University of Minnesota Athletics
No. 11 Gophers Set for NCAA West Prelim
5/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
| 2018 NCAA West Preliminary | |||||||||||
| Date | Thursday-Saturday, May 24-26, 2018 | ||||||||||
| Location | Hornet Stadium | California State University, Sacramento | Sacramento, Calif. | ||||||||||
| Meet Info | NCAA Meet Central | Schedule | Declared Athletes | ||||||||||
| Coverage | FloTrack | Live Results | @GopherWCCTF | #Gophers | ||||||||||
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 11 University of Minnesota women's track & field team kicks off the NCAA postseason at the 2018 NCAA West Prelim in Sacramento, Calif., this Thursday through Saturday. Nineteen Gophers are among the declared competitors with 23 entries in 14 different events.
About the NCAA West Prelim
The 2018 NCAA West Prelim is set for Thursday, May 24 through Saturday, May 26 in Sacramento, Calif. California State University, Sacramento and the Sacramento Sports Commission are co-hosts of the event, which will be held at Hornet Stadium. The top 12 individual competitors and top 12 relay teams from the West and East preliminary round sites advance to the NCAA national championship.
Gophers at the NCAA West Prelim
At the NCAA West Prelim, 19 Gophers are set to compete in 14 different events with seven individuals competing in multiple events. Minnesota's 19 qualifiers this season is the most for the program since sending 20 student-athletes to the preliminary round in 2016. In total, Minnesota's list of qualifiers includes 13 returners and six first-timers.
For the fourth-straight year, Agnes Esser (hammer throw, discus) and Emma Spagnola (100m hurdles, 400m hurdles) qualified in multiple events. Meanwhile, Emerald Egwim and Titania Markland return to the NCAA West Prelim in both the open 400m and the 4x400m relay, and Rachel Schow will make her second appearance in the 400m hurdles along with being part of the 4x400m relay. Kiley Sabin is set to compete in both the shot put and the discus for the second-straight season as well; she is now a three-time shot put qualifier. Meanwhile, in her first NCAA West Prelim appearance, Nayoka Clunis will compete in both shot put and hammer throw.
Nicolle Murphy (javelin), Egwim, Esser, Markland, and Spagnola lead the way as four-time NCAA West Prelim qualifiers while Madeline Strandemo (3,000m steeplechase), Heta Tuuri (high jump), Shanique Wright (triple jump), and Sabin are making their third NCAA preliminary round appearances.
Shay Nielsen (shot put), Temi Ogunrinde (hammer throw), and Karlie Place (pole vault) are all making their second career appearances at the NCAA West Prelim while Ayesha Champagnie (javelin), Bethany Hasz (5,000m), Megan Hasz (10,000m), Val Larson (4x400m relay), and Ashley Ramacher (high jump) round out those making their NCAA West Prelim debuts.
For the heptathlon and decathlon, the top 24 declared student-athletes in each event based on their position on the national descending-order list are accepted into the NCAA Championships. Among declared athletes, Ayesha Champagnie ranks 10th with 5,821 points in the heptathlon heading into the national championship.
Last Time Out: B1G Championship
Minnesota won the program's third outdoor and seventh overall Big Ten Conference Track & Field Championship this season, adding the B1G outdoor team title to the 2018 indoor title also won by the Maroon & Gold. The Gophers were led by Big Ten champions Temi Ogunrinde (hammer throw) and Nicolle Murphy (javelin) and scored points in 15 of 21 possible events. Along with the two individual B1G titles, Minnesota earned runner-up finishes in five events: 4x100m relay (Rachel Schow, Titania Markland, Emma Spagnola, Emerald Egwim), triple jump (Shanique Wright), 3,000m steeplechase (Madeline Strandemo), shot put (Kiley Sabin), and high jump (Ashley Ramacher).
Minnesota led the team race throughout the meet, including holding a 46-point lead after two days and nine events scored. The field narrowed the Gophers' lead on day three, but the Maroon & Gold never trailed. The final team standings saw Minnesota win by two points, edging runner-up Purdue 134-132, but the Gophers held an insurmountable 12-point lead going into the final event, the 4x400m relay.
2017 NCAA West Prelim Rewind
Eighteen Gophers represented the Maroon & Gold in 11 different events at the 2017 NCAA West Prelim, and six Gophers advanced to the NCAA Championship in Emma Spagnola, Temi Ogunrinde, Angie Guenther, Emerald Egwim, Madeline Strandemo, and Taylor Wiebke.
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 while Ogunrinde broke Minnesota's program record in the hammer throw with a mark of 64.01m (210-00) to place eighth and move on. Guenther also recorded a hammer throw PR of 60.94m (199-11) to take 12th overall. Egwim placed seventh in the 400m dash in 52.24 seconds to secure her place at the NCAA Championship, and Strandemo took fifth in the 3,000m steeplechase in 10:10.68 to advance. Wiebke also punched her ticket to the national meet, tying for seventh in high jump at 1.79m (5-10.50).
Gophers Rank No. 11
Minnesota remained No. 11 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Week Eight National Team Computer Rankings heading into this week's NCAA West Prelim. No. 1 USC, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas A&M, and No. 5 Oregon make up the nation's top five teams in the week eight rankings. Two teams represent the Big Ten Conference as No. 14 Purdue joins the Gophers among the nation's top-25 teams.
The Gophers are tied for seventh with 24 total entries into the NCAA Championship, with 19 Gophers having secured 23 entries in 14 events at the NCAA West Prelim and Ayesha Champagnie already qualifying for the NCAA heptathlon.
Gophers Lead Final Event Squad Rankings
As of the final week of the USTFCCCA Event Squad rankings, Minnesota is among the nation's top-10 teams in seven events: first in hammer throw, second in heptathlon, second in 400m hurdles, second in shot put, sixth in high jump, sixth in javelin, and ninth in 400m.
Six Outdoor Records Fall
Eight Minnesota program records have fallen during the outdoor season: Titania Markland (400m, 51.40), Bethany Hasz (5,000m, 15:59.46), Emma Spagnola (100m hurdles, 12.97; 400m hurdles, 56.79), Rachel Schow, Titania Markland, Emma Spagnola, and Emerald Egwim (4x100m relay, 44.22), Kiley Sabin (shot put, 16.89m), Agnes Esser (discus, 57.98m), and Temi Ogunrdine (hammer throw, 67.45m). The Gophers have all-time top-10 marks in 17 different events so far during the 2018 outdoor season.
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.
Indoor 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 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, Lindsey Greenlund, Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, Abby Kohut-Jackson, Val Larson, Zetta Mason, Elyse Prescott, Ashley Ramacher, Kelli Schmidt, and Sarah Werking made their official collegiate debuts this year after redshirting the 2017 season.
Gophers Name Captains
Four Gophers are leading 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 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: NCAA Championship
The qualifiers out of the NCAA East and West preliminary meets will advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships held June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore., at Hayward Field.
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