Gophers Kick Off Season with Oz Memorial

Sept. 3, 2014

Oz Memorial
Date	Friday, Sept. 5, 2014
Location	Les Bolstad Course \| Falcon Heights, Minn.
Course	6K (Women & Men)
Time	Women: 6:30 p.m. CT \| Men: 7 p.m. CT
Men's Teams	Drake, Minnesota, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa
Twitter	@GopherMCCTF

MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) - The University of Minnesota men's cross country program kicks off the 2014 season on Friday at the Oz Memorial at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn.

The Gopher women's program opens the meet at 6:30 p.m. with the men following at 7:00 p.m. Both races will measure six kilometers. Drake, South Dakota State and Northern Iowa will join Minnesota in the men's race.

USTFCCCA Regional Rankings

The Maroon & Gold open the 2014 campaign as the eight-ranked team in the Midwest region, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason rankings. Oklahoma State ranks first in the region followed by Tulsa, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri, respectively. Nebraska and Oz Memorial competing South Dakota State round out the top ten.

New Season, New Look

Steve Plasencia's 19th season at Minnesota will feature an intriguing mix of young returners and talented newcomers competing for a spot on the Gophers' top roster. Minnesota lost five contributors to graduation following last season in Andrew Larsen, Derek Storkel, John Simons, Steve Sulkin and Marcus Paulson, meaning it's an open race for this year's crop of runners. Blayne Dulian will lead the charge as the squad's lone senior followed by juniors Aaron Bartnik, Christian Skaret, Alex Brend, Adam Zutz and Matthew Jergenson and redshirt sophomores Riley Macon and Cole O'Brien. The Gophers also boast five returning redshirt freshmen in Brad Woodford, Wayde Hall, Eric Colvin, Charlie Lawrence and Matt Welch while track competitor Derek Wiebke will log his first season with cross country this fall. Adding to the depth chart are three incoming freshmen - Isaiah Barlow, Obsa Ali and Sam Carlson.

2013 Oz Memorial Recap

The Gophers listed five of the top seven finishers at last year's Oz Memorial to win the meet including individual winner Steve Sulkin. Blayne Dulian is the team's top returner at the event, having finished fifth while returners Christian Skaret (sixth) and Cole O'Brien (seventh) also factored into Minnesota's score last season.

Points from Plasencia

Coach Plasencia on the Gophers' roster this yearâ€¦

"I expect to see some great competition. We have some younger guys who we think can be contributors over their careers here - our redshirt freshmen and true freshmen. This is an exciting time for those guys. There are some realizations to how tough this level of competition is, but there's a lot of talent in that group. Our older guys have been through it all, and we're going to count on them to lead us this year."

Plasencia on heading into the seasonâ€¦

"It's interesting to have a roster this young. But it's also exciting. There's a lot of positive attitude so far among the team heading into the season. We had a good camp -the guys all got to know each other a little better and start training with each other. And one of the biggest differences from last year has been injuries. We had a few guys come into the season last year injured, but this year we have been lucky."

Plasencia on expectations for the Oz Memorialâ€¦

"We're going to split the squad up, so everyone runs once before the Griak. Some guys will run at the Oz on Friday, and some guys will go to Riverside next week. I think the key for this group will just be to grow as the season progresses and be at our best for the championship season."

Plasencia on the Griak Invitational later this monthâ€¦

"We're going to have a great Division I field, and it's going to be a good test for our team. Sort of putting both feet in the fire early for the younger guys."

About the Oz Memorial

The Oz Memorial is named in memory of former Drake coach Gary Osborn, who passed away on May 21, 2000. Osborn was a longtime friend of former Minnesota women's coach Gary Wilson. Osborn served as the head coach of the Drake women's cross country program from 1989-99 and also assumed the head coaching duties of the women's track & field program during the 1993-94 season. Under Osborn's guidance, Drake won consecutive Missouri Valley Conference cross country titles in 1994 and 1995, as well as 1998. In all, Osborn spent 32 years involved in coaching at Drake.

Osborn was named the MVC Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1983, when he guided Drake to within one point of the league title. Osborn was also honored by the league in 1994 and 1995. In 1989, he was named the Gateway Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year. A native of Winterset, Iowa, Osborn was a seven-time winner in the MVC, competing for Drake in the high and intermediate hurdles and the 100 and 220-yard dashes.

Up Next - UC Riverside Invitational

Following the Oz Memorial, the Gophers will send a contingency of runners to the UC Riverside Invitational in California on Saturday, Sept. 13 before closing out the month with the 29th annual Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Golf Course on Saturday, Sept. 27.

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Players Mentioned

Obsa Ali

Isaiah Barlow

Aaron Bartnik

Alex Brend

Sam Carlson

Eric Colvin

Blayne Dulian

Wayde Hall

Matthew Jergenson

Andrew Larsen

Charlie Lawrence

Riley Macon

Cole O'Brien

Cole O'Brien

Marcus Paulson

John Simons

Christian Skaret

Derek Storkel

Steve Sulkin

Matt Welch

Derek Wiebke

Brad Woodford

Adam Zutz

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University of Minnesota Athletics