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Best of 2018
12/28/2018 8:15:00 AM | Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
Look back at the top moments of 2018 for the Gopher women's track & field and cross country program.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The 2018 year was one to remember for the Golden Gopher women's track & field and cross country programs. Look back at the top moments of 2018 as the team prepares for another memorable year in 2019.
January 2018
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January 2018
- The Gophers won their fourth-straight title at the Minnesota-Wisconsin Dual. Minnesota defeated Wisconsin by a score of 88-69, winning six events on the track and adding another three titles in the field events.
- Ayesha Champagnie set a Minnesota program record in long jump with a mark of 6.56m (21-06.25) to win the event at the Minnesota-Wisconsin Dual.
- Bethany Hasz broke Minnesota's program record in the 3,000-meter run, clocking a time of 9:13.95 at the Iowa State Classic.
- University of Minnesota alumna and former Gopher sprinter Akuoma Omeoga competed at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games as a member of the Nigerian bobsleigh team.
- The Gophers won the program's fourth indoor and sixth overall Big Ten Conference Track & Field Championship led by Kaitlyn Long's weight throw title and runner-up showings in the 600m (Titania Markland), mile (Madeline Strandemo), and pole vault (Karlie Place). Minnesota defeated runner-up Purdue by a score of 91.50 to 80.
- Kaitlyn Long broke Minnesota's program record in the weight throw for the third time in 2018 with a B1G winning mark of 24.37m (79-11.50).
- Matt Bingle was named the 2018 Big Ten Conference Women's Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year.
- Kaitlyn Long won the weight throw to become the second national champion in University of Minnesota women's track & field history at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship.
- Minnesota tied for 14th in the team standings at the NCAA Championship behind 14 points with two scoring finishes. Along with 10 points from Long's NCAA title, Kiley Sabin picked up four points in the team race with a fifth-place finish in the shot put.
- Five Gophers were honored as 2018 USTFCCCA All-America honorees. NCAA weight throw champion Kaitlyn Long and Kiley Sabin, who placed fifth in the shot put, were named First-Team All-Americans while Agnes Esser, Karlie Place, and Nayoka Clunis earned Second-Team honors.
- Kaitlyn Long was named Midwest Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year and Big Ten Women's Field Athlete of the Year.
- Bethany Hasz (15:59.46) and Megan Hasz (16:00.22) both improved on Minnesota's program record in the 5,000m at the Mt. SAC Relays, landing first and second in program history ahead of the previous program record of 16:04.55 set by Megan Duwell in 2010.
- Temi Ogunrinde improved on her own Minnesota program record in the hammer throw for the second time during the season with a mark of 67.45m (221-03) at the Mt. SAC Relays.
- Agnes Esser improved on her own Minnesota program record in the discus with a throw of 57.98m (190-03) at the Beach Invite.
- At Louisville's Lenny Lyles-Clark Wood Invite, Emma Spagnola won the 100m hurdles in a career-best 12.97 seconds to improve on the previous program record of 12.98 seconds, set by Kimberly Golding last season. In addition, Kiley Sabin finished as shot put runner-up and improved on her own Minnesota program record with an outdoor career-best throw of 16.89m (55-05.00).
- Minnesota won the program's third outdoor and seventh overall Big Ten Conference Track & Field Championship. The Gophers scored points in 15 of 21 possible events at the B1G Championship. Nicolle Murphy (javelin) and Temi Ogunrinde (hammer throw) won individual titles to lead the way. The Gophers finished as B1G runners-up in the 4x100m relay (Rachel Schow, Titania Markland, Emma Spagnola, and Emerald Egwim), triple jump (Shanique Wright), 3,000m steeplechase (Madeline Strandemo), shot put (Kiley Sabin), and high jump (Ashley Ramacher).
- Emerald Egwim improved on her own Minnesota program record in the 400m during the B1G prelims with a time of 51.82 seconds before Titania Markland set a new record with a time of 51.40 seconds at the Big Ten Championship.
- The Gophers' 4x100m relay team of Rachel Schow, Titania Markland, Emma Spagnola, and Emerald Egwim finished as B1G runner-up in a Minnesota program record time of 44.22 seconds.
- Matt Bingle repeated as Big Ten Women's Track & Field Coach of the Year after receiving the same award for the B1G indoor season. Ten Gophers were named to the All-Big Ten Conference teams as well.
- Nineteen individuals qualified for the 2018 NCAA West Prelim. The 19 Gophers secured 23 entries in 14 different events at the NCAA First Round.
- Emma Spagnola finished as runner-up in the 400m hurdles with a career-best time of 56.51 seconds at the NCAA West Prelim, improving on the Minnesota program record for the third time during the season.
- Madeline Strandemo improved on her own Minnesota program record in the 3,000m steeplechase, posting a career-best time of 9:51.49 and finishing fifth at the NCAA West Prelim.
- The Gophers' 4x400m relay team of Emerald Egwim, Rachel Schow, Titania Markland, and Val Larson finished sixth in a Minnesota program record time of 3:32.25 at the NCAA West Prelim.
- The Gophers honored 18 graduating seniors. Five fifth-year seniors led the Gophers in captains Titania Markland and Madeline Strandemo, and Amelia Barczi, Sarah Klecker, and Nicolle Murphy. Agnes Esser, captain Emma Spagnola, Heta Tuuri, and Emerald Egwim also wrapped up their Gophers careers as true seniors having competed for four years for the Maroon & Gold. Redshirt juniors Courtney Alama, Emily Castanias, Molly Eastman, Nina Horvath, Macy Narr, Bailey Ness, Lindsey Smits, and Rachel Wians also graduated while graduate student transfer Delaney FitzPatrick finished out her collegiate eligibility.
- Fourteen Gophers advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Eugene, Ore.
- Twelve individuals totaled 13 All-America awards led by First Team All-American Emma Spagnola following her seventh-place finish in the 400m hurdles. Emerald Egwim earned two Second Team All-America awards in the 400m dash and 4x400m relay as well. Fellow Gophers Ayesha Champagnie, Temi Ogunrinde, Agnes Esser, Rachel Schow, Titania Markland, Val Larson, Heta Tuuri, Ashley Ramacher, Nicolle Murphy, and Nayoka Clunis earned Second Team All-America honors as well.
- Ashley Ramacher was named the Big Ten Conference Outdoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year, wrapping up her first season competing in uniform for the Gophers as a Second Team All-American and Second Team All-Big Ten honoree in high jump.
- Emma Spagnola placed 11th in the 400m hurdles and Madeline Strandemo placed 17th in the 3,000m steeplechase at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
- Nayoka Clunis won the Jamaican national title in hammer throw and Ayesha Champagnie finished as national runner-up in javelin. Shanique Wright placed fourth in triple jump and Titania Markland finished 10th in the 400m as the quartet competed at the 2018 Jamaica National senior Championships.
- Twenty-four track & field athletes were named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars for the 2018 season.
- Nayoka Clunis made her debut representing the Jamaican national team at the inaugural Athletics World Cup where she placed eighth in hammer throw in London.
- Temi Ogunrinde set a new Nigerian national record and finished as hammer throw runner-up at the 2018 African Athletics Championships. Ogunrinde recorded a throw of 67.39m (221-01) on her fourth attempt to seal her second-place finish.
- Gophers Molly Eastman, Abby Lange, Patty O'Brien, Paige Peschel, Elyse Prescott, and Kelsey Sather were named captains for the 2018 cross country season.
- A new era of Gopher Track & Field and Cross Country began when the men's and women's programs combined under a single coaching and support staff in August 2018.
- Temi Ogunrinde competed in hammer throw while representing Africa at the 2018 IAAF Continental Cup in Ostrava, Czech Republic. She placed fourth in the team standings, securing five points for Africa in the four-continent team competition.
- Minnesota's first NCAA champion in program history, Heather (Dorniden) Kampf was inducted into the University of Minnesota "M" Club Hall of Fame as part of the 2018 inductee class.
- Gopher alumna Madeline Strandemo joined the professional running ranks when she signed a contract with Oiselle to train as a 3,000-meter steeplechase specialist with the LittleWing Athletics group coached by Lauren Fleshman in Bend, Ore.
- The University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics celebrated a new era of track & field with the grand opening of the University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium.
- Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz finished first and second to lead the Gophers to the program's fifth Roy Griak Invitational team title.
- The Gophers celebrated the 2018 Griak Hall of Fame class at the 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational, honoring inductees Hassan Mead, Rasa (Michniovaite) Troup, Dave Percival, and Griak Invitational co-founder Gary Wilson.
- Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz earned All-Big Ten honors to lead the Gophers to a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Cross Country Championship. Bethany Hasz ran the team's fastest 6K of the season, posting a time of 20:14.1.
- The Gophers wrapped up the 2018 cross country season with a 29th-place finish at the NCAA Championship after placing third at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
- At the NCAA Midwest Regional, Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz both recorded top-10 finishes to lead the Maroon & Gold and earn all-region honors for the third time in their careers.
- Bethany Hasz placed 49th at the national meet, marking the highest showing by a Gopher since Liz Berkholtz finished 44th in 2015.
- Minnesota won seven event titles at the SDSU Holiday Open, taking home three individual titles on the track and four in the field events.
- Twenty-eight Gophers were named Academic All-Big Ten honorees following the 2018 cross country season.
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