Class AA Cross Country Rankings: Wayzata, Lakeville North Top the Charts

It's apparently not too soon to be thinking about the high school cross country season.

The Class AA preseason rankings for boys and girls were released recently. Defending Minnesota State High School League Class AA champs Wayzata lead the boys poll, while Lakeville North, 5th at State last year, tops the girls' rankings.

Willmar's Mahad Hassan, 4th at State last year, leads the boys' individual rankings. Defending Class AA champ Laura Hughes of Mankato West leads the girls.

The Rankings ...

Boys:

Teams
1 Wayzata
2 Eden Prairie
3 Stillwater
4 Brainerd
5 Edina
6 Moorhead
7 Owatonna
8 Willmar
9 Alexandria
10 Lakeville South
11 Minnetonka
12 Buffalo

Individiuals
1 Mahad Hassan 12 Willmar
2 Robel Kebede 12 Mpls. South
3 Drew Paradis 12 Alexandria
4 John-Michael Brandt 11 Winona
5 Thomas Ruttger 12 Brainerd
6 Jeremy Drenckhahn 12 Wayzata
7 John Holt 12 Roseville
8 Eric Truedson 12 Bemidji
9 Danny Ducharme 12 Wayzata
10 Zach Mellon 12 Buffalo
11 Ryan Evans 12 Centennial
12 Kamal Jarso 11 St. Paul Central

Girls:

Teams
1 Lakeville North
2 Eden Prairie
3 White Bear Lake
4 Prior Lake
5 Burnsville
6 Minnetonka
7 Chaska
8 Woodbury
9 Grand Rapids
10 Roseville
11 Waseca
12 Lakeville South

Individuals
1 Laura Hughes, 11 Mankato West
2 Cassy Opitz, 12 Eden Prairie
3 Emma Bates, 11 Elk River
4 Katie Moraczewski, 12 WBL
5 Meghan Heuer, 11 Prior Lake
6 Kaylea Brase, 12 Centennial
7 Sarah Heuer, 12 Prior Lake
8 Emily Meese, 12 Minnetonka
9 Jamie Piepenburg, 9 Alexandria
10 Laura Docherty, 12 Cretin DH
11 Rachel Drake, 12 WBL
12 Becca Nichols, 12 Lakeville South

USATF-MN Cross Country Circuit Set

USATF Minnesota Long Distance Running Chair Ed Whetham recently announced the association's Cross Country Circuit for 2008. While the date and location of the Minnesota Championships (which counts for double points in the Circuit) are still being decided, the bulk of the series is set.

Cross Country Circuit races for 2008:

Sun., Sept. 21
Fort Snelling Relays
5 person x 5k relay
Fort Snelling State Park, St. Paul

Sun., Sept 28
St. Catherine’s XC Meet
6k (men) 4k (women)
College of St. Catherine, St. Paul

Sat., Oct. 11
Wildcat XC Classic
5k (men) 5k (women)
Eagan High School

Sun., Oct 19
Challenge at Gale Woods
5k (men) 5k (women)
Gale Woods Farms, Minnetrista

Sun., Nov. 2
Rocky’s Run
8k (men) 5k (women)
University of Minnesota Golf Course, Minneapolis

The USATF-MN Open and Masters CC Championships will likely be held in conjunction with the Junior Olympics Championships as in past years. However, details are still in flux. According to Whetham, the goal is to provide an opportunity for open men to run a 10k and open women a 6k at the championship event. More details will be provided as they become available.

Whetham noted that rules and scoring will remain the same as the 2007 Circuit. Contact Whetham at ldr@usatfmn.org for more information.

Another Busy Weekend on the Track and the Roads

Pole Vault Duel at Summer League Meet... USA Track & Field hosted the second of three all-comers meets Thursday at Eagan High School. A highlight of the event was the women's pole vault where Minnesota State Mankato teammates Lauren Stelten and Katelin Rains went head-to-head. Stelten came out on top with a vault of 12 feet, 6 inches, with Rains clearing 12 feet even. Full results are available here.

The final Summer Track and Field League meet will take place this coming Thursday. Registration information can be found here.

Roehrig Eighth in Thorpe Cup... The University of Minnesota's Liz Roehrig represented the USA in the Thorpe Cup over the weekend. Germany won the team title. Results are available here.

Hennepin-Lake Classic Action... Some of Minnesota's best road racers took a few laps around Lake Calhoun on Sunday morning. The 31st edition of the Hennepin-Lake Classic drew strong fields in the 5K, 10K and Doubleheader. Complete results are available here.

Roehrig to Compete in Thorpe Cup

The University of Minnesota's NCAA Heptathlon runner-up Liz Roehrig, will represent the United States this weekend in the Thorpe Cup, a multi-events competition between the USA and Germany named after 1912 Olympic Decathlon champion Jim Thorpe.

The competition which alternates between the two countries, takes place in Manhattan, Kansas this year. Competition begins Saturday and ends Sunday.

“I’m excited to have the chance to wear the red, white and blue and represent my country,” Roehrig said in a Gopher media release. “After the U.S. Olympic Trials I said how excited I was to keep training and improving. This gives me that chance. I won’t have to wait until next spring to do another heptathlon. This is going to be fun."

USA and Germany have split the two previous Thorpe Cup competitions in the heptathlon – the men have contested 14 Thorpe Cups. The USA women won in 2006, but Germany squeaked out a 13-point win a year ago. Each team has seven decathletes and heptathletes compete and the team score is calculated by combining the points earned by those seven athletes.

Defending Thorpe Cup heptathlon champion Lela Nelson returns this year. She gathered 6,022 points to win the gold medal in 2007. Nelson, the 2004 NCAA heptathlon champion, has ties to Gopher head coach Matt Bingle. Bingle recruited Nelson to Eastern Michigan and coached her for one season before he accepted a coaching position at Minnesota.

Roehrig earned a spot on the USA Thorpe Cup team with her 5th place showing at the U.S. Olympic Trials. As a junior for the Golden Gophers this spring, Roehrig captured her fourth career All-American award in finishing as the national runner-up in the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. A six-time Big Ten multi-event champion, Roehrig also won her second Conference heptathlon crown last spring and scored a career-best and Minnesota-record 5,855 points.

“This is a great honor for Liz and our track program,” Bingle said. “She is gaining so much valuable experience this summer, between the Trials and now the Thorpe Cup. Her senior season next spring should prove to be something very special. And she deserves everything that is coming to her. She is one of the hardest working, most dedicated athletes I’ve ever coached."

Roehrig has one outdoor track season of eligibility remaining in her Gopher career. In addition to the school record in the heptathlon, she also holds record marks in the long jump, high jump and pentathlon.

Find more information on the Thorpe Cup HERE.

Photo by Gene Niemi.

Finnerty, Mellon, Carlson Named All-USA

The fastest high school miler in Minnesota history, Rob Finnerty, the fastest-ever prep half-miler in the state, Zach Mellon, and perhaps the greatest Minnesota high school runner to never win a state title, Jordan Carlson, were named to the USA Today All-USA track team.

Burnsville High School's Finnerty earned his accolades with a 4:01.09 mile victory at the Midwest Distance Gala in Lisle, Illinois that led the nation in the event and which is the #7 performance all-time for an American prep in the mile/1600 meters. Finnerty won the Nike Outdoor National title in the mile as well. He was also the season's 4th-fastest two miler at 8:50.96.

Finnerty broke Garry Bjorklund's 39-year-old state all-time record in the event as well.

(See a related story about Bjorklund and Finnerty on the USATF-Minnesota web-site HERE.)

Mellon, a junior at Buffalo High School, ended the 2008 season as the #2-ranked half-miler in country, by virtue of his 1:48.64 runner-up finish at the U.S. Junior Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Mellon bettered Jason Owen's all-time record in the 800m with the performance. He had already broken Owen's MSHSL State Meet record with a 1:49.69 clocking.

Rosemount High School's Carlson earned the USA Today honors by virtue of his 4:07.18 mile at he Midwest Distance Gala and his 3rd place finish at Nike Outdoor Nationals. Carlson's All-USA honor is welcome recognition for the #3 prep miler in Minnesota history who's exploits happened in the shadow of Finnerty's performances.

You can find the full listing of All-USA selections HERE.

Photos by Gene Niemi. Above: Finnerty leading Carlson, below: Mellon.

Goucher Training in the Houston Heat

Kara Goucher's road to Beijing is passing through Houston, Texas.

The Duluth native who has qualified in both the 5000 and 10,000 meter events at the Olympic Games, is training in the Space City in an effort to replicate Beijing's hot, humid conditions. Alberto Salazar, her coach, has brought Goucher (pictured), her 10,000m teammate Amy Begley, and men's 10,000m qualifier Galen Rupp to Houston from their training base in Portland, Oregon.

Kevin Pates of the Duluth-News Tribune caught up with Goucher recently and filed THIS story about the temporary move to Houston.

“We want to do some of our harder workouts in the same uncomfortable conditions that we will face at the Olympics," Goucher told Pates. "Although I’d love to stay home for this week, I know that this will make us more prepared for Beijing."

The Portland Oregonian also published THIS story about the group's training in Houston.

Goucher's competition in Beijing begins on August 15 with the 10,000m final. The 5000m preliminaries are scheduled for August 19. The 5000m final is set for August 22.

Photo by Paul Merca.

Minnesotans Shine at Junior Olympics

The professional athletes we reported on yesterday weren't the only Minnesota tracksters in action last weekend. The future of the sport -- the state's top junior athletes -- were competing at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in Omaha, Nebraska.

USATF Minnesota secretary Chris Dallager sent Down the Backstretch the following report on the top performances by Minnesotans in Omaha:

Chelsea Pettit, 16, Young Women's 1500m, 4:49.45, 2nd place (Chelsea is a Holy Angels athlete, was 3rd in the 1600m at the MSHSL meet this year, and competed for the Startan Club this summer.)

Shane Streich, 11, Midget Boys' 1500m, 4:46.97, 2nd place (Shane competed for the Waseca Club.)

Christian Kolb, 15, Intermediate Boys' Pole Vault, 4.20m (13' 9.25"), 4th place (Christian is the son of Minnesota State University Mankato Pole Vault coach Matt Kolb. He was 6th at the MSHSL meet this year. He competed for the Southern Minnesota Vault Club this summer.)

Macauley Spandl, 16, Intermediate Boys' Pole Vault, 4.05m (13' 3.5"), 8th place (Macauley is from Moorhead and competed unattached.)

Tey Rione Harrell, 11, Midget Boys' High Jump, 1.45m (4' 9"), 6th place tie (Tey Rione competed for Hospitality House.)

Tamaria Verdell, 10, Bantam Girls' Shot Put, 7.51m (24' 7.75"), 7th place (Tamaria competed for Hospitality House.)

Matthew Rosen, 12, Midget Boys' 800m, 2:22.99 in prelims and 2:26.53 in finals, 8th place (Matthew competed unattached.)

Team Woodbury, Youth Girls' 4 x 800m relay, 10:24.37, 8th place (Kristen Bourne, 13, Jacleen Patterson, 13, Aislinn Pomfret, 14, and Ainslee Neu, 13.)

There were a number of other Minnesota athletes at the meet. A few other performances in the top 10:

Sean King, 18, Young Mens' 100m, 10.85, 10th place (Sean is a Cretin Derham Hall grad heading to the University of Minnesota. He was 2nd in the 100 and 200 at the MSHSL meet this year. He competed unattached this summer.)

Amy Kubat, 18, Young Women's Shot Put, 12.60m (41' 4.25"), 10th place (Amy was the state champion at the MSHSL meet in the shot put for Owatonna High School. She competed unattached this summer.)

Shane Streich, 11, Midget Boys' 800m, 2:25.28, 10th place.

Shane Streich, 11, Midget Boys' High Jump, 1.40m (4' 7") 10th place tie.

Busy Weekend: Vega 11th at NYC Half, Leer Runs 3:56 Mile in Ireland, & More

Team USA Minnesota's Antonio Vega finished 11th in Sunday's NYC Half Marathon, clocking 1:04:26 amidst a world class field in a race that started in Central Park and finished in Lower Manhattan.

Vega's half marathon debut highlighted a busy weekend of action for Minnesota athletes.

Vega (pictured), who made his half marathon debut with the effort, was the second place American in the field behind Beijing Olympic Marathon qualifier Dathan Ritzenhein who finished 3rd in 1:01:38. Tadesse Tola of Ethiopia won a close race over Patrick Makau for the NYC Half title, running 1:00:58 to Makau's 1:00:59 on a muggy, overcast day in the Big Apple.

Asked afterward how he thought the half marathon distance differed from the shorter races he's more familiar with, Vega said:

"It's probably how long you hurt!"

"At five miles, I thought 'I'm not even half-way and I'm feeling it a bit,'" the former Golden Gopher said. "I think it's one of those things that's more mental than anything else. You've just got to focus and just recover. I was looking at my splits and I was clicking off 4:50, 4;50, so I felt good when I saw that."

Vega expects to compete next at the USA 20K Championships in New Haven, Connecticut on September 1. His ultimate goal for the fall is the USA Men's Marathon Championship held in conjunction with the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on October 5.

Results from the NYC Half Marathon are HERE.

In Other Action ... Minnetonka High School grad Will Leer, who trains with the Oregon Track Club, ran a 3:56.75 mile at the Morton Memorial Meeting in Ireland on Friday. Leer finished runner-up to fellow American Rob Myers who won in 3:56.23.

Results from the meet are HERE.

Kenyan Michael Chesang and Ethiopian Teyba Naser won the Boston Scientific Heart of the Summer 10K held Saturday at Lake Nokomis. Chesang ran 30:23 to defeat Matt Downin of Minneapolis who clocked 30:41.

Naser ran 32:49 to edge Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor and former Chaska high school star Stephanie Herbst-Lucke who ran 32:54 and 32:55, respectively for 2nd and 3rd. Herbst-Lucke, a former collegiate record holder in the 10,000 meters while attending the University of Wisconsin, is now a 42-year-old Atlanta, Georgia resident.

Results from the race are HERE.

Also ... You can read Mackenzie Lobby's Running USA Wire race recap HERE. She notes that Herbst-Lucke missed the U.S. masters 10K record, held by four-time Olympian Colleen DeReuck, by a scant five seconds.

Olympian Graces Summer League Meet ... You don't expect to bump into a Beijing-bound athlete when you lace up your spikes at an all-comers meet, but last Thursday, there one was.

Shani Marks, who will represent the USA in the triple jump in Beijing, jumped in the season's first USATF Minnesota Summer League meet at Eagan High School, jumping 45-2 1/4 for the win over training partner Amanda Thieschafer who jumped 43-10 3/4 for 2nd.

Results of the meet can be found HERE.


Photo by Victor Sailer http://www.photorun.net/.

Vega to Make Half Marathon Debut Sunday

Team USA Minnesota’s Antonio Vega will make his half marathon debut Sunday in the talent-packed NYC Half Marathon. The race includes top international stars like sub-1:00:00 Africans Patrick Makau of Kenya and Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa as well as American stand-outs like 2008 Olympic Marathon team member Dathan Ritzenhein and 2000 Olympian Adam Goucher.

Vega, who is coming off a solid 11th place, 29:41 performance at the Peachtree 10K earlier this month, is looking to the NYC Half Marathon for experience and confidence as he prepares for his marathon debut this fall.

DtB caught up with the former Golden Gopher before he left for the Big Apple.

DtB: It looked like you had a nice run at the Peachtree 10k, where you were the top American. How did you feel about the race?

Vega: Going into the Peachtree I really did not have any real expectation. I knew it was going to be a fast race with a lot of talented runners, and my main goal was to go out hard and give myself a shot at being in the top 20 of the race. Looking back on the race I felt I ran a pretty smart race. I did not go out to hard in the first couple of miles, but yet it was hard enough to keep the lead pack within sight.

DtB: What is the focus of your training right now?

Vega: Right now my focus for training is towards the Twin Cities Marathon. This will be my debut in the marathon so a lot of my workouts are going to begin to focus on longer aerobic type training.

DtB: You’ve been with Team USA Minnesota for nearly a year now, how do you feel your transition to professional running is going?

Vega: The transition to professional running has gone pretty smooth. The first three months of training with Team USA Minnesota were a little on the challenging side. It always takes a little time to get used to a new coach and a new type of training philosophy. So far things have been going well workouts have been going a lot better than I could have anticipated. It is great to have teammates that have a lot of experience and knowledge, which has been a lot of help in workouts and getting ready for competitions.

DtB: What are you hoping for at the NYC Half Marathon?

Vega: I am not exactly sure what I am expecting, the main reason I chose to run this race was to gain some experience racing something over a 10k. I am hoping to just gain some confidence before I start my training for the Twin Cities Marathon. I am more or less looking for an indicator as to what I think my marathon pace will be.

Minnesotans Strong in Brasschaat, Belgium

A quartet of Minnesotans ran well at yesterday's Atletiek Vlaanderen meet in Brasschaat, Belgium.

Jenelle Deatherage finished 3rd in the 3000 meter event in 9:02.61.

Will Leer dropped down to 800m meters after his PR 1500m race on Sunday in Huesden-Zolder, Belgium to finish 3rd in the B section of that event in 1:48.06.

Team USA Minnesota's Matt Gabrielson moved down to the 1500m after his 13:30 5000m in Huesden-Zolder to nab a PR 3:41.80 for 6th place.

Mitch Potter finished 2nd in the 400m with 46.59.

Full results of the meet can be found HERE.

Radocaj 2nd at NACAC Under-23 Meet ... In an event we failed to note previously, former Golden Gopher star Ruby Radocaj's claimed the silver medal in the javelin throw at the North American, Central American and Carribean Athletic Association Under-23 meet in Toluca, Mexico last weekend.

Radocaj threw 166-5 to place second to Canada's Elizabeth Gleadle who threw 169-10.

Full results of the meet can be found HERE.

McGregor, Kandie Win St. Paul Minnesota Mile

Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor and Coon Rapids-based Kenyan Richard Kandie won last night Grandma's Minnesota Mile St. Paul.

McGregor earned the women’s title by covering the two-loop State Fairgrounds course in 4:49, four seconds faster than Kenya’s Caroline Rotich. McGregor placed second in the same event last year with the identical finishing time. Casey Owens of Des Moines finished 3rd among women in 4:53, former Gopher star Rasa Troup was 4th at 4:56, Kenya's Frashiah Waithaka was 5th at 5:04.

TC 1 Mile champion Rose Kosgei was unable to compete due to visa issues.

Kandie, who finished 3rd at the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon in May, outdistanced Californian Christian Hesch 4:09 to 4:15. Dane Moreland of Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin was 3rd at 4:17 Kenyan David Tuwei was 4th in the same time, countryman Zablon Mandere was 5th in 4:20.

Full results can be found HERE.

The Minnesota Mile St. Paul is the first of two races in the Grandma’s Minnesota Mile series. The second event in the series, Minnesota Mile Duluth, will be run in downtown Duluth on Sunday, September 7.

Kosgei, McGregor Headline Minnesota Mile

Kenya's Rose Kosgei and Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor headline tonight's Grandma's Minnesota Mile at the State Fairgounds in St. Paul.

This road mile is the first of two events composing the Grandma’s Minnesota Mile series. A $5,700 prize purse is being offered to the top finishers in the race with the male and female champions each receiving $1,250 for their efforts.

Kosgei has had a knack for winning races in Minnesota. The 26-year-old Kenyan was the runaway winner of the TC 1 Mile in May and won the Boston Scientific Heart of the Summer 10K last year by out-kicking countrywoman Angela Mutuku.

McGregor, who finished 4th in the 10,000 meters at last month's U.S. Olympic Trials, finished second in the St. Paul edition of the Minnesota Mile last year and holds the course record for the Heart of the Summer event at 32:17, the Minnesota state record for the distance.

Kosgei and McGregor lead solid women's and men's fields for the event, composed largely of long distance runners coming down in distance to race the mile. Also likely contenders in the women's field are American Colleen Newhart and Minnesota-based Lithuanian star Rasa Troup.

Kenya ’s David Tuwei, runner-up in last month’s Grandma’s Marathon, is racing in the men's mile against former University of Wisconsin star Matt Downin, who has spent the summer in Minneapolis. Ethiopian Abiyot Abebe, Kenyan Benson Chesang, and American Roger Cahill are also expected to contend.

Full elite startlists can be found HERE.

Action commences at 6:30 p.m. tonight with the kids mile. The elite race goes off at 7:50 p.m.

The second event, Grandma’s Minnesota Mile Duluth, will be run in downtown Duluth on Sunday, September 7.

Saturday was Roy Griak Day in Minneapolis

If Saturday seemed like a good day for track and field, that might have been because Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak had declared it "Roy Griak Day."

As part of the the 40th anniversary reunion and celebration of the University of Minnesota's 1968 Big Ten outdoor track and field championship, former Golden Gopher coach Roy Griak was honored by his former athletes with an official proclamation from the Minneapolis mayor naming July 19, 2008 as “Roy Griak Day in the city of Minneapolis."

Thirty-five members of the 1968 squad returned to the University of Minnesota for the reunion, which proved to be as much an appreciation of Griak (pictured front row, center) as a celebration of the team's surprise one-point victory in the meet, held at Memorial Stadium.

Photo of the 1968 team in 2008 by Charlie Mahler -- click to enlarge.

Marks Jumps 44-2 in Olympic Tune-Up; Leer Runs PR 3:37, Gabrielson Clocks 13:30

Beijing Olympian Shani Marks finished 5th in the triple jump at the KBC-Nacht Van De Atletiek meet in Huesden-Zolder, Belgium yesterday.

The Apple Valley High School and University of Minnesota alum jumped 44-2 to finish behind winner Dana Veldakova of Slovakia who jumped 46-3 1/4 and fellow U.S. Olympic team member Erica McLain who bounced 45-1 3/4 for third place.

Marks fouled three of her six attempts in the competition, which she told DtB beforehand would be her only competition prior to the Olympic Games.

Triple jump results can be found HERE.

In other competition at the meet ... Minnetonka High School grad Will Leer notched a 1500m PR with his 3:37.63 win in the "B" section of the event. Results of the race are HERE; you can watch the race HERE. You can also watch a post-race interview with Leer HERE.

In the 5000m, Team USA Minnesota's Matt Gabrielson narrowly missed setting a new PR for himself with his 13:30.95, 14th place finish in the "B" section of the event. You can watch that race HERE.

Former Gopher Big 10 and Pan American Games champion Mitch Potter clocked 46.70 to finish 5th in the 400m. You can watch his race HERE; results are HERE. Earlier last week, Potter had run 46.25 at a meet in Lucerne, Switzerland.

1968 Big Ten Champions to Reunite Saturday

The 1968 University of Minnesota Men's track and field team, which squeaked out a one-point, upset victory at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships they hosted at Memorial Stadium that season, will reunite tomorrow to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the feat.

More than 35 members of the team, including coaches and student managers, are expected to take part in the celebration, planned by former Golden Gopher head coach Roy Griak.

Despite cold, damp weather, the 1968 Gophers (pictured) earned points in 13 of the meet's 18 events. The Gophers tallied 50 points to Michigan’s 49 and Wisconsin’s 48 in one of the most memorable team battles in Big Ten history.

The Gopher media release about the reunion, HERE, tells the details behind the Gophers surprise win, which included gaining unexpected points in meet's final field events and weathering a post-meet results protest.

Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota.

Marks, Mellon Named Athletes of the Month

Shani Marks and Zach Mellon earned USATF-Minnesota Athlete of the Month honors for July, the organization announced today.

Marks was recognized for winning the women’s triple jump at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon last month. The Apple Valley High School and University of Minnesota alum jumped 47 feet, 2 and ¼ inch to earn a place on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.

Mellon, a Buffalo High School junior, was honored for breaking the all-time Minnesota high school record in the 800 meter run with his 1:48.64 runner-up finish at the USA Junior Track and Field Championships in Columbus, Ohio last month. Earlier in the season, Mellon defended his Minnesota State High School League Class AA title in the event.

USA Track & Field Minnesota selects Athletes of the Month to honor excellence in track and field and its related sports in Minnesota. USA Track & Field is the governing body of the sport in the United States and the Minnesota Association of USATF sanctions and sponsors track and field, cross country, road racing, and racewalking events for athletes of all ages in the state.

Goucher Profiled in the Washington Post

Kara Goucher, the 2008 Olympic Trials champion at 5000 meters and the runner-up at 10,000, is profiled today, HERE, by the Washington Post as part of their "Athlete in the Spotlight" series.

The piece focuses on Goucher's decision to move to Portland, Oregon to join Alberto Salazar's Nike Oregon Project after finishing last in her 5000m heat at the 2004 Olympic Trials.

Goucher plans to race both the 5000 and 10,0000 meter races in Beijing next month.

Photo by Sean Hartnett.

Ben Blankenship Transfers to Minnesota

Quoting from the University of Minnesota media release on the subject:

Ben Blankenship, a Stillwater, Minn., native and a two-time Minnesota Class AA champion in the 1,600 meters, has transferred to Minnesota after one year at Mississippi State. Blankenship will be eligible to compete for the Golden Gophers in cross country and track in 2008-09.

“We are extremely excited that Ben has decided to return to his home state and run for the Gophers,” said Golden Gopher head coach Steve Plasencia. “Ben had an extremely successful high school running career working with Scott Christensen at Stillwater and ran solidly for Mississippi State as a freshman. He has the potential to run with the best in the Big Ten."

Blankenship earned All-NCAA South Region honors in cross country last fall, placing 25th in the NCAA South Region Championships with a time of 31 minutes, 42.83 seconds over the 10-kilometer course. He place 23rd at the 2007 Southeastern Conference Championships and was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team. Blankenship competed in seven meets for the Bulldogs last season, finishing among Mississippi State’s top two finishers six times.

On the track, Blankenship clocked season-best times in two events at the 2008 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Blankenship ran a time of 3:51.45 in the prelims of the 1,500-meter run and a time of 14:25.94 in the 5,000 meters.

Blankenship earned several all-state accolades as an athlete at Stillwater High School. He won the state crowns in the 1,600 meters as a junior and senior and added a third-place finish in the 3,200-meter run in 2006. Blankenship finished sixth as a junior in the 2005 Minnesota Class AA Cross Country Championships, leading Stillwater to a second-place finish.

Mankato Men Named Scholar Team of 2008

The Minnesota State University - Mankato men's indoor track and field team was named the 2008 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division II "Scholar Team of the Year" yesterday.

A part of the USTFCCCA's comprehensive recognition of academic achievement by teams and individuals, the "Scholar Team of the Year" award recognizes a single team for its combination of academic and athletic achievements. Mankato won the top honor by having the best overall finish at the Division II Indoor Championships and cumulative GPA. To be nominated, a team must carry a minimum 3.000 cumulative grade-point average.

The Mavericks accumulated a 3.020 team grade point average during the track season and finished 7th at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships.

"We are very honored to receive this award, and it's a great reflection on our program and Minnesota State," Mankato head coach Mark Schuck said. "We feel that our academics still come first. That is the priority that we have as a program and everything falls into place."

Mavericks James Krajsa, Jeffrey Lombardo, and Nathan Pieper were named to the USTFCCCA's All-Academic Track and Field Team.

Full details about the USTFCCCA team and individual awards, which were conferred upon lots of Minnesota teams and individuals, can be found below ...

NCAA Division II Men's Awards TEAM, INDIVIDUALS

NCAA Division II Women's Awards TEAM, INDIVIDUALS

NCAA Division III Men's Awards TEAM, INDIVIDUALS

NCAA Division III Women's Awards TEAM, INDIVIDUALS

USATF-Minn. Summer League Returns

You don't have to go all the way to Europe like Mitch Potter and Matt Gabrielson just to run in a summer track meet.

USA Track and Field -- Minnesota announced it will host three summer track meets at Eagan High School starting July 24. Meets will also be held on July 31 and August 7. Pre-registration is $5 per event. Registration the day of the meet is $10 for the first event and $5 for each additional event.

Complete details and registration information are available HERE.