Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Round-Up: Rankings, Quotes, Speaker

It's the busy season in track and field nowadays, so we'll try to get ourselves caught up with a round-up of recent news ...

Collegiate Rankings ... As NCAA Division II and III teams head to their national championship meets and the Gophers travel to their Division I Prelim, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association released the latest college rankings.

In Division I, the University of Minnesota men fell out of the top-25, after being ranked #21 last week.  They are currently tabbed as the #26 team in D1.  The Gopher women are ranked #111.

In D2 rankings, the Winona State women are ranked #16, up one spot from a week ago.  The Minnesota State - Mankato men are ranked #23.

In Division III, the MIAC champion programs from St. Thomas both make the top-25 -- the Tommie men are ranked #16 while the Tommie women are ranked #17.  Hamline's men are also ranked, at #17.

Team USA Talks Oxy ... A pair of Team USA Minnesota runners won their sections at the Oxy High Performance Meet in Los Angeles on Friday.  Gabriele Anderson won her 1500m section in a PR 4:06.46, while Jamie Cheever took her steeplechase race in 9:52.15.

Anderson just missed the Olympic Games A standard of 4:06.00; Cheever attained the Olympic Trials A standard of 9:55.00.

"I am a little speechless," Anderson said via a Team USA Minnesota media release.  "This was my season debut so I just came here to get the wheels turning.  I didn't know what to expect and was not thinking about getting the win.  I was just trying to finish strong.  This race shows me that the Olympic 'A' standard  is within reach."

Next up for Anderson will be the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on June 2 where she will again run the 1500 meters. 

Read what Cheever thought of her race, HERE.

Tollefson Gives Back ... Olympian Carrie Tollefson will be the featured speaker in Duluth today at the Essentia Health Fit-n-Fun Middle School Assemblies, organized by Grandma's Marathon.

A 2004 Olympian in the 1500-meters, Tollefson will give presentations to Duluth students at Morgan Park Middle School and at Woodland Middle School.

As most Minnesota track fans well know, Tollefson, 35, grew up in Dawson, Minn., and won 13 Minnesota high school championships in cross country and track. While in college at Villanova, she was a 12-time All-American and five-time NCAA national champion.

The St. Paul, Minn., resident will be back in Duluth next month for Grandma’s Marathon weekend and will be a part of the team producing live radio coverage of the USA Half Marathon Championships. She has provided television and radio commentary for many racing events throughout the nation.

 Since December 2010, she has hosted a weekly show about running and fitness called C Tolle Run. The show features training tips, interviews with athletes and experts, as well as highlights from races and events.

More information is available at www.ctollerun.com.

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