The Gophers womenâÄôs track and field team journeyed to South Bend, Ind. for the Notre Dame-hosted Meyo Invitational.
Once there, the team ran into some stiff competition.
Fellow Big Ten teams such as top-25 ranked Michigan and Ohio State, as well as Michigan State and Purdue, composed just a section of the tough 48-team competition the Gophers faced.
The meet was not scored by team, and thus individual results were the only measurement of success. Minnesota is ranked No. 90 out of 123 Division I teams, according to the latest poll.
The Gophers had only two top-three finishers. Chimerem Okoroji placed second in the 60-meter dash, clocking 7.54 seconds. Redshirt freshman Tina DeLakis took third in the shot put with a throw of 15.52 meters.
âÄúI asked them all, âÄòDoes anybody want to do better than what they did here?âÄô and they all of course said âÄòYeah,âÄôâÄù head coach Matt Bingle said. âÄúI just basically told them that they have to start acting like it. IâÄôm urging them to be passionate about this for the next few weeks.âÄù
Assistant coach Sarah Hesser said she viewed this meet as a confidence builder for the upcoming Big Ten championships on Feb. 24-25 as well as the NCAA championships on March 9-10.
âÄúWhen we start to have that mental switch that they can compete with anyone in the nation or anybody in Big Ten, then all of a sudden the physical stuff starts to come around,âÄù Hesser said.
Several athletes recorded personal records at this meet.
DeLakis is sixth on MinnesotaâÄôs all-time list for shot put in just her first season. Sophomore Melissa Flucke jumped her highest in the high jump and redshirt freshman Katie Murgic cleared her best height in the pole vault.
Sophomores Laura Docherty and Rachel Drake had their best times in the 5,000-meter run. Sophomores Katie Moraczewski and Ashlie Decker clocked personal bests in the 3,000-meter run.
âÄúThat group maybe didnâÄôt place as high, but on a performance level [they] really went up to the next level in terms of how they will be able to compete at Big Ten,âÄù Hesser said.
The women will compete next weekend at both the Iowa State Classic and the St. Thomas Invitational.
Notes
The No. 8 menâÄôs track and field team competed at two meets this weekend. The throwers traveled to Nebraska for the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational. A few runners raced in the weak field at the Bethel Invitational in St. Paul, Minn.
Junior Micah Hegerle and sophomore Jon Lehman placed second and third in the weight throw, respectively. Hegerle threw 20.29 meters and Lehman threw 19.93 meters.
Minnesota swept the top-three spots of the 800-meter run. Redshirt freshman Marcus Paulson won with a time of one minute, 54.96 seconds. Freshman Frank Falzone won the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.65 seconds.
The Gophers collected the top five spots in pole vault. Sophomore Zach Siegmeier and junior Jack Szmanda tied for first. Both cleared 4.9 meters.
The men are scheduled to split time next weekend between the Iowa State Classic, the Washington Invite in Seattle, Wash., and the Brooks Classic in River Falls, Wis.
