With nine event titles and two NCAA regional qualifiers, the Minnesota menâÄôs track and field team had another successful weekend. The Gophers were split between the Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Kan., the St. Thomas Twilight meet in St. Paul and the Phil Esten Challenge in Winona. Sophomore Joey Schwecke won the decathlon in Kansas. After the first day of competition, he led the pack with 3,728 points and ended with 6,551 points. His score is the eighth-best decathlon score in Minnesota history and was 93 points shy of an NCAA provisional qualifier. Schwecke posted career bests in all five events on the first day of competition âÄî the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400. On the second day of competition, he won four events to hold on to the lead. Sophomore Garret Wankel finished fourth in the decathlon. He had a career-best mark in the pole vault. Junior R.J. McGinnis was scratched from the Kansas Relays decathlon due to a slight injury. He will compete in the Drake Relays decathlon next weekend. In St. Paul, seniors Ibrahim Kabia and Luke Silovich brought home NCAA regional qualifiers in their respective events. Kabia won the 100 and a regional qualifier. He also won the 200 and was a member of the Gophers 4×100 relay that took first. Silovich earned his first career regional qualifier by winning the 100 high hurdles. Redshirt freshman Joe McFarland won the 800 in a time of 1:52.49. In field events, Minnesota won three events. Junior Matt Fisher won the high jump, redshirt freshman Joe Plencner won the pole vault, matching his season-best height of 16-10 3 /4, and junior Paul Hoplin won his first title in the javelin toss. In Winona, Andy Bastian and Aaron Studt competed in the hammer toss. Bastian finished third and Studt threw a personal best of 190-7. Women win seven titles in Winona Junior Amy Laskowske earned an NCAA provisional qualifier in the 10,000-meter run on Thursday at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. Her time of 33 minutes, 42.52 seconds was a personal best by more than a minute and is the second-fastest 10K time in Minnesota history. It earned her a fifth place finish. In Winona, Minnesota won seven event titles. First-year Adrienne Thomas won the 200 and 400. In the 1,500 and 400, the Gophers swept the top three places. Redshirt freshman Allyson Siegrist won the 1,500, followed by redshirt freshman Laura Koch and senior Claire Bootsma. Senior Nicole Carroll, redshirt freshman Sharyn Dahl and redshirt freshman Anna Johnson took over the 400. Sophomore Megan Smith won the 800 and sophomore Kelly Wilson t ook home honors in the 5,000. Redshirt freshman Nikki Schultz was the only field champion for the Gophers. She won the high jump with a height of 5-3.
Minnesota men rack up nine event wins
Published April 20, 2009
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