Improbable though it seems, when Gopher multi-event star Liz Roehrig steps into her blocks for the heptathlon 100 meter hurdles this morning at the Kansas Relays, she'll be the first-ever Golden Gopher woman to compete in the storied meet. Never, in the 81-year history of the event, has Minnesota participated in the Lawrence, Kansas meet.Roehrig will be looking to achieve an NCAA-qualifying score in the two-day, seven-event contest, and exorcise the ghosts of last year's largely-lost outdoor season. The senior from Chilton, Wisconsin tallied a school record 5621 points in her only heptathlon of 2007, but then suffered a season-ending injury that kept her from defending her Big Ten title or competing in the NCAA Championships.
Roehrig competes today and tomorrow.
Another likely highlight of the Gophers' Kansas Relays debut will be Saturday's teaming-up of Heather Dorniden and Jamie Cheever in the 1500m. Both athletes have U.S. Olympic Trials "B" qualifying marks in their main events -- the 800m for Dorniden and the 3000m steeplechase for Cheever.
You can read the full Golden Gopher media release for the event HERE.
You can keep track of the action, HERE, via the Kansas Relays live results page.
If only women had been allowed to compete in Track & Field at the University of Minnesota (or in the Kansas Relays) for the last 81 years....
ReplyDelete