University of Minnesota Athletics
Four Home Meets to Highlight 2016 Slate
1/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS - Four home meets at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse highlight the Golden Gopher women's track & field schedule, including the second-annual Minnesota-Wisconsin Dual on Saturday, Jan. 23.
Admission to Gopher track & field meets is $5 for adults and $3 for students/youth/seniors. All current University of Minnesota students can attend Gopher track & field meets for free by showing your valid U of M student ID at the Fieldhouse ticket table.
Fans can look forward to appearances by Goldy Gopher, fan giveaways, and trivia questions at all four home meets. Live results for will be provided by Wayzata Results as well.
"The big highlight of the indoor season is hosting the Minnesota-Wisconsin Dual," director of women's track & field and cross country Matt Bingle said. "It's a rivalry, and we want to make sure everybody understands that. We're really going to highlight that meet and, of course, the Jack Johnson Classic as well."
Jan. 16: Minnesota Open
Fans can get their first look at the 2016 Gophers at the season-opening Minnesota Open on Saturday, Jan. 16. Last season, the Gophers won 12 event titles, and Heta Tuuri broke the Minnesota indoor program record in the high jump with a leap of 1.80 meters (5-10.75) at the Minnesota Open.
Jan. 23: Minnesota-Wisconsin Dual
The Gophers and Badgers face off in the second-annual Minnesota-Wisconsin Dual on Saturday, Jan. 23. Action is scheduled to begin with field events at noon, and the first running event is the men's mile at 1 p.m. The Gophers will recognize the 2006 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championship women's team prior to the competition with a ceremony at 12:40 p.m.
FloTrack will provide live coverage of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Dual beginning at 12:45 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale now at MyGopherSports.com, and a gold out is planned for the meet where attendees will receive a free gold t-shirt while supplies last. Goldy's Kids Race is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. as well.
A year ago, Minnesota won eight event titles to defeat Wisconsin in the inaugural track & field border battle between the two rivals. The Gophers won the first-ever dual, 85-77, in Madison, Wis. Heta Tuuri (high jump, 1.79m), Katie Murgic (pole vault, 4.05m), Jessica Waldvogel (400m, 56.73), Jess Lehman (600m, 1:33.83), Erin Hawkins (60m, 7.51; 200m, 24.36), Kaila Urick (3,000m, 9:45.58) and the 4x400m relay team (3:52.12) won events to lead the way for the Maroon & Gold.
Following this year's meet, the Minnesota Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Booster Club is hosting the first-ever Dual After Party. The event will take place at the DQ Club Room in TCF Bank Stadium from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Contact Julie Gabrielson (jgabriel@umn.edu), Rachel McKessock (rmckess@umn.edu) or Laura Blackledge (mass0105@umn.edu) with questions or to RSVP.
Jan. 29-30: Jack Johnson Classic
Minnesota's annual Jack Johnson Classic honors the memory of Jack Johnson, who passed away in February 2006 after serving for more than three decades as a Gopher equipment manager. Johnson will always be a part of the Minnesota women's cross country and track programs.
The meet annually features additional entertainment on the side for everyone present. A DJ will be playing music during both days of the meet, and young fans can get involved with a kids' fun run with Goldy.
The 2015 Jack Johnson Classic saw Minnesota win three event titles. Erin Hawkins won the 60-meter dash and Devin Stanford won the weight throw along with Jess Lehman breaking the Minnesota program record and winning the pentathlon with 4,289 points.
Feb. 20: Parents Day Invite
The Gophers will wrap up their 2016 home slate and honor their seniors at the Parents Day Invite.
Last year, the Gophers won four event titles at their final home meet of the season, collecting three titles in the field events as Audra Winter won the high jump (1.62m), Devin Stanford won the weight throw (20.29m) and Agnes Esser won the shot put (14.31m). On the track, Anne Ferguson won the 600-meter run in 1:34.63.
The Gophers' full 2016 schedule includes nine indoor meets and 17 outdoor meets. The indoor schedule has Minnesota competing at seven regular-season meets before theading to the Big Ten Championships in Geneva, Ohio, (Feb. 26-27) and the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala., (March 11-12).
###
Players Mentioned
