University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
NCAA Outdoor West Preliminary
Seniors Lead Gophers' NCAA Qualifiers
5/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Five Golden Gopher women's track & field representatives have punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships by securing top-12 finishes at the NCAA West Prelim at KU's Rock Chalk Park.
Liz Berkholtz (10,000m), Nicolle Murphy (javelin), Kaila Urick (3,000m steeplechase), Lyndsey Thorpe (hammer throw), and Heta Tuuri (high jump) have earned their way to the national championship meet, joining Jess Lehman, who has already qualified in the heptathlon. Murphy and Lehman are the lone repeat qualifiers for Minnesota so far. The six individual qualifiers is the most for the Gophers since also sending six individuals to the 2009 NCAA Championship.
"The weather cleared and the women responded well today," director of women's track & field and cross country Matt Bingle said. "I'm excited about where we're at and what we've gotten through so far, and I'm hopeful for more good things to come tomorrow as well.
"What's cool about today is how many seniors and fifth-year seniors really seized the moment. You think about the ending of some of our athletes' careers, a Big Ten title, going to nationals, it's just a storybook ending for them -- and they deserve it."
Five Gophers Secure NCAA Berths Friday
In her NCAA West Prelim debut, Heta Tuuri tied for first place in the high jump at 1.80m (5-10.75) and will make her first career appearance at the NCAA Championship. She finished in a three-way tie for first with Texas State's Chelsie Decoud and Kansas State's Kimberly Williamson. The high jump was contested indoors due to weather concerns.
"The big thing we've been working on with Heta is to just let it flow and let it happen," assistant coach Peter Miller said. "Today she was calm and free emotionally. It was her outdoor college best, tied her indoor college best, and she won. She beat the Big Ten champion and a lot of really good athletes. It's a rare feat to finish the high jump and the bar hasn't fallen down, so that was an awesome thing for her."
Two Gophers are headed to Eugene, Ore., to represent Minnesota in the throwing events so far in Lyndsey Thorpe and Nicolle Murphy. Thorpe broke the Gophers' program record with a career-best throw of 62.04m (203-06) in the hammer throw for seventh place. She surpassed the previous program record set by Devin Stanford at 61.82m (202-10) last season.
"LT is just the hardest worker on the team," Miller said. "She's been my go-to and is great at communicating. Now she's a school record-holder and gets to end her career at the national championship. I'm getting goosebumps just talking about it."
Murphy used an eighth-place showing in the javelin to secure the second NCAA berth of her career. A First Team All-American a year ago, Murphy recorded a throw of 50.77m (166-07) on her third attempt to secure eighth place while battling allergies all week.
"I was the most confident about Nicolle a week ago because she's one of the best javelin throwers in the country, but I was getting nervous because of the battle she's going through with some terrible allergies," Miller said. "I was still super confident she was going to get the job done, but it's been a rough week for her. She did an awesome job, and now we have some time to get ready for Eugene, where I'm sure the allergens will be out in full force, too."
Two Gophers are also moving on to the national championship on the track in fifth-year seniors Liz Berkholtz and Kaila Urick. Berkholtz ran 34:28.58 in the 10,000-meter run to place ninth and secure the first NCAA Championship berth of her career on the track. A four-time NCAA preliminary qualifier, Berkholtz improved on her previous best NCAA prelim showing, a 22nd-place finish in the 10,000m in 2014.
"Liz just ran awesome," assistant coach Sarah Hopkins said. "I'm thrilled for her. She ran very similar to how she ran at Big Tens. She has the 10K figured out and knows how she feels best. She handled it well, was composed, and obviously deserves to be here."
Meanwhile, Urick placed 12th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to punch her ticket to the NCAA Championship, joining Berkholtz in making the first appearance of her career. Urick (10:14.49) and Madeline Strandemo (10:15.11) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in heat two and placed 12th and 13th overall. Taylor Mikkalson clocked a time of 10:29.33 for 22nd overall and eighth in her heat.
"After the steeple, it was elation and devastation all at the same time," Hopkins said. "When you have three people in one event, it's bound to happen. I think all three of them battled really well. I'm thrilled for Kaila, like Liz, being a fifth-year runner. Maddie has another two years to get there, and we know she will. This was Kaila's third try at the steeple at this meet, and this year she ran it the right way and got rewarded."
Behind Thorpe in the hammer throw, fellow Gophers Ke-ke Burks (60.15m, 197-04), Angie Guenther (career-best 59.70m, 195-10), and Agnes Esser (57.35m, 188-02) finished 16th, 18th, and 30th respectively.
"I'm proud of the whole hammer group," Miller said. "Ke-ke had a great meet as a senior, came in as a transfer from the last place team in the Big Sky Conference and gets to go out as the 16th-best hammer thrower in the west and be part of a Big Ten team title. To have four throwers in the top 30 is something really special that I may never get to be a part of again."
In other NCAA West Prelim action Friday, senior Ally McSherry placed 24th in the 800-meter run in 2:08.99, wrapping up her Gophers' career ranked sixth in program history with her career-best time of 2:07.10. McSherry took fourth in her heat, improving on her 36th-place finish in the 800m a year ago at the NCAA West Prelim.
In her first race of the weekend, Emma Spagnola finished 29th in the 400-meter hurdles in 59.73 seconds. She was sixth in her heat and improved on her 44th-place finish at the meet a year ago. Spagnola is set to race the 100-meter hurdles on Saturday.
"This a meet where you learn a lot, whether it's a positive or negative experience," Bingle said. "You have to take it all in, and it helps build you. They're growing, and that's what we need. We're on the path to try to win the Big Ten again, and every experience along the way helps."
Friday's competition also included the first two flights of the discus. Guenther threw 49.13m (161-02) in flight one and was in 11th place at the conclusion of flight two before lightning in the area caused another delay. Esser is set to throw in flight three, which is postponed until Saturday after a weather delay at 8:45 p.m. CT.
Rain, heavy winds, and lightning suspended NCAA West Prelim competition at KU's Rock Chalk Park on Thursday, so the schedule for the remaining two days of competition was adjusted accordingly. All running events are now being conducted as a quarterfinal. In the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 100m hurdles, and 400m hurdles, the heat winner and the next six fastest times advance. In the 1,500m, the top two times in each heat plus the next four fastest times advance.
Saturday's competition has Kiley Sabin competing in the shot put, Shanique Wright in the triple jump, Kimberly Golding and Spagnola in the 100m hurdles, and the Gophers' 4x400-meter relay team looking for its third-straight NCAA Championship berth along with Esser in flight three of the discus. Action begins with the men's triple jump at 9 a.m. CT, and the first event for the Gophers is Sabin in the shot at 9:30 a.m. CT.
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