University of Minnesota Athletics
UCLA Up Next for Gophers
3/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
| UCLA Legends Invitational | |||||||||||
| Date | Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1, 2017 | ||||||||||
| Location | Drake Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif. | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Meet Info | Schedule | Heat Sheets | ||||||||||
| Time | Friday 1 p.m. CT Field; 7 p.m. CT Track | Saturday 12 p.m. CT Field; 4 p.m. CT Track | ||||||||||
| Coverage | FloTrack ($) | Live Results | @GopherWCCTF | #Gophers | ||||||||||
| Hamline Invite | |||||||||||
| Date | Saturday, April 1, 2017 | ||||||||||
| Location | Klas Field, St. Paul, Minn. | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Meet Info & Schedule | Heat Sheets | ||||||||||
| Time | 10 a.m. CT | ||||||||||
| Coverage | Live Results | @GopherWCCTF | #Gophers | ||||||||||
March 28, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Gopher women's track & field sprints, hurdles, jumps, and throws crew is back in action at the UCLA Legends Invitational this Friday and Saturday. Members of the team will also compete locally at the Hamline Invite on Saturday.
About the 2017 UCLA Legends Invitational
UCLA is set to host the 2017 UCLA Legends of Track & Field Invitational this Friday and Saturday at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. Participating teams include Cal State Northridge, Cerritos College, Colorado State, Cornell, Utah State, Minnesota, UC Riverside, Nevada, Riverside City College, Washington State, and host UCLA.
Friday's competition consists of the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival on the track beginning at 7 p.m. CT along with field events beginning at 1 p.m. CT, including women's hammer throw invite, pole vault, long jump, shot put, and discus.
Action resumes Saturday with field events at 12 p.m. CT and track events beginning with the women's 4x100-meter relay at 4:05 p.m. CT. The meet schedule is subject to change and will be finalized when entries have closed.
2016 UCLA Legends Invitational Rewind
A year ago, the Gophers took home two event titles at the UCLA Legends Invitational. Agnes Esser won the hammer throw (59.55m, 195-04) and Titania Markland won the 800-meter run (2:09.84) to lead the Gophers at the 2016 meet. Minnesota also collected six runner-up showings and had 13 total top-three finishes. Competing without its distance corps, Minnesota placed third in the team standings with 124 points behind host UCLA (173.5 points) and runner-up Kansas State (124.5).
About the 2017 Hamline Invite
The Hamline Invitational is set for Saturday with running and field events beginning at 10 a.m. at Klas Field in St. Paul, Minn. Participating teams include Augsburg, Bethel, St. Benedict, Carleton, Crown, Concordia-St. Paul, Macalester, North Central, Northwestern, St. Cloud State, St. Olaf, St. Thomas, St. Catherine, UW-Superior, UW-River Falls, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota Morris, St. John's, and Martin Luther.
Last Time Out: Raleigh Relays
Madeline Strandemo led the Gophers with a pair of podium finishes as members of the Gophers' distance squad competed at the Raleigh Relays over the weekend. Strandemo won the 3,000m steeplechase in a meet-record 10:07.46 and took third in the 800m in a career-best 2:08.57. The Gophers also earned a third-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay whereMinnesota's team of Paige Peschel, Abby Lange, Samantha Prouty, and Tess Wasowicz recorded a time of 9:01.41. At the Raleigh Relays, the Gophers distance runners posted 10 individual career-best times.
Gophers Post All-Time Top-10 Marks
Three Gophers have already improved their ranks among all-time Gophers in their respective events. In the hammer throw, Angie Guenther moved into fifth all-time (60.79m, 199-05) and Temi Ogunrinde climbed into 10th in program history (58.46m, 191-09). Taylor Wiebke posted a career-best mark of 1.80m (5-10.75) to move into a tie for second among all-time Gopher high jumpers as well.
Gophers Rank Among Big Ten's Best
Several Gophers rank among the top-10 performers in the Big Ten Conference so far this season, including Madeline Strandemo (3,000m steeplechase), Taylor Wiebke (high jump), and Angie Guenther (hammer throw) leading the B1G in their respective events.
1. Madeline Strandemo, 3,000m steeplechase (10:07.46)
1. Taylor Wiebke, high jump (1.80m, 5-10.75)
1. Angie Guenther, hammer throw (60.79m, 199-05)
2. Madeline Strandemo, 800m (2:08.57)
3. Agnes Esser, discus (53.13m, 174-04)
3. Sophia Anderson, Erin Huls, Bolade Jinadu, and Lindsey Smits, 4x400m relay (3:44.65)
4. Kiley Sabin, shot put (15.74m, 51-07.75)
5. Tamara Gorman, 5,000m (17:04.30)
5. Patty O'Brien, 10,000m (35:32.89)
5. Kiley Sabin, discus (51.37m, 168-06)
5. Temi Ogunrinde, hammer throw (58.46m, 191-09)
6. Agnes Esser, hammer throw (58.07m, 190-06)
6. Bailey Ness, 10,000m (35:42.68)
T-6. Heta Tuuri, high jump (1.70m, 5-07.00)
7. Molly Eastman, 10,000m (36:18.33)
8. Rachel Schow, 400m hurdles (1:00.26)
8. Emily Betz, 10,000m (36:20.61)
8. Angie Guenther, discus (49.53m, 162-06)
9. Erin Huls, 400m hurdles (1:00.61)
9. Carlin Schulz, 10,000m (36:36.93)
9. Shay Nielsen, shot put (14.46m, 47-05.25)
USTFCCCA Releases Outdoor Preseason Rankings
No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 4 LSU, and No. 5 USC make up the nation's top five in the outdoor preseason NCAA Division I National Team Computer Rankings compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Two Big Ten Conference teams are among the top-25 in No. 18 Nebraska and No. 21 Michigan. The Gophers are just beyond the top-25, coming in at No. 30 according to the complete rankings; the week one rankings will be released on Monday, April 3.
Minnesota Welcomes 23 Newcomers
The Gophers' 2017 roster includes 23 newcomers, including two who have competed in uniform as true freshmen this season in Brieasha Hobbs and Natalie Manders. Fellow freshmen Hannah Arason, Jane Baude, Meleah Biermaier, Jenna Conzemius, Ryan Crotty, Carissa Dock, Delaney Eigenberger, Alyssa Faucett, Maddie Gourley, Lindsey Greenlund, Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, Abby Kohut-Jackson, Val Larson, Zetta Mason, Elyse Prescott, Ashley Ramacher, Kelli Schmidt, Rebekah Walter, and Sarah Werking also join the Minnesota family while senior sprinter Tayler Whittler is in her Gopher debut as a graduate student from DePaul University. The Gophers' roster also includes 18 redshirt freshmen making their official collegiate debuts this year.
Outdoor Track & Field Schedule
The Gophers' outdoor schedule has the team traveling to 18 meets in 10 different states. After kicking off the outdoor season in Florida and North Carolina, the team also competes in California, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Oregon this season.
Gophers Sign 10 for 2017-18
The Minnesota women's track & field and cross country program is pleased to announce the addition of 10 student-athletes who have signed for the 2017-18 season. Erin Dunning (Ashwaubenon, Wis.), Allison Gerads (Champlin, Minn.), Alexis Hurst (Robbinsdale, Minn.), Tess Keyzers (Little Chute, Wis.), Elizabeth "Bit" Klecker (Minneapolis), Anastasia Korzenowski (Chanhassen, Minn.), Lorean Murray (Kingston, Jamaica), Sophie Schmitz (Willmar, Minn.), and Jaycie Thomsen (Plymouth, Minn.) will join the Gophers as freshmen next season while Nayoka Clunis (Kingston, Jamaica) comes to the University of Minnesota as a junior after competing for Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan., for two seasons.
Seven Gophers to Captain 2017 Squad
The seven Gophers who will lead the defending Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field co-champions are Cami Gilson, Kimberly Golding, Angie Guenther, Erin Hawkins, Titania Markland, Nicolle Murphy, and Madeline Strandemo. Markland and Murphy return to the Gophers' leadership group after serving as captains last season while Strandemo was a captain for Minnesota's cross country team this fall. The remaining four Gophers enter their first seasons as captains.
2016 Outdoor Season Rewind
Led by B1G event titles from Jess Lehman (heptathlon) and Nicolle Murphy (javelin) and points from 16 different Gophers, Minnesota secured its second outdoor and fifth overall Big Ten Conference title in program history last spring. The Gophers sealed a share of the B1G title with a fourth-place finish by the 4x400-meter relay team of Erin Hawkins, Kat Keller, Emerald Egwim, and Titania Markland; the Gophers entered the final event trailing Michigan by one point, 102-101, and the 4x400m team finished one place ahead of the Wolverines to finish the meet tied at 106 points each.
Minnesota then finished tied for 22nd place in the team standings at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship, marking the program's highest finish since placing 18th in 2009. Eight Gophers competed at the NCAA Championship, the most since eight also competed at the 2008 national meet. Five Gophers earned All-American honors in Agnes Esser (discus), Jess Lehman (heptathlon), Nicolle Murphy (javelin), Lyndsey Thorpe (hammer throw), and Shanique Wright (triple jump), marking the most individual All-Americans in a single season in program history.
2016 Cross Country Season Rewind
The Gophers wrapped up the 2016 cross country season with three NCAA All-Midwest Region honorees, two All-Big Ten Conference honorees, and one NCAA individual national qualifier. Madeline Strandemo represented Minnesota at the NCAA Championship with a 51st-place showing, running her second fastest 6K time of her career in 20:31.5.
Strandemo, Megan Hasz, and Bethany Hasz led Minnesota with all-region showings at the NCAA Midwest Regional after Strandemo and M. Hasz picked up Second Team All-Big Ten honors. The duo led host Minnesota to a fourth-place team finish at the B1G Championship.
2017 Indoor Season Rewind
Minnesota finished fourth at the Big Ten Indoor Championship led by Madeline Strandemo's B1G title in the mile and Agnes Esser's runner-up showing in the weight throw. Double-digit points in the weight throw, 60-meter hurdles, and high jump propelled the Gophers to a fourth-place showing overall with 70 points in the team race. Penn State won the team title with 96.50 points, claiming a 2.50-point victory over runner-up Purdue (94 points). Ohio State (83), Minnesota (70), and Indiana (69) rounded out the top five teams.
The Gophers saw 20 performances land on the program's all-time indoor top-10 list with changes in 12 different events. Three Minnesota indoor program records fell, including Kiley Sabin's record-breaking performance in the shot put (17.17m, 56-04.00). Emerald Egwim improved on her own program record in the 400m dash (52.73), and Kimberly Golding and Emma Spagnola tied for the top 60m hurdles time in program history at 8.13 seconds. In addition, three Gophers posted the second-best marks in program history in four different events: Strandemo (mile, 4:38.88; 3,000m, 9:17.54); Taylor Wiebke (high jump, 1.79m, 5-10.50), and Esser (weight throw, 20.94m, 68-08.50).
Egwim (400m), Golding (60m hurdles), Sabin (shot put), and Spagnola (60m hurdles) all represented Minnesota at the NCAA Indoor Championship and went on to earn Second Team All-American honors. The team's four individual indoor qualifiers was the most since the program sent five individuals and a relay to the 2008 NCAA indoor meet.
2017 Senior Salute
The Gophers honored 18 seniors during the Parents Day Invite: Danielle Anderson, Caitlin Dillon, Megan Flanagan, Cami Gilson, Kimberly Golding, Angie Guenther, Anne Haakenstad, Erin Hawkins, Allie Heifort, Bolade Jinadu, Kailee Kamps, Kat Keller, Naomi Ollila, Carlin Schulz, Tess Wasowicz, Violet Weibel, Laura Werking, and Tayler Whittler.
Up Next: Mesa Classic and Sun Angel Classic
Next weekend, the Gophers travel to Arizona for a pair of meets, the Mesa Classic in Mesa, Ariz., and the Sun Angel Classic hosted by Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., next Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8.
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Players Mentioned
