University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, September 7
Les Bolstad Course
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Oz Memorial
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Oz Memorial Up Next for Gophers
9/4/2018 12:19:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
The No. 24 Minnesota women's cross country team officially opens the 2018 season on Friday.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 24 University of Minnesota women's cross country team officially opens the 2018 season by hosting the 19th annual Oz Memorial Run at Les Bolstad Course this Friday.
About the Oz Memorial Run
The 2018 Oz Memorial Run is set for 7 p.m. CT this Friday. The men's four-mile race kicks off the evening at 6:30 p.m. CT with the women's 6K race to follow at 7 p.m. The Gophers will face competition from Drake University, Minnesota State, and Concordia St. Paul.
The Oz Memorial honors the memory of former Drake coach Gary Osborn, who passed away on May 21, 2000. Osborn was a longtime friend of former Minnesota coach Gary Wilson. Osborn served as the head coach of the Drake women's cross country program from 1989-99 and also assumed the head coaching duties of the women's track & field program during the 1993-94 season. Under Osborn's guidance, Drake won consecutive Missouri Valley Conference cross country titles in 1994 and 1995, as well as 1998. In all, Osborn spent 32 years involved in coaching at Drake.
Osborn was named the MVC Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1983, when he guided Drake to within one point of the league title. Osborn was also honored by the league in 1994 and 1995. In 1989, he was named the Gateway Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year. A native of Winterset, Iowa, Osborn was a seven-time winner in the MVC, competing for Drake in the high and intermediate hurdles and the 100 and 220-yard dashes.
2017 Oz Memorial Rewind
Nearly all of the Gophers who raced at last year's Oz Memorial Run return to the field this season led by Oz Memorial defending champion Abby Kohut-Jackson and 2017 runner-up Anastasia Korzenowski. Kohut-Jackson led the Gophers to the team title a year ago, pacing the field of 63 runners in 22:35.6 with Korzenowski finishing as runner-up in 22:43.4. Drake senior Bailee Cofer was third in 22:48.1 while Zetta Mason (22:51.0) and Jaycie Thomsen (23:02.6) rounded out the top five. Overall, the Gophers placed seven individuals among the top-10 finishers, including three athletes racing unattached. In the team scoring, Minnesota placed five in the top nine in Kohut-Jackson, Mason, Lindsey Greenlund, Molly Eastman, and Carissa Dock. The Gophers cruised to the team title with 25 points ahead of runner-up North Dakota State with 54 points. South Dakota State (62), Drake (95), and Hamline (151) rounded out the five-team meet.
Last Time Out: Intrasquad 5K
Megan Hasz, Bethany Hasz, and Olivia Hummel were the top three finishers when Minnesota hosted its annual Intrasquad 5K to kick off the season last Friday night. Thirty Gophers took part in the unofficial season-opening race. Megan Hasz won in 18:32.2 with Bethany Hasz on her heels in 18:33.2 as runner-up. Hummel finished third in 18:58.3 with Abby Kohut-Jackson (19:11.6) and Patty O'Brien (19:16.5) rounding out the top five finishers.
Gophers Rank No. 24 in USTFCCCA Preseason Poll
The Gophers open the season ranked 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 Preseason National Coaches' Poll. Minnesota is one of seven Big Ten Conference teams ranked in the top-30 to start the season as No. 7 Wisconsin (246), No. 12 Penn State (191), No. 13 Michigan (190), No. 15 Michigan State (174), No. 21 Indiana (106), and No. 29 Ohio State (19) join the 24th-ranked Gophers (82). In the Midwest Region rankings, Iowa State was selected as the top team, followed by Oklahoma State, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Bradley to make up the top five teams. The week one national poll is set to be released Tuesday, Sept. 11.
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: Battle in Beantown
Up next, the Gophers will split the squad for a pair of meets after a week off from competition. Minnesota's top runners will head to Boston for the Battle in Beantown on Friday, Sept. 21 while the non-travel squad races at the St. Olaf Invite on Saturday, Sept. 22.
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About the Oz Memorial Run
The 2018 Oz Memorial Run is set for 7 p.m. CT this Friday. The men's four-mile race kicks off the evening at 6:30 p.m. CT with the women's 6K race to follow at 7 p.m. The Gophers will face competition from Drake University, Minnesota State, and Concordia St. Paul.
The Oz Memorial honors the memory of former Drake coach Gary Osborn, who passed away on May 21, 2000. Osborn was a longtime friend of former Minnesota coach Gary Wilson. Osborn served as the head coach of the Drake women's cross country program from 1989-99 and also assumed the head coaching duties of the women's track & field program during the 1993-94 season. Under Osborn's guidance, Drake won consecutive Missouri Valley Conference cross country titles in 1994 and 1995, as well as 1998. In all, Osborn spent 32 years involved in coaching at Drake.
Osborn was named the MVC Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1983, when he guided Drake to within one point of the league title. Osborn was also honored by the league in 1994 and 1995. In 1989, he was named the Gateway Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year. A native of Winterset, Iowa, Osborn was a seven-time winner in the MVC, competing for Drake in the high and intermediate hurdles and the 100 and 220-yard dashes.
2017 Oz Memorial Rewind
Nearly all of the Gophers who raced at last year's Oz Memorial Run return to the field this season led by Oz Memorial defending champion Abby Kohut-Jackson and 2017 runner-up Anastasia Korzenowski. Kohut-Jackson led the Gophers to the team title a year ago, pacing the field of 63 runners in 22:35.6 with Korzenowski finishing as runner-up in 22:43.4. Drake senior Bailee Cofer was third in 22:48.1 while Zetta Mason (22:51.0) and Jaycie Thomsen (23:02.6) rounded out the top five. Overall, the Gophers placed seven individuals among the top-10 finishers, including three athletes racing unattached. In the team scoring, Minnesota placed five in the top nine in Kohut-Jackson, Mason, Lindsey Greenlund, Molly Eastman, and Carissa Dock. The Gophers cruised to the team title with 25 points ahead of runner-up North Dakota State with 54 points. South Dakota State (62), Drake (95), and Hamline (151) rounded out the five-team meet.
Last Time Out: Intrasquad 5K
Megan Hasz, Bethany Hasz, and Olivia Hummel were the top three finishers when Minnesota hosted its annual Intrasquad 5K to kick off the season last Friday night. Thirty Gophers took part in the unofficial season-opening race. Megan Hasz won in 18:32.2 with Bethany Hasz on her heels in 18:33.2 as runner-up. Hummel finished third in 18:58.3 with Abby Kohut-Jackson (19:11.6) and Patty O'Brien (19:16.5) rounding out the top five finishers.
Gophers Rank No. 24 in USTFCCCA Preseason Poll
The Gophers open the season ranked 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 Preseason National Coaches' Poll. Minnesota is one of seven Big Ten Conference teams ranked in the top-30 to start the season as No. 7 Wisconsin (246), No. 12 Penn State (191), No. 13 Michigan (190), No. 15 Michigan State (174), No. 21 Indiana (106), and No. 29 Ohio State (19) join the 24th-ranked Gophers (82). In the Midwest Region rankings, Iowa State was selected as the top team, followed by Oklahoma State, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Bradley to make up the top five teams. The week one national poll is set to be released Tuesday, Sept. 11.
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: Battle in Beantown
Up next, the Gophers will split the squad for a pair of meets after a week off from competition. Minnesota's top runners will head to Boston for the Battle in Beantown on Friday, Sept. 21 while the non-travel squad races at the St. Olaf Invite on Saturday, Sept. 22.
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