New Leaders Top Runner-of-the-Year Standings

When Jeremy Polson kicked to victory at the Brain Kraft 5K on Monday, he didn't just put himself at the front of that race. His finish -- along with the rest of his fast running this spring -- also put him at the front of the pack in the scoring for the Minnesota Running Data Center's Runner-of-the-Year.

In the latest standings, which include races through the Kraft 5K, Polson, who competes for Run N Fun, leads early-season leader Patrick Russell of GEAR 59-56 in the Open Men's division. Polson has the fastest times for a Minnesotan this year in the 5K and the half marathon.

Full Open Men's standings can be found HERE. You can read Chad Austin's recent interview with Polson HERE.

GEAR's Nicole Cueno currently leads the Open Women's standings by a point over RNF's Erin Ward. Ward beat Cueno head-to-head at the New Prague Half Marathon recently, but Cueno has scoring marks in more races than Ward.

Full Open Women's tables are found HERE.

Runner-of-the-Year scoring for all age groups, as well as Runner-of-the-Year rules and standards can be found HERE.

McGregor to Face Tough Field at Reebok Grand Prix Saturday

Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor (pictured) will face a strong field in Saturday's Reebok Grand Prix 5000.

Lining up in New York City against the 2005 USA 10,000 meter champion will be 2006 USA 10,000m champ Amy Rudolph, 2006 USA 5000m champ Lauren Fleshman, and, most notably, Ethiopian superstar Tirunesh Dibaba, the 2005 World Champion at 5000 and 10,000 meters.

A complete startlist for the women's 5000 can be found HERE. The meet will be broadcast live on on ESPN2 from 10:00 p.m. to 11:30 a.m. CDT on Saturday, and again on CBS from 12:00-1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Team USA Minnesota's Jenelle Deatherage will compete in the 1500m event at the meet, as well. She'll face two-time Olympian Shayne Culpepper and 2006 USA 1500m runner-up Lindsey Gallo.

Photo by Victor Sailer, courtesy of Team USA Minnesota.

Johnnies Surprised By 4th Place NCAA Finish

It's good to know we at DtB weren't the only one's surprised by St. John's trophy-earning, 4th place finish at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships last weekend in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The Johnnies themselves were surprised!

St. John's got runner-up performances from Mike Leither (400H) and Chris Erichsen (3000m SC) to account for 16 of their 27 points. Erichsen added another five points with his 4th place finish in the 5000m, Erik Diley, scored four with his 5th place long jump, and Eric Buss added two more with a 7th in the triple jump.

Wisconsin - La Crosse won the meet with 99 points, Cortland State of New York was second with 34, Illinois' Monmouth College was third with 28, and St. John's and Wisconsin - Platteville tied with 27.

The unexpected high placing echoed a similar finish last cross country season for the Collegevillians. The Johnnie harriers finished an elated 5th at that championship after their upset win over Hamline at the MIAC championships.

We tracked down Johnnie coach Tim Miles (pictured) for his impressions of the season and last weekend's national meet ...

Down the Backstretch: So, were you surprised to end up 4th at NCAAs? Was that something you saw coming during the meet or as the outdoor season matured?

Tim Miles: We WERE surprised to finish fourth in the team race. We haven’t been in a position to think about it in the past and didn’t think about it this year either. It sort of snuck up on us.

DtB: What were the keys to having the success you did this year outdoors?

Miles: We had virtually everybody “at the starting line” at the outdoor championship. Some - Andrew Stevens, Mitch Gesell, Darren Larsen, Matt Mogensen – had their training compromised by injury or illness during the long season, but all were able to compete and contribute on May 11 and 12. We had eight conference champions, but we also had 33 different people contribute to our team score at conference. You need both to win a conference title. Most important, we had great people, and it was fun being at practice each day.

DtB: St. John's, more than any other team in the MIAC, downplays the indoor season. Why do you do that? What advantages did you think it gave you outdoors this year?

Miles: Indoor track and field is great and certainly necessary in Minnesota. But having championship seasons nine or ten weeks apart is problematic. In international track and field, the indoor season is January through March and the outdoor season July through September. That makes sense and you have a chance to do it right both indoors and outdoors: recover, build a base in an intelligent way, add some gears, and race.

We really like outdoor track and field at Saint John’s and are willing to take our lumps indoors if it means improving our outdoor performance. There is no denying that many get after, and excel at, both championship seasons. Let’s say eight out of ten athletes who attempt to do so are successful. But we will forgo optimum performances indoors if we can improve that figure to nine out of ten. May is the month we remember.

DtB: Chris Erichsen really matured as a college runner this year. What can you tell us about his development as a runner so far?

Miles: Chris’s story is like so many others and exactly the reason we love this sport. Here is a guy who trained very well and got a little better, trained very well and got a little better, trained very well and got a little better, trained very well and his ship came in. Why now? Danged if I know. But this is what we sell: keep training and your day will come.

Chris is very self-sufficient and very intelligent and takes a holistic approach to his training. In addition to running a lot, he eats well, sleeps well, studies well, enjoys his teammates and the team setting, and enjoys the journey. He knows when to take an easy day and isn’t bothered by it. From a racing standpoint, it took him a while – after being a successful front runner in high school – to be comfortable and stay engaged in the race while running further back in the field.


(Full disclosure: I'm a 1985 graduate of St. John's; Miles was my college coach.)

Photo courtesy of St. John's University.

Buzard, Vega, and Rue Make NCAA Field

Gopher senior all-American quarter-miler Aaron Buzard, senior teammate Antonio Vega, and true-freshman pole vaulter Alicia Rue of the Gopher women's team were added to the NCAA Championship field today.

Buzard and Rue were named as "at large" selections to the meet after failing to qualify automatically by finishing in the top-5 in their events at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet in Des Moines last weekend.

Vega was the last runner accepted in the 10,000 meters, in which runners qualify by time during the season.

In addition, "Swiss Army" jumper Derek Gearman and Gopher throwers Adam Schnaible, Liz Alabi, and Liz Podominick were accepted into additional events beyond those they auto-qualified for at regionals.

Gearman was added to the long jump and high jump -- he finished 6th in both events at regionals -- after finishing 4th in the triple jump. Schnaible was added to the hammer throw after finishing 9th in the event in Des Moines. He finished third in the shot put there.

Alabi and Podominick were added to the shot put field. They finished 6th and 9th at regionals in the event, respectively. Alabi was 4th in the hammer at regionals; Podominick was 5th in the
discus.

Also ... Notre Dame junior Jake Watson, who finished seventh in the Mideast Regional 1,500 meters in 3:45.96, wasn't added to the national meet among the at large qualifieers. Watson is a Stillwater High School grad.

Complete listings of entrants into the NCAA Championship can be found HERE (men) and HERE (women.)

The NCAA Division I Championships run from June 6-9 in Sacramento, California.

Weekend NCAA Track Round-Up

With all the championship track and field that took place over the holiday weekend, we thought you might want a quick round-up of the highlights ... in case you spent more of your weekend over the barbecue than in front of you computer.

NCAA Division I Regionals -- The Gopher women finished 5th and the Gopher men were 16th at the Midwest Regional Championships in Des Moines where Big 12 school dominated the competition. At the meet, the Gopher women qualified five athletes to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento next weekend. The top five finishers in each event earn automatic berths for the national meet.

The U will send three throwers to nationals: Javelin ace Ruby Radocaj placed third in 165-08 in first-day competition; Liz Alabi also punched a ticket to Sacto with a 4th place finish in the hammer throw at 199-1; and Liz Podominick was 5th in the discus at 169-1. On the track, Emily Brown finished second in the 3000m steeplechase in 10:08.22 to earn a return trip to nationals.

The highlight of the meet for the Gopher women, however, was Heather Dorniden's meet record-breaking victory in the 800 meters in a personal best 2:02.03. Dorniden, who spent much of the season spreading her ample talent across various events for the Gophers, focused solely on the 800 at regionals.

“I feel like I’ve never really had the chance this season to go out there and prove to myself what I’m made of,” Dorniden said in a Gopher media release.. “I felt like this was my last chance before bigger competition at nationals. It’s a good day on a great track."

The Gopher men will send triple jumper Derek Gearman and shot putter Adam Schnaible to nationals. Gearman finished 4th in the event with a season-best 51-8 1/4. He also placed 6th in both the high jump and long jump in the meet. Schnaible threw 57-8 1/2 for third place and a berth at nationals. All-American 400 meter runner Aaron Buzard, didn't qualify at the meet in his event; he placed 7th in 46.70.

At large berths to the national meet will be announced shortly; a few more Gophers could make nationals via that route.

In the West Regional ... former Winona High School star Garrett Heath finished third in the 1500 meters, earning a trip to nationals. He clocked 3:43.15.

NCAA Division II Nationals -- MSU - Mankato's Jim Dilling won his fourth Division II high jump title with a leap of 7-5 1/4. Dilling has now won two indoor and two outdoor national titles in the event. Indoor pole vault champ Katelin Rains of Mankato was upset in her event. MSU - Moorhead's Jennifer Hensel won the vault at 12-9 1/2. Rains finished 4th at 12-5 1/2.

Bemidji State's Sheena Devine won the shot put with a 50-7 1/2 toss. She was also the champion in that event indoors.

NCAA Division III Nationals -- St. John's University earned a trophy at the meet by tying for 4th place in men's competition. The MIAC outdoor champs were powered by Chris Erichsen's double -- a runner-up finish in the steeplechase (9:01.12) and 4th place run in the 5000 meters (14:31.23) -- and Mike Leither runner-up finish in the 400 hurdles in 51.97.

Will Leer of Pomona-Pitzer (via Minnetonka High School) won the 1500/5000 double. St. Thomas' Shara Guidry won an unexpected title in the discus throwing 145-11. UW - River Falls' Jill Crandall (a Roseville grad) finished 3rd in the heptathlon where she was the #1 seed -- she scored a personal best 4989, however -- but won the high jump title at 5-7 in the midst of the heptathlon competition.

Race Report: Brian Kraft Memorial 5K

A solid field turned out for the USATF Minnesota 5K Championship, hosted by the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K. Jeremy Polson outkicked Joey Keillor to win the men's division, while Desiree Budd won on the women's side. Complete results are here. Preliminary team results are here. Official team results will appear here after the Team Circuit scorekeeper checks everything out.

View some race photos on our new flickr stream.

Team Circuit Leaders Look to Widen Gaps at Brian Kraft Memorial 5K

Open Division leaders Run N Fun (women) and GEAR Running Store (men) will try to widen their slim leads in the USATF - Minnesota Team Circuit when action resumes at the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K at Lake Nokomis tomorrow.

Both squads sport two-point leads over their nearest rivals after three of the circuit's eight events.

The Run N Fun women line up for Kraft with a squad that looks tough to beat. Amy Lyons, Angie Voight, Erin Ward, Elaine Eggleston and masters standouts Bonnie Sons, and Kelly Keeler are expected to power the squad, based on the line-up captain Melissa Gacek shared with DtB.

The RNF women lead GEAR 29-27 in the standings after beating their rivals in the last two legs of the circuit.

The circuit-leading GEAR men's team plans to line up their own formidable squad in order to widen their lead. GEAR men's captain Kurt Decker lists Joey Keillor, Pat Russell, Kenny Miller, Jeremey Essler, Tony Myers, Scott Fiskdal, and David Helm among his Brain Kraft platoon.

GEAR leads RNF 57-55 in Open Men's competition.

Full Team Circuit standings -- including those in the Masters and Grand Masters divisions -- can be found HERE.

The Short-Cut: Weekend Results for May 24 -28

The results this holiday weekend are spelled N-C-A-A ...

National meets in D-II and DIII, Regionals for the big schools. The Team Circuit resumes as well and Kara Goucher and other elites race in Eugene.

Thursday
NCAA Division II Championships: Results
NCAA Division III Championships: Men/Women

Friday
NCAA Division I Midwest Regional: Results
NCAA Division II Championships: Results
NCAA Division III Championships Men/Women

Saturday
NCAA Division I Midwest Regional: Results
NCAA Division II Championships Results
NCAA Division III Championships Men/Women

Sunday
Road to Eugene '08 Meet: Results
Update: Men's 800: Trent Riter 1st in 1:47.18, Adam Steele 10th in 1:50.58. Women's 5,000: Cack Ferrell 2nd in 15:42.92 (22 second PR), Sean Graham 13:38.12.

Monday
Brian Kraft Memorial 5K: Results

NCAA Division I Midwest Regional: Gophers Join the Big 12 (Sorta)

The Minnesota Golden Gopher teams, which have proved themselves more than worthy against Big Ten competition in 2007 -- an indoor title for the women, two runner-up finishes for the men -- will battle largely Big 12-based competition at the NCAA Midwest Regional today and tomorrow at Drake University.

Exit Michigan and Wisconsin; enter Baylor and Colorado. (Iowa sticks around for good measure.)

The Gopher women send 20 athletes to the meet, from which five athletes per event will qualify for the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, California on June 6-9. The Gopher men send 14 athletes down I-35 for the meet.

For the women, national meet hopes rest on the distance/middle-distance crew and the throwers, mainly. Heather Dorniden, Gabrielle Anderson, and Julie Schwengler are ranked #1, #3, #6 in the 800 meters. Emily Brown and Jamie Cheever enter the steeplechase at #1 and #4. Ruby Radocaj is ranked #2 in the javelin. Liz Alabi is ranked #3 in the hammer throw, and she and Liz Podomonick sit #7-8 in the shot put.

Pole vaulters Alicia Rue (#6) and Andrea Smith (#8) could punch a national meet ticket as well.

For the men, two Gopher throwers, quartermiler Aaron Buzard, jumper Derek Gearman, and perhaps a member of the distance crew have the likeliest paths to Sacto. Aaron Studt and Adam Schnaible are ranked #4 and #5 in the shot put, respectively; Schanaible sits in the last paying spot in the hammer throw as well.

Buzard, who is ranked #3 in the event, will battle a trio of rivals from "Quartermiler University" in the 400 meters -- three Baylor runners round out the top four in the region in the event. Super-jumper Gearman is entered in all three jumps, but is ranked highest in the long jump, where he sits #4.

Gopher distance runner Ben Puhl (#9) could steal a spot in a balanced steeplechase; cross country all-American Chris Rombough (#19) should still be a threat at 5000 meters.

Ranked qualifiers lists can be found HERE (women) and HERE (men.)

Heat sheets can be found HERE (women) and HERE (men.)

Results will be posted HERE.

Video is available HERE.

Gophers, Finnerty Named USATF Minnesota Athletes of the Month

The Golden Gopher women’s relay teams from the Drake Relays and Rob Finnerty have been named USATF Minnesota's Athletes of the Month for May 2007.

The Golden Gopher women’s 4 x 800 meter, 4 x 1600 meter, and distance medley relay teams were recognized for their “triple crown” of victories at the Drake Relays on April 27 and 28. The 4 x 800 team of Jamie Cheever, Gabriele Anderson, Julie Schwengler, and Heather Dorniden broke the Drake Relays record in the event with their victorious 8:27.42 clocking.

The 4 x 1600 team of Cheever, Elizabeth Yetzer, Anderson, and Emily Brown ran the fastest time in the nation with their 19:07.75 performance in the event, which broke the meet record the 2006 Gopher team set. The DMR of Yetzer, Dorniden, Ayla Mitchell, and Brown ran 11:08.16 for their win.

Finnerty, a Burnsville High School junior, was recognized for winning the Boys 3200 meter run in 9:04.55 at the Hamline Elite meet on April 27. The 2005 MSHSL Class AA 3200 meter champ beat a star-studded field that included USA Junior Men’s Cross Country champion Elliott Heath of Winona and 4th place Footlocker National Cross Country finisher Hassan Mead of Minneapolis South.

USA Track & Field Minnesota selects Athletes of the Month to honor excellence in track and field and its related sports in Minnesota. USA Track & Field is the governing body of the sport in the United States and the Minnesota Association of USATF sanctions and sponsors track and field, cross country, road racing, and racewalking events for athletes of all ages in the state.

Also ... You can watch KARE-11's Prep Athlete of the Week peice on Finnerty HERE -- it includes footage of the Elite Meet finish.

(Disclosure: Pete Miller and I serve, along with Kevin Moorhead, on the USATF-Minnesota Athlete of the Month committee.)

NCAA Division II: Dillling, Rains Aim to Clear Championship Bars Again

Minnesota State - Mankato's Jim Dilling and Katelin Rains are posed to do once more what they've done before -- done three times before in Dilling's case.

Win NCAA Division II titles in the high jump and pole vault, respectively.

At the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina which open today, Dilling will jump for a 4th D-II high jump crown -- he won the NCAA title outdoors in 2005 and indoors this season and last. Rains will vault to duplicate outdoors the indoor title she won earlier this season. Both are the #1 seeds in their events -- Dilling at 7-6 1/2, Rains at 13-3 3/4.

Competition for the Maverick bar-clearers looks to come from the same rivals as indoors.

Dilling expects to battle Morehouse's Keith Moffatt whom he beat indoors 7-4 1/2 to 7-3 1/4. Moffatt beat Dilling outdoors last year, however, jumping 7-6 as Dilling finished 3rd. Angie Aguilar of Abilene Christian, the #2 seed in the vault, owns a qualifying mark only a centimeter shy of Rains' at 13-3 1/2. Bria Magnuson of Winona State and Jennifer Hensel of Minnesota State - Moorhead are the #3 and #5 seeds in the event. Rains topped Aguilar 14-0 to 12-8 3/4 indoors, where Magnuson was 3rd at 12-8 3/4.

Also expected to star at the championship ... Bemidji State shot putter Sheena Devine, who won the D-II title indoors with a 51-0 1/4 toss, is seeded #2 at 49-2 1/4 ... Winona State hammer thrower Emily King, who won the 20-pound weight throw indoors, is seeded #2 in the hammer at 184-9.

Ranked qualifiers lists can be found HERE (women) and HERE (men.)

Heat sheets can be found HERE (women) and HERE (men.)

Results will be posted HERE.

Video is available HERE.

Minnesotans to Vie for NCAA Division III Titles

The North Star State will send a passel of title contenders across the border to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships at UW - Oshkosh. The meet begins tomorrow and runs until Saturday.

The top contenders with Minnesota pedigree include:

Will Leer (Pomona-Pitzer Colleges) -- Leer, the two-time Division III champion in the indoor mile, hopes to earn his first outdoor crown in Oshkosh. The Minnetonka High School grad is seeded #1 by more than five seconds the 1500 meters at 3:41.98 and is ranked #3 in the 5000 meters at 14:23.28. Last year, Leer was the runner-up in the 1500 and was 8th in the 800 for his southern California school.

Eric Buss (St. John's) -- The MIAC outdoor champ is the #1 seed in the triple jump at 48-11. The Coon Rapids native won the MIAC indoor title as well, but didn't make the cut for indoor nationals. Eight jumpers are within a foot of Buss' mark.

Chris Erichsen (St. John's) -- Named the MIAC Outdoor Championships "Men's Outstanding Track Athlete" for his commanding wins at 1500 and 5000 meters there, Erichsen is seeded #2 in the 3000m Steeplechase with a 9:03.84. Erichsen is also seeded #7 at 5000m. Alex Ramon of Occidental College is seeded #1 in the 'chase at 9:01.23.

Lisa Brown (Gustavus Adolphus College) -- Brown, seeded #5 this year at 149-9 -- is the defending champion in the javelin. The clutch performer won the title last year with a toss of 154-6 on her last throw of the competition. Brandi McNeil of Illinois' Wheaton College leads the nation at 161-11.

Jill Crandall (UW - River Falls) -- The Roseville High School graduate enters the meet as the #1 seed in the heptathlon. Crandall sports a 4936 point mark notched at St. John's in April. She won the WIAC meet with 4444 points. Amy Reed of Messiah College is ranked #2 with 4860 points.

Heather Schuster (Concordia-Moorhead) -- Named the MIAC's "Women’s Outstanding Track Athlete" after she won the 800/1500 meter double at the conference meet, Schuster enters the NCAA Championship ranked #3 in the 800 at 2:09.32. Wartburg's Heidi Porter has clocked 2:08.41; UW - Platteville's Marcia Taddy has run 2:09.18.

Selina Dehn (St. Thomas) -- Dehn was named the MIAC's "Women's Outstanding Field Athlete" for winning the triple jump, finishing second in the long jump, and placing 6th in the high jump at the conference meet. She was also the winner of the "Women's Outstanding Performance" award for her 39-3 3/4 meet record-breaking triple jump mark that seeds her #3 at NCAAs. Caroline Doctor of Williams College leads qualifiers at 40-4 3/4.

Ranked qualifiers lists can be found HERE.

Heat sheets can be found HERE.

Results are here for MEN and WOMEN.

Remembering Brian Kraft

As I recently wrote in Minnesota Running & Track magazine, Brian Kraft always came back to running. His dedication and enthusiasm for the sport - despite his long battle with cancer - inspired many others. A group of his friends started the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K in 1997, the summer after he passed away. Craig Yotter and I took on race director duties in 2004. We got involved mainly because we didn't want to see a quality race disappear from the calendar. But I had another motivation: Don't let them forget Brian Kraft.

I didn't know Brian well. But we both ran for coach Dennis Bartz at Bemidji High School, so we had something in common. We would always chat for a few minutes when we saw each other at a road race. Since Brian was something of a legend among runners from Bemidji, every conversation that I had with him was memorable.

But I always think about the time I saw him at the Easy Does It 5 Mile in the early '90s. Brian hadn't run the race, but had come out to cheer for his friend Valerie Olson. Since I hadn't seen him in a while, I asked Brian how things were going. He began with, "Well, maybe you haven't heard, but the cancer came back." I winced as he provided the details of the surgery, chemotherapy and recovery he had been through over the past few months. Without skipping a beat, he concluded with, "So, I'm only getting in about 50 miles a week."

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K. It has again been designated as the USATF Minnesota 5K championship. The course is flat and fast, and people show up to race. It's a good tribute to a man who loved running and loved racing.

Don't forget Brian Kraft.

Photo by Monte Draper, courtesy of the Bemidji Pioneer

Twin Cities Marathon Fills in 19 Days

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon officials announced this afternoon that registration has closed for the 26th running of the event. The race reached its 10,500 runner capacity in 19 days.

“Strong registration online indicates the continued growth in running as a sport around the world,” Twin Cities Marathon executive director, Virginia Brophy Achman said in a media release. “We anticipated filling the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon within a month as we’ve done for 20 years, but are thrilled that the event continues to attract such a varied field in such a short time."

TCM's fast pace to its limit contrasts with Grandma's Marathon's recent plod to its 9500 runner capacity. The Duluth race took an uncharacteristic three months to fill.

Those still wishing to take part in this year's TCM can reserve an entry through an online-only fundraising program to benefit the event's "Youth Fitness Partners." For the $85 price of registration, plus a $100 tax-deductible donation, the first 150 entries received can still gain entry to the race. Information is available on the TCM web-site.

Twin Cities Marathon takes place October 7.

Also ... The Road Running Information Center recently reported that TCM and Grandma's are the 9th and 12th largest marathons in the country, repectively, based on number of finishers in 2006. TCM had 8196 finishers; Grandma's had 6912. Neither race cracks the top-15 world-wide. The New York City Marathon leads the country and the world with an all-time record 37,866 finishers last year.

Gopher Women Steal Four Recruits from Neighboring States in Spring Signings

The University of Minnesota women's team signed four recruits -- all from neighboring Big Ten states -- to national letters of intent during the spring signing period. Wisconsin natives Liz Amici of Whitewater, Jamie Dittmar of Wausau, Brittany Frederick of Green Bay, and Iowan Diedre Hinkeldey of Alta have all committed to the team, according to a team media release.

The Gophers previously signed Hudson, Wisconsin's Sharyn Dahl, Texan Caitlyn Gaston, Shell Lake, Wisconsin's Hannah Gronning, Franklin, Minnesota's Nikki Schultz, and Dawson, Minnesota's Nicole Swenson during the early signing period last fall.

The signings reflect the team's emphasis, of late, on acquiring throwers, middle distance runners, and athletes with multi-event talent.

“We added a lot of depth in this class, both in talent and numbers,” Gopher women's head coach Matt Bingle said. “The Minnesota program is built on depth and the development of solid student-athletes. We’re excited about this class, one that includes several state champions. We also feel we signed the very best athletes from Minnesota and Wisconsin, which is a goal of ours every year."

Amici is a senior at Whitewater is expected to compete in the triple jump and multi-events for the Gophers. She is the defending Wisconsin Division 2 state champion in the triple jump, winning the title with a career-best of 37-4. Amici, an eight-time all-state performer, also added a third-place showing in the 100-meter hurdles in leading Whitewater to a third-place team finish.

Dittmar is the 2006 Wisconsin Division I champion in the 800-meter run from Wausau East. Her winning time of 2 minutes, 11.35 seconds ranked as the fifth-fastest time in Wisconsin high school history. Dittmar also earned all-state honors twice in the 400 meters and owns a career-best time of 57.35 seconds in that event.

Frederick is a thrower from Green Bay Preble. She captured the Wisconsin Division I discus crown in 2006 with a throw of 132-0. Frederick also earned all-state honors in the event as a sophomore. This season, Frederick has posted a career-best distance of 138-11.

Hinkeldey is a three-time Iowa Class 1A champion from Alta. She won the 2004 and 2005 titles in the 400 meters and was the runner-up a year ago, while adding third-place finishes in the 100 and 800 meters in 2006. Hinkeldey doubled up in 2005 in winning the state crown in the 400-meter hurdles. Overall, she is a 10-time all-state performer. Her career-best times are 56.94 seconds in the 400 meters and 1:02.47 in the 400-meter hurdles.

Dahl, a senior at Hudson, joins the Gophers as a state champion hurdler. Dahl won the Wisconsin Division I 300-meter hurdles title last spring in a time of 44.26 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in Wisconsin high school history. She was the state runner-up in the event in both 2004 and 2005. A five-time all-state honoree, Dahl has competed in the 100-meter hurdles twice at the state meet, recording a fourth-place finish (14.99) in 2006 and a seventh-place showing in 2005. Last summer, Dahl competed in the Nike Outdoor Nationals and ran her first 400-meter hurdles competition, clocking a time of 1:03.54.

Gaston is a senior thrower from Holmes High School. Gaston is expected to focus on the discus, weight throw and hammer once she gets to the collegiate ranks. The weight and hammer are not high school events contested in Texas. Gaston placed fifth in the discus at the regional (sub-state) meet with a throw of 132 feet, 3 inches. Gaston will, however, miss her senior season due to a knee injury.

Gronning is a four-time Wisconsin Division 3 state champion from Shell Lake with an unusual resume that lists winning a state relay title along with three individual crowns in throwing events. In 2007, Gronning ranks first in the state in the discus with a throw of 159-9. Gronning captured three titles in 2006, leading Shell Lake to a third-place finish as a team. She defended her discus title (133-11) and landed her first state crown in the shot put (42-2 1/2). Gronning added her third state medalist honor by running the third leg of the winning 4x100-meter relay (50.54). As a sophomore in 2005, Gronning won her first discus title and placed fifth in the shot put.

Schultz is a seven-time all-state performer from Cedar Mountain, who will compete in the heptathlon as a Golden Gopher. Schultz ran to runner-up honors in the 800-meter run and placed fifth in the triple jump at the 2006 Minnesota Class A State Meet. She was edged in the 800m by fellow Gopher-to-be Nikki Swenson. Schultz has been a member of three state champion relays, winning the 4x800-meter relay in both 2004 and 2005, and the 4x400-meter relay in 2005. Schultz was also on the state runner-up 4x400-meter relay in 2004.

Swenson, a senior at Lac qui Perle Valley, is a top distance runner in the Minnesota high school ranks. Swenson is a two-time Minnesota Class A cross country champion, capturing medalist honors as a freshman in 2003 and in 2006 as a senior. She was the state runner-up in 2004 and 2005. Swenson’s track resume is loaded with top state finishes as well. In 2006, she won the state crown in the 800-meter run (2:12.08) and was runner-up in the 1,600-meter run (4:53.67). Swenson was a double winner in 2005, winning the 400 meters and 1,600 meters in leading her team to a first-place finish. She added a second-place finish in the 3,200 meters that season. As a freshman in 2004, Swenson won the first of her two 1,600 meters title and placed second in the 3,200 meters.

The Chris Lists: Top High School Boys Times for 800, 1600, and 3200 meters

We now return you to regular programming ...

Chris Marshall has updated his lists of top high school boys' middle and long distance marks through the True Team State Meet last weekend.

(New marks are in bold; post-publication amendments in red.)

800m
Andy Richardson Irondale 1:53.48 North Suburban Conf.
David Pachuta Eastview 1:54.54 UST Invite
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 1:54.58 Bob Stewart Invite
Jordan Carlson Rosemount 1:54.80 3AAATT
Nick Ramberg of North Branch 1:55.08 North Suburban Conf.
Mike Shelendich Mounds View 1:55.16 Bob Stewart Invite
Zach Mellon Buffalo 1:55.26 Hamline Elite
Robel Kebede Mlps. South 1:56.41 6AAATT
Kaafi Adeys Willmar 1:56.86 Central Lakes Conference
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 1:57.18 Carleton
(10)
Obai Hussein Rosemount 1:57.21 State TT
Ian Campbell Bloomington Prairie 1:57.26 Hamline Elite
Nick Hutton Apple Valley 1:57.27 Lake Conference
Doug Debold Hopkins 1:57.42 State TT
Abdi Mohamed Eden Prairie 1:57.51 State TT
Tyler King Lakeville North 1:57.59 Carleton
Evan Kearney Mlps. South 1:57.87 6AAATT
Tom Burke Edina 1:57.95 EP Booster
Paul Hilsen Lakeville South 1:57.8* Rosemount Tri
Sam Shidla Mound-Westonka 1:57.9* Mound-Westonka
(20)
Mustafa Yusuf Willmar 1:58.23 Central Lakes Conference
Alex Wrobel Mounds View 1:58.48 Hamline Eilte
Mike Mueller Hopkins 1:58.4 Hopkins Quad

1600m
Elliot Heath Winona 4:10.27 1AAATT
Paul Hilsen Lakeville South 4:13.61 1AAATT
Ryan Little Eden Prairie 4:14.21 State TT
Jordan Carlson Rosemount 4:14.98 State TT
Tom Burke Edina 4:15.44 7AAATT
Andy Richardson Irondale 4:15.80 6AAATT
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 4:16.13 Carleton
Matt Yak Northfield 4:16.85 1AAATT
Hassan Mead Mlps. South 4:17.36 6AAATT
Kaafi Adeys Willmar 4:17.9* STMA
(10)
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 4:18.44 UST Invite
Zach Mellon Buffalo 4:19.05 State TT
Mike Hutton Apple Valley 4:19.41 Lake Conference Relays
Tyler King Lakeville North 4:20.01 1AAATT
Jon Stublaski Henry Sibley 4:20.02 Hamline Elite
Travis Burkstrand Eastview 4:20.37 Lake Conference
Doug Debold Hopkins 4:20.64 7AAATT
Jackson Wiley Eden Prairie 4:21.58 Lake Conference
Harry Backlund Highland Park 4:22.24 ???
TC Lumbar Edina 4:22.52 7AAATT
(20)
Mahad Hassan Willmar 4:22.69 Eden Prairie Booster
Mike Schelendich Mounds View 4:22.88 6AAATT
Matt Volz Lakeville South 4:22.99 1AAATT

3200m
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 9:04.55 Hamline Elite
Hassan Mead Mlps South 9:06.07 Hamline Elite
TC Lumbar Edina 9:06.69 Hamline Elite
Elliot Heath Winona 9:07.94 Hamline Elite
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 9:15.46 Lakeville Invite
Ryan Little Eden Prairie 9:15.85 Carleton
Matt Yak Northfield 9:18.90 1AAATT
Tom Burke Edina 9:22.52 Lakeville Invite
Jon Stublaski Henry Sibley 9:23.71 2AAATT
Mike Hutton Apple Valley 9:26.36 Lake Conference
(10)
Andrew Quinn BSM 9:26.79 Hamline Elite
Mahad Hassan Willmar 9:29.96 Central Lakes Conf.
Travis Burkstrand Eastview 9:32.53 Lake Conference
Jackson Wiley Eden Prairie 9:34.31 State TT
Jon Lambert Wayzata 9:39.26 Hamline Elite
Kaafi Adeys Willmar 9:39.59 EP Booster
Wade Hassel Mounds View 9:41.10 Hamline Elite
Tyler King Lakeville North 9:41.39 Lake Conference

*hand-timed

Congratulations Carrie & Charlie

A little off topic, but those of you who enjoy Down the Backstretch might be interested to know that Carrie Jennings and Charlie Mahler were married today in a beautiful outdoor ceremony on their farm near Northfield. Charlie is, of course, the founder and primary contributor to DtB.

Congratulations to the happy couple from the staff of DtB and the entire Minnesota running and track community!

The Short-Cut: Weekend Results for May 18-20

A lot of variety in this weekend's events. The state's best high school teams will be competing for True Team honors while distance runners are hitting the dirt in Lutsen and the pavement in Fargo. There will also be Minnesotans on the track in Illinois and Oregon.

Get your results right here...

Friday:
MN State True Team Track & Field Meet: Results
Update: Winners: Mounds View Girls & Boys (AAA).

North Central College Last Chance: Results

Saturday:
MN State True Team Track & Field Meet: Results
Update: Winners: Mankato East Girls and Boys (AA), Pipestone Girls (A), St. Croix Lutheran Boys (A).

Fargo Marathon / Half Marathon: Results
Update: Chad Wallin (2:31:20) and Valerie Gortmaker (2:50:00) win marathon, Andrew Carlson (1:05:02) and Jennifer Hess (1:21:57) win half marathon.

Superior Trail 25K / 50K: Results

Sunday:
Adidas Track Classic: Results
Update: Kara Goucher 9:41 (2-mile), Jenelle Deatherage 4:11 (1500), Mitch Potter 46.16 (400), Luke Watson 8:06.43 (3,000).

Note: There are a pile of road races at this time of year. We're not going to link to all of them. If you're looking for a race – or more race results – try the MDRA Race Schedule. It includes links to most races in the state.

Gearman Named Athlete of the Year, Championship

Gopher senior Derek Gearman was named the Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, by the Big Ten today. Gearman was also recognized as the Big Ten Field Event Athlete of the Outdoor Championships.

Gearman (pictured) posted two runner-up finishes in scoring a team-high 21 points at last weekend’s Big Ten Championships in State College, Pennsylvania, where the Gopher men finished as the runner-up team.

The Lennox, South Dakota native finished second in the long jump with a career-best leap of 25-6. Competing at the same time in the high jump, Gearman cleared 7-0 1/4 to capture second place in that event too. Gearman added a fourth-place showing in the triple jump with a season-best jump of 51-0 1/4 and ran a leg of the Gophers’ 4th place 4x100-meter relay.

Gearman and five Golden Gopher teammates were named to All-Big Ten honor squads. Big Ten hammer champion Adam Schnaible earned first-team honors, while Gearman, Aaron Buzard, Jason Erickson, Sayfe Jassim and Walter Langkau were named to the second team. Buzard finished second in the 400-meter dash and joined Erckson, Jassim and Langkau in the runner-up 4x400-meter relay.

Gopher Women Honored ... Three Golden Gopher women – Liz Alabi, Heather Dorniden and Alicia Rue – were honored as All-Big Ten Second Team. The trio earned honors by capturing runner-up finishes at last weekend’s championships. Alabi finished second-place in the hammer with a school-record effort of 199-8 and in the shot put with a throw of 51-1 3/4.

Dorniden was runner-up in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:05.81. Rue, a true freshman, cleared a career-best height of 13-3 1/2 to place second in her first Big Ten outdoor meet.

The Gopher women finished 4th in the championships as a team.

Also ... You can find some great photos from Big Tens and other Gopher meets this season at Rebecca Miller's Gopher Track Shots web-site.

Photo courtesy of the U of M.

GEAR Men, RNF Women Lead Team Circuit

"If everyone from GEAR shows up they will be hard to beat," Run N Fun men's captain Kelly Mortenson told DtB ahead of last weekend's New Prague Half Marathon.

He knew his squad would lack a few of its top runners for the third race of the 2007 USATF - Minnesota Team Circuit.

He was right about GEAR.

Powered by top-5, sub-1:10 performances by race winner Pete Gilman, Pat Russell, and Josh Metcalf, the team formerly known as "Defending Team Circuit Champions Runners Edge" beat their rivals by more than eight minutes and broke the tie atop the Circuit standings.

GEAR now sports a two point lead in Circuit standings -- 57 to 55 over RNF. Lundgren Ford is third with 45 points.

On the women's side, Run N Fun broke their own tie atop the women's standings with GEAR by a big margin. Erin Ward, Angie Voight, and Melissa Gacek finished 1-3-4 in the event to lead RNF to their own 8+ minute victory.

RNF's women now leads the Circuit 29-27 over GEAR with the Prairie Striders sitting third with 17 points.

Full Team Circuit standings can be found HERE. The next event on the eight-race tour is the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K at Lake Nokomis on May 28.

(Full disclosure: I'm a seldom-competing member of the Lundgren Ford masters team.)

Russell, Gacek Top Runner-of-the-Year Standings Through April

Human Race 8K Champion Pat Russell and Securian Frozen Half Marathon Champ Melissa Gacek currently lead the Minnesota Running Data Center Runner-of-the-Year standings.

The standings are tallied from performances on certified courses in Minnesota across a full range of distances. The newly updated standings include events through April.

Russell, who competes for GEAR Running Store, leads Run N Fun's Jeremy Polson 29-27. GEAR teammates Pete Gilman and Josh Metcalf are currently tied for 3rd with 26 points. RNF's Ed Whetham is fifth with 22.

Gacek, who represents Run N Fun, leads with 21 points. She's ahead of a three-way tie for second between GEAR's Sonya Anderson-Decker and Nicole Cueno and RNF's Amy Lyons. Angie Voight of RNF is fifth with 12 points.

Runner-of-the-Year standings are compiled for masters runners by age group as well. Anderson-Decker is tied with RNF's Bonnie Sons for the lead in the women's 40-44 age-group. John Vandanaker of Lundgren Ford tops the men's 40-44 list.

Mike Setter, who compiles the ROY standings, tips his hat to long-time state record-keeper jack Moran (of RaceberryJam fame) for his assistance with the effort.

"It's all based on data that Jack has been graciously providing," Setter told DtB. "He's definitely the one making things work this year even though he is not the official state LDR record keeper."

Who Is Will Leer?

DtB readers know the Minnetonka High School grad from THIS and then THIS.

Results mavens -- like DtB's Chris Marshall -- already know about his 3:41.98 last weekend at the Oxy Invite.

You can get to know him a lot better via this YouTube documentary.

But we recommend driving over to UW - Oshkosh in a few weeks to see the real thing.

Leer's photo courtesy of Pomana-Pitzer Colleges.

Katie McGregor Wins USA 25K

Michigan was good to Katie McGregor again ...

The Team USA Minnesota star won the USA 25K Championship on Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a time of 1:25:53. Her time was the fifth fastest performance ever for a U.S. woman over the distance.

Averaging 5:32 per mile, McGregor (pictured), a University of Michigan alum, ran unchallenged throughout the race held in conjunction with the Fifth Third River Bank Run. Tatiana Chulakh of Russia finished second in 1:28:33; Alicia Craig was the runner-up in the USA Championship in 1:29:30, third overall.

"I was hurting about mile 12 or 13," McGregor told the Grand Rapids Press shortly after the race. "This is the second-longest race I've ever done. I was really glad to just see the crowd and downtown."

McGregor's longest race was the ING New York City Marathon held last November; the 25 km was her debut at the distance.

The wins marks the fourth national championship for McGregor, who is the 2005 and 2006 USA 10K road champion as well as the 10,000-meter champion in 2005. The University of Michigan standout, who has been training with Team USA Minnesota since 2001, also obtained her 10,000 meter Olympic qualifying mark at the Cardinal Invitational on April 29.

McGregor's Team USA Minnesota teammate Jason Lehmkuhle, attempting a quick return to racing after running the Boston Marathon, finished 20th in the men's race in 1:21:58.

Former Gopher star Chad Johnson, who runs with the Hansons-Brooks program, finished 4th in the USA Championships in 1:17:55.

Photo by Victor Sailer, courtesy of Team USA Minnesota.

The Short-Cut: Weekend Results for May 11-13

So much going on in DtB-land this weekend... so much!

It's conference meet weekend in Big Ten -- will the Gopher women repeat? -- and small college circles, and the tie atop the Team Circuit standings will be broken at the New Prague Half Marathon.

Friday:
MIAC Outdoor Championships: Men's Preview Women's Preview Results
Update: Johnnie men and Gusties women lead team race ...

NSIC Outdoor Championships: Results
NCC Outdoor Championships: Results
Update: Mankato leads men's and women's team scoring ...

Big Ten Outdoor Championships: Gopher Men's Preview Gopher Women's Preview Results
Update: Gophers atop men's and women's standings after Day 1 ...

Saturday:
New Prague Half Marathon: Results
Update: Gilman, Ward win.

MIAC Outdoor Championships: Results
Update: Johnnie men, Tommie women win titles.

NSIC Outdoor Championships: Results
Update: Wayne State men and University of Mary women prevail.

NCC Outdoor Championships: Results
Update: Mankato Men and USD women win titles.

Big Ten Outdoor Championships: Results
Update: Gopher women lead, Badgers first, Gophers second in men's standings.

Sunday:
Big Ten Outdoor Championships: Results
Update: Gopher men runners-up, Gopher women fall to 4th

The Chris Lists: Top High School Boys Times for 800, 1600, 3200 meters

Chris Marshall has updated his high school boys distance performance list after some blistering times from True Team Sections ...

(New marks are in bold.)

800m
David Pachuta Eastview 1:54.54 UST Invite
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 1:54.58 Bob Stewart Invite
Jordan Carlson Rosemount 1:54.80 3AAATT
Mike Shelendich Mounds View 1:55.16 Bob Stewart Invite
Zach Mellon Buffalo 1:55.26 Hamline Elite
Andy Richardson Irondale 1:55.73 6AAATT
Robel Kebede Mlps. South 1:56.41 6AAATT
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 1:57.18 Carleton
Ian Campbell Bloomington Prairie 1:57.26 Hamline Elite
Tyler King Lakeville North 1:57.59 Carleton
(10)
Doug Debold Hopkins 1:57.80 7AAATT
Nick Ramberg North Branch 1:57.82 Hamline Elite
Evan Kearney Mlps. South 1:57.87 6AAATT
Tom Burke Edina 1:57.95 EP Booster
Paul Hilsen Lakeville South 1:57.8* Rosemount Tri
Sam Shidla Mound-Westonka 1:57.9* Mound-Westonka
Alex Wrobel Mounds View 1:58.48 Hamline Eilte
Kaafi Adeys Willmar 1:58.3* STMA
Mike Mueller Hopkins 1:58.4 Hopkins Quad

1600m
Elliot Heath Winona 4:10.27 1AAATT
Paul Hilsen Lakeville South 4:13.61 1AAATT
Ryan Little Eden Prairie 4:14.73 7AAATT
Tom Burke Edina 4:15.44 7AAATT
Andy Richardson Irondale 4:15.80 6AAATT
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 4:16.13 Carleton
Matt Yak Northfield 4:16.85 1AAATT
Hassan Mead Mlps. South 4:17.36 6AAATT
Kaafi Adeys Willmar 4:17.9* STMA
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 4:18.44 UST Invite
(10)
Zach Mellon Buffalo 4:19.17 8AAATT
Mike Hutton Apple Valley 4:19.41 Lake Conference Relays
Tyler King Lakeville North 4:20.01 1AAATT
Jon Stublaski Henry Sibley 4:20.02 Hamline Elite
Jordan Carlson Rosemount 4:20.73 3AAATT
Doug Debold Hopkins 4:20.64 7AAATT
Harry Backlund Highland Park 4:22.24 ???
Jackson Wiley Eden Prairie 4:22.34 Lake Conf. Relays
TC Lumbar Edina 4:22.52 7AAATT
Mahad Hassan Willmar 4:22.69 Eden Prairie Booster
(20)
Mike Schelendich Mounds View 4:22.88 6AAATT
Matt Volz Lakeville South 4:22.99 1AAATT

3200m
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 9:04.55 Hamline Elite
Hassan Mead Mlps South 9:06.07 Hamline Elite
TC Lumbar Edina 9:06.69 Hamline Elite
Elliot Heath Winona 9:07.94 Hamline Elite
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 9:15.46 Lakeville Invite
Ryan Little Eden Prairie 9:15.85 Carleton
Matt Yak Northfield 9:18.90 1AAATT
Tom Burke Edina 9:22.52 Lakeville Invite
Jon Stublaski Henry Sibley 9:23.71 2AAATT
Andrew Quinn BSM 9:26.79 Hamline Elite
(10)
Jon Lambert Wayzata 9:39.26 Hamline Elite
Kaafi Adeys Willmar 9:39.59 EP Booster
Wade Hassel Mounds View 9:41.10 Hamline Elite

*hand-timed

Deatherage: "I have been eating so much steak it’s ridiculous"

Fast Women.Com, a great web-site hosted by the new York Road Runner's Club, just posted an in-depth interview of Team USA Minnesota's Jenelle Deatherage -- winner of last month's Drake Relays 1500 meter and the TC 1 Mile last week.

The Q/A talks about training, juggling running and a career, and -- explaining our headline -- her constant battles with low iron levels.

On the subject, Deatherage (pictured winning the TC 1 Mile) says: "I've been really trying to push the natural sources. I still take my supplements, but I was taking supplements when my levels were low, so my guess is that I just wasn't getting enough of the natural iron from the red meat. My poor husband; he feels like I’m going to give him a heart attack."

At Fast Women you can also find recent interviews of Team USA Minnesota's Sara Wells and Katie McGregor.

Photo courtesy of TCM by Paul Phillips, Competitive Image.

Twin Cities Marathon: 75% of 10,500 in 6 Days

Twin Cities Marathon officials announced that they have filled 75% of the spots in their 10,500 runner marathon field in the first six days of registration.

“We’re pleased with the tremendous response from the running community who continue to choose our race as their fall marathon because of the great spectators, the beautiful course and a well-organized event,” Twin Cities Marathon executive director Virginia Brophy Achman said in a media release.

Twin Cities has filled in each of the last 20 years. In last year's 25th anniversary event, the marathon filled in 15 days.

The race takes place Sunday, October 7.

Erichsen, Bristow Won't Clash in MIAC Steeplechase This Weekend

Chris Erichsen of St. John's and Travis Bistow of Hamline, the #1 and #2 ranked 3000m steeplechasers in NCAA Division III, respectively, will not meet in the event at this weekend's MIAC Championships in Collegeville.

Entrants into the meet were announced last night and are listed HERE.

Erichsen, who clocked 9:03.84 to finish 4th at the Drake Relays, will attempt to defend his conference 1500m title and then double back in the 5000. Bristow, who owns a 9:06.09 mark over the barriers this year, will attempt to defend his MIAC steeplechase title on Saturday after running the 10,000m on Friday night.

The MIAC has previews of the men's and women's competition up on its site.

The official meet web-site is HERE.

You can catch up on MIAC Athletes of the Week -- we've been a little lax in that area, we admit -- via this link.

Bersagel Leaving Team USA Minnesota; Will Continue Graduate Study in Oslo

Annie Bersagel, who joined Team USA Minnesota in January 2006 after graduating from Wake Forest, has decided to leave the training group in order to remain in Norway to complete a master's degree in "Peace and Conflict Studies" at the University of Oslo.

Bersagel has been in Norway since September 2006 on a Fulbright Scholarship. She had originally intended to return to Minneapolis this month, after completing her first year of post-graduate work, in order to finish her master's degree at the University of Minnesota.

While with Team USA Minnesota, Bersagel finished 10th in the 2006 USA Cross Country Championships 8k, was a member of the 2006 Yokohama Ekiden team, won the USA Women's Half Marathon Championship with a debut time of 1:14:36, and represented the U.S. in Hungary at the IAAF World Road Running 20k Championships.

"Although life is pulling me in a different direction, I would like to thank everyone with Team USA Minnesota for their support," Bersagel said in a Team USA media release. "There is a reason the group has been so successful and that is the integrity, dedication and true grit of the people involved. Tusen takk (thank you very much)."

McGregor, Lehmkuhle, and Kleimenhagen in action ... Katie McGregor and Jason Lehmkuhle will compete at the USA 25k Championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday. McGregor and Lehmkuhle will be making their first appearance at the 25k championships. McGregor recently obtained her Olympic qualifying mark in the 10,000 meters at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. Lehmkuhle is coming off a hard finish at the Boston Marathon. He finished fifth at the USA Half Marathon Championships in a personal best time of 1:02:51 in January, however. Kleimenhagen will compete in the men's mile at the Allegheny College "Gator Invitational" on Thursday.

Injured Roehrig Out for Post-Season

Prospects for the Golden Gopher women's Big Ten Outdoor title defense took an early blow with the announcement, late last week, that multi-event star Liz Roehrig (pictured) will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

Buried in last week's press release was the unwelcome news that the three-time Big Ten pentathlon titlist and defending Big Ten heptathlon champ ...

" ... will miss the remainder of the outdoor season after suffering an ankle injury during training in mid-April. Roehrig owns an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon and a regional qualifying mark in the high jump. She is, however, eligible to apply for a medical redshirt of the 2007 outdoor season."

The 2007 season has been star-crossed for Roehrig, a two-time all-American. She finished only 16th in the NCAA Indoor Championships after re-injuring a bothersome knee warming up for the hurdles and then fouling all three of her long jump attempts.

The Big Ten Women's and Men's Outdoor Championships, hosted by Penn State, begin Friday and run until Sunday.

Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota.

The Chris Lists: Top High School Boys Times for 800, 1600, and 3200 Meters

Contributor Chris Marshall has updated his high school boys top-10 lists since the weekend's competition ...

800m
David Pachuta Eastview 1:54.54 UST Invite
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 1:54.58 Bob Stewart Invite
Mike Shelendich Mounds View 1:55.16 Bob Stewart Invite
Zach Mellon Buffalo 1:55.26 Hamline Elite
Andy Richardson Irondale 1:57.16 Hamline Relays
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 1:57.18 Carleton
Ian Campbell Blooming Prairie 1:57.26 Hamline Elite
Tyler King Lakeville North 1:57.59
Nick Ramberg North Branch 1:57.82 Hamline Elite
Tom Burke Edina 1:57.95 EP Booster

1600m
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 4:16.13 Carleton
Elliot Heath Winona 4:16.31 Carleton
Andy Richardson Irondale 4:17.10 Hamline Elite
Kaafi Adeys Willmar 4:17.9 STMA
Ryan Little Eden Prairie 4:18.39 Lake Conference Relays
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 4:18.44 UST Invite
Mike Hutton Apple Valley 4:19.41 Lake Conference Relays
Paul Hilsen Lakeville South 4:19.72** Hopkins Quad
John Stublaski Henry Sibley 4:20.02 Hamline Elite
Tyler King Lakeville North 4:20.50 Hamline Elite

3200m
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 9:04.55 Hamline Elite
Hassan Mead Mpls South 9:06.07 Hamline Elite
TC Lumbar Edina 9:06.69 Hamline Elite
Elliot Heath Winona 9:07.94 Hamline Elite
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 9:15.46 Lakeville Invite
Ryan Little Eden Prairie 9:15.85 Carleton
Tom Burke Edina 9:22.52 Lakeville Invite
Andrew Quinn BSM 9:26.79 Hamline Elite
Matt Yak Northfield 9:30.82 Mayo
Jon Lambert Wayzata 9:39.26 Hamline Elite

Lists include marks made through May 5, 2007.
Notes: * = hand-timed ** = likely hand timed.
Amendments appreciated.

Jim Ferstle: No Easy Answers

I asked Minnesota-based running writer Jim Ferstle, a reporter with special expertise covering doping issues in the sport, if he had any thoughts about the performance-enhancing drug issues that have swirled around some well-known Minnesota events of late. Here's what he wrote ...

No Easy Answers
By Jim Ferstle

As is often the case, unfortunately, the issues raised recently surrounding the participation of an athlete who had been suspended for a drug violation are complex and not subject to easy answers. The major problems the case illustrates is the desire to rid the sport of doping and the rights of individuals to compete in a sporting event. Central to all this is the question of how severe do the penalties for committing a doping violation have to be to serve as an adequate deterrent to sports doping?

Flora London Marathon race director Dave Bedford believes that draconian punishment is necessary. The IAAF athlete's commission, which includes among its members Paula Radcliffe, recommended at the recent IAAF Symposium on Anti-Doping that sanctions against athletes who had committed major doping violations should be increased. The World Marathon Majors(WMM) is implementing a policy to not invite or allow athletes convicted of a serious doping violation in their events. Last Fall, Asmae Leghzaoui, a Moroccan who had failed a drug test for use of rEPO(recombinant erythropoietin), was removed from a half marathon in Philadelphia. The promoters of the major track meets in Europe have declared that they will not invite athletes that have been implicated in doping scandals to their events.

Thus far there has been no legal action by athletes who have been banned, served their sentence, but have been denied entry into the elite fields of races, but civil libertarians wonder about the legal standing of such practices. Opinions differ about exactly what rights athletes have to participate in elite events that are, essentially invitation-only affairs. Do the restrictions violate any provisions of the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act? What are the rights and obligations of event promoters and athletes? The WMM directors are drafting a code of conduct for athletes who participate in their events that would cover this area, but do they have the right to impose any rules they deem necessary on the athletes? Perhaps more important, what constitutes a serious/major doping violation that would trigger action by event promoters?

If an athlete was given a tainted supplement, for example, and unknowingly ingested a banned substance that resulted in a failed drug test, does that constitute a serious offense? If a young athlete, without his or her knowledge, is given a banned substance, flunks a drug test, and serves the time for the offense, is that athlete forever ineligible for inclusion in the elite field of a major event? As the sports leaders grapple with these and other questions, answers, new rules and regulations, and guidelines will emerge. For now, however, there is no firm consensus as everyone attempts to deal with the troubling issue of how to address the problem of doping in sport.

Jim Ferstle is a freelance writer who lives in St. Paul. He has covered doping in sports since 1987.

Carleton Interscholastic Report & Videos

DtB correspondent Chris Marshall reports on the boys' distance action at the 107th Carleton Interscholastic and lists the links to selected race video he shot ...

In the only high school steeplechase event in Minnesota, Jackson Wiley defeated Eden Prairie teammate John Davis to win the 2000-meter race in 6:20.61.

In the boys' 1600, Rob Finnerty of Burnsville and Elliott Heath of Winona set the pace from start to finish, leading Hassan Mead of Minneapolis South by ten meters for the majority of the race. Finnerty fought off a Heath move to win 4:16.13 to 4:16.31.

The open 1600 was Heath's second race of the day. Just an hour earlier, Heath anchored a victorious Winona DMR, running away from the competition.

In the 800, Finnerty was back at it again, this time going up against Tyler King of Lakeville North. King moved to the lead with 300 meters to go but Finnerty proved too tough down the home stretch. Finnerty won his second event of the day in 1:57.18. King finished in 1:57.59.

In the 3200, Ben Blankenship of Stillwater, who has already run 9:15 this season, opened at a blistering pace and paid the price in the final 1200 meters. Ryan Little of Eden Prairie stayed off of Blankenship's 4:35 first mile, opting for a more conservative pace, which paid off in the end as Little won in 9:15.85 despite a fierce wind. Blankenship was second in 9:50.60 (4:36/5:14).

Full results from the meet can be found HERE.

Find video of selected events below ...

Boys 2000m Steeplechase

Boys DMR Anchor Leg

Boys 3200m

Boys 1600m

Boys 800m

Boys 4x200m

Girls 1600m

Girls 2000m Steeplechase

Girls and Boys 400m

Girls and Boys High Hurdles and Boys 100m

Girls 300m Hurdles

Doing It Downtown

Team USA Minnesota's Jenelle Deatherage (4:52) ran to a 12-second victory in the women's division of the Medtronic TC 1 Mile in downtown Minneapolis on Thursday night. Rebecca Tallam and Denisa Costescu both crossed the line in 5:04 for second and third, respectively.

It was much closer on the men's side with Blake Boldon (4:16, bib #4 above) of Ames, Iowa, edging two-time defending champion Luke Watson (4:17, bib #1). Team USA Minnesota's Ryan Kleimenhagen (4:21, bib #11) was third.

Full results are available at OnlineRaceResults.com and be sure to check out the Competitive Image slide show from the race.

Photo courtesy of TCM by Paul Phillips, Competitive Image.

Reta Confirmed as Winner of Get in Gear 10K

Get in Gear officials announced today that the men's winner in their 10K event last week, Alena Reta, will remain their 2007 champion, despite revelations of having served a performance-enhancing drug suspension and having used an assumed name to enter an event that had denied him entry.

Get in Gear Executive Director Paulette Odenthal said in a statement:

"In regards to our 2007 overall winner Alena Reta we have completed our investigation and have not found grounds for further action."

"It is unfortunate that after thirty years we need to be more aware of potential misconduct in our athletes. As a preventive measure, moving forward, we are taking action on implementation of a policy for our future Get in Gear elite athlete requirements."

Reta won the race in 29:43.

Also ... Alena Reta apparently left a wake in Syracuse, New York too. The Syracuse Post-Standard reports that an area race has implemented drug testing one year after Reta won the event. (Thanks to Jim Ferstle for this item.)

The Short-Cut: Weekend Results for May 4-5

Final tune-ups before the collegiate conference meets, plus high school action. Get your track results right here:

Thursday:
TC 1 Mile: Results Photos

Friday:
Meet of the UnSaintly: Results
Minnesota Throws Meet: Results

Saturday:
Melpomene 5K: Results
St. Olaf Triangular: Results
Carleton Interscholastic: Results

107th Carleton Interscholastic Meet Features Five State Titlists

The Boys 1600 meters at the 107th Carleton Interscholastic Meet tomorrow will feature three state champions battling for a win at the oldest track meet in the state.

2005 MSHSL Class AA cross country and 2006 3200 meter champion Elliott Heath of Winona will battle 2006 Class AA harrier champ Hassan Mead of Minneapolis South and 2006 Class AA 800 meter champ Isaac Veldkamp of Eden Prairie at Laird Stadium in Northfield.

The historic meet also features 2006 Class AA 1600 m champ Ben Blankenship of Stillwater, the defending champ in that event at Interscholastic, looking to better his early-season 9:15 clocking in the 3200m. Rob Finnerty, the 2005 Class AA 3200m champ and the winner of that event at the Hamline Elite-Meet a week, ago will race 800m.

The meet features four boys teams that finished in the top-10 at the State Meet last year, including runners-up Robbinsdale Armstrong. In girls competition, State runners-up Lakeville North headline the meet. Top female individuals include Bloomington Kennedy distance runner Danielle Berndt, Winona thrower Chari Lehnertz, and Chaska pole vaulter Lauren Stelten.

The Carleton Interscholastic Meet began in the 1800s and survived a hiatus in the late 1970s to last for more than a century.

Also ... Chris Marshall, a good friend of Down the Backstretch, has compiled what he thinks are the most complete performance lists for the boys 800m, 1600m, and 3200m events in the state. Heading into this weekend's action, the top-10 times in those events are:

800m
David Pachuta Eastview 1:54.54 UST Invite
Mike Shelendich Mounds View 1:55.16 Bob Stewart Invite
Zach Mellon Buffalo 1:55.26 Hamline Elite
Ian Campbell Bloomington Prairie 1:57.26 Hamline Elite
Nick Ramberg North Branch 1:57.82 Hamline Elite
Tom Burke Edina 1:57.95 EP Booster
Paul Hilsen Lakeville South 1:57.8* Rosemount Tri
Sam Shidla Mound-Westonka 1:57.9 Mound-Westonka
Alex Wrobel Mounds View 1:58.48 Hamline Eilte
Mike Mueller Hopkins 1:58.4 Hopkins Quad

1600m
Andy Richardson Irondale 4:17.10 Hamline Elite
Ryan Little Eden Prairie 4:18.39 Lake Conference Relays
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 4:18.44 UST Invite
Mike Hutton Apple Valley 4:19.41 Lake Conference Relays
Paul Hilsen Lakeville South 4:19.72** Hopkins Quad
John Stublaski Henry Sibley 4:20.02 Hamline Elite
Elliot Heath Winona 4:20.53 Lakeville Invite
Tyler King Lakeville North 4:20.50 Hamline Elite
Harry Backlund Highland Park 4:22.24
Jackson Wiley Eden Prairie 4:22.34 Lake Conf. Relays

3200m
Rob Finnerty Burnsville 9:04.55 Hamline Elite
Hassan Mead Mlps South 9:06.07 Hamline Elite
TC Lumbar Edina 9:06.69 Hamline Elite
Elliot Heath Winona 9:07.94 Hamline Elite
Ben Blankenship Stillwater 9:15.46 Lakeville Invite
Tom Burke Edina 9:22.52 Lakeville Invite
Andrew Quinn BSM 9:26.79 Hamline Elite
Jon Lambert Wayzata 9:39.26 Hamline Elite
Kaafi Adeys Willmar 9:39.59 EP Booster
Matt Yak Northfield 9:39.59 Lakeville Invite

(Notes: * = hand-timed ** = likely hand timed)

And another thing ... We hope to have links up on Saturday evening to video from the Carleton Interscholastic. Check DtB after 7:00 p.m. on Saturday for video clips of the state champs in action!

Finally ... In case you missed them, there's a Star-Tribune feature on Tommy McNamara HERE and a Pioneer Press story about Sade Pollard HERE. If, somehow, you missed out on the Hamline Elite-Meet, there's a Star-Tribune wrap-up of it HERE.

(Full disclosure: I'm an assistant track coach at Carleton College.)