Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Christy Cazzola Does a Double Triple

Just attempting it seems improbable, but the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Christy Cazzola not only ran the 800, 1500, and 3000-meter races at the NCAA DIII championships, she won them.  Even more daunting about her feat was that all three events were run on the same day.

Her six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter presented her medal to her after the 5000.  This year she has made a habit of the improbable, winning two races and being a part of the winning distance medley relay at the NCAA DIII Indoor track championships.  In the Fall of 2012, she won the NCAA DIII XC individual championship.  That time she only had to run one race.  Her story is HERE and HERE.

Chris Lundstrom on How to Manage a "Full Life"

Chris Lundstrom has learned that life is often an exercise in "juggling," and he seems to do well with lots of "balls" in the air.  Below he talks about how he fits everything in and how to "simplify" a "full life.'"

Down the Backstretch:  You’ve got a streak going at the Superior 50K.  Does that keep you coming back or does the race just fit in with your schedule?

Chris Lundstrom: Really neither. It's just a run that I enjoy doing. I have done it a couple of times as an over-distance training run leading up to Grandma's Marathon, and I've also come off of other "peak" races like the Boston Marathon and the American River 50 mile and just gone out and done what I could do.

I do think it's a beneficial run in terms of building fitness and not trashing my body too much. I find I'm sore in really weird places after Superior, I guess due to the extreme variation in the terrain. So I'm hurting for a couple of days afterwords, but then I seem to experience a boost in fitness.

DtB: The reports were that the snow up north had melted by race time, replaced by mud.  Was the footing an issue or is it pretty much the same every spring up there?

CL: Every year is different, but it's usually somewhat muddy. I would say it was more muddy than usual this year, but not the worst I have seen it. Sometimes you have downed trees, etc., and that was not an issue this year. The rocks and roots are a bigger issue as far as footing goes, and they are always there. 

DtB:  You’ve done it all, track, roads, mountains, and trails.    Any one discipline have an edge over the other?  What adjustments do you have to make going from marathon training to ultra training?

CL: I have always enjoyed variety in running. Track has never been my strong suit, or something I've enjoyed as much as the other stuff. I do enjoy track workouts again now, after several years of avoiding them like the plague. 

Trails are probably the best fit for my life right now, in terms of what I get excited about and have the capacity to train for. Mountain running is great, but living in Minneapolis, training for it is a challenge, and not particularly enjoyable. 

The road marathon has a special place in my heart, but I hold myself to a pretty high standard for how fit I want to be before I consider running a marathon. I guess I am able to move from one thing to the next fairly easily just because I keep a good mix of stuff in my training -- hills, tempo runs, intervals, long runs, trails.

DtB:  How do you fit in everything that’s “on your plate” right now.  New dad, coaching, exercise physiology, eat, sleep?

CL: I just have to prioritize and consciously limit the time I'm putting into particular things. Also, I have learned to say no. I used to try to do everything that someone asked me to do, but I can't even try to do that anymore. The number one priority is my daughter. My academic work, and trying to get my PhD, was put on hold last fall as I stayed home to take care of her. I started back up in January, and I really did suffer in terms of sleep and nutrition. Summer should be much better, as I don't have any teaching responsibilities at the U.

I'm doing better at carving out time to do the things I want and need to do. For example, for several months I was just running either on the treadmill in my house while my daughter was napping, or at night after she went to sleep. Now, I have three to four days per week where I have a window of time set aside to run.   

It might not be a lot. Sometimes, I only have an hour, so I'll get right out the door and put in a good, solid hour. No stretching or messing around. I do very little easy jogging, and I rarely drive to go run at different places or even run with other people anymore just because of the time efficiency element. Workouts just have to fit in where they can. 

I don't have the flexibility to say: "Oh, I'm not recovered, I'll put it off until tomorrow." Those windows of time are pretty fixed, so I just have to go for it when I can. I end up doing a lot of altering of workouts according to how I'm feeling. By the same token, my racing schedule ends up being dictated by what I'm able to do in training, rather than setting a goal race and working back with the ideal schedule of how I will peak for it. 

I've been pleasantly surprised at how well that has worked out. I ran faster at the Irish Run 8K this year than last year, and faster at Get in Gear 10K than I had run a couple of years ago. Mentally, I think I'm easier on myself now, so it's freeing in a way. I'm happy to make it to the starting line when I do, and any performance I can pull off given the limitations of my life right now seems like a pretty big success. And frankly, it's a lot of fun and exciting being at races in a way that I hadn't felt for the last few years.

DtB:  Kinesiology is a big thing right now.  Coaches are trying to help their athletes become more efficient, faster through better “mechanics.”  Do you buy into that or are you still and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” sort of coach when it comes to form?

CL: My field is exercise physiology, rather than biomechanics, so I haven't gotten into analyzing joint angles or anything like that. I guess I'm sort of old school in my approach to mechanics, where you look for obvious wasted energy and maybe work on reducing those types of movements. I do encourage runners to do a lot of form drills, plyometrics, strength exercises, etc., which over time should translate into more efficient movement. Most people don't like to do that stuff, but I really do believe in the benefits. But no, I'm not a coach who spends a lot of time making runners think about their form.

DtB: Has what you’ve learned in your graduate program helped your coaching?  Your own running?  If so, how?

CL: Ultimately, yes, but it has also given me some insight into why a purely scientific mind could be an absolutely terrible coach! I do have a much greater ability to look at scientific research and understand what the implications are. But perhaps more importantly, I can also see its limitations and some of the problems with the way a lot of that research is conducted. 

Researchers and people who read research and report on it sometimes make these huge jumps in logic based off very short-term studies that don't have a lot to do with a real world situation of an athlete training for the length of their career. I will say that getting a deeper understanding of human physiology has allowed me to take a broader view of training than I used to, looking at sleep patterns, seasonal variation, environment, nutrition, and other factors that could influence the way an individual responds to training. 

Ultimately, it's still 90% about what the athlete is telling me, and that last 10% is my contribution of trying to figure out what else might be going on. I guess I have a few more tools than I used to, that's all.

DtB: Do you have any views on the whole “minimalist” movement regarding running footwear?  Not that you’d go minimalist, but as something that might be valuable for those you coach?

CL: Wearing flats or spikes in workouts and doing strides in those type of shoes or barefoot has long been a part of the culture of serious distance runners. That's basically a minimalist approach. Some runners do more than others in lightweight shoes, and some can't handle much at all. 

I tend to encourage athletes to do at least some workouts in their racing shoes. I also encourage high school runners to start out in a neutral type of shoe and go with that unless something occurs that suggests they need more support, while at the same time doing some of the auxiliary strengthening exercises that will hopefully guard against injury. 

My personal view is that unless an individual is walking around all day barefoot or in a minimalist shoe (which is unlikely, living in Minnesota), it is asking for trouble to put them in a lower heeled or minimalist shoe for their run. The run is the most stressful activity they'll do on most days. They don't need the added stress of lengthening their achilles and taking away the arch support, etc. that they've had the rest of the day.

DtB:  Many coaches see the profession as something of an exercise in making oneself obsolescent—i.e. you teach your athletes how to coach themselves.  Is that your philosophy, or do you see the coach/athlete relationship as something that can last for an athlete’s full career?

CL: To a degree, yes. Even with my high school runners, by the end of the season, I hope that they don't feel like they need me there two minutes before the race telling them exactly what to do. Coaching is basically education, and the best education is about giving people tools to work with. 

However, there's still a role for the coach beyond those basics, and I'm finding that the most rewarding relationships are those that go for years. I do feel like many of the athletes that I have coached for more than a couple of years probably could guess what the training is going to look like, and I believe that they would make good decisions about what to do without me writing their program. 

However, there are always new situations that people encounter in their running career. I coach a lot of athletes who are in their mid- to late-30's and 40's, and might be finding that their body doesn't respond exactly how it used to, so they need to change something. Or athletes continue to build their aerobic fitness year after year, and can gradually handle workouts that I would not have suggested when I started coaching them. 

Other times, it's just new situations or opportunities that crop up, and an athlete needs someone who knows them to bounce ideas off of, and help them make some decisions. I'm definitely interested in the evolution of the individual, not just as they reach the peak of their career, but also as they sit at that high point and look around wondering what's next, and as their life changes and the role that running plays changes. 

It's just as interesting to me to figure out how to help someone be their best on six hours per week as it is to coach a professional-type of athlete who has all the time in the world to dedicate to running.

DtB:  Any running “bucket list” for you in terms of things you still want to do as an athlete?

CL: Nothing definite, though I do think it would be fun to complete some of the classic trail ultras at some point in my life. JFK 50 miler, for example. I also have always wanted to win a USATF National Championship. That's clearly not going to happen in any shorter distance race at this point, so maybe I'll go after that at an ultra distance at some point soon, or maybe that'll be something I try for as a masters runner. 

I'm currently feeling like I might want to train for a road marathon again. It's been a year and a half since the last Olympic Trials, which was my last marathon, and I definitely needed a break. But I'm starting to get the itch to give it another go. So, if the summer goes well, I'll probably run Twin Cities in the fall. I just enjoy being around the amazing running community in the Twin Cities and Minnesota, and as long as I can keep doing that, I'll be pretty happy.

Moore, Brinkman Win Titles in Brian Kraft Memorial 5K

Ten age records and one course record were broken on Sunday's Brian Kraft Memorial 5K at Lake Nokomis.  Minnesota R.E.D's Kelly Brinkman broke the women's course record and shattered the Minnesota age 32 record, set  by Kim Jones in 1990, as she won the women's race in 16:03.  Katie McGregor, whose course record Brinkman broke was third in the race in 16:41, which is also a Minnesota age 35 record.  In between those two was a relative youngster at age 26, Team USA's Jamie Cheever who ran 16:38.

The Twin Cities Track Club's Joe Moore won the men's race in 14:20 and his teammate Chris Erichsen was second in 14:27 only a week after winning the Fargo marathon.  In third was Run'N Fun's Dan Greeno in 14:29.  Full results are HERE.

HS Boys All Time List: 4 by 800 Relay

2012 BESTS
7:52.56 Wayzata
7:55.17 Rochester Mayo
7:55.74 Chanhassen
7:55.88 Eden Prairie
7:57.21 Prior Lake
7:57.32 Hopkins
7:58.14 Madelia / Truman
7:58.73 Apple Valley
7:59.24 Monticello
7:59.56 Andover
[10]
7:59.60 Elk River
7:59.94 Centennial
8:00.15 St. Michael-Albertville
8:00.70 Forest Lake
8:00.74 Chaska
8:01.35 Bemidji
8:02.33 Mankato West
8:02.82 Winona Cotter
8:03.16 Mahtomedi
8:05.02 Moorhead
[20]
8:06.33 Minnehaha Academy
8:06.78 Rosemount
8:06.92 Anoka
8:06.97 Spring Lake Park / St. Anthony
8:06.98 Minnetonka
8:07.93 Stillwater Area
8:08.58 Edina
8:09.64 Ottertail Central
8:09.97 Mounds View
8:10.32 Perham
[30]
8:10.86 White Bear Lake
8:11.21 Roseville Area
8:11.70 Henry Sibley
8:12.27 Mesabi East
8:12.81 Mankato Loyola / Cleveland
8:14.04 Detroit Lakes
8:14.47 Hastings
8:14.86 Rochester Century
8:15.15 St. Francis
8:15.27 Osseo
[40]
8:15.29 Totino-Grace
8:16.46 St. James
8:17.1 Burnsville
8:17.44 Glencoe-Silver Lake
8:17.64 Fergus Falls
8:18.07 Virginia
8:18.39 St. Cloud Cathedral
8:18.70 Mankato East
8:19.34 Esko
8:19.99 Orono
[50]
8:20.13 Park Center
8:20.22 Mayer Lutheran
8:20.77 Byron
8:21.14 Albany
8:21.22 Duluth Denfeld
8:21.3 Sartell-St. Stephen
8:21.77 Blaine
8:22.1 Crosby-Ironton
8:22.43 Redwood Valley
8:22.51 Maple Grove
[60]
8:22.56 Big Lake
8:22.96 Coon Rapids
8:23.64 Farmington
8:24.09 Cloquet
8:24.34 Owatonna
8:24.40 Pillager
8:26.09 St. Paul Como Park
8:26.18 Pine Island
8:26.46 Austin
8:26.50 Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
[70]
8:26.60 Rochester John Marshall
8:28.23 St. Paul Highland Park
8:28.0 Hibbing
8:28.28 Woodbury
8:28.33 Lakeville South
8:28.54 Eagan
8:28.59 Belle Plaine / Holy Family
8:28.61 Eastview
8:29.20 Willmar
8:29.0 Wrenshall
[80]

2012 STATE MEET CLASS AA
1 Wayzata (James Smith, Scott Sippel, Derek
   Peterson, Brian Jarvey)                   7:52.56
2 Rochester Mayo                                   7:55.17
3 Eden Prairie                                   7:55.88
4 Chanhassen                                       7:58.22
5 Andover                                         8:00.23
6 Monticello                                       8:00.73
7 Chaska                                           8:01.77
8 StMichael-Albertville                           8:04.00
9 Bemidji                                         8:04.92

2012 STATE MEET CLASS A
1 Madelia / Truman (Caleb Arndt, Leeroy Leal,
   Adam Cooling, Cade Ekstrom)         7:58.14
2 Winona Cotter                                   8:02.82
3 Minnehaha Academy                         8:06.33
4 Ottertail Central                               8:11.27
5 Mesabi East                                     8:12.27
6 Perham                                           8:14.26
7 MankatoLoyola/Clevlnd                   8:19.53
8 Byron                                           8:20.77
9 Albany                                           8:21.14

ALL TIME BESTS
7:41.94 Stillwater Area  1998
7:42.24 Willmar  2007
7:45.31 Apple Valley  2008
7:45.95 Mounds View  2007
7:47.58 Lakeville North  2006
7:48.38 Stillwater Area  2004
7:49.14 Mankato West  2003
7:49.15 Bemidji  2011
7:49.17 Rosemount  2011
7:50.50 Brainerd  2008
[10]
7:50.64 Wayzata  2011
7:50.77 Buffalo  2006
7:50.94 Eden Prairie  2006
7:51.05 Stillwater Area  2003
7:51.22 Alexandria  2005
7:51.47 Rosemount  2006
7:51.50 St. Paul Central  2001
7:51.74 Eden Prairie  2005
7:51.88 Willmar  2006
7:52.18 Eden Prairie  2001
[20]
7:52.31 Eden Prairie  2000
7:52.56 Eden Prairie  2003
7:52.56 Wayzata  2012
7:52.58 Mounds View  2003
7:52.65 Rosemount  2005
7:52.68 Stillwater Area 1997
7:52.5 St Louis Park  1965 (7:55.6y)
7:53.03 Bloom Jefferson  1997
7:53.79 Lakeville South  2007
7:53.82 Buffalo  2008
[30]
7:53.87 Wayzata  2010
7:54.05 Lakeville  2005
7:54.09 Wayzata  2001
7:54.13 Perham  2004
7:54.26 Eden Prairie  2004
7:54.26 St. Thomas Academy  2010
7:54.37 Alexandria 1998
7:54.51 Austin  2010
7:54.52 Apple Valley  2007
7:54.53 Woodbury  2010
[40]
7:54.67 Blaine  2010
7:54.71 Eastview  2007
7:54.77 Stillwater Area 1999
7:54.81 Bemidji  2008
7:54.7 Alex Ramsey  1968 (7:57.9y)
7:54.94 Stillwater Area  2011
7:55.06 Eden Prairie 1999
7:55.17 Rochester Mayo  2012
7:55.34 Alexandria  1997
7:55.2 Stillwater Area 1996
[50]
7:55.74 Chanhassen  2012
7:55.88 Eden Prairie  2012
7:55.7 Minnetonka  1983
7:55.99 Tartan  2005
7:56.08 Buffalo  2009
7:56.18 Rochester Mayo  2003
7:56.19 Wayzata  2009
7:56.21 Pine Island  2007
7:56.23 Winona  2001
7:56.47 Mounds View 1999
[60]
7:56.50 Buffalo  2007
7:56.51 Hopkins  2003
7:56.64 St Michael-Albertville  2000
7:56.64 Buffalo  2011
7:56.88 Apple Valley  2000
7:56.91 Duluth East  2002
7:56.7 Irondale  1991
7:57.01 Prior Lake  2011
7:57.03 Rosemount  2008
7:57.04 Bemidji  2010
[70]
7:57.08 Faribault  2000
7:56.9 Osseo  1985
7:57.21 Prior Lake  2012
7:57.32 Hopkins  2012
7:57.40 Apple Valley 1999
7:57.51 Stillwater Area  2005
7:57.55 Rosemount  2007
7:57.58 Burnsville  2003
7:57.59 Minnetonka  2009
7:57.4 Robb Armstrong  1991
[80]
7:57.66 Eden Prairie  2002
7:57.69 Mounds View  2000
7:57.70 Minnetonka  1997
7:57.6 St Paul Cretin  1976 (8:00.8y)
7:57.6 Edina  2008
7:57.89 St. Paul Arlington  2003
7:57.7 Stillwater  1978 (8:00.9y)
7:57.94 Stillwater Area 2008
7:57.8 Osseo  1991
7:58.05 Mankato West  2002
[90]
7:58.06 Staples-Motley  2000
7:58.08 St Cloud Apollo  2000
7:57.9 Blaine  1980
7:58.14 Madelia / Truman  2012
7:58.17 Eden Prairie  2011
7:58.39 Eden Prairie  1997
7:58.44 Winona 1999
7:58.73 Apple Valley  2012
7:58.76 Wayzata  2004
7:58.86 Osseo  2010
[100]

HS Girls All Time List: 4 by 800 Relay

9:00.99	Minnetonka	2005
9:09.31	Eden Prairie	2007
9:12.91	Rochester Century	2011
9:14.14	Hopkins	2011
9:14.17	Eden Prairie	2011
9:14.78	Roseville Area	2010
9:16.50	Eden Prairie	2008
9:16.60	Winona	1985
9:16.78	Eden Prairie	2010
9:17.25	Minnetonka	2003
9:17.95	Grand Rapids	2002
9:18.00	Hopkins	2010
9:18.33	Minnetonka	2008
9:18.57	Anoka	2001
9:18.78	Mounds View	2011
9:19.02	Wayzata	2007
9:19.09	Rochester Century	2001
9:19.50	Wayzata	2006
9:20.12	Anoka	1986
9:20.18	Prior Lake	2010
9:20.39	Fairmont	2003
9:20.56	Minnetonka	2009
9:20.72	Woodbury	2007
9:21.24	Rosemount	2010
9:21.36	Dover Eyota	2011
9:21.51	Minnetonka	2012
9:21.56	Anoka	2006
9:21.84	Eden Prairie	1986
9:21.88	Eden Prairie	2009
9:22.16	Prior Lake	2012
9:22.19	Apple Valley	2004
9:22.25	Eden Prairie	2006
9:22.30	Eden Prairie	1986
9:22.31	Apple Valley	1986
9:22.35	Eden Prairie	2005
9:22.38	Hopkins	1997
9:22.39	Kasson-Mantorville	2010
9:22.98	Eden Prairie	2001
9:23.18	Kasson-Mantorville	2011
9:23.22	Apple Valley	2005
9:23.37	Mounds View	2004
9:23.61	Apple Valley	2006
9:23.62	Stillwater Area	2006
9:23.66	Minnetonka	2007
9:23.74	Rosemount	1985
9:23.84	Rochester Century	2003
9:23.96	Wayzata	2012
9:24.02	Prior Lake	2009
9:24.23	Stillwater Area	2005
9:24.37	Rocori	1987
9:24.82	Eastview	2002
9:24.84	Apple Valley	1986
9:24.90	Totino Grace	2010
9:25.08	Hopkins	2004
9:25.10	Mounds View	1995
9:25.13	Fairmont	1989
9:25.17	Rochester Century	2010
9:25.26	Rochester Century	2002
9:25.37	Stillwater Area	2004
9:25.41	Moorhead	2002
9:25.43	Totino Grace	2012
9:25.50	Brainerd	2006
9:25.52	Anoka	2003
9:25.65	Anoka	2002
9:25.70	Mankato West	2010
9:25.74	Plainview	1995
9:25.75	Rosemount	1984
9:26.08	Apple Valley	2003
9:26.09	Brainerd	2004
9:26.14	Mounds View	2012
9:26.19	Maple Grove	2007
9:26.20	Eastview	2008
9:26.22	Lakeville North	2006
9:26.38	Sartell	2004
9:26.43	Prior Lake	2011
9:26.47	Grand Rapids	2010
9:26.56	Mounds View	2009
9:26.62	Cedar Mountain	2005
9:26.64	Anoka	2005
9:26.83	Cedar Mountain	2004
9:26.85	Buffalo	1997
9:26.88	Eden Prairie	1988
9:26.90	Eden Prairie	2003
9:26.91	Brainerd	2011
9:26.93	Faribault	1987
9:27.23	Hopkins	1998
9:27.27	Brainerd	2010
9:27.28	Stillwater	2001
9:27.41	East Ridge	2012
9:27.43	Mounds View	2002
9:27.49	Farmington	2009
9:27.65	Becker	2006
9:27.67	Cretin Derham Hall	2005
9:27.69	Eden Prairie	1997
9:27.71	Roseville Area	2009
9:27.74	Alexandria	1988
9:27.77	Mankato West	2009
9:27.84	Perham	2007
9:27.96	Eagan	2009
9:28.03	Stillwater	1995

Eight More Gophers--Seven Men and Laura Docherty for the Women--Qualify for NCAA Championships in Eugene

The Big Ten’s top two hammer throwers – Gophers Micah Hegerle and Quentin Mege– 1,500 meter runner John Simons, triple jumper Oladipo Fagbemi, and the 4 by 400 relay team qualified for the NCAA Championships next month in Eugene, OR on Saturday at the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field West Region Championships.They joined Wally Ellenson(high jump), OladipoHarun Abda (800 meters) and Travis Burkstrand (800 meters), who qualified earlier. Laura Docherty is the only Gopher woman to qualify for nationals as she made it in the 5K.

After the hammer throw was rained out on Friday, the Gophers duo had to wait through another brief rain delay on Saturday morning before competition got underway. Despite the inclement weather as well as the lingering effects of a broken hand that has sidelined Mege for much of the outdoor season, the senior hit 217'7" (66.33 meters) for the second longest throw of the event behind only Oklahoma State’s Nick Miller (234'11"/71.60 meters).  Hegerle followed up his Big Ten title performance two weeks ago with a mark of 211'11"(64.60 meters) on Saturday to claim the eighth longest throw of the day.

The Gophers duo has pushed each other throughout the outdoor season with Mege and Hegerle sharing some impressive career accomplishments including the last four Big Ten outdoor hammer throw championships, six combined All-America honors including four in the outdoor hammer throw, and Mege’s school record of 221-\'5"(67.49 meters) set earlier this season.  Fagbemi hop, skip, and jumped 51' 5.5"(15.68m) to finish tenth in the triple jump.  Simons ran 3:45.54 to finish sixth in his heat of the 1,500 and 11th fastest on the day.  The 4 by 400 relay of Jacob Capek, Goaner Deng, Cameron Boy, and Abda ran 3:06.1 to place eighth.

Those who did not advance to NCAAs: Logan Connors threw177'5"(54.09 meters) to finish 44th in the javelin and  Boy finished 20th in the 200 in 21:43.  Big Ten pole vault champion Zach Siegmeier cleared 17'4.5"(5.30 meters) for 19th in the prelims while Jack Szmanda vaulted  16'6.75"(5.05 meters) to finish 33rd. 

Minnesota Men’s NCAA Qualifiers

Harun Abda (800 meters – 3rd, 1:48.18)

Travis Burkstrand (800 meters – 6th, 1:48.46)

Wally Ellenson (high jump – T-7th, 7-01 ft., 2.16 meters)

Oladipo Fagbemi (triple jump – 10th, 51-05.50 ft., 15.68 meters)

Micah Hegerle (hammer throw – 8th, 211-11 ft., 64.60 meters)

Quentin Mege (hammer throw – 2nd, 217-07 ft., 66.33 meters)

John Simons (1,500 meters – 11th, 3:45.54)

Jacob Capek, Harun Abda, Goaner Deng, Cameron Boy (4x400 meter relay – 8th, 3:06.12)

For the women, Laura Docherty ran a personal-record time of 16:10 to finish fifth in her section and ninth overall in the 5K. Emily Betz finished 36th in the women's javelin(136'5"/41.57m), but did not advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene.    Full results by event are HERE. 

On a lighter note, former Gopher and current Olympic champion in the javelin, Barbora Špotáková, 
 now has a new title, mom.  The story is HERE. 

Melissa Agnew Wins 1500; Chris Reed Wins Shot Put at DII NCAA Champs

U-Mary's Melissa Agnew ran 4:28.02 to win the women's 1,500 and MSU Mankato's Chris Reed won the shot put with a throw of 65'7"(19.99m) at the NCAA DII Championships in Pueblo, CO.

U-Mary also got points from Kathryn Stewart in the 200 where she placed sixth in 23.80.  U-Mary finished tied for 11th in the women's team competition with 19 points.  MSU Mankato got points from Jerrell Hancock in the 200(20.94 in sixth) as well as running a leg on the eighth place 4 by 100 relay team of Hancock, Nocholas Nelson, Carmano Lane, and Anthony Gustafson who ran 40.31. MSU Mankato finished tied for 12th in the men's team competition. Hancock ran one other event on Saturday, the 100, where he was ninth in 10.59.

MSU Moorhead finished tied for 27th with 10 points. Derek Bredy, who was second earlier in the long jump, finished 14th in the triple jump(47'10"/14.58m) on Saturday.  Alissa Rausch of Winona State also finished 14th in the shot put(45'1.75"/13.76m) as her team finished in a tie for 42nd on the five points she won in the discus earlier in the week. Heather Schultz of MSU Moorhead finished 17th in the shot(44'5.25"/13.54m).

Day three results by event are HERE.

Eyo Ekpo Third in Triple Jump to Help St Thomas Men to a Tie for 28th at NCAA DIII Championships

St Thomas' Eyo Ekpo finished third in the triple jump(50'5.25"/15.37) to add six more points to the three he scored in the high jump on Friday to account for all of the points that put St. Thomas in a tie for 28th in the team competition at the NCAA DIII Championships in LaCrosse, WI.  Gustavus finished tied for 38th with six points, and St. John's was tied for 72nd with one point.  That point came from 800 runner Thomas Feichtinger, who finished eighth in 1:51.93 on Saturday.

St. Olaf's Brian Saska finished 11th in the 1,500 in 3:53.13.

Taylor Berg Scores 16 points for St. Thomas Women, Hamline's Becky Culp 14 at NCAA DIII Championships

In the final day of the NCAA DII Championships at LaCrosse, WI, St .Thomas' Taylor Berg battled Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Christy Cazzola in two events, the 1,500 and 5K.  Berg finished second in the 1,500 in 4:18.10 to Cazzola's 4:17.22, and Berg was again second in the 5K in 16:33.15 to Cazzola's 16:31.17  Cazzola's day did not end there as she also won the 800 in 2:05.93 accounting for 30 of team runner-up UW Oshkosh's 43 points.  Berg accounted for 16 of the St.Thomas team's 24 points, which placed them ninth in the women's team competition. St Thomas' 4 by 400 relay of Angela Tipp, Erika Tipp, Kayla Goeman, and Emily Van Heel finished third in 3:44.92.

Hamline's Becky Culp added to her discus title with a fifth place finish in the shot put(45'10.5"/13.98m) to account for all of Hamline's 14 points and tie them for 18th in the women's team standings.  Concordia-Moorhead's Cherae Reeves finished third in the triple jump(47'6.5"/14.99m) to help her team to a tie for 26 place in the team competition(10 points).  St Scholastica's Becky Huberty finished 20th in the triple jump(42'3.25"/12.88m), but her five points for finishing fourth in the hammer throw(181'9"/55.41m) put her team in a tie for 44th place with St. Olaf. Emma Lee's sixth in the 10K on Thursday and Dani Larson's seventh in the high jump on Friday scored St. Olaf's five points. Olivia Johnson of Concordia-Moorhead was tenth in the triple jump with a leap of 44'9.75"/13.66m.

University of Minnesota-Morris' Kaylie Clark finished sixth in the javelin(141'4"/43.07m) to place her team 60th with three points.

Anderson Ninth at Adidas Grand Prix

On a cold, windy day in New York City, Team USA Minnesota's Gabriele Anderson finished ninth in the 1,500 in 4:09.02.

Miller and Juell finish 11th in NCAA DII Multis

UMD's Chanel Miller finished 11th in the heptathlon at the NCAA DII Championships in Pueblo, CO on Friday with 4882 points.  MSU Mankato's Tandy Juell was also 11th in the decathlon with 6662 points.  Full multi-event results are HERE.

Two More Gopher Men Advance to NCAA Champs In Eugene; Two Gopher Women Will Try on Saturday

Harun Abda and Travis Burkstrand advanced to the NCAA Championships next month after earning automatic qualifying bids in the 800 meters on Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, TX.

Following a roughly three-hour delay due to heavy rains and inclement weather  the Gophers duo finished first and second in the same quarterfinal heat to advance to the 800 meter semifinals next month in Eugene, OR. Abda, who finished with a season-best time of 1:48.18, led the pack for the final 400 meters of Friday’s race and posted the third best overall time in the quarterfinals while Burkstrand was right behind at 1:48.46 for the sixth best overall time.

Cameron Boy advanced out of the 200 meters prelims and will compete in the semifinals on Saturday night. Boy clocked 21.47 to finish second in his heat and 12^th overall. Mark Jennings and Logan Hussung were unable to advance in Friday’s shot put competition.  Jennings narrowly missed the cut with a toss of 57'.25" ft. (17.38 meters), while Hussung threw 51'7.25" (15.73 meters).  

Due to the weather delay, Friday’s men's hammer throw competition was rescheduled for Saturday morning.

For the women, Megan Geyen came within nine-hundredths of a second of her personal best  with a time of 53.81, which was a half second from qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

Alena Brooks and Te’Shon Adderley finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the final heat of the 800-meter run as Adderley posted a personal best time of 2:06.38, which is now third all-time in Minnesota history. Brooks edged out her fellow teammate with a time of 2:06.25, but it was still four tenths from qualifying for a trip to Eugene. Katie Loberg cleared 5'5" (1.65m) in the high jump, but also failed to qualify.

Katie Moraczewski(10:14.87) was five seconds from a qualifying spot in the steeple and tenths of a second from her PR.  Kelli Budd finished in 10:34.67, which topped her previous-best time and keeps her seventh all-time.

Two Gopher  women will compete on Saturday,  Emily Betz in the javelin and Laura Docherty in the 5K.  Weather permitting, Betz throws at 5 p.m., while Docherty runs at  8:05 p.m.

Jennifer Agnew Third in Steeple, Alissa Rauch Fourth in Women's Discus, Grant Luer Fourth in Men's Discus at NCAA DII Champs

Minnesota State Mankato's Grant Luer and Chris Reed each scored points in the discus.  Luer was fourth(181'1"/55.19m), Reed(175'5"/53.47m) seventh.  Their teammate Keyvan Rudd(6'8.75"/2.05m) finished tenth in the high jump. MSU Mankato is tied for 14th with 9 points, and MSU Moorhead is tied for 16th with 8 points.

U-Mary's Jennifer Agnew finished third in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 10:38.53.  Winona State's Alissa Rauch(166'9"/50.84m) was fourth in the discus.  Her teammates Shanai Guider(144'1"/43.92m) was 13th and Elisa Moenkedick(133'6"/40.69m) was 18th.  U-Mary is tied for 17th in the team scoring with 6 points, Winona State is tied for 19th with 5.