Minnesota Track and Field: 17 Gophers headed to NCAA Championships

After the completion of the NCAA West Preliminary events this past weekend in Sacramento, fourteen members of the Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s track and field team and three from the men’s team will be advancing to Eugene Oregon for the NCAA Track and Field Championships June 6-9.

Competitors had to finish in the top 12 of their events in Sacramento to advance to the NCAA Championships. The top-12 from the West Preliminary will join the top 12 from the East Preliminaries to form the 24 athlete championship field.

Advancing for the Gopher women are:

Emma Spagnola, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles

Temi Ogunrinde, hammer throw

Nicolle Murphy, javelin

Madeline Strandemo, 3,000m steeplechase

Emerald Egwim, Rachel Schow, Titania Markland, and Val Larson, 4x400m relay

Emerald Egwim, 400m

Kiley Sabin, shot put

Heta Tuuri, high jump

Agnes Esser, discus

Titania Markland, 400m

Ashley Ramacher, high jump

Nayoka Clunis, hammer throw

Ayesha Champagnie, heptathlon

Advancing for the Gopher men are:

Ryan Lockhard, high jump

Kieran McKeag, hammer throw

Obsa Ali, 3,000 steeplechase

Ali ran the fastest time at either preliminary in setting the Minnesota program record and comes into the NCAA Championships as the top seeded runner.

The women will have a slight chance at an overall NCAA title. They come into the NCAA Championships with the third highest total of athletes of any school in the country.

The top 8 finishers in each competition earn First Team All-American honors. Finishers 9-16 are second team All-Americans.