As the majority of the Gophers track and field team travel to Louisiana State University for their final regular season meet of the year, the women’s distance runners stay in Minnesota, prepping for the Big Ten Championships.
Minnesota coaches kept them in Minnesota due to the high number of meets they have competed in recently and wanted the runners to prepare to compete on May 16 at the University of Oregon.
Currently ranked at No. 32 nationally, the women’s distance runners have made important strides for post-season success.
Redshirt sophomore Ali Weimer broke the six-year school record in the 10K at the Raleigh Relays in March. Weimer continued cementing herself in school records with a 5K performance in the Bryan Clay Invitational that moved her to No. 2 in school history.
Weimer said track and field did not always come naturally to her.
“Track hasn’t always been my mojo,” Weimer said. “Cross country is like my bread and butter.”
Growing up, Weimer did not start competing in distance running until seventh grade. She said she grew up playing hockey and soccer.
“I had always envisioned myself playing college hockey, a true Minnesotan at heart,” Weimer said. “Eventually, I found more love for (running), and ever since then, it’s just kind of worked out.”
Fellow redshirt sophomore distance runner and Minnesota native Zoie Dundon also pursued hockey along with cross country, track and soccer while at Burnsville High School.
Dundon found her niche in the 3000-meter steeplechase, an event she had not experienced until coming to Minnesota.
“Our coaches get an idea of who could be good at it, and then she has everyone try it their freshman year,” Dundon said.
Dundon ranks No. 10 among collegiate athletes in the steeplechase as of April 29. But she said the first time she tried getting over one of the steeples, she ended up tripping.
Stan Becton, a reporter for the NCAA, ranked the trio of Dundon, sophomore Diarra Sow and senior Maja Maunsbach in the top 10 of sprint-distance-field trios in NCAA track and field.
At the Drake Relays, Dundon improved to No. 8 in University history in the 1500 meter and graduate student Erin Reidy improved to No. 2.
This will be Reidy’s last year running for the Gophers, and she said she is trying to enjoy every moment.
“I used to get really anxious and honestly depressed about really getting the mindset of having to do good,” Reidy said. “And I think just embracing, like, ‘No, this is the fun part you worked so hard for.’”
Reidy remarked on how she grew up as a multi-sport athlete, coming from a very active family, so leaving competition behind next year will be a difficult step.
The women’s runners are excited to travel to Oregon. Reidy and Weimer said they are ignoring the possible intimidation of competing at Hayward Field, instead focusing on how fun it will be.
“Oregon is Track City, USA,” Reidy said. “Other people that love the running community will be there, and it’s where Olympians have been made, so I’ve been really trying to go there.”
Reidy said she understands nobody is invincible, no one knows who will perform well on any given day, so the intimidation is a fun privilege to have.
Weimer agreed with Reidy’s attitude of a lighthearted approach to the meet.
“The Big Ten meet is just so much fun to begin with, you’re bringing together some of the best teams in the nation,” Weimer said. “So it’s like, why not just approach it with an open hand and just be like, let’s just see what we can do.”