Price, Blankenship Earn Big Ten Awards

University of Minnesota harriers Stephanie Price and Ben Blankenship were named Big Ten Conference Runners of the Week for their sterling runs at the Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday.

Price (pictured, top), a junior from Mankato, was the runner-up in the Division I women's race at the meet, running the soggy 6K course in 20:41. The performance was the 6th-fastest 6K ever run by a Gopher woman. It led the Gopher women to a 7th-place finish at the meet.

Blankenship (pictured, bottom), a senior from Stillwater, was honored for his 10th place finish in the Division I men's race at the meet. He ran the 8K circuit in 24:32, leading the Gopher men to a 5th-place team finish.

Gophers Edge Upward in Polls ... Both University of Minnesota teams moved up a place in the latest NCAA Division I cross country polls, released yesterday. The women now find themselves rated as the #27 team in D1, one spot better than a week ago.

The men moved up a single spot as well, ranking #26 in the country this week.

The Gopher men are ranked #3 in the Midwest Region; the Gopher women are ranked #4.

Find the latest national rankings HERE.

Find this week's regional polls HERE.

Photos by Gene Niemi.