Thursday, April 09, 2009

Gophers, Gophers, and more ... Gophers!

There's lots of news coming from the University of Minnesota campus today, so let's get right to it all ...

Fisher Named Athlete of the Week ... U of M junior Matt Fisher, the Big Ten indoor high jump champion, earned Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors for his 7-4 1/2 clearance at the Auburn Tiger Classic last weekend.

He is now the #3 Gopher high jumper all-time.

Roehrig Named Athlete of the Week ... Gopher women's multi-event maestro Liz Roehrig earned Big Ten Field Event Athlete of the Week honors, too, for breaking her own Gopher heptathlon record with a 5787 tally at the Jim Click Shootout in Arizona last week.

The score automatically qualified the fifth-year senior for the NCAA Championships.

Gopher Women Ranked #12 ... The Golden Gopher women's track and field team notched a #12 ranking in the first USTFCCCA national outdoor track poll released yesterday. The Gopher men, despite being the Big Ten champs indoors, were not ranked.

Penn State (#5) and Michigan (#10) are ranked ahead of the Gopher women. Only the Purdue (#23) is ranked for men from the conference. Texas A & M tops both the men's and women's polls.

Find the full rankings HERE.

Gopher Women Re-Load ... The Gopher women's program announced the seventeen -- yes, seventeen! -- women that compose its 2009 recruiting class yesterday. Included in the group are:

-- Alena Brooks (Diego Martin, Trinidad) a 55.11 400 meter runner and a 2:12.23 half-miler.

-- Jessica Cagle (Grand Rapids, Minn.) the all-class State Meet record-holder in the discus with a throw of 162-4.

-- Bianca Dougan (Tortola, British Virgin Islands) a 56.10 quarter-miler with a 400-meter hurdle PR of 1:02.76.

-- Melissa Flucke (Ashwaubenon, Wis.) the defending Wisconsin Division I state champion in the pole vault with a career-best of 12-1.

-- Cassy Opitz (Eden Prairie, Minn.) the defending MSHSL Class AA cross country and 3200 meter champion.

Find the full listing HERE.

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