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.

Wire service stories on Big Tens

The Pioneer Press runs wire stories on the Big Ten championships here. The Strib does the same here. Strib does have a photo of Gopher men's coach Steve Plasencia getting the celebratory dunking.

Penn State's Sports Information Department had this summary of the women's win here. The Ohio State student paper, the Lantern, had this report on the men here.

McGregor eighth, Moen tenth, Gilmore eleventh at Bay to Breakers

Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor finished eighth in 41:29 at the Bay to Breakers 12K women's division on Sunday in San Francisco. Team USA MN's Josh Moen finished tenth in the men's race in 36:53, and Peter Gilmore was eleventh in 37:41. Ethiopia's Teyba Erkesso was the first female finisher in 38:29. the USA's 2000 Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon, Deena Kastor, was third in 39:04. Sammy Kitwara of Kenya set a men's course record of 33:31.

At the adidas Track Classic in Carson on Saturday, Team USA MN's Carrie Tollefson was sixth in the 5K in 15:52.38.

Heath Brothers and Alex Gits Provide Points for Stanford at the PAC-10 Meet: Bria Wetsch Helps Oregon Women Win

Winona's Garrett Heath finished fourth in the 1,500(3:51:33) and fifth in the 5K(14:12.30) and his brother Elliott was twelveth in the 1,500(3:54.75), and seventh in the 5K(14:13.76) to help the Stanford men to finish third behind Oregon and USC in the PAC-10 Outdoor Track Championships this weekend in Eugene, Oregon. Chaska's Bria Wetsch(35:39.86) finished seventh in the 10,000 meters to help Oregon win the women's team title . Alex Gits of Edina was eighth in the 10,000 meters(36:00.28) to help the Stanford women to place second.

Minnesota Men Win Team Title, Women Take Third in Big Ten Champs

Hassan Mead won the 5 and 10K titles and the team swept to a resounding victory in the Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday. The women waged a spirited battle with Michigan and Penn State, but came up just short to end up third in the team competition.

The Gopher men increased their lead each day of the meet with wins on the Sunday from Mead(14:20.75) in the 5K and Aaron Studt(61' 6.25") in the shot put. Sprinter Ibrahim Kabia contributed a second in the 100(10.44) and a sixth in the 200(21.44). Chris Rombough duplicated his third place finish in the 10K in the 5K(14:25.98), while Ben Blankenship took fourth in both the 5K(14:26.15) and 1,500 meters(3:58.48).

Despite being disqualified in both the four by 100 and four by 400 meter relays, the men scored 130 points, beating runner-up Ohio State by 27 points. The team championship gives first year head coach Steve Plasencia a perfect record in Big Ten track championships as the men and women took the conference indoor crowns this year.

The team race came down the the final event, the four by 400 relay, with the Nittany Lions edging the Wolverines by one place to win the team crown by a miniscule quarter of a point 139 to 138.75. Minnesota finished with 131.5 points. While the Gopher women outscored their rivals handily in the distance events, both Penn State and Michigan had the advantage in the field events, and Penn State was dominant in the sprints.

Marathon Mania in Minnesota

The Strib has a story in Sunday's paper on the growth of marathons in Minnesota. It's only in the print edition, so we can't link to it. It's part of an effort by papers to see what readers will pay for rather than "giving away" their news content on the web. So, if you want to vote for more running coverage, go out an buy a Star Tribune Sunday paper.

Gopher Men and Women Stay in Front on Second Day

University of Minnesota men's and women's teams kept their lead as the second day of the Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships competition finished on Saturday. The men increased their lead with 67 points for a 26 point gap over second place Indiana. The women lead by seven points over Penn State with 54 points.

Sunday's final day includes 27 finals, 14 for the men, 13 for the women. The Gopher women have fourteen qualifiers for event finals, Michigan has twelve, and Penn State nine.

Liz Roehrig capped off her Big Ten career with her seventh multi event Big Ten title scoring a school record 5857 points to edge runner-up Bettie Wade of Michigan by 36 points. Roehrig's win was her third Big Ten heptathlon title and her point total set a stadium record. Nikki Schultz won the final event of the heptathlon, the 800 meters, to finish eighth with 4689 points to earn a valuable point in the team competition.

DeAnne Hahn finished eighth in the shot put with a throw of 46' 6". Hahn, who finished third in the hammer on Friday, will compete in her third event, the discus, on Sunday. Christin Kingsley finished seventh in the long jump(19' 3.5". Jamie Cheever was also seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase(10:34.66).

Minnesota Men and Women Lead after First Day of Big Ten Championships

The Gopher men and women have the lead after the first day of competition at the Big 10 Outdoor Track Championships in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Led by a one, three finish in the 10,000 meters from Hassan Mead(30:03.21) and Chris Rombough (30:18.22) the men scored 27 points, 11 in front of second place Michigan. The women totaled 38 points, 11 in front of second place Indiana as Megan Duwell(34:45.70) and Amy Laskowske(34:57.82) finished one, two in the 10K.

Aaron Studt(196' 11") and Andy Bastion(192') finished third and fourth, respectively, in the men's hammer. Alicia Rue defended her title, setting a stadium record of 14'3.25", in the pole vault with teammate Sammatha Sonnenberg(12' 11.5") placing fifth. DeAnne Hahn(176' 6") completed the women's scoring, finishing third in the women's hammer.

R. J. McGinnis is first(3,965 points) and Joey Schwecke(3,828) third after the opening day of the decathlon. Defending champion, Liz Roehrig(3,610) is first and Nikki Schultz(2,793)is ninth after day one of the hepthalon. The two multi event competitions conclude tomorrow, and the three-day meet finishes on Sunday.

Short-Cut: Results' Links for May 15-17

Important track meets at all levels are the order of the weekend. In high school action - The State True Team Meet is underway in Stillwater. Big Tens have already started at Ohio State, and Carrie Tollefson will be running at the Adidas Track Classic.

Off the track, Tollefson's teammates Katie McGregor and Josh Moen will be running Bay to Breakers in San Francisco

Friday:
Big Ten Conference Championship: Results
State True Team: Results
North Central Last Chance Meet: Results

Saturday:
Big Ten Conference Championship: Results
State True Team: Results
Adidas Track Classic: Results

Sunday:
Bay to Breakers: Results
Bay to Breakers live webcast: here
Big Ten Conference Championship: Results

Gabrielson to Run for US in IAAF WC Marathon in Berlin

Team USA MN's Matt Gabrielson is one of the five-member US team who will compete in the marathon at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin in August. Gabrielson is joined on the team by 2004 Olympian Dan Browne and Nate Jenkins, who qualified for the team based on their respective performances at the Olympic Trials Marathon in New York in November 2007. Browne finished sixth in 2:13:23 while Jenkins finished seventh in 2:14:56. Justin Young was also for the team based on his 2:13:54 performance at the 2008 Rotterdam Marathon Fernando Cabada and Gabrielson earned their spots based on their respective first and second place finishes at the USA Marathon Championships, which were part of last year's Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon last October. Cabada's winning time was 2:16:32. Gabrielson ran 2:17:38.
Photo courtesy of Photo Run

The Gopher women will attempt to complete their "triple crown" this weekend by winning the Big Ten outdoor track championship. It has been a true team effort this year, featuring many spectacular performances. It could be argued that no one has been more integral to the Gophers' success than Heather Dorniden.

We will focus on Dorniden's final Big Ten championship in her storied Gopher career as she will attempt to lead her squad to victory.

Yes/No: Will Heather Dorniden score 13 or more points in individual events (1500 and 800) at the Big Ten Championship this weekend?

Note: Heather Dorniden, a senior, is an 8-time All-American and a National Champion from Rosemount. Dorniden is entered in the 1500 and 800 this weekend and scoring is based on 10 for first place, 8 for second...6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Dorniden is ranked #2 in the 800 and #8 in the 1500 in the preliminary heat sheets. The finals of the 1500 and 800 are less than an hour apart. It's a bit dated, but anytime we mention Heather Dorniden, we must include this video of the 2008 Big Ten indoor 600 meters.

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 1:30 p.m. CDT , Saturday, May 16th. Please put your answer in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will continue to offer a bonus for participants making their debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for any first-time players.

My Answer: Yes

We had another very close Y/N result last week. The question was “Will Lisa Brown break her own conference javelin record of 158-5 at the MIAC Championships on Friday afternoon?” Brown missed her conference record by inches as she threw 157-10 Only 4 contestants got the question right; the top three in the overall standings created some separation at the top of the leaderboard with correct responses.

You can find the Y/N leaderboard HERE.

Good luck and thanks for playing Yes/No on DtB!

Super Conference Weekend

The Big Ten's aren't the only conference championships this weekend. Track & Field News has dubbed it Super Conference Weekend and provided a listing of links to the results, start lists and schedule for all the meets here.

The TC Mile Goes to the Dogs

Last Thursday evening I took Stella and her friend, Tess, on a walk along Nicollet Mall. Stella(pictured here) is our 11-year old Beagle. Tess is a friend's Beagle who we often Beaglesit while her owner is out of town. The stroll gave the dogs their daily exercise and a chance to view the TC Mile from the vantage point of a spectator.

Road miles have become the "in" event for race promoters recently. The Twin Cities are in a unique position in that they have the designation as the USATF Championships this year and for the next three years. Thus giving the event the "gravitas" of being a championship, not just a bunch of unknown runners dashing down the street. This year, in fact, there was an even more attractive "media hook" as both of the US's top marathoners, Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall, were in the state. Ryan came to support his wife, Sara, who finished second in the women's race at the TC Mile. Kara was on her way to Duluth to speak at a Fitness event sponsored in part by Grandma's Marathon.

Both were fresh off of fine performances at this year's Boston Marathon. Both are attractive, articulate spokespeople for the sport. It seemed to be a great opportunity for Grandma's, TCM, and USATF to pool their resources and stage some sort of media event featuring these runners that might have played in the local media along with the daily Twins' play by play and whether or not Brett Favre will come out of retirement to play for the Vikings. This isn't a criticism of any of the aforementioned organizations, as it might not have been logistically possible or something that the local media was ready to go for, but rather just an observation about a potential way to gather some more visibilty for the elite end of the sport.

The exposure the event did get was from the general public who were enjoying a nice meal on a beautiful spring evening in downtown Minneapolis. The various restaurants along the mall that featured outdoor tables were packed with people who got to view some of the finest runners in the Twin Cities and the US flying down the street. Aside from commenting on how cute the two Beagles were, I could see the interest on the faces of the spectators in what was happening in front of them. Who were these runners? What was this event?

It seems like a natural that both the restaurant owners and the TC Mile folks could develop some sort of mutually beneficial cross promotion as this event matures and becomes a fixture in the yearly calendar in Minneapolis. At the Tour de France, for example, before the riders come through each town along their routes a caravan of sorts comes through town informing the people of what will follow and allowing the various sponsors of the event to promote their products. The Tour is so well established that it isn't necessary to inform the town folk about the event or the riders. Many of the die hard fans write the names of the riders in chalk on the roadway along with messages of support.

How much of that could be done in an event like the TC Mile is uncertain, but a couple of things could be considered to maximize the exposure and educate the public to what they are viewing. Near where the outdoor dining crowds are located, a station could be set up with a loudspeaker and an announcer who could do live commentary on what everyone was viewing, create some excitement, and get the diners into the event.

The event organizers could event print up flyers for the elite competition listing who is running in the championship event along with short bios on the athletes. They could be handed out by race volunteers along the street or offered to the restaurant owners, who could do a TC Mile night promotion. As we walked back after the race, we could see that many of the runners had topped off their evening by having dinner at one of the mall restaurants, so the owners already know that the event has a positive economic impact on their business.

Another possibility for exposure is to add a short "celebrity sprint" event to the evening. Run it right around 6:15-6:30 PM in time for the evening news and have the sprint finish right in front of the WCCO studio so one of their people could do a stand up with the race participants. Make it a celebrity match race between, say for this year, Al Franken and Norm Coleman, winner take all in the Senate race. Or with a sports theme of who is the fastest Viking with some of the players going for the title. Or team up with the University of MN and have a similar challenge for one of their sports teams.

Sports these days is all about entertainment if you want to break into the media cycle and reach a large audience, so if the goal is to broaden the appeal and visibility of the sport to the general public, events such as the TC Mile have the potential to enhance the public image of the sport by adding a little "glitz". As for Stella and Tess, when they heard about the prize money on offer for the two legged contestants, they wanted a four legged division.

$4,000 would buy a lot of dog food, and for a Beagle it's all about the food.

Hassan Mead Interview

Flotrack, in town to film the TC Mile, did an on track interview with the U of M's Hassan Mead that you can view here.

Strength In Numbers

The Strib has a story on Gabriele Anderson here and a list of top seeded Gopher athletes for the Big Ten meet here..

Gopher Women Try For "Triple Crown"

The University of Minnesota's Women's track team will be trying to win a "triple crown" of titles this year at the Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships in Jesse Owens Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University. After winning the Big Ten titles in cross country and indoor track the last three years, the Gopher women hope that the third time is the charm. Coach Matt Bingle has provided some insight into what it will take to make that dream a reality.

DtB: Three seems to be the magic number this year. You won your third straight indoor title, this is the third year you’ve won two of the three Big Ten team titles, and you’re going for a “triple crown” of all three titles. Did you anticipate being in this position at the beginning of the year?

Matt Bingle: I felt like we had shot to be because we returned the core of our group, and we had a good recruiting class coming in. The key has been that some of our freshman and sophomores have stepped up right away. We thought that they could help us now, and they have done that!

DtB: What did you see as the team’s biggest assets in going for this sweep? What has developed on this team that allows you to be in this position?

MB: Right now are biggest assets are that we have depth in a lot of events. We may not win the event, but we can score a lot of points in that event. We feel like we can score two to four people in a lot of the events. This is what we have to do to have a shot. If we don’t do this we just will not have a chance to win the meet. We need to score ten to fifteen points in some key events to make a push to win.

DtB: What has been the highlight or highlights of the season thus far? The most challenging aspect of the season?

MB: There are lots of highlights, but some would be: Winning the indoor title when I thought it would be rough to do. Our young people really stepping up and performing well. Our seniors ability to keep doing what they have been doing the last few years.

The most challenging part has been to keep fighting, and to always feel like we have something to prove. I am always trying to make sure people are hungry, and that we are having a lot of fun along the journey!

DtB: Extrapolating from the national rankings, Michigan would be considered the favorites to win with Minnesota and Penn State battling it out for second and third, but those rankings only take into account the athletes who are in a position to place high at the NCAA meet. Doesn’t take into account team depth and strength, which are more important in conference competition. What components of the team figure to be most important in the Big Ten Championships? What are the key elements/scenarios that need to happen for the team to be able to win the title?

MB: The national polls are deceiving, like you say, due to it being based on a few national caliber athletes. The Big Ten meet is based on depth in many ways. Some teams may have the winner and score ten points in that event, but we may score ten to twenty points in that event with three or four people. We scored ten points or more indoors in the 60, pole vault, 800 meters, mile, and 600, and it had a huge impact. Another key is having people everywhere. Not having zeros in very many events. If you have a complete team with people in the sprints-jumps-hurdles-distance-throws you have a shot as well. This is how we have been successful.

DtB: You talked before about the importance of allowing the athletes to enjoy the competition, to have fun as well as be competitive. How do you keep them “loose,” help them enjoy the event rather than get absorbed in the pressure?

MB: We try and stay loose by just being loose as coaches and leading by example. We do lots of team building things and lots of girl activities! We are always saying: "Just be yourself!"

DtB: Charlie wrote about Gabriele Anderson’s battle with cancer. She will be there to cheer the team on in Columbus. This sort of challenge puts things in perspective and has provided and incentive for her teammates. What have you noticed of the impact on the team and the courage Gabriele has displayed?

MB: It was hard to take with Gabe coming down with cancer because she is so important in many ways. But she is traveling with us and will be right there in the battle with our team and will not miss a beat! She is a prime example of what this team is about!

Kara Goucher Comes "Home," Prepares For World Champs

Kara Goucher returned to Duluth last weekend to visit family and friends and give a talk at a Duluth Fit-n-Fun event. The Duluth News Tribune story is here. She also talked with Universal Sports about Boston and the decision to run the IAAF World Championships in Berlin in August here. The US team that will run in Berlin, which includes Goucher, was also interviewed by Runner's World here.

Photo Courtesy of Photo Run

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon More Than 75 Percent Full

Participants from all fifty states and thirteen countries have registered for the 28th Annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. Registration demographics are trending similarly to years past, with the majority of the participants coming from Minnesota, followed by Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the rest from around the nation and the world.

Ludwig Cavallar will travel from Switzerland for his fifth TCM. A business trip here ten years ago introduced him to friends and a new found passion for running. Lutz Strohback is coming from Germany fifteen years after his first visit to see relatives in Minnesota. He said the beauty of running in “Indian Summer” and the course through the “parks and nature” also motivated his decision to return.

Registration is on track with many recent non-anniversary years with over 75 percent of the field filled, according to race officials. “We are honored that runners continue to come to Minnesota to take part in our marathon,” said Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. executive director Virginia Brophy Achman. “This year we are adding a special opportunity for one registered runner to win the ‘Best Seat in the House’ contest, giving the winner many of the same experiences professional runners are given when they come for the weekend to participate in a championship event here at one of our races. We continue to look for ways to make this marathon an event people look forward to taking part in year after year."

This year, the ING Neighborhood Cheer Zones will return along the course for spectators to gather and celebrate the race with an “International” theme featuring a special international cheer zone to encourage ethnic communities in the Twin Cities to come out and welcome runners from around the world. The marathon was ranked ninth largest in the nation in 2008 based on the number of finishers.

Visit mtcmarathon.org for more information.

Grandma's Marathon Registration Closes June 1

Registration for Grandma's Marathon will remain open through Monday, June 1. The 26.2-mile race is more than 85 percent to its field capacity of 9,500 participants. Registration for the nation’s 13th largest marathon opened January 15. Runners can sign up by visiting www.GrandmasMarathon.com. The entry fee is $85.

Grandma's Marathon weekend also features the 19th annual Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and the 16th annual William A. Irvin 5K. The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon is Saturday, June 20 at 6:30 a.m. and the William A. Irvin 5K is Friday, June 19 at 6 p.m. Registration for those two events is closed.

In all, more than 16,000 runners and 50,000 race fans from around the world will participate in the 33rd annual Grandma's Marathon weekend, which is presented by Target, Toyota and Wells Fargo Bank Duluth.

For more information on any of Grandma's Marathon’s races or events, visit www.GrandmasMarathon.com or call (218) 727-0947.

Ethiopian Refugee Thrives on the Track

In keeping with today's African theme, the St. Paul Pioneer Press has a story here on Fridley's Harun Abda. One of the top 800 meter runners in the state, Abda and Buffalo's Zach Mellon could end up waging a memorable dual at this year's MSHL Championships.