Gophers Qualify 13 Entries for NCAA Championships

MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota track & field program will be well represented at the 2020 NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships later this month with 13 entries lined up for competition in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Maroon & Gold men lead all Big Ten programs and rank tied for sixth in the nation with eight entries while the Gopher women boast five entries including Nayoka Clunis, who qualified in both the shot put and the weight throw.

Held at the Albuquerque Convention Center, ESPN3 will stream the championships live starting at 6:15 p.m. CT on Friday, March 13 and starting at 5:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 14. A re-air of the championship will take place starting at 8:00 p.m. CT on Monday, March 16 on ESPNU.

Women's Qualified Entries

Devia Brown, Shot Put (Prelims & Final: Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m. CT)
Brown is set to make her NCAA Indoor Championships debut, entering the national meet ranked 13th in shot put at 16.87 meters (55-04.25 ft). She was a five-time NJCAA national champion during her two seasons competing for Central Arizona College prior to joining the Gophers this season. Most recently, Brown placed 10th in shot put (15.48 meters) and 11th in weight throw (18.89 meters) at the Big Ten Championships. She ranks third in Minnesota history in indoor shot put at 16.87 meters (55-04.25 ft.).

Nayoka Clunis, Shot Put (Prelims & Final: Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m. CT) and Weight Throw (Prelims & Final: Saturday, March 14 at 5:30 p.m. CT)
Clunis is making her second NCAA Indoor Championships appearance in weight throw and her first NCAA appearance in shot put. She finished 16th in weight throw at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships before going on to finish 15th in hammer throw at the NCAA outdoor meet. Clunis is seeded 10th in weight throw at 22.13 meters and 11th in shot put at 17.05 meters. Most recently, she finished as Big Ten runner-up in weight throw and took fifth in shot put at the B1G Championships. Clunis ranks second in Minnesota history in both indoor shot put (17.05 meters, 55-11.25 ft.) and weight throw (22.13 meters, 72-07.25 ft.).

Ayesha Champagnie, Pentathlon (Friday, March 13 at 12:15 p.m. CT)
Champagnie returns to the NCAA Championships after competing in indoor long jump in 2018 and placing ninth in the heptathlon in 2018. She is making her NCAA pentathlon debut, entering the competition with the eighth-best score in the field at 4,155 points, which was good for second in the Big ten Conference and ranks third in Minnesota history. On the way to her B1G runner-up showing, Champagnie clocked a PR of 8.39 seconds in the pentathlon 60-meter hurdles and won both pentathlon long jump (5.86 meters, 19-02.75 ft.) and shot put (14.26 meters, 46‑09.50 ft.).

Bethany Hasz, 5,000 Meters (Final: Friday, March 13 at 8:55 p.m. CT)
Hasz is set to make her NCAA Indoor Championships debut this season. Last spring, she placed 10th in the 5,000m at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships and has made two NCAA Championships appearances in cross country as well. Hasz owns the third-fastest time among the athletes selected for the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships with her Minnesota program record time of 15:25.33 set earlier this season at the BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Most recently, she scored 16 points for the Maroon & Gold at the Big Ten Championship with a runner-up showing in the 3,000 meters, a third-place finish in the mile, and a seventh-place finish in the 5,000 meters.

Men's Qualifiers

4x400 Meter Relay (Final: Saturday, March 14 at 7:40 p.m. CT)
The Maroon & Gold 4x400 meter relay returns to the NCAA indoor championships for the first time since 2018 after Elliott Davis, Jackson Wellenstein, Jonathan Webb and Ben Psicihulis clocked a 3:07.16 at the Big Ten indoor meet in late February. The Gophers qualified as the 11th-fastest 4x400 meter relay team in the field. Webb, Wellenstein and Psicihulis were all part of Minnesota's 2018 4x400 meter relay team that earned a 12th-place finish and Second Team All-America honors.

Distance Medley Relay (Final: Friday, March 13 at 9:30 p.m. CT)
Minnesota's distance medley relay returns to the NCAA indoor championships for the first time since 2017 after Shane Streich, Elliott Davis, Dawson LaRance and Owen Hoeft qualified with a time of 9:31.52 at the Alex Wilson Invite earlier this year. The mark ranks eighth among NCAA qualifiers and fourth all-time at the University of Minnesota. Streich was part of the 2017 distance medley relay squad, along with Wellenstein, that finished ninth to earn Second Team All-America accolades.

Michael Burke, High Jump (Final: Saturday, March 14 at 2:15 p.m. CT)
After earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in February in his Big Ten conference meet debut with the Gophers, Burke will now make his first appearance at the NCAA indoor meet with the Maroon & Gold. A native of Lemoore, Calif., Burke previously finished 12th in the men's high jump in 2017 to earn Second Team All-America merits while at UCLA. He was the runner-up at the Big Ten meet in February, clearing 2.23 meters (7-03.75 ft.) -- a mark that ranks third all-time at the University of Minnesota and 12th among NCAA qualifiers this year. Burke has four high jump wins this season.

Sammie Houston, Triple Jump (Prelims & Final: Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m. CT)
Houston closed out the month of February with a Big Ten title and a school record in the men's triple jump and will now make his NCAA indoor meet debut for Minnesota. The redshirt senior ranks ninth among NCAA qualifiers this year after clearing 16.18 meters (53-01.00 ft.) to win the 2020 Big Ten men's indoor triple jump crown along with First Team All-Big Ten honors. The mark also broke Keita Cline's school record from 1995 while Houston is the first Gopher to win a Big Ten title in the men's triple jump since Adrian Ellis in 1996. Houston has four triple jump wins this season.

Kieran McKeag, Weight Throw (Prelims & Final: Saturday, March 14 at 3 p.m. CT)
One of three Gophers throwers set to compete in the men's weight throw this year, McKeag will make his second appearance at the NCAA indoor championships after finishing 12th in 2019 to pick up Second Team All-America honors. A native of Lakeville, Minn., McKeag enters the meet with the third-best qualifying mark at 22.93 meter (75-02.75 ft.) -- a mark recorded earlier this year in a win at the Minnesota Cold Classic (one of two weight throw wins this year for McKeag. The redshirt junior, who also earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors this year, currently ranks second in Minnesota history in the weight throw.

Jon Nerdal, Weight Throw (Prelims & Final: Saturday, March 14 at 3 p.m. CT)
A native of Bergan, Norway, Nerdal will make his NCAA indoor championship debut this weekend in the men's weight throw. The redshirt junior ranks 15th among event qualifiers at 21.72 meters (71-03.25 ft.) -- recorded at the Meyo Invitational earlier this season. The performance also ranks Nerdal fifth in University of Minnesota history. Nerdal has a pair of weight throw wins under his belt this season.

Kaleb Siekmeier, Weight Throw (Prelims & Final: Saturday, March 14 at 3 p.m. CT)
Siekmeier will also make his NCAA indoor championships debut for the Maroon & Gold this weekend, competing in the men's weight throw. A native of Mahtomedi, Minn., Siekmeier ranks 11th among NCAA qualifiers at 22.09 meters (72-05.75 ft.), set in a runner-up finish to McKeag earlier this year at the Minnesota Cold Classic. The redshirt sophomore ranks third all-time at the University of Minnesota in the men's weight throw.

Jonathan Tharaldsen, Shot Put (Prelims & Final: Friday, March 13 at 8:05 p.m. CT)
Tharaldsen returns to the NCAA indoor meet for the second time in his career after finishing 14th in 2019 to pick up Second Team All-America accolades. A native of Bismarck, N.D., Tharaldsen ranks fourth among NCAA qualifiers this year after clearing 20.50 meters (67-03.25 ft.) to win the Rod McCravy Memorial earlier this year -- one of three wins in the shot put this season for the redshirt senior and team captain. The performance by Tharaldsen also ranks second all-time at the University of Minnesota.

###

Follow Track & Field

Don't miss any of the action from the track. Stay connected to Gopher Track & Field!

Support Track & Field

Support the University of Minnesota Track & Field program. Your support helps our student-athletes succeed athletically, academically, and socially. It takes just seconds to make a monthly or one-time donation. Thank you for your support! Give Now

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Devia Brown

Michael Burke

Ayesha Champagnie

Nayoka Clunis

Elliott Davis

Bethany Hasz

Owen Hoeft

Sammie Houston

Dawson LaRance

Kieran McKeag

Jon Nerdal

Ben Psicihulis

Kaleb Siekmeier

Shane Streich

Jonathan Tharaldsen

Jonathan Webb

Jackson Wellenstein