The Gophers women’s track and field team competed at the University of Georgia this weekend. Although the meet did not record team scores, Minnesota still counted several top-three finishes and one champion.
In her first meet of the 2012 season, Alena Brooks placed second and third in her two events — the 4×400-meter relay and the 400.
“It was a good start, just shaking off the rust,” Brooks said. “I would have liked to have done a little better, but it is what it is.”
Brooks ran 54.08 seconds in the 400. The 4×400 team with Brooks, Nyoka Giles, Megan Geyen and Jessica Waldvogel was just more than a second off of its school record with a second-place time of 3:39.22.
Brooks finished behind runners from South Carolina in both of her events.
“I know they’re a good team, and everyone trains hard,” Brooks said. “I didn’t get psyched out or anything because they’re good. I just went out there and did what I had to do [and] focused on myself.”
The 4×100 relay team of Todea-Kay Willis, Chimerem Okoroji, Giles and Kylie Peterson also finished second to South Carolina, clocking in at 45.96.
Peterson took third in the 100 with a time of 11.94. Heather Brunn placed second in the 800 with a time of 2:12.57.
Kelly Stalpes and Sharyn Dahl finished second and third in the 400 hurdles. Their times were 1:00.13 and 1:00.22, respectively.
The lone champion was Devin Stanford in the field. The redshirt freshman won the discus with a throw of 46.99 meters. She bested her personal record by more than three meters.
The women stay close to home next weekend. They will compete at the Holst Invitational in St. Paul on April 21.
Men
Despite unfavorable weather conditions, the men’s team managed to compete Friday at the St. Thomas Twilight meet in St. Paul.
Through rain, wind and cold, Minnesota tallied seven event champions.
Cameron Boy placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.39. Erik Truedson did likewise in the 5,000, clocking in at 14:48.51.
The Gophers swept the top-three spots in two events.
In the 400, Jacob Capek, Kevin Bradley and John Holton ran to the podium at 47.88, 47.92 and 48.01, respectively.
In the field, Jack Szmanda, Zach Siegmeier and Logan Markuson finished first, second and third in the pole vault. They cleared heights of 5.10 meters, 5 meters and 4.85 meters, respectively.
Oladipo Fagbemi was a double champion at the meet. He won the long jump with a distance of 7.09 meters and the triple jump with a distance of 14.64 meters.
Danny Schiller also earned first place in a field event. He came in first on the high jump at 2.05 meters.
Two Gophers athletes traveled to River Falls, Wis., to compete in the Falcon Invite.
Throwers Jon Lehman and Justin Barber competed in the hammer throw. Lehman took third with a throw of 56.24 meters. Barber trailed in eighth with a throw of 49.85 meters.
The men will travel to California next weekend to compete in several meets. The Azusa Pacific Multi-Events in Azusa, Calif., runs from April 18-21, as does the Mt. SAC relays in Walnut, Calif. The Long Beach State Invitational in Long Beach, Calif., is from April 20-21.
Minnesota will also send athletes to the Holst Invitational in St. Paul and the Musco Twilight in Iowa City, Iowa, on April 21.
