University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers' 2015 Season In Review
12/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Dec. 1, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Golden Gopher women's cross country team wrapped up the 2015 season with its 11th-straight NCAA Championship appearance. Minnesota placed 18th, securing its highest NCAA finish since placing 10th in 2009. The Gophers took fourth at the Big Ten Championship, led by All-Big Ten honorees Liz Berkholtz and Kaila Urick. Berkholtz and Haley Johnson took home All-Midwest Region honors as well.
Minnesota Earns Top-20 National Finish
Minnesota placed 18th at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships, securing its highest NCAA finish since placing 10th in 2009. Behind top-80 finishes from Liz Berkholtz, who led the Gophers in 44th place, and Haley Johnson in 72nd, Minnesota scored 471 points in the team race.
Berkholtz earned her highest NCAA place of her career, narrowly missing All-American honors (top 40) and finishing in 20:29.1. Her 44th-place finish was the highest by a Gopher since Stephanie Price placed 31st in 2010. Meanwhile, Johnson (20:40.1) also secured the best NCAA finish of her career after placing 219th a year ago.
Madeline Strandemo (147th), Kaila Urick (153rd), and Jamie Piepenburg (200th) rounded out Minnesota's scoring finishes. Strandemo took 144th overall in 21:11.5 in her NCAA debut after serving as an alternate in 2014. Urick, racing in her second national championship meet, improved on her 192nd-place finish a year ago in placing 153rd in 21:13.6. Piepenburg made her NCAA debut in 21:37.9 for 200th place after serving as an alternate in both 2012 and 2014.
Emily Betz (219th) and Tamara Gorman (224th) also represented the Maroon & Gold in the first NCAA Championship appearances of their careers. Betz finished in 21:55.8 while Gorman was close behind in 22:02.9.
Gophers Among Nation's Best NCAA Streaks
Minnesota made its 11th-straight NCAA Championship appearance this season. Only Stanford (23 years), Michigan State (16), Michigan (14), and Georgetown (11) have equal or longer streaks of consecutive NCAA Championship appearances on the women's side. The Colorado men's cross country team owns the nation's best cross country streak overall at 24-straight seasons.
About the 2015 NCAA Championship
New Mexico took the team title with 49 points while Notre Dame's Molly Seidel won the individual crown in 19:28.6. Colorado (129 points) and Oregon (214) completed the top three teams at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.
Balance of Veterans, Rookies Make Up NCAA Roster
Minnesota's travel roster for the NCAA postseason included five veterans returning to the national stage and five Gophers making their NCAA debuts. Liz Berkholtz (2015, 2014, 2013, 2013), Haley Johnson (2015, 2014), Jamie Piepenburg (2015, 2014-Alt., 2012-Alt.), Madeline Strandemo (2015, 2014-Alt.), and Kaila Urick (2015, 2014, 2013-Alt.) led the Gophers with experience at the NCAA level while Emily Betz (2015) and Tamara Gorman (2015) made their NCAA debuts. Patty O'Brien (2015-Alt.), Stacey Swatek (2015-Alt.), and Tess Wasowicz (2015-Alt.) also traveled to the national championship.
Gophers at the NCAA Championship
This season, the Gophers made their 11th-straight and 19th overall appearance at the NCAA championships since 1983. This year's appearance marked Minnesota's 22nd women's cross country national championship appearance since 1975.
The Gophers' highest team finish at the NCAA Championship came in 2005 when the team finished ninth. All-Americans Ladia Albertson-Junkans and Emily Brown led Minnesota's efforts. The ninth-place showing was the first of five-straight top-12 finishes. Minnesota's most recent All-American is Stephanie Price, who finished 31st in 2010. The Gophers' all-time highest individual finisher at the NCAA championships is Megan Duwell, who took eighth overall in 2009.
Two Gophers Earn All-Big Ten Honors
Liz Berkholtz and Kaila Urick led the Gophers to a fourth-place team finish at the Big Ten Championship. The duo earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors with top-14 finishes. Berkholtz ran a season-best 20:18.7 for 11th place while Urick also posted a season-best time of 20:29.0 for 14th.
The top nine Gophers all ran career or season best times as Minnesota finished fourth in the team standings. Haley Johnson (19th, 20:38.7), Madeline Strandemo (20th, 20:41.3) and Jamie Piepenburg (44th, 21:15.1) rounded out Minnesota's scoring finishes, all earning career-best times.
Career-Best Performances
Twenty-four Gophers recorded career-best 6K times this season, including eight of Minnesota's 10 postseason runners: Emily Betz (21:25.8), Tamara Gorman (21:25.0), Haley Johnson (20:38.3), Patty O'Brien (21:39.2), Jamie Piepenburg (21:15.1), Madeline Strandemo (20:41.3), Stacey Swatek (21:32.9), and Tess Wasowicz (22:05.9).
2015 Gopher Meet Summaries
Sept. 4 • Intrasquad Exhibition
Minnesota opened the season with its annual Intrasquad Meet. Liz Berkholtz led the Gophers for the second-straight season, posting a time of 18:28.79 to win the exhibition 5K race at Les Bolstad Course.
Sept. 11 • Oz Memorial
Liz Berkholtz cruised to the individual title at Minnesota's season-opening Oz Memorial, leading the entire race and finishing the 6K race in 21:48.3, nearly 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Emma Huston of Drake (21:56.6). The Gophers edged Iowa State, which did not run a full squad, by a score of 33-37 for the team title.
Sept. 26 • Roy Griak Invitatioinal
All five scoring runners placed in the top 50 as Minnesota placed third with 141 points at the 30th annual Roy Griak Invitational. Haley Johnson (13th, 21:53.2) and Liz Berkholtz (19th, 22:06.3). Madeline Strandemo (22:27.4), Kaila Urick (22:28.9), and Jamie Piepenburg (22:41.3) completed Minnesota's scoring runners and finished 33rd, 35th, and 49th in the overall standings. Minnesota placed third behind team champion Boise State (37 points) and Michigan State (116 points).
Oct. 2 • Blugold Invitational
The Gophers recorded 19 season-best times, including 10 career-best 6K marks at the Blugold Invitational. Emily Castanias and Molly Eastman led Minnesota with top-20 finishes as Castanias ran a season-best 22:35.9 to lead Minnesota in fourth overall. Eastman took 17th overall in a career-best 23:03.8, and Nicole Heitzman rounded out the Gophers' top-three finishers with a career-best 23:19.0 for 26th place overall.
Oct. 3 • Greater Louisville Classic
Minnesota placed fourth with 126 points at the Greater Louisville Classic 5K. Haley Johnson and Liz Berkholtz led the Gophers with top-20 finishes. Berkholtz finished 14th overall in 17:15.82, while Johnson finished 17th in 17:18.78. Minnesota placed fourth behind team champion No. 8 Michigan (42 points) No. 6 Iowa State (77 points) and No. 19 Penn State (112 points).
Oct. 16 • Wisconsin adidas Invitational
Minnesota secured a 15th-place finish with 429 points, just eight points behind No. 25 Princeton and No. 13 Michigan State in a tie for 13th. Liz Berkholtz, who was just six seconds shy of her 6K career-best time in 20:22.7 for 36th place finish, led the Gophers. Among the 14 Gophers who raced at the adidas Invitational, eight ran career-best 6K times, and only 22 seconds separated the top four Gopher finishers in the "A" race.
Oct. 17 • Tori Neubauer Invitational
Twelve Gophers recorded career-best 6K times and another four earned season-best times at the Tori Neubauer Invitational, led by career-best times from the top four Gophers in Molly Eastman (22:30.21), Nicole Heitzman (22:47.98), Delaney Sinnen (22:56.01) and Caitlin Dillon (23:00.41).
Oct. 23 • Jack's Twilight Run
Courtney Alama (23:11.1), Danielle Anderson (23:20.1), Taylor Mikkalson (23:27.3), Tess Wasowicz (23:30.1), and Molly Eastman (23:43.8 ) made up the top five attached Gopher runners as Minnesota hosted the eighth annual running of Jack's Twilight Run at Les Bolstad Course.
Nov. 1 • Big Ten Championship
All nine Gophers ran career or season best times as Minnesota finished fourth in the team standings at the 2015 Big Ten Championship. Liz Berkholtz led the Gophers for the second year in a row, finishing in a season-best 20:18.7 for 11th place and earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors for the first time in her career. Kaila Urick also earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors, finishing 14th in a season-best 20:29.0. Haley Johnson (19th, 20:38.7), Madeline Strandemo (20th, 20:41.3) and Jamie Piepenburg (44th, 21:15.1) finished off Minnesota's scoring, all earning career-best times. Penn State took the team title with 53 points, followed by Michigan (58), Michigan State (104) and Minnesota (106).
Nov. 8 • Rocky's Run
Taylor Mikkalson, Molly Eastman, and Emily Castanias led the Gophers as Minnesota hosted its final home meet of the season. The 35th annual running of Rocky's Run saw 133 finishers complete the six-kilometer race at Les Bolstad Course. Mikkalson was the fifth female finisher in the open 6K, placing 37th overall in 23:35.1. Eastman was the sixth female in 23:43.5, followed by Castanias in seventh in 24:12.6.
Nov. 13 • NCAA Midwest Regional
Liz Berkholtz and Haley Johnson earned All-Midwest Region honors to lead the Gophers to a third-place team finish at the 2015 NCAA Midwest Regional. Berkholtz picked up all-region honors for the second-straight year, pacing the Gophers in 11th overall in 20:36.9. Meanwhile, Johnson earned the first all-region award of her career with a career-best 20:38.3 for 13th place overall as Minnesota's second runner. All five scoring Gophers finished among the top 40 as Kaila Urick took 23rd in 21:03.7, followed by Madeline Strandemo in 34th (21:15.2) and Jamie Piepenburg in 40th (21:23.8).
Nov. 21 • NCAA Championship
Minnesota placed 18th at the 2015 NCAA Championships, securing its highest NCAA finish since placing 10th in 2009. Liz Berkholtz led the Gophers in 44th place (20:29.1), and Haley Johnson was 72nd (20:40.1), followed by Madeline Strandemo (147th, 21:11.5), Kaila Urick (153rd, 21:13.6), and Jamie Piepenburg (200th, 21:37.9) as the top five Gophers. Minnesota scored 471 points in the team race.
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Players Mentioned
