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/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Best of 2019-20: Men's Weight Throw Leads the Nation
5/7/2020 10:12:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Golden Gopher track & field and cross country program had many memorable moments in 2019-20 worth revisiting and celebrating despite the indoor season ending early and the outdoor season being canceled on March 12, 2020, when the Big Ten Conference and NCAA announced they were ceasing competitions and championships because of COVID-19 public health concerns.
One of those memorable moments was the Minnesota men's weight throw group ending the season with a No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Division I USTFCCCA #EventSquad Rankings.
USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings places a rank order to a program's "squad" of athletes in a particular event, using the cumulative season-best qualifying marks from a team's top-four ranked athletes on the national descending-order list.
Kieran McKeag, Kaleb Siekmeier, Jon Nerdal and Connor Rousemiller filled out the Maroon & Gold's ranking in the men's weight throw with four of the best performances in University of Minnesota history.
The Performances
The inaugural Minnesota Cold Classic proved to be a hot day for the Gophers as McKeag, Siekmeier and Nerdal posted the top-three finishes in the men's weight throw with McKeag and Siekmeier posting personal records for the Maroon & Gold. McKeag led the way with a win and a mark of 22.93 meters (75-02.75 ft.) that ended the season ranked third in the nation while Siekmeier's runner-up performance of 22.09 meters (72-05.75 ft.) ended up as the 11th-best performance in the NCAA.
Nerdal's personal record of 21.72 meters (71-03.25 ft.) actually came earlier in the season at the Meyo Invitational, which held up as the 15th-best throw in the nation during the 2020 indoor campaign. Rousemiller saved his best performance for his final competition, hitting 20.72 meters (67-11.75 ft.) at the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships
All four Maroon & Gold throwers posted top-10 all-time marks in the event for the University of Minnesota during the 2020 indoor season with McKeag ranking second, Siekmeier ranking third, Nerdal ranking fifth and Rousemiller ranking 10th.
McKeag, Siekmeier and Nerdal all earned berths to the 2020 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in the men's weight throw as Minnesota led all NCAA programs for qualifiers in the discipline.
At the Big Ten Championships
In addition to leading the nation in the USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings, Minnesota's men's weight throwers also paced the school at the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships – leading the way with 16 of the team's 88.5 points in the men's standings. All four throwers contributed points in the effort, including a Second Team All-Big Ten performance by McKeag, as the Maroon & Gold finished third as a program.
#MinneTHROWta Notes
Gophers throws coach Peter Miller was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Men's Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2020 indoor campaign…the University of Minnesota finished the 2020 indoor season ranked No. 13 on the men's side and No. 24 on the women's side…15 Gophers groups were ranked among the top-20 in the USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings…Minnesota's combined throws group has led the Big Ten in points at each of the last three conference meets (39 at the 2020 indoor championships, 44 at the 2019 outdoor championships, 26 at the 2019 indoor championships).
One of those memorable moments was the Minnesota men's weight throw group ending the season with a No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Division I USTFCCCA #EventSquad Rankings.
USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings places a rank order to a program's "squad" of athletes in a particular event, using the cumulative season-best qualifying marks from a team's top-four ranked athletes on the national descending-order list.
Kieran McKeag, Kaleb Siekmeier, Jon Nerdal and Connor Rousemiller filled out the Maroon & Gold's ranking in the men's weight throw with four of the best performances in University of Minnesota history.
The Performances
The inaugural Minnesota Cold Classic proved to be a hot day for the Gophers as McKeag, Siekmeier and Nerdal posted the top-three finishes in the men's weight throw with McKeag and Siekmeier posting personal records for the Maroon & Gold. McKeag led the way with a win and a mark of 22.93 meters (75-02.75 ft.) that ended the season ranked third in the nation while Siekmeier's runner-up performance of 22.09 meters (72-05.75 ft.) ended up as the 11th-best performance in the NCAA.
Nerdal's personal record of 21.72 meters (71-03.25 ft.) actually came earlier in the season at the Meyo Invitational, which held up as the 15th-best throw in the nation during the 2020 indoor campaign. Rousemiller saved his best performance for his final competition, hitting 20.72 meters (67-11.75 ft.) at the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships
All four Maroon & Gold throwers posted top-10 all-time marks in the event for the University of Minnesota during the 2020 indoor season with McKeag ranking second, Siekmeier ranking third, Nerdal ranking fifth and Rousemiller ranking 10th.
McKeag, Siekmeier and Nerdal all earned berths to the 2020 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in the men's weight throw as Minnesota led all NCAA programs for qualifiers in the discipline.
At the Big Ten Championships
In addition to leading the nation in the USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings, Minnesota's men's weight throwers also paced the school at the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships – leading the way with 16 of the team's 88.5 points in the men's standings. All four throwers contributed points in the effort, including a Second Team All-Big Ten performance by McKeag, as the Maroon & Gold finished third as a program.
#MinneTHROWta Notes
Gophers throws coach Peter Miller was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Men's Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2020 indoor campaign…the University of Minnesota finished the 2020 indoor season ranked No. 13 on the men's side and No. 24 on the women's side…15 Gophers groups were ranked among the top-20 in the USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings…Minnesota's combined throws group has led the Big Ten in points at each of the last three conference meets (39 at the 2020 indoor championships, 44 at the 2019 outdoor championships, 26 at the 2019 indoor championships).
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