Fisher Out of NCAA High Jump with Injury

Matt Fisher, the University of Minnesota high jumper who was tied for the top seed in the event at this week's NCAA Championships, was forced to withdraw from competition with an ankle injury yesterday.

Fisher, the Big Ten Indoor champion this year, cleared 6-8 3/4, the opening height of last night's preliminary round, but slipped on an attempt at 6-10 3/4 and was forced to retire from the meet.

Fisher had cleared 7-4 1/2 earlier this season.

The bulk of the Gophers' stars, however, advanced in the competition yesterday, which was delayed by stormy weather during the evening session.

Mead Advances ... Gopher distance star Hassan Mead advanced to the finals of the 5000 meters with a 14:00.79 victory in his heat of the event. The 5000m was one of those delayed three hours by the weather.

Flotrack has a post-race interview with Mead HERE.

Teammate Chris Rombough did not advance from his heat of the 5000m, finishing 11th in 14:09.79. Winona High School alum Elliott Heath of Stanford finished an advancing 2nd in that heat, in 13:58.43.

Studt to Finals ... Aaron Studt, the runner-up at the NCAA Indoor meet this winter, advanced in the shot put competition. The Ripon, Wisconsin native qualified with the 9th-best throw in the competition, a mark of 60-05.75.

Studt will compete in the shot put finals this evening.

McGinnis in 11th ... Gopher decathlete R. J. McGinnis enters the second and final day of decathlon competition in 11th place with 3972 points. McGinnis set two personal best in yesterday's five events, but was hampered by a sub-par 400m at the end of the session.

McGinnis started the day with a career-best 11.09 100m and then landed a 22-11 1/4 long jump, and marked a 47-8 1/2 shot put. He scored another career-best in the high jump by clearing 6-8 3/4. McGinnis found himself in 4th place after four events.

McGinnis ran only 52.37 seconds in the 400m, however, and fell to 11th in the standings at the end of the day.

Dorniden Wins Heat ... Heather Dorniden, the Gopher women's program's most celebrated athlete, won her preliminary heat of the 800m in what will be her final track meet as a Golden Gopher. The 2006 NCAA Indoor champion ran 2:05.16 for the victory.

“It felt amazing," Dorniden said of her race. "That was the best-feeling race I’ve had all year, so that’s a really good sign going into the rest of the meet."

Burnsville alum Laura Hermanson of NDSU advanced with a second-place, 2:05.54 clocking in her heat. Hermanson's teammate Brittany Gigstead, originally from Perham, did not advance, finishing 6th in her heat in 2:09.38.

Dorniden's teammate Nikki Swenson also failed to advance, winding up 7th in her prelim in 2:10.08.

Dorniden and Hermanson compete in the semi-finals of the 800m this evening.

Rue Advances ... NCAA Indoor runner-up Alicia Rue advanced to the finals of the pole vault with a 13-5 1/4 clearance. After waiting out the rain-delay -- her event didn't begin until 10:15! -- the Robbinsdale Armstrong alum passed the opening height and then made three straight clearances to advance as one of four jumpers with a clean score sheet.

Competition resumes this morning with Day 2 of the decathlon, Day 1 of the heptathlon, as well as a host of prelim and semi-final event on the track and in the field. Liz Roehrig, the runner-up in the event last year, will begin competition in the heptathlon today where she is the #2 seed.

Live results from the meet can be found HERE.

Video of today's action, beginning at 10:30 a.m., will be streamed HERE.