University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Host Jack's Run
10/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Golden Gopher women's cross country team will host the 10th annual running of Jack's Twilight Run at 6 p.m. CT this Friday at Les Bolstad Course. The six-kilometer race is open to the public and features race-day registration only.
About the 2017 Jack's Twilight Run
Jack's Twilight Run features a spectator-friendly looped route through Les Bolstad Course. Race-day registration begins at 4:30 p.m. prior to the 6 p.m. race start. No pre-registration is available. Local runners and cross country fans alike are invited to experience cross country running firsthand at the home of the Golden Gophers.
Participation in the race is free, but donations are encouraged. A Jack's Run hat will be given to those donating $20 or more. All proceeds from the race go toward the Jack Johnson Scholarship.
Jack's Run honors the late Minnesota equipment manager Jack Johnson. Johnson will always be a part of the Minnesota women's cross country and track programs. After serving as the Golden Gophers' equipment manager for over three decades, Johnson passed away in February 2006 after a battle with cancer.
Last Time Out: Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational
Led by top-25 finishes from Madeline Strandemo, Megan Hasz, and Bethany Hasz, the Gophers placed 10th in the team standings at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational last week. Minnesota's top four runners recorded career-best 6K times led by Strandemo in 20th place with a time of 20:14.5. M. Hasz (20:16.0) and B. Hasz (20:16.9) also posted PRs in 23rd place and 25th place, respectively. Bailey Ness ran a career-best 21:20.2, narrowly improving on her previous best 6K time of 21:20.6 at last year's NCAA Midwest Regional and coming in 104th overall. Emily Betz (21:38.6), Courtney Alama (21:50.6), and Patty O'Brien (21:53.1) posted season-best times to round out Minnesota's top seven.
The Gophers scored 313 points to place 10th in the team standings. New Mexico took the team title with 87 points behind three top-seven individual finishes, followed by runner-up San Francisco with 126 points. NC State (169), Boise State (233), and Providence (253) made up the top five teams in the 33-team field. Just 21 points separated eighth place through 10th place as Furman (257), Washington (257), Stanford (292), and host Wisconsin (298) came in sixth through ninth, respectively.
Last Time Out: Tori Neubauer Invitational
Sarah Werking, Ally Smith, and Paige Peschel led the Gophers at the Tori Neubauer Invitational hosted by UW-La Crosse. Werking placed 14th overall in a season-best 6K time of 22:41.67. Smith (22:55.19) also earned a top-20 showing in 20th place with a season-best mark. Peschel (season-best 23:08.46) and Kelli Schmidt (23:10.72) came in 28th and 29th, respectively, and Sarah Klecker (23:38.05) rounded out Minnesota's top five in 46th overall (42nd in the team race). The Gophers placed fourth in the team standings with 133 points.
Trio Moves Up All-Time List
With her career-best 6K performance of 20:14.5 at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, Madeline Strandemo moved into third on the Gophers' all-time list behind Stephanie Price (19:55.50) and Megan Duwell (20:06.90). Megan Hasz (20:16.0) and Bethany Hasz (20:16.9) also posted PRs at the meet in Wisconsin to move into fourth and sixth, respectively, in Gopher history.
Gophers Up One Place to No. 19 in USTFCCCA Week Five Poll
Following a 10th place showing at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, the Gophers climbed one place to No. 19 in the nation according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Week Five National Coaches' Poll. This week, Minnesota also took back the top spot in the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Rankings. The next poll and rankings are slated to be released next Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Who's Back?
Minnesota's 2017 roster includes all top nine runners from last year's postseason roster led by individual NCAA qualifier Madeline Strandemo. Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz join Strandemo as returning NCAA all-region performers.
Quintet Serving as Captains
Five captains are leading this year's team: first-year captains Amelia Barczi, Bailey Ness, Patty O'Brien, and Paige Peschel and returning captain Madeline Strandemo.
Up Next: Big Ten Conference Championship
The 2017 Big Ten Conference Championship will be hosted by Indiana at IU Championship Cross Country Course in Bloomington, Ind., next Sunday, Oct. 29. The men's 8K race is set for 9:45 a.m. CT with the women's 6K race to follow at 10:45 a.m. CT. Admission is free; parking is available for $10 (cash only).
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