University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Jack Johnson Classic
Gophers Earn Three Titles at Jack Johnson Classic
1/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 31, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS - Erin Hawkins, Devin Stanford and Jess Herauf won event titles to lead the Golden Gopher women's track & field team as the team hosted the Jack Johnson Classic at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse Friday and Saturday.
The Gophers picked up two event titles on Saturday as Hawkins won the 60-meter dash and Stanford won the weight throw. On Friday, Herauf broke the Minnesota program record and won the pentathlon with 4,289 points.
"Obviously yesterday was a great day for Jess," director of women's track & field and cross country Matt Bingle said. "She beat the program record held by one of the all-time best athletes in the history of our program, Liz Roehrig. Jess came out of it healthy, which is a big deal for us. It was very exciting and well-deserved. She was focused and had a really good day."
The excitement continued Saturday with Hawkins picking up her fourth event title of the season by winning the 60-meter dash in a personal-best 7.49 seconds. She improved the sixth-best time in program history by 0.02 seconds.
Meanwhile, Stanford led the Gopher throwers with a first-place finish in the weight throw. Though shy of her career best, Stanford set a new Jack Johnson Classic meet record with a throw of 19.56 meters.
Several other Gophers set program-best or career-best marks as well.
Emma Spagnola improved on her Minnesota program record time in the 60-meter hurdles. Spagnola ran an 8.55 for second place and took 0.02 off her school-record time of 8.57 seconds. Kimberly Golding also made her mark in the Gophers' recordbooks, clocking the third-best time in school history at 8.65 for third place.
Two Gophers finished in the top three of the 400-meter dash. Titania Markland improved on her indoor personal best and sixth-place ranking among all-time Gophers with a second-place finish in 54.96 seconds. Jessica Waldvogel was third overall and entered the all-time top-10, ranking 10th in an indoor personal-best 55.72.
"Jess, Titania, Erin, Emma and Kim, that whole group had a good day today," Bingle said. "It was great to see them take care of business and execute what they're supposed to do. They're starting to really practice well, so we have to just keep working together and seeing where things can go."
Among the top distance performances of the meet were Gophers Kate Bucknam (4:56.67) and Ally McSherry (4:56.77) each posting career-best times and winning their respective heats of the mile. The duo finished fourth and fifth overall.
Anne Haakenstad led the Gophers in the 600-meter run with a seventh-place finish, and Andie Zeman paced the team in the 800-meter run in 10th place. On Friday, Megan Bailey led the Maroon & Gold in the 5,000-meter run with a career-best 18:08.49 for seventh place.
In addition to Stanford's win in the weight throw, the Gopher field events were highlighted by Lyndsey Thorpe's performance in the throws. Thorpe took sixth in the weight throw and led Minnesota in ninth in the shot put. Heta Tuuri finished second in the high jump, clearing 1.72 meters, as well.
On Friday, Gopher pole vaulters Katie Murgic and Cami Gilson both cleared 4.11m for the first time, indoors or outdoors. Murgic placed second and Gilson was fourth, and the duo is currently tied for fifth among all-time Gopher pole vaulters.
"Katie and Cami had a good day," Bingle said. "Each week, they're getting better and gaining confidence. I think they're getting into a good groove. Over the next couple weeks, they get to go to some good meets so we're excited.
"Overall, it was a great meet for the women and I feel good about where we're headed. We just have to be careful as we move forward and keep working together."
Minnesota will split the team at two meets next weekend. The Gopher pole vaulters and distance runners will compete at the Meyo Invitational hosted by Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., and the rest of the team will go to the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. Both meets are Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7.
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