USATF Minnesota Indoor Meet #5

 USATF Minnesota Indoor Meet #5 Results HERE

Kaitlyn Long and Eric Holst Selected as USATF MN January 2018 Athletes of the Month

January 2018 Athletes of the Month

2/15/2018

The start of 2018 brings with it the start of the indoor track & field season, and also gives us a chance to recognize some of the best field athletes around the state and country - including Kaitlyn Long from the University of Minnesota and Eric Holst from the University of St. Thomas, two of Minnesota’s best weight throwers.

Kaitlyn Long, originally from Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, is a senior competing for the Golden Gophers and has her 2018 season off to a great start. At the 2018 Border Battle meet on January 13th, Long tossed the, at the time, 2nd best weight throw in the NCAA (currently 4th best) at 22.74m (74' 7.25") to crush the Gophers’ previous weight throw school record of 21.05m (69' 0.75") held by Liz Alabi from 2007. This performance earned Long her first B1G Indoor Field Athlete of the Week award, as well as USATF Minnesota’s January Athlete of the Month award.

Long joined the Gophers this season after three years at Winona State University where she was a two-time NCAA Division II indoor national champion in the weight throw.

Eric Holst, a junior at the University of St. Thomas, originally from Lanesboro, Minnesota, has been on fire this indoor season racking up two MIAC Athlete of the Week honors in a row in the month of January. First, Holst threw a career best 59' 5" weight throw on January 12th at the UST Opener. At the time, that ranked him #5 in Division III and #3 all-time at St. Thomas. Then, the following week at the UST Invite on January 19th, Holst moved up to #2 in Division III with a 61' 4.75" toss, nearly two feet farther than his throw the weekend before, earning him USATF Minnesota’s January Athlete of the Month honors. That throw is the 2nd best in St. Thomas school history, and just 18 inches off his now-coach Pat Ahern’s 1993 school record.

Holst has come a long way at St. Thomas from his freshman year best of 42' 5", which was the 9th best weight throw on the St. Thomas team at the time, to now be ranked in the top 5 consistently in all of Division III. He found his stride last spring starting with his breakout performance at the MIAC Outdoor meet in the hammer throw where he threw 177' 11", earning him 2nd place in the conference and top-35 in NCAA Division III.


Honorable Mention Worthy Performances in January

Men:

• Tyler Jermann, and Iowa State alumni and current Team USA Minnesota athlete, placed 7th at the Houston Marathon in a PR of 2:16:39, qualifying him for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Team Trials.
• Kevin Lewis, an Iowa native and also a Team USA Minnesota athlete, placed 38th at the Houston Half Marathon in a time of 1:05:02.
• Jonathan Webb, current University of Minnesota Golden Gopher, swept the sprint event with a win in the 60m dash and the 200m dash at the Border Battle on January 13th in times of 6.80 and 21.86, respectively.
• Ryan Lockard, another current University of Minnesota Golden Gopher, won the high jump in a meet record 2.17 meters (7-01.5 ft.) at the Border Battle meet. 

Women:

• Kelly Boeler, a native of Hutchinson, Minnesota and current Twin Cities Track Club athlete, placed 13th at the Houston Marathon in a PR of 2:43:50, qualifying her for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Team Trials.
• Ayesha Champagnie, a current University of Minnesota Golden Gopher, had a career best long jump of 6.56m (21-06.25 ft.) at the 2018 Border Battle.
• Karlie Place, another current University of Minnesota Golden Gopher, won the pole vault at the Jack Johnson Classic in 4.28m (14-00.50 ft.), which was at the time the best mark in the Big Ten and the 3rd best pole vault of all-time at the U of M. 

We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Minnesota’s Athlete of the Month award, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to maxwell.kuzara@gmail.com with the subject line “Athlete of the Month Nomination”.

Fans can follow along with USATF Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter, and online at www.minnesota.usatf.org.

Maxwell Kuzara
Athlete of the Month Committee Chair
USA Track & Field Minnesota
e-mail

USATF Minnesota Indoor Meet #4 Results

 USATF Minnesota Indoor Meet #4 Results HERE

USATF Minnesota and AAU Records/Lists

USATF Minnesota and AAU Records/Lists   HERE

USATF Minnesota Indoor Meet #3

Results HERE.

USATF MN Indoor Meet #2 Results

USATF MN Indoor Meet #2 Results HERE

USATF MN LDR Runners of the Year

USATF MN LDR Runners of the Year HERE

USATF Minnesota Indoor Meet #1 Results

 USATF Minnesota Indoor Meet #1 Results HERE

USATF MN November 2017 Athletes of the Month

November 2017 Athletes of the Month

   With a slew of championship races sprinkled throughout the month of November, high school, college, and post-college athletes saw lots of opportunities to show their fitness and end the year on a good note. Khalid Hussein and Tierney Wolfgram did just that in winning the Minnesota State High School League Cross Country Championships on November 4th, earning them each the title of USATF Minnesota’s November Athlete of the Month.

Khalid Hussein from Wayzata High School had showed he was one of the best, if not the best, high school cross country runners in the state of Minnesota all season long, consistently being ranked in the top five throughout the fall. At this year’s MSHSL State Cross Country Championships, Hussein proved just that by winning the state title in the Class AA race in a time of 15:22.6. This performance, along with his 3rd place finish at the Nike Heartland Regional Championship race on November 12th that qualified him for the Nike Nationals Championship race in Portland, Oregon, earns him the title of USATF Minnesota’s November Athlete of the Month.

Before his success this fall, Hussein was runner-up in last spring’s 1600m race at the MSHSL Track & Field Championships as well as runner-up at the 2016 MSHSL Cross Country Championships.

Tierney Wolfgram, Math & Science Academy freshman, continued her dominance in Class A competition by defending her title with a convincing win at the MSHSL State Cross Country Championships in a blazing fast time of 17:31.6. She again showed her strength at the Nike Heartland Regional Championship race on November 12th where she claimed victory and qualified for the Nike National Championship meet over the best high school runners from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin in an even faster time of 16:48.67. These performances have earned Wolfgram the honor of USATF Minnesota’s November Athlete of the Month.

Following her wins at the Minnesota State Championships and the Nike Heartland Regional Championships, Wolfgram went on to continue her hot streak with a 9th place finish in the Footlocker Cross Country Midwest Championship race, qualifying her for the prestigious Footlocker National Cross Country Championships in San Diego, California on December 9th.

Congratulations to both Khalid and Tierney on great cross-country seasons and good luck this Spring on the track!

USATF 2018 MN Team Circuit Announced

USATF 2018 MN Team Circuit Races HERE

USATF Minnesota Cross Country Open & Masters Championships Results

USATF Minnesota Cross Country Open & Masters Championships Results HERE

USATF Minnesota Athletes of the Month for October 2017

October 2017 Athletes of the Month

11/7/2017

 
MENDOTA HEIGHTS— A pair of Team USA Minnesota athletes, Ryan Rutherford and Meghan Peyton, took home top Minnesotan honors at this year’s Medtronic TC 10 Mile on October 1, 2017. As this year’s race once again served as the USATF 10 Mile National Championship as well as the USATF Minnesota 10 Mile Championship, the race attracted a very deep field. Rutherford and Peyton were both able to finish in the top 20 and each capture USATF Minnesota 10 Mile titles, thereby earning them each the honor of USATF Minnesota’s October Athlete of the Month.

Ryan Rutherford, originally from Bloomington, Illinois and a 2016 graduate of Illinois State University, placed 18th in a time of 49:12, claiming the honor of USATF Minnesota’s 10 Mile Champion and October Athlete of the Month. Rutherford is a member of Team USA Minnesota, an elite distance training center based in Minneapolis, and has been a member of the team since January 2017.

Before moving to Minneapolis earlier this year, Rutherford was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Champion (once in the indoor 5000m and once in the outdoor 10,000m) in addition to qualifying for the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon in the 10,000m where he placed 22nd overall. He concluded his career with four Illinois State track & field and cross country records, and was a 10-time All-Conference performer.

Meghan Peyton, a long-time Minnesota resident and another Team USA Minnesota team member, also ran extremely well at this year’s Medtronic TC 10 Mile placing 12th in 57:45, also giving her the title of USATF Minnesota’s 10 Mile Champion and October Athlete of the Month along with her teammate Rutherford. This year’s USATF 10 Mile Championship was Peyton’s fifth time competing in the event, placing 8th in 2014, 9th in 2012, 6th in 2011, and 4th in 2010. Peyton has a long list of top finishes and major accomplishments on both the track and the roads, and her performance last month just adds to that list.

Since 2009, Peyton has finished in the top 10 at twenty-one different USATF National Championship races in distances ranging from the one mile to the marathon, making her one of the most accomplished and consistent athletes in Minnesota. Originally from Tualatin, Oregon, Peyton competed on the cross country and track & field teams at the University of Iowa, eventually becoming a four-time All American. Peyton was the 2008 Big Ten Champion in both the indoor 3,000m and the outdoor 10,000m, later going on to finish 6th in the 10,000m that same year at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Peyton has also been a part of three different international Team USA teams, including the 2013 U.S. team that competed at the Edinburgh International Cross Country Championships in Scotland. In addition to competing as a professional runner, Peyton is the Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track & Field Coach at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.

Congratulations to Ryan and Meghan!

Honorable Mention Worthy Performances in October
·         Emma Bates, originally from Elk River, Minnesota and current Boston, Massachusetts resident, placed 6th at the USATF 10 Mile National Championships and TC 10 Mile in a time of 55:36.
·         Joe Klecker, a native of Hopkins, Minnesota and current redshirt sophomore for the University of Colorado at Boulder Buffaloes, placed 2nd at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships on October 27th.
·         Madeline Strandemo, originally from Fargo, North Dakota and current redshirt senior at the University of Minnesota, placed 2nd at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships on October 29th to claim the second All-Big Ten honor of her career in cross country.
·         Sisters Megan and Bethany Hasz, from Alexandria, Minnesota, also earned the second and first All-Big Ten honors of their careers by placing fifth and 10th respectively at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships.
·         Obsa Ali, from Richfield, Minnesota and current senior at the University of Minnesota, placed 8th at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships, earning the second All-Big Ten honor of his career in cross country.

We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Minnesota’s Athlete of the Month award, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to mskuzara@csbsju.edu with the subject line “Athlete of the Month Nomination”.

Fans can follow along with USATF Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter, and online at www.minnesota.usatf.org.

Maxwell Kuzara
Athlete of the Month Committee Chair
USA Track & Field Minnesota
e-mail

Battle Creek Challenge Results

Battle Creek Challenge Results HERE

Emily Covert and Max Manley are USATF Minnesota’s September Athletes of the Month

Emily Covert
Photo by Gene Niemi

Emily Covert and Max Manley are USATF Minnesota’s September Athletes of the Month HERE

Max Manley(3871)
Photo by Gene Niemi

Riverside Rush Meet Results

Riverside Rush Meet Results HERE

USATF Minnesota August Athletes of the Month

Mason Ferlic

Laura Utke

MENDOTA HEIGHTS – In his Falmouth debut, Minnesotan Mason Ferlic put together two great performances on back-to-back days, earning him USATF Minnesota’s Athlete of the Month Award for the month of August. First, on Saturday, August 19th Ferlic placed 7th in a very deep field at the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile with a time of 4:05.82. Then on Sunday the 20th, the next day, Ferlic placed 6th at the legendary Falmouth Road Race in a time of 34:14 for the 7-mile distance. Over the years few athletes have been bold enough to attempt this double, let alone see the success Ferlic did with two top seven finishes.
 
Ferlic is a 2011 graduate of Mounds Park Academy in St. Paul, and was a 3-time Minnesota State Champion and 5-time All-State honoree in track & field, as well as a State Champion and 2-time All-State honoree in cross country. Ferlic was also the 2011 Minnesota Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year. While competing collegiately at the University of Michigan, Ferlic was a 5-time All-American in cross country and track & field, and was also the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Champion in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. More recently, Ferlic finished 9th at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, and was 5th at last year’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 3,000 meter steeplechase as well.
 
On August 5th-6th, Laura Utke, a 1999 graduate of Concordia College in Moorehead, Minnesota, won the Masters National Title for the Throws Pentathlon in the Women’s 40-44 age group at the 2017 USATF Masters Throws Championships in Worcester, Massachusetts, earning her the honor of USATF Minnesota’s August Athlete of the Month. A lifelong thrower and competitor, Utke is currently ranked #1 in the world in the Ultra Weight Pentathlon and #4 in the world in the Throws Pentathlon.
 
While competing as a Cobber, Utke was a two-time Division III All-American thrower in the hammer throw and the weight throw and was Concordia’s first MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Champion ever. She is also still the Cobber school record holder in the weight throw. Additionally, she was a 2-time Academic All-American while carrying a 3.85 GPA in Physical Education and Psychology.

Congratulations to Mason and Laura! 
 
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Minnesota’s Athlete of the Month award, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to mskuzara@csbsju.edu with the subject line “Athlete of the Month Nomination”.

Fans can follow along with USATF Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter, and online at www.minnesota.usatf.org.

USATF Minnesota June and July AOM

June and July Athletes of the Month

8/9/2017

Hassan Mead

MENDOTA HEIGHTS – Minneapolis native and former Gopher Track & Field/Cross Country star Hassan Mead won the U.S. title in the men’s 10,000 meters at June’s USATF Outdoor Championships in Sacramento California, earning him the honor of USATF Minnesota’s June Athlete of the Month. Mead, an 8x All-American and 9x Big Ten Champion for the Gophers, won the race with a time of 29:01.44 breaking Galen Rupp’s streak of eight consecutive USA 10,000 meter titles and in the process earned his ticket to represent the United States at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London this summer.

A 2007 graduate of Minneapolis South High School, Mead was the 2006 Minnesota State Cross Country Champion, as well as the 2006 Foot Locker Midwest Regional Champion, eventually going on to finish 4th at the Foot Locker National meet only 8 seconds behind the winner.

Gabriele Grunewald, a native of Perham, Minnesota and another University of Minnesota alumna, has had an inspiring and eventful summer. In March, only seven months after she had surgery to remove half of her liver, she was diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time in eight years. Choosing to put the cancer on hold and continue with her racing schedule this summer, Grunewald has garnered national attention and provided inspiration to thousands of runners across the U.S— and for that, she is USATF Minnesota’s June Athlete of the Month. Despite her recent diagnosis, Gabe qualified for and competed at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships in Sacramento in the 1500 meters in June.

While at the University of Minnesota, Grunewald got 2nd place in the 1500 meters at the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, earning her All-American status. During her time at Perham High School, Grunewald was a four time All-State performer in cross country and was the 2004 Minnesota State Champion in the 800 meters.

Ben Blankenship, from Stillwater, Minnesota, has had a series of great performances in the month of July, making him our July Athlete of the Month. During the TrackTown Summer Series, Blankenship placed 1st in the 1500 meters at the Portland meet and 3rd in the New York City Championship meet in the 1500 meters in a time of 3:35.29. Blankenship was also 10th in the London Diamond League 1500 meters and more recently won the 2017 GNC Live Well Liberty Mile Championship for the second year in a row.

Ben Blankenship
Photo by Gene Niemi

While in college at the University of Minnesota, Blankenship was the first Golden Gopher to break the 4-minute-mile barrier when he ran 3:57.83 at the University of Washington’s in 2010. Blankenship was also a 2x Big Ten Indoor Champion in the Mile and 1x Champion in the Distance Medley Relay, as well as the 2011 NCAA Indoor Runner-Up in the 3,000 meters and a 3x All-American during his collegiate career. Additionally, Blankenship was a 2x Minnesota State Champion at 1600 meters for Stillwater High School and led the Ponies to a 2nd place finish at the 2006 Minnesota State Cross Country Championships as well.

Heather Kampf, a 2009 graduate of the University of Minnesota, was injured and unable to compete in the early stages of the 2017 track & field season, but since then has been on quite the upswing with several notable performances in the month of July, making her the USATF Minnesota July Athlete of the Month. Kampf was 1st at the Ryan Shay Women’s Mile in a time of 4:30.83 on July 22nd, and later went on to place 4th in the 2017 GNC Live Well Liberty Mile on July 28th in a very deep field.

Heather Kampf

Kampf graduated from the University of Minnesota as the most decorated women’s track athlete in Gopher history as she was a 9x All-American. She is also the only Gopher to compete at every NCAA Championship meet in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track during their time at the University. Additionally, she was the 2006 NCAA Indoor Champion over 800 meters and holds nine Gopher school records. Originally from Inver Grove Heights, Kampf was a Minnesota State Champion in both the 800 meters and 400 meters while attending Rosemount High School.

We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Minnesota’s Athlete of the Month award, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to mskuzara@csbsju.edu with the subject line “Athlete of the Month Nomination”.

Fans can follow along with USATF Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter, and online at www.usatfmn.org


Maxwell Kuzara
Athlete of the Month Committee Chair
USA Track & Field Minnesota
e-mail

USATF Minnesota Summer League Meet #5 Results

 USATF Minnesota Summer League MEET #5 Results HERE

USATF Minnesota Summer League #4 Meet Results

USATF Minnesota Summer League #4 Meet Results HERE

USATF Minnesota Summer League #3 Results

USATF Minnesota Summer League #3 Results HERE