Track & Field

The Gophers women’s 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 University of Minnesota men’s track team won the Bill Bergan Invitational in record-breaking fashion Saturday at Iowa State.

No. 18 Minnesota collected 62 points. No. 14 Kansas State and No. 15 Wisconsin followed in the standings with 51.5 and 48.5 points, respectively.

“The highlight for our squad was Harun Abda and David Pachuta who went one-two in the 800 meter, both of them just under 1:47. That obliterates the school record,” head coach Steve Plasencia said. “Those are the two best times in the NCAA this year and may even be the best in the world this year.”

One of the more successful women’s sports programs on campus just added some stability.

Women’s track and field coach Matt Bingle  has been promoted to program director — the first in Minnesota history and a position they created for him.

He’ll oversee his current team as well as the cross country program, effective immediately, according to athletics director Joel Maturi .

The Gophers men’s track team finished just 2.5 team points shy of winning its sixth consecutive conference title at the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Iowa City, Iowa.
The Gophers led after the second day of competition, but Iowa came roaring back May 15 — the third and final day — winning three events and ultimately forcing the meet to be decided by the weekend’s final race: the 4x400-meter relay.

Call this the calm before the storm.

Coming off an impressive performance at the prestigious Drake Relays last weekend, this week’s meet at St. Thomas will be slightly less pressurized for the men’s track and field team.

As the regular season nears a close, it may provide a final confidence builder before the storm strikes in the form of the Big Ten championships.

The meet at St. Thomas will encapsulate what has been a season of growth for the team and will give some athletes one final chance to make their mark.

The last 15 months may have been the most difficult of Hassan Mead’s career.

It started in 2009 as a nagging Achilles’ tendon injury. In the fall of 2010, it appeared that the six-time All-American in track and cross country was ready to return.

But then, another setback — Mead suffered a collapsed lung on Sept. 3 during a standard training run. He was sidelined for nearly another five months.