University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
No. 10 Gophers Lead B1G Day One
5/11/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
May 11, 2018
Photo Gallery 
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Temi Ogunrinde and Nicolle Murphy won individual event titles to lead the No. 10 Golden Gopher women's track & field team on day one of the Big Ten Conference Outdoor Championship at Indiana's Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex on Friday.
Ogunrinde and Murphy both won the second B1G titles on their careers as Ogunrinde won the hammer throw for the second consecutive year and Murphy repeated as javelin champion after also winning the event in 2016.
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The 2018 Big Ten indoor champions, Minnesota leads the team standings through four of 21 events with 47 points. The Gophers have a 23-point lead over second place Wisconsin (24 points). Indiana (22 points), Penn State (18 points), and Nebraska and Michigan (tied with 13 points) round out the top six teams through four events. The Gophers were the only team to score points in all four day one events.
Ogunrinde led three Gophers in the top four of the hammer throw as Minnesota secured 21 points for the team competition in the first event of the meet. Ogunrinde used a throw of 66.97m (219-08) to win while Agnes Esser (61.70m, 202-05) and Nayoka Clunis (61.22m, 200-10) placed third and fourth, respectively.
Minnesota also secured double-digit team points in the javelin and pole vault, grabbing 11 points in javelin and another 10 points in pole vault.
Murphy threw 54.99m (180-05) to take the top honors and claim 10 points in the team race while Ayesha Champagnie placed eighth with a throw of 46.04m (151-00) in javelin. Ryan Crotty (42.18m, 138-05) and Hannah Arason (40.90m, 134-02) placed 13th and 14th, respectively, in their outdoor B1G debuts as well.
Lexi Kiefer cleared three career-best heights on the way to a third-place finish in the B1G pole vault. She improved her outdoor career-best mark to 4.12m (13-06.25) from 4.00m (13-01.50), clearing 4.02m and 4.07m along the way. Karlie Place also cleared 4.12m (13-06.25) for fifth place as the duo combined for 10 points in the team race. Kiefer's PR moved her into sixth among all-time Gophers as well.
The Gophers wrapped up day one of the B1G Championship with five points in the 10,000m run behind Megan Hasz's fourth-place finish as she clocked a time of 34:38.37 in her B1G outdoor debut. Bailey Ness finished 11th in 35:23.23, and Molly Eastman posted a career-best 10K time of 35:37.16 in 13th place.
B1G Heptathlon Day One
Gophers Ayesha Champagnie and Sofie Albrechtsen began the B1G heptathlon on Friday. After three events, Champagnie is in second place with 3,495 points. Albrechtsen competed in the 100m hurdles and high jump but did not continue.
Champagnie's best showing of day one was a win in the heptathlon shot put with a career-best throw of 14.79m (48-06.25). She also tied her career-best mark in high jump, clearing 1.66m (5-05.25) to place seventh. Champagnie also took fifth in the heptathlon 200m in 24.78 seconds and eighth in the heptathlon 100m hurdles in 14.31 seconds.
Day One Preliminary Heats
In the 400m hurdles, Emma Spagnola and Rachel Schow both punched their tickets to Sunday's final. Spagnola automatically advanced by winning her heat, recording the second-fastest preliminary time at 57.78 seconds, while Schow advanced on time, clocking the fifth-best overall preliminary time at 58.89 seconds. Lindsey Smits (1:00.22) and Erin Huls (1:00.61) placed 14th and 17th, respectively, as well.
Both Madeline Strandemo and Bethany Hasz advanced to Sunday's 1,500m final with career-best times in Friday's preliminary heats. Strandemo ran a career-best 4:20.42 to place third in her heat and automatically advance to the final; meanwhile, Hasz clocked a career-best 4:23.07 for fourth place in heat one but advanced on time. Both Gophers moved up Minnesota's all-time list with their performances as well; Strandemo climbed to seventh all-time while Hasz posted the 10th-best time in program history.
Action continues at the B1G Championship on Saturday with the Gophers competing in the heptathlon, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 3,000m steeplechase along with preliminary heats for the 400m, 100m hurdles, and 800m.
Gophers' B1G Scoring Finishes
1. Nicolle Murphy, javelin (54.99m, 180-05), 10 points
1. Temi Ogunrinde, hammer throw (66.97m, 219-08), 10 points
3. Agnes Esser, hammer throw (61.70m, 202-05), 6 points
3. Lexi Kiefer, pole vault (4.12m, 13-06.25), 6 points
4. Nayoka Clunis, hammer throw (61.22m, 200-10), 5 points
4. Megan Hasz, 10,000m (34:38.37), 5 points
5. Karlie Place, pole vault (4.12m, 13-06.25), 4 points
8. Ayesha Champagnie, javelin (46.04m, 151-00), 1 point
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