University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Big Ten Indoor Championships
Lehman Defends B1G Pentathlon Title
2/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Feb. 26, 2016
Meet Results (Day One) 
| Live Results
GENEVA, Ohio - Senior Jess Lehman successfully defended her Big Ten Conference title in the pentathlon and three Minnesota program records fell in day one action of the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute Friday. Along with Lehman's record-breaking performance, Emerald Egwim (400m) and Kimberly Golding (60m hurdles) set new Gophers' program records as well.
Lehman scored a Big Ten and Minnesota record 4,393 points in the pentathlon, finishing just one point ahead of B1G runner-up Georgia Ellenwood of Wisconsin (4,392). Fellow Gophers Sofie Albrechtsen (3,906) and Audra Winter (3,802) earned career-best marks to round out the top four finishers, and Alex Beckman (3,667) scored two points with a seventh-place finish.
Through six events, Minnesota is second in the Big Ten team standings with 37 points, trailing B1G leader Penn State (56.5 points). Michigan (25), Purdue (22), and Wisconsin (22) round out the top five teams at the end of day one.
Along with four scoring finishes in the pentathlon, the Gophers picked up points in the distance medley relay, shot put, long jump, and 3,000-meter run in day one event finals.
The distance medley relay team of Haley Johnson, Erin Hawkins, Stacey Swatek, and Madeline Strandemo posted a time of 11:13.28 for third place at the meed and sixth in Minnesota history.
Kiley Sabin improved her mark in Gophers' history with a career-best throw of 15.79m (51-09.75) in to place fifth in the shot put in her B1G debut. Also in the field events, Lehman posted a leap of 5.92m (19-05.25) to place sixth in the long jump. Amanda Beckman finished ninth with a career-best jump of 5.79m (19-00) as well.
Liz Berkholtz picked up one point for the Gophers with an eighth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run in 9:28.93. Jamie Piepenburg (9:39.77) and Patty O'Brien (9:52.39) each recorded career-best times as well.
Gophers Advance to B1G Finals
Eight Gophers advanced to Saturday's finals with qualifying times on the track in Friday's preliminary heats.
Emerald Egwim broke the Gophers' indoor program record in the 400-meter dash, finishing seventh in the preliminary heats in 54.11 seconds and improving on Titania Markland's time of 54.34 seconds from earlier this season. She advances to Saturday's final while fellow Gopher Kat Keller clocked a career-best time of 55.58 seconds in the prelims.
Minnesota's program record in the 60-meter hurdles also fell on Friday as Kimberly Golding improved on her own record with a career-best time of 8.31 seconds. Emma Spagnola ran a career-best time of 8.35 seconds to improve her mark at second in Gophers' history, and both Gophers advanced to Saturday's final.
Madeline Strandemo and Haley Johnson both ran career bests in the mile to advance to Saturday's final. Strandemo moved into seventh in Minnesota history in 4:42.98 while Johnson clocked a personal best of 4:45.66. Taylor Mikkalson also recorded a career-best mile (4:47.88) in 12th.
Two Gophers recorded indoor career-best times in the 800-meter run led by Ally McSherry, who earned a place in Saturday's final in 2:09.23 and moved into ninth in Minnesota history in her first race of the 2016 season. Fellow senior Stacey Swatek recorded a career-best time of 2:10.40 for 11th place.
In the 600-meter run, Markland and Kate Shelerud both advanced to Saturday's final, which includes two sections of nine. Markland posted a time of 1:30.68 to win her heat while Shelerud ran a career-best 1:33.25 to move on.
In total, Minnesota will have competitors in 11 events on Saturday. On the track, the Gophers will race in finals of the 5,000-meter run (Tamara Gorman, Kaila Urick, Berkholtz), mile (Strandemo, Johnson), 400m (Egwim), 800m (McSherry), 60m hurdles (Golding, Spagnola), 600m (Markland, Shelerud), and the 4x400m relay (Erin Hawkins, Egwim, Keller, and Markland).
Trials and finals will be held for triple jump (Shanique Wright), weight throw (Lyndsey Thorpe, Agnes Esser, Ke-ke Burks, Angie Guenther), and high jump (Heta Tuuri, Albrechtsen, Taylor Wiebke, Winter).
Gophers B1G Day One Scoring Finishes
1. Jess Lehman, pentathlon, 4,393 points (10)
3. Sofie Albrechtsen, pentathlon, 3,906 points (6)
3. Johnson, Hawkins, Swatek, Strandemo, DMR, 11:13.28 (6)
4. Audra Winter, pentathlon, 3,802 points (5)
5. Kiley Sabin, shot put, 15.79m (51-09.75) (4)
6. Jess Lehman, long jump, 5.92m (19-05.25) (3)
7. Alex Beckman, pentathlon, 3,667 points (2)
8. Liz Berkholtz, 3,000m, 9:28.93 (1)
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Players Mentioned
