Gopher Men Defend Big Ten Indoor Title

Powered Sunday by individual victories from Ben Blankenship (above), Harun Abda, R.J. McGinnis, and Aaron Studt, the University of Minnesota men's track and field team defended it's Big Ten Indoor title with a comprehensive victory at home in the Griak Fieldhouse.

Winning the meet with 162.5 points, the Gophers topped runners-up Ohio State which tallied 106.5 and third placers Wisconsin which scored 83.

The Gopher women's weren't as fortunate at their Big Ten Championships, finishing 4th with 82 points. Hosts Penn State won the meet with 111 points, Ohio State scored 88 points, Indiana tallied 83.

For more details, check out our live coverage of the Big Ten Men's Championships in the post below.

Find complete results of the men's meet HERE.

Find complete results of the women's meet HERE.

And, visit DtB on Monday morning for a complete wrap-up of the Big Ten Championships and all of the weekend's action.

Photo by Sean Hartnett.

Live at the Big Ten Men's Meet with DtB

Follow the Big Ten Men's Indoor Championships with DtB ...

Find LIVE meet results HERE.

We'll post some additional updates and descriptions as the day goes on, below ...

-- Starting Sunday's competition, the Gophers lead the team standings. Minnesota has 49.5 points, followed by Ohio State with 40.5 and Purdue at 31.

-- The Gophers are off to a strong start on Sunday. After the first event of the second day of competition -- the 60m hurdles -- the Gophers are in 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 8th place in the heptathlon.

-- At 12:30 p.m., competition is underway in the high jump, triple jump, and the heptathlon pole vault.

-- At 12:50, competition in the weight throw is underway. The Gophers' two-time Big Ten indoor shot put champion Aaron Studt is the #1-seed in the event.

-- Don't forget about the Big Ten Women's Championships ... LIVE results from Penn State are HERE.

-- Defending Big Ten high jump champ Matt Fisher is over 6-9 on his first attempt ... so is #1-seed Drek Drouin of Indiana.

-- The high jump bar now rests at 6-10 ... eleven jumpers, including the Gophers' Matt Fisher, remain in the competition.

-- Big Ten WOMEN'S team scores after 14 events ... 1) Wisconsin 69, 2) Purdue 68, 3) Penn State 66, 4) Ohio State 65, 5) Indiana 61, 6) Minnesota 60.

-- The high jump bar is now at 6-11 in the men's high jump ... eleven competitors still remain.

-- Milers are warming up on the track ... that event, which includes three Gophers, gets underway at 1:50.

-- Matt Fisher is over 6-11 on his first attempt ... he's without misses in the competition.

-- Defending weight throw champ Sean Pruitt, throwing in the second flight, leads with 66-4. #1-seed Aaron Studt of the Gophers throws in the third and final flight.

-- Ben Blankenship wins the mile for Minnesota! He out-ran Craig Miller of Wisconsin and Andrew Bayer of Indiana, the runner-up, in the last lap.

-- Blankenship, a Stillwater High School alum, bided his time behind early leaders Jeff Thode of Iowa, teammate Paul Hilson, and finally Craig Miller of Wisconsin. His move down the final backstretch dropped Miller and was.enough to hold off Indiana's Bayer.

-- Remember, find complete, LIVE meet results HERE.

-- After the mile, where Ben Blankship won, Andy Richardson finished 6th, and Paul Hilsen was 7th, Minnesota leads the meet with 64.5 points over Ohio State at 40.5 and Purdue at 31.

-- Unofficially, Blankenships' final 400m in the mile was run in 58.5.

-- Gopher Oladipo Fagbemi finishes 4th in the triple jump with 49-7 3/4.

-- Gopher John Holton finishes 9th in the 400m in 49.61.

-- Gophers' Burklstrand 3rd, McFarland 6th in the 800m ... Buffalo High School alum Zach Mellon was tripped up during the second lap and ended up 9th.

-- After the 800m: the Gophers lead the meet with 80.5 points ... Ohio State has 62 ... Purdue has 50.

-- Four jumpers remain in the competition, which is jumping at 7-1. Gopher Matt Fisher and #1-seed Derek Drouin of Indiana have cleared the height and are both perfect throughout the competition.

-- Going into finals, Aaraon Studt is currently second in the weight throw. Micah Hegerle is also a finalist.

-- Remember, find complete, LIVE meet results HERE.

-- Logan Stroman finishes 1st in Section I of the 600m run.

Freshman Harun Abda wins the 600m.
(Photo by Sean Hartnett.)

-- Harun Abda wins Section II of the 600m run!

-- Matt Fisher is over the bar at 7-2 1/4.

-- After the pole vault, the Gophers are now 1-2-3-7 in the event ... with freshman Jack Szmanda leading.

-- Abda wins 600m final ... Stroman 2nd ... Pachuta 5th.

-- After the 600m, the Gophers lead the meet by nearly 40 points over Ohio State.

-- The high jump bar is at 7-4 ... and Indiana's Derek Drouin is over the bar and still perfect in the competition.

-- Fisher passes 7-4 after Drouin's make ... the bar is now at 7-4 3/4, with Fisher to jump.

-- Fisher misses on his first attempt at 7-4 3/4.

-- Studt takes the lead in the weight!

-- Studt -- again on his last throw! -- wins his second title of the meet.
-- Remember, find complete, LIVE meet results HERE.

-- Drouin is still perfect for Indiana ... he's over 7-4 3/4.

-- Fisher misses at 7-5 ... taking 2nd in the meet.
-- The 5000m runners are on the track ... Chris Rombough is running, but Ben Blankenship is a scratch.

-- The Minnesota WOMEN'S team finished 4th at the Big Ten Championships at Penn State. Find full results of that meet HERE.

-- The Gopher men go 1-2-3 in the heptathlon. R.J. McGinnis defends his title, freshman Jack Szmanda is second, Brock Spandl is third.

-- Rombough takes 4th, Mike Torchia 5th in 5000m.

-- Mile relay runners are on the track ... going into the final event of the day, the Gopher men have an insurmountable 157.5 to 96.5 lead over Ohio State in the team contest.

-- The Gophers finish 4th in the 4 x 400m relay.

-- The University of Minnesota wins the meet with 162.5 points ... Ohio State tallied 106.5 ... Wisconsin scored 83.

Big Tens: Gopher Teams Lead After First Day

The University of Minnesota men's and women's track and field teams find themselves in the lead after the first day of competition at their respective Big Ten Indoor Championships.

The Gopher men, defending their 2009 title at home inside the Griak Fieldhouse, lead Ohio State 49.5 to 40.5 with five of the meet's finals in the books.

The Gopher women, seeking a fourth-straight Big Ten Indoor crown at Penn State, have tallied 41 points in their meet's six first-day finals, putting them ahead of Illinois' 37, Purdue's 36, and Wisconsin's 34.

Action in both meets culminates Sunday.

The Gopher Men ... Paced by Big Ten individual titles from shot putter Aaron Studt and pole vaulter Ben Peterson, the Gopher men find themselves in the drivers' seat after Saturdays' competition.

Studt, defending his 2009 title, needed a big mark on his final throw to win again. Trailing Penn State's Joe Kovacs by three centimeters after five rounds, Studt got the sell-out home crowd clapping behind him before entering the circle for his final heave, which he launched 63-6 3/4.

Sophomore Trey Davis joined Studt on the Big Ten podium with a 4th-place 57-5 1/2 throw.

Peterson, the 2008 Big Ten indoor champ who missed most of 2009 with injury, won his event in similar fashion. He cleared the meet-winning height of 17-6 1/2 on his third and final attempt, leading four Gopher vaulters to scoring places. Brock Spandl finished 3rd, Joe Plecner was 4th, and Jack Szmanda's tied for 6th, amassing a whopping 23.5 points.

Perhaps the most heroic effort by the maroon and gold was Chris Rombough's 3rd place, 8:10.11 finish in the 3000m. The Gopher senior, soloing in the event after Hassan Mead was forced out of the meet with a left Achilles tendon injury, lost a shoe with roughly seven laps to race.

Half-shod, Rombough still went to the lead with 1200 meters to go, stringing out the bunched, shoe-removing pack in doing so. Rombough wasn't strong enough in the final 600m to hold of Ohio State's Jeff See (8:06.46) and Adam Green (8:09.07), but he still raced his way to valuable Gopher points.

"I thought the team performed well overall," Head Coach Steve Plasencia said via a Gopher media relase. "The wins in the shot, and pole vault were big and our heptathlon is in good position. We had a lot of guys qualified through to the finals."

"As far as moving on to tomorrow," he continued, "we put ourselves in really good position, but we opened the door in the last few events. Ohio State scored 18 to close the gap, and Wisconsin scored a win [in the DMR where the Gophers were 9th] and have some good things coming. We will put the pencil to the paper tonight and see exactly what it does mean. We have some guys coming back tomorrow and it's just a matter of whether we have enough."

Heading into tomorrow's finals, Minnesota looks well-positioned to win the meet. Gopher heptathletes, led by defending champ R.J. McGinnis currently stand 1-2-6-7 in the meet.

The team advanced finalists into the 60m (Sean King), 400m (John Holton), 600m (Harun Abda, David Pachuta, and Logan Stroman), 800m (Travis Burkstrand and Joe McFarland), and mile (Ben Blankenship, Andy Richardson, and Paul Hilsen) during the day's competition and will have Rombough back in a pair of spike for the 5000m.

In the field, Aaron Studt, the #1-seed in the weight throw, will look to make himself a double-winner at the meet, while Matt Fisher will attempt to repeat his 2009 high jump victory.

The Gopher Women ... A one-two finish in the pole vault, a 3-4 finish in the 3000m, and runner-up performance by the Gopher DMR has the U of M women setting the pace once again at Big Tens.

Alicia Rue cleared 14-3 1/4 to win her third Big Ten pole vault crown, while Samantha Sonnenburg finished second clearing 13-9 1/4.

In the 3000m, Megan Duwell took third in 9:17.47, behind NCAA harrier champ Angela Bizzarri and Big Ten cross country victor Bridget Franek. Gopher 10,000 meter all-American Amy Laskowske finished 4th in 9:31.3457 ... the extra digits necessary to separate her from 5th-placer Wendi Robinson of Indiana's 9:31.3487.

Punctuating the day of racing, the Gopher distance medley of Elizabeth Yetzer, Chioma Omeoga, Alena Brooks, and Nikki Swenson finished second to Michigan for eight valuable team points.

“We had a very good first day,” Gopher head coach Matt Bingle said in a media release. “We had a lot of people hit personal bests and it’s always nice to see school records fall. Tomorrow will be interesting. All we can do is our best.”

Qualifying for finals on the track today were Kylie Peterson in the 60m, Rikita Butler in the 400m, Alena Brooks in the 600m, Nikki Swenson, Jamie Dittmar, and Kathryn Ritter in the 800m, and Elizabeth Yetzer in the mile.

Follow Sunday's Action ... via the links in the post below. Don't forget to check in on the USA Indoor Championships as well, where Team USA Minnesota's Heather Dorniden and frmer Burnsville prep Laura Januszewski will race in the 800m final. Also compete are Minnetonka alum Will Leer and fromer Winona prep Garrett Heath in the 1500m and Minnesota State, Mankato alum Katelin Rains in the pole vault.

The Short-Cut: Big Ten, NSIC, & USA Indoors

Keep up with this weekend's Big Ten and NSIC Indoor Championship action below ...

Big Ten Men's Indoor Championships Live Results: HERE
(See preview and find additional meet info two posts down.)

Big Ten Women's Indoor Championships Live Results: HERE
(See preview and find additional meet info three posts down.)

NSIC Friday Results: HERE.

Watch the NSIC Meet Live: HERE.

NSIC Saturday Results: HERE.

USA Indoor Championships Live Results: HERE.

Stillwater Marathon Paying Off Debts

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported today, HERE, that David Eckberg, owner of the company that produces the Stillwater Marathon, has paid $22,670 he owed to the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board and Washington County sheriff's office for services at last year's event.

Eckberg, the owner of St. Croix Events, still owes $7828 to the Minnesota State Patrol, which will be paid early next week, according to the story.

Eckberg is also expected to make escrow payments to the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board and Washington County to secure their services for the 2010 event, scheduled for May 30.

Gophers Must Defend Title without Mead

If the University of Minnesota men's track and field team is to defend its Big Ten Indoor title, it will do so without 2009 conference 3000 and 5000 meter champion Hassan Mead.

Mead, who has yet to race in 2010, was expected to compete this weekend nonetheless, as the U of M hosts the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships. Competition gets underway tomorrow morning and culminates Sunday.

The Gopher Big Ten meet media release earlier this week featured Mead's participation. Big Ten rules would have allowed the Minneapolis South alum to compete without a seed time.

When heat sheets were released yesterday, however, Mead was not entered in either Saturday's 5000 or Sunday's 3000 meter events.

The loss of Mead, while significant, may not prove crippling to the Gophers' title defense. The team will still returns 87 of the 135 points it won last year's meet with. Back from the 2009 Big Ten triumph are shot put champion Aaron Studt, heptathlon winner R.J. McGinnis, and high jump victor Matt Fisher.

In addition, the Gophers, who will compete before a sell-out home crowd at the U of M Fieldhouse, feature 2008 Big Ten pole vault champ Ben Peterson, who missed last year's meet with injury.

The Gophers can expect a strong battle from surprising Indiana, ranked #7 in the country, #11 Penn State, and #20 Ohio State. Wisconsin, which won eight consecutive Big Ten Indoor titles prior to Minnesota's title last year, can't be discounted either.

The Gophers enter the meet ranked #17 in NCAA Division I.

Heat sheets for the meet can be found HERE.

The Gophers' official meet preview (from earlier in the week) is HERE.

There's a feature on high jumper Matt Fisher HERE.

The official meet site, where live results will posted on Saturday and Sunday, is HERE.


Down the Backstretch ... will be on-site at the meet this weekend. Look for updates over the weekend and a full wrap-up of all the Big Ten action on Monday.

Gopher Women Looking for Title #4

Can they do it four times in a row?

That's the question facing the University of Minnesota women's track and field team as they travel to Penn State for this weekend's Big Ten Women's Indoor Championships.

The Gophers, winners of three-straight Big Ten indoor titles, seek to do for Minnesota what only the Gopher men's tennis team has done before -- win the conference four straight years.

Hosts Penn State, ranked #10 nationally, are favorites. #19 Indiana, #29 Minnesota, and #32 Wisconsin are strong contenders.

To win it all again, the Gopher women will need to have their veterans step up and some new faces step forward. Gone from the squad are athletes like Heather Dorniden, Liz Roehrig, Liz Alabi, Jamie Cheever, and Julie Schwengler who were so important in previous Gopher titles.

The Gopher women return only 54 of the 129 points they won last year's meet with. Correspondingly, 21 of the teams' 32 participants are freshman or sophomores, and 13 athletes are suited up for their first-ever Big Ten Championships.

If the Gophers are to prevail, their success will likely be powered by three main point sources: the pole vault, the sprints, and the long distance events.

In the vault, the Gophers boast three or the meet's top five seeds, including #1-seed and three-time Big Ten champion Alicia Rue. Samantha Sonnenberg is seeded #4 and Becca Pilkerton is #5.

In 2009, the Gophers young sprint corps scored 13 points in the 60 meters alone. A year older and a year faster, mining additional points from the short races and the relays could prove vital for Minnesota. Kylie Peterson enters the meet seeded #2 at 60m.

In the long events, the Gophers will look to all-Americans Megan Duwell and Amy Laskowske for production. The two are scheduled to double in the 3000 and 5000 meter events. Duwell is a two-time cross country all-American, while Laskowske was an all-American at 10,000 meters last spring.

Heat sheets for the meet can be found HERE.

The Gophers' official meet preview is HERE.

The official meet site, where live results will posted on Saturday and Sunday, is HERE.

Pick 10: Big Tens and USA Indoor

This is a big weekend for area indoor track athletes. The Gopher women will be competing at Penn State for the Big Ten Women's Championships, while the Gopher men are staying home to host the event for men. To keep the big dogs busy, the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico starting Saturday morning.

Only Pick Ten can do justice to all this championship action -- at least as far as fantasy prediction contests go.

Pick Ten has a simple concept: predict the finish for each of 10 Minnesota athletes at Big Tens and USA Indoor. You will score points for each athletes that scores at or above the finish place you predict for them, following the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring system.

For example: If you pick Matt Fisher to place first in the high jump at Big Tens, and he places first, you get 10 points. If you pick Fisher to place first and he finishes second, you get zero points. If you pick Fisher to finish third in the HJ and he places first, second or third, you get 6 points, since you that's the place you picked him for.

To play Pick 10, cut and paste the list of names/events below into an e-mail and add your place predictions -- 1st or 2nd or 3rd...8th. Send your predictions by 9:00 A.M. CST on Saturday, February 27 to DtBFantasy@gmail.com. Make sure your full name is in the e-mail. We'll announce the winner of this Pick Ten contest next week and keep a running tally of Pick Ten scores from throughout the year to crown a grand champion. As with out Yes/No contests, we don't offer any prizes, so no one needs to fear running afoul of NCAA or other anti-gambling regulations

Pick 10 ... Big Ten/USA Indoor Championships:

Matt Fisher in the High Jump:
Zach Mellon in the 800:
Chris Rombough in the 3000m:
Micah Hegerle in the Weight Throw:
Jordan Helgren in the Triple Jump:
Nikki Swenson in the 800:
Samantha Sonneberg in the Pole Vault:
Will Leer in the 1500:
Heather Dorniden in the 800:
Katelin Rains in the Pole Vault:

To Help You Make Your Picks ...

The Gophers: Defending Big Ten Indoor High Jump Champion Matt Fisher is the #3 seed in the 2009 edition of Big Tens. U of M 3ooom school record holder and four-time All American Chris Rombough is the #2 seed in the 3k. A three-time Minnesota state champion in high school, freshman Micah Hegerle will compete in his first Big Ten Championship as the #8 seed in the weight throw. Nikki Swenson continues the Gopher tradition of middle-distance excellence and is the #2 seed in the 800. The Gophers plan to score mega points in the women's pole vault thanks in part to Samantha Sonneberg who is tied for the #3 seed in the event.

The Badgers: True freshman Zach Mellon is the #6 seed in the 800. Mellon holds the Minnesota state high school all-time record in the 800. Jordan Helgren holds the same MN high school honor in the triple jump and will participate in Big Tens as the #7 seed.

USA Indoor: Team USA Minnesota's Heather Dorniden is the #4 seed in the women's 800m. Minnesota State, Mankato Alum, Katelin Rains is the #6 seed in the women's pole vault. Minnetonka native Will Leer is the #3 seed in the 1500.

Final entries for the Big Ten meet can be found HERE and HERE.

USA Indoor Track and Field Championship coverage is HERE.

Good luck!

The Y/N question last week was: "Y/N: Will Brittany Henderson run faster than 25.00 in the 200 meters at the U of M on Saturday?" The correct answer was yes - MSU-Mankato's Henderson was comfortably under 25 seconds running 24.74 for the win. Twenty four contestants answered correctly and there are now five players tied for first place: Jesse Schoen, Gloria Jansen, Chad Bjugan, Gregg Robertson and Toby Hatlevig.

UMD's Fulkrod Retiring at End of Season

This weekend, University of Minnesota -Duluth's John Fulkrod will make his final trip to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Indoor Championships as the team's head coach.

After 39 years working in the University of Minnesota system, this spring the 68-year-old Fulkrod (pictured) will retire from his coaching duties as well as from his role as a chemistry professor.

Fulkrod and his wife Linda have plans to retire in Florida.

Fulkrod has been UMD's head women's track and field coach since the 2001-2002 season and has been at the helm of them men's track program since 2006. He has been the head men's cross country coach at UMD for the last 19 years and the women's coach for the last 17 years.

Prior to his arrival in Duluth, Fulkrod coached for 20 years at the now-defunct University of Minnesota - Waseca, a two-year school.

In 2002, Fulkrod led the Bulldog women's track team to NSIC indoor and outdoor titles and was named the league's coach of the year at both meets. He added a indoor and outdoor championship to his resume in both 2003 and 2004, and was again named coach of the year outdoors in 2003.

In cross country at UMD, Fulkrod directed the Bulldog men to a pair of berths in the the NCAA Division II Championships in 2003 and 2004. Fulkrod's teams captured 11 consecutive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference titles from 1993-2003.

Under Fulkrod's stewardship, the UMD women ran off with 10 straight NSIC crowns from 1994-2003 and qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships in 1994, 2008, and 2009.

A native of East Peoria, Ill., Fulkrod started the Minnesota-Waseca men's cross country and track and field programs in 1972-73 and stayed on as the Ram's head coach for two decades. He also headed the women's cross country and track and field teams for 15 years before Minnesota-Waseca closed in May 1992.

A member of the Minnesota Community College Conference Hall of Fame, Fulkrod earned his bachelor's degree in 1963 from Eureka College, his master's from Purdue University in 1967, and his Ph.D. from Iowa State in 1971.

Photo courtesy of UMD.

The Miles' Lists: 3200 Meter Relay

Here's this week's final installment of the Miles' Lists -- the comprehensive 2009 and all-time Minnesota boys high school track and field performance lists compiled by Tim and Bill Miles.

In the 4 x 800m Relay, MSHSL Class AA team champions Buffalo, powered by Zach Mellon, lead the 2009 list with a 7:56.08. Class AA 4 x 800 champs Wazata rank #2 at 7:56.19.

3200 METER RELAY

2008 BESTS
7:56.08 Buffalo
7:56.19 Wayzata
7:57.59 Minnetonka
7:59.01 Forest Lake
7:59.50 Eden Prairie
8:00.83 Richfield
8:02.61 Austin
8:03.63 New Prague
8:04.75 Stillwater
8:05.37 Irondale
[10]
8:05.65 Winona
8:08.12 Farmington
8:08.88 Plainview-Elgin-Millville
8:09.10 Blaine
8:10.56 Tartan
8:10.73 Stewartville
8:11.23 Moorhead
8:11.24 Maple Grove
8:11.57 Mounds View
8:11.59 Rosemount
[20]
8:12.97 Redwood Valley
8:13.04 Chaska
8:13.71 Lakeville South
8:13.87 Brainerd
8:14.33 North St. Paul
8:14.54 Worthington
8:15.21 Bemdiji
8:16.56 United South Central/Alden-Conger
8:16.70 Delano
8:16.84 Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg
[30]
8:16.91 Roseville
8:17.67 Hill-Beaver Creek/Ellsworth/Edgerton
8:17.72 Mora
8:17.73 Holy Family Catholic
8:18.41 New London-Spicer
8:18.2 St. Michael-Albertville
8:18.53 Mounds Park Academy
8:18.56 St. Thomas Acadmy
8:19.50 Waconia
8:19.59 White Bear Lake
[40]
8:19.60 Faribault
8:19.83 Minneapolis Southwest
8:19.94 St. Cloud Apollo
8:21.20 St. James
8:21.29 Big Lake
8:21.36 Dassel-Cokato
8:21.46 Pequot Lakes
8:21.73 Albert Lea
8:22.72 Mahtomedi
8:22.95 Anoka
[50]
8:23.45 Burnsville
8:23.92 Hopkins
8:24.12 Fridley
8:24.64 Fairmont
8:24.86 Centennial
8:24.88 Mankato West
8:25.23 North Branch
8:25.26 Grand Rapids
8:25.28 Willmar
8:25.60 Andover
[60]
8:25.78 Rochester Century
8:25.94 Eagan
8:26.07 Park
8:26.20 Mankato East
8:26.45 St. Paul Central
8:26.82 Apple Valley
8:27.42 Mound Westonka
8:27.47 Adrian
8:27.48 Coon Rapids
8:27.50 Schaeffer Academy
[70]
8:27.64 Prior Lake
8:28.54 Robbinsdale Armstrong
8:29.11 Minneapolis South
8:29.81 Totino-Grace
8:30.17 Perham
8:30.25 Sartell St. Stephen
8:30.43 Woodbury
8:30.69 Orono
8:31.13 Proctor
8:32.32 Edina
[80]

2009 STATE MEET CLASS AA
1 Wayzata (Adam Moline, Evan Day,
Max Johnson, Andrew Wasz) 7:56.19
2 Buffalo 7:58.54
3 Forest Lake 7:59.01
4 Minnetonka 7:59.18
5 Richfield 8:00.83
6 Austin 8:02.61
7 Stillwater Area 8:04.75
8 Irondale 8:09.54
9 Moorhead 8:19.39

2009 STATE MEET CLASS A
1 Stewartville (Seth Huiras, Gabe Langseth,
David Christian, Michael Orte) 8:19.01
2 Plainview-Elgn-Millvl 8:20.15
3 Redwood Valley 8:23.02
4 Holy Family Catholic 8:26.69
5 United South Central/Alden-Conger 8:29.20
6 Mora 8:30.19
7 Worthington 8:32.02
8 Pequot Lakes 8:34.97
9 Roseau 8:41.11
- Proctor DQ

3200 METER RELAY ALL TIME BESTS
7:41.94 Stillwater Area 1998
7:42.24 Willmar 2007
7:45.31 Apple Valley 2008
7:45.95 Mounds View 2007
7:47.58 Lakeville North 2006
7:48.38 Stillwater Area 2004
7:49.14 Mankato West 2003
7:50.50 Brainerd 2008
7:50.77 Buffalo 2006
7:50.94 Eden Prairie 2006
[10]
7:51.05 Stillwater Area 2003
7:51.22 Alexandria 2005
7:51.50 St. Paul Central 2001
7:51.47 Rosemount 2006
7:51.74 Eden Prairie 2005
7:51.88 Willmar 2006
7:52.18 Eden Prairie 2001
7:52.31 Eden Prairie 2000
7:52.56 Eden Prairie 2003
7:52.58 Mounds View 2003
[20]
7:52.65 Rosemount 2005
7:52.68 Stillwater Area 1997
7:52.5 St Louis Park 1965 (7:55.6y)
7:53.03 Bloom Jefferson 1997
7:53.79 Lakeville South 2007
7:53.82 Buffalo 2008
7:54.05 Lakeville 2005
7:54.09 Wayzata 2001
7:54.13 Perham 2004
7:54.26 Eden Prairie 2004
[30]
7:54.37 Alexandria 1998
7:54.52 Apple Valley 2007
7:54.71 Eastview 2007
7:54.77 Stillwater Area 1999
7:54.81 Bemidji 2008
7:54.7 Alex Ramsey 1968 (7:57.9y)
7:55.06 Eden Prairie 1999
7:55.34 Alexandria 1997
7:55.2 Stillwater Area 1996
7:55.7 Minnetonka 1983
[40]
7:55.99 Tartan 2005
7:56.08 Buffalo 2009
7:56.18 Rochester Mayo 2003
7:56.19 Wayzata 2009
7:56.21 Pine Island 2007
7:56.23 Winona 2001
7:56.47 Mounds View 1999
7:56.50 Buffalo 2007
7:56.51 Hopkins 2003
7:56.64 St Michael-Albertville 2000
[50]
7:56.88 Apple Valley 2000
7:56.91 Duluth East 2002
7:56.7 Irondale 1991
7:57.03 Rosemount 2008
7:57.08 Faribault 2000
7:56.9 Osseo 1985
7:57.40 Apple Valley 1999
7:57.51 Stillwater Area 2005
7:57.55 Rosemount 2007
7:57.4 Robb Armstrong 1991
[60]
7:57.58 Burnsville 2003
7:57.59 Minnetonka
7:57.66 Eden Prairie 2002
7:57.69 Mounds View 2000
7:57.70 Minnetonka 1997
7:57.6 St Paul Cretin 1976 (8:00.8y)
7:57.6 Edina 2008
7:57.89 St. Paul Arlington 2003
7:57.7 Stillwater 1978 (8:00.9y)
7:57.94 Stillwater Area 2008
[70]
7:57.8 Osseo 1991
7:58.05 Mankato West 2002
7:58.06 Staples-Motley 2000
7:58.08 St Cloud Apollo 2000
7:57.9 Blaine 1980
7:58.39 Eden Prairie 1997
7:58.44 Winona 1999
7:58.76 Wayzata 2004
7:58.87 Minnetonka 2003
7:58.7 Edina 2004
[80]
7:58.95 Roseville Area 2008
7:59.01 Forest Lake
7:59.02 Hopkins 2006
7:59.15 Buffalo 2005
7:59.37 Wayzata 1994
7:59.50 Eden Prairie 2009
7:59.54 Osseo 1997
7:59.56 Mounds View 2002
7:59.57 Mounds View 2006
7:59.60 Eden Prairie 2007
[90]
7:59.62 Pine Island 2005
7:59.68 Robbinsdale Armstrong 2006
7:59.5 Armstrong 1984
7:59.93 Perham 2005
7:59.97 Hopkins 2005
7:59.8 White Bear Lake 1975 (8:03.0y)
8:00.20 Moorhead 2007
8:00.42 Stillwater Area 2007
8:00.2 Benilde 1975 (8:03.4y)
8:00.2 St Louis Park 1976 (8:03.4y)
[100]
8:00.2 Alex Ramsey 1978 (8:03.4y)

Minnesota Pros Focused on USA Indoor

While the Big Ten Indoor Championships are sure to grab a lot of attention this weekend -- especially the men's meet hosted by the defending champion Gophers -- a fistful of Minnesota professional tracksters will compete this weekend at the USA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In fact, Minnetonka High School alum Will Leer who will compete in the 1500 meters, was just interviewed ahead of the meet on Runner's World On-Line, HERE.

Leer and fellow Minnesota native Garrett Heath have a solid shot of finishing first or second in the event, which would earn a trip to the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar in March.

At the New Balance Indoor Games in Boston earlier this year, Leer ran a PR 3:55.66 for second place in the mile, while Heath was 5th in 3:57.34.

Heath is the #2 seed in the USA Indoor 1500m; Leer is the #3 seed.

Also declared for USA Indoors are: Team USA Minnesota's Heather Dorniden, the #4 seed in the women's 800m; Burnsville High School alum Laura Januszewski, the #9 seed in the 800m; Minnetonka alum Molly Lehman, the #10 seed in the women's 1500m; the U of M's Gabriele Anderson, the #12 seed in the 1500m; Katelin Rains, the #6 seed in the women's pole vault; and Amanda Smock the #4 seed in the women's triple jump.

Action at the USA Indoor Championships gets underway Saturday morning.

Find entry lists, event schedules, and lots of other information about the meet is HERE.

The Miles' Lists: Pole Vault

Here's this week's field event installment of the Miles' Lists -- the comprehensive 2009 and all-time Minnesota boys high school track and field performance lists compiled by Tim and Bill Miles.

Shaise Schuette of St. Francis tops the 2009 list with his 15-0 MSHSL Class AA title-winning clearance.

The #2 vaulter on the list 2009, though, is perhaps the most intriguing. Christian Kolb of Mankato West cleared a Minnesota all-time sophomore best of 14-10 last year. In 2008, his 14-3 was the all-time freshman best. If he tops Chip Malmstrom of Mahtomedi's 1994 vault of 15-3 this year, he'd become the top Minnesota junior all time ... and surpass his own father, Matt Kolb whose 15-1 1/2 clearance as an Osseo High School senior in 1982 ranks him #10 all-time in Minnesota.


POLE VAULT

2009 BESTS
15-0 Shaise Schuette 12 St. Francis
14-10 Chris Kolb 10 Mankato West
14-9 ½ Nick Weis 11 Sauk Rapids-Rice
14-9 Mike Kosiak 12 Mounds View
14-9 Blake Weimerskirch 12 Robbinsdale Armstrong
14-0 Christopher Sluis 12 Anoka
14-0 Josh Owens 12 Champlin Park
14-0 Evan Zachmann 12 St. Michael-Albertville
14-0 Jake Frankenfield 12 Minnetonka
14-0 Macauley Spandl 11 Moorhead
[10]
14-0 Alex Berner 12 Concordia Academy
13-11 Yoni Seevers 12 Irondale
13-11 Patrick Hayden 11 Robbinsdale Armstrong
13-9 Dane Plifka 12 Eagan
13-8 Matt Nemec 12 Roseville
13-8 Victor Khong 12 Mounds View
13-8 Josh Hendricks 12 Eden Prairie
13-7 Cameron Clause 11 Mankato East
13-7 Taylor Knight 12 Walker-Hackensack-Akeley
13-6 Kyle O’Connor 11 Roseville
[20]
13-6 Mark VanBenschoten 11 Wayzata
13-6 Jerrick Backous 11 Andover
13-6 Rory Alt 12 Forest Lake
13-6 Jonathan Ahlfs 11 Glencoe-Silver Lake
13-6 Tandy Juell 12 Redwood Valley
13-6 Kevin Kolstad 12 Foley
13-3 John Walfoort 11 Shakopee
13-3 Devon Wright 12 Belle Plaine/Holy Family
13-3 Jeffrey Dubose 11 St. Croix Lutheran
13-2 Michael Edens 12 Rochester Mayo
[30]
13-1 Thomas Foote 11 Rochester Mayo
13-1 Connor Johnson 11 Mounds View
13-0 Kyle Francis 12 Hastings
13-0 Michael Peterson 12 Buffalo
13-0 Erik Brady 12 Eastview
13-0 Jeff Davlin 11 Blaine
13-0 Eric Anfinson 11 Mounds View
13-0 Joe House 11 Mounds View
13-0 Matthew Weber 12 Spring Lake Park/St. Anthony
13-0 Kody Lieberman 12 Robbinsdale Armstrong
[40]
13-0 Tyler Massey 10 Forest Lake
13-0 Nathaniel Granzow 11 Moorhead
13-0 Sergey Usovich 12 Sauk Rapids-Rice
13-0 Chad Lahr 12 St. Cloud Tech
13-0 Aaron Wait 11 Byron
13-0 Beau Bachman 11 St. Peter
13-0 Chris Gross 11 Trinity School at River Edge
13-0 Keith Roehl 11 Foley
13-0 Kyle Hart 12 Pequot Lakes
13-0 Jake Jensen 10 International Falls
[50]
13-0 Cody Stuhaug 12 Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
12-10 Jake Pedretti 12 Chatfield
12-10 Alex Jurgenson 10 Plainview-Elgin-Millville
12-9 Torin Jones 11 Hutchinson
12-9 Kevin Kent 12 Holy Angels
12-8 Travis Powers 12 Nicollet/Lk Crystall-Wellcome Mem
12-8 Riley Sikkink 10 Milaca
12-8 Jonathan Friederichs 12 Paynesville Area
12-7 Luke Sadergaski 10 Faribault
12-6 Christopher White 12 Rochester Mayo
[60]
12-6 Ted Getzke 11 Hutchinson
12-6 Kent Esslinger 10 Mankato East
12-6 Nathan Roberts 12 Mankato East
12-6 Sam Frisell 12 Eagan
12-6 Daniel Patraw 12 White Bear Lake
12-6 Parker Strohbehn 10 White Bear Lake
12-6 Josh McLain 12 Anoka
12-6 David Laing 12 Centennial
12-6 Dan Polta 11 Eden Prairie
12-6 Andres Hansen 11 Minnetonka
[70]
12-6 Alex Vitalis 10 Chisago Lakes
12-6 Zackary Smith 10 North Branch
12-6 Lucas Bruns 12 Bemidji
12-6 Chris Gerving 12 Sauk Rapids-Rice
12-6 Ryan Thompson 11 Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sun
12-6 Alex Peterson 11 Murray County Central
12-6 Anthony Puckett 11 Mayer Lutheran
12-6 Tony Davison 11 Pillager
12-5 Ryan Webster 10 Tartan
12-5 Brendan Johnson 10 Moorhead
[80]
12-5 Shane Gall 12 Pierz

2009 STATE MEET CLASS AA
1 Shaise Schuette, 12, St Francis 15-0
2 Blake Weimerskirch, 12, Robbinsdale Armstrong 14-9
3 Mike Kosiak, 12, Mounds View 14-3
4 Evan Zachmann, 12, StMichael-Albertville 14-0
5 Chris Sluis, 12, Anoka 14-0
6 Patrick Hayden, 11, Robbinsdale Armstrong 13-6
6 Cameron Clause, 11, Mankato East 13-6
6 Matt Nemec, 12, Roseville Area 13-6
9 Chris Kolb, 10, Mankato West 13-6

2009 STATE MEET CLASS A
1 Alex Berner, 12, Concordia Academy 14-0
2 Jonathan Ahlfs, 11, Glencoe-Silver Lake 13-6
3 Tandy Juell, 12, Redwood Valley 13-6
4 Jeffrey Dubose, 11, St Croix Lutheran 13-3
5 Devon Wright, 12, Belle Plaine 13-3
6 Cody Stuhaug, 12, Dilworth-Glyndn-Feltn 13-0
7 Aaron Wait, 11, Byron 13-0
8 Kyle Hart, 12, Pequot Lakes 13-0
9 Taylor Knight, 12, Walker-Hacknsack-Akly 12-6

POLE VAULT ALL TIME BESTS
15-7 Tim Koupal, Anoka 1997
15-6 ½ Jed Bergstrom, Buffalo 1997
15-6 Mike Brockwell, Edina 1996
15-4 Jason Beutz, Foley 2003
15-3 ½ Erik Romsdahle, Saint James 2008
15-3 Chip Malmstrom, Mahtomedi 1994
15-3 Jon Anderson, Morris Area 1994
15-3 Brock Spandl, Moorhead 2006
15-3 Dan Sandor, Stillwater Area 2008
15-1 ½ Matt Kolb, Osseo 1982
[10]
15-1 Mark Devine, Roseville 1991
15-1 Isaac Molin, St. Francis 2005
15-0 Jim Lee, Austin 1970
15-0 Mike Moberg, Hibbing 1994
15-0 Matt Stark, Apple Valley 1997
15-0 Andrew Peterson, Coon Rapids 2000
15-0 Chris Holmes, Henry Sibley 2000
15-0 Shawn Francis, Hastings 2004
15-0 Shaise Schuette, St. Francis 2009
14-10 Brent Smith, Alexandria 1976
[20]
14-10 Erling Ringquist, Mpls Roosevelt 1984
14-10 Brian Laurel, Mayer Lutheran 1991
14-10 Ryan McGlynn, Stephen 1992
14-10 Tyler Zamudio, St Cloud Apollo 2003
14-10 Brandon Johnson, Robbinsdale Armstrong 2006
14-10 Chris Kolb, Mankato West 2009
14-9 ½ Nick Weis, Sauk Rapids-Rice 2009
14-9 Ross Thompson, Esko 1987
14-9 Arden Beachy, Staples-Motley 1989
14-9 BJ Jones, Plainview 1994
[30]
14-9 Dan Madden, Delano 1999
14-9 Nick Wilson, Mankato West 2003
14-9 Derek Oslund, Robbinsdale Armstrong 2005
14-9 Ross Werner, Robbinsdale Armstrong 2005 & 2006
14-9 David Gierut, Mankato Loyola 2006
14-9 Casey Kedrowski, Sauk Rapids-Rice 2007
14-9 Stephen Koecher, Blaine 2007
14-9 Mike Kosiak, Mounds View 2009
14-9 Blake Weimerskirch, Robbinsdale Armstrong 2009
14-8 ¾ Curt Maertens, Brooklyn Center 1985
[40]
14-8 ½ Dave Correll, Moorhead 1980
14-8 Marc Christian, Bloom Kennedy 1989
14-8 Scott Trombley, Hopkins 1994
14-8 Langdon Stahle, Minnetonka 1994
14-8 Noah Barnes, Richfield 1994
14-8 Ryan Sawatzky, Mankato West 1997
14-7 ¼ Glen Bullick, Brooklyn Center 1972
14-7 ¼ Bryan Mortland, St Louis Park 1974
14-7 Matt Peters, Cambridge 1986
14-7 Latanna Vannavong, Mpls Roosevelt 1989
[50]
14-7 Andy Stark, Apple Valley 1995
14-7 Mark Bruemmer, St Cloud Apollo 1999
14-7 Jacob Wolter, Lakeville North 2007
14-7 Raphael Gelo, International Falls 2008
14-6 ½ Jayme Pantekoek, Mankato West 1998
14-6 ½ Ben Mauch, Mankato East 2001
14-6 Jesse Cogswell, Roch Mayo 1970
14-6 Dana Powers, Moorhead 1974
14-6 Tom Larson, Bloomington Jefferson 1978
14-6 Mike Braun, Edina East 1979
[60]

14-6 Dave Anderson, St Louis Park 1983
14-6 Tom Silverhus, Cambridge 1983
14-6 Nick Berg, Bemidji 1983
14-6 Pete Walker, Austin 1984
14-6 Jeff Landreth, Kennedy 1986
14-6 Kent Landreth, Kennedy 1987
14-6 Ted Erickson, White Bear Lake 1988
14-6 Dave Zarns, Mounds View 1989
14-6 Todd Williams, St Cloud Apollo 1990
14-6 Ryan Beachy, Staples-Motley 1991
[70]
14-6 Jay Schmitt, St Croix Lutheran 1991
14-6 Paul Sander, Apple Valley 1993
14-6 Sam Chittendon, Stillwater 1994
14-6 Mike Edwards, Winona 1994
14-6 Jeff Klein, Zumbrota-Mazeppa 1994
14-6 Chris Chandler, Crookston 1995
14-6 Andy Eggerth, Spring Lake Pk/St A 1995
14-6 Khoun Thammalangsy, Lakeville 1996
14-6 Dan Shroyer, Grand Rapids 1996
14-6 Adam Lee, Hutchinson 1997
[80]
14-6 Nate Sutton, Mankato East 2000
14-6 Ben Villnow, Willmar 2000
14-6 Ryan Manke, Detroit Lakes 2000
14-6 Justin Schmidt, Elgin-Millville 2000
14-6 Paul Gans, Sauk Rapids-Rice 2001
14-6 Josh Sorenson, Madelia/Truman 2001 & 2002
14-6 Steve Kramer, Mayer Lutheran 2002
14-6 Brian Sworsky, St Francis 2003
14-6 Jon Morales, Willmar 2004
14-6 Beau Pilgrim, Staples-Motley 2006
[90]
14-6 Bryan Atwood, Mankato East 2007
14-6 Jordan Mogck, Mounds View 2007
14-6 Zach Gowdy, Burnsville 2007
14-5 Steve Jungbauer, St Francis 1977
14-5 Tony Spandl, Staples 1977
14-5 Darin Palmer, Albert Lea/Alden-C 1996
14-4 ½ Bob Stark, Bloom Lincoln 1979
14-4 ¼ Matt Jackson, Mankato West 2003
14-4 Ryan Church, Bloom Kennedy 1976
14-4 Don Esping, Hutchinson 1982
[100]
14-4 John Amrhein, Forest Lake 1985
14-4 Paul Moehring, Hutchinson 1985
14-4 Jason Ahlgren, Cloquet 1988
14-4 Tony Rogich, Robb Cooper 1990
14-4 Chad Camacho, Brooklyn Center 1990
14-4 Eric Bjerketvedt, Willmar 2000
14-4 John Getzke, Eastview 2003
14-4 Ted McAlpine, Monticello 2006
14-4 Peter Erickson, Irondale 2008

JUNIOR BESTS
15-3 Chip Malmstrom, Mahtomedi 1994
15-1 Mark Devine, Roseville 1991
15-0 Tim Koupal, Anoka 1996
14-9 ½ Nick Weis, Sauk Rapids-Rice 2009
14-9 BJ Jones, Plainview 1994
14-9 Mike Brockwell, Edina 1995
14-9 Ross Werner, Robbinsdale Armstrong 2005
14-7 Casey Kedrowski, Sauk Rapids-Rice 2006
14-7 Jacob Wolter, Lakeville North 2007
14-6 12 tied

SOPHOMORE BESTS
14-10 Christian Kolb, Mankato West 2009
14-6 Josh Sorenson, Madelia-Truman 2001
14-5 Tony Spandl, Staples 1977
14-3 Mark Devine, Roseville 1990
14-3 Noah Barnes, Richfield 1992
14-0 1/2 Khoun Thammalangsy, Lakeville 1994
14-0 1/2 Nick Wilson, Mankato West 2001
14-0 Arden Beachy, Staples 1987
14-0 Mike Brockwell, Edina 1994
14-0 Michael Hinton, Coon Rapids 2006
14-0 Nick Weis, Sauk Rapids-Rice 2008

FRESHMAN BESTS
14-3 Christian Kolb, Mankato West 2008
13-8 Josh Sorensen, Madelia/Truman 2000
13-6 Mitch Hoihjelie, Sauk Rapids 1997
13-4 Nate Hemstad, International Falls 1989
13-3 Brad Junker, Mountain Lake-B-Odin 1993
13-2 3/4 Tom Coles, Hutchinson 1976
13-2 Mark Devine, Roseville 1989
13-2 Jesse Budimir, Grand Rapids 2000
13-0 1/4 Nick Wilson, Mankato West 2000
13-0 Mike Brockwell, Edina 1993
13-0 Matt Gustafson, Faribault 2004
13-0 Casey Kedrowski, Sauk Rapids-Rice 2004
13-0 Patrick Hayden, Robbinsdale Armstrong 2007

USATF-Minn Awards Celebration Photo Gallery

In case you missed Saturday night's USATF-Minnesota Awards Celebration, below are a handful of photos from the evening.

The second annual celebration, which confers dozens of awards to top Minnesota athletes and teams and also recognizes officials and other contributors, drew more than a 150 athletes and track and field aficionados this year.

Find a full listing of award winners HERE.

Women's Open Runner of the Year Jen Houck receives her award from USATF-Minnesota Managing Director Craig Yotter, while DtB's Charlie Mahler emcees.

Men's Open Runner of the Year Jeremy Polson with Yotter.

USATF- Minnesota Youth Chair Chris Dallager (at podium) recognizes 8-year-old J'ianna Sway Cager who won National AAU Junior Olympic titles at 100, 200, and 400 meters last summer. Cager's coaches Henry Combs (right) and James Banks presented Cager with her Female Bantam Athlete of the Year award.

Analisa Huschle, who set a new MSHSL all-time best in the long jump last year with her Class A winning 19-2 1/4 mark, was named USATF-Minnesota's Female High School Athlete of the Year.

Photos by Ed Whetham, courtesy of USATF-Minnesota.

The Miles' Lists: 800 Meters

Kicking off this week's installments of the Miles' Lists -- the comprehensive 2009 and all-time Minnesota boys high school track and field performance lists -- is the 800 meters.

The 2009 800m list is topped by Minnesota's fastest prep all-time in the event, Zach Mellon of Buffalo. Mellon clocked 1:49.80 in 2009, after setting the state all-time mark of 1:48.64 in 2008.

In addition, the 2009 MSHSL Class Champion Harun Abda ranks #2 on the 2009 list with 1:51.69, but his 1:50.74 from 2008 ranks him #5 all-time in Minnesota.

Mellon and Abda could tangle again this weekend at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. Mellon competes for Wisconsin nowadays, while Abda wears the maroon and gold of the Gophers.

800 METERS

2009 BESTS
1:49.80 Zachary Mellon 12 Buffalo
1:51.69 Harun Abda 12 Fridley
1:53.90 Sam Miner 11 Winona
1:55.12 Andy Fenske 11 Park Center
1:55.26 Robel Kebede 12 Minneapolis South
1:55.77 Moses Heppner 12 Warroad
1:55.91 Eric Anenson 12 Minnetonka
1:56.48 Blayne Dulian 11 Coon Rapids
1:56.77 John Holt 12 Roseville
1:56.83 Nate Moen 12 Forest Lake
[10]
1:57.02 Edward VanPelt 12 Chaska
1:57.58 Colton Gits 12 Edina
1:57.59 Clayton Foster 12 Pequot Lakes
1:57.60 Andrew Wasz 12 Wayzata
1:57.64 Nick Emmans 12 Minnetonka
1:58.25 Colton Graham 12 Roseville
1:58.36 Matt Schafer 12 Irondale
1:58.37 Ryan Swenson 10 Lac Qui Parle/Dawson-Boyd
1:58.37 Andrew Larson 12 Annandale
1:58.38 Kyle Erickson 11 Tartan
[20]
1:58.42 Dan Fitzpatrick 11 St. Thomas Academy
1:58.54 Dylan Cheever 12 Minneapolis Southwest
1:58.55 Brandon Heddens 12 Sauk Rapids-Rice
1:58.72 Jeff Marmar 12 Tartan
1:58.74 Kevin Hayes 12 Buffalo
1:58.77 Mike Bolland 10 Burnsville
1:58.81 Aduo Omot 12 Worthington
1:58.93 Kelin Dunfee 12 St. Paul Central
1:58.97 Drew Revak 12 New Prague
1:58.97 Karl Johnson 12 Foley
[30]
1:59.01 Mark Gilkerson 11 Park Center
1:59.04 Jesse Fenstermacher 11 Hibbing
1:59.07 Jacob Sandry 11 Bloomington Jefferson
1:59.07 Chandler Dye 9 Rosemount
1:59.11 Danny Ducharme 12 Wayzata
1:59.29 Byron Synstegaard 10 Waconia
1:59.37 Ryan Tholen 12 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton
1:59.45 Nate Thooft 12 Redwood Valley
1:59.50 Patrick Swanson 12 Stillwater
1:59.53 Josh Yapp 12 Sartell-St. Stephen
[40]
1:59.56 Chris Mueller 11 Eden Prairie
1:59.59 Joseph Tilleskjor 11 Centennial
1:59.60 Evan Olson 12 Edina
1:59.61 Eric Jorgenson 11 Osseo
1:59.63 Scott Dick 12 Dover-Eyota/St. Charles
1:59.68 Tim Erickson 11 Austin
1:59.69 Logan Ramer 11 Kasson-Mantorville
1:59.72 Adam Moline 10 Wayzata
1:59.5 Brian Jarvey 9 Wayzata
1:59.89 Max Johnson 11 Wayzata
[50]
1:59.91 Brian Brochman 11 Stillwater
1:59.95 Tim Lillehaugen 12 Moorhead
2:00.04 Slavomir Tkac 12 Minneapolis South
2:00.06 Thomas Ruttger 12 Brainerd
2:00.10 Devin Martens 11 Apple Valley
2:00.11 Hunter Gits 12 Edina
2:00.25 Shane Sontag 12 Big Lake
2:00.27 Grant Timm 10 Plainview-Elgin-Millville
2:00.30 Pat Marx 12 Grand Rapids
2:00.32 Nick Wanner 11 Totino-Grace
[60]
2:00.36 Mubarkik Musa 9 Luverne
2:00.38 Daanish Khan 12 Fridley
2:00.39 Clint Freiheit 11 Hayfield
2:00.41 Garet Peplinski 12 Maple Grove
2:00.49 Thomas Kuefler 12 Sauk Rapids-Rice
2:00.65 Ben Halbach 11 Minneapolis South
2:00.67 Cole Toepfer 12 Eagan
2:00.76 Zach Storm 11 Mankato West
2:00.79 Charlie Stangl 11 Anoka
2:00.83 Chase Vasquez 11 Andover
[70]
2:00.85 Stefan Lemke 11 Morris Area
2:00.90 Brian Saksa 11 Dassel-Cokato
2:00.91 Christopher Flegel 12 Maple Grove
2:00.98 Evan Day 12 Wayzata
2:00.99 Andy Wacha 12 Rockford
2:01.05 Matt Rasmussen 12 Holy Family Catholic
2:01.15 Sean Mercer 12 North St. Paul
2:01.16 John Knutson 12 Lakeville North
2:01.21 Chase Anderson 12 Lanesboro/Fillmore Central
2:01.25 Trevor Rasmussen 11 Albert Lea
[80]

2009 STATE MEET CLASS AA
1 Harun Abda, 12, Fridley 1:52.23
2 Zachary Mellon, 12, Buffalo 1:52.63
3 Sam Miner, 11, Winona 1:53.90
4 Eric Anenson, 12, Minnetonka 1:56.25
5 Nate Moen, 12, Forest Lake 1:56.83
6 Edward Van Pelt, 12, Chaska 1:57.02
7 Robel Kebede, 12, Minneapolis South 1:57.12
8 Andy Fenske, 11, Park Center 1:57.62
9 Kyle Erickson, 11, Tartan 2:01.04

2009 STATE MEET CLASS A
1 Moses Heppner, 12, Warroad 1:55.77
2 Clayton Foster, 12, Pequot Lakes 1:58.93
3 Andrew Larson, 12, Annandale 1:59.58
4 Ryan Swenson, 10, Dawson-Boyd/L q P V 2:00.01
5 Logan Ramer, 11, Kasson-Mantorville 2:00.12
6 Stefan Lemke, 11, Morris Area 2:03.14
7 Matt Rasmusson, 12, Holy Family Catholic 2:03.88
8 Karl Johnson, 12, Foley 2:04.00
9 Grant Timm, 10, Plainview-Elgn-Millvl 2:05.28

800 METER ALL TIME BESTS
1:48.64 Zach Mellon, Buffalo 2008
1:49.13 Jason Owen, Stewartville 1996
1:49.30 Trent Riter, Mounds View 2001
1:50.56 Steve Holman, Richfield 1988
1:50.74 Harun Abda, Fridley 2008
1:51.06 Andy Richardson, Irondale 2008
1:51.0 Tim Turnbull, Hopkins 1966 (1:51.7y)
1:51.75 Ryan Ford, St Cloud Apollo 2000
1:51.82 Tom Schmidt, Faribault 2001
1:52.07 Carson Hoeft, Armstrong 1985
[10]
1:52.09 Obai Hussein, Rosemount 2008
1:51.9 John Cordes, Duluth East 1968 (1:52.6y)
1:52.22 Jon Ortloff, Mankato West 2000
1:52.39 Hans Storvick, Mankato West 2004
1:52.41 Garrett Heath, Winona 2004
1:52.3 Josh Bunker, Mpls South 1985
1:52.4 Dave Hodge, Austin 1966 (1:53.1y)
1:52.5 Chris Thiem, Mankato 1968 (1:53.2y)
1:52.98 Bill Bowser, Chisago Lakes 2001
1:53.01 Dan Knappmiller, St Paul Central 2001
[20]
1:53.04 Ned Brady, DeLaSalle 2008
1:53.08 Nick Hutton, Apple Valley 2008
1:53.12 Collin Beachy, Staples-Motley 1989
1:53.13 Travis Burkstrand, Eastview 2008
1:53.13 Charlie Lapham, Robbinsdale Armstrong 2008
1:53.28 Justin Tuomela, North St. Paul 2003
1:53.34 Terry Haley, SP Cretin-Derham Hall 1994
1:53.44 Jordan Carlson, Rosemount 2008
1:53.53 Mike Brown, Stillwater 1986
1:53.53 Jake Watson, Stillwater 2004
[30]
1:53.3 Steve Webber, Simley 1985
1:53.62 Isaac Veldkamp, Eden Prairie 2007
1:53.4 Jeff Brauchle, Edina 1969 (1:54.1y)
1:53.4 Jim Lieb, Mpls Southwest 1974 (1:54.1y)
1:53.5 Mike Gebeke, White Bear Mariner 1979 (1:54.2y)
1:53.75 Chris Erichsen, Kingsland 2004
1:53.80 Jason Boon, Park 1992
1:53.83 Robel Kebede, Minneapolis South 2008
1:53.90 Sam Miner, Winona 2009
1:53.91 Zach Swartzendruber, Anoka 2001
[40]
1:53.7 Marty Johnson, Minnetonka 1966 (1:54.4y)
1:53.7 Tom Steiner, Alexander Ramsey 1969 (1:54.4y)
1:53.7 Andy Bunge, Preston 1972 (1:54.4y)
1:53.7 Lee Branville, Virginia 1974 (1:54.4y)
1:53.7 Kevin Roth, St. Paul Cretin 1976 (1:54.4y)
1:53.7 Dan Casper, Northfield 1985
1:53.96 David Pachuta, Eastview 2007
1:54.02 Toby Henkels, Worthington 1998
1:53.8 Mike Newman, Rochester JM 1974 (1:54.5y)
1:53.9 Joe Brisson, North St Paul 1978 (1:54.6y)
[50]
1:53.9 Jim Bergen, Stillwater 1978 (1:54.6y)
1:54.19 Nika Jones, Mpls South 1992
1:54.20 Ed Reeves, Edina 2003
1:54.21 Ben Hanson, Buffalo 2001
1:54.0 Mark Killen, Owatonna 1978
1:54.29 Jon Gargano, Eden Prairie 2001
1:54.30 Mike Yard, Maple Grove 2003
1:54.33 Trevor Mitchell, Stillwater 1997
1:54.34 Tyler King, Lakeville North 2008
1:54.35 Steve West, SP Highland Pk 1984
[60]
1:54.36 Mike Moran, Park 1980
1:54.36 Collin Plummer, Mounds View 2005
1:54.36 Brian Sames, Shakopee 2005
1:54.37 Mike Shelendich, Mounds View 2007
1:54.2 Wally Malmstrom, Elk River 1966 (1:54.9y)
1:54.2 Dan Ewing, Mounds View 1967 (1:54.9y)
1:54.2 Chris Silva, Hill-Murray 1988
1:54.2 Mike VanBeusekom, Irondale 2003
1:54.47 Jason Max, Minnetonka 1989
1:54.51 Rob Finnerty, Burnsville 2006
[70]
1:54.51 Jonathan Stublaski, Henry Sibley 2007
1:54.3 Steve Petrie, SP Harding 1975 (1:55.0y)
1:54.3 Mark DeFor, Bloomington Jefferson 1982
1:54.58 Ben Blankenship, Stillwater Area 2007
1:54.59 Mike Mason, Osseo 1991
1:54.59 Austin Flom, Moorhead 2001
1:54.4 Joe Vortherms, Worthington 1978 (1:55.1y)
1:54.4 Brian Maas, Austin Pacelli 1979 (1:55.1y)
1:54.64 Rob Edwards, Prior Lake 1996
1:54.64 Yonas Seyum, St Paul Arlington 2000
[80]
1:54.64 William Leer, Minnetonka 2003
1:54.4 Steve Solum, Hawley/Ulen-Hitterdal 2004
1:54.66 Eric Palmquist, Warroad 2003
1:54.5 Les Johnson, Hutchinson 1978 (1:55.2y)
1:54.5 Matt Ferry, Osseo 1986
1:54.77 Moses Heppner, Warroad 2008
1:54.79 Chris Boldt, Stillwater Area 1999
1:54.83 Tony Foss, SP Cretin-Derham Hall 1996
1:54.83 Lancer Lumby, Stillwater Area 1998
1:54.6 Bob Neumer, St Louis Park 1965 (1:55.3y)
[90]
1:54.6 Mark Kittleson, White Bear Lk 1971 (1:55.3y)
1:54.6 Dana Bonstrom, Osseo 1972 (1:55.3y)
1:54.6 Ben Porter, Edina-East 1974 (1:55.3y)
1:54.6 Mark Richardson, SP Johnson 1977 (1:55.3y)
1:54.85 Jordan Bremer, Apple Valley 2001
1:54.7 Mark St Aoro, Mounds View 1975 (1:55.4y)
1:54.7 Roger Roettger, Stillwater 1982
1:54.7 Nick Schneider, Benilde-St. Margaret 2001
1:54.95 Steve Tingum, Alexandria 1998
1:54.97 Cory Ylinen, Eden Prairie 2000
[100]

JUNIOR BESTS
1:48.64 Zach Mellon, Buffalo 2008
1:50.74 Harun Abda, Fridley 2008
1:51.60 Andy Richardson, Irondale 2007
1:51.82 Tom Schmidt, Faribault 2001
1:52.24 Jason Owen, Stewartville 1995
1:53.41 Steve Holman, Richfield 1987
1:53.53 Trent Riter, Mounds View 2000
1:53.3 Tim Turnbull, Hopkins 1965 (1:54.0y)
1:53.62 Isaac Veldkamp, Eden Prairie 2007
1:53.83 Robel Kebede, Minneapolois South 2008

SOPHOMORE BESTS
1:51.41 Jason Owen, Stewartville 1994
1:51.87 Zach Mellon, Buffalo 2007
1:54.51 Rob Finnerty, Burnsville 2006
1:54.69 Tom Schmidt, Faribault 2000
1:54.8 Andy Bunge, Preston 1971 (1:55.5y)
1:55.4 Dave Krejci, Austin 1985
1:55.68 Robel Kebede, Minneapolis South 2007
1:55.6 Josh Bunker, Mpls South 1983
1:55.87 Isaac Veldkamp, Eden Prairie 2006
1:55.92 Brian Sames, Shakopee 2003

FRESHMAN BESTS
1:55.03 Rob Finnerty, 2005
1:57.11 Jason Owen, Stewartville 1993
1:57.94 Isaac Veldkamp, Eden Prairie 2005
1:58.32 Jordan Carlson, Rosemount 2005
1:58.33 James Billings, Eagan 1992
1:58.85 Tom Hoffman, Mahtomedi 2004
1:58.85 Zachary Mellon, Buffalo 2006
1:58.98 Ryan Swenson, Lac Qui Parle/Dawson-Boyd 2008
1:59.01 Dusty Cossette, Fergus Fall 1997
1:59.07 Chandler Dye, Rosemount 2009

Single Session Big Ten Tickets Now on Sale

Tickets for single sessions of this weekend's Big Ten Men's Indoor Track & Field Championships at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse go on sale today at 9:00 a.m., U of M officials have announced.

Fewer than 200 single-session tickets are expected to be available for purchase for each day of the championship, February 27 and 28.

Single-session tickets are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors for each day of the championship and may be purchased online through gophersports.com, in person at the athletics ticket office in Mariucci Arena, or by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or 612-624-8080.

Fans interested in purchasing all-session tickets may continue to do so. All-session ticket packages include admission to both days of the championship and are priced at $12 for adults and $7 for students and seniors.

Competition at the 2010 Big Ten Men's Track & Field Championships is slated to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 27, and at 10:20 a.m. on Sunday, February 28.

The Minnesota men's track and field team will attempt to defend its Big Ten Indoor title at the meet.