Gophers junior Nicole Chimko provisionally qualified for the NCAA outdoor championships in the discus with a distance of 172 feet, 1 inch at the St. Olaf Relays in Northfield, Minn., on Saturday.
Other Gophers coming away with wins included senior Kim Heath in the 100-meter dash, junior Beth Howard in the hammer throw, the 4×100 relay team, and freshman Chrissy Eid in the 10,000-meter run.
“That’s her first 10,000 ever, and to run a 37:31.45 — that’s a very good opener,” coach Gary Wilson said of Eid. “She was very much in control, and did an awesome job. I really think that Chrissy has got a very good chance of placing at (Big Tens).”
Men’s Track and Field
Junior Glenn Lindqvist turned in the top collegiate performance with his fifth-place finish at the Mount Sac Decathlon in Walnut, Calif., this weekend.
Lindqvist’s NCAA provisional score of 7,587 points was 13 points shy of an automatic NCAA berth, but coach Phil Lundin said the total is “definitely enough to get him to Boise, Idaho, for the NCAA championships.”
Freshman decathlete Lyndon McDowell finished third in the “B” class of the California Invitational with 6,837 points. Toby Ware from Texas took first with 6,853 points.
Members of the team were also in action at the 53rd Annual Carleton Relays in Northfield, Minn., on Saturday. Minnesota finished fourth with 81 points, while the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire won with 117 points. Though the meet was not held against elite teams, or in ideal weather, Lundin was optimistic about his athletes’ performances.
“A lot of the guys ran personal bests, so that was very pleasing to see,” Lundin. “It indicates that the training and our efforts are heading in the right direction.”
— Compiled by David La Vaque