conference Championships hosted by the University of Iowa at the Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City, Iowa. The 6K race is set for 10:45 a.m. (CT).
The Gophers' Big Ten roster includes redshirt senior Ashlie Decker, redshirt juniors Liz Berkholtz, Kate Bucknam, Becca Dyson and Kaila Urick, redshirt sophomores Haley Johnson and Jamie Piepenburg, redshirt freshman Danielle Anderson and true freshman Bailey Ness.
2013 Big Ten Championships Rewind
Last year, the Gophers took third at the Big Ten Championships behind a third-place individual showing from Laura Docherty. With 68 points, Minnesota came in behind Big Ten champion Michigan State (43) and runner-up Michigan (55). Three Gophers earned All-Big Ten honors as Molly Kayfes (eighth) and Maggie Bollig (13th) joined Docherty among the top 15 finishers.
The Gophers graduated seven of their nine runners from last year's third-place team. Redshirt juniors Becca Dyson and Liz Berkholtz are the lone returners from the 2013 meet. Dyson was Minnesota's fourth runner a year ago, finishing 26th in 21:43.2, while Berkholtz came in seventh on the team and 31st overall (21:48.1).
About the 2014 Big Ten Championships
The University of Iowa will host the 2014 Big Ten Men's & Women's Cross Country on Sunday, Nov. 2 at Ashton Cross Country Course. It is the first time since 2004 that the Hawkeyes have hosted the championships. The women's race will begin at 10:45 a.m. (CT). Admission is $8 for adults and $3 for youth for pre-sale tickets and $10 for adult $5 for youth for walk-up tickets.
Last Time Out: Jack's Twilight Run
The Gophers hosted the seventh annual running of Jack's Twilight Run at Les Bolstad Course last Saturday night. Redshirt freshman Madeline Strandemo ran a career-best 22:10.1 as the second female finisher in the open 6K race. She took second to unattached Gopher Emily Castanias (22:03.4). Eight Gophers ran season or career-best times at the race held annually in honor of the late Minnesota equipment manager Jack Johnson.
Minnesota Against Big Ten Foes
The Gophers faced Big Ten Conference opponents in head-to-head action at two meets this season, the Roy Griak Invitational and the Wisconsin adidas Invitational.
The Griak Invitational saw the Gophers place seventh in the team standings with 225 points, behind team champion Michigan State (66) but ahead of Illinois (558) in 18th place and Nebraska (828) in 32nd.
At the Wisconsin adidas Invitational, the Spartans again took the team title with 87 points. Host Wisconsin was fourth (227), Ohio State was 14th (443), Minnesota was 15th (462) and Indiana was 29th (667).
USTFCCCA Rankings: Gophers Climb to No. 20
The No. 20 Gophers secured their highest national ranking of the season after defeating eight ranked teams at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Oct. 17. Heading into the Big Ten Championships, four other B1G teams are ranked in the top 30: Michigan State (1), Michigan (4), Wisconsin (8), and Ohio State (19).
Career-Best Performances
Nineteen Gophers have already recorded career-best 6K times this season, including five members of Minnesota's Big Ten team: Liz Berkholtz (20:34), Becca Dyson (20:47), Kaila Urick (21:02), Danielle Anderson (21:24) and Bailey Ness (21:40).
Up Next: Rocky's Run
The Gophers host Rocky's Run at Les Bolstad Course at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 before competing in the NCAA Midwest Regional meet on Friday, Nov. 14 at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.
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Players Mentioned
