University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Sign Seven for 2015-16
11/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
| 2015-16 Gopher Early Signing Class (Alphabetical) | ||
| Name | High School/Previous School | Events |
| Sophia Anderson | Academy of Holy Angels | Sprints |
| Kimberly Golding | Central Arizona College | Hurdles/Sprints |
| Erin Huls | Rocori High School | Hurdles |
| Alexis Kiefer | Northfield High School | Pole Vault |
| Shay Nielsen | Detroit Lakes High School | Throws |
| Veronica Rasmussen | Mounds View High School | Throws |
| Taylor Wiebke | Kasson-Mantorville High School | High Jump |
Nov. 24, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS - The Gopher women's track & field and cross country program has signed seven student-athletes to attend the University of Minnesota and join the team for the 2015-16 academic year.
Director of women's track & field and cross country Matt Bingle is pleased to welcome Sophia Anderson, Kimberly Golding, Erin Huls, Alexis Kiefer, Shay Nielsen, Veronica Rasmussen and Taylor Wiebke to the Gopher family.
"I'm really excited to welcome this class to the University of Minnesota," Bingle said. "This is a talented group that can impact the team right away. All of these young women fit in with our program academically and will fit the team culture. They all come from good families, too."
The early signing class includes two throwers, one pole vaulter, one high jumper, two hurdlers and one sprinter. Six of the seven new Gophers are local Minnesota student-athletes who chose to continue their track & field careers in their home state.
Sophia Anderson, Academy of Holy Angels (Sprints)
Sophia Anderson joins the Gophers as a 400-meter specialist from the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minn. As a junior, Anderson placed fifth in the 400m dash at the Minnesota Class AA State Championship. She placed fourth at the state meet the year before in a personal-best 56.25 seconds. Anderson was also a talented soccer player for Holy Angels, helping the Stars to a 14-4-0 record and the Tri-Metro Conference title this fall.
Matt Bingle on Anderson: "Sophia is a runner who has a high upside. She has the opportunity to further develop at the University of Minnesota. She was a talented soccer player, and she had the opportunity to play soccer in college, too. I've watched her run for the last couple years, and she has the chance to really develop as a 400-meter runner at the college level. She's a very, very good student, and she really fits with us and will get in there with our training group immediately. I'm really excited to have her become a Gopher."
Kimberly Golding, Central Arizona College (Hurdles/Sprints)
Kimberly Golding, a native of St. Catherine, Jamaica, joins the Gophers from Central Arizona College. She was the national champion in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2014 NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a personal-best time of 13.57 seconds. She also competes in the long jump with a personal best mark of 19-4 (5.91m).
Bingle on Golding: "Kimberly has the potential to be a great 100-meter hurdler and a great Big Ten athlete right away for us. We're super excited to have an athlete of her caliber joining our program. Her personality fits with our team, and it's great to have another Jamaican athlete becoming a Gopher. She comes from a great family and is a joy to be around. She has the potential to be the best hurdler ever at the University of Minnesota."
Erin Huls, Rocori High School (Hurdles)
Erin Huls comes to the University of Minnesota from Rocori High School in Cold Spring, Minn. A standout 300-meter hurdler, Huls ranks fourth all-time in Minnesota history with a personal-best time of 43.01 seconds. She enters her senior season with the Spartans just .39 seconds shy of the all-time state record (42.62) set in 1987. Huls was the 2014 Minnesota Class AA state champion in the 300m hurdles in 43.39. This fall, her Rocori volleyball team was team champion of the consolation bracket at the 2014 Minnesota Class AA State Volleyball Tournament as well.
Matt Bingle on Huls: "Erin is a very tough-minded, blue-collar young lady, who fits the mold of who we are. I feel like she's a good fit for the culture of our program. She takes school seriously and athletics seriously. She has a high upside. I'm very excited to have the opportunity to coach her. She has the potential to be the best 300-meter hurdler in the state of Minnesota ever. She's very, very close to the state record. She comes from a good family and an athletic family. She really fits with us."
Alexis Kiefer, Northfield High School (Pole Vault)
Alexis Kiefer comes to Minnesota as a pole vaulter from Northfield High School. Kiefer began vaulting as a sophomore with the Raiders and already owns a personal best of 13-1.75 (4.00m), which she achieved as the winner of the Brit's Pub Vault during summer 2014. She was the pole vault runner up at the 2014 Minnesota Class AA State Championship and earned all-state honors with a school-record vault of 11-9 as well. A standout on the national stage, Kiefer was the national runner-up at the 2014 USATF Junior Olympics national meet with a vault of 12-9.50 (3.90m). Kiefer is a three-sport athlete at Northfield High School, a state meet participant in diving and gymnastics in addition to track & field.
Peter Miller on Kiefer: "We are thrilled to have signed Alexis, as we feel she is just beginning to find her potential in pole vault. The vault has always been a cornerstone of our success, so we have had our eye on Alexis since early in the spring. In only her second year vaulting, she put together one of the most impressive summers of competition for a high school athlete I can ever remember. We wanted to close the borders when it came to recruiting, and with the addition of Alexis, we feel one step closer to making that happen."
Shay Nielsen, Detroit Lakes High School (Throws)
Shay Nielsen joins the Gophers from Detroit Lakes, Minn. She holds a shot put PR of 45-5, which ranks among the top 15 all-time marks among Minnesota high school student-athletes. Nielsen placed third in the shot put at the 2014 Minnesota Class AA State Championship after taking eighth as a sophomore in 2013. She was also a state qualifier in the discus as a junior. A three-sport athlete, Nielsen is a standout volleyball and basketball player and brings strength and athleticism to Minnesota's throws group.
Peter Miller on Nielsen: "Shay Nielsen is another one of the Minnesota athletes we made a priority as soon as we began recruiting the 2015 grad class. She threw far very young but has continued to make gains each year, and we look forward to seeing where that will take her as a Gopher. Shay comes from a great family of athletes, as both parents were college athletes and Shay herself is a three-sport star in Detroit Lakes. We are thrilled that she chose to throw in college over opportunities in other sports and even more excited that she chose to be a Gopher."
Veronica Rasmussen, Mounds View High School (Throws)
Veronica Rasmussen is a standout shot put and discus thrower joining the Gophers from Mounds View High School. She owns a discus personal best of 133-11 and a shot put personal best of 42-01. Rasmussen is a three-time Minnesota Class AA State Championship qualifier in the discus, placing fifth in both 2013 (128-10) and 2014 (129-04).
Peter Miller on Rasmussen: "Veronica Rasmussen is an athlete I have had my eye on since she was just a freshman. She is a fierce competitor and fits our throws culture perfectly. She carries a near perfect GPA and is a multi-sport athlete and captain who has involved herself in many other activities at Mounds View. She is a solid athlete who made some great progress this summer, and we look forward to seeing her translate that to success in the Big Ten. We could not be more excited to welcome Veronica into the Gopher family."
Taylor Wiebke, Kasson-Mantorville High School (High Jump)
Taylor Wiebke joins the Gophers from Kasson-Mantorville High school. She is the defending Minnesota Class AA high jump state champion, clearing 5-9 to claim the state title as a junior in 2014. Wiebke was the state runner-up in the high jump as a sophomore in 2013 as well (5-7). As a junior, Wiebke broke the all-time Minnesota high jump record, clearing 5-11 (1.80m). Wiebke's brother Derek is a second-year member of the Gopher men's track & field and cross country teams as well.
Peter Miller on Wiebke: "Taylor is a great athlete and even better person. She fits our culture perfectly, as student, athlete and leader. It also doesn't hurt that she is the best high jumper ever in Minnesota high school history. One of our goals as a staff this year was to keep the best Minnesota athletes at home, and Taylor was a top priority as soon as we could recruit this class. We are beyond excited to welcome her into the Gopher family."
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Players Mentioned
