University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Sign Ten For 2017-18
11/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Updated Dec. 9, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota women’s track & field and cross country program is pleased to announce the addition of 10 student-athletes who have signed with the Golden Gophers for the 2017-18 season.
Erin Dunning, Allison Gerads, Alexis Hurst, Tess Keyzers, Elizabeth Klecker, Anastasia Korzenowski, Lorean Murray, Sophie Schmitz, and Jaycie Thomsen will join the Gophers as freshmen next season while Nayoka Clunis comes to the University of Minnesota as a junior after competing for Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan., for two seasons.
"We’re really happy with the incoming class we’ve been able to put together," director of women’s track & field and cross country Matt Bingle said. "In this class, we addressed some needs in terms of recreating some depth in our throwing events – that was a priority for us. Also, we wanted to attack the horizontal jumps and the multi-events. This is a great field-event class. We’re also excited to have two of the best distance runners in the state of Minnesota becoming Gophers, too.
"We’ll continue to recruit, obviously, but we feel that this class plus the last two have been really strong classes. We feel good about the future of our program. We’ve been able to put together back-to-back-to-back classes of highly talented athletes. That’s what you have to do to be successful."
Nayoka Clunis (Throws), Cloud County Community College, Kingston, Jamaica
Nayoka Clunis will join the Gophers as a junior after beginning her collegiate career at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Clunis was a three-sport student-athlete at Excelsior High School where she competed in netball and volleyball in addition to track & field. At Cloud County, she was a six-event NJCAA All-American as a rookie, earning indoor and outdoor honors in all six throwing events. Her highest finish at the 2016 NJCAA Outdoor National Championships was a third-place showing in the discus. In her freshman year, she had season-best marks of 46-08.25 (14.23m) in the shot, 153-07 (46.82m) in the disc, 159-10 (48.72m) in the hammer, 130-00 (39.64m) in the javelin, and 57-09 (17.60m) in the weight throw. At Excelsior HS, Clunis was an honor roll student and advanced to the finals at the 2015 Boys and Girls Championships in javelin, shot put, discus, and heptathlon. Most recently, Clunis qualified for the Jamaica National Senior Championships and Olympic Trials, placing fourth in javelin, sixth in hammer throw, eighth in shot put, and 11th in the discus.
Miller on Clunis: Nayoka is a great athlete with a very bright future. She came to Cloud County with very little throwing experience, as she was a sprinter and netball player for much of her high school career. Since arriving, she has focused on becoming the best she can be both as a thrower and a student. Thanks to her coaches Micheal Vassell and Ted Schmitz, she has progressed very quickly and looks to have a huge year this year. On top of that, she carries a great GPA and will contribute much more to our team than just athletics.
Erin Dunning (Throws), Ashwaubenon High School, Ashwaubenon, Wis.
Erin Dunning joins the Gophers as a standout thrower from Ashwaubenon, Wis., where she attends Ashwaubenon High School. As a junior in 2016, Dunning was the WIAA Division 1 state champion in the shot put with a throw of 46-02.50 after finishing as state runner-up in the shot put as a sophomore. Dunning also earned a fourth-place finish in the discus at the state meet as a junior with a throw of 137-06. With her senior year ahead of her, Dunning already ranks as the seventh-best shot putter in Wisconsin high school history, along with ranking 32nd in the discus.
Miller on Dunning: Erin is an awesome young woman and comes from a great family. Her family is connected to Minnesota, so we began following her career her freshman year. She has made great progress because she is a hard worker and brings great positive energy to everything she does. She has already thrown the shot very far and is learning the discus quickly. We are excited to see what she can do at the Big Ten level and beyond now that she can focus on throwing.
Allison Gerads (Jumps/Multi-Events), Champlin Park High School, Champlin, Minn.
Allison Gerads joins the Gophers as a standout long jumper from Champlin Park, Minn., where she competes for Champlin Park High School. Gerads missed most of her junior season due to injury in 2016 but was the Minnesota Class AA long jump state champion as a sophomore and state runner-up as a freshman. She won the 2015 Minnesota Class AA long jump title with a jump of 18-10.75 along with placing fifth in triple jump (36-04.50) as a sophomore. As a freshman, Gerads posted a jump of 18-02.00 as the state runner-up; she also ran on Champlin Park’s ninth-place 4x100m relay as a freshman in 2014. Gerads enters her senior year this spring with a personal record of 18-11.25 in long jump.
Bingle on Gerads: Allison is a great athlete and a great student, an overall great person. She fits well within our culture and what our program is all about. I’m excited to coach her and see how she can continue to develop. She has made a nice comeback after a knee injury during her sophomore year. We will look at her competing in the multi-event as well as the horizontal jumps. She brings good athleticism as a talented basketball player as well. We’re happy she decided to continue her career as a Gopher.
Alexis Hurst (Throws), Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, Robbinsdale, Minn.
Alexis Hurst comes to the University of Minnesota as a talented thrower from Robbinsdale, Minn., and Robbinsdale Armstrong High School. Hurst was the Minnesota Class AA shot put state champion and discus state runner-up as a junior. She won the 2016 Minnesota Class AA shot put title with a throw of 46-01.75 and finished second in discus with a throw of 151-11. Hurst begins her senior year as a five-time state meet participant after taking fifth in the shot put (41-11.25) and placing 11th in the discus (113-09) as a sophomore in 2015 as well as finishing 17th in shot put (32-08.50) as a freshman in 2014. Hurst already ranks as the third-best shot putter in Minnesota high school history with a personal-best mark of 47-09, and she ranks among the state’s all-time top-15 in the discus (151-11).
Miller on Hurst: Alexandrea is an athlete I have had my eye on for a while, as she has attended some of our camps. She is a fun kid and an incredibly powerful athlete with lots of potential. She has been lucky to have a great coach and a very supportive mother, who have helped her through some injuries and setbacks. We expect great things from Lexi during her career and are always excited when the best athletes in Minnesota choose to stay home and represent their home state. We are very lucky to add Lexi to our track family and can't wait to see her grow over the next five years.
Tess Keyzers (Throws), Little Chute High School, Little Chute, Wis.
Tess Keyzers joins the Gophers from Little Chute, Wis., where she is a three-sport student-athlete competing in volleyball and basketball in addition to track & field for Little Chute High School. A two-time WIAA Division 2 state champion in the shot put, Keyzers won the event with a Wisconsin Division 2 state record throw of 47-03.00 as a junior, improving on her state-champion mark of 44-00.00 as a sophomore. She has also competed in the 4x100m relay (15th, 2016; ninth, 2014), 4x200m relay (eighth, 2015; ninth, 2014), and 4x400m relay (eighth, 2015) for Little Chute. With her WIAA Division 2 record, Keyzers ranks as the sixth-best shot putter in Wisconsin high school history.
Miller on Keyzers: Tess is a great athlete, student, and person, thanks to a great family. She has thrown very far already while playing two other sports and doing many other events for her team. She has a great work ethic and attitude, which fits our team culture perfectly. I was lucky enough to see Tess throw far as a sophomore and knew then that she could be a big part of our future. I am very excited she chose to continue her career as a member of the Gopher throws family and can't wait to see what her future holds.
Elizabeth "Bit" Klecker (Distance), Hopkins High School, Minneapolis, Minn.
Elizabeth “Bit” Klecker joins the Gophers from Hopkins High School in Minneapolis. The sister of current Gopher Sarah Klecker, she is also a standout distance runner. A three-time Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country Championship individual qualifier, Klecker placed 101st as a senior (20:28.9 for 5K), took 67th as a junior (19:28.5 for 5K), and came in 124th as a freshman (16:00.2 for 4K). On the track, she placed eighth in the 1,600m (5:02.18) at the 2015 Minnesota Class AA State Track & Field Championship as a sophomore in 2015. She also ran on Hopkins' fifth-place 4x800m relay team at the state meet as a freshman in 2014. Klecker owns a personal best of 4:59.80 for 1,600m.
Hopkins on Klecker: We are excited to welcome Bit to the Gopher family. She has had a great high school career at Hopkins High School, breaking 5:00 in the mile as a sophomore. After a setback as a junior with an injury, we believe she will continue to build back and be a contributor on the track and cross country course at the college level. Her older sister, Sarah, is on the team currently, so we are also excited to keep the Klecker family together in Maroon and Gold.
Anastasia Korzenowski (Distance), Chanhassen High School, Chanhassen, Minn.
A four-time Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country Championship qualifier, Korzenowski was a three-time individual qualifier after helping Chanhassen to a fourth-place team finish at the state meet as a freshman as the team's third runner. This fall, she took third overall in 18:26.5 for 5K at the 2016 Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country Championship. Korzenowski also placed 17th as a junior (18:32.5 for 5K), 13th as a sophomore (14:27.9 for 4K), and took 59th as a freshman (15:16.1 for 4K). Korzenowski is a Metro West Conference Champion in both cross country (2016) and on the track in the 1,600m and 3,200m. She begins her senior track & field season as an eight-time Minnesota Class AA State Track & Field Championship qualifier. As a junior, Korzenowski took fourth in the 1,600m (4:57.46) and anchored Chanhassen's seventh-place 4x400m relay team (3:59.51) along with placing 10th in the 3,200m (11:09.43) at the 2016 Minnesota Class AA Championship. She took fourth in the 1,600m (4:59.65), sixth in the 3,200m (10:57.00), and 16th in the 4x400m relay (4:07.73) as a sophomore in 2015 and also qualified for both the 1,600m (13th, 5:12.03) and the 3,200m (19th, 11:26.71) at the state meet as a freshman. Korzenowski has career-best times of 17:28.60 for 5K, 4:53.77 for 1,600m, and 10:52.66 for 3,200m.
Hopkins on Korzenowski: We are very excited to welcome Anastasia to the Gopher family! Not only was she the top senior at the Minnesota state cross country meet in 2016, but she also has close to the best range of any distance athlete we have ever signed at Minnesota. She has run 56-second splits on the 4x400m relay and can run great cross country. You do not see those two things go together very often. We are excited to see her potential as a middle distance/cross country runner in the Big Ten. She is also coached by a former Gopher track great, Anita (Menden) Woodrow, so it is fun to see former Gophers training the next generation.
Lorean Murray (Jumps), St. Andrew High School, Kingston, Jamaica
Lorean Murray joins the Gophers as a jumper from St. Andrew High School in Kingston, Jamaica. A versatile athlete with the ability to compete in all three jumps, Murray has personal-bests marks of 40-02 in the triple jump, 18-08 in the long jump, and 5-07 in the high jump. At the 2016 ISSA-Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championship, Murray competed in all three jumps, competing in Girls 15-16 Class 2 in both high jump and long jump and competing in Girls 13-19 Open in triple jump. Murray tied for fourth in high jump with a mark of 5-07 (1.70m). She also placed 11th in the Girls 13-19 Open triple jump (39-05, 12.01m). In 2015, she finished ninth in Open triple jump (39-10.50, 12.15m).
Bingle on Murray: Lorean is from the same high school as former Gopher Todea-Kay Willis, and she’s a great student. As a great student, teammate, and athlete, she really fits our team culture. Her ability to do all three jumps will be a huge asset. That was something we were really looking for in this incoming class, and she will fill the role. I’m excited to coach her and look forward to her being a part of our team.
Sophie Schmitz (Distance), Willmar High School, Willmar, Minn.
Sophie Schmitz joins the Gophers as a talented track and cross country runner from Willmar High School in Willmar, Minn. Schmitz helped Willmar to four-straight top-five team finishes at the Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country Championship, including a runner-up team showing as a senior in 2016. Schmitz earned all-state honors after placing 14th overall and ninth in the team race by running 18:57.9 for 5K this fall. She took 31st overall as a junior (18:56.8 for 5K), placed 45th as a sophomore (15:01.8 for 4K), and finished 70th overall as a freshman (15:23.9 for 4K). She was also the 2016 Central Lakes Conference Cross Country champion. On the track, Schmitz enters her senior year as a five-time state qualifier for the Minnesota Class AA State Track & Field Championship. She took third in 800m (2:13.94) and fourth in the 4x800m relay (9:17.87) and ran on Willmar’s 4x400m relay (4:05.13) in preliminaries as a junior at the 2016 state meet. Schmitz also took sixth in the 800m (2:15.21) as a sophomore and qualified for the 400m prelims (58.64) as a freshman. Schmitz has career-best times of 18:00.8 for 5K and 2:13.94 for 800m.
Hopkins on Schmitz: I’m thrilled to welcome Sophie to the Gopher family! We are making a big push to bring in distance runners that have good speed on the track, and Sophie fits that bill. She has run 58.2 for the 400m and 2:13 in the 800m, and she is also an all-state runner in cross country. I believe she is only scratching the surface of what she can do, and we are excited to help build her into a Big Ten level middle distance runner.
Jaycie Thomsen (Distance), Wayzata High School, Plymouth, Minn.
Jaycie Thomsen joins the Gophers as a standout distance runner from Wayzata High School. A three-time Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country Championship runner, Thomsen placed 13th overall as an individual state qualifier as a senior in 18:52.5 for 5K. She was also the 2016 Lake Conference Cross Country Champion and has a 5K personal best of 17:53.70. As a junior in 2015, Thomsen helped Wayzata to a fourth-place team finish as the team's fourth runner in 54th place overall (34th in the team places) in 19:19.4 for 5K. She also placed fourth on Wayzata's second-straight state championship team as a sophomore, taking 47th overall in 15:02.2 for 4K at the state meet in 2014. On the track, Thomsen heads into her senior season with personal records of 10:53.06 for 3,200m and 5:04.19 for 1,600m.
Hopkins on Thomsen: I could not be more thrilled that Jaycie committed to be a Gopher! She is a natural-born leader and was one of the best cross country seniors in Minnesota this past fall. She has run sub-11:00 for the 3,200m, and her future is very bright going forward in cross country and on the track in anything from the mile to the steeple to the 5,000m. She is a perfect fit for our team, and we can't wait to get her to campus next fall.
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Players Mentioned
