Thursday, January 07, 2010

Gopher Men Open Season Ranked #10

The University of Minnesota men's track team will open the 2010 campaign as the #10-ranked team in NCAA Division I.

The Golden Gopher squad, the defending Big Ten champions both indoors and out, earned the distinction when the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its preseason indoor rankings yesterday.

The Gophers tallied 75.72 points in the rankings which are based on the performances of 2010-eligible athletes last year. Florida State tops the rankings with 132.21 points. The Gopher men are the top-ranked Big Ten school in the rankings; Wisconsin, the next-best, is ranked #24.

The Gopher women are ranked #30 in the USTFCCCA women's rankings, earning 33.56 points. Sprinter-rich Texas A&M, the NCAA Indoor runner-up in 2009, tops the women's ranks with 185.08. The Gopher women are the third-best Big Ten team in the rankings -- Penn State is ranked #10, Illinois is #19.

The Gopher women are the three-time defending Big Ten indoor champions.

The full men's and women's rankings are available HERE.

The USTFCCCA media release on the rankings, which includes an explanation of the ranking methodology, is HERE.

Both Gopher teams open the 2010 season at home on Saturday at the Northwest Open.

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