University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Send Four to NCAA Championships
6/5/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
| NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships | |||||||||||
| Date | Wednesday-Saturday, June 7-10, 2017 | ||||||||||
| Location | Hayward Field | Eugene, Ore. | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Host Info | NCAA Info | USTFCCCA Info | Schedule | Tickets | Start Lists | ||||||||||
| TV/STREAM | Broadcast Info | ||||||||||
| Coverage | Live Results | @GopherMCCTF | #Gophers | #NCAATF | ||||||||||
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) -- The University of Minnesota men's track & field program will send four competitors to the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week, held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Luca Wieland (decathlon), Mitch Hechsel (800 meters), Nate Roese (800 meters) and Obsa Ali (3,000 meter steeplechase) will represent the Maroon & Gold at the national championships.
Decathlon Preview (Luca Wieland)
100 Meters: Wednesday, June 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT
Long Jump: Wednesday, June 7 at 3:10 p.m. CT
Shot Put: Wednesday, June 7 at 4:25 p.m. CT
High Jump: Wednesday, June 7 at 5:40 p.m. CT
400 Meters: Wednesday, June 7 at 8:56 p.m. CT
110-Meter Hurdles: Thursday, June 8 at 12:30 p.m. CT
Discus Throw: Thursday, June 8 at 1:20 p.m. CT
Pole Vault: Thursday, June 8 at 2:30 p.m. CT
Javelin: Thursday, June 8 at 5:00 p.m. CT
1,500 Meters: Thursday, June 8 at 8:56 p.m. CT
A native of Saarbrucken, Germany, Wieland will close out a successful senior campaign that has already produced three school records, the Big Ten Medal of Honor and an outdoor Big Ten title in the high jump. The Gophers captain opened the year by breaking his own school record in the heptathlon at 6,070 points before adding the Minnesota decathlon record earlier this year at 8,201 points -- a mark that ranks third among competitors at the national championships. Wieland was also part of the Gophers' 4x100 meter relay record of 39.80 at the NCAA West Prelims two weeks ago.
A two-time First Team All-American in the heptathlon including his 2015 NCAA title in the event, Wieland will compete for his first All-America honor in the decathlon. This will mark his second appearance at the NCAA outdoor championships (2015). Wieland is a four-time Big Ten champion -- winning the decathlon in 2015 and 2016, the heptathlon in 2015 and the outdoor high jump in 2017. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Wieland is a candidate for his third-straight Academic All-America honor as well.
800 Meters Preview (Mitch Hechsel, Nate Roese)
Semifinal: Wednesday, June 7 at 8:14 p.m. CT
Final: Friday, June 9 at 8:44 p.m. CT
The Maroon & Gold will send a pair of 800 meter runners to Eugene this year in seniors Mitch Hechsel and Nate Roese. This year's bid will mark Hechsel's second-straight appearance at the event after earning Second Team All-America honors last year with a 14th-place showing. He added another Second Team All-America honor earlier this year in the indoor distance medley relay. Hechsel's qualifying time of 1:47.26 ranks sixth among competitiors and fourth all-time at Minnesota behind All-Americans Harun Abda, Goaner Deng and David Pachuta. Hechsel won the 2015 Big Ten indoor 600 meter title with a time of 1:16.26 -- a time that ranked first in the nation that year.
Meanwhile, Roese will make his individual debut at the national championships this year after earning Second Team All-America honors last year as part of Minnesota's 4x400 meter relay squad. The senior, who began competing regularly in the 800 meters just this year, ranks 21st among entrants with a qualifying time of 1:48.39. Earlier this year, Roese set the school indoor 600 meter record at 1:15.55.
3,000 Meter Steeplechase Preview (Obsa Ali)
Semifinal: Wednesday, June 7 at 7:02 p.m. CT
Final: Friday, June 9 at 7:54 p.m. CT
While three Gophers return to the national championships, the fourth and final qualifier will make his NCAA outdoor championships debut. Obsa Ali is set to run in the 3,000 meter steeplechase this week despite only competing in the event three times as a Gopher. His qualifying time of 8:51.20 ranks 18th among entrants. Ali earned Second Team All-Big Ten accolades in the event with a time of 8:45.55 -- one of the top 10 fastested times in program history. Ali also competes for the Gophers cross country program.
Gophers Earn Academic Honors
The University of Minnesota men's track & field team boasted 21 Academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2017 season including national championship competitors Luca Wieland and Nate Roese. Wieland was joined by Derek Wiebke as a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and has a chance to become a three-time Academic All-American.
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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Players Mentioned
