The University of Minnesota track teams looked strong in their first high-test meet of the 2011 indoor season.The two-time defending Big Ten indoor and outdoor champion men won six events in the collegiate competition of the meet, which featured solid NCAA Division I adversaries.
The Gopher women netted five individual titles.
The men's victories were spread across the event areas, although the Gopher middle distance crew was especially successful -- Big Ten champion Harun Abda, senior Mike Torchia, and sophomore Nick Hutton all won titles.
Abda edged Iowa’s Steven Willey by .14 to win the 600m in 1:17.85. Torchia had a come from behind win in the mile in 4:08.90. Hutton ran a Jack Johnson record 1:51:04 in the 800m.
Also capturing titles for the Gopher men were Brock Spandl, who won the pole vault at 17-1, Micah Hegerle, who won the weight throw with 63-9 3/4, and Trey Davis, who captured the shot put title with 56-1 3/4.
Distance runners also powered the Gopher women.
Nikki Swenson won the mile by out-racing Iowa’s Betsy Flood on the event's final lap to win in 4:46.62. Cross country All-American Stephanie Price won the 3000m in 9:38.37, with teammate Missa Varpness second at 9:39.23.
Katie Hill led a Gopher sweepin the 800 meters: Hill won in 2:12.14, Jamie Dittmar was second in 2:14.51, and Jamie Vandenberg was third in 2:15.68.
On Friday night, Laura Docherty on the 5000m for the Gophers in 17:36.16.
Sprint star Chimerem Okoroji rounded out the triumphs, running the two fastest 60m races of her Gopher career on Saturday. She set the Jack Johnson record with a 7.46 in the prelims; the #3 performance in Minnesota history. Later, she won the final at 7.50.
Find results of the meet HERE (men) and HERE (women).
Flotrack has video coverage of the meet HERE ... including THIS heartening interview with Hassan Mead who is on the comeback trail.
Steph Price actually was 3rd in the 3000 behind Jamie Cheever and Meghan Armstrong. The top two competed unattached and were therefore listed at the bottom of the results which is probably why gophersports incorrectly stated the winner. Steph was the top collegiate runner though.
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ReplyDeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteThe way the results were printed made it a bit confusing. In the story, I referred to "the collegiate competition" of the meet when talking about winners.
I noted the Team USA media release in my Twitter feed, in an effort to get the info out about their results, but people may not have put that all together.
-- Charlie
oh okay, that makes sense.
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