University of Minnesota Athletics
No. 13 Gophers to Face Top-25 Foes at Iowa
1/16/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
| 2018 Larry Wieczorek Invite | |||||||||||
| Date | Friday-Saturday, Jan. 19-20, 2018 | ||||||||||
| Location | UI Recreation Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Meet Info | Schedule | Heat Sheets | ||||||||||
| Time | 11 a.m. Friday | 1 p.m. Saturday | ||||||||||
| Coverage | Live Results | @GopherWCCTF | #Gophers | ||||||||||
Jan. 8, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 13 University of Minnesota women's track & field team is set to compete at the University of Iowa's Larry Wieczorek Invite this Friday and Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa.
Members of the team are also scheduled to compete at the St. Thomas Invite on Friday night at the Anderson Fieldhouse on the St. Thomas campus. Action gets underway at 4 p.m. CT.
About the Larry Wieczorek Invite
The 2018 Larry Wieczorek Invite features No. 7 LSU, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 13 Minnesota, No. 14 Iowa State, No. 18 Kansas State, host Iowa, Florida State, Virginia, and Arizona on the women's side. The heptathlon and pentathlon kick off competition at 11 a.m. Friday. The first event on the track is the women's 3,000m at 5 p.m. Friday. Competition resumes at 1 p.m. Saturday with the heptathlon 60m hurdles and women's shot put.
Last Time Out: Gophers Win Fourth-Straight Border Battle
No. 13 Minnesota defeated No. 11 Wisconsin by a score of 88-69 in the fourth-annual Minnesota vs. Wisconsin Dual over the weekend. The Gophers won nine events on the way to their fourth consecutive Border Battle crown. Madeline Strandemo (mile) and Emerald Egwim (400m) defended titles from last season, and Rachel Schow (60m hurdles), Titania Markland (600m), Val Larson (800m), and the 4x400m relay team of Brieasha Hobbs, Schow, Egwim, and Markland also won titles on the track. In the field events, Kiley Sabin threw 16.78m (55-00.75) to defend her Border Battle shot put title from a year ago, and long jump champion Ayesha Champagnie (6.56m, 21-06.25) and weight throw champion Kaitlyn Long (22.74m, 74-07.25) won their respective events and set new Minnesota indoor program records.
Gophers Record Big Ten, NCAA Top Marks
The following Gophers rank among the top five in the Big Ten Conference in their respective events so far this season:
1. Titania Markland, 600m (1:29.42)
1. Ayesha Champagnie, long jump (6.56m, 21-06.25)
1. Kaitlyn Long, weight throw (22.74m, 74-07.25)
1. Ayesha Champagnie, pentathlon (3,667)
2. Kiley Sabin, shot put (16.78m, 55-00.75)
2. Hannah Arason, pentathlon (3,614)
3. Emerald Egwim, 400m (54.15)
3. Val Larson, 600m (1:31.78)
3. Madeline Strandemo, 5,000m (16:39.16)
3. Ashley Ramacher, pentathlon (3,606)
4. Madeline Strandemo, mile (4:45.22)
4. Megan Hasz, 5,000m (16:40.21)
4. Hobbs, Schow, Egwim, Markland, 4x400m relay (3:42.08)
4. Lexi Kiefer, pole vault, 3.91m (12-10)
4. Karlie Place, pole vault, 3.91m (12-10)
4. Kayla Nelson, pentathlon (3,473)
5. Megan Hasz, 3,000m (9:37.29)
5. Bethany Hasz, 5,000m (16:40.43)
5. Heta Tuuri, high jump, (1.75m, 5-08.75)
5. Taylor Wiebke, high jump, (1.75m, 5-08.75)
5. Nayoka Clunis, shot put (16.24m, 53-03.50)
5. Nayoka Clunis, weight throw (20.01m, 65-07.75)
Nationally, the following individuals are among the top-10 performers in their respective events:
2. Kaitlyn Long, weight throw (22.74m, 74-07.25)
2. Ayesha Champagnie, long jump (6.56m, 21-06.25)
6. Kiley Sabin, shot put (16.78m, 55-00.75)
7. Emerald Egwim, 400m (54.15)
8. Madeline Strandemo, mile (4:45.22)
Gophers Rank No. 13 in Preseason Rankings
Minnesota ranks No. 13 in the nation in this season's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason National Team Computer Rankings. The Gophers are ranked third among Big Ten Conference teams, just behind No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 12 Michigan and ahead of No. 23 Penn State. No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Texas make up the nation's top five teams in the preseason rankings.
In the event rankings, five Gophers begin the season among the top 15. Emerald Egwim is ranked seventh in the 400m at 52.73, and Emma Spagnola comes in ninth in the 60m hurdles at 8.13 seconds. In the weight throw, Kaitlyn Long (22.70m, 74-05.75) is third and Agnes Esser (20.94m, 68-08.50) is 15th while Kiley Sabin (17.17m, 56-04.00) is 10th in the shot put.
'U' Breaks Ground on T&F Facility
The University of Minnesota officially broke ground on a new outdoor track & field venue on Friday, Oct. 20. The new stadium will feature a nine-lane track with three chutes, full field event hosting capabilities, and a design to allow sprints and certain field events to be held in multiple directions to take advantage of wind conditions on competition days. These features, along with permanent and event-based seating, provide the flexibility and the amenities to host a wide variety of meets.
Gophers Welcome 19 Newcomers
The Gophers' 2018 roster includes 19 newcomers. Freshmen Sam Baer, Erin Dunning, Allison Gerads, Tess Keyzers, Bit Klecker, Anastasia Korzenowski, Lorean Murray, Hailey Poole, Molly Roach, Sophie Schmitz, Tate Sweeney, and Jaycie Thomsen have joined the Gophers this season along with seven transfers in sophomore Olivia Hummel, sophomore Maria Eastman, junior Ayesha Champagnie, junior Nayoka Clunis, senior Karlie Place, senior Delaney FitzPatrick, and senior Kaitlyn Long.
Meanwhile, Hannah Arason, Meleah Biermaier, Jenna Conzemius, Ryan Crotty, Carissa Dock, 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 will make their official collegiate debuts this year after redshirting the 2017 season.
Gophers Name Captains
Four Gophers will lead the Maroon & Gold in search of the program's sixth Big Ten track & field title this season in Titania Markland, Temi Ogunrinde, Emma Spagnola, and Madeline Strandemo. Markland and Strandemo return as captains while Ogunrinde and Spagnola are first-year captains for Minnesota.
2017-18 Track & Field Schedule
Under the direction of Matt Bingle for the seventh season, the Gophers' 2017-18 schedule includes nine weeks of indoor meets and nine weeks of outdoor meets with competitions in 12 different states. Highlighting the indoor slate are three home meets, beginning with the Minnesota vs. Wisconsin Dual which returns to the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 13, the Jack Johnson Classic (Jan. 26-27) and the Parents Day Invite (Feb. 17). The outdoor season includes nine weeks of competition, and the Gophers will compete in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Minnesota, California, Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, and Oregon.
2017 Cross Country Season Rewind
The Gophers wrapped up the 2017 season with three NCAA All-Midwest Region honorees, three All-Big Ten Conference awards, B1G team and individual runner-up showings, and a top-20 NCAA Championship finish.
Madeline Strandemo finished as B1G runner-up to lead Minnesota to a runner-up team showing while Megan Hasz and Bethany Hasz joined Strandemo as All-Big Ten and All-Midwest Region honorees. The Gophers closed out the season with a 19th-place team finish at the NCAA Championship.
Program Records Fall in 2017
The Gophers broke three Minnesota indoor program records last season, 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.
Outdoors, six Gophers set new program records last spring in Emerald Egwim (400m, 51.99), Kimberly Golding (100m hurdles, 12.98) Madeline Strandemo (3,000m steeplechase, 9:51.83), Kiley Sabin (shot put, 16.65m, 54-07.50), Temi Ogunrinde (hammer throw, 64.01m, 210-00), and Taylor Wiebke (high jump, 1.85m, 6-00.75). Sixteen Gophers and two relay teams made improvements to the program's top-10 list in 12 different events.
Up Next: Jack Johnson Classic
Minnesota returns home to host the Jack Johnson Classic next Friday, Jan. 26 and Saturday, Jan. 27 at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.
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Players Mentioned
