University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Gophers Name 2020 Captains
9/19/2019 12:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
Minnesota has named its 2019-20 track & field team captains.
Gopher Men's Captains
Alec Basten, Redshirt Junior (Green Bay, Wis.)
Alec Basten will serve as a team captain for the first time for the Gophers as he enters his redshirt junior season in track & field. A native of Green Bay, Wis., Basten earned Second Team All-America honors for the first time in his career in 2019 when he finished 14th in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase at the NCAA outdoor championships. He ranks second in program history in the steeplechase, eighth in program history in the outdoor 5,000 meters and fourth in program history in the indoor 5,000 meters. The Kinesiology major is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection as well as a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.
Kieran McKeag, Redshirt Junior (Lakeville, Minn.)
After picking up a pair of Second Team All-America nods in 2019, Kieran McKeag will head into his redshirt junior season with the Gophers as a first-year team captain. A native of Lakeville, Minn., McKeag is coming off an impressive campaign in 2019 that saw the thrower finish 12th in the weight throw at the NCAA indoor championships followed by a 14th-place finish in the hammer throw at the NCAA outdoor championships. Last season also saw him post the second best weight throw in school history and the third best hammer throw in program history. McKeag closed out the season with by representing the Maroon & Gold and the United States in the men's hammer throw at the 2019 NACAC U23 Championships in Mexico, earning a silver medal at the international competition. A kinesiology major, McKeag is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection for the Maroon & Gold.
Jackson Wellenstein, Redshirt Senior (Madison, Wis.)
Jackson Wellenstein returns for his second year as a Gophers captain after redshirting during the 2019 track & field season. Now a redshirt senior for the Maroon & Gold, Wellenstein is a three-time All-American -- picking up Second Team accolades as part of the oudoor 4x400 meter relay in 2016, the indoor distance medley relay in 2017 and the indoor 4x400 meter relay in 2018. A native of Madison, Wis., Wellenstein is a two-time All-Big Ten selection while he ranks among the top-10 performers in school history in five different events. A business and marketing education major, Wellenstein is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Teddy Frid, Redshirt Senior (South St. Paul, Minn.)
Like Wellenstein, Teddy Frid is back for his second season as a team captain while he redshirted the 2019 track & field season. A native of South St. Paul, Minn., Frid earned Second Team All-America accolades in the heptathlon at the 2018 NCAA indoor championships -- finishing 10th in his first campaign with the Maroon & Gold. He ranks fourth in program history in the heptathlon and eight all-time in Gophers history in the decathlon. A business and marketing education major, Frid earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the Gophers in 2019.
Jonathan Tharaldsen, Redshirt Senior (Bismarck, N.D.)
Jonathan Tharaldsen returns for his second year as a Gophers team captain in 2020. A redshirt senior, Tharaldsen earned Second Team All-America honors in the indoor shot put last year, finishing 14th at the NCAA indoor championships. A native of Bismarck, N.D., he added Second Team All-Big Ten honors in the outdoor shot put after finishing as the runner-up at the conference meet. Tharaldsen currently ranks third in school history in the indoor shot put and is tied for second in program history in the outdoor shot put. A kinesiology majory, Tharaldsen is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection while he also picked up CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades in 2019.
Rachel Schow, Redshirt Senior (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.)
Rachel Schow returns for her second season serving as a team captain. Most recently, Schow wrapped up the 2019 season by placing 20th in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She enters her fifth season ranked second in the 400-meter hurdles and third in both the 60-meter hurdles and 100-meter hurdles among all-time Gophers. A Second Team All-American in the 4x400-meter relay (2018), Schow is an Electrical Engineering major and a three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic and Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Ayesha Champagnie, Redshirt Senior (Kingston, Jamaica)
Ayesha Champagnie enters her first season as a captain for the Gophers after redshirting the 2018-19 season. Champagnie is a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier, advancing to the NCAA Indoor Championships in long jump and placing ninth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She is Minnesota's indoor program record-holder in long jump and ranks among the program's all-time top-10 in the 100-meter hurdles, javelin, and heptathlon outdoors.
Erin Huls, Redshirt Senior (Cold Spring, Minn.)
Erin Huls begins her first season as a captain for the Gophers. She is a two-time NCAA West Prelim qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles and served as an alternate for the 4x400-meter relay at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships. A three-time scorer at the Big Ten Championships in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay, Huls ranks eighth among all-time Gophers in the 400-meter hurdles. She is a double major in Applied Economics and Supply Chain and Operations Management and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Abby Kohut-Jackson, Redshirt Junior (Huxley, Iowa)
Abby Kohut-Jackson, who is currently serving as a captain for the Gophers cross country squad, enters her first season as a track & field captain for the Maroon & Gold. On the track, Kohut-Jackson wrapped up the 2019 season by placing 25th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA West Prelim after placing sixth at the Big Ten Championships in the same event. A double major in Neuroscience and Spanish, Kohut-Jackson is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honoree
Ryan Crotty, Redshirt Junior (Maplewood, Minn.)
A javelin specialist, Ryan Crotty enters her first season as a captain for the Maoron & Gold. Last season as a redshirt sophomore, Crotty placed 14th in javelin in her NCAA West Prelim debut. She owns two top-13 Big Ten Conference finishes in javelin as well. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Crotty has also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. She is a graphic design major with a minor in interior design.
Val Larson, Redshirt Junior (DeForest, Wis.)
Val Larson enters her first season as a captain for the Gophers. She recorded scoring finishes in four B1G events during the 2019 season, highlighted by a Big Ten runner-up finish in the 600-meter at the B1G Indoor Championships. Larson earned Second Team All-America honors as part of Minnesota's 4x400-meter relay in 2018 as well. A two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Larson is a Kinesiology major.
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