University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Heads to BYU Autumn Classic
9/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
| BYU Autumn Classic | |||||||||||
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014 | ||||||||||
| Location | BYU Cross Country Course, Provo, Utah | ||||||||||
| Women's Race | 3-mile | ||||||||||
| Time | Women: 11:15 a.m. CT | ||||||||||
| Teams | BYU, No. 25 Minnesota, No. 28 Weber State, Idaho State and UCLA | ||||||||||
Sept. 10, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 25 Golden Gopher women's cross country team travels to Provo, Utah, for the BYU Autumn Classic this weekend. Minnesota will face host BYU, No. 28 Weber State, Idaho State and UCLA in a three-mile race on Saturday morning.
Gophers Danielle Anderson, Megan Bailey, Liz Berkholtz, Kate Bucknam, Ashlie Decker, Becca Dyson, Haley Johnson, Taylor Mikkalson, Bailey Ness, Madeline Strandemo and Kaila Urick are slated to compete at BYU. The BYU Autumn Classic includes a full day of racing with multiple high school races and a college men's four-mile race. The women's three-mile is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. CT.
Last Time Out: Oz Memorial
Senior Ashlie Decker claimed the 2014 Oz Memorial individual title, pacing the 6K field in 22:26.2 after leading the race from start to finish. Fellow Gophers Madeline Strandemo (23:18.5) and Megan Bailey (23:27.8) also picked up top-10 finishes in ninth and 10th, respectively. Freshman Bailey Ness was the runner-up in 22:32.7, racing unattached. Minnesota, competing with only 13 runners, came in second in the team standings with 43 points behind Northern Iowa (39 points). The Gophers competed without Danielle Anderson, Liz Berkholtz, Kate Bucknam, Becca Dyson, Haley Johnson, Jamie Piepenburg and Kaila Urick in preparation for the BYU Autumn Classic.
Career-Best Performance
Redshirt junior Megan Bailey clocked a career-best performance at the Oz Memorial, shaving over 25 seconds off her previous best time (23:53.5). Bailey was the third Gopher and 10th finisher overall at the Oz Memorial in 23:27.8.
USTFCCCA Ranks Gophers 25th
Minnesota is tied for No. 25 in the nation and ranks third in the Midwest region to kick off the 2014 season according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason National Poll and Preseason Regional Team Rankings. The first rankings of the regular season will be released next week.
2014 Track & Field Success
Several Gophers look to have breakout cross country seasons after experiencing success on the track last spring, including six returners who competed at the outdoor Big Ten championships: Lauren Domski (22nd in 800m), Liz Berkholtz (14th in 5,000m; fourth in 10,000m), Haley Johnson (26th in 5,000m), Jamie Piepenburg (23rd in 10,000m), Kaila Urick (ninth in 3,000m steeplechase) and Taylor Mikkalson (17th in 3,000m steeplechase).
Berkholtz owns Minnesota's sixth-best all-time 10,000m mark, clocking a 34:12.67 at the 2014 Stanford Invitational, while Urick (fifth, 10:26.52) and Mikkalson (10th, 10:39.41) both made the Gophers' all-time top-10 list in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last spring.
Domski and fellow redshirt junior Anne Ferguson were among Minnesota's top three 800-meter performers during the 2014 outdoor season. Each clocked career-best times as Domski ran a 2:11.99 at the Musco Twilight and Ferguson posted a time of 2:12.81 at the USF Collegiate.
Johnson also had a strong track season, finishing the year among the Gophers' top five 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter runners for the season. She ran a career-best 17:13.90 in the 5,000m at the Drake Relays.
Up Next: Roy Griak Invitational
The Gophers are off from competition next week in preparation for the 29th annual Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn. One of the largest meets in the country, the Griak includes six collegiate races and four high school races and begins with the Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon III (Division III) Competition at 9 a.m.
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Players Mentioned
