University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, November 20
Tallahassee, FL
9:20 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
NCAA Championships
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Preview: Gophers Headed to Tallahassee for NCAA Championships
11/17/2021 5:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota cross country program will make their final appearance of the 2021 season this Saturday, Nov. 20 when they travel to Tallahassee, Fla. for the 2021 NCAA Championships. The women's 6K championship race will kick things off at 9:20 a.m. CT, followed by the men's 10K race which is slated to start at 10:10 a.m. CT.
THE CREW
Minnesota will travel the same teams as they did for the NCAA regional meet a week ago, with ten women and nine men making the trip south.
The women's team will feature team captains Megan Hasz, Abby Kohut-Jackson, Jaycie Thomsen and Tate Sweeney, as well as Bethany Hasz, Anastasia Korzenowski, Emma Atkinson, Brianne Brewster, Carissa Dock and Bit Klecker.
The men will be led by team captains Alec Basten and Owen Hoeft, and will also include Jack Manderscheid, Khalid Hussein, Matt Wilkinson, Ethan Cannon, Eli Hoeft, Declan Dahlberg and Seth Eliason.
HOW THEY MADE IT
The path to the NCAA Championships was fairly straightforward for the women's side of the program, as they earned an automatic bid to the nation's top meet when they claimed a first place finish at the 2021 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships a week ago.
The men's path featured a bit more anticipation, however, as they needed an at-large selection from the NCAA's selection committee after missing an automatic bid with a fourth place finish at the same meet. Ultimately, the effort proved more than enough though, as they were announced as one of 13 at-large selections on the NCAA's Selection Show last Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
Last week's regional meet was yet another impressive showing for Gopher Cross Country.
The women started off the morning in the best possible way, claiming the first place title with a 30 point gap between them and runner-ups No. 6 Oklahoma State. The dominant performance not only earned them their automatic bid to this Saturday's pinnacle meet, but also saw five student-athletes garner All-Region honors as B. Hasz (fourth), Kohut-Jackson (fifth), M. Hasz (sixth), Korzenowski (12th) and Thomsen (18th) all placed within the top-25.
Though the team standings may not have been as desirable on the men's side of competition, the Gophers still managed to put together their best regional performance since 2016, taking fourth with 120 points and only falling behind three nationally ranked top-10 programs in No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Iowa State and No. 10 Tulsa. Basten (seventh) and Wilkinson (25th) both managed to secure All-Region honors, though arguably the most important finishes of the day came from the final three scoring Gophers all claiming spots within the top-32, with Manderscheid coming in 26th, O. Hoeft taking 30th and Hussein rounding things out in 32nd.
IN THE RANKINGS
For the third straight week, the Gophers found both sides of their program represented on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's most recent National Coaches' Poll.
The women notched their second straight week among the top-five, coming in at No. 5 and leading the Big Ten for the fifth straight week. Meanwhile, the men found their place in the rankings for only the third time this season at No. 27, coming in as the third of four Big Ten programs (No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 14 Michigan, No. 30 Michigan State).
NCAA HISTORY - WOMEN
The Gophers have seen a tremendous amount of success at the national level, with 16 NCAA Championship appearances over the past 17 seasons. They are coming off of a program-best fifth place finish at the 2020-21 NCAA Championships this past March that also saw B. Hasz record the second-best individual finish in school history in eighth (20:52.2).
Three other Gophers finished within the top-100 at last season's national meet as well, with Kohut-Jackson taking 45th, Korzenowski finishing 59th and Jaycie Thomsen claiming 70th. The foursome have all returned for the 2021 season, and they have their eyes set on an even more impressive finish this time around.
NCAA HISTORY - MEN
It has been a much rockier road for the Gopher men as of late, whose last NCAA qualification came in 2015 under then coach Steve Plasencia. Now, in their first season under the tutelage of new head coach Sarah Hopkins, the Gophers have found themselves in NCAA consideration once again.
Minnesota saw its best NCAA finish in recent history in 2007, when they claimed an eighth place finish while placing three runners in the top-100. Dating back to the program's inception in 1908, however, the Gophers' top team finish came in 1968, when Minnesota's legendary head coach Roy Griak led the Maroon and Gold to a fourth place finish.
HEARING FROM TEAM CAPTAIN ABBY KOHUT-JACKSON
On her thoughts on the team heading into this weekend's championships...
"We're all super excited for this weekend. We're definitely going in with a lot more confidence than we've had in any of our time here, and I think we also really have the ability to back that confidence up. We're just ready to go in, battle and see how it all turns out."
On how the team's experience will benefit them this weekend...
"This team's experience definitely makes a huge difference, especially at meets like the national championships because it's so unique. Having had the experience of being in that competitive of a field four or five times for some of us is just irreplaceable. You can have all the talent, drive and motivation, but just that experience goes a long way, and I think everyone's feeling really confident that we have that on our side as well."
On what she's looking to leave behind after her final season in the cross country program...
"Obviously, we have those big outcome goals like making the podium, which would be a really big check mark that we'll all feel really good about leaving behind. Since that's somewhat out of our control though, I think the biggest thing that all of us on our last go around like Megan, Bethany and I is to leave it all out there. Whatever that ends up creating for the team scores, it is what it is, but I think we just want to feel like we gave it our all for each other. That's the legacy we want to leave. We're not out at the national championships battling alone, we're out there together, and we can do such big things when we're battling together."
HEARING FROM TEAM CAPTAIN ALEC BASTEN
On how this year's championship will be different for him with his teammates there as well...
"It's totally different when you have a team behind you that you're running for, it's going to be super exciting. We've been a really close group this year, and I think that has kind of elevated us to a level that we haven't been at in awhile. I'm excited to see where that can land us in the best meet of the year."
On the men's team's success over the back half of the season...
"We came together at camp and we were all on a mission. We have such a mature and experienced team this year with a good portion of the guys being fifth and sixth year guys, so I think we all came in knowing what we wanted to do. This team hasn't made the national meet since I've been here, and that was our main goal this season. We set that right away at camp, and we've used that as motivation all year and we've continued to really dig into one another along the way, and I think that's been the key. Just really being committed and in it for each other all season."
UP NEXT
Saturday's meet will be the final one for the Gophers' cross country season, following which the majority of the team will then shift their focus to the upcoming track & field seasons. The women's indoor season will begin on Dec. 3 in South Dakota, while the men will open the outdoor season in Pomona, Calif. on Feb. 12.
THE CREW
Minnesota will travel the same teams as they did for the NCAA regional meet a week ago, with ten women and nine men making the trip south.
The women's team will feature team captains Megan Hasz, Abby Kohut-Jackson, Jaycie Thomsen and Tate Sweeney, as well as Bethany Hasz, Anastasia Korzenowski, Emma Atkinson, Brianne Brewster, Carissa Dock and Bit Klecker.
The men will be led by team captains Alec Basten and Owen Hoeft, and will also include Jack Manderscheid, Khalid Hussein, Matt Wilkinson, Ethan Cannon, Eli Hoeft, Declan Dahlberg and Seth Eliason.
HOW THEY MADE IT
The path to the NCAA Championships was fairly straightforward for the women's side of the program, as they earned an automatic bid to the nation's top meet when they claimed a first place finish at the 2021 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships a week ago.
The men's path featured a bit more anticipation, however, as they needed an at-large selection from the NCAA's selection committee after missing an automatic bid with a fourth place finish at the same meet. Ultimately, the effort proved more than enough though, as they were announced as one of 13 at-large selections on the NCAA's Selection Show last Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
Last week's regional meet was yet another impressive showing for Gopher Cross Country.
The women started off the morning in the best possible way, claiming the first place title with a 30 point gap between them and runner-ups No. 6 Oklahoma State. The dominant performance not only earned them their automatic bid to this Saturday's pinnacle meet, but also saw five student-athletes garner All-Region honors as B. Hasz (fourth), Kohut-Jackson (fifth), M. Hasz (sixth), Korzenowski (12th) and Thomsen (18th) all placed within the top-25.
Though the team standings may not have been as desirable on the men's side of competition, the Gophers still managed to put together their best regional performance since 2016, taking fourth with 120 points and only falling behind three nationally ranked top-10 programs in No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Iowa State and No. 10 Tulsa. Basten (seventh) and Wilkinson (25th) both managed to secure All-Region honors, though arguably the most important finishes of the day came from the final three scoring Gophers all claiming spots within the top-32, with Manderscheid coming in 26th, O. Hoeft taking 30th and Hussein rounding things out in 32nd.
IN THE RANKINGS
For the third straight week, the Gophers found both sides of their program represented on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's most recent National Coaches' Poll.
The women notched their second straight week among the top-five, coming in at No. 5 and leading the Big Ten for the fifth straight week. Meanwhile, the men found their place in the rankings for only the third time this season at No. 27, coming in as the third of four Big Ten programs (No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 14 Michigan, No. 30 Michigan State).
NCAA HISTORY - WOMEN
The Gophers have seen a tremendous amount of success at the national level, with 16 NCAA Championship appearances over the past 17 seasons. They are coming off of a program-best fifth place finish at the 2020-21 NCAA Championships this past March that also saw B. Hasz record the second-best individual finish in school history in eighth (20:52.2).
Three other Gophers finished within the top-100 at last season's national meet as well, with Kohut-Jackson taking 45th, Korzenowski finishing 59th and Jaycie Thomsen claiming 70th. The foursome have all returned for the 2021 season, and they have their eyes set on an even more impressive finish this time around.
NCAA HISTORY - MEN
It has been a much rockier road for the Gopher men as of late, whose last NCAA qualification came in 2015 under then coach Steve Plasencia. Now, in their first season under the tutelage of new head coach Sarah Hopkins, the Gophers have found themselves in NCAA consideration once again.
Minnesota saw its best NCAA finish in recent history in 2007, when they claimed an eighth place finish while placing three runners in the top-100. Dating back to the program's inception in 1908, however, the Gophers' top team finish came in 1968, when Minnesota's legendary head coach Roy Griak led the Maroon and Gold to a fourth place finish.
HEARING FROM TEAM CAPTAIN ABBY KOHUT-JACKSON
On her thoughts on the team heading into this weekend's championships...
"We're all super excited for this weekend. We're definitely going in with a lot more confidence than we've had in any of our time here, and I think we also really have the ability to back that confidence up. We're just ready to go in, battle and see how it all turns out."
On how the team's experience will benefit them this weekend...
"This team's experience definitely makes a huge difference, especially at meets like the national championships because it's so unique. Having had the experience of being in that competitive of a field four or five times for some of us is just irreplaceable. You can have all the talent, drive and motivation, but just that experience goes a long way, and I think everyone's feeling really confident that we have that on our side as well."
On what she's looking to leave behind after her final season in the cross country program...
"Obviously, we have those big outcome goals like making the podium, which would be a really big check mark that we'll all feel really good about leaving behind. Since that's somewhat out of our control though, I think the biggest thing that all of us on our last go around like Megan, Bethany and I is to leave it all out there. Whatever that ends up creating for the team scores, it is what it is, but I think we just want to feel like we gave it our all for each other. That's the legacy we want to leave. We're not out at the national championships battling alone, we're out there together, and we can do such big things when we're battling together."
HEARING FROM TEAM CAPTAIN ALEC BASTEN
On how this year's championship will be different for him with his teammates there as well...
"It's totally different when you have a team behind you that you're running for, it's going to be super exciting. We've been a really close group this year, and I think that has kind of elevated us to a level that we haven't been at in awhile. I'm excited to see where that can land us in the best meet of the year."
On the men's team's success over the back half of the season...
"We came together at camp and we were all on a mission. We have such a mature and experienced team this year with a good portion of the guys being fifth and sixth year guys, so I think we all came in knowing what we wanted to do. This team hasn't made the national meet since I've been here, and that was our main goal this season. We set that right away at camp, and we've used that as motivation all year and we've continued to really dig into one another along the way, and I think that's been the key. Just really being committed and in it for each other all season."
UP NEXT
Saturday's meet will be the final one for the Gophers' cross country season, following which the majority of the team will then shift their focus to the upcoming track & field seasons. The women's indoor season will begin on Dec. 3 in South Dakota, while the men will open the outdoor season in Pomona, Calif. on Feb. 12.
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