University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Beach Invitational
Esser, Spagnola Break Records
4/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
April 21, 2018
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Agnes Esser and Emma Spagnola broke program records and the No. 14 Golden Gophers came away with four event titles on day two of the Beach Invitational to wrap up the University of Minnesota women's track & field team's fourth and final day of competition on the west coast on Saturday.
Esser bested her own Minnesota program record in the discus with a throw of 57.98m (190-03) to place fourth, improving on her previous career-best mark of 57.91m (190-00) set at the 2016 NCAA West Prelim. Kiley Sabin also posted a top-10 mark with a PR of 53.58m (175-09) to improve on her ninth-place ranking among all-time Gophers and finish 11th at the meet.
🚨 Program record alert 🚨 Agnes Esser throws 57.98m to improve on her own #Gophers record in the discus. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/6VlPss1DFn
- Minnesota W TrackCC (@GopherWCCTF) April 21, 2018
Meanwhile, Spagnola broke a 13-year old Minnesota program record with her title in the 400m hurdles. Spagnola finished in a Gophers' program record time of 57.35 seconds, improving on the previous record of 57.67 held by Melissa Steele since 2005. Rachel Schow finished as runner-up, also clocking a career-best time of 58.08 seconds to move into fourth among all-time Gophers. The duo also led the Gophers in the 100m hurdles as Spagnola took fifth in 13.52 seconds and Schow was eighth in 13.90 seconds.
Titania Markland (800m) and Emerald Egwim (400m) joined Spagnola in earning individual event titles for the Maroon & Gold. The Gophers' 4x400m relay team of Egwim, Schow, Markland, and Val Larson was also victorious in a season-best 3:33.53 to rank third in program history.
Markland won the 800m run in a career-best 2:06.38 to move into a tie for third among all-time Gophers. Larson also recorded a career-best time, coming in 12th in 2:10.04. Paige Peschel was 24th in 2:12.44 after running an 800m PR of 2:10.41 at the Mt. SAC Relays this week.
Egwim used a season-best time of 52.44 seconds to win the 400m dash, her second 400m crown in as many days after also winning the event at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Friday.
Along with her discus PR, Sabin finished as shot put runner-up with a season-best mark of 16.63m (54-06.75) - just one inch shy of her career best and Minnesota program record mark of 16.65m (54-07.50).
Other action in the field events saw Heta Tuuri lead the Gophers in high jump with a fifth-place showing after clearing 1.75m (5-08.75) while Karlie Place cleared an outdoor season-best 4.05m (13-03.50) to tie for sixth in pole vault and move into seventh among all-time Gophers. Shanique Wright led Minnesota in triple jump in seventh place (season-best 12.38m, 40-07.50).
Day one of the Beach Invitational saw Temi Ogunrinde win the hammer throw with a mark of 67.12m (220-02) a day after she improved on her own Minnesota program record in the event with a career-best mark of 67.45m (221-03). Nayoka Clunis (64.26m, 210-10) and Esser (63.62m, 208-09) moved into second and third among all-time Gophers with PRs as well.
Minnesota wrapped up its time in California with four new program records. Along with Esser (discus), Spagnola (400m hurdles), and Ogunrinde (hammer throw), Bethany Hasz ran 15:59.46 to set a new Gophers' program record in the 5,000m run at the Mt. SAC Relays on Friday night; she and Megan Hasz (16:00.22) both broke the previous Minnesota record of 16:04.55 held by Megan Duwell since 2010.
Over four days of competition in California, the Gophers competed at the Mt. SAC Relays (one title), Pacific Coast Intercollegiate (one title), Bryan Clay Multi-Event and Invitational (two titles), and the Beach Invitational (five titles). The team totaled 40 career-best marks and 24 all-time top-10 program records in four days.
The Gophers will split up for four meets next week with members of the distance group competing at the Drake Relays and the Kip Janvrin Invite in Iowa and the sprints, hurdles, jumps, and throws group heading to the Louisville Lenny Lyles and Clark Wood Invite. Those not traveling will compete locally at the Janis Rider Invite hosted by Macalester College.
###
Players Mentioned
