University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Big Ten Championships
Gophers Finish Fourth at B1G Meet
2/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
GENEVA, Ohio - Madeline Strandemo won the mile and the Golden Gophers scored points in seven of eight possible events on day two at the Big Ten Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship Saturday at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Minnesota finished fourth in the team standings with 70 points.
"It was a great meet for our team," director of women's track & field and cross country Matt Bingle said. "Our goal coming in was to be in the top four, and we did that. The women did a nice job. There were some ups and downs, but they accomplished the goal.
"Our team did a lot of learning, which is really going to help us long term. People competed well and continued to step up. They have a lot to be proud of and grateful for, so we're excited."
Minnesota was in a ninth place in the team race entering day two with 16 points in six events scored on day one. In a tight team race, the Gophers were in a four-way tie for fifth place through nine events scored. Double-digit points in the weight throw, 60-meter hurdles, and high jump propelled the Gophers to a fourth-place showing overall.
"High jump, weight throw, and hurdles were all great," Bingle said. "Those were huge points for us. They really came through for the team, and it was just a great effort. All of those kids are young for the most part, so that's another thing to look forward to."
Penn State won the team title with 96.50 points, claiming a 2.50-point victory over runner-up Purdue (94 points). Ohio State (83), Minnesota (70), and Indiana (69) rounded out the top five teams.
"Going in, we knew that whatever happened this weekend, we were going to be better for it and grow from it," Bingle said. "I'm really excited about this team for outdoors and beyond. So many athletes had season bests, lifetime bests, school records -- I told the team that this is a meet where you come in and you step. If you don't, you get left behind. From freshmen to seniors, they all stepped up, and that's exciting. They met the challenge."
Strandemo was Minnesota's lone event champion, winning the Gophers' first B1G title in the mile since Heather Dorniden in 2009. Strandemo ran 4:41.88 to win the mile title, edging runner-up Brenna Calder of Indiana in 4:42.33, and clocking her second fastest mile of the season to win her first Big Ten title of her career after being third a year ago.
"It's such a well-deserved accomplishment for Maddie," Bingle said. "She's an awesome young woman and she continues to get better. She took control of the race from the beginning and didn't let go. She's got guts, and she showed that today."
Emma Spagnola and Kimberly Golding finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles final. The duo tied for a new Minnesota program history in the preliminary heats at 8.13 seconds and again ran almost identical times in the final. Spagnola finished third in 8.186 while Golding took fourth in 8.189 seconds.
A day after breaking her own Minnesota program record in the 400-meter dash by running 52.73 in the preliminary heats, Emerald Egwim clocked the second fastest indoor 400m time ever by a Gopher at 53.07 seconds. She placed fifth and earned four points for Minnesota in the team standings, marking her highest individual B1G finish of her career.
Minnesota's 4x400-meter relay team of Erin Hawkins, Brieasha Hobbs, Rachel Schow, and Egwim ran 3:37.20, the Gophers' best time of the season, to place fourth at the meet, pick up five points for the team, and move into fourth on Minnesota's all-time top-10 list.
In the field events, the Gophers secured 24 points in the team race on day two with points in the weight throw, high jump, and triple jump.
"We knew we were going to score points [on day two], but we got there in a different way than expected in some cases," Bingle said. "We had a lot of athletes gain some valuable experience competing in high pressure situations. You really can't put a value on that."
Agnes Esser earned a runner-up finish in the weight throw with a career-best throw of 20.94m (68-08.50). Her mark earned eight points for the Gophers in the team race and moved her into second among all-time Gophers weight throwers. Her mark was less than five inches off the Minnesota program record held by Liz Alabi at 21.05m (69-00.75) since 2007.
Minnesota grabbed three more points in the weight throw behind a sixth-place finish from Angie Guenther, who threw 19.35m (63-06.00) for the best indoor B1G showing of her career. Temi Ogunrinde finished 14th in her Big Ten debut (17.63m, 57-10.25), and Nina Horvath did not record a mark.
The Gophers combined for 10 points in the high jump behind a third-place finish by Taylor Wiebke and a fifth-place showing for Heta Tuuri. Wiebke cleared 1.79m (5-10.50) to place third, and Tuuri cleared 1.76m (5-09.25) for fifth place.
Shanique Wright picked up three points for the Gophers with a sixth-place showing in the triple jump as well. Wright posted an indoor career-best mark of 12.88m (42-03.25) to improve her mark as Minnesota's third-ranked triple jumper in program history.
Patty O'Brien (17:04.23) and Bailey Ness (17:05.21) finished 20th and 21st, respectively, in the 5,000-meter run on day two as well.
Minnesota's scoring finishes on day one of the meet included Cami Gilson (pole vault) and Shay Nielsen (shot put) both picking up fourth-place finishes in their respective events. Strandemo took sixth in the 3,000m before her mile victory on day two. Sofie Albrechtsen took seventh in the pentathlon, and the Gophers distance medley relay team of Tess Wasowicz, Rachel Schow, Paige Peschel, and Patty O'Brien finished eighth.
The 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship is set for Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11 in College Station, Texas.
Gophers' B1G Scoring Finishes
1. Madeline Strandemo, mile (4:41.88) - 10 points
2. Agnes Esser, weight throw (20.94m, 68-08.50) - 8 points
3. Emma Spagnola, 60m hurdles (8.19) - 6 points
3. Taylor Wiebke, high jump (1.79m, 5-10.50) - 6 points
4. Erin Hawkins, Brieasha Hobbs, Rachel Schow, Emerald Egwim, 4x400m relay (3:37.20) - 5 points 4. Kimberly Golding, 60m hurdles (8.19) - 5 points
4. Cami Gilson, pole vault (4.10m) - 5 points
4. Shay Nielsen, shot put (15.85m) - 5 points
5. Heta Tuuri, high jump (1.76m, 5-09.25) - 4 points
5. Emerald Egwim, 400m (53.07) - 4 points
6. Madeline Strandemo, 3,000m (9:18.02) - 3 points
6. Shanique Wright, triple jump (12.88m, 42-03.25) - 3 points
6. Angie Guenther, weight throw (19.35m, 63-06.00) - 3 points
7. Sofie Albrechtsen, pentathlon (3,657) - 2 points
8. Tess Wasowicz, Rachel Schow, Paige Peschel, Patty O'Brien, DMR (11:28.58) - 1 point
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Players Mentioned
