Gophers men, women gear up for regionals

Last update: November 13, 2008 - 10:19 PM

The University of Minnesota's two cross-country teams will compete in the NCAA Midwest Region Championships on Saturday in Stillwater, Okla.

The women's team is the defending region champion and favored to repeat.

Coach Gary Wilson's Gophers recently won the Big Ten title for the second year in a row and are rated No. 7 nationally.

The only other ranked teams in the Midwest field are No. 14 Illinois, No. 20 Iowa and No. 29 Nebraska.

The top two teams in the women's 6-kilometer race, which starts at 11 a.m., receive automatic bids to the NCAA national meet on Nov. 24 at Terre Haute, Ind.

Juniors Megan Duwell, Heather Dorniden, Jamie Cheever, Amy Laskowske and Elizabeth Yetzer and senior Gabriele Anderson were all-region runners a year ago. All finished in the top 24. Duwell has been the Gophers' top runner this fall and placed fourth in the conference meet.

If the Gophers should stumble, they probably will receive an at-large invitation anyway because of their conference championship and first-place finish in the Griak Invitational.

They have advanced to nine of the past 12 NCAA meets, including the last three.

Men in title chase, too

The Gophers placed second in the Midwest Region meet a year ago and, based on the national rankings, could do so again.

Host Oklahoma State is rated No. 2 and the Gophers No. 14, just ahead of No. 15 Tulsa and No. 21 Iowa State.

Sophomore Hassan Mead, who won the individual Big Ten title two weeks ago, was second in the 2007 region meet and senior Chris Rombough was fourth. Rombough was the runner-up two years ago.

The 10K men's race starts at 11:45 a.m.