University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
NCAA Midwest Regional
Gophers Earn 10th-Straight NCAA Berth
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 14, 2014
PEORIA, Ill. - Behind top-10 finishes from Liz Berkholtz and Kaila Urick, the No. 20 University of Minnesota women's cross country team earned a runner-up team finish and secured its 10th-straight NCAA Championship berth at the Midwest Regional hosted by Bradley University Friday.
Berkholtz and Urick each clocked career-best 6K times en route to their top-10 finishes. Berkholtz finished sixth in 20:16.9, followed by Urick in eighth in 20:25.9. Becca Dyson was the third Gopher finisher, earning her second-straight top-20 finish in 17th place (20:43.8).
Rounding out Minnesota's scoring finishes were Danielle Anderson in 24th in a career-best 20:53.4 and Haley Johnson in 70th (21:28.7). The Gophers scored 125 points to secure their runner-up showing behind regional favorite Iowa State (66 points) and ahead of third-place Bradley (175) and fourth-place Tulsa (180).
Also representing the Gophers at the Midwest Regional were Kate Bucknam, who ran a career-best 21:38.8, and Ashlie Decker, who ran a season-best 21:42.4.
Four Gophers earned all-region honors for placing among the top 25 individuals in Berkholtz, Urick, Dyson and Anderson. The award marked the second consecutive all-region award for Dyson, who placed 19th at the 2013 regional.
Berkholtz's time of 20:16.9 ranks fifth among Gophers all-time, trailing only Stephanie Price (19:55.50, 20:01.48) and Megan Duwell (20:06.90, 20:14.50). Meanwhile, Urick's performance at the Midwest Regional also places her 10th on the Gophers' all-time list, and Dyson posted the 37th-best time ever by a Gopher. Minnesota's top trio also turned in the third, fifth and eighth-fastest Gopher times ever at an NCAA regional.
Minnesota will join regional champion Iowa State in representing the Midwest region at next week's NCAA championships. The top two teams and top four individuals not on an advancing team from each regional automatically move on to the national meet, along with at-large teams and individuals that will be announced following the completion of all nine NCAA Regional championships.
The 2014 NCAA Championships will be hosted by Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 22. The women's 6K race is set to begin at 11 a.m. CT with the men's 10K race to follow at 12:15 p.m. CT.
Gopher Results
6. Liz Berkholtz, 20:16.9
8. Kaila Urick, 20:25.9
17. Becca Dyson, 20:43.8
24. Danielle Anderson, 20:53.4
70. Haley Johnson, 21:28.7
93. Kate Bucknam, 21:38.8
98. Ashlie Decker, 21:42.4
Midwest Regional Top 10 Teams
1. Iowa State, 66
2. Minnesota, 125
3. Bradley, 175
4. Tulsa, 180
5. Oklahoma State, 191
6. Missouri, 205
7. South Dakota, 244
8. Kansas State, 283
9. Oklahoma, 306
10. Illinois, 321
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Players Mentioned
