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/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Gopher Throwers Enjoy Special Culture
1/10/2019 8:10:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Take a look at the Gophers' recipe for success as the team heads into the 2019 season.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Spend some time with the University of Minnesota women's track & field team's throwers, and you will see plenty of impressive throws – and plenty of carefree dancing. The Gophers have found a unique balance of work and play that suits them, allowing them to be incredibly successful.
"I grew up playing sports since I was three years old, but I have never really been on a team that has so much talent and so much fun," said Kaitlyn Long. "It is definitely different than any other team I've been a part of … We know when to take things seriously and practice hard, but I have never been on a team that's so balanced. It really makes it easier going to practice every day when you're looking forward to seeing your teammates and working hard but still having fun while you're training."
"The team culture overall is really supportive," 2018 graduate Agnes Esser agreed. "At practice, we encourage each other to do well and are happy when our teammates figure out some technical aspect. We try to keep the atmosphere light by playing music and joking around with each other and Peter."
Assistant coach Peter Miller leads the Gopher throws group – and usually oversees the music playlist for practice. Imagine the surprise and delight when Temi Ogunrinde, one of Beyonce's biggest fans, arrived to the throws practice facility to hear Destiny's Child blaring from Miller's iPhone one day last spring.
"It's Kaitlyn's birthday, and she hasn't annoyed me yet," Miller joked matter-of-factly to an incredulous Ogunrinde. "So we're listening to the Beyonce playlist today."
Light-hearted teasing, high fives, dancing, singing, and plenty of laughs are not uncommon at practice. In fact, they are almost as important as a proper warm-up, fine-tuning technique, and sufficient throwing reps.
Make no mistake: it's intentional.
"The group as a whole does a great job of being focused but also not taking anything too seriously," Miller said. "They're super supportive of each other, as well as competitive both internally and externally, which has shown and obviously is important. I think they have healthy relationships with one another. They have fun and enjoy training as much as they enjoy competing. That combination has led to some pretty good stuff."
As Miller alluded to, the party does not stop on meet day for Minnesota.
At the 2018 Big Ten Conference Outdoor Championship, the entire team celebrated with giant sunglasses, kazoos, and party favors the night before day one of competition. Miller showed up to hammer throw with ribbons tied on his sunglasses to match the ribbons the Gophers wore in their hair. In 2017, he coached the B1G hammer throw competition in a cone-shaped party hat.
"We treat our competitions pretty similarly to practices by dancing and joking around," Esser said. "I think that's part of what makes us so successful, at least for me. We have fun in the competition and try not to get too serious or dwell too much on distance, because ultimately, we are in this sport because we love it and want to have fun."
There was plenty to celebrate during the 2018 season as the Gopher throwers collected three individual Big Ten titles. Long won the weight throw, Ogunrinde won the hammer throw, and Nicolle Murphy won the javelin throw. In total, Miller's throwers scored 42 of 134 team points at the 2018 B1G Outdoor Championship, helping Minnesota sweep the indoor and outdoor B1G team titles for the first time in program history.
"We are all so invested in each other and care about each other -- we truly want everyone to succeed and throw far, even if that means further than you," Kiley Sabin said. "We are all very competitive, obviously, so when one person does well, the next person feeds off that energy, and then the next person, and so on. When we have a big group of talented throwers, we are able to use the energy everyone gives and turn it into some really great throws."
The Gophers' ability to have three different individuals win conference titles showcases the team's depth – another one of the squad's biggest strengths.
"I think having quality depth in every area both pushes people and removes pressure too," Miller explained. "They know if they screw up there are three other people behind them to pick it up, so that removes a lot of pressure on each throw."
The athletes agree and recognize how the team's depth contributes to their individual success.
"Obviously you want to do your best and do well for your team, but if you are by chance having an off day, it's such a talented group of girls," Long said. "I've never been on a team where everyone is so talented. It elevates your whole performance; you have so many girls doing well in practice and in meets, so you want to do just as well. If you are having an off day, it's comforting to know someone else will step up."
"If you're the only kid who is supposed to score 20 points at the Big Ten meet in order to win for the team, that's a lot of pressure," Miller said. "On the other hand, if you're going in ranked first, but you also have someone ranked second and third right behind you, it makes things more natural. I really don't know what changed within the Big Ten meet to make us have a perfect indoor Big Ten meet and a nearly perfect outdoor Big Ten meet in 2018. I lean on Coach Bingle a lot, I lean on the girls a lot, but it's a great culture we have, even if it's hard to explain at times."
While the culture might be hard to explain, Matt Bingle, Minnesota's director of track & field and cross country, has a theory about the key ingredient that makes it so special: love.
"On this team, they all love each other," Bingle said after Minnesota won the 2018 B1G Indoor Championship. "They may not always get along, but they love each other. I can't wait to get to practice every day. The staff loves being with them. That's what makes it the best."
"We work hard but also have fun," Ogunrinde said. "Meet day is a blast. The hammer group is always dancing and having a good time between throws. I feel like we all take pride in being one of the best throws groups in the country, and we want to keep it that way. We're fun but also competitive, which pushes us to keep getting better."
As Ogunrinde mentioned, Miller's throwers have become one of the nation's top throws corps, and they have no intention of that changing. The team was ranked among the top 10 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Event Squad rankings throughout the 2018 season, and Minnesota ended the year with three top-six rankings: first in hammer throw, second in shot put, and sixth in javelin.
In his first five seasons with the Gophers, Miller coached Minnesota's throwers to 14 All-American awards and five Big Ten titles along with six Big Ten runner-up finishes. He has coached 16 Gophers to 47 NCAA West Prelim qualifications and has had 12 student-athletes make 19 appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Championship as well. Miller has even had an individual national champion in Kaitlyn Long.
During the 2018 indoor season, Long capped off her first season competing for the Gophers by becoming the program's second-ever national champion, winning the weight throw NCAA title. Long, who transferred to Minnesota after beginning her collegiate career at Winona State, joined the Gophers as a two-time NCAA Division II national champion in the weight throw and made a seamless transition to the NCAA Division I level.
"Bringing in a Division II national champion in Kaitlyn Long and her being one of the best of all time really pushed people immediately to up their game this year. Kaitlyn got pushed really hard, too, because she's never had her butt kicked at practice before," Miller said with a laugh. "Agnes, Temi, and Nayoka train at a high level every day so Kaitlyn got pushed a lot, and I think that made her grow as an athlete and as a person, too."
"Once I was on campus with the whole throws group and we started training in the fall, I noticed a big difference compared to other teams I had been a part of in the past," Long said. "Practicing with such a talented group every single day … Sometimes it's easy to take it for granted, but thinking about it, I've never been on a team with such a talented group of girls. Having that level of competitiveness every single day even at practice, whether you really realize it or not, really ups your game.
"When it comes to those big meets when it really matters, you're more comfortable," Long continued. "Every day, even at practice, it's kind of like a meet because my teammates are some of my biggest competitors in the country – some of the best throwers in the country. Being in that environment every day really pushes you."
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"I grew up playing sports since I was three years old, but I have never really been on a team that has so much talent and so much fun," said Kaitlyn Long. "It is definitely different than any other team I've been a part of … We know when to take things seriously and practice hard, but I have never been on a team that's so balanced. It really makes it easier going to practice every day when you're looking forward to seeing your teammates and working hard but still having fun while you're training."
"The team culture overall is really supportive," 2018 graduate Agnes Esser agreed. "At practice, we encourage each other to do well and are happy when our teammates figure out some technical aspect. We try to keep the atmosphere light by playing music and joking around with each other and Peter."
Assistant coach Peter Miller leads the Gopher throws group – and usually oversees the music playlist for practice. Imagine the surprise and delight when Temi Ogunrinde, one of Beyonce's biggest fans, arrived to the throws practice facility to hear Destiny's Child blaring from Miller's iPhone one day last spring.
"It's Kaitlyn's birthday, and she hasn't annoyed me yet," Miller joked matter-of-factly to an incredulous Ogunrinde. "So we're listening to the Beyonce playlist today."
Light-hearted teasing, high fives, dancing, singing, and plenty of laughs are not uncommon at practice. In fact, they are almost as important as a proper warm-up, fine-tuning technique, and sufficient throwing reps.
Make no mistake: it's intentional.
"The group as a whole does a great job of being focused but also not taking anything too seriously," Miller said. "They're super supportive of each other, as well as competitive both internally and externally, which has shown and obviously is important. I think they have healthy relationships with one another. They have fun and enjoy training as much as they enjoy competing. That combination has led to some pretty good stuff."
As Miller alluded to, the party does not stop on meet day for Minnesota.
At the 2018 Big Ten Conference Outdoor Championship, the entire team celebrated with giant sunglasses, kazoos, and party favors the night before day one of competition. Miller showed up to hammer throw with ribbons tied on his sunglasses to match the ribbons the Gophers wore in their hair. In 2017, he coached the B1G hammer throw competition in a cone-shaped party hat.
"We treat our competitions pretty similarly to practices by dancing and joking around," Esser said. "I think that's part of what makes us so successful, at least for me. We have fun in the competition and try not to get too serious or dwell too much on distance, because ultimately, we are in this sport because we love it and want to have fun."
There was plenty to celebrate during the 2018 season as the Gopher throwers collected three individual Big Ten titles. Long won the weight throw, Ogunrinde won the hammer throw, and Nicolle Murphy won the javelin throw. In total, Miller's throwers scored 42 of 134 team points at the 2018 B1G Outdoor Championship, helping Minnesota sweep the indoor and outdoor B1G team titles for the first time in program history.
"We are all so invested in each other and care about each other -- we truly want everyone to succeed and throw far, even if that means further than you," Kiley Sabin said. "We are all very competitive, obviously, so when one person does well, the next person feeds off that energy, and then the next person, and so on. When we have a big group of talented throwers, we are able to use the energy everyone gives and turn it into some really great throws."
The Gophers' ability to have three different individuals win conference titles showcases the team's depth – another one of the squad's biggest strengths.
"I think having quality depth in every area both pushes people and removes pressure too," Miller explained. "They know if they screw up there are three other people behind them to pick it up, so that removes a lot of pressure on each throw."
The athletes agree and recognize how the team's depth contributes to their individual success.
"Obviously you want to do your best and do well for your team, but if you are by chance having an off day, it's such a talented group of girls," Long said. "I've never been on a team where everyone is so talented. It elevates your whole performance; you have so many girls doing well in practice and in meets, so you want to do just as well. If you are having an off day, it's comforting to know someone else will step up."
"If you're the only kid who is supposed to score 20 points at the Big Ten meet in order to win for the team, that's a lot of pressure," Miller said. "On the other hand, if you're going in ranked first, but you also have someone ranked second and third right behind you, it makes things more natural. I really don't know what changed within the Big Ten meet to make us have a perfect indoor Big Ten meet and a nearly perfect outdoor Big Ten meet in 2018. I lean on Coach Bingle a lot, I lean on the girls a lot, but it's a great culture we have, even if it's hard to explain at times."
While the culture might be hard to explain, Matt Bingle, Minnesota's director of track & field and cross country, has a theory about the key ingredient that makes it so special: love.
"On this team, they all love each other," Bingle said after Minnesota won the 2018 B1G Indoor Championship. "They may not always get along, but they love each other. I can't wait to get to practice every day. The staff loves being with them. That's what makes it the best."
"We work hard but also have fun," Ogunrinde said. "Meet day is a blast. The hammer group is always dancing and having a good time between throws. I feel like we all take pride in being one of the best throws groups in the country, and we want to keep it that way. We're fun but also competitive, which pushes us to keep getting better."
As Ogunrinde mentioned, Miller's throwers have become one of the nation's top throws corps, and they have no intention of that changing. The team was ranked among the top 10 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Event Squad rankings throughout the 2018 season, and Minnesota ended the year with three top-six rankings: first in hammer throw, second in shot put, and sixth in javelin.
In his first five seasons with the Gophers, Miller coached Minnesota's throwers to 14 All-American awards and five Big Ten titles along with six Big Ten runner-up finishes. He has coached 16 Gophers to 47 NCAA West Prelim qualifications and has had 12 student-athletes make 19 appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Championship as well. Miller has even had an individual national champion in Kaitlyn Long.
During the 2018 indoor season, Long capped off her first season competing for the Gophers by becoming the program's second-ever national champion, winning the weight throw NCAA title. Long, who transferred to Minnesota after beginning her collegiate career at Winona State, joined the Gophers as a two-time NCAA Division II national champion in the weight throw and made a seamless transition to the NCAA Division I level.
"Bringing in a Division II national champion in Kaitlyn Long and her being one of the best of all time really pushed people immediately to up their game this year. Kaitlyn got pushed really hard, too, because she's never had her butt kicked at practice before," Miller said with a laugh. "Agnes, Temi, and Nayoka train at a high level every day so Kaitlyn got pushed a lot, and I think that made her grow as an athlete and as a person, too."
"Once I was on campus with the whole throws group and we started training in the fall, I noticed a big difference compared to other teams I had been a part of in the past," Long said. "Practicing with such a talented group every single day … Sometimes it's easy to take it for granted, but thinking about it, I've never been on a team with such a talented group of girls. Having that level of competitiveness every single day even at practice, whether you really realize it or not, really ups your game.
"When it comes to those big meets when it really matters, you're more comfortable," Long continued. "Every day, even at practice, it's kind of like a meet because my teammates are some of my biggest competitors in the country – some of the best throwers in the country. Being in that environment every day really pushes you."
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