Gophers Open with a Flying Start

The University of Minnesota men's and women's track and field teams got themselves off to a flying start on Saturday -- literally.

At Saturday's Northwest Open, Gopher pole vault stars Alicia Rue and Ben Peterson won their events and notched NCAA qualifying marks.

Rue, the 2009 Big Ten indoor and outdoor champion, cleared 13-11 1/2 to earn an automatic qualifying mark to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas in mid-March. Rue was the runner-up at the NCAA Indoor Championships last year.

Rue's teammate Samantha Sonnenberg notched a provisional qualifying mark in the event with a 13-3 1/2 runner-up finish.

Peterson, the 2008 Big Ten men's indoor champion, cleared 17-0 3/4, a provisional qualifying mark for NCAAs. It was a triumphant return to competition for Peterson, who missed most of the 2009 season due to injury.

Also notching an NCAA provisional qualifier was senior weight thrower Aaron Studt. Studt placed second in the event to post-collegian Bryan Tolcser with a throw of 64-8 1/4.

Tolcser threw a whopping 68-1.

Gopher high jump star Matt Fisher, who competed unattached, won his event with a 6-10 1/4 clearance, only seven months after rupturing his Achilles tendon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Both Gopher head coaches were pleased with the way their squads -- both defending Big Ten indoor champions -- opened the season.

“It was good to see some of our guys come back from injury, Ben certainly among them,” men's coach Steve Plasencia said. “Our field events were the highlight in the meet for us."

Women's coach Matt Bingle echoed those sentiments:

“It was good to get the season going. We graduated a huge senior class last year, but we also have a lot of young talent ready to step forward."

Team USA Minnesota Tunes Up ... Three members of Team USA Minnesota used the Northwest Open to tune up for next weekend's USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston, Texas.

Former Gopher Antonio Vega edged teammate Matt Gabrielson for a victory at 3000 meters. Vega clocked 8:06.73, while Gabrielson ran 8:06.78.

In the women's 3000m, Meghan Armstrong won in a runaway, clocking 9:30.59.

Complete Northwest Open results are HERE.