University of Minnesota Athletics
Raleigh Relays, Ole Miss Classic Up Next
3/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
| 2018 Raleigh Relays | |||||||||||
| Date | Friday, March 30-Saturday, March 31, 2018 | ||||||||||
| Location | Paul Derr Track & Field Facility | North Carolina State | Raleigh, N.C. | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Host Info | Meet Info | Schedule | Accepted Entries | Heat Sheets | ||||||||||
| Time | 8 a.m. CT Friday | 10 a.m. CT Saturday | ||||||||||
| Coverage | Live Results | Friday Video | Saturday Video | @GopherWCCTF | #Gophers | ||||||||||
| 2018 Ole Miss Classic | |||||||||||
| Date | Saturday, March 31, 2018 | ||||||||||
| Location | Ole Miss Track & Field Complex | Oxford, Miss. | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | Host Info | Meet Info | Heat Sheets | Schedule | ||||||||||
| Time | 9 a.m. CT Field Events | 2 p.m. CT Running Events | ||||||||||
| Coverage | Live Results | @GopherWCCTF | #Gophers | ||||||||||
March 27, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS - Members of the University of Minnesota women's track & field team are back in action this Friday and Saturday as the Gophers split the squad at the Ole Miss Classic and the Raleigh Relays.
Some of the Gopher distance runners race at the Raleigh Relays on Friday and Saturday while another group of Gophers heads to Oxford, Miss., to compete at the Ole Miss Classic on Saturday.
About the Raleigh Relays
The 2018 Raleigh Relays are set for Friday and Saturday at NC State's Paul Derr Track & Field Facility. The Gophers are entered in the 1500m, 5,000m, 10,000m, 3,000m steeplechase, and the 4x800m relay. Admission is free of charge to the event.
About the Ole Miss Classic
The 2018 Ole Miss Classic is scheduled to begin with field events at 9 a.m. CT Saturday. Running events kick off at 2 p.m. CT at the Ole Miss Track & Field Complex.
2017 Raleigh Relays Rewind
Madeline Strandemo led the Gophers with a pair of podium finishes at the 2017 Raleigh Relays, winning the 3,000m steeplechase in a meet-record 10:07.46 and taking third in the 800m in a career-best 2:08.57. The Gophers also earned a third-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay where Minnesota's team of Paige Peschel, Abby Lange, Samantha Prouty, and Tess Wasowicz recorded a time of 9:01.41.
Last Time Out: Cougar Spring Break Invite
Members of the team got an early start to the outdoor season at the University of Houston Cougar Spring Break Invitational. Minnesota won six events and recorded eight runner-up finishes after spending spring break training in Texas. The Gophers won three events in the field events, including taking home event crowns in three of four throwing events as Temi Ogunrinde (hammer throw), Agnes Esser (discus), and Nicolle Murphy (javelin) claimed the top spot in their respective events. Minnesota also won three events on the track as Titania Markland (800m) and Rachel Schow (400m hurdles) won individual events and the 4x400m relay team of Lindsey Smits, Emma Spagnola, Emerald Egwim, and Brieasha Hobbs also was victorious to lead the Maroon & Gold.
Indoor Season Wraps Up at NCAA Championship
Five Gophers earned USTFCCCA All-America nods at the NCAA Indoor Championship to cap off the indoor season. NCAA weight throw champion Kaitlyn Long and Kiley Sabin, who placed fifth in the shot put, were named First-Team All-Americans while Agnes Esser, Karlie Place, and Nayoka Clunis earned Second-Team honors. Esser finished 11th in weight throw, Place was 12th in pole vault, and Clunis finished 16th in weight throw at the NCAA Championship. Ayesha Champagnie was recognized as honorable mention after competing in the long jump but fouling all three attempts.
Long Becomes Gophers' Second NCAA Champion
Kaitlyn Long won the weight throw to become the second national champion in University of Minnesota women's track & field history at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship. Long recorded a winning mark of 23.30m (76-05.50) on her sixth and final throw to take the lead after being in fifth place through three rounds of the competition. Long joins Minnesota alumnae Heather Dorniden, the 2006 indoor 800-meter champion, to make up the program's two national champions. A two-time NCAA Division II national champion, Long fouled her first two attempts and moved into fifth place with a throw of 22.15m (72-08.00) on her third throw, securing a place in the event final. She then threw 21.57m (70-09.25) and 21.82m (71-07.25) on her fourth and fifth throws, remaining in fifth place, before moving into the lead on her final attempt. Along with her distinction as national champion, Long was named a First Team All-American and the Big Ten Indoor Field Athlete of the Year as well.
2018 Big Ten Indoor Champions
The Gophers won the program's fourth indoor and sixth overall Big Ten Conference Track & Field Championship this season. Led by Kaitlyn Long's weight throw title and runner-up showings by Titania Markland in the 600m, Madeline Strandemo in the mile, and Karlie Place in pole vault, the Gophers scored 91.50 points in the team race for a convincing team victory to defeat runner-up Purdue by 11.50 points. The Boilermakers recorded 80 points for second place, followed by Ohio State and Indiana tied for third with 75 points apiece while Iowa (74 points) rounded out the top five B1G women's teams.
Gophers Begin Outdoor Ranked No. 11
Minnesota ranks No. 11 in the nation in the outdoor season's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason National Team Computer Rankings. The Gophers made two appearances among the nation's top 10 during the 2018 indoor season, marking the program's first top-10 rankings since the second week of the 2009 season.
No. 1 Arkansas, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 USC, and No. 5 Texas make up the nation's top-five teams heading into the outdoor campaign. The Gophers lead the Big Ten Conference, ahead of No. 13 Purdue, No. 16 Nebraska, and No. 18 Michigan. The B1G is third among conferences with four teams in the top-25; the SEC leads the way with nine ranked teams, followed by the Pac-12 with five top-25 teams.
In the event rankings, eight Gophers begin the season among the nation's top 20 in Taylor Wiebke (tied for fifth in the high jump), Emerald Egwim (sixth in the 400m), Madeline Strandemo (sixth in the 3,000m steeplechase), Nicolle Murphy (seventh in javelin), Agnes Esser (eighth in discus), Temi Ogunrinde (10th in hammer throw), Emma Spagnola (11th in the 100m hurdles), and Kiley Sabin (16th in the shot put).
Program Records Fall in 2018
The Gophers set three new indoor program records this season: 3,000m (Bethany Hasz, 9:13.95), long jump (Ayesha Champagnie, 6.56m, 21-06.25), and weight throw (Kaitlyn Long, 24.37m, 79-11.50).
'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 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 outdoor meets with competitions in 12 different states. The outdoor season has the Gophers competing 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.
Up Next: Baylor Invitational
Next Saturday, the Gophers are set to compete at the Baylor Invitational in Waco, Texas, at the Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium. Minnesota will face competition from host Baylor, DePaul, Oklahoma Baptist, Oral Roberts, Oregon State, Prairie View A&M, SMU, North Texas, UT-Arlington, UTSA, and Midwestern State. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth, ages 2-17.
Minnesota's non-traveling squad will also compete at the HU Invitational in St. Paul, Minn., next Saturday at Hamline University's Klas Field.
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Players Mentioned
