University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Lehman Repeats as B1G Heptathlon Champ
5/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
May 14, 2016
Meet Results (Day Two) 
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LINCOLN, Neb. - The Minnesota women's track & field team holds a 13-point lead in the Big Ten Conference team standings as Jess Lehman and Nicolle Murphy led the Gophers with event titles on day two of the B1G Championship Saturday.
The Gophers secured 13 points in the Big Ten heptathlon with two scoring finishes, led by Lehman, who successfully defended her heptathlon title from a year ago. Audra Winter also picked up points for the Gophers with a sixth-place finish. The title marked Lehman's fourth straight in the B1G multi-events as she now owns back-to-back B1G heptathlon and pentathlon crowns.
After back-to-back runner-up finishes, Murphy won her first Big Ten title of her career with a throw of 53.54m (175-08), her second-best mark of the season.
The Gophers' highest scoring event on Saturday was the 3,000m steeplechase, where they secured 16 points to finish day two with 56 points and a lead over host Nebraska (43 points) in second place followed by Wisconsin (36), Michigan State (29), and Indiana (27) rounding out the top five teams.
Lehman Defends Heptathlon Title
En route to her 2016 title, Jess Lehman won the heptathlon long jump with a season-best leap of 5.85m (19-02.50) and held a 42-points lead over runner-up Georgia Ellenwood of Wisconsin (4201) with two events to go. Lehman then won the javelin with a throw of 43.15m (141-07), extending her lead to 105 points. A fifth-place showing in the 800-meter run (2:22.37) sealed Lehman's B1G crown after she also won the heptathlon shot put (13.17m) and tied for first in high jump (1.74m) on day one.
Audra Winter took sixth with a career-best 5,203 points to move into fourth in Minnesota history. She fouled her first two long jump attempts but recorded a season-best mark of 5.29m (17-04.25) on her third and final jump to place 11th in the event. She then secured a career-best throw in the javelin, throwing 33.67m (110-05.75) for eighth place. The 800m saw Winter takes fourth in 2:22.14.
Amanda Beckman recorded a career-high 4,893 points to finish ninth overall, climbing one place after starting day two in 10th. She finished eighth in the heptathlon long jump with a jump of 5.53m (18-01.75), her second-best jump of the season, and threw 27.98m (91-09.75) in the javelin before clocking a time of 2:25.40 in the 800m.
Alex Beckman did not finish the event after fouling all three javelin attempts. She started day two by posting a season-best jump of 5.13m (16-10.00) in the long jump but did not record a mark in the javelin throwing into 16 mile per hour winds. Beckman did not start the 800m.
Saturday's Event Finals
Behind Murphy's javelin title, Lehman added two points with a seventh-place finish at 46.56m (152-09) to secure 12 points for the Gophers in the event.
Minnesota added 16 points to its team score with three scoring finishes in the 3,000m steeplechase led by Madeline Strandemo's runner-up showing. Strandemo posted a time of 10:09.78 behind champion Michigan State's Katie Landwehr (10:08.59). Taylor Mikkalson came in fourth in 10:15.26, cutting nearly 15 seconds off her previous career-best mark, and Kaila Urick finished sixth in 10:22.85.
Shanique Wright advanced to finals and finished ninth in the long jump with a leap of 5.89m (19-04.00). Lehman was 14th at 5.70m (18-08.50), and Amanda Beckman recorded an outdoor career-best jump of 5.65m (18-06.50) in 16th.
Kiley Sabin narrowly missed advancing to the shot put finals, finishing 11th with a throw of 14.87m (48-09.50).
Saturday's Preliminary Heats
Minnesota competed in preliminary heats of the 1,500m, 400m, 100m hurdles, 800m, and 400m hurdles on Saturday with six Gophers advancing to Sunday's event finals.
Madeline Strandemo and Haley Johnson secured their places in Sunday's Big Ten 1,500m final. Strandemo finished second in her heat in 4:26.31, and Johnson took third in her heat (4:28.38) to move on. Kaila Urick just missed advancing, finishing 13th in 4:29.47, and Tess Wasowicz ran a career-best 4:31.21 in her B1G track debut.
Titania Markland advanced to Sunday's 400m final, finishing seventh in prelims in 54.20 and second in her heat. Meanwhile, Emerald Egwim (54.33) took ninth, narrowly missing a place in the final. Erin Hawkins (55.04) was 11th, and Kat Keller (55.57) finished 15th as well.
Kimberly Golding (13.25) and Emma Spagnola (13.27) both earned places in Sunday's 100m hurdles final. Golding won her heat, and Spagnola finished second in hers as the duo clocked the third and fourth-fastest preliminary times. Spagnola clocked a career-best time in the 400m hurdles prelims, finishing ninth in 58.88 seconds.
In the 800m prelims, Ally McSherry posted the fourth-fastest preliminary time, taking second in her heat in 2:08.69. Meanwhile, Kate Shelerud recorded a career-best 2:10.72 to finish 12th, and Stacey Swatek was just shy of her career best at 2:10.84 in 14th place.
Action at the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championship concludes Sunday at Nebraska's Ed Weir Stadium.
Gopher B1G Scoring Finishes
1. Jess Lehman, heptathlon (5,763), 10 points
1. Nicolle Murphy, javelin (53.54m, 175-08), 10 points
2. Madeline Strandemo, 3,000m steeplechase (10:09.78), eight points
2. Liz Berkholtz, 10,000m (34:21.89), eight points
4. Taylor Mikkalson, 3,000m steeplechase (10:15.26), five points
5. Lyndsey Thorpe, hammer throw (61.29m, 201-01), four points
6. Kaila Urick, 3,000m steeplechase (10:22.85), three points
6. Audra Winter, heptathlon (5,203), three points
7. Agnes Esser, hammer throw (61.00m, 200-01), two points
7. Jess Lehman, javelin (46.56m, 152-09), two points
8. Ke-ke Burks, hammer throw (60.13m, 197-03), one point
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Players Mentioned
