University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Set for Kansas Relays
4/18/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS - The Golden Gopher women's track & field team is set to compete at the Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Kan., this Wednesday through Saturday. In addition, a group of Gophers will compete locally at the Holst Invitational hosted by Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday.
About the 2017 Kansas Relays
KU is set to host the Kansas Relays this Wednesday through Saturday at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kan. There will be a "college open" meet and a "quadrangular" meet with Kansas, California, Minnesota, and Southern Illinois. The Gophers have competitors in both divisions. Action begins Wednesday with the multi-events. The multis wrap up Thursday, which also includes the college open field events and distance festival. Friday's competition includes high school events and collegiate open events. Saturday has high school finals, open collegiate finals, and quadrangular competition to cap off the four-day meet.
FloTrack will be streaming the meet live via FloPro (subscription required), and ESPN3 will air Saturday evening's session beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT. Live results are available courtesy of Prime Time Timing as well.
About the 2017 Holst Invitational
Concordia St. Paul is set to host the Holst Invitational this weekend. Field events are set to get underway at 10 a.m. CT with running events to follow at noon CT at Concordia's Sea Foam Stadium.
Kansas Relays Rewind
The last time the Gophers attended the Kansas Relays was during the 2012-13 season when Alex Beckman and Amanda Beckman competed in the heptathlon, finishing third and fourth, respectively. Minnesota is no stranger to Rock Chalk Park, however, as the Gophers competed in Lawrence, Kan., a year ago at the Rock Chalk Classic and NCAA West Prelim.
Holst Invitational Rewind
Minnesota took home nine titles at the 2016 Holst Invitational. Madeline Strandemo won the 1,500-meter run in then a career-best 4:25.06, setting a new meet record and pacing the field of 64 runners. She won by over 21 seconds, leading all eight Gophers with career-best times. In the sprints, Bolade Jinadu won both the 200m (24.86) and 400m (56.58) in career-best times. Tess Wasowicz won the 800m in a career-best 2:16.23. Five Gophers won event titles while competing unattached at the Holst Invitational as well.
Last Time Out: Hamline Twilight and Ocean State Invite
Minnesota won 11 event titles as Allison Dugan, Sarah Klecker, Cami Gilson, and Natalie Manders won their respective events and the team picked up another seven titles with unattached competitors at the Hamline Women's Twilight meet last week.
On the track, Dugan (400m) and Klecker (5,000m) won events for the Maroon & Gold. Dugan ran a career-best 58.75 to top the 400m field, and Klecker also used a PR performance to win the 5,000m, clocking a time of 17:23.54 to lead seven Gophers among the top seven finishers. Minnesota secured two more titles in the field events, winning pole vault and discus. Gilson won pole vault and Lexi Kiefer finished second as both cleared 3.95m (12-11.50), a collegiate-best mark for Kiefer. Manders won the discus with a throw of 43.07m (141-04), just shy of her season-best mark (43.93m, 144-01).
In addition, Madeline Strandemo finished as runner-up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Ocean State Invitational, clocking her second-best time of her career at 10:04.98.
Gophers Post All-Time Top-10 Marks
Ten individuals in eight events and one relay team have already improved their ranks among all-time Gophers in their respective events, led by record-breaking performances from Emerald Egwim (400m) and Kiley Sabin (shot put).
1. Emerald Egwim, 400m (52.75)
1. Kiley Sabin, shot put (16.63m, 54-06.75)
T-2. Taylor Wiebke, high jump (1.80m, 5-10.75)
4. Emerald Egwim, 200m (23.84)
5. Angie Guenther, hammer throw (60.79m, 199-05)
6. Temi Ogunrinde, hammer throw (60.76m, 199-04)
6. Rachel Schow, 100m hurdles (13.89)
6. Kimberly Golding, Emerald Egwim, Emma Spagnola, Rachel Schow, 4x100m relay (45.39)
T-6. Shay Nielsen, shot put (15.81m, 51-10.50)
7. Erin Huls, 400m hurdles (59.25)
9. Rachel Schow, 400m hurdles (59.51)
T-9. Lexi Kiefer, pole vault (3.95m, 12-11.50)
10. Nina Horvath, hammer throw (58.68m, 192-10)
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 Emerald Egwim leading the B1G in the 400-meter dash.
1. Emerald Egwim, 400m (52.75)
2. Kiley Sabin, shot put (16.63m, 54-06.75)
2. Agnes Esser, hammer throw (60.83m, 199-07)
3. Madeline Strandemo, 3,000m steeplechase (10:04.98)
3. Angie Guenther, hammer throw (60.79m, 199-05)
4. Temi Ogunrinde, hammer throw (60.76m, 199-04)
4. Emma Spagnola, 400m hurdles (58.93)
5. Erin Huls, Emerald Egwim, Kat Keller, and Bolade Jinadu, 4x400m relay (3:41.90)
T-5. Taylor Wiebke, high jump (1.80m, 5-10.75)
6. Agnes Esser, discus (53.13m, 174-04)
6. Shanique Wright, triple jump (12.63m, 41-05.25)
6. Kimberly Golding, 100m hurdles (13.29)
7. Kimberly Golding, Emerald Egwim, Emma Spagnola, Rachel Schow, 4x100m relay (45.39)
7. Nina Horvath, hammer throw (58.78m, 192-10)
7. Kiley Sabin, discus (51.37m, 168-06)
7. Emma Spagnola, 100m hurdles (13.36)
7. Shay Nielsen, shot put (15.81m, 51-10.50)
7. Erin Huls, 400m hurdles (59.25)
T-8. Cami Gilson, pole vault (3.95m, 12-11-50)
T-8. Lexi Kiefer, pole vault (3.95m, 12-11.50)
9. Patty O'Brien, 10,000m (35:32.89)
9. Rachel Schow, 400m hurdles (59.51)
10. Bailey Ness, 10,000m (35:42.68)
USTFCCCA Releases Outdoor Week Three Rankings
No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 LSU, and No. 5 USC remain the nation's top five in the week three outdoor 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. 21 Purdue and No. 23 Michigan. The Gophers are up to places to No. 40 according to the complete rankings; the week four rankings will be released on Monday, April 24.
Minnesota leads the hammer throw according to the USTFCCCA Women's Event Squad Leader list for the best foursome in the country by event. The Gophers average a mark of 60.29m (197-09) for the season with a squad total of 241.16m (791-02).
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 19 meets in 11 different states: Florida, North Carolina, California, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Rhode Island 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: Four-Meet Week
Next week, the Gophers are split among the Drake Relays, Simpson Invite, Macalester Invite, and Texas Invitational.
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Players Mentioned
