Down the Backstretch

Pick Ten is back!

It's NCAA Indoor Championship week for Divisions I, II, and III, so we will take another brief break from Yes/No to play our more comprehensive game. A large number of Minnesota athletes will be seeking national titles and all-American honors on Friday and Saturday. Pick Ten is your chance to predict how high the local athletes will finish.

Pick Ten has a simple concept: predict the finish place for each of 10 Minnesota athletes/teams at Indoor Nationals. You will score points for each athlete/team that scores at or above the finish place you predict for them, following the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring system. If the athlete/team finishes below your predicted place, however, you receive zero points.

To play Pick Ten, cut and paste the list of names/events below into an e-mail and add your place predictions -- 1st, 2nd, 3rd... or 8th. Send your predictions to DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com by 4:00 CDT on Friday, March 13. Make sure your full name is in the e-mail. We'll announce the winner of this Pick Ten contest next week and update the running tally of Pick Ten scores from which we'll crown a grand champion.

Consult DtB Fantasy Corner for full results.

Pick 10 ... NCAA Indoor Championships:

Matt Fisher in the High Jump:
Elliot Heath in the 3000m:
Heather Dorniden in the 800m:
Laura Hermanson in the 800m:
Alicia Rue in the Pole Vault:
Denise Mokaya in the 800m:
Katelin Rains in the Pole Vault:
Minnesota State - Mankato Women's Team Place:
St. Thomas Men's DMR:
Marie Borner in the Mile:

To Help You Make Your Picks ... Here's our quick primer on the athletes/teams we've included in the competition:

Division I Nationals are being held at College Station, Texas, and coverage is HERE. Big Ten Champ Matt Fisher (Gophers) is ranked #2 (tied) in the High Jump. Elliot Heath (Stanford), MN high school record holder in the 3200m, is ranked #5 in the 3k. Former Lake Conference rivals Heather Dorniden (Gophers), ranked #4, and Laura Hermanson (NDSU), ranked #5, are in the 800. All American Alicia Rue (Gophers) is ranked #1 in the PV.

Division II Nationals are being held in Houston, Texas, and heat sheets are HERE and HERE. Denise Mokaya (Mankato) is ranked #1 in the 800. Two-time defending Indoor National Champ Katelin Rains (Mankato) is ranked #1 in the PV and will have a busy weekend - she is entered in the Long Jump, Triple Jump and 4x400 as well. Minnesota State – Mankato Women are ranked #1 for the Team Championship.

Division III Nationals are being held in Terre Haute, Indiana, and entries are HERE and HERE. Defending indoor National Champ Marie Borner (Bethel) is ranked #2 in the Mile. The St. Thomas men’s DMR team led by All American Brian Sames are ranked #1.

Good luck!


Yes/No Update ... Last week’s Yes/No question stumped the contestants. The answer to “Will there be more than 34 provisional and automatic NCAA Division III qualifying marks made by MIAC individuals and relay teams at the MIAC Championships this weekend?” was “yes” as 38 athletes and teams reached qualifying marks. Only 2 Yes/No participants got the question correct last week. One of the correct respondents, Kyle Serreyn, moved into a tie for first place with his answer.

Yes/No will return next week. Full results are posted HERE.