Cheever Named Big Ten Athlete of the Week

Minnesota Golden Gopher junior Jamie Cheever was named the Big Ten Conference Track Athlete of the Week after breaking the 24-year old U of M record in the mile run last weekend at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational.

Cheever clocked a time of 4:39.54 to automatically qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Cheever, a Minneapolis native and graduate of Southwest High School, also anchored the Gophers’ distance medley relay which posted an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 11:09.35, the second-fastest mark in school history.

Cheever broke the school record of 4:41.12 held by Minnesota Track and Field Hall of Fame member Jodi Eder.

The award is Cheever’s first Big Ten weekly honor of her collegiate track career. Teammate Alicia Rue earned two Big Ten weekly awards earlier this season.

The Gopher women, who will host the Big Ten Indoor Championships on March 1-2, are currently ranked #8 in the nation in NCAA Division I.