Women Gophers Win Six Events

The University of Minnesota women’s track and field team took home six event titles and posted several top-10 all-time team performances at the LSU Alumni Gold Meet and Iowa Musco Twilight Meet on Saturday.  In Baton Rouge, Todea-Kay Willis won the invitational long jump, leaping 19' 11.5" (6.08m). She beat Alabama’s Callie Ives by 1.25". Willis also ran the 100, finishing eighth in 11.81.

The Gopher 4x400m relay team ran its fastest time of the season to finish fourth overall, and third among collegiate teams. Megan Geyen, Alena Brooks, Jessica Waldvogel and Te’Shon Adderley ran 3:39.56, the seventh-fastest in school history. Three of the four relay team members also competed in open events. Brooks finished seventh overall, fourth among collegians, in the invitational 400 in 54.14. Geyen was fourth in the other section in 55.34. Waldvogel finished fourth in the ‘B’ section of the 400m hurdles in 62.67. LSU results are HERE. 

“I thought we competed well today,” Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Matt Bingle said. “I was glad to see the 4x4 improve their time. Overall, the team was in good spirits, but there’s still a lot to work on. We learned some things that we need to execute better.”

In Iowa City, the Gophers won five events. Kelsey Joson set a new PR, winning the triple jump with a leap of 39'10.75"/12.16m that ranks eighth in Minnesota history. Laura Docherty ran a PR of 9:28.57 to win the 3K. Katie Moraczewski(9:37.16) was runner-up. Gopher runners claimed the top eight spots in the 1,500m. Becca Dyson (4:30.30) finished just ahead of teammates Missa Varpness(4:30.43), Ashlie Decker(4:30.89),  Katie Hill(4:31.25),  Cassy Opitz(4:32.10), Jamie Vandenberg(4:34.71), Kaitlin Mincke(4:38.10), and Page Orcutt(4:39.86). The first six Minnesota finishers in the 1,500 posted their fastest times of the season.

Kelli Budd (10:37.77) and Kaila Urick (10:57.58) turned in a one-two finish in their steeplechase debuts. Lyndsey Thorpe won the open hammer throw with a season-best toss of 170-2 (51.86m) and Amy Kubat(51.80) was second. Devin Stanford finished third in the invitational hammer with a PR of 185'9"(56.63m), seventh longest throw in Minnesota history. Stanford was also fourth in the discus(47.25m). Iowa results are HERE.