University of Minnesota Athletics
'U' Heads to Texas for NCAA Regional
5/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
| 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field First Round | |||||||||||
| Date | Thursday, May 25-Saturday, May 27 | ||||||||||
| Location | Mike A. Myers Stadium | Austin, Texas | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Meet Home | Schedule | Heat Sheets | Tickets | ||||||||||
| Coverage | Live Results | @GopherMCCTF | #Gophers | #NCAATF | ||||||||||
| Online Stream | Thursday (Starts at 11 a.m. CT) | ||||||||||
| Friday (Starts at 12 p.m. CT) | |||||||||||
| Saturday (Starts at 1 p.m. CT) | |||||||||||
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) -- Thirteen members of the University of Minnesota men's track & field program will be in action this weekend at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field First Round in Austin, Texas.
The three-day meet starts on Thursday, May 25 and runs through Saturday, May 27 at Texas' Mike A. Myers Stadium. Athletes with the top 12 times/marks and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West Preliminary Rounds sites will qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 7-10.
1,500 Meters Preview
First Round: Thursday, May 25 at 6:00 p.m. CT
Quarterfinal: Saturday, May 27 at 6:45 p.m. CT
Info: Shane Streich and Derek Wiebke both qualified for the 1,500 meters off their performances earlier this year at the Bryan Clay Invitational with Streich's time of 3:42.81 ranking 17th and Wiebke's time of 3:43.45 ranking 25th. Wiebke won the Big Ten indoor mile title earlier this season while both earned All-America honors as part of the Minnesota indoor distance medley relay team.
800 Meters Preview
First Round: Thursday, May 25 at 8:35 p.m. CT
Quarterfinal: Friday, May 26 at 6:45 p.m. CT
Info: Mitch Hechsel and Nate Roese, who finished second and third at the Big Ten meet earlier this month, will represent the Gophers in the 800 meters. A two-time All-American, Hechsel was a Second Team selection in the 800 meters last year (and a Second Team selection earlier this year in the indoor distance medley relay) and boasts the seventh-fastest qualifying time for the regional at 1:47.39. Roese was a Second Team All-American as part of Minnesota's 4x400 last year in the outdoor season and qualified for the 800 meters with a time of 1:49.09 -- ranking 24th at the regional. Both Hechsel and Roese are expected to run for the Gophers in the 4x400 meter relay as well.
110-Meter Hurdles Preview
First Round: Friday, May 26 at 5:00 p.m. CT
Quarterfinal: Saturday, May 27 at 7:20 p.m. CT
Info: In his first season with the Maroon & Gold, Jon Tollefson qualified for the 110-meter hurdles competition at the NCAA West Regional. The Harvard transfer will make his NCAA debut this weekend -- his time of 14.05 ranks 24th among qualifiers.
Pole Vault Preview
First Round: Friday, May 26 at 12:00 p.m. CT
Info: Glen Harold will also make his NCAA debut for the Gophers this weekend in the pole vault. Harold's qualifying mark of 5.11 meters (16-09.25 ft.) ranks 44th at the preliminary meet.
3,000 Meter Steeplechase Preview
Quarterfinal: Friday, May 26 at 9:00 p.m. CT
Info: Obsa Ali has only run the 3,000 meter steeplechase twice this season, but his time of 8:45.55 ranks sixth at the regional. Ali's qualifying time came in a runner-up showing at the Big Ten meet earlier this month.
Triple Jump Preview
First Round: Saturday, May 27 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Info: Jordan Charles will compete in the triple jump for the Maroon & Gold while his top mark this season of 15.39 meters (50-06.00 ft.) ranks 32nd among qualifiers. Charles is also slated to run for the Gophers in the 4x100 meter relay.
High Jump Preview
First Round: Saturday, May 27 at 6:00 p.m. CT
Info: The Gophers will send two competitors to the high jump competition in Luca Wieland and Ryan Lockard. Wieland, who will also run in the 4x100 meter relay for the Gophers and has already qualified for the NCAA championships in the decathlon, won the high jump at the Big Ten championships this month -- his first conference crown in the event and fourth overall Big Ten title. A two-time First Team All-American in the heptathlon, Wieland owns a personal record of 2.20 meters (7-02.50 ft.), which stands as the sixth best qualifying mark for the regional. Lockard finished third at the Big Ten meet this year and was a Second Team All-American in the high jump last year during the indoor season. His mark of 2.17 meters (7-01.50 ft.) ranks 14th among qualifiers.
4x100 Meter Relay Preview
Quarterfinal: Saturday, May 27 at 6:15 p.m. CT
Info: The Gophers qualified for the 4x100 meter relay competition with a 40.24 from Charles, Jonathan Webb (set for his NCAA debut), Wieland and Brad Neumann. The mark ranks 18th among NCAA regional qualifiers. Neumann was part of Minnesota's 4x400 meter relay team that earned Second Team All-America last year.
4x400 Meter Relay Preview
Quarterfinal: Saturday, May 27 at 9:45 p.m. CT
Info: Minnesota's 4x400 meter relay squad earned Second Team All-America honors last year during the outdoor season while Hechsel, Roese, Webb and Jackson Wellenstein qualified this season with a mark of 3:08.51 -- 18th among entrants. Roese and Wellenstein were both on the relay squad last year while Wellenstein picked up his second All-America nod as part of the indoor distance medley relay squad earlier this season.
Decathlon Preview:
Held at the NCAA Championships
Info: Wieland, who led the Gophers by qualifying for three NCAA events (decathlon, high jump, 4x100 meter relay), has already punched his ticket to the national championships in the decathlon. A two-time All-American in the heptathlon and four-time Big Ten champion (including two titles in the decathlon), Wieland set new school records in both the decathlon (8,201 points) and the heptathlon (6,070 points) earlier this year. His decathlon score stands third among qualifiers. Wieland was the 2015 NCAA heptathlon champion.
Wieland Earns Big Ten Medal of Honor
Senior captain Luca Wieland was tabbed as the men's recipient of this year's Big Ten Medal of Honor as he closes out a historic career at Minnesota. As a sophomore, he became the 13th Gopher to earn an individual national championship when he captured the 2015 NCAA indoor heptathlon title while earning his first of two First Team All-America honors in the event. Wieland is also a four-time Big Ten champion and holds both of Minnesota's multi-events records, breaking his own heptathlon record (6,070 points) and the decathlon record (8,201 points) earlier this year. Wieland is a two-time Academic All-American as well as a two-time Academic All-Big and USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree.
Looking Back at the Indoor Season
The Minnesota distance medley relay team of Shane Streich, Jackson Wellenstein, Mitch Hechsel and Derek Wiebke earned Second Team All-America honors following a ninth-place showing at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships last week. Wiebke added a Big Ten title in the mile -- his first conference crown as a Gopher -- with a personal record of 4:01.85.
Rink Helps USATF to NACAC Title
Nick Rink finished eighth at the 2017 NACAC Cross Country Championships to help the U.S. Under-20 Men's Team win a gold medal earlier this year in Boca Raton, Fla. Rink covered the 6,500-meter course at South County Regional Park in 19:30.09 to finish eighth overall and fourth among U.S. competitors. The United States totaled 25 points in the team victory, besting Mexico with 31, Canada with 42 and Puerto Rico with 49.
Ali, Plasencia Rep 'U' at IAAF World Cross Country Championships
True freshman Hamza Ali and Minnesota Director of Men's Track & Field and Cross Country Steve Plasencia represented the University of Minnesota and the United States at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kamapla, Uganda. Ali finished 52nd overall in the men's U20 race, clocking a time of 26:14 for the eight-kilometer race at the Kololo Independence Grounds. Ali's time was third among American runners in the event. Plasencia served as head coach of the U.S. Men's Junior Team for the event.
Four to Lead in 2017
The Minnesota track & field program will feature four new captains for the 2017 season as Luca Wieland, Gian Ferretti, Mitch Hechsel and Charlie Lawrence will lead the Gophers throughout the year. Wieland, Ferretti and Hechsel were all honored as All-Americans during the 2016 season while Lawrence also served as captain of the cross country team this year and earned All-Big Ten honors.
Alum: Ben Blankenship Wins National Title in Men's Mile
Ben Blankenship claimed his first career U.S. title earlier this year, winning the men's mile at the 2017 U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Blankenship, who made his Olympic debut last year in the 1,500 meters, pushed hard in the bell lap to finish with a time of 3:59.22. Meanwhile, a pair of former Gophers throwers competed in the men's weight throw with Sean Donnelly finishing third behind a new personal record of 23.57 meters (77-04.00 ft.) and Justin Barber finishing eighth at 20.55 meters (67-05.25 ft.).
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