University of Minnesota Athletics
Six Gophers Bound For NCAA Championship
6/5/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
| NCAA Outdoor Championships | |||||||||||
| Date | Wednesday-Saturday, June 7-10, 2017 | ||||||||||
| Location | Hayward Field | University of Oregon | Eugene, Ore. | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Host Info | NCAA Info | USTFCCCA Info | Schedule | Tickets | Start Lists | ||||||||||
| Coverage | Live Results | @GopherWCCTF | #Gophers | ||||||||||
June 5, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS - Six Golden Gophers head to Eugene, Ore., to represent the University of Minnesota women's track & field team at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week. Competition begins Wednesday and continues through Saturday with the Gophers scheduled to compete on Thursday and Saturday at Oregon's Hayward Field.
Emerald Egwim (400m), Angie Guenther (hammer throw), Temi Ogunrinde (hammer throw), Emma Spagnola (100m hurdles), Madeline Strandemo (3,000m steeplechase), and Taylor Wiebke (high jump) have advanced to this year's national championship.
The six Gophers are competing in five different events, and four are making their NCAA track & field championship debuts. Egwim (2017 indoor 400m, 2015 outdoor 4x400m) and Spagnola (2017 indoor 60m hurdles) are Minnesota's repeat qualifiers while Strandemo makes her NCAA track & field debut with two NCAA Cross Country Championship appearances to her name.
2017 Gophers' NCAA Championship Schedule
Thursday
4 p.m. CT - Hammer Throw final (Guenther, Ogunrinde)
7:02 p.m. CT - 3,000m Steeplechase semifinal (Strandemo)
7:32 p.m. CT - 100m Hurdles semifinal (Spagnola)
8 p.m. CT - 400m semifinal (Egwim)
Saturday
5 p.m. CT - High Jump final (Wiebke)
5:54 p.m. CT - 3,000m Steeplechase final (Strandemo - TBD)
6:12 p.m. CT - 100m Hurdles final (Spagnola - TBD)
6:32 p.m. CT - 400m final (Egwim - TBD)
About the 2017 NCAA Track & Field Championship
The University of Oregon is set to host the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship this Wednesday through Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
The meet begins Wednesday with all men's events, featuring five finals in field events, the 10,000m, 10 semifinals on the track, and the first half of the decathlon. Thursday features the same women's finals and semifinals, as well as the second half of the decathlon. The remaining men's finals take place on Friday, and the women's heptathlon also begins Friday. The meet wraps up on Saturday with the remaining women's finals, including the final three events of the heptathlon. All award presentations will take place on Friday (men) and Saturday (women).
NCAA Championships to Air on ESPN
The NCAA Championships will be broadcast live on ESPN. The main feed on the track will air live on ESPN2 on Wednesday and Thursday and on ESPN on Friday and Saturday. There will also be additional live streams on ESPN3 and ESPNU throughout the four-day meet to show the field and combined events.
How They Got Here: NCAA West Prelim Rewind
Minnesota's six NCAA Championship qualifiers advanced through the NCAA West Prelim. Ogunrinde broke Minnesota's program record in the hammer throw with a mark of 64.01m (210-00) to place eighth at the NCAA West Prelim and secure her place at the NCAA Championship while Guenther also recorded a PR at 60.94m (199-11) to take 12th overall at the meet and move into fifth in Minnesota history while punching her ticket to Eugene, Ore.
Day two of the NCAA West Prelim saw Egwim place seventh in the 400m in 52.24 seconds to secure her place at the NCAA Championship and Strandemo take fifth in the 3,000m steeplechase in 10:10.68 to advance. Wiebke also punched her ticket to the national meet on day two, tying for seventh in high jump at 1.79m (5-10.50).
On the third and final day of the meet, Spagnola took fourth in her heat of the 100m hurdles quarterfinal in 13.20 seconds and ended up 12th overall, securing her debut at the outdoor national meet to round out the Gophers' six qualifiers.
30 Gophers Earn Academic All-Big Ten Honors
Thirty women's track & field representatives have been honored as 2017 Academic All-Big Ten honorees: Sofie Albrechtsen, Danielle Anderson, Emerald Egwim, Agnes Esser, Megan Flanagan, Cami Gilson, Kimberly Golding, Angie Guenther, Anne Haakenstad, Erin Hawkins, Erin Huls, Kat Keller, Lexi Kiefer, Macy Narr, Bailey Ness, Shay Nielsen, Patty O'Brien, Temi Ogunrinde, Naomi Ollila, Paige Peschel, Kiley Sabin, Rachel Schow, Lindsey Smits, Emma Spagnola, Madeline Strandemo, Heta Tuuri, Tess Wasowicz, Violet Weibel, Taylor Wiebke, and Shanique Wright.
Gophers Finish as B1G Runners-Up
Minnesota finished as team runner-up at this year's B1G Championship led by Big Ten champions Emerald Egwim (400m), Temi Ogunrinde (hammer throw), and Madeline Strandemo (3,000m steeplechase). Purdue took home the team title with 133 points, followed by the runner-up Gophers with 105.5 points. Penn State (101), Ohio State (84.5), and Michigan (79) rounded out the top five in the team race. The Gophers scored points in 14 different events at the meet.
2016 NCAA Championship Rewind
Minnesota 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. Fellow Gophers Liz Berkholtz (10,000m), Kaila Urick (3,000m steeplechase), and Heta Tuuri (high jump) also represented the Maroon & Gold at the NCAA meet last year.
Gophers Post All-Time Top-10 Marks
Sixteen individuals and two relay teams have already improved their ranks among all-time Gophers in their respective events, led by record-breaking performances from Emerald Egwim (400m), Kimberly Golding (100m hurdles), Temi Ogunrinde (hammer throw), Kiley Sabin (shot put), Madeline Strandemo (3,000m steeplechase), and Taylor Wiebke (high jump).
USTFCCCA Team Rankings
No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Kentucky make up the nation's top five teams according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's week nine outdoor NCAA Division I National Team Computer Rankings. The Gophers fell to No. 26 heading into the NCAA Championship, and No. 14 Purdue is the lone Big Ten Conference team among the nation's top 25.
Minnesota closed out the regular season atop the USTFCCCA Women's Event Squad Leader list for the best foursome in the country by event in the hammer throw (squad average, 61.10m, 200-05).
Minnesota Welcomes 23 Newcomers
The Gophers' 2017 roster includes 23 newcomers, including two who 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 joined the Minnesota family while senior sprinter Tayler Whittler made her Gopher debut as a graduate student from DePaul University in the indoor season. The Gophers' roster also includes 18 redshirt freshmen who made their official collegiate debuts this year.
Gophers Sign 15 for 2017-18
The Minnesota women's track & field and cross country program is pleased to announce the addition of 15 student-athletes who have signed for the 2017-18 season. Ayesha Champagnie (Kingston, Jamaica), Karlie Place (River Falls, Wis.), Hailey Poole (Worden, Mont.), Molly Roach (Bloomington, Minn.), and Tate Sweeney (Edina, Minn.) join early signees Nayoka Clunis (Kingston, Jamaica), 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.) to make up the newest Gophers.
2016 Outdoor Season Rewind
After earning a share of the 2016 B1G title, Minnesota 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.
Follow the Gophers Online
GopherSports.com is your home for all Minnesota Women's Track & Field news. Be sure to follow Gopher Women's Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for behind the scenes info and the latest updates on the program.
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Players Mentioned
