Team USA, USATF-Minn. Earn $50,000 Grant

Team USA Minnesota, the elite distance running training group based in the Twin Cities, and USA Track & Field - Minnesota, the governing body of the sport in the state, have earned a $50,000 Excellence Challenge Grant from USA Track & Field.

According to the USATF media release, HERE, the funds will be used to develop a web-site and establish a professional distance running camp in Minneapolis.

Grant winners were chosen based on a demonstration of their ongoing support of USATF's strategic plan. Other organizations earning grants were the Randall's Island Sports Foundation in New York and the USATF Masters Track & Field Committee.

"These investments will support the forward movement of track & field," USATF President and Chairman of the Board Stephanie Hightower said. "As a board, we are excited about being able to award the folks on the front line who are improving and advancing excellence in our sport."

Excellence Challenge Grants were established at the 2009 USATF Annual Meeting to support the advancement of performance excellence in five specific areas: Race Walking, Youth, Masters, Long Distance Running and Disabled Athlete Programs.

Hopkins Girls 5th at Nike Track Nationals

The Hopkins girls' track team that ran away with the MSHSL Class AA team title last month, placed 5th last weekend in the inaugural Nike Track Nationals, a meet that matched the nation's top twelve girls and boys high school teams against one-another.

The Royals - competing as the Hopkins Track Club -- scored 7246.10 points in the ten event contest held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The Chandler Track Club of Arizona won the girls' competition with 7721.65 points.

The meet was scored with a decathlon-style points system based on each team's individual performers in the best nine events of the ten event meet. Events contested were the 100-meter, 400m, 800m, 1600m, 100m-hurdles, shot put, discus throw, pole vault, high jump, and long jump.

Hopkins was represented by Taylor Anderson in the 100 and the high jump, Bridgett Sweeney in the 400, Kayla Goeman in the 800, Grace Gerring in the 100m-hurdles and the long jump, Terese Bredemus in the pole vault, and Lindsey Kaufmann in the shot and discus.

To qualify for the meet, Hopkins won the Heartland Regional of Nike Track Nationals. The Eden Prairie boys' team finished runners-up at the same meet, but did not advance to Eugene.

The top teams from each of eight regions, plus four at-large teams, qualified for Nike Track Nationals.

Find complete NTN results HERE.

Strib Interview with Kara Goucher

Strib story on Kara Goucher HERE.

Minnesota Stars in Action Over Weekend

It may have been a quiet holiday weekend for you -- it was for DtB -- but for a handful of Minnesota's top middle and long distance runners, it was a busy Independence Day Holiday. Whether competing in Europe or at far-flung domestic locales, Minnesota's best were tangling with some of the best in the world.

Here's a round-up ...

Dorniden Runs Season Best ... Team USA Minnesota's Heather Dorniden, who fell and was not advanced in the prelims of the 800-meters at the USA Outdoor Championship in June, got a measure of redemption with a second-place, 2:02.43 clocking at her signature distance in the Leon Buyle Memorial Meet in Oordegem-Lede, Belgium on July 3.

Also finishing second at the meet was Team USA Teammate Gabriele Anderson. The recent Gopher alum ran 4:15.71 for 1500m there. Fellow teammate Meghan Armstrong was 6th in the event in 4:18.20.

Results from the meet are HERE.

Garrett Heath Runs 3:40.3 ... Winona native Garrett Heath clocked an eighth-place, 3:40.3 1500m at the IAAF Atletismo Meet in Madrid on July 2. Kenya's Remmy Limo Ndiwa won the race in 3;36.2

Results of the meet are HERE.

Leer 11th at Prefontaine ... Minnetonka High School alum Will Leer had a tough outing at the Prefontaine Classic over the weekend. He finished in last place in Race 2 of the mile at the IAAF Diamond League meet in Eugene, Oregon. Leer clocked 4:08.45.

Results of the meet are HERE. Watch video of Leer's race HERE.

Moen 10th, Smyth 15th at USA 10K ... Team USA Minnesota's Josh Moen finished 10th at the USA 10K Championships held in conjunction with the Fourth of July Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. Moen clocked 29:10 on the storied course.

Teammate Patrick Smyth, the third place finisher at the USA Outdoor Championships 10,000m, finished 15th in 29:27.

Find complete Peachtree results HERE.

Yes/No: Will Smyth or Moen be Top-4 at USA 10K?

The USA 10,000m Outdoor Track Championships were held last week in Des Moines. Proving that there really is no rest for elite distance runners, this week will be the USA Men's 10k road championship. Galen Rupp, the USA 10,000m champ, is not scheduled to show up in Atlanta for the AJC Peachtree Road Race but two Team USA MN runners will be pulling double duty

Patrick Smyth (third last weekend) and Josh Moen (fourteenth) will see how quickly their legs can recover from twenty-five laps on the track last weekend. The Peachtree race hosts a strong international field in addition to the USA championship. The race is offering a purse of $111,300 with $15,000 to the overall winner and $10,000 to the top male American.

How will the Minnesotans stack up in Georgia?

Y/N: Will Patrick Smyth or Josh Moen finish in the top four at the USA Men's 10k Championship at Peachtree?

Patrick Smyth and Josh Moen both ran the AJC Peachtree in 2009 when it also was a National Championship. Smyth finished fifth among Americans and Moen was thirteenth. Smyth has been on quite a roll this year. The Notre Dame grad was second in the USA Half Marathon Championships and second at the USA Cross Country Championships before his third place finish last weekend.

Moen ran his huge breakthrough race last October at the Medtronic TC 10 Mile, giving Abdi Abdirahman a battle down the stretch before eventually finishing second. Moen ran at Wartburg in college and has run 28:26 for the 10k as a post-collegiate runner.

The American contenders at Peachtree are a deep group with no strong favorite. USATF previews the race and lists Ed Moran, Ryan Sheehan, Jorge Torres, Mo Trafeh, former Golden Gopher Andrew Carlson, Anthony Famiglietti, James Carney, Aaron Braun, and Bobby Mack as some of the major players.

A list of American elites is HERE.

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 7:30 A.M. CST, Sunday, July 4th. Please put your answer in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will continue to offer a bonus for participants making their debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for any first-time players.

My answer: Yes

The fantasy contest question from last week was: Will William Leer finish as the top Minnesotan in the finals of the 1500 Meters at the USA Outdoor Championships on Sunday? The answer was yes. Leer and Garrett Heath made the finals and Leer finished third with Heath in tenth. For the third week in a row, twenty six contestants answered correctly.

Jesse Schoen is now alone in first place with sixteen points. Schoen is riding a huge hot streak with correct answers in the last eight yes/no contests. The yes/no winners for June were Rachel Karel, Mike Henderson, Dimitri Drekonja, Andrew Nussbaum and Jesse Schoen. All five were perfect in June and scored four points.

For all the results, please visit DtB Fantasy Corner.

Clown Named Grandma's Top 2010 Volunteer

Not just any old clown gets named Grandma's Marathon Volunteer of the Year.

When Grandma's Marathon named John Herbertz its 2010 Volunteer of the Year, it conferred the award upon a unique and creative clown, when the longtime course entertainer received the award at the organization’s volunteer appreciation event earlier this week.

Since 1995, Herbertz (pictured, dressed as a chicken) has been stationed at mile 18, entertaining runners as they make their way past the Brighton Beach area. He has dressed up as many different characters including “The Dip In The Road”, Santa Claus, Jesse Ventura, Shrek, and a penguin with happy feet.

Possibly his most famous costume came about three years after he began volunteering, when he dressed up as “The Jolly Rancher” and handed out Jolly Ranchers to runners as they ran by. Passing out Jolly Ranchers – nearly 4,500 of them – along with jumping on a small trampoline, playing a boom box and wearing bright lime green socks have become mainstays in Herbertz’s act each year.

“I go for laughs because I know at mile 18, most runners don’t have much to laugh about," Herbertz said. "It’s definitely a hard part in the race. So, with a laugh, some music and a Jolly Rancher, we send them on their way. I have the time of my life,”

The Grandma’s Marathon Volunteer of the Year Award is given annually to an individual or group of individuals who have donated a tremendous amount of time volunteering for Grandma’s Marathon and in doing so have assisted in the smooth and successful operation of the event.

Photo by Jeff Frey & Associates, courtesy of Grandma's Marathon.

Team USA Minn. Adds Anderson, Rombough

Former University of Minnesota stars Gabriele Anderson and Chris Rombough are joining Team USA Minnesota for the next chapter of their running careers.

The elite long distance training group made the announcement yesterday.

Anderson finished her Golden Gopher running career in a flourish this spring with second place finishes in the 800 and 1500 meters at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and a second place in the 1500m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Last weekend, she finished seventh in the 1500m at the USA Outdoor Championships.

Anderson also set a personal best of 4:13.45 during the season. In addition, she was a member of the University's 4x800 and 4x1600m championship relay teams at the 2010 Drake Relays. In cross country, she was a two-time NCAA Cross Country Championships competitor. Anderson received her degree in English and political science in 2009 and is currently working on her master's degree in public policy at the University.

Rombough was a six-time All-American for the Gophers -- three times in cross country and three times in track. He was the 2006 Big Ten Cross Country champion, the 2008 Big Ten 10,000m champion, and placed second in both the 5000m and 10,000m at the 2010 Big Ten Outdoor Championships.

Rombough also competed at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000m. Rombough has bests of 3:44.49 in the 1500m, 7:54.57 in the 3000m, 13:48.80 in the 5000m and 29:10.67 in the 10,000m. Rombough graduated this spring with a degree in coaching and communication studies.

"It's great to be able to support Gabriele and Chris in continuing their running careers," Team USA Minnesota coach Dennis Barker said. "They both have progressed well at the University of Minnesota and have what it takes to make it to the next level."

"We have such a fantastic running community here and it's fun for us to watch area runners develop through high school and college and continue on into the professional ranks," he added. "It says a lot about the quality of our high school distance coaches, the quality of the University of Minnesota programs, and the support of our running community to have these two athletes join our team."

Anderson is originally from Perham and a graduate of Perham High School where she was a four-time all-state performer in cross country and the 2004 state champion in the 800 meters. Rombough grew up in Fremont, Wisconsin, and graduated from New London High School. As a prep, he was a two-time state track champion winning both the 1600 and 3200 as a senior, was a two-time Wisconsin Division I state cross country champion, and placed fifth in the 2004 Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals.

Learn more about Team USA Minnesota HERE.

Studt Selected to USA's NACAC U-23 Team

Aaron Studt of the Minnesota Gophers has been selected to represent the United States in the North American, Central American, Caribbean Championships U-23 meet held in Miramar, Florida July 9th-11th. The Men's Shot Final will be held at 6:30pm on July 11th.

Two athletes under the age of 23 are selected per event to represent the United States. The NACAC under-23 meet will include athletes representing the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, El Salvado, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turk and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the United States.


Coverage of the NACAC meet will be provided by usportstv.net via a pay-per-view option online. The webcast starts at 7:35 a.m. (CST) on Friday, July 9, with continued coverage on Saturday, July 10 (6 a.m. CST), and Sunday, July 11 (6 a.m. CST). Cost is $7.95 per day or $17.95 for the weekend.

Check out Kevin's Coverage of the USATF Juniors and enhanced throws coverage of the State meet at his blog Throwing Farther.

Photo of Studt by Becky Miller/Gopher Track Shots.

Emerson to Coach Macalester Women

Betsy Emerson, the former Luther College coach who led two Minnesota natives to NCAA Division III cross country titles, has been named the head women's cross country coach and assistant track coach at Macalester College, the college announced recently.

Emerson (pictured) replaces Jordan Cushing who resigned her position this spring.

Emerson was head women’s cross country and track & field coach at Luther for 17 years, from 1989-2005, before leaving the coaching profession to pursue other interests. Most recently, she has worked as an instructor for MultiCare Health Systems in Tacoma, Wash.

While at Luther, she was named the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year six times in cross country and three times in track. Emerson led the Norse to a third place NCAA Division III finish in cross country in 2000 and a fourth place national finish in outdoor track and field in 1997.

“I am very excited to be the women's cross country and assistant track coach at Macalester," Emerson said in a media release. "I consider it a great privilege and honor to be given this opportunity to work at such an outstanding college."

Emerson coached Turena Johnson of Brainerd and Johanna Olson of Wadena to NCAA Division III cross country titles for Luther and was mentor to six cross country All-Americans. Her cross country teams won IIAC championships six times.

Emerson graduated Cum Laude from Mary College in Bismarck, N.D. in 1986 and earned an M.S. in Education in 1988 from North Dakota State University. She begins her duties at Macalester on August 1.

Photo courtesy of Macalester College.

Leer Kicks to 3rd-Place in USA Champs 1500m

Minnetonka High School alum Will Leer grabbed 3rd-place at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the slow-starting, furious-finishing men's 1500m.

Leer's 3:51.63 headlined the Minnesota news from Saturday and Sunday competition at the Des Moines, Iowa meet.

On Saturday, University of Minnesota senior Gabriele Anderson finished 7th in the women's 1500m in 4:17.53.

Prior to the men's 1500m on Sunday, Burnsville High School alum Laura Januszewski finished 7th in the women's 800m, running a swift 2:01.76.

In Leer's final, Winona native Garrett Heath finished 10th in 3:52.80.

You can watch highlight video of the men's 1500m HERE, thanks to Universal Sports.

There's a post-race interview with Will Leer, HERE, thanks to Flotrack.

Video of the women's 800m final is HERE, thanks to RunnerSpace.

There's a post-race interview with Laura Januszewski HERE.

The video highlights of the women's 1500m are HERE.

Photo by Gene Niemi.

Three Minnesotans Advance at USA Outdoor

Three Minnesota natives advanced to finals in their events at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa yesterday.

Minnetonka High grad Will Leer and Winona alum Garrett Heath both reached the finals in the men's 1500-meters. Burnsville alumnus Laura Januszewski grabbed one of the eight lanes in the women's 800.

Both finals are set for Sunday afternoon.

Leer (pictured above, in green singlet) ran 3:40.23 in his heat to advance as the #6 qualifier. Garrett Heath ran 3:40.54 to move forward as the #11 qualifier.

Elliott Heath, Garrett's younger brother, failed to advance, running 3:41.34 for 16th in the prelims. The University of Minnesota's Ben Blankenship was 19th overall in 3:41.69.

You can watch video of the races HERE.

Results of the 1500m are HERE.

Januszewski (pictured below) made her third-straight USA Outdoor 800m final with a runner-up 2:02.13 clocking her semifinal heat. She advances as the 5th-fastest qualifier in the final.

There's a post-race video interview with Januszewski HERE.

Results from the women's 800m are HERE.

Ewen 5th in Junior Discus ... Maggie Ewen, a 9th-grader from St. Francis High School, finished 5th in the discus at the USA Junior Championships also taking place at Drake Stadium this weekend. Ewen (pictured, bottom), the reigning MSHSL Class AA state champion in the discus, threw 161-6.

Find discus results HERE.

Class AA boys 1600m champion Jacob Sandy of Bloomington Jefferson finished 24th in the junior men's 1500m in 4;15.97.

Find his results HERE.

Stay Tuned to the Action ... Follow Saturday and Sunday action at the meet HERE (live results), HERE (streaming video), and on television.

We'll be back on Monday with a wrap-up and more photos from the meet.

Photos by Gene Niemi (Leer & Januszewski) and Becky Miller (Ewen).

Crashed and Burned? Dorniden Out of 800m

Team USA Minnesota's Heather Dorniden was tripped and fell with 200 meters to go in last night's 800m prelims. You can watch the race -- and the crash -- on the Flotrack video above.

Team USA Minnesota officials have told Down the Backstretch that they filed a protest in an effort to advance Dorniden, the 3rd-place finisher at the USA Indoor Championships, to today's 800m semifinal. The protest was denied due to the contact being incidental, according to Team USA Minnesota.

The ruling appears to break from the precedents set in the last two USA Outdoor Championships in the very same event. At the 2008 Olympic Trials, four additional runners were advanced to the women's 800m finals after a pile-up involving some of the favorites in one of the semifinals.

Last year, an additional runner was added to the women's 800m final as well.

USA Championships Photo Gallery by Gene Niemi

The battle for qualifying spots in the women's 1500-meter prelims.

The Gophers' Gabriele Anderson (#5) en route to a 5th-place finish in the women's 1500m prelims.

Laura Januszewski in action in the women's 800m prelims.

Team USA Minnesota's Josh Moen (with headband) and Patrick Smyth lead the way it he 10,000m

Team USA Minnesota's Meghan Armstong follows former Twin Cities Marathon champion Blake Russell in the 10,000m.

Edina's Devin Crawford-Tufts racing in the USA Junior 100m prelims.

Photos by Gene Niemi

Patrick Smyth 3rd in USA 10,0000-meters

Team USA Minnesota's Patrick Smyth placed third in last night's USA Outdoor Championships 10,000-meter run, clocking 29:18.13 in the 25-lap contest.

Smyth (pictured above, leading) was the top Minnesota finisher on the first day of competition at the meet taking place at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

Smyth's teammate Josh Moen finished 14th in the event in 29:52.56. Hopkins High School grad Michael Krish, competing for Georgetown University, finished 19th in 30:35.71.

Galen Rupp won the race in 28:59.29. Ed Moran was second in 29:02.07.

There's a post-race video interview with Smyth HERE.

You can watch Smyth's race -- and the rest of last night's action -- HERE, via RunnerSpace's coverage of the meet.

Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor, the 2005 USA Outdoor champion at 10,000m, finished 7th in the event last night in 32:58.62. Teammate Meghan Armstrong was 11th in 33:54.05. The University of Minnesota's Megan Duwell, though entered, didn't not start the race.

Amy Begley won the race in 32:06.45.

There's a post-race interview with McGregor HERE. She says she'll now point her training toward a fall marathon -- likely either New York or Chicago.

Smock 4th in Triple Jump ... Amanda Smock (pictured below), a Melrose High School and NDSU graduate, finished 4th in last night's triple jump. She marked a 44-7 1/2 in the event, which was won by Erika McClain with a 46-6 1/4 leap.

Other results from the USA Championships included Gabriele Anderson's finals-qualifying 4:13.47 performance in the women's 1500m prelims. Fellow Minnesotan Molly Lehman, a Minnetonka High School alum who now represents the New York Athletic Club, finished 18th in 4:26.16.

In the women's 800m, Burnsville High School grad Laura Januszewski advanced to today's semifinals with a 2:03.68 performance in the opening round.

Team USA Minnesota's Heather Dorniden, however, did not advance. The former Golden Gopher star ran 2:11.11 to finish 27th overall after a bad fall with 200 meters to go in the race.

Minnesota Juniors in Action ... A handful of Minnesota junior athletes were in action in the companion USA Junior Championships also taking place in Des Moines.

In the junior men's shot put, Casey Dehn, an Owatonna High School alum who now represents teh University of Wisconsin, finished 9th with a throw of 56-10 3/4. Logan Hussung of Farmington finished 18th in 53-8 1/4, with Jake Fenske of Owatonna 19th at 50-6.

In the 100m hurdles, Jessica January, a ninth-grader from Richfield High School ran 14.56 for 15th place in the prelims. She did not advance to finals.

Edina's Devin Crawford-Tufts finished 19th in the junior men's 100m in 10.96.

Photos by Gene Niemi (Smyth) and Becky Miller (Smock).

Yes/No: Leer Top Minnesotan at USA 1500m?

Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa is the site of this year's USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Minnesotans will be competing all over the stadium, but especially concentrated in the middle distance and 10k events. The meet has kicked off yesterday and will conclude on Sunday.

The event with the most Minnesotans is also the penultimate event of the entire meet: the Men's 1500 meter. Will Leer has the fastest 1500 time of the Minnesotans in 2010 but will be pushed by Ben Blankenship and the Heath brothers - Garrett and Elliott.

So our questions this week is ...

Y/N: Will William Leer finish as the top Minnesotan in the finals of the 1500 Meters at the USA Outdoor Championships on Sunday?

The Men's 1500 competition begins with prelims on Friday evening at 6:25. The final will be held on Sunday at 2:40 P.M. Will Leer is the sixth ranked 1500 meter runner with a seed time of 3:37.26. Garrett Heath is next - eleventh, 3:39.25. Blankenship is ranked fourteenth - 3:39.77 and Elliott Heath is twenty-seventh, 3:41.27.

(For the purposes of the contest, if no Minnesotan makes the final, the top Minnesotan will be defined as the athlete that ran the fastest in the first round.)

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 6:15 P.M. CST, Friday, June 25th. Please put your answer in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will continue to offer a bonus for participants making their debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for any first-time players.

My answer: Yes

The fantasy contest question from last week was: Will Mary Akor or Chris Raabe (or both) repeat as Grandma's Marathon champions on Saturday? The answer was no. Raabe finished sixth and Akor fourth. Twenty-six contestants answered correctly this week and there was no change among the top seven players overall.

For all the results, please visit DtB Fantasy Corner.

Good luck and thanks for playing Yes/No on DtB!

USA Championships Kick-Off in Des Moines

Just down the road from those of us here in Minnesota, the 2010 USA Outdoor Championships will kick-off today at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

Remarkably, the venerable stadium that has hosted more than 100 editions of the Drake Relays has never been the site of the USA Championships.

The meet will feature both the USA Championships, for open runners, and the USA Junior Championships, for athletes aged 19-years-old and under.

Action for open athletes begins at 4:15 p.m. today. USA Junior action kicked off yesterday with multi-event competition. The USA Junior Championships concludes on Saturday; the USA Championships closes on Sunday.

Minnesota will be well-represented in both meets.

Headlining the open competition among Minnesota women are: 800-meter stars Laura Januszewski and Heather Dorniden; 1500m specialists Molly Lehman and Gabriele Anderson; 10,000m runners Katie McGregor, Meghan Armstrong, and Megan Duwell; and triple jumper Amanda Smock.

The top men in action include: 1500m contenders Will Leer, Garrett Heath, Elliott Heath (who is also entered in the 5000m), and Ben Blankenship and 10,000 specialists Josh Moen, Patrick Smyth, and Michael Krish.

USA Junior competition features Minnesota prep stars Jessica January in the 100m hurdles and Maggie Ewen in the shot put as well as North Dakota State freshman Emily Stalpes, a Wayzata High School alum, in the heptathlon. (Stalpes is in 31st place after yesterday's open session of competition.)

On the boys side of the competition, Devin Crawford-Tufts will race the 100m and 200m, Jacob Sandry will run 1500m, Mike Sandle will compete in the triple jump, and throwers Logan Hussung, Jake Fenske, and Casey Dehn will compete in the shot put. Hussung will also throw the discus.

(Thanks go to Kevin Holubar for help compiling the list of athletes. Check out his preview of the USA Juniors throwing competition, HERE, on his fine Throwing Farther web-site.)

If you're not making the trip down I-35 for meet, you can still follow the action on-line.

Find live video of the USA Junior competition HERE.

Find live video of USA Championship competition not broadcast on live TV HERE.

Live results are posted HERE.

Gopher Tracksters Earn Academic Honors

The collegiate track and field season may be over, but that doesn't mean members of the University of Minnesota track and field teams are done earning awards.

Gopher men and women who excel in the classroom as well as on the athletic fields have earned recognition this week.

NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee ... Heather Dorniden, who graduated in December after a stellar cross country and track career, has been named the Big Ten's representative for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award.

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award "honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership."

Dorniden finished her Golden Gopher career as a nine-time All-American and as the most decorated runner in Minnesota women’s track history. She graduated with a degree in kinesiology and a 3.946 grade point average. Dorniden is the first Golden Gopher track/cross country athlete to compete in every NCAA Championships in a collegiate career.

Dorniden was a Minnesota recipient of the 2010 Big Ten Medal of Honor. Her many other accolades include Academic All-America honors, the 2009 President’s Student Leadership and Service Award, the 2009 University of Minnesota Alumni Association Student Leadership Award and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Studt, Torchia Academic All-Americans ... The Gophers' Mike Torchia and Aaron Studt were named to the 2010 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America squads. Torchia and Studt are the ninth and 10th Gophers, and first since 2006, to capture the prestigious honor which is co-sponsored by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Torchia, a junior from Rochester is an Academic All-America Second Team honoree and competes on the Gophers’ cross country and track teams. He maintains a 3.946 cumulative grade point average and graduated with a biochemistry degree in May. Torchia will return to complete another degree next year.

Torchia earned NCAA All-Midwest Region honors in cross country in 2008 and helped Minnesota to a 15th-place showing in the NCAA Championships that season. He has competed in NCAA post-season action twice in the 5,000 meters on the track. Torchia scored in the event at both the 2010 indoor and outdoor Big Ten Championships, helping the Golden Gophers to team titles.

Studt was named to the Academic All-America Third Team. A senior from Ripon, Wisconsin, Studt carries a 3.30 grade point average in a business and marketing education major.

Studt is a four-time All-American in the throwing events. Studt has one more season of outdoor track eligibility and will compete for the Gophers in 2011. Studt has captured four Big Ten titles in the throwing events and has twice been honored as the Big Ten’s Field Event Athlete of the Championships.

He was also the 2009 Big Ten Field Event Athlete of the Year.

Catching Up with Ashley Nord ... The Gopher Sports Information Department recently published THIS interesting profile about Ashley Nord, the former U of M pole vaulter who is now a Rhodes Scholar in Oxford.

Nord is presently studying for a doctoral degree in Condensed Matter Physics. Nord is currently studying the physics of the bacterial flagellar motor—the motor on a bacterial cell that allows the cell to move.

Borner, Hanson Honored by USATF Minnesota

NCAA Division III national champions Marie Borner and Max Hanson were named USATF Minnesota Athletes of the Month for June, the organization announced recently.

Borner, a senior at Bethel University, was honored for winning the women’s 800-meter and 1500-meter titles at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships in Berea, Ohio last month. Borner, who has won a total of six NCAA Division III titles in her career, defended her 2009 title in the 1500m in 4:23.85 and then set a new NCAA Division III record in the 800m, clocking

Hanson, a senior at Gustavus Adolphus College, was recognized for winning men’s 800m title at the NCAA Division III Championships. Hanson ran 1:49.50 to win his first-ever NCAA title. Earlier in the season, Hanson won the rare 800m/3000m Steeplechase double at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.

USA Track & Field Minnesota selects Athletes of the Month to honor excellence in track and field and its related sports in Minnesota.

Grandma's Marathon Monday Round-Up

For those of you away from your computer screens over the weekend, we've gathered the highlights of the coverage of Grandma's Marathon weekend below ...

Read about the men's elite race HERE (Duluth News-Tribune) and HERE (Star-Tribune.)

The DNT talked to 2009 champion and Sauk Rapids native Christopher Raabe, HERE, about his 6th-place finish this year.

Read about the women's elite race HERE (DNT) and HERE (Strib)

Read about the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon HERE (DNT) and HERE (Strib)

You can also find DtB's archived live-text coverage of the events in the post below.

There was a fatality in the Half Marathon -- the first in the 34-year history of Grandma's events. Read about that HERE.

Find photo galleries from the weekend HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Finally, Grandma's Marathon executive director Scott Keenan talks about his plans and hopes for next year's 35th annual Grandma's Marathon HERE.

Live Coverage: 34th Grandma's Marathon

Find our live Grandma's Marathon coverage archived below ...

Pictured above: 2010 Grandma's Men's Champion Philemon Kemboi of Kenya. (Photo by Jeff Frey & Associates, courtesy of Grandma's Marathon.)

Pictured below, 2010 Grandma's Women's Champion Bezunesh Deba of Ethiopia. (Photo by Jeff Frey & Associates, courtesy of Grandma's Marathon.)

Complete official results are posted HERE.

The Duluth News-Tribune has a race story and some video on the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon HERE.

Expect continued race-day coverage from the Duluth News-Tribune HERE.

Official Marathon Results ...

Men: 1. Philimon Kemboi 2:15:44 ... 2. Chris Kipyego 2:16:00 ... 3. David Rutoh 2:16:03 ... 4. Kipyegon Kirui 2;16:54 ... 5. Kennedy Kemei 2:16:55 ... 6. Christopher Raabe 2:17:43 ... 22. Bret Fransen 2:27:07

[Corrected] Women: 1. Bezunesh Deba 2:31:36 .. 2. Yeshimebet Bifa 2:35:28 ... 3. Everlyne Lagat 2:37:26 ... 4. Mary Akor 2:38:02 ... 5. Ramila Burangulova 2:40:08 ... 6. Frashiah Waithaka 2:41:14 ... 15 Jenelle Deatherage 2:49:25 ... 17 Katie Koski 2:50:11

Tidbits ... Kemboi is the 9th Kenyan to win Grandma's ... Kenyans have won seven of the last nine Grandma's Marathons .... Deba is the first Ethiopia to win the Grandma's women's race.

Three-time champion Mary Akor ... told reporters after the race that she was in pain from early-on today. The Nigerian-born American will have surgery to remove uterine fibroids on Friday.

Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia is the women's champion of the 34th annual Grandma's Marathon!

Deba is rolling again ... and still has a large lead.

Women's leader Buzunesh Deba suffering from stomach problems just past the 25 mile mark.

Men's finish order ... Kemboi, Kipyego, Rutoh, Kemei, Kipsang, Raabe

Philemon Kemboi wins the 34th annual Grandma's Marathon in 2:15:44, unofficially!

Inside a mile to go, Philemon Kemboi is pulling away!

With a mile to go, Philemon Kemboi has made a strong move ... Chris Kipyego is trying to follow!

With two miles to go in the men's race, it's still a three man Kenyan battle!

Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia has pulled away from countrywoman Yeshimebet Bifa after the 19 mile mark ... she has more than a 30-second lead.

After the climb up Lemon Drop Hill, the lead pack is down to three runners ... David Rutoh, Chris Kipyego, and Philemon Kemboi, a 36-year-old Kenyan with a 2:10:58 PR set last year ... Chris Raabe has fallen further behind.

At 21 miles, the men's lead pack numbers seven runners ... it also includeds Kennedy Kemei a 2:13:36 runner and Chris Kipyego a 2:12:58 man ... Chris Raabe is 100m behind the lead pack.

Joseph Mutinda's PR also came last year ... a 2:13:19 from the LaLa Marathon in Mexico. He finished 4th at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon last year ... and was the TCM runner-up in 2007.

David Rutoh, has a PR of 2:10:31 from 2009, is making his Grandma's debut.

It's an all East African lead pack now ... Kenyans David Rutoh and Joseph Mutinda appear to be the runner pushing the pace.

Just beyond the 18 mile mark, defending men's champ Christopher Raabe is losing contact with the lead pack, which is down to eight runners ... the last mile of 4:56.

Yeshimebet Bifa and Buzunesh Deba continue to lead in the women's race. The Ethiopian pair passed 13.1 miles in 1:14:40 ... they have a 3-minute lead over the nearest challenger, three-time defending champ Mary Akor.

Grandma's Marathon Course Records ... Men: Dick Beardsley 2:09:37 in 1980; Women: Fira Sultanova-Zhdonova 2:27:05 in 2003.

Temperatures are holding steady in the mid-60s ... and there's welcome cloud-cover up the course.

Men's marathoners justed crossed the half marathon stripe in 1:07:49 ... just under 2:16 pace. The lead pack numbers 12-15 runners ... including Chris Raabe, the Sauk Rapids native who won the race last year. Khalid Boumlili, however, has fallen off the pace after a series of "crazy surges," according to lead vehicle color commentator (and course record-holder) dick Beardsley.

Men's splits for miles 6-10: 5:20, 5:08, 5:21, 5:17, 5:14 ... there's a large lead pack that includes defending champion Chris Raabe.

Deba and Bifa passed 10 miles in 56:28 ... 2:28:00 pace.

Garry Bjorklund (another Olympian here in Duluth this weekend!) is being interviewed on the radio right now. He described racing the 1980 Grandma's, which he won, with a chip on his shoulder ... after President Jimmy Carter pulled the USA team out of the Olympics that year.

Buzunesh Deba won the Cal International Marathon last December, where she set her PR. She recently won the Broad Street 10 Miler in Philadelphia in 55:13.

Yeshimebet Bifa finished 7th at the Dubai Marathon in January, where she set her PR. She's also finished 2nd at the Porto Marathon in Portugal last year and was 3rd in Milan earlier this year.

Two Ethiopian women are off the front in the Grandma's Marathon ... Yeshimebet Bifa, who sports a 2:27:45 PR, and Buzunesh Deba, a 2:32:17 marathoner have opened up a lead on rest of the field in the women's race.

Women's Half Marathon champion Caroline Rotich told reporters she pulled away from the start and ran alone for the entire race.

Official Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon Results ...

Men: 1. Stephen Muange 1:04.24 ... 2. Bado Worku 1:04:27 ... 3. Derese Deniboba 1:04:55 ... 4. Worku Beyi 1:05:13 ... Stephen Haas 1:05:22 ... 6. Fernando Cabada 1:05:55 .... 8. Justin Grenewald 1:06:34

Women: 1. Caroline Rotich 1:12:40 ... 2. Alemtsehay Misganaw 1:14:46 ... 3. Wendi Ray 1:14:56 ... 4. Jennifer Houck 1:15:49 ... 5. Michelle Frey 1:17:11 ... 6. Jenna Boren 1:19:21

At the 4 mile mark of the marathon, favorite Khalid Boumlili of Morocco has already thrown in a testing surge ... but the lead pack quickly reeled him back in.

Men's champion Maunge and Worku broke away from the pack at the 10 mile mark. He described a steady headwind en route.

Caroline Rotich of Kenya wins the women's division of the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in 1:12:38, unofficially.

Stephen Muange of Kenya wins the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in 1:04:24 ... just missing Ryan Meissen's stubborn course record. Maunge outkicked Bado Worku in the final meters of the race.

The 34th Annual Grandma's Marathon is underway!

The wheelers are away in Grandma's Marathon!

Low flying fighter jets just buzzed Canal Park ... setting off some car alarms in the process!

Half Marathon leaders after the half-way point ... Stephen Muange of Kenya and Derese Deniboba of Ethipia for men and fromer Paynesville and University of Minnesota runner Jen Hess.

The Duluth News-Tribune has posted an odds chart for today's race. Their Grandma's Marathon favorites: Khalid Boumlili, a Moroccan who ran a 1:00:04 half marathon recent (3-1) and three-time defending women's champ Mary Akor (2-1)

Find the full odds HERE.

Kara Goucher isn't the only Olympian on hand here ... last night, Carrie Tollefson won the women's division William A. Irvin 5K in 18:24. Duluth's Scott Behling won the men's race in 16:39.

Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon Records ... Men: Ryan Meissen of Hudson, Wisconsin 1:04.19 in 2002; Women: Colleen DeReuck of Boulder, Colorado 1:10:00 in 2003.

Dick Beardsley and Kara Goucher are reporting on the men's and women's marathon races today for local radio.

Half Marathon women's favorites include: Kenya's Caroline Rotich who has a 1:10:23 PR, Alemtsehay Misganaw of Ethiopia who has run 1:12:48, and Team USA Minnesota's Michelle Frey who has run 1:12:46

Half Marathon men's favorites include: Worku Beyi of Ethipia who has a 1:01.57 PR, countryman Badu Worku who has run 1:03.45, and 2008 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Champion Fernando Cabada who has run 1:02:45 and has finished 2nd and 3rd in the last two Garry Bjorklund Half Marathons.

The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon is underway ... and there's drizzle reported up the course.

Welcome to Down the Backstretch's finish-line coverage of the 34th Grandma's Marathon!

It's a partly-cloudy, mild, but somewhat breezy early morning here at the finish-line at Canal Park in Duluth. At 6:25 a.m., just before the start of the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, the Duluth temperature was 64 degrees, the dew-point was 55 degrees, and the relative humidity was 75%.

Reports from up the course report breezy conditions at the marathon start-line. Hour-by-hour temperature predictions forecast finish-time temperatures for the elite runners not much higher than they are now -- in the mid-60s. The high for the day is forecast at 70 degrees.

We'll update you on the progress of the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon and the 34th Grandma's Marathon as the events progress. Just refresh your browser regularly for news on all the action. The latest info will be posted at the top of the page.