University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Big Ten Indoor Championships
Place Finishes as B1G Runner-Up
2/23/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Feb. 23, 2018
GENEVA, Ohio - Karlie Place finished as pole vault runner-up and the No. 10 Minnesota women's track & field team scored points in all six possible events as the Golden Gophers competed on day one of the Big Ten Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, on Friday.
Through six events scored, Minnesota is in fourth in the team standings with 25 points. Wisconsin leads the way with 46 points, followed by Penn State (36 points) and Indiana (30 points) ahead of the Gophers. Michigan (20 points) rounds out the top five at the end of day one.
Day One Event Finals
The Gophers scored points in all six possible events on day one of the B1G Championship: pole vault (eight points), shot put (four points), pentathlon (four points), long jump (three points), 3,000m (three points), and the distance medley relay (three points).
The Gophers grabbed 15 points in the field events led by Karlie Place's runner-up finish in pole vault at 4.18m (13-08.50). Kiley Sabin took fifth in shot put with a 16.58m (54-04.75); Shay Nielsen also posted a career-best throw of 15.91m (52-02.50), good for ninth, and Nayoka Clunis placed 13th (15.30m, 50-02.50) in the shot put.
Ayesha Champagnie recorded a mark of 5.95m (19-06.25) to place sixth in long jump, and Lorean Murray jumped 5.83m (19-01.50) to finish 11th and set a new career-best mark.
On the track, the Gophers placed sixth in the distance medley relay as Abby Kohut-Jackson, Titania Markland, Val Larson, and Madeline Strandemo ran 11:25.67. In the 3,000m run, Megan Hasz led Minnesota with a seventh-place showing (career-best 9:25.33) followed by Bethany Hasz in eighth (9:25.82) and Elyse Prescott in 17th (9:56.99).
B1G Pentathlon
Minnesota picked up four points in the pentathlon behind two scoring finishes. Sofie Albrechtsen took sixth with a season-best score of 3,843 points, securing three points in the team race, and Ashley Ramacher scored a career-high 3,788 points to place eighth and pick up one point for the team. Hannah Arason finished just outside the top eight, taking ninth with 3,762 points; Ayesha Champagnie did not finish.
Albrechtsen's best finish was a tie for third place in the pentathlon high jump where she cleared 1.72m (5-07.75). She also set a PR in long jump with a mark of 5.42m (17-09.50).
Ramacher used PRs in long jump (5.30m, 17-04.75) and the 800m (2:21.28) on the way to her sscore of 3,788, which ranks sixth among all-time Gophers. Her best showing in the pentathlon was also a tie for third in the high jump at 1.72m (5-07.75).
Arason posted career-best marks in the 60m hurdles (9.08), shot put (11.41m, 37-05.25), and 800m (2:22.09) and finished just shy of her pentathlon PR at 3,762. She joined her fellow Gophers in tying for third in the pentathlon high jump as her top finish.
Champagnie started the pentathlon and competed in the first four events but did not finish.
Day One Preliminary Heats
The Gophers advanced to Saturday's event finals in the 60m hurdles, 400m, 600m, and mile following Friday's preliminary heats.
Emma Spagnola and Rachel Schow both qualified for the 60m hurdles final as Spagnola ran the second-best preliminary time at 8.25 seconds. Schow was seventh in prelims, tying her career-best time of 8.41 seconds.
Emerald Egwim advanced to the 400m final with a season-best time of 53.17 seconds, good for fourth in the preliminary heats. Brieasha Hobbs (55.83) and Sophia Anderson (career-best 56.42) came in 22nd and 23rd, respectively.
Titania Markland posted the second-fastest preliminary time in the 600m, running a career-best 1:28.12 to move on to Saturday's final and improving on her third-ranked time in Gophers' history. Val Larson placed 10th in 1:31.15, followed by Kelli Schmidt (career-best 1:33.69) and Erin Huls (1:34.20) in 19th and 20th, respectively.
In the mile, both Bethany Hasz and Madeline Strandemo advanced to the final. Hasz recorded a career-best time of 4:42.02 while Strandemo was on her heels in 4:42.18. With her PR, Hasz moved into
Action continues at the B1G Championship on Saturday with the Gophers set to compete in the 400m, 600m, mile, 5,000m, 60m hurdles, 4x400m relay, high jump, weight throw, and triple jump.
Gophers' B1G Scoring Finishes
2. Karlie Place, pole vault, 4.18m, 13.08.50 (8 points)
5. Kiley Sabin, shot put, 16.58m, 50-02.50 (4 points)
6. Ayesha Champagnie, long jump, 5.95m, 19-06.25 (3 points)
6. Sofie Albrechtsen, pentathlon, 3,843 (3 points)
6. Abby Kohut-Jackson, Titania Markland, Val Larson, Madeline Strandemo, distance medley relay, 11:25.67 (3 points)
7. Megan Hasz, 3,000m, 9:25.33 (2 points)
8. Bethany Hasz, 3,000m, 9:25.82 (1 point)
8. Ashley Ramacher, pentathlon, 3,788 (1 point)
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Players Mentioned
