University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Announce 2015 Track & Field Schedule
9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
2015 Schedule
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's track & field team has released its 2015 indoor and outdoor competition schedule. The indoor schedule features 10 meets and is highlighted by three home meets at the U of M Fieldhouse, and the outdoor slate has the Gophers traveling to up to 19 meets in eight states.
"We've put together a competitive schedule that will prepare us for the Big Ten Championships," director of women's cross country and track & field Matt Bingle said.
The indoor schedule includes eight regular-season meets before the Big Ten Championships in Geneva, Ohio, (Feb. 27-28) and the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., (March 13-14). Minnesota will host three indoor meets, beginning with the season-opening Minnesota Open on Saturday, Jan. 17. The Gophers also will compete at home at the Jack Johnson Classic (Jan. 30-31) and the Parents Day Invite (Feb. 21).
"The biggest home meet of the year is the Jack Johnson Classic," Bingle said. "We have a lot of talented teams set to attend this year, so we're excited to host a very competitive meet."
Minnesota and Wisconsin are set to face off in a new annual dual meet, with the inaugural event set for Saturday, Jan. 24, in Madison, Wis.
"One of the highlights of the indoor schedule is definitely the Wisconsin-Minnesota Dual," Bingle said. "It's the first time in the history of the program that we're doing something like this, so it's very exciting. Obviously, the rivalry runs deep with me and with our team, so we're looking forward to that."
In addition, the Gophers will compete at the Meyo Invite in South Bend, Ind. (Feb. 6-7), the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. (Feb. 6-7), the St. Thomas Invite in St. Paul (Feb. 13), and the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa (Feb. 13-14), to round out indoor travel schedule.
The Gophers' 2015 outdoor track & field schedule begins with a spring break trip to the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Ala., followed by three-straight meets outside the state of Minnesota, as the Gophers head to Stanford (April 3-4), Baylor (April 3) and the University of Arkansas (April 10-11).
"We're really excited about the outdoor season, starting with our spring break trip to Mobile, Ala.," Bingle said. "We've never been to that part of the country before, so we're excited about that trip. The first couple weekends, we travel to some great meets, including Baylor, where they have a brand new facility, Stanford, which is always great for our distance runners, and Arkansas."
Seven local meets at Hamline, Concordia St. Paul, Macalester, St. Thomas and UW-La Crosse throughout the season provide the Gophers with tune-up opportunities close to home.
The 2015 Drake Relays highlight the outdoor slate, set for April 24-25, in Des Moines, Iowa. Some of the Gophers will compete at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational the same weekend, and the Musco Twilight hosted by Iowa is set for Saturday, May 2.
"Our distance runners have had a lot of success at the Drake Relays, so we always look forward to that meet," Bingle said.
The Big Ten Outdoor Championships will take place May 15-17, hosted by Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. The Gophers return 2014 All-Big Ten Second Team honorees Jess Herauf (heptathlon), Nicolle Murphy (javelin) and Devin Stanford (discus).
The NCAA postseason gets underway with first round competition May 28-30. Texas is set to host the West Preliminary in Austin, Texas, and the University of Oregon will host the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 10-13). The USA Junior & Senior Championships also will be held in Eugene, Ore, June 24-28.
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Players Mentioned
