University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Set for B1G Outdoor Meet
5/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
| 2015Â Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships | |||||||||||
| Date | Friday, May 15-Sunday, May 17 | ||||||||||
| Location | Ralph Young Track and Field | East Lansing, Mich. | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Schedule | Live Results | Heat Sheets/Program | Meet Info | ||||||||||
| TV | BTN (Tape Delay on Sunday, May 24 at 10 a.m. CT) | ||||||||||
| Gophers | Outdoor Performance List | ||||||||||
| Social | @GopherMCCTFÂ | Facebook | ||||||||||
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) -- The University of Minnesota competes at the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend at Ralph Young Track and Field in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State hosts the conference meet, which starts Friday, May 15 and runs until Sunday, May 17.Â
Throwers Make Their Mark
Gophers throwers Mark Jennings and Luke Johnson both his personal records and finished first and second, respectively, at the Wisconsin Twilight last Friday night in Madison. Not only were both performances personal bests, they also both rank among the school's 10 top performers list. Jennings, a senior captain, now ranks sixth with his mark of 18.69 meters (61-04.00 ft.) while Johnson, a junior, ranks eighth at Minnesota with a throw of 18.65 meters (61-02.25 ft.).Â
Recap: Wisconsin Twilight/UW-La Crosse Eagle Open
Ferretti Shines in Hammer Throw
Junior Gian Ferretti has shined in his first official outdoor season with the Gophers. The Cascina, Italy native broke the school hammer throw record in his first competition of the season, winning the Baldy Castillo Invitational with a toss of 68.94 meters (226-02 ft.) -- a mark that currently ranks ninth in the NCAA and third in the Big Ten. Ferretti has three wins this season (also winning the Texas Invitational and the Carleton Relays) and has finished third or better in all five meets he has competed in this season.Â
Wieland Paces Big Ten Decathlon Field
Luca Wieland enters the Big Ten meet with the conference's top decathlon score this year. The German multi-eventer for Minnesota totaled 7,528 points to finish as the runner-up at the Drake Relays this year while his performance currently ranks 11th in the NCAA. Wieland posted Minnesota's best decathlon score since Jack Szmanda set the school record at 7,862 points in 2012 while Wieland currently sits sixth on Minnesota's top performers list.Â
Yedoni Returns to Defend Title
Minnesota's Trevor Yedoni hit a personal record of 7.57 meters (24-10.00 ft.) to win the 2014 Big Ten outdoor long jump title and earn First Team All-Big Ten honors as well as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award. Yedoni was one of two Gophers to win Big Ten titles at last year's outdoor meet along with graduated senior Zach Siegmeier winning the pole vault competition.Â
Points from Plasencia
Minnesota Director of Men's Track & Field and Cross Country Steve Plasencia on the Big Ten meet...
"It's an honor to represent your state, your school and your team at the Big Ten Championships."Â
Wieland Wins NCAA, Big Ten Heptathlon Title
Luca Wieland certainly entered the outdoor season on a high note. The sophomore captured the Big Ten and NCAA heptathlon titles and set a new school record of 6,070 points to clinch the national championship. Wieland's point total marks the eighth highest point total ever by a collegiate athlete while his two point victory over Georgia's Garrett Scantling was the closest contest in NCAA history. Wieland is Minnesota's first-ever NCAA heptathlon champion and its first individual champion since Adam Steele won the outdoor 400 meters in 2003.
TV Coverage of Big Ten Meet
The Big Ten Network will air the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships on tape delay on Sunday, May 24 at 10 a.m. CT. The broadcast will also be available at that time via stream on BTN2Go and will be archived 24-48 hours after the initial broadcast.Â
Minnesota at the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships
The Gophers have won seven outdoor conference team titles in program history (1949, 1968, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010) while the Maroon & Gold have also won a total of 115 Big Ten indivudual titles dating back to Isaac Tate's high jump win in 1901. Director of Men's Track & Field and Cross Country Steve Plasencia led Minnesota to back-to-back team titles in 2009 and 2010 in his first two seasons with the team (earning Big Ten Coach of the Year awards both years). Now in his seventh year as head of the track & field program, the Gophers alum has guided the Gophers to a total of 14 outdoor Big Ten individual titles including five titles in the last two seasons.
Championship Schedule Continues
The Maroon & Gold continue to compete during the outdoor season with the 2015 NCAA regionals, May 28-30, in Austin, Texas. The 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are set for June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore.Â
Blankenship Anchors World DMR Record
Gophers All-American and Stillwater native Ben Blankenship anchored a new world distance medley relays for Team USA at the IAAF/BTC World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas. The relay squad clocked a 9:15.50 to break Kenya's nine-year old record as the U.S. won its second-straight Golden Baton at the meet.
Minnesota Names Three Captains for 2015
Three seniors will serve as captains for the 2015 campaign -- Justin Barber, Blayne Dulian and Mark Jennings. Barber and Jennings are two veterans of Minnesota's throwing corps while Dulian, who also served as captain of the cross country team last fall, runs distance for the Gophers.
Roy Griak Snotty Nose Tough Golf Open and Bike Ride
The 18th annual Roy Griak Snotty Nose Tough Golf Open and 11th annual Bike Ride, sponsored by the University of Minnesota track & field and cross country programs will be held on Monday, June 1, 2015 at Dellwood Country Club.
More Info
Players Mentioned
