University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Head to Texas for NCAA Prelim
5/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
| 2015 NCAA West Preliminary Round | |||||||||||
| Date | May 28-30, 2015 | ||||||||||
| Location | Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Meet Info | USTFCCCA Championship Central | Schedule | Start Lists | ||||||||||
| Time | All day | Gates open at 10:30 a.m. each day | ||||||||||
| Coverage | Heat Sheets | Live Results | #NCAATF | ||||||||||
May 26, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS -- Eighteen Golden Gophers have qualified to compete at the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary hosted by the University of Texas at Austin this week. Action gets underway Thursday and concludes Saturday. The top 12 individuals and relays from both the NCAA East and West Preliminaries will advance to the NCAA finals, which are set for June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore.
Minnesota's 18 qualifiers is the most for the program since sending 24 student-athletes to the preliminary round in 2010. This season, seven Gophers qualified in multiple events, and Minnesota will have representatives in 12 total events at the West Prelim, including the 4x400-meter relay. Ten Gophers are repeat NCAA preliminary qualifiers, while eight individuals are making their NCAA debuts.
ABOUT THE 2015 NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY
The University of Texas at Austin will host the 2015 NCAA West Preliminary Thursday through Saturday, at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. The qualifiers out of the East and West regions will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships held June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore.
Action at the NCAA West Prelim begins with the men's discus at noon CT Thursday. The first women's event is the hammer throw, set for 2 p.m. CT Thursday, and the first event on the track is the first round of the women's 400m hurdles at 4:30 p.m. CT Thursday. First round, quarterfinal and semifinal events are scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
All-meet tickets for the 2015 NCAA West Prelim are now on sale ($35 for adults, $25 for college students, youth, and seniors). Single-day tickets go on sale May 28 and are priced at $15 for adults and $10 for college students, youth, and seniors. All seats are general admission. Tickets may be purchased online at TexasSports.com or by calling (512) 471-3333.
EIGHTEEN GOPHERS QUALIFY FOR NCAA PRELIMS
Devin Stanford and Liz Berkholtz lead the way for Minnesota, making their third appearances at the West Prelim. Stanford will compete in the discus and the hammer for the third-straight season, and Berkholtz makes her 5,000m debut after competing in the 10,000m the last two seasons.
Kaila Urick (3,000m steeplechase), Katie Murgic (pole vault), Lyndsey Thorpe (hammer throw), and Nicolle Murphy (javelin) are all making their second-straight appearance in their respective events. In addition, Angie Guenther will compete at the West Prelim for the second-consecutive season, qualifying in the hammer throw this year after competing in the discus a year ago.
Minnesota's sprint corps also features repeat West Prelim qualifiers as Erin Hawkins (100m, 4x400m relay), Titania Markland (400m, 4x400m relay) and Jessica Waldvogel (4x400m relay) all return to the NCAA opening round. The trio all competed in relays at the West Prelim last season, and rookie Emerald Egwim completes this year's 4x400m relay team.
Eight Gophers are making their NCAA West Prelim debut this season as Egwim (400m, 4x400m relay), Ally McSherry (800m), Lauren Domski (800m), Emma Spagnola (100m hurdles, 400m hurdles), Taylor Mikkalson (3,000m steeplechase), Agnes Esser (discus, hammer throw), Ke-ke Burks (discus, hammer throw), and Rachel Melum (javelin) round out the Maroon & Gold qualifiers.
The Gophers' 4x400m relay team is seeded fifth among the West Prelim accepted entries. Individually, Murphy leads the Gophers seeded 12th in the javelin.
GOPHER SEEDS AT THE WEST PRELIM
5. Waldvogel, Egwim, Hawkins, Markland, 4x400m relay, 3:33.76
12. Nicolle Murphy, javelin, 50.03m (164-2)
13. Devin Stanford, hammer, 61.82m (202-10)
14. Agnes Esser, discus, 54.38m (178-5)
15. Devin Stanford, discus, 54.24m (177-11)
15. Kaila Urick, 3,000m steeplechase, 10:18.45
22. Ally McSherry, 800m, 2:07.42
22. Rachel Melum, javelin, 47.39m (155-6)
24. Titania Markland, 400m, 53.53
25. Katie Murgic, pole vault, 4.15m (13-07.25)
26. Lyndsey Thorpe, hammer, 59.78m (196-1)
36. Taylor Mikkalson, 3,000m steeplechase, 10:30.64
37. Liz Berkholtz, 5,000m, 16:26.17
37. Angie Guenther, hammer, 59.38m (194-10)
38. Emma Spagnola, 400m hurdles, 59.91
39. Erin Hawkins, 100m, 11.63
40. Lauren Domski, 800m, 2:09:00
40. Emerald Egwim, 400m, 54.18
41. Emma Spagnola, 100m hurdles, 13.64
43. Ke-ke Burks, hammer, 58.90m (193-3)
46. Ke-ke Burks, discus, 51.12m (167-8)
48. Agnes Esser, hammer, 58.40m (191-7)
2014 NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY REWIND
Fifteen individual competitors and two relay teams represented Minnesota at the 2014 NCAA West Preliminary. The 4x400m relay team of Titania Markland, Jessica Waldvogel, Te'Shon Adderley and Megan Geyen joined Devin Stanford in advancing past the preliminary round to the NCAA Championships. Stanford used a mark of 191-11 (58.51m) to place 10th in the hammer throw to move on to the NCAA finals, and the 4x400m relay team placed 11th in a then-program record 3:34.71. Seniors Kelli Budd and Te'Shon Adderley narrowly missed advancing in their respective events as Budd finished 13th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:16.79) and Adderley placed 14th in the 800m (2:07.34).
LAST TIME OUT: 2015 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS REWIND
Seven Golden Gophers earned All-Big Ten honors en route to Minnesota's third-place team finish at the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Jess Herauf was named to the All-Big Ten First Team after her individual title in the heptathlon, adding the heptathlon crown to her 2015 B1G pentathlon title. She scored a Minnesota program record and Big Ten meet record 6,014 points and set personal-best marks in four of the seven events.
Six Gophers were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team with runner-up finishes at the B1G Championship, including Minnesota's program record-holding 4x400-meter relay team of Jessica Waldvogel, Emerald Egwim, Erin Hawkins and Titania Markland. The Gophers ran 3:33.76 to finish as B1G runners-up and set a new school record. Two Gopher throwers also earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors as Devin Stanford was the runner-up in the hammer throw with a throw of 61.44m (201-7.25), and Nicolle Murphy finished second in the javelin for the second-straight year with a throw of 48.90m (160-5.50).
The Gophers entered the final day of competition with a lead in the team race, but host Michigan State earned 53 points on day three to win the team title on its home track. Nebraska finished second with 97 points, and Ohio State (77 points) and Michigan (67 points) rounded out the top five teams behind Minnesota (93 points). The Gophers secured the program's highest B1G outdoor finish since placing second in 2010.
USTFCCCA NATIONAL & REGIONAL RANKINGS UPDATE
No. 1 USC, No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 Oregon and No. 5 Georgie make up the top five teams in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) outdoor track & field rankings this week.
Representing the Big Ten in the top 25 is B1G champion Michigan State at No. 13 and No. 17 Michigan. Minnesota is No. 59 on the national list and remains fourth in the Midwest region.
GOPHER TRACK & FIELD AND CROSS COUNTRY RANKS 20TH
Following the cross country and indoor track & field seasons, Minnesota ranked 20th in the nation for the 2014-15 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Program of the Year award. The USTFCCCA Program of the Year Awards are awarded annually to the most outstanding cross country/track & field programs.
The Program of the Year award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution's finish at the NCAA Championships. The Gophers placed 31st at the 2014 NCAA cross country championship, and Jess Herauf was fifth in the pentathlon for Minnesota at the NCAA indoor track & field championship.
EIGHT PROGRAM RECORDS FALL
The Gophers have broken eight Minnesota program records this season. The indoor season saw records fall in the 200m (Erin Hawkins, 24.03), 60m hurdles (Kimberly Golding, 8.34), high jump (Heta Tuuri, 1.80m) and pentathlon (Jess Herauf, 4,372 points). Outdoor, the team has broken records in the 400m (Titania Markland, 53.53), 4x400m relay (Waldvogel, Egwim, Hawkins, Markland, 3:33.76), hammer throw (Devin Stanford, 61.82m) and heptathlon (Jess Herauf, 6,014 points).
GOPHERS ADD 17 FOR 2015-16
Director of women's track & field and cross country Matt Bingle has announced the addition of 17 student-athletes for the 2015-16 academic year. The class includes five distance runners, three sprinters, three hurdlers, two pole vaulters, two throwers, one triple jumper, and one high jumper.
The Gophers are pleased to welcome Sophia Anderson, Emily Betz, Allison Dugan, Erin Huls, Mallori Johnson, Abigail Kargol, Alexis Kiefer, Abigail Lange, Kayla Nelson, Shay Nielsen, Veronica Rasmussen, Rachel Schow, Allyson Smith, Christina Stathakis, Rachel Wians, Taylor Wiebke, and Shanique Wright to the Minnesota family.
GOPHERS AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Earlier this season, Jess Herauf became Minnesota's most recent All-American in representing the Maroon & Gold at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships. Herauf earned first-team All-American honors with a fifth-place finish in the pentathlon.
Sixty-one Gophers have competed in the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships since 1983. Minnesota's highest outdoor team finish is tied for 13th in 2008. Indoors, the Gophers' best finish is 12th, a feat accomplished in 2006 and 2009 (tied for 12th).
UP NEXT: 2015 NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The top 12 individuals and relays from both the NCAA East and West Preliminaries will advance to the NCAA finals, which are set for June 10-13 hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.
Big Ten heptathlon champion Jess Herauf has already secured her place at the national meet as there are no decathlon or heptathlon competitions at the NCAA preliminary rounds. The top 24 decathlon and heptathlon marks in the nation earn an automatic berth to the NCAAs. Herauf heads into the NCAA Championships ranked sixth in the heptathlon at 6,014 points.
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Players Mentioned
