University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Ready for Big Goals in 2015
8/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
By Hannah Barnes, Athletic Communications Student Intern
MINNEAPOLIS - The Golden Gopher women's cross country team heads into the 2015 season with a balance of veteran leaders and hungry newcomers making up a roster with the ultimate goal of advancing to an 11th-straight NCAA Championship come November.
Minnesota returns four runners who were consistently the team's top racers a year ago, which includes fifth-year seniors Liz Berkholtz and Kaila Urick, redshirt sophomore Danielle Anderson and redshirt junior Haley Johnson, all keys to the program's success last season.
Head coach Sarah Hopkins is excited to see what the returners will be able to do this year.
"We feel really good about those four because they got some great experience last year," Hopkins said. "More so for Kaila, Danielle and Haley, it was a big jump year for them. Liz has been consistently in that top group throughout her career, but those three really made a big leap last year. I think having that full year under their belts will be advantageous this year."
Everyone being a year older brings another year of experience to what was a young team last year. Sophomore Bailey Ness, the team's youngest runner in uniform competing as a true freshman last season, is expected to take another big leap, as she now has experience competing in big races, including the Big Ten Championship.
Along with Ness, Hopkins expects redshirt sophomores Madeline Strandemo and Tess Wasowicz, redshirt juniors Taylor Mikkalson and Jamie Piepenburg and fifth-year senior Stacey Swatek to be on the cusp of breaking through, along with a handful of redshirt freshmen who are ready to race in uniform.
"We bring back six of last year's top nine, which is great," Hopkins said. "I think you're also going to see some people that weren't quite there last year, who are now ready to make the jump, either to the Big Ten or NCAA roster this year.
"There's a lot of excitement in terms of good, stable pieces, where we know a little more about what we are going to get, and then there's a really big group of intangibles that could definitely make the jump and help us out. Every year, we have one or two that are in there that we don't expect but who work hard and made a jump, which is always fun to see."
The 2014 squad had 13 freshmen, and Hopkins looks forward to seeing what they will be able to achieve after most of them redshirted their first season.
"From that redshirt group, Patty O'Brien, Tamara Gorman, Emily Castanias and Delaney Sinnen are all ready to be in a uniform," Hopkins said. "Courtney Alama is someone who surprised me in every race last year as a redshirt freshman, too. Hopefully, they all got some great experience last year, even though they weren't in uniform. They got to race a lot, shake off the rust, and learn how to compete at the college level."
The Gophers' 2015 schedule is made up of 12 meets, including many familiar races. After opening the season with three-straight home meets, Minnesota will travel to the Greater Louisville Classic on Saturday, Oct. 3, the week after the 30th annual Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26.
"The team is excited about that, but they also know they have to be ready to run two pretty substantial meets back-to-back weekends, which isn't easy to do," Hopkins said. "I think with a more veteran group they will be ready for it though."
The team will also travel to Madison, Wis., for the Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Friday, Oct. 16, another big race on a national stage.
"Griak, Louisville and Wisconsin will be three of the bigger meets in the country in a four-week stretch," Hopkins said. "Obviously training will have to adjust for that, but I am excited. I think a lot of the time just putting yourself in racing situations is important, especially when you're looking at some of our younger runners trying to make the jump. It's good to put them in the fire more often that not so they get used to it."
November brings the Big Ten Championships, NCAA Midwest Regional and NCAA Championships. Always made up of a talented field, the Big Ten meet will be held at a new course this year, hosted by Northwestern at Sydney Marovitz Golf Course in Chicago.
"For the most part, we all know the Big Ten courses as coaches, even if athletes haven't run them, but this will be new for all of us. That will make the Big Ten meet a little more interesting than it already is.
"The way we set up our schedule doesn't allow for a lot of 'gimmes' on it, which is a good thing. It keeps us honest, it keeps us challenged, and it will make sure we are really ready when it matters at the end. It gives us the opportunity to earn as many points as we can throughout the year. We don't want to put all of our eggs in one weekend."
Beyond the Big Ten meet, the Gophers will look to deliver a strong performance at the Midwest Regional hosted by Kansas and earn an 11th-straight trip to the NCAA Championships in Louisville, Ky.
"The regional course at Kansas is pretty challenging and the national course is deceptively challenging; when we go to Louisville we will see that," Hopkins said. "There will be a few more tough courses thrown at us this year versus the championship portion of the season typically being flat and fast. We will train differently to deal with that, but it will suit our team a little better to be honest."
The Gophers will be lead by five first-year captains this season in Berkholtz, Urick, Johnson, Mikkalson and Kate Shelerud. Hopkins explained that having five new leaders can be a challenge, but she is confident in the leadership of each of them.
"We have a great group of five captains," Hopkins said. "They all have a different style and personality, but they are pretty cohesive within themselves. When you have five people who share a good outlook and vision of they want the team to look like, it's a great situation. They are good about getting together and moving things forward while getting others to follow them."
Overall, Minnesota will be a young team again this year but has reliable veterans in place for another successful season. The Gophers are out to prove themselves within the Big Ten and to the rest of the country, once again.
"It will be a little bit like last year with some new vibes and 13 redshirts looking to filter their way up to our elite group," Hopkins said. "Last year, we wanted to prove people wrong and make it back to nationals since we lost so many from the year before. We did that, and I think that's an easy thing to rally around.
"This year with a lot of returners, the challenge is to create those same big goals, goals that are just as strong as proving people wrong and getting back to nationals. We have to determine what those things are we can all grab on to. I have no doubt it will be a great vibe in terms of the excitement of the team, but we will have to set some big goals again."
###
Players Mentioned
