DAY 2: PAYTON OTTERDAHL JOINS DAKOTAH LINDWURM AS MINNESOTA’S FIRST 2024 TRACK AND FIELD SUMMER OLYMPIANS; AND THE GOLDEN BEARS ARE WELL REPRESENTED

June 23, 2024 The 4th shot put throw by Rosemount athlete Payton Otterdahl edged him into 3rd place in the Olympic Track & Field Trials finals, and a 5th throw of 73 ft and ½ inch (22.26 meters) secured his return to a spot on the US Olympic team behind Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs. 

US OLYMPIC TRACK & FIELD TRIALS: ON DAY 1, MATT WILKINSON TOPS STEEPLECHASE FIELD AND PAYTON OTTERDAHL RANKS 2ND IN SHOT PUT QUALIFIERS

June 22, 2024 While attendance will ramp up, a small and vocal crowd cheered on US Olympic Track and Field qualifiers on the first of eight days of competition at renovated Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Matt Wilkinson, a 2021 graduate and Division III national champion at Carleton College who later pursued running and a

HEADING TO EUGENE, OREGON

June 18, 2024 Please follow the US Olympic Track & Field Trials’ postings on Facebook and http://www.mnathletes.com, a website dedicated to featuring Minnesota athletes in a variety of sports and wide range of eras. A brother and I will be at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, for the majority of the event. While in

US Olympic Marathon Trials: Women Qualifiers with Minnesota Connections

January 1, 2024 To run in the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials women’s division in Orlando, Florida on February 3rd, a time of 2:37:00 (or 1:12 in the half-marathon) or faster must have been recorded in the past two years (one year for the half-marathon) in a certified race.  A total of 173 women have

AMANDA ANDERSON SCHOENING: ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL THROWER PROMOTES MANY PURPOSES OF SPORT AS COACH AT ALMA MATER

October 17, 2023 Located 40 miles north of Minneapolis, St. Francis is a city of 8,000 residents straddling Anoka and Isanti Counties on the Rum River.   As the hometown of 2016 rhythmic gymnastics Olympian Kiana Eide, Olympic Trials marathon qualifier Dakotah Lindwurm (Bullen), and 7-time state champion and 2023 national champion shot putter Maggie Ewen,

PAYTON OTTERDAHL: 2020 OLYMPIC SHOT PUTTER FROM ROSEMOUNT HAS A MENAGERIE OF PETS

As a kid, Payton Otterdahl reveled in walking along streams or Lake Superior on the North Shore by the family cabin near Schroeder (about 80 miles north of Duluth), Minnesota.  “I’d spend my entire time flipping over rocks and catching salamanders, snakes, and other critters,” says the 2020 Olympic Trials shot put bronze medalist.  The

HURRAH STEEPLECHASERS AND MINNESOTA MEMORIES OF THE 2016 OLYMPIC TRIALS

The three men with Minnesota connections who were competing in the steeplechase at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, all qualified for the finals! Alec Basten (U of M; Green Bay) had the 4th fastest time overall with a personal best time of 8:22.22 while Mason Ferlic (Roseville and Mounds Park Academy) and Obsa Ali

MINNESOTA MOMENTS

Minnesota athletes had some memorable moments on Friday, June 18, 2021 . . . Joe Fabe Klecker, son of Barney Klecker and Janis Klecker, two fabled state distance runners, placed 3rd in the 10,000-meter run to earn a spot on the US Olympic team–and he already has achieved the Olympic qualifying standard at the distance.

MINNESOTA ATHLETES AT THE OLYMPIC TRIALS

Minnesota athletes continue to compete at the Olympic Trials in swimming and as the track and field competition begins today in Eugene, Oregon. In swimming, Regan Smith (Lakeville) has qualified for 2 events, the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter butterfly, with her best event, the 200-meter backstroke still to be decided. The low-key, levelheaded swimming star

DRAKE BLUE OVAL SHOWCASE: MINNESOTA ATHLETE RESULTS

Three Minnesota athletes competed in the road mile race, two finishing 9th. Running with the leaders the entire race, Joe Fabe Klecker (Hopkins) ran to a 3rd place finish in the men’s division, clocking a time of 3:59. The recent University of Colorado graduate becomes another Minnesota athlete running a sub-4-minute mile. Placing 9th in

MINNESOTA’S ELITE BACKSTROKERS; MINNESOTA ATHLETES ON THE DIAMOND; AND USA TRACK & FIELD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Remarkable high school athletes Regan Smith (Lakeville) and Isabelle Stadden (Blaine; daughter of Jodi Stadden) continue to impress at the national level and finished 1-2 in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2020 TYR Pro Swim Series in Knoxville, Tennessee last month. Isabelle also finished 6th in the finals in the 100-meter backstroke while Regan claimed

MINNESOTA ATHLETE ACHIEVEMENTS OUTSIDE OF THE STATE TOURNAMENTS

The U. S. freestyle wrestling team won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Cup in Yakutsk, Russia over the weekend. In the final match against Japan, three athletes from Minnesota won: Zach Sanders (Wabasha) won by forfeit; Hayden Zillmer (Crosby) triumphed by technical fall (10-0); and Tony Nelson (Cambridge) claimed victory in a 5-3

BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR: SOME MINNESOTA NAMES

Cited as the most exclusive conference award given to only one male and one female student athlete at each of the 14 Big Ten institutions for achieving greatest proficiency in athletics and academics, the Big Ten Medal of Honor was brought to my attention as I continued research for a book on Minnesota Olympians.It’s an

U of M Volleyball; Marathon Day Races

Undefeated in Big 10 play, the # 3 U of M volleyball team swept the # 7-ranked Illinois team Friday night. Taylor Mariah Morgan‘s three blocks brought roars from the sellout crowd as did the powerful kills of outside hitter Alexis Hart and opposite hitter Stephanie Samedy. Freshman CC McGraw (Prior Lake) led the team

Minnesota Has a National Swimming Champion, New M Club Hall of Fame Members

Teen swimming sensation Regan Smith (Lakeville) tied with Kathleen Baker for the 200-meter backstroke national championship title in Irvine, California, in a time of 2:06.43. Regan qualified for the senior World Championships last year as a 15-year-old! Also having a strong meet was Lindsey Kozelsky (nee Horesji from Albert Lea, U of M) tied for

Minnesota’s Sub-4:30 Women Milers

Due to gender discrimination and misguided philosophies about the running endurance of women, the historic timeline for women running the mile is significantly less than men and as a result many fewer women have run under 4:30 (an arbitrary time) in a timed mile competition than men breaking the 4-minute mile barrier. While I found

Profiles of Inspirational and Persevering Athletes Exhibiting the Olympic Spirit – Heather Dorniden, Rosemount

While at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, in July, I was cheering on Minnesota track athletes Hassan Mead, Jamie Cheever, Gabriele Anderson Grunewald, Goaner Deng, Ben Blankenship, Jess Lehman, Sarah Price Boylan, Maddie McClellan van Beek, Garrett Heath, Mason Ferlic, and field athletes Amanda Smock in triple jump, Liz Podominick in discus, and others

Day 8 at Eugene: Great news about two Minnesota athletes!

Gabriele Anderson Grunewald (Perham) ran a 4:11.86 and Ben Blankenship (Stillwater) in the fastest qualifying time of ran a 3:44.24 to qualify for the 1500-meter finals! Ben ran strongly and won his heat after leading the majority of the race. Gabe finished sixth in her heat with an impressive sprint and qualified on time. Sadly,

Day 7 at Eugene: A steady drizzle began after a few events.

Ben Blankenship (Stillwater) finished first in his heat of the 1500-meter run and Heather Dorniden of Rosemount (married to Ben Kampf) and Gabriele Anderson Grunewald (Perham) both qualifed for the semifinals on the women’s side. Gabriele Anderson Grunewald had competed in the 5000-meter run about two hours earlier–a gutsy performance. Heather had a strong finish