Sunday, July 31, 2016

Lauren Peterson edges Emily Covert in the 1500 at USATF Junior Olympic Championships

Farmington's Lauren Peterson
Photo by Gene Niemi
Lauren Peterson (Farmington, Minnesota; USATF Minnesota) won by six thousandths of a second over Emily Covert (Minneapolis, Minnesota; USATF Minnesota) in the 15-16 1500m. Both runners were timed in 4:39.42.
Result HERE.
Washburn's Emily Covert Photo by Gene Niemi

UK Research on the Development of Talent in Athletes

UK research on the development of talent in athletes HERE.

Saturday, July 30, 2016

ASICS threatens to stop sponsoring Russian athletes if more are found to have doped

 ASICS threatens to stop sponsoring Russian athletes if more  are found to have doped    HERE

Follow the Money

Before and after the Olympic sports dropped shamatureism, the story is the same, if you "follow the money" you find that it doesn't enrich the athletes HERE

NCAA DII/USTFCCCA All Academic Honors

NCAA DII/USTFCCCA All Academic Honors HERE.


2016 AAU Junior Olympic Games Live Results

2016 AAU Junior Olympic Games Live Results HERE

Friday, July 29, 2016

Mason Ferlic 2nd in TrackTown Summer Series Steeplechase; Harun Abda 3rd in 800; Ben Blankenship 3rd in the 1500

Mason Ferlic ran a PR to place second in the inaugeral TrackTown Summer Series meet. He ran a PR of 8:21.57. Results HERE.
Haron Abda was third in the 800 in 1:45.7 Results HERE.
Ben Blankenship third in the 1500 in 3:35.02. also a PR.
Full results HERE.
Team Scores HERE.


Josh Thorson One of Four NCAA DIII/USTFCCCA Scholar Athletes


Josh Thorson One of Four NCAA DIII/USTFCCCA  Scholar Athletes HERE


8 Gopher Men Earn NCAA/USTFCCCA All Academic Honors

Eight Gopher Men Earn NCAA/USTFCCCA All Academic Honors  HERE

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

A Car or a Croc, Take Your Pick...

St. Patrick's School in Iten, Kenya on Fire

Story HERE

USTFCCCA High School T&F Coaches of the Year

2016 USTFCCCA High School Track & Field Coaches of the Year HERE
Minnesota Boy's COY Wayzata's Aaron Berndt
Minnesota Girl's COY  Alexandria's Meghan Orgeman Crumb

Mason Ferlic to Run in the TrackTown Summer Series Steeple

Friday, July 22, 2016

Morton Games Results: Kampf 2nd, Abda 4th

Morton Games Results HERE  International Results HERE
Heather Kampf 2nd in the Mile in 4:27.33. Results HERE.
Harun Abda  4th in the 800 in 1:47.36. Results HERE

Shanique Wright in the Finals of the Triple Jump at IAAF U20 Championships



Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Garrett Heath to Run in TrackTown 4-Mile

Gabe Grunewald Announces Her Non-retirement

Ruby Stauber Selected for All USA Girls Track and Field Team

Ruby Stauber. Photo by Gene Niemi
Ruby Stauber Selected for All USA Girls Track and Field Team HERE

Monday, July 18, 2016

Ben Blankenship Running the 1500 at the TrackTown Summer Series

Meet scheduled for July 29, 2016 at Hayward Field

Hopkins Raspberry Festival Races Results

Hopkins Raspberry Festival Results HERE

USATF Masters Championships Update

Tom Langenfeld's report on the results we missed from last weekend's US Masters Championships.

Sherwood Sagedahl, Fairmont, won the M75 800m in 2:57.02 and finished third in the 400m in 1:19.76.  He also finished third in the long jump at 3.44m (11'.5"), despite fouling on five of his six attempts.
Another gold medalist was Alan Phillips, St. Cloud, who took first in the M80 200m in 38.34, and finished second in the 100m in 18.42.
David Black, Falcon Heights, finished sixth in the M60 triple jump at 7.76.m (25'5.5"), seventh in the high jump at 1.30m (4'3") and sixth in the 100m hurdles in 20.51.

Michael Soule, Wyoming, finished seventh in the M60 pole vault at 2.45m (8'.5").  Pat Eastman was ninth in the M55 1500m in 5:01.76.  

Sunday, July 17, 2016

USATF Masters Championships Day 4 Results

USATF Masters Championships Day 4 Results HERE

Melissa Gacek 2nd in W40 1500 in 5:02.46
Susan Loyd 5th in 200 finals in 32.13; Loyd ran the 3rd leg on the W55 Non Club 4 by 400 relay that finished 2nd in 5:37.74
Jim Schoffman 6th in M60 200 in 28.40; Schoffman ran 3rd leg on the M55 Mass Velocity 4 by 100 team that finished 1st in 55.50

Padua Results; Heather Kampf 2nd in 1500

Padua Results HERE
Heather Kampf 2nd in 1500 in 4:05.31

Volunteers, Lawsuits, USATF

Ben Blankenship Talks About Making the US Team for Rio


Ben Blankenship winning the Medtronic TC Mile
Ben Blankenship Talks to the Stillwater Gazette About Making the US Team for Rio HERE

Saturday, July 16, 2016

USATF Masters Championships Day 3 Results

USATF Masters Championships Day 3 Results HERE

Tom Langenfeld 1st M80 High Jump 1.25m/4'1. 25"
Kara Parker 1st in W45 10K in 38:44
Susan Loyd 7th in the W55 100 in 15.84; 5th in 200m prelims in 31.90. qualifies for final.
Jim Schoffman  6th in the M60 200 prelims in 28.72. qualifies for final

Mankato Free Press Feature on MSU Mankato's Emmanuel Matadi

Mankato Free Press feature on MSU Mankato alum Emmanuel Matadi HERE

Nacht van de Atletiek Results

Heusden-Zolder Results  HERE
Harun Abda 3rd in 1:46.16
Aisha Praught 9th in 4:11.57
Erin Teschuk  13th in 4:24.32


Friday, July 15, 2016

USATF Masters Championships Day 2 Results

USATF Masters Championships Day 2 Results HERE
Susan Loyd 6th in W55 400m finals in 1:13.32
Jim Schoffman 4th in M60 400m in 1:02.24

MavBlog Q&A with MSU Mankato Alum Emmanuel Matadi

MavBlog Q&A with MSU Mankato Alum Emmanuel Matadi  HERE

Agnes Esser Wins Two Bronze Medals at NACAC U23 Championships

NACAC full results are HERE.



Herculis Monaco Diamond League Meet Results

Herculis Monaco Diamond League Meet Results HERE
Gabe Grunewald 10th in 3K HERE
Barbora Špotáková 3rd in the women's javelin HERE

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Updated: USATF Masters Championships Day 1 Results

USATF Masters Championships Results Day 1 HERE

400 Meter dash prelims
Susan Loyd 5th in 1:14.02 in W55. qualifies for final. Finishes 4th in the W55 800m
Jim Schoffmann(M60) entered in the 400m
Jim Schoffmann(M60) 5th  in 800m and Patrick Eastman(M55)5th in the 800m

Gopher Men's 2016 XC Schedule

WCCO’s Mike Max interviews Gopher men’s coach Steve Plasencia

WCCO’s Mike Max interviews Gopher men’s coach Steve Plasencia, talks about training, the Olympic Trials, Hassan Mead and Ben Blankenship, etc. HERE

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Heather Kampf 3rd in 800 at Meeting Internazionale di Atletica Leggera SPORT SOLIDARIETA

800 Results are HERE.
Lignano SPORT SOLIDARIETA Full results HERE.

"Two weeks out from the Trials she incurred a calf injury.  'No great story comes without hiccups,' she wrote on her Facebook page, 'and mine just unfortunately came in the final preparation for the Trials. 

“It took nine days of treatment, pool workouts and prayers to get to running pain free the Saturday of Trials week.  However, my legs weren’t quite back to pre-injury ‘pop’ to finish the semi-final 1500 meter race like I needed to.”


Still feeling fit, Kampf decided to head to Europe and further test herself on the track.  When she returns stateside, the four-time U.S. Road Mile Champion plans to compete in a number of mile races  through mid-September.--Team USA Minnesota press release

NDSU's Erin Teschuk Goes Pro

NDSU's Erin Teschuk Goes Pro HERE

Spikes Guide to "Being Blankenship"

Spikes Guide to "Being Blankenship" HERE

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

NACAC Mountain Running Championships Recap

NACAC Mountain Running Championships Recap and photos HERE
Still no complete results, just a snapshot of results for top M&W finishers

USATF MN Summer League Meets #3 Results

USATF MN Summer League Meets #3 Results HERE

Gopher and Gopher Women Alums Summer Meets

Gopher women and Gopher Women Alums Summer Meets HERE

Julia Lucas Writes about Hassan Mead and the Value of Sport

I still believe in the value of sport. There’s just too much evidence to deny it. Nelson Mandela used Rugby to help unite post-apartheid South Africa. Low-cost sports like Boxing and Running were tools to uplift neighborhoods during the Great Depression. Title IX laws helped redefine the female form. These are more than history lessons. In my deeply democratic heart, there is nothing more hope-inspiring than stickball on East Harlem side streets or the subtle culture of pickup basketball in The Cage on West 4th st. Still, in particularly sad or angry or hopeless moments, trying to pen the power of sport feels silly. People are being gunned down on the street and I’m writing about jogging. It feels like a joke. • The picture up there is my friend and former teammate Hassan Mead. He’s one of those guys whom everyone’s always rooting for. The guy you want on your side. Always kind. Always thinking of his teammates. Always positive and uplifting at practice. Earlier this week, after 13 years of training, he dropped out of the Olympic Trails 10k. It was hot. He responded badly. For some reason it hit him harder than it did the other bodies in the pack, and he went from the lead group to flat on his back in a matter of minutes . • Yesterday, he got a second shot. Though rattled and despondent after the 10k, his teammates and coach rallied around him and convinced him he still had a chance of making the team in the 5k. It wasn’t as good a chance as the 10k, admittedly, but it was something. And he made it. In a bigger surge and sprint than anything I’ve ever seen come from those legs, he made his first Olympic Team. He crossed the line, smiled, dazed. Then he walked straight to the side of the track, to his college coach who had jumped the fence separating the fans from the athletes, and started sobbing into his arms. In the background you can see the reporters surrounding Barnard Lagat, the race winner. Lagat’s a great story in his own right, a 41 year old father and a Kenyan-American. But it is this quiet moment that makes me believe myself again. Look at Hassan's hand. The world around them is still sad and angry and unfair, but this is pure. . .📸: @finley1188

A photo posted by Julia Lucas (@justrunjulia) on

Sunday, July 10, 2016

US Olympic Trials Day 9 Results

US Olympic Trials Day 9 Results HERE

Women's Pole Vault
Leslie Brost failed to clear the opening height of 4.40m/ 14'5.25"
Heptathlon
Heather Miller-Koch 2nd in the heptathlon with 6423 points. On the team for Rio
Jess Lehman 12th with 5806 points.
Heather Miller-Koch, second place, 6423 points
“This year the mentality was just don’t get fourth place. Last year at the championships, I came in fourth place by 18 points, missed going to World Championships. It’s just been a steady climb. I came out of Division II college. My PR in college was only 5230 points. This year it has just been do not get fourth place.”

“First time I competed against [Barbara Nwaba] was the last Olympic Trials, so we’re known each other since then. It’s been great to get to know Kendell. I had never competed against against her, just know she’s a high school phenom, the best college. She’s the next best thing.”

“The depth of the entire field, the scores were huge — the best it’s ever been in a national championship and it would have been even bigger had we had better conditions. It was a little rainy today. We were running into the wind yesterday. Those don’t produce the best heptathlon scores and we still did it. To get to this meet, you had to take 6,000 points essentially to get into this meet almost. That’s  a huge climb from four years ago. It’s just going to keep going up.”

“I can’t really describe the feeling right now. The whole goal was for this meet. I had done other heptathlons throughout the year but it was all leading up to this competition. I just put it all out there, training specifically for this meet to make the team because I knew it was going to be so competitive. It was just great that we were able to put up such big scores considering head winds yesterday and rain today. It’s pretty awesome.”

“I know that Barbara is a very strong 800 runner, and so is Sharon, who was only a second and a half behind me – she had to beat me by a second and a half – so I knew I had to run. Our plan was for Barb to lead the race and I didn’t want to break stride and I kind of went out a little hot around the corners. I just went with it. I don’t usually like leading. I usually like coming from behind but I knew I just had to trust my training. Coming through the 600 I saw that we were a little slower than what I had been training at so I was just about to finish strong.”

Women's 1500 final 
Gabe Grunewald 12th in 4:18.73


Men's 1500 final
Ben Blankenship 3rd in 3:36.13 Going to Rio
Yellow flag???
 Ben Blankenship, third place, 3:36.18
“It’s really good (to make the Olympic team). For everybody here at TrackTown, they did such a damn good job to put on such a good meet. It’s one of the best venues you can run at in the world.”

On the question if today was the best race of his life:
“Yes. Yeah. I haven’t had the time to process it all, but yeah.”

On the bumping in the race:
“I really think it was the first 200 meters or 300 meters -- in the first lap. (Leo Manzano) tried to come out and I was right there. It was either going to tangle up or one of us has to make a move. It was easier for him to go forward. If anything it helps us.”

“Every time anyone goes out and race, their goal is to make it to a U.S. championship. It was really a solid three years of training under Mark Rowland to get me here.”

NACAC Mountain Running Championships

Photo Gallery HERE
Race summary HERE
Results posted when available.

Saturday, July 09, 2016

US Olympic Trials Day 8 Results: Hassan Mead Qualifies for Rio

US Olympic Trials Day 8 Results HERE
Heptathlon Day 1
Heather Miller-Koch is 3rd with 3822 points
Jess Lehman 19th  with 3.322 points

Women's Javelin Final
Nicolle Murphy 5th in the javelin 56.35m/185'10"
Nicolle Murphy

Men's 5K Final
Hassan Mead 2nd in 13:35.70. Makes the Olympic team for Rio
                             Garrett Heath 13th in 13:55.58

Gopher women's summary HERE.  Men HERE
Daily Relay Photo Gallery HERE

Post Race Press Conference:
Hassan Mead
“I kind of expected it to be an unpredictable race with people going and coming back. One thing I had to do was cover every move being made and had to give myself a chance on the last lap. As my coach said, stay smooth, stay within the race, and bring it home strong.”

“I can’t put any words on it. As a kid I used to watch people become an Olympian and how they reacted when they made it. I was trying to picture what my reaction would’ve been when I made it, and to be able to go through the line knowing I’m going to the next Olympics hasn’t hit me yet, but I’m sure when it does, it’s going to be a great feeling.”

On coming back from 10k DNF:
“To be honest, after that 10k I was devastated. I wasn’t even thinking about the 5k, my mind was a cluster. The people around me, my coach and my agents, everybody was just rushing to help me recover and getting ready for the 5k: fluid, wet towels, everything they could think of. From that point on I forgot about the 10k, and said I’ve got the fastest 5k coming in, I said I was the man to beat and that was the mindset I had.”

Agnes Esser 5th in the Hammer Throw at the Canadian OT

Agnes Esser 5th in the Hammer Throw at Canadian OT.
Result HERE

InForum follow up story on Amanda Smock

InForum follow up story on Amanda Smock HERE

USATF Region 8 Junior Olympics Championships Days 1 &2 Results

USATF Region 8 Junior Olympics Championships Days 1 &2 Results HERE

Barbora Špotáková 5th at the Euro Champs

Gopher grad Barbora Špotáková 5th at the European  Championships javelin.  Results HERE.

Friday, July 08, 2016

Erin Teschuk First in Canadian OT Steeplechase

NDSU's Erin Teschuk finished first in the steeplechase at the Canadian Olympic Trials making the team for Rio.  Results HERE.

US Olympic Trials Day 7 Results

US Olympic Trials Day 7 Results HERE

Men's 1500 Semis
Ben Blankenship 1st in heat 2 in 3:44.24. Qualifies for final

Women's Pole Vault
Leslie Brost 7th clearing 4.40m/14'5.25"qualifies for final
Women's 1500 semis
Gabe Grunewald 6th in heat 1 in 4:11.86. qualifies for final
Heather Kampf 10th in heat 1 in 4:13.28 does not qualify for finals

Men's steeplechase final
Mason Ferlic 5th in 8:30.03
Daily Relay Photo gallery HERE 




Ruby Stauber MileSplit All American at 800 Meters

WDAY feature on NDSU's Erin Teschuk

WDAY feature on NDSU's Erin Teschuk, who is attempting to make the Canadian team in the steeplechase tonight HERE

Gophers' Agnes Esser Wins Discus in Canadian Olympic Trials

Gophers' Agnes Esser Wins Discus in Canadian Olympic Trials. Results HERE


How to Make the US Olympic Track Trials Even Better

How to Make the US Olympic Track Trials Even Better HERE

Sarah Barker Takes You on a Trip Through Tracktown USA

Sarah Barker Takes You on a Trip Through Tracktown USA HERE

Thursday, July 07, 2016

US Olympic Trials Day 6 Results

US Olympic Trials Day 6 Results HERE.

Women's Javelin Prelims
Nicolle Murphy 12th 52.25m/171'/5" qualified for finals
Sierra Rosenau  23rd  48.19m/158'1"
Nicolle Murphy


Women's 5K prelims
Gabe Grunewald 11th in heat 2 (20th overall) in 15:58.72 did not qualify for finals



Women's 1500 prelims
Heather Kampf 5th in Heat 1 in 4:14.12(5th overall) qualifies for semis
Gabe Grunewald 6th in heat 3 in 4:18.07(13th overall) qualifies for semis

Women's Triple Jump Final
Amanda Smock 10th with 13.12m/43'05"




Men's 1500 prelims
Ben Blankenship 1st(18th overall) in heat two in 3:49.61
Will Leer 10th(29th overall) in heat two in 3:54.31



Gopher women's summary HERE.

Road to Rio: Mason Ferlic on Friday's Steeple Final

Road to Rio: Mason Ferlic on the build up to Friday's Steeple final HERE

Barbora Špotáková Qualifies for European Championships Women's Javelin Finals

Gopher alum Barbora Špotáková finished first in the prelims of the women's javelin. Results HERE.

House of Run Interview with Tom Heinonen

Wednesday, July 06, 2016

Midsummer Mile Results

Midsummer Mile Results HERE

US Olympic Trials Day 5

US Olympic Trials Day 5 Results HERE.

Maggie Ewen 9th in Women's hammer with 66.35m/217'8"
Sean Donnelly 9th in the Men's hammer with 68.96m/226'3"


The Hardest Part of making the Olympics: the money


The Hardest Part of making the Olympics: the money   HERE

Gopher Women's Recap of US OT; Preview of US and Canadian OT

Gopher Women's Recap of US Olympic Trials; Preview of US and Canadian OT HERE

FloTrack Garrett Heath Interview

FloTrack  interview with Garrett Heath Post 5K prelims  HERE

KARE 11 Road to Rio Interview with Ben Blankenship

KARE 11 Road to Rio Interview with Ben Blankenship HERE

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

Fear and Loathing in Eugene

BGSU grad Jesse Squire pens a Hunter Thompsonesque piece on the Olympic dream HERE

InForum Feature onTriple Jumper Amanda Smock

InForum Feature on Triple Jumper Amanda Smock HERE

An outline of the Proposal for Governance Structure Reform of the IAAF

An outline of the Proposal for Governance Structure Reform of the IAAF  HERE

Winona Daily News Feature on Garrett Heath

Winona Daily News Feature on Garrett Heath HERE