Gophers Set for Battle in Beantown

MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 24 University of Minnesota women's cross country team sends its top runners to Boston for the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown this Friday while the non-travel squad races at the St. Olaf Invite in Northfield, Minn., on Saturday.

About the Battle in Beantown 5K

The 2018 Battle in Beantown is set for 2 p.m. CT this Friday at Franklin Park in Jamaica Plain, Mass. The women's 5K race kicks off the meet followed by the men's 8K race at 2:45 p.m. CT and a combined 5K at 3:15 p.m. CT. Along with the No. 24 Gophers, the field for the women's race includes host Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Bucknell, No. 27 Dartmouth, Eastern Michigan, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Lehigh, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Pittsburgh, No. 11 Providence, Quinnipiac, Stony Brook, No. 22 Syracuse, U Mass Amherst, U Mass Lowell, UNC Chapel Hill, Utah, Virginia, and Wake Forest.

2017 Battle in Beantown Rewind

Minnesota did not race at last year's Battle in Beantown; the meet marks a new competition for the Maroon & Gold. Providence won the team title at the 2017 Battle in Beantown with 71 points, followed by runner-up Indiana (78 points), Georgetown (78 points), Dartmouth (132 points), and Cornell (143 points) to make up the top five teams. New Hampshire senior Elinor Purrier took home the individual crown, covering the 5K course in 16:49.

Last Time Out: Oz Memorial

Minnesota opened the 2018 season by winning the team and individual titles at the Oz Memorial Run. Megan Hasz paced the field in a season-opening 6K time of 21:43.2 for the win, followed by runner-up Patty O'Brien in 22:32.5 and Anastasia Korzenowski in third (22:34.7). Molly Eastman and Elyse Prescott rounded out the scoring finishes for Minnesota in fourth place and fifth place, respectively, followed by Zetta Mason, Jaycie Thomsen, and Olivia Hummel as the Gophers took the top eight overall places and Minnesota took home the team title with a perfect 15 points. In total, Minnesota had 14 of the top 15 and 18 of the top 20 finishers. Behind the Gophers, Minnesota State was second with 63 points, followed by Drake with 72 points and Concordia St. Paul with 94 points.

Gophers Remain No. 24 in USTFCCCA Preseason Poll

The Gophers remain No. 24 in the nation according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Week Two National Coaches' Poll after opening the season in the same position. The Big Ten Conference has six teams ranked among the nation's top 30 in No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 10 Michigan, No. 14 Penn State, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 20 Indiana, and No. 24 Minnesota. Ohio State received 10 votes this week as well. There were no changes to the top-five teams in the Midwest Region Week Two rankings where Iowa State remained the top team, followed by Minnesota, Oklahoma State, South Dakota, and Northwestern. The week three national poll is set to be released Tuesday, Sept. 25.

Gophers Make Debuts

Gophers Maria Eastman and Olivia Hummel made their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this season, and redshirt freshmen Bit Klecker, Anastasia Korzenowski, Molly Roach, Sophie Schmitz, Tate Sweeney, and Jaycie Thomsen all competed in uniform for the first time in their careers at the Oz Memorial. Gopher rookies Libby Halbmaier, Taylor Krone, Becca Langer, and Courtney West all raced unattached at the season-opening Oz Memorial as well.

Gophers Celebrate Track & Field Stadium Grand Opening

The University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics celebrated a new era of track and field with the grand opening of the University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium on Monday, Sept. 17. Located in the heart of the new Athletes Village area, this facility will become synonymous with track & field excellence in the Midwest. It will not only provide a first-class experience for the Gophers, but it will also provide a wonderful venue for the state's largest amateur meets and a Minnesota option for USA Track & Field to place its marquee events in the Upper Midwest.

The University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium gives Minnesota its first opportunity in more than 15 years to host home outdoor meets, including Big Ten and NCAA competition. The facility features a nine-lane track with the Beynon 2000 surface, full-field event hosting capabilities, versatile configuration, fully enclosed, heated warm-up and cool down areas, and grandstands with the capacity to host major competitions.

Who is Back?

The Gophers return four of their seven runners from the 2017 NCAA Championship in Megan Hasz, Abby Kohut-Jackson, Bethany Hasz, and Elyse Prescott along with alternates Patty O'Brien and Zetta Mason. Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz return after earning NCAA all-region and All-Big Ten honors last season.

Who is New?

Five rookies join the Gophers this season in Libby Halbmaier (Minnetonka, Minn.), Elena Hayday (Bloomington, Minn.), Taylor Krone (Anoka, Minn.), Becca Langer (Waukesha, Wis.), and Courtney West (Dodge Center, Minn.). Junior Maria Berg (New Prague, Minn.) is another newcomer for the Maroon & Gold after she transferred to the University of Minnesota after competing for Minnesota Duluth in both cross country and track & field as a freshman during the 2016-17 season and competing in cross country during the 2017 season.

Seven redshirt freshmen are set to make their debuts racing in uniform for the Gophers after competing unattached last fall: Sam Baer (St. Louis Park, Minn.), Bit Klecker (Hopkins, Minn.), Anastasia Korzenowski (Chanhassen, Minn.), Molly Roach (Bloomington, Minn.), Sophie Schmitz (Willmar, Minn.), Tate Sweeney (Edina, Minn.), and Jaycie Thomsen (Maple Grove, Minn.). Redshirt sophomores Kayla Baker (Cloquet, Minn.), Maria Eastman (Victoria Minn.), and Olivia Hummel (Woodbury, Minn.) are also making their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this fall.

Six Gophers Serving as Captains

Molly Eastman, Abby Lange, Patty O'Brien, Paige Peschel, Elyse Prescott, and Kelsey Sather are leading the Gophers as captains this fall. O'Brien and Peschel return to Minnesota's leadership group as fifth-year seniors and second-year captains joined by fellow fifth-year senior Eastman. Lange and Sather are both redshirt juniors for the Gophers, and Prescott rounds out Minnesota's six captains as she enters her junior season.

Home Meets

Minnesota hosts six home meets at Les Bolstad Course this fall: Intrasquad 5K (Aug. 31), Oz Memorial Run (Sept. 7), 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 29), Jack's Twilight Run (Oct. 19), and Rocky's Run (Nov. 4).

Up Next: Roy Griak Invitational

Minnesota returns to action by hosting the 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Course on Saturday, Sept. 29. The Jack Johnson Division I Women's Gold Competition is scheduled for 12:15 p.m., and the meet begins with the Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon Competition (Division II and Division III) at 9:30 a.m.

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Players Mentioned

Sam Baer

Kayla Baker

Maria Berg

Maria Eastman

Molly Eastman

Libby Halbmaier

Bethany Hasz

Megan Hasz

Elena Hayday

Olivia Hummel

Bit Klecker

Abby Kohut-Jackson

Anastasia Korzenowski

Taylor Krone

Abby Lange

Becca Langer

Zetta Mason

Patty O'Brien

Paige Peschel

Elyse Prescott

Molly Roach

Kelsey Sather

Sophie Schmitz

Tate Sweeney

Jaycie Thomsen

Courtney West