Gopher Samantha Sonnenberg Heads to NCAA Championships

[Chris]

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Samantha Sonnenberg Heads to NCAA Championships

Gopher Sports Spotlight took the opportunity to stop by the University Fieldhouse to talk with senior pole vaulter Samantha Sonnenberg. Sonnenberg is coming off a performance in which she won her first Big Ten title and heads to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in College Station, Texas, this weekend.

Sonnenberg is the lone Gopher headed to the NCAA Championships. She will compete on Saturday at 4 p.m.  She cleared a career-best 14 feet, 1 1/4 inches at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships to finish seventh and capture her first career All-America honor.

ESPN3.com will stream portions of the championships live both days. Remaining coverage will be available on NCAA.com. The times for ESPN3.com coverage are from 3-7:40 p.m. on Friday and from 3-6:50 p.m. on Saturday. Additionally, ESPN2 will air a recap show on Wednesday, March 16 at 1:30 p.m. CT.

[Chris]

Sonnenberg Repeats as an All-American

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Minnesota senior Samantha Sonnenberg captured her second career All-America honor placing seventh in the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas, on Saturday. Sonnenberg matched a season-best height clearing the bar at 13 feet, 11 1/4 inches.

Sonnenberg struggled early needing clearing the opening height of 13-1 1/2 on her third attempt. She cleared the next three heights, including her final bar, on her second attempt. Sonnenberg had three attempts at her career-best height of 14-1 1/4, the height she cleared in placing seventh at last year’s NCAA meet. Arkansas junior Tina Sutej won the national title with a height of 14-7 1/4.

Sonnenberg was the only Gopher competing at the NCAA Championships. Minnesota finished with two team points