Minnesota track athlete Tom Gerding qualified for the World Championships and the World University Games.

Last month, at the 2001 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Gerding posted a time of 45.55 in the 400-meter dash to qualify for the world competitions.

During the World University games Gerding, an outgoing senior, will run in the 400-meter dash and the 4×400-meter relay. Former Gophers teammate Mitch Potter will serve as an alternate on the 4×400 relay team. The World University games will be in Bejing, China, from Aug. 22 through Sept. 1.

In the IAFF World Championships Gerding will compete in the 4×400-meter relay. The world championships will be from Aug. 3-12 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

As a Gopher, Gerding won five Big Ten titles and three All-America honors. During his junior season, Gerding became the first Minnesota sprinter to be named All-American when he earned the honor in the 400-meter dash.

WCCO to continue
broadcasts

The University department of men’s intercollegiate athletics and WCCO AM radio reached an agreement for the broadcast rights to Gophers football and basketball.

The agreement is a five-year, multi-million dollar deal and continues a long-term partnership. WCCO has broadcast Minnesota football since 1923 and basketball since the 1930s. Under the new agreement, WCCO owns the broadcast rights until the 2005-06 academic year.

“When people think of the Golden Gophers on the radio, they think of WCCO,” men’s athletics director Tom Moe said in a release. “We are thrilled to continue that tradition. The agreement provides us with additional compensation and stability that we need to continue our department’s overall success.”

The contract also calls for extended pre-game and post-game coverage of each event. The pre-game and post-game shows for football will be each extended by one hour, with the basketball pre-game and post-game shows being extended by a half-hour each.