University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Split Up for Pair of Wisconsin Meets
10/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
| 2016 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational | |||||||||||
| Date | Friday, Oct. 14, 2016 | ||||||||||
| Time | Men's "B" Race: 11:40 a.m. CT | Men's Championship Race: 1:20 p.m. CT | ||||||||||
| Location | Thomas Zimmer Championship Course | Madison, Wis. | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Meet Home | Course Info | ||||||||||
| Coverage | @GopherMCCTF | #NuttyInvite | FloTrack | ||||||||||
| 2016 Jim Drews Invitational | |||||||||||
| Date | Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 | ||||||||||
| Time | Men's Race: 10:30 a.m. CT | ||||||||||
| Location | Ettrick Golf Club | Ettrick, Wis. | ||||||||||
| Meet INfo | Meet Info | Results via PTTiming | ||||||||||
| Coverage | @GopherMCCTF | ||||||||||
Oct. 12, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) -- The University of Minnesota men's cross country program returns to action this weekend with a pair of meets in Wisconsin -- competing at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison on Friday, Oct. 14 and the Jim Drews Invitational in Ettrick on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Success in Ettrick
Minnesota will send its seven unattached freshmen to compete at this year's Jim Drews Invitational, meaning the Maroon & Gold will not compete for its third-straight team title at the event. Defending individual champion Eric Colvin will run in Madison on Friday after leading the field last year in Ettrick with a time of 24:42.38 for the eight-kilometer course.
Hamza Ali Wins TC5K
True freshman Hamza Ali set a Gophers record to win the 2016 TC5K on Saturday while the Gophers posted five runners in the top seven. Ali, who is the second consecutive Gopher to win the meet after Eric Colvin in 2015, clocked a 14:47. Minnesota actually claimed the top three finishers with Owen Hoeft (14:57) and Jack Manderscheid (15:01) following Ali in second and third, respectively. Alex Plasencia finished fifth (15:30) while Hunter Staack added a seventh-place performance (15:50). The five-kilometer race featured a field of 2,495 runners. All five Gophers ran as unattached competitors.
Lawrence to Lead Gophers
Redshirt junior Charlie Lawrence has been named team captain for the Maroon & Gold this season after a standout season in 2015. A native of Foley, Minn., Lawrence was an NCAA All-Region honoree last year and factored into the team's scoring in all six races that he competed in. He also set a new personal six-kilometer record (19:06.2) and matched his best finish as a Gopher (fifth) and personal eight-kilometer record (24:15.5).
New Look to Gophers Roster
The University of Minnesota men's cross country roster will boast seven newcomers in 2016 with Hamza Ali, Alec Basten, Owen Hoeft, Jack Manderscheid, Alex Plasencia, Nick Rink and Hunter Staack joining the Maroon & Gold. Eleven of Minnesota's 19 runners this year are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen as the team looks to replace a talented senior class from one year ago that included All-Big Ten and NCAA All-Region selections Adam Zutz and Aaron Bartnik.
Blankenship, Mead Shine at Olympics
Gopher alums Ben Blankenship and Hassan Mead didn't disappoint in their Olympic debuts earlier this year in Rio de Janeiro. Blankenship finished eighth in the 1,500 meters (3:51.09) while Mead placed 11th in the 5,000 meters (13:09.81). Both competitors were All-Americans and Big Ten champions for the Gophers and Minnesota Director of Men's Track & Field and Cross Country Steve Plasencia.
Next Up: Gophers to Host Big Ten Championships
The 2016 Big Ten Cross Country Championships come to Les Bolstad Golf Course later this year as the Gophers will host the conference meet on Sunday, Oct. 30. The event marks the first time that Minnesota has hosted the Big Ten meet since 2005.
Players Mentioned
