In the Circle: Indoor Conference Results/Nationals Previews

The indoor season is coming to a close.  Devin Stanford finished 4th in the women's weight throw with a new personal best of 19.34m.  Jon Lehman finished second with a mark 22.68 (second best mark all time at the facility only behind Big 10 Champion Michael Lihrman).  Both of their marks eclipsed the record previously held by Augustana National Champion, and Olympian AG Kruger.  Lehman will compete today in the weight throw, where he is currently the 3rd seed (link to live results is below)  ESPN3 will also stream the meet and re-air the championships on Saturday March 22nd.

http://www.flashresults.com/2014_Meets/indoor/3-14-NCAA/
Lehman finished tenth with a throw of 68' 7"(20.90m)

In the NSIC, MSU's Chris Reed is a single meet away from an undefeated season after an 8 foot victory over Duluth Central graduate CJ Hamm, now competing for Augustana.  Reed broke his own NSIC record that he previously shared with Joe Remitz of Bemidji State.  Reed also won the weight throw, with a mark of 65-9 narrowly defeating Ryan Johnson of SCSU with a mark of 64-0.  Reed and Johnson will again square off today at 2:30pm in the men's weight throw.  Reed will have a good shot at breaking the NCAA DII National Championships record on Saturday, the current record is 64-11 1/2 and Reed enters the meet with a season best of 65-10.  (link to live results is below)

http://primetimetiming.com/liveresults/2014/ncaa_indoor_2014/index1.php

Reed finished fourth in the NCAA DII Weight throw with a distance of 68'5", while Johnson was 15th with a 56' 2.5" toss.

Representing Arizona State, Tom Anderson finished his first collegiate indoor season finishing 4th at the MPSF Indoor championships.

Congrats on successful indoor seasons and best of luck to those competing at Nationals this weekend.

In the Circle Update

The highest ranked throwers Minnesota has to offer were in action this weekend at the Snowshoe Open at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.  Senior captain Jon Lehman (Coon Rapids, MN) made the most of senior day by resetting his own school record in the weight throw and moving up to 3rd in NCAA Division 1 with a mark of 75-5.  Justin Barber finished third with a mark of 66-7 behind Chris Reed of Minnesota State Mankato with perhaps the most violent one turn you may see in the weight throw and a new personal best and school record throw of 67-7 (4th in NCAA D2).  Redshirt freshmen Gian Lorenzo Ferretti finished 4th with an impressive PR of 65-6.  St. Cloud State sophomore Ryan Johnson finished 5th, proving his provisional qualifying mark (currently 6th in NCAA D2) and breaking the school record, previously held by All-American Adam Kershaw.

 

In the men's shot put #1 ranked Chris Reed from Minnesota State Mankato threw 63-8. Reed's mark, although 3 feet under his personal best, would still be the best mark in D2 this season by over a foot.



On the women's side Gopher Becci Osterdyk set a new personal best in the shot put with a mark of 48-7.5 and St. Cloud State freshmen Cassandra Cardinal provisionally qualified for NCAA D2 44-10.5.   Next weekend is Indoor championships, the Gophers are at Ohio State next weekend for the Big 10's, the NSIC will be held at Bemidji State, and the MIAC will be held at Macalester College.


St. Francis graduate and current redshirting freshmen Maggie Ewen will be competing in her first USA Track and Field championships today in Albuquerque, NM at 3:20 PM CST. HERE


Best of luck to Maggie today and to all of those competing next weekend at the indoor championships.

Update: Ewen finished 10th with a personal best of 54-4.  Great mark for a junior competing in the senior division.  

Track & Field Community Mourns the Loss of Glenn Amundsen

The track and field community of Minnesota lost one of it's greats this past Saturday.  Glenn was not only the long time throws coach at Stewardville High School, but he coached numerous athletes across southeastern Minnesota.  His love of the sport is recanted by the numerous athletes and lives he touched.  Many of the athletes Glenn coached went into coaching because of the inspiration and guidance he provided.  Online condolences are welcome via the link below.

On behalf of the staff at DtB, we send our condolences to his family and all of those who had a chance to work with Glenn, he will be missed.

Visitation and Mass will be held on Wednesday, February 26th at St. Francis Catholic Church.


http://mackenfuneralhome.com/memorial-services/glenn-b-amundsen/

In the Circle 2014 Indoor Season Opening Weekends

Senior captain and returning All-American Jon Lehman (Coon Rapids) has been quick to shake off the rust this indoor season.  Lehman broke the school record previously held by Micah Hegerle this evening, winning the Bill Bergen Invitation at Iowa State with a throw of 72-5.  Jon opened the season with a throw of 71-11 to win the Northwest Open at the University of Minnesota on January 18th.  Jon's mark of 72-5 moves him up to 4th in Division 1 as of Friday night.



Lehman is joined in the national ranks by fellow Gophers junior Justin Barber (Mequon, WI) who is 17th in the weight throw and junior Mark Jennings (Marion, IA) who ranks 45th in the shot put.

The Gopher women were in action in the weight throw Friday night as well.  The women placed 4 in the top 12 led by junior Devin Stanford (Milwaukee, WI) fourth (57-7 3/4), sophomore Lyndsey Thorpe (Stanley, WI) in fifth (57-0 1/4), freshmen Kailee Kamps (Beloit, WI) (49-5 1/2) in 10th and freshmen Angie Guenther (White Bear Lake) (49-4 1/2) in 12th.

The Gophers are in action next weekend at the Iowa State Classic.

Chris Reed

Mankato State senior Chris Reed has left little doubt the rest of Division 2 will be chasing in 2014.  Reed has broken his own school record in the shot put three times already this indoor season, most notably at the Jack Johnson invite, setting a new meet record with a a throw of 65-5.  Chris has nearly a three foot lead on the rest of division 2 and his throw would put him 9th in all divisions.  Chris also ranks 4th in the weight throw with a mark of 64-10.  Sophomore Ryan Johnson from St. Cloud state also ranks 12th in the weight throw with a mark of 60-5 1/4

Tom Anderson

Many Minnesotans can now look west to see the state's all time greats competing at Arizona State.  Tom Anderson (Andover) is now competing for ASU after red-shirting his freshmen year.  Tom placed 2nd among collegiate throws (5th overall) in an incredibly deep field at the NAU invite on January 24th.  Tom's mark of 60-4 1/2 currently ranks him 29th overall in NCAA Division 1 and the 2nd freshmen.

Maggie Ewen

Maggie Ewen (St. Francis) is redshirting.  Competing unattached Maggie threw 51-5 at the NAU invite, placing 4th.  If Maggie were competing for ASU her mark would also put her 29th in the NCAA field and she would be the top freshmen in the country.

Best of luck to those representing Minnesota competing near and far this weekend.

In the Circle: Podominick at Worlds

Lakeville native Liz Podominick kicks off world championships in the women's discus. Follow her live HERE

Star Tribune earlier this week featuring Liz Podominick: HERE.  

Post championship interview from USATF Championships last month HERE. 

Ewen PR's and wins Junior Discus

The signature smile and bright spirits that alluded Maggie Ewen in shot put returned in discus today. Ewen came through on her third throw of competition to make finals and never looked back. Sitting 7th after prelims, Ewen moved into first with a mark of 177-0.  She improved to 179-6(54.71m) in the 5th round of prelims. Maggie will represent the United States in the Pan American Junior Championships in Medellin, Columbia on August 23rd-25th.

In The Circle: USATF Photo Album Day One

Maggie Ewen (St. Francis) finished 7th in the Women's shot put yesterday at the USATF Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a throw of 47-5 3/4.  Maggie finishes as the 2nd best high school shot putter of all time in the United States.  She convincingly won the shot put at both New Balance Indoor and Outdoor Championships this season.  Maggie competes again Saturday in the discus at 12:45 CST.  Maggie enters the competition with the top seed  in the event at 175-9.  The top 4 finishers in each event will continue on to represent the United States in the Pan American Junior Championships in Medellin, Columbia on August 23rd-25th.  

 Photo by Kevin Holubar

  Photo by Kevin Holubar

  Photo by Kevin Holubar

 Photo by Kevin Holubar

 Photo by Kevin Holubar

In the Circle: State Meet Throws Preview

Maggie Ewen of St. Francis looks to capture her 4th state discus title and 3rd shot put title this weekend at Hamline.  The state meet at Hamline university is a facility Ewen is familiar with, dating back to her third place finish in the discus as an 8th grader.  Ewen has a chance to move into the top 10 all-time in high school if she tops 181-11 in discus Friday morning.  The only other Minnesotan to break the top 10 list in an event group is Rob Finnerty of Burnsville in 2008.  Maggie Ewen finished the 2012 season 2nd nationally, and looks to break her own Minnesota State Meet record in discus and set a new record in shot put.  Ewen is coming off an indoor national title in the shot put (54-1).  She has yet to match her indoor mark in an outdoor season that has provided few meets where the weather cooperated for big marks.  If weather cooperates, look for Liz Podominick's record to be in jeopardy.

Chasing Ewen will be a trio of juniors consisting of Kasie Vollmer of Prior Lake, Claire Ziegler of Mankato East, and Molli Detloff of Elk River. The battle for second place in the shot put should be close as well, lead by familiar foes in Jordyn Thorton and Shaina Burns of Lakeville South and Courtney Pasiowitz of Coon Rapids.

On the boys side, North Dakota State bound Ben Krynski (Lakeville North) is peaking at the right time.  Ben is the #1 seed in both events hitting his season best marks of 57-3.5 and 171-11 at sections.  Shot put on Friday morning consists of a deep field.  Tony Yost (Eden Prairie) has shown significant progress in the last month capped off by a #2 seed in the boys shot put with his section mark of 56-10.  Joe Stevens (Champlin Park) has experience at Hamline having won the Hamline Elite meet earlier this season and having the season best mark in the event of 57-9.  It wouldn't be a state meet without a standout from Owatonna, and Andrew Stelter looks to continue the tradition of great throwers at the 2013 state meet.

Discus may be the most "up for grabs" event competition at the state meet this year.  Krynski, Ian Collins (Edina), Nate Bird (Stillwater), and Payton Otterdahl (Rosemount) have been consistent through the season.  There are 8+ participants who could win the event depending on weather conditions and if the dreaded right sector cage at Hamline claims competitors like in years past.


Sam Udermann (Foley), Dustin Gill (LeSueur), and Steffan Stroh (Ottertail) lead Class A.  The trio took the top 3 spots in the discus at the Hamline Elite meet earlier this season .  Gill comes in with the top mark in the state at 172-8.

Best of luck to all the competitors in the field this weekend at Hamline!

In the Circle: State Meet Throws Preview

Friday morning should provide some fireworks with state record holders and defending state champions Tom Anderson of Andover (shot put) and Maggie Ewen of St. Francis (discus).

Tom Anderson comes into the meet with the 5th best throw in the country (65-8).  Anderson has made it known his desire to be the first Minnesotan to break the 70' barrier.  His father, Colin, was the first Minnesotan to break the 60' mark (Golden Valley, 1969).

The Future Arizona State Sun Devil (Anderson) will have a little stiffer competition in the discus on Saturday.  Bryce Johnson (Champlin Park) comes in with the top mark in the state (183-2).  Looking through the last several years of results, it's a pretty fair estimate to never count out Owatonna.  This year returns Zach Olson (North Dakota recruit) coming in off a season best mark of 164-4 from sections.  

Ewen (172-7) has broken her own state record and comes into the state meet ranked 2nd in the country only trailing current all-time high school record holder Shelbi Vaugh of Legacy TX (191-6).  Ewen will be pushed by a familiar face, White Bear Lake senior, and future Gopher, Angie Guenther.  Guenther has finished second and third behind Ewen the previous two years and comes in the competition riding a season best mark, and US Juniors qualifier, of 154-3 from section championships last week.    


The girls discus competition is extremely deep, with 12 competitors having season best marks over 130'.  9 of the girls competing are ranked in the top 100 All-Time in the discus.

Other names to watch this weekend on the east end of the track:

Ashley Thooft (St. Clair) comes in with the top marks in Class A in both events
Jordan Thornton (Lakeville South) comes in ranked 11th All-Time in both shot put and discus

Programming Note:  Down the Backstretch is on-site at the MSHSL State Meet!  We will be here today and Saturday.  The MSHSL plans to post live results on its web-site during the competition.  Since the live results will make our usual live-text coverage of the meet largely redundant, we plan, instead, to post photos and audio interviews from the meet, most likely following each separate Class AA and Class A session.

In The Circle: 2011 High School Throws Preview

It will be wise to bring a few extra towels and clean out the throwing circles this week as the outdoor season for track and field opens in Minnesota.

St. Francis sophomore Maggie Ewen is third all-time in Minnesota in the girls discus and has shown no signs of slowing down. After edging current Golden Gopher Kim Hovey (Red Wing) in the State discus last June, Ewen went on to finish 5th at USA Juniors. Ewen may not have much competition over the 160' line like she did last year, but she will see intense competition in the shot put.

Look for seniors Labraisha Michael (Bloomington Kennedy) and Jennifer Svobodny (Lakeville North) to contend in the shot put.

The boys side in 2011 should primarily be a three horse race. Senior Luke Johnson (Red Wing) looks to capture the state title that has eluded him the last two years. Johnson has been over 60-feet and 170-feet since his sophomore year, but has run into a fiercely competitive field the last two seasons.

The UW-River Falls-bound Johnson wasted no time by opening the season with a U of M Fieldhouse record last weekend with an indoor mark of 61-4" in the shot put.

It wouldn't be a throws preview if Owatonna didn't get their well deserved spot. Senior Jake Fensky takes center stage again in 2011. Fensky ranks 11th all-time in the boys shot put, but only third in school history. Fensky and Johnson are familiar foes having squared off in the same section and many big meets for several years.

If championship bloodlines defined track and field like they did horse racing then look no further than the Olympian roots of junior Tom Anderson of Andover. The son of Minnesota/Oregon greats Colin and Lynne Anderson will build on a third place in the boys shot put last June and a 5th place finish at USATF Junior Olympic Championships in Sacramento, California in late July.

Other names to watch in 2011:

Jordyn Thorton, 10, Lakeville South
Elly Reinke, 12, New Prague
Emma Erickson, 11, Lakeville North

Joe Bjorklund, 12, Rosemount
Brandt Berghuis, 12, Rosemount
Brian King, 11, White Bear Lake

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.

In the Circle: Big Ten Season Recap

Most thought that with Aaron Studt red-shirting during the outdoor season the Gopher men's throws might be the event area that held the team back from repeating as Big Ten Outdoor Champions. That question mark, however, was answered with an exclamation point last weekend in Indiana.

Led by freshmen Micah Hegerle, and sophomores Trey Davis, and Tyler Kleinhuizen, the Gopher men's throwers didn't skip a beat, and scored a total of 32 points at Big Ten's.

Hegerle started the weekend off claiming his first (of what may be many) Big Ten titles in hammer on Friday with a throw of 208-3. Hegerle's best on the season is 211-5, thrown at Iowa on May 1st. The emerging star broke the Gopher freshmen record in hammer four times throughout this outdoor season. He ranks 8th regionally and 19th nationally in the event.

All three competitors scored in the discus with Davis placing third (172-5), Hegerle placing fourth (170-1), and Kleinhuizen placing sixth (164-9).

Davis capped a successful weekend for the throwers with a huge PR in the shot at 60-1/2 placing second. That throw currently ranks him 11th regionally and 15th nationally.

Even though the season has just ended, it's staggering to look at the depth of the roster for next season. Not only are all three returning for next season but Aaron Studt still has one season of outdoor eligibility remaining. Incoming freshmen Logan Hussung (Farmington) and transfer Andy Norman (Winona via Hamline) will definitely keep the cupboards stocked for coach Lynden Reder.

The Gopher women ... finished 2nd at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, falling just 10.5 points short of Penn State this past weekend.

Sophomore DeAnne Hahn claimed her first title in hammer with a mark of 185-8.

Junior Nicole Tzanakis placed 5th in the discus with a mark of 164-2 and true freshmen Jessica Cagle with a throw of 163-1 finished 6th and finished only 1 inch off making finals in the shot put.

Just like the men, all three point scorers will return and will be joined by Kim Hovey of Red Wing.

In other regional news ... Wisconsin true freshmen and former Owatonna shot putter Casey Dehn placed 8th with a mark of 56-11 1/2.

2010 High School Throws Preview

A tame Minnesota spring should lead to some big performances in the throws this season in the Minnesota high school ranks. The 2010 season may go down as one of the best seasons for the shot put in the history of Minnesota.

Even with the graduation all-time greats Jessica Cagle (Grand Rapids), Casey Dehn (Owatonna), and Sean Wallace (Owatonna) there are many returners from last season's State Meet who should make 2010 memorable.

Red Wing Junior Luke Johnson is already the 20th-best shot putter all-time in Minnesota. His marks from 2009 (60-9 3/4 shot, 173-2 discus) are each the second farthest recorded marks by a sophomore, behind the state's all-time record holder in shot put, Nate Englin, and top-throwing sophomore discus thrower, Mike Yonkey.

Johnson will likely have company over the 60-foot line this season. South Dakota State Football recruit and Blaine standout, Dijon Starr (58- 7 1/2) and Logan Hussung of Farmington (56-4 1/2) are among the leading contenders.

On the girls' side, future Gopher, Kim Hovey (Red Wing) is the returning state champion in the Class AA shot put and is looking to capture her first discus title. Hovey will face stiff competition in the discus circle from St. Francis freshmen, Maggie Ewen (135-0), and New Prague junior Elly Reinke (135-8).

Some not-so-under the radar names to watch in 2010 include:

Eden Prairie senior, Tyler Kubler, whose lone indoor performance (56-7) ranks him 43rd nationally is already 4 feet farther than his top mark of 2009 is proving why he's one of the most highly recruited throwers in the Midwest.

Owatonna, who has claimed 4 of the last 6 Class AA throws titles returns Jake Fensky (Junior) as their top thrower. Owatonna has not had a problem replacing top talent over the last few years.

Spring Lake Park/St. Anthony junior, Jesse Reemtsma is the #2 returning discus thrower (170-1).

Last season, sophomores Bryce Johnson (Champlin Park) and Thomas Anderson (Andover) had the 4th and 5th best marks in the shot by freshmen all-time in Minnesota. Don't be surprised if one, or both, put up some monster marks this season. These two should be very fun to watch over the next three years.

Weight Throwers Off to Hot Start

Weight throwers have turned in some big marks early in the season in the state of Minnesota.

Gopher senior Aaron Studt opened his season with a provisional mark of 64-8 1/2 and a second place finish behind post-collegiate Bryan Tolcser. The returning Big Ten Field Event Athlete of the Year (both indoors and outdoors last season!) only competed in the weight throw in the first meet of the season.

Tolcser's win broke the Northwest Open meet record previously held by current U of M head coach Lynden Reder.

Gopher freshmen Micah Hegerle broke the freshmen record in the weight throw with a mark of 63-8 1/4. Hegerle had a very strong red shirt season and is positioning himself to make his mark in the Big Ten this season.

MSU-Moorhead throwers Chris Heil took 5th with a throw of 58-1 and Anthony Enyi threw 57-3 1/2. Enyi also won the shot put with a mark of 46-6. Enyi opened the season with a throw of 62-11 1/4 at Minnesota State - Mankato on December 5th and currently ranks 4th in Division II. Heil currently ranks 13th in Division II.

The weight throw lead to some great starts on the women's side, too.

Sophomore DeAnne Hahn set a new personal best with a mark of 60-4 and was just over a foot off the Northwest Open meet record. Hahn had a successful freshmen season after qualifying for two events (shot & hammer) in the NCAA Regional Championships.

Freshmen Caitlyn Dongoske finished 2nd in the weight throw behind Hahn with a throw of 50-4 1/2. St. Cloud State junior Rebecca Kitzman won the shot put with a throw of 41-9 1/4.

In Division II, Rebecca Stier of Winona currently ranks 1st in the weight throw with a throw of 58-10 3/4 and sits 2nd in the shot put with a throw of 46-6.

Kevin Holubar produces the blog Throwing Farther.

In the Circle Report: All Eyes on Section 1AA

It's no secret that Minnesota is one of the toughest state meets to get into across the US.

Thankfully there were no surprises out of Section 1AA. With four of the top five shot putters in the state coming out of Section 1AA, let's just be thankful that they all survived via standard and will compete next Friday at Hamline in what should be one of the meet's marquee events.

Owatonna's Casey Dehn won the meet with 62-6, Stanford-bound teammate Sean Wallace finished second at 58-1, Red Wing sophomore Luke Johnson was third at 54-7 and Farmington junior Logan Hussung came in fourth at 54-6 -- all surpassing the state standard of 54-4. The next in what is becoming a emerging tradition of Owatonna throwers, sophomore Jake Fensky finished 5th at 53-1.

The 1AA discus will be held Saturday at Lakeville South. Five 1AA throwers have thrown over the state standard of 153-9 this season: Dehn (187-6), Johnson (173-2), Hussung (161-3), Wallace (159-9) and Owatonna junior Brian Vargason (159-11.) All should all be in good position to advance to State.

The super-sophomore out of Red Wing, Johnson, will have his chance for revenge against Dehn and Wallace in the discus on Saturday at Lakeville South. Johnson's marks rank him as the second best sophomore in Minnesota prep history in both of shot put and discus, behind only current record holder Nate Englin (61-8 1/2, 2002) and former state record holder Mike Yonkey (174-4, 1985).

You can read about Dehn and Section 1AA in the Star Tribune HERE.

Read more about the throws at this weekend's NCAA Regionals and in high school section competition, HERE, at Kevin's blog Throwing Farther.

In The Circle Report

Aaron Studt defended his Big Ten Indoor title with a throw of 61-6 3/4 Sunday at Ohio State. Studt's season best mark of 61-11 1/2 was landed at the Sun Angel Classic and currently ranks 1st in the Midwest Region and 6th in NCAA Division 1 . Studt has consistently been over 60' this season including a 61-5 to win the 100th running of the Drake Relays in April.

Studt and senior Andy Bastain (Winona, MN) went 3-4 in hammer at Big Ten's with throws of 196-11 and 192. Senior Jerry Netland (Bagley, MN) finished his career as Gopher with an 8th place finish in the discus (164-7). Studt (197-0, 7th) and Bastain (196-1, 9th) season best marks will carry them through to the Midwest Region Championships on May 29-30 in Norman, Oklahoma.

Freshmen Trey Davis (Farmington, MN) and Tyler Kleinhuizen (Forrest Lake, MN) have also qualified for the Region Championships. Davis' career best throw in discus at the Mesa Classic of 172-8 (14th in Midwest Region) and Kleinhuizen's 58-1 3/4 (8th in Midwest Region) at the Bolstorff Twilight will give them a chance to extend their successful freshmen campaigns.

Although the Gopher men lose Bastain and Netland to graduation the strong performances of Davis, Kleinhuizen, redshirting freshmen Micah Hegerle (166-discus and 181-hammer), and a senior season for Aaron Studt should provide some fireworks for coach Lynden Reder again next season.


The women's team came up just 7.5 points short of winning an outdoor title to match their indoor title back in March of this year.

For the throws, the the women had a 3rd, 5th, and 7th place finish out of Nicole Tzanakis(152-8), Amanda Solberg (148-03), and Hannah Studt (145-7) in the discus. DeAnne Hahn finished 3rd in the hammer (176-6) and 8th in the shot put (46-6).

The women's Regionl meet will also be held on May 29-30 in Norman, Oklahoma. Senior Kari Schmidt (Chisago Lakes, MN) is 24th in shot put. Nicole Tzankis (13th), Amanda Solberg (14th), and Hannah Studt (19th) are in contention for discus. Freshmen DeAnne Hahn is currently ranked 11th in the hammer (181-0) and 20th in the shot (48-2 1.2) going into the Regional Championships.

Coach Lynn Anderson and the women's squad also received great news with the signing of Jessica Cagle of Grand Rapids, MN. Cagle is the Minnesota's All-Time record holder in the women's discus (162-4).

In Carson, CA at the adidas Track Classic this past weekend former Gopher All-American Karl Erickson finished 4th in the discus with a throw of 194-8. Erickson currently ranks 5th in the US with a throw of 200-3.

In the Circle: Big Ten Indoor Preview

Just in time for this weekend's Big Ten Indoor Championships, DtB's throws maven Kevin Holubar reports on the latest with the Gopher throwers. Click to Kevin's own blog -- Throwing Farther -- for coaches' quotes from the Gophers' Lynne Anderson, as well as SCSU's Travis Zins, and UMD's John Fulkrod and Eric Wirz.

In the Circle
By Kevin Holubar

The Gopher women's team looks to be rounding into form at the right time heading into this weekend’s Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Indiana where they are the two-time defending champions. Among the Gopher throwers, senior Kari Schmidt had a season best in the shot put throwing 49-5 3/4 at the Parents Day Open. DeAnne Hahn had an outstanding meet throwing 55-6 1/4 in the weight throw and 47-7 1/4 in the shot put, both personal best marks.

Schmidt and Hahn go into the weekend ranked 4th and 7th in the Big Ten in shot put. Hahn is also ranked 8th in the weight throw.

Tyler Kleinhuizen beat fellow freshmen Trey Davis by three-and-a-half inches to capture the first win of his collegiate career at last Friday's Snowshoe Open. Kleinhuizen’s mark of 55-7 and Davis’ mark of 55-3 1/2 make the second time this season that both have gone over 55 feet.

The event of the weekend, however, had to be the men’s weight throw. There were 17 throwers representing all divisions with marks over 50’, including 5 throwers over the 60-foot mark. Andy Bastian (61-3) and Aaron Studt (66-11 1/4) were among four Gophers to surpass the 60 foot mark.

Studt finished second by ¼ inch to former St. Lawrence University (NY) graduate and current St. Kate’s coach Bryan Tolcer who was competing unattached. Studt’s performance earned him his third Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor and ranks him #2 in the Big Ten and #15 in Division I.

New to the 60-foot club is red shirting freshmen Micah Hegerle. Hegerle tied in the event with Davis at 60-1 1/4. Davis’ mark broke his own freshmen record by a quarter inch, which he'd set January 31st at Nebraska.

The Gopher men travel to State College, Pennsylvania this weekend to compete in the Big Ten Championships. The Gophers enter the weekend with four throwers ranked in the top ten in their respective events. Davis and Kleinhuizen are 8th and 10th in the shot put going into the weekend. Senior Andy Bastian is ranked 4th in the weight throw along with Studt enters ranked 2nd in both the shot put and the weight throw. Studt comes into this weekend with a great opportunity to earn his first Big Ten title.

In the Circle: Mid-Season Report

Here's the second "In the Circle" update by DtB throws maven (and recent jury duty graduate) Kevin Holubar. You can also follow the throwing events on Kevin's blog Throwing Farther, HERE.

Mid-Season Indoor Highlights
By Kevin Holubar

Since the last "In the Circle" update we have seen some great performances out of some of Minnesota's finest throwers. Here are some of the highlights ...

Gophers women may not be large in numbers but senior Kari Schmidt and sophomore Hannah Studt are making up for it with some great performances. Kari Schmidt has been a model of consistency in shot put with a season best mark coming at the Minnesota Open on January 17th with a mark of 48-9. That mark currently ranks her 4th in the Big Ten. Sophomore Hannah Studt, sister-in-law of Gopher standout Aaron Studt, has been backing up her title as 2007 Wisconsin Gatorade Athlete of the Year. Her mark of 55-4 1/4 in the weight throw, also at the Minnesota Open, has moved her up to 6th all-time at Minnesota.

Men's coach Lynden Reder says his squad is starting to turn the corner, as evidenced by some great marks at the Nebraska Adidas Invitation in Lincoln, Nebraska on January 31st. Junior Aaron Studt emerged from the weekend with 2 victories and a new personal best. Studt improved his personal best and his provisional qualifying mark in the weight throw to 66-1. Senior Andy Bastain chimed in with a long awaited PR in the weight throw at 63-6 and Trey Davis broke Aaron Studt's freshmen record in the weight throw with a mark of 60-1.

Studt and Bastain currently rank 2nd and 4th in the Big Ten. The men also finished 1-2-3 in the shot put with Studt again leading the way at 56-11 1/2. Trey Davis and freshmen Tyler Kleinhuizen had big PR's coming in at 56-9 1/2 and 56-0.

Davis and Kleinhuizen have a long competitive history that dates back to their junior years in high school when the Forrest Lake (Kleinhuizen) and Farmington (Davis) alumni battled over two state titles with each laying claim to one.

Redshirting freshmen Micah Hegerle has continued to show improvement in the weight throw over the indoor season. His mark of 57-5 last weekend at Bethel was almost a 6 foot improvement on the season. Studt, Davis, and Kleinhuizen currently rank 5th, 6th, and 9th in the Big Ten.

Also ... Iowa State freshmen LaiShima Hampton (St. Louis Park) marked a huge personal best and got the win at the ISU Open with a throw of 56-3.

University of Minnesota - Duluth Senior Tom Soldner (Cold Spring) broke his brother's school record in the weight throw with a Division II provisional mark of 57-3 1/2 .

In the Circle: Opening Weekend Throwing

In the debut of a new regular DtB feature we're calling "In the Circle," Kevin Holubar keeps an informed eye on Minnesota's top throwers. He attended the Northwest Open last Saturday and offers the following early season "notes and quotes" from around the throwing event circles.

You can also follow the throwing events on Kevin's blog Throwing Farther, HERE.

Opening Weekend Highlights
By Kevin Holubar

Division I ... Lynne Anderson, University of Minnesota Women's Throws Coach, entering his 28th season, said meets this early in the season are a "chance for them to show me what they've got and it looks like we're off to a good start." Kari Schmidt won the women's shot put with a throw of 47-9. Schmidt, a senior out of Chisago Lakes, who ranks #9 in shot put all-time at the U of M, started off her final season in maroon and gold well.

Former Gopher All-American Lynden Reder on the opening performance of the 2009 men: "We were basically training through this meet and most of January. It was a great opportunity for some of our younger throwers to step up." Micah Hegerle, red shirting freshmen from Kasson-Mantorville, performed well in his first meet at the U (49-6 weight throw).

"We got a good performance out of Micah. He's got a lot of potential and has some great guys to learn from," Reder said. The Gophers are returning two scorers from last year's Big Ten Championships and have several athletes with the potential to score in '09. Aaron Studt leads the returning core of the throwers. Studt was a national qualifier in the shot put (62' 7 1/2") and weight throw (65-4 3/4) in 2008. 5th-year senior Andy Bastain and senior Jerry Netland along with freshmen Tyler Kleinhuizen and Trey Davis round out the team. "We have a good chance to have several scorers at Big Ten's this year. We're going to be training through most of January because these guys performing at their best in February at Big Ten's is what it's all about," said Reder.

Division II ... At the MSU Alumni meet held at Minnesota State - Mankato, Adam Kershaw (54-1 1/4) of St. Cloud State and Michael Robinson ( 54-9 1/2) of Mankato had promising marks to open the season. Travis Zins, Throws Coach of SCSU said that it's a great start to the season. "He's been working hard and it's nice to start off with a personal best in the first meet of the season."

Throws Clinic ... St. Cloud State will offer a throwing clinic for boys and girls in grades 9-12, on Monday, Jan. 19. The clinic will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the indoor track of SCSU's Halenbeck Hall.

The clinic will feature expert instruction from St. Cloud State University coaches and athletes in the basics of the discus and shot put (rotational and glide). The cost is $30 per athlete, and the clinic includes a free lunch for all participants.

For complete registration information, contact Travis Zins at 320-308-1255 or e-mail him at tczins@stcloudstate.edu.