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.