Sans individual title, Minnesota good enough to take Big Ten Championships title
Source: BigTenNetwork.com
Posted: Thursday, February 28, 2008 3:02:00 PM EST
Published: Monday, March 03, 2008 7:01:17 PM EST
Posted: Thursday, February 28, 2008 3:02:00 PM EST
Published: Monday, March 03, 2008 7:01:17 PM EST
Minnesota had no individual champions but its eight top-three finishers were good enough to claim the program's second consecutive Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships title Sunday.
The Gophers held a 10-point (130-120) advantage over the Wolverines heading into the final event, the 4x400 meter relay. Minnesota's team of Ritita Butler, Julie Schwengler, Jamie Dittmar and Heather Dorniden finished in third place, just one spot behind Michigan to seal the conference crown.
In the end, Minnesota staved off Michigan, 136-128.
"It's always great winning in front of your fans, the crowd, the people that support our program," Minnesota coach Matt Bingle said. "To win it back to back is a very special thing for these young women."
The indoor conference title was the second in program history. The Gophers won by 13 points (121.5-108.5) over Michigan last season in Champaign, Ill.
Leading by just three points (77-74) over second-place Penn State after 11 events, the Golden Gophers soared into the lead for good place by placing three runners (junior Schwengler, junior Gabrielle Anderson and freshman Nikki Swenson) in the top four of the 800-meter run. The event notched Minnesota 19 team points and put them 16 ahead of Michigan at the time.
The day's most memorable performance, however, was turned in by the junior Dorniden in the 600 meter dash. Dorniden, a five-time track and field All-American, tripped while moving to the inside lane after one lap of the event, falling several meters behind the rest of the pack. But Dorniden recovered quickly made a move during the event's final lap, passing teammate Dittmar at the finish line to win her heat and come in second place with a time of 1 minute, 31.72 seconds.
"When I started running again, I was thinking I just had to get a decent time to get in scoring range, and then they just seemed close," said a breathless Dorniden about her dramatic come-from-behind race. "There is just so much adrenaline rushing through you there; I didn't even feel it."
Dittmar, a freshman, placed third in the 600 with a career-best time of 1 minute, 31.76 seconds.
"It was a huge race for us," said Bingle of the Gophers' performance in the 600. "Michigan was coming and coming and that race determined how everything else went. If (Dorniden) wouldn't have gotten up, we would have lost."
Junior Jamie Cheever placed sixth in the 5,000 meter run with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 16 minutes, 39.04 seconds. Cheever also placed second in the mile with an NCAA provisional time of 4 minutes, 43.34 seconds, while Dorniden (4:44.26) took fourth place also qualified provisionally for nationals.
In the 800 meter run, Schwengler came in second with an NCAA provisional time of 2 minutes, 9.39 seconds, with Anderson and Swenson placing third and fourth, respectively.
Junior Caitlin Roemhildt was the Minnesota's top field event performer Sunday, placing second in the high jump at a height of five feet, 10 inches, an NCAA provisional mark.
All told, the Gophers gained 12 top-three finishers and three individual champions (Liz Roehrig in the pentathalon, Alicia Rue in the pole vault and Liz Podominick in the shot put).
MICHIGAN: Despite winning four Big Ten titles (800-meter run, mile, 60-meter hurdles, high jump), Michigan finished second at the Big Ten Indoor Championship Sunday at the Minnesota Fieldhouse in Minneapolis, Minn.
Geena Gall came in first in the 800-meter run with an NCAA Provisional qualifying time of 2:05.99, setting a new Big Ten meet record. She also served as the third leg in the second place 4x400 meter relay squad.
Nicole Edwards won the mile with a 4:41.04. Competing in her first Big Ten Championships, freshman Danielle Tauro also scored points for the Wolverines in the event with her sixth-place 4:48.37 finish.
Tiffany Ofili won the 60-meter hurdles with a new Minnesota Fieldhouse record of 8.06. She also scored points for U-M with a second place NCAA Provisional qualifying finish in the 60-meter dash (7.42) and a fourth place 24.62 finish in the 200-meter dash. Charnee Lumbus came in third in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal best 8.35.
Bettie Wade soared above the competition in the high jump earning a first place and indoor personal best 5-11 1/2. Olivia Both also scored points with her fourth place jump (5-7).
Bridgette Maynard earned a point for the Wolverines with her personal record 55-11 3/4 weight throw.
Casey Taylor earned an NCAA Provisional mark with her second-place personal record in the triple jump (42-0 3/4).
Spinters Serita Williams (56.32) and Shana Vinson (56.38) placed seventh and eighth, respectively in the 400-meter dash to add to the U-M total.
Linda Montgomery came in seventh in the 600-meter dash with a 1:33.45.
The 4x400-meter relay team, composed of Vinson, Amber Hay, Gall and Williams placed second in the race with a 3:44.43.
Lisa Uible scored a point for the Maize and Blue with a personal best eighth-place 16:40.38 NCAA Provisional qualifying mark in the 5,000-meter run.
PENN STATE: Shana Cox delivered the kind of performance reserved for superstars Sunday on the final day of the Big Ten Championships. Cox, who fueled Penn State to its third-place finish, took the title 200 and 400 and also anchored the 4x400 winning team.
WISCONSIN: Wisconsin tallied 69.5 points to finish fourth, its best finish since 2000, at the 2008 Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships in Minneapolis.
"It's a step in the right direction," coach Jim Stinzi said. "I think it means we're doing some things right, our athletes are competing really well over two days. It's something that we've kind of struggled with in the past and I do think that we're making some progress in a lot of different areas, and we're scoring in a lot of different areas."
Senior Katrina Rundhaug won the 5,000 meters, setting a new personal best with her 15:57.93. Her time improved her NCAA automatic qualifying time and ranks third on the UW all-time list. Junior Alicia Pabich, who was stopped a lap early still managed to place ninth in the 5,000 meters in 16:42.47 while sophomore Hanna Grinaker placed 11th in 16:57.70. Freshman Leah Coyle finished 21st in 18:12.53.
Rundhaug's race was "a pretty spectacular race," Stintzi said. "She led almost start to finish and just kind of laid the gauntlet down and forced everybody to go with her. She ran a great race, and I think it's just a little taste of what she can do, and in a couple weeks it will be a new race and an even better outcome, I think."
Senior Ann Detmer medaled as well, placing third in the mile in 4:44.12. Michigan's Nicole Edwards won the race in 4:41.04. UW junior Gwen Jorgensen finished seventh in 4:48.50. Stintzi applauded both Detmer and Jorgensen on their performances, noting that ""they came in big for us.""
Also scoring in the top five were juniors Amanda Hoeppner, Chavon Robinson and Megan Seidl.
Hoeppner took fourth in the weight throw, setting a new school record of 59 feet, 11 ¼ inches. The throw broke her own UW mark of 57-4 ¼ set previously this season. Robinson finished fifth in the triple jump at 40-11 and Seidl placed fifth as well, clearing 5-7 in the high jump.
Sophomore Carrie Woltman also scored in the high jump, tying for eighth with Ashley Rhoades of Indiana at 5-5 ¼.
In the last event of the day, the 4x400-meter relay team of Kaitlyn Marsolek, Akaila Cabell, Caitlin Dodge and Egle Staisiunaite captured a sixth-place finish in 3:50.29.
IOWA: The Hawkeyes placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships with 60 points, nine-and-a-half points behind fourth-place finisher Wisconsin. Iowa won two championship events as senior Meghan Armstrong and junior Renee White each took first in their respective events.
"This was a good championship meet for us, but not a great one," Iowa coach Layne Anderson said.
Armstrong won the 3,000 meters Saturday with a career-best time of 9:18.30 and White took first in the triple jump with a school-record leap of 42-4. This is the ninth time in school history the Hawkeyes have won multiple titles.
Renee White took first in the triple jump with a school record leap of 42-4. This jump meets the provisional qualifying standard for the NCAA Championships. White also competed in the 60-meter hurdles finals, Sunday. She placed seventh and was less than .01 behind sixth place. Teammate Karessa Farley finished behind White for eighth.
"We did have two championships with Meghan and Renee and two second-place finishes in the 200 and 400 meters by Kineke, but I feel like we left a few things out there," Anderson said. "We have to give credit to Wisconsin for finishing ahead of us though," Anderson said.
Five-time Big Ten Champion Kineke Alexander was second in the 200 (24.39) and 400 meters (53.77). Her time in the 400 meters was a provisionally qualifying performance.
Senior Diane Nukuri automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 5,000 meters with a third-place time of 16:02.96, marking the fastest of her career. Armstrong finished four spots behind Nukuri with a provisional qualifying time of 16:39.04.
Sophomore Rhonda-Kaye Trusty finished sixth in the 60 meters with a career-best time of 7.61. Sophomore Caleigh Bacchus (5-5 ¼) and senior Tammilee Kerr (5-3 ¾) placed 10th and 14th respectively in the high jump.
ILLINOIS: Senior Tiara Armstrong won the 60-meter dash and placed third in the 200m to pace Illinois' sixth-place attack at the Big Ten Indoor Championships at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse on Sunday.
Armstrong crossed the finish line in 7.41 seconds in the 60m, which was both a personal-best and an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. She edged out Michigan's Tiffany Ofili for the title, who finished in 7.42 to take second place. In the 200m, Armstrong timed 24.47 to finish third and bring her individual total to 16 points scored toward the Illini's team score.
"Tiara competed very, very will," head coach Gary Winckler said. "To win the 60m and get third in the 200m is a great day for her. As a team, we pretty much accomplished what we could expect out of the day. This meet was a learnineg experience for our young team, and now we're going to start getting ready for the outdoor season."
Angela Bizzarri, who took fifth in the 3,000m on Saturday, also placed fifth in the mile with a time of 4:47.76 in one of the meet's most competitive races. The top seven finishers all hit NCAA provisional qualifying times, including Bizzarri. The sophomore has a strong chance of competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships, owning a season-best mile time of 4:41.91.
Omoye Ugiagbe joined Armstrong and Bizzarri in scoring in two events. The junior placed fifth in the 400m for the third consecutive year, running 55.47. Ugiagbe also took eighth in the 200m in 24.87.
In the 800m, senior Rachel Hernandez sparked the Illini with a sixth-place finish of 2:11.74, while sophomore Katie Engel just missed the scoring column in taking ninth (2:13.02).
Senior LaNeisha Waller, who won the Big Ten 60m hurdles title in 2006, finished fifth with a time of 8.42. Freshman Melissa Bates was ninth in the triple jump (39 feet, 7.25 inches), while the Illini 4x400m relay of Armstrong, Bates, Ugiagbe and Briana Cunningham was eighth (3:51.50).
Illinois will send its athletes with hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships to the Iowa State Last Chance meet in Ames, Iowa on Saturday, March 8.
PURDUE: Purdue posted its best indoor conference finish in the last six years, taking home seventh at the 2008 Big Ten Indoor Championships on Sunday. The Boilermakers tallied 40 team points on the strength of a pair of silver medal performances.
Senior Astin Steward claimed silver in the weight throw, hurling it 19.57 meters (64-02.50), while sophomore Stacey Wannemacher gave Purdue two scorers in the event, picking up sixth with a toss of 17.39 meters (57-00.75). Senior Leah Kincaid scored in both the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles, taking fifth in the dash with a career-best time of 7.59, and earning fourth in the hurdles in 8.37.
Second-year Christina Madison posted a personal-best in the triple jump, earning seventh place with her leap of 12.15 meters (39-10.50). Fellow sophomore Ashlee Lengacher grabbed fifth place in the 800-meter run, scoring at the conference meet for the first time in her career with a time of 2:10.11.
The Boilermakers picked up a point in the coveted Crimson and Gold Cup standings overtaking archrival Indiana University, which finished ninth. With the Purdue men topping the Hoosiers at the indoor championships as well, the Boilermakers draw even in the standings with six points apiece.
MICHIGAN STATE: Nicole Bush placed second in the 5,000 meters with an NCAA provisional time of 16:00.25 to lead the Spartans on Sunday at the Big Ten Championships. In the weight throw, Meagan Halliwill took third with a toss of 18.56 meters (60-10 3/4), while Ashley Lawrence claimed fifth with a throw of 17.91 meters (58-9 1/4). As a team, the Spartans placed eighth with 35 points.
INDIANA: Audrey Smoot claimed a first-place finish in the 600 meter to pace the Hoosiers' ninth-place finish Sunday at the Big Ten Championships. Indiana also recorded six top-10 finishes and three top-five finishes.
Smoot's time of 1:31.59 was a career best and the second-fastest time in IU history, surpassing fellow junior Molly Beckwith in the record books. Smoot's previous career best, which had stood as the fourth-fastest in program History, was improved by .64 seconds. Beckwith finished fifth in the event, recording a time of 1:32.16.
The two juniors teamed up with senior Kyndal Carr and freshman Lindsey Hartman to place seventh in the 4X400m relay with a time of 3:50.71.
Junior Wendi Robinson finished fifth in the 5000m, recording a provisional qualifying time of 16:29.07. Robinson finished nearly 10 full seconds ahead the sixth place runner, and the provisional qualification is the second in the 5,000m for Robinson on the season, as she finished in 16:16.23 on Jan. 26 at the Gladstein Invite.
OHIO STATE: Buckeye senior Veronica Jatsek paced Ohio State's last-place finish at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday. Jatsek won the weight throw title with a career-best toss of 70 feet, 7 3/4 inches. The toss by Jatsek is the second-best in Ohio State history behind Keturah Lofton's school record by one inch. The toss is an NCAA automatic qualifier and is the second-best toss in the country this season behind world record holder Brittany Riley of Southern Illinois. The toss by Jatsek also set the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse record.
Junior Ayrizanna Favours scored in two events on Sunday. Favours grabbed fourth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.56 and sixth-place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.74. Also scoring points senior Chandra Krempel took eighth in the 600-meter run. Favours and Krempel joined with Ashley Caldwell and Ashley Jones in the 4x400-meter relay to take fourth in a time of 3:46.87.
DAY 1
Host Minnesota held a commanding 58-37 lead after day one of the 2008 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships at the University Fieldhouse in Minneapolis. Michigan, which won the distance medley relay and the long jump, is currently in second place. Penn State is in third place with 33 points.
Minnesota won three of Saturday's six final events, including a school record-setting jump by sophomore Alicia Rue in the pole vault final. Rue, who set a new school record with her jump of 13 feet, 9.25 inches (4.20 meters), also met the NCAA automatic qualifying height.
"I think our team had fun today," Minnesota head coach Matt Bingle said. "In those competitive situations, it's important just to enjoy it and thrive, and that's what they did."
Two-time multi-event All-American Liz Roehrig won the pentathlon to become the first Golden Gopher athlete to win four consecutive titles in an individual sport/event. Roehrig scored an NCAA automatic 4,218 points to earn the second-best pentathlon score in the nation and set a new Minnesota school record.
Senior Liz Podominick won the shot put with an NCAA provisional toss of 51 feet, 4.5 inches, her career fourth Big Ten title. Podominick previously won conference titles in the outdoor shot put (2005, '06) and the discus (2005).
Rue's pole vault mark was a Big Ten Championship and Minnesota record. Fellow Gophers Andrew Smith and Laura Massey also bettered the NCAA provisional height with jumps of 12 feet, 11.5 inches. They finished tied for fifth and sixth in the event.
"It was great to have Liz Podominick, Alicia Rue and Liz Roehrig come through like they did today," said Bingle. "It was awesome and exactly what we needed. It provided some momentum for us... Everybody saw it, and it was huge."
Christin Kingsley finished second in the long jump with an NCAA provisional mark of 20 feet, 2.5 inches. Kingsley's score earned her the top spot on Minnesota's all-time list for the long jump.
Junior Heather Dorniden qualified for Sunday's finals in the mile run and the 600-meter dash. Dorniden ran a time of one minute, 29.65 seconds in the 600 meter and a time of 4:48.18 in the mile run.
In the 600-meter dash Gopher Jamie Dittmar qualified for the final tomorrow with a time of 1:32.44. The time put her eighth on Minnesota's all-time list.
Junior Jamie Cheever qualified in the mile run with a time of 4 minutes, 47.81 seconds. Cheever also ran an NCAA provisional time of 9 minutes, 23.64 seconds in the 3,000 meters to finish sixth.
Sophomore Ekene Obi qualified in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.25 seconds. Fellow Gopher Rikita Butler also qualified in the 400 meters (55.33 seconds).
In addition, Minnesota is sending three runners to the 800-meter dash final. Junior Gabriele Anderson ran the best time out of the three with a time of 2 minutes, 10.14 seconds. Nikki Swenson (2:10.47) and Julie Schwengler (2:10.96) also qualified in the 800 meters.
Saturday's distance medley relay featured a second place finish by Minnesota's team of Anderson, Schwengler, Challis Larson and Swenson. Their time of 11:30.11 broke the old Fieldhouse record (that time, 11:45.97 was beaten by five teams Saturday) and qualified Minnesota provisionally for the NCAA Championships.
Sunday's action will get underway at noon with the weight throw and triple jump events at the University Fieldhouse. The meet is scheduled to be televised on tape delay by the Big Ten Network early in the week.
MICHIGAN: Conference championships in the long jump and distance medley relay coupled with a pair of runner-up finishes have Michigan in second place after the opening day of action at the Big Ten Indoor Championships Saturday. The Wolverines also sewed up 11 spots in Sunday's finals with their efforts in today's preliminary races.
The distance medley relay team composed of junior Geena Gall, senior Serita Williams, freshman Danielle Tauro and senior/junior Alyson Kohlmeier set a Minnesota Fieldhouse record with a first-place time of 11:20.62, beating the prior record of 11:45.97 by more than 25 seconds.
Junior co-captain Tiffany Ofili won the long jump with a leap of 20-6 1/2 for a new personal record and NCAA provisional qualifying mark. She also qualified for tomorrow's finals in the 60-meter hurdles with an NCAA provisional time (8.26), the 200-meter dash (24.42) and the 60-meter dash (7.46).
Junior co-captain Bettie Wade posted an NCAA automatic qualifying score of 4,089 to finish second in the pentathlon. Wade placed third in the 60-meter hurdles (8.66), second in the high jump (5-8 1/2), second in the shot put with a new personal best (41-3), third in the long jump (18-5) and fifth in the 800-meter run (2:23.76).
Senior co-captain Nicole Edwards added a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter run, clocking 9:18.39 to beat her prior personal record by more than five seconds and earning an NCAA provisional time.
Freshman Allison Liske also earned a vital point for the Wolverines with her eighth-place shot put throw (47-7 3/4).
Junior Geena Gall ran the fastest time in the 800-meter run prelims, an NCAA provisional time of 2:09.08, to advance to the final. She will be joined by junior/sophomore Kelly Sampson, who grabbed the ninth and final qualifying spot with her time of 2:14.30.
Also advancing to the finals were Edwards (4:50.23) and Tauro (4:51.38) in the mile run, senior/junior Linda Montgomery in the 600-meter run (1:33.14), sophomore Charnee Lumbus in the 60-meter hurdles (8.34), and Williams (56.87) and junior/sophomore Shana Vinson (57.11) in the 400-meter dash.
The Wolverines will return to the second and final day of Big Ten Championships action Sunday (March 2) at noon CST at the Minnesota Fieldhouse.
PENN STATE: Penn State stands in third place after Saturday's first day of the Big Ten Track and Field Championships at University Field House. Behind a silver medal finish from junior Emma Schmelzer, two bronze medal performances from junior Gayle Hunter, and an all-around outstanding day in the preliminary rounds the Lions are in prime position to challenge for a conference title of Sunday.
All told, the Nittany Lion women ended the afternoon with 33 points, with additional scoring performances from Bridget Franek and the distance medley relay. Host Minnesota is in first with 58 points, with Michigan in second with 37.
"The Nittany Lions gave a tremendous first day effort, setting us up to contend for the win tomorrow," Penn State coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "Two podium performances from Gayle certainly shows what caliber of athlete she is within the Big Ten Conference, and a surprise second place finish from Emma gives us a great boost in momentum to challenge for a team title."
After sneaking into the last spot in the final, Schmelzer popped a career-best 49-7.75 (15.13m) on her penultimate shot put attempt, vaulting from eighth to second to secure her first-career trip to the Big Ten medal stand. Schmelzer improved her personal best by over a foot to finish second to only provisional qualifier Liz Podominick of Minnesota, and ahead of Ohio State standout Veronica Jatsek.
After falling to fifth place after the pentathlon shot put, Hunter mounted a comeback, beginning with a big 19-11 (6.07m) long jump, which was the best in the field and tied her season best. In fourth going into the 800-meters – the final pentathlon event – Hunter posted a career-best 2:19.42 to claim bronze medal honors and add six points to the Lion total.
Hunter got off on the right foot in the 60-meter hurdles, nosing Michigan's Wade at the finish line to clock 8.60, winning her heat, and tying Iowa's Tammilee Kerr for the fastest time of the morning. Minnesota's Liz Roerhig won the event for the fourth-consecutive year, posting an automatic-qualifying and Big Ten record 4218. Michigan's Bettie Wade was second with 4089.
Hunter's big jumping continued in the open long jump as the junior posted a season-best tying leap of 19-11 (6.07m) to finish third in an outstanding field. Bianca Fung and Lena Bettis also contributed scoring performances, with efforts of 19-5.50 (5.93m), and 19-5.25 (5.92m), respectively, good for sixth and eighth.
WISCONSIN: After the first day of the 2008 Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships in Minneapolis, the Wisconsin women's track and field team is in fourth place with 32 points.
Wisconsin finished six events with individual placers, including two podium-worthy performances, and advanced three athletes to finals Sunday. Junior Jenny Soceka captured a silver medal in the pole vault, clearing a new personal best of 13 feet, 3 ½ inches, tying for second with Purdue's Mallory Peck. Soceka's height breaks the previous school record of 13-1 ¾ set by senior Blair Luethmers in 2006.
In the distance medley relay, the top-five teams bettered the previous Minnesota Fieldhouse record of with three earning NCAA provisional qualifying times. This year's Badger team, consisting of Sarah Hurley, Caitlin Dodge, Ann Detmer and Gwen Jorgensen placed third overall in 11:30.31.
In the pentathlon, junior Carly Ducharme received a NCAA provisional mark and finished fifth overall with a personal best of 3,753 points. Following in sixth place was teammate Lindsey Biel, who also set a new personal best with 3,692 points.
There were three Badgers that finished in the top 10 in the 3000 meters. Senior Katrina Rundhaug placed seventh in 9:24.97, with junior Alicia Pabich and sophomore Hanna Grinaker close behind, placing ninth and 10th, in 9:43.26 and 9:44.48, respectively.
In the shot put, senior Kayla Schultz competed in her last indoor Big Ten championship. She finished seventh with a 48-6 ¾ throw.
Junior Chavon Robinson placed in the top five for Wisconsin and set a new personal record, capturing fourth with a distance of 19-9 ¾ in the long jump.
IOWA: No. 21 Iowa is in fifth place after day one at the Big Ten Championships. Senior Meghan Armstrong became Iowa's first Big Ten Champion in the 3,000 meters since 1985 when Nan Doke took the title. Armstrong finished with a career-best time of 9:18.30 for her first Big Ten title.
Senior Diane Nukuri placed eighth behind Armstrong in the 3,000 meters. Nukuri turned in a provisionally qualifying time of 9:28.39. In the pentathlon, senior Tammilee Kerr provisionally qualified for the NCAA championships with a total of 3,973 points, breaking her previous school record of 3,907 points. She finished first in the 60-meter hurdles tying her career-best time of 8.60, then finished third in the high jump with a new career best height of 5-7 ¼, fourth in the long jump (18-3 ¾) and 800 meters (2:22.42) and sixth in the shot put (36-3).
Senior Kineke Alexander will be defending her 2006 and 2007 titles in the 200 and 400 meters. She heads to the finals with the fastest time in the 200 (24.34) and the fourth fastest in the 400 (55.87). Joining Alexander in the finals will be sophomore Rhonda-Kaye Trusty in the 60 meters. She enters the finals with the fourth fastest time (7.46). Renee White and Karessa Farley will be in the 60-meter hurdle finals. White ran a career best time of 8.45, demolishing her previous best 8.66.
"We had a solid first day of competition," Anderson said. "We are going to need to have a better performance, but I think we are in position to finish anywhere from a fourth to sixth."
PURDUE: Purdue is in sixth place after the first day of the Big Ten Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Minnesota at the University Fieldhouse. The Boilermakers put together 14 team points, placing in a trio of events.
Junior Mallory Peck and sophomore Brianna Neumann put the Boilermakers on the board in the pole vault as Peck claimed the silver medal, while Neumann picked up a team point in eighth place. Peck cleared 4.05 meters (13-03.50) and Neumann marked 3.85 meters (12-07.50). Sophomore Stacey Wannemacher earned fifth in the shot put, hurling it 14.96 meters (49-01.00). She returns tomorrow in pursuit of more team points in the weight throw.
The foursome of junior Lauren Scott, sophomores Nan Hammel and Kristin Phillips and freshman Kristina Krasich grabbed another couple team points in the distance medley relay, placing seventh with a time of 11:47.97.
Senior Leah Kincaid had a busy day for the Boilermakers, qualifying for tomorrow's finals in the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles, and placing ninth in the long jump. She earned a spot in the 60-meter dash finals with a preliminary time of 7.64, and moved on to Sunday's 60-meter hurdle finals with a heat-winning mark of 8.31. Sophomore Ashlee Lengacher moved on to tomorrow's 800-meter run finals.
INDIANA: The Hoosiers had eight athletes finish in the top-10, two athletes finish in fourth-place, and two athletes qualify for Sunday's finals competition following the first day of the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Saturday.
Sophomore Vera Neuenswander improved her best mark of the season in the pole vault with her fourth-place vault. The mark of 4.05m was good for a tie for second place, but Neuenswander finished fourth after tie-breakers. The mark is ten centimeters better than the provisional qualifying mark of 3.95m, and it is nine centimeters better than the season best she recorded at the Tyson Invite on Feb. 15th, 3.96m. Neuenswander wasn't the only Hoosier to score points for the team in the pole vault. Freshman Stephanie Chin's clearance of 3.84m was good for seventh-place.
Sophomore Faith Sherrill was just six centimeters shy of her career best with her fourth-place heave of 14.99m (49' 2.5"). She finished just five and a quarter inches shy of second-place and only four inches short of third. Sherrill was one of only nine athletes to advance to the finals in the shot put.
Junior Molly Beckwith continued her solid season with a qualification for tomorrow's final in the 600m. Beckwith's time of 1:32.63, was the sixth best qualifying time in the event. The time was also less than a second slower than her career best, 1:31.74. Beckwith wasn't the only Hoosier to qualify for the finals in the 600m. Fellow junior Audrey Smoot posted a time of 1:33.95, qualifying for Sunday's event final.
Indiana finished eighth in the distance medley relay with a time of 12:00.16. The relay team consisted of senior Maura Ratcliff, juniors Britney Freiberger and Wendi Robinson, and freshman Lindsey Hartman. The eighth-place finish scored a point for the Hoosiers in the team standings.
In the pentathlon, freshman Laura Morris finished tenth, recording four career bests in the process. Her point total in the pentathlon of 3510 was a 67 point improvement on her previous best. The total was only 58 points behind the seventh place finisher. Morris also recorded career bests in three of the five events. In the 60m hurdles, her time of 9.41seconds was a .11 second improvement on her previous best. Morris raised her career best clearance in the high jump by two centimeters to 1.65m. In the 800m run, Morris finished in 2:33.61, cutting nearly three full seconds off of her previous best of 2:26.60.
ILLINOIS: Sophomore Angela Bizzarri finished fifth in the 3,000m and moved to second on Illinois' all-time list, highlighting action for the Illini women's track and field team on day one of the Big Ten Indoor Championships at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Bizzarri's time of 9 minutes, 23.02 seconds (9:23.02) provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Championships and ranked her second behind Cassie Hunt on the Illini career performance list. Hunt holds the school record of 9:15.16 in the 3,000m. Bizzarri will run again tomorrow in the one mile final after placing ninth in preliminaries with a time of 4:51.96.
Freshman Jessica Penney was another bright spot for the Illini, taking fifth in the long jump with a personal-best distance of 19 feet, 6.25 inches. Other Illini day one scorers were the distance medley relay of Shannon Phelan, Briana Cunningham, Rachel Hernandez and Liz Mengyan taking sixth with a time of 11:47.87 and sophomore Alecia Beckford-Stewart placing eighth in the pentathlon with 3,557 points.
"Our young team had a learning experience today and we're going to get better and grow from it," head coach Gary Winckler said. "We'll focus on the people we got through to finals and hope to score some more points. It was nice to see Bizzarri run so well, and Penney did a nice job in the long jump."
Senior Tiara Armstrong and junior Omoye Ugiagbe both qualified for tomorrow's finals in two events. Armstrong took third in the 60m preliminaries (7.56) and eighth in the 200m preliminaries (24.72) to advance, while Ugaigbe was sixth in the 400m (55.86) and seventh in the 200m (24.68). Freshman Cheria Morgan also advanced in the 60m, taking fifth in prelims with a time of 7.63.
The Illini will have two competitors in tomorrow's 800m final, as sophomore Katie Engel was fourth in prelims with a time of 2:10.48 and senior Rachel Hernandez was fifth in 2:10.84.
Senior LaNeisha Waller rounds out Illinois' finals qualifiers after taking fifth in the 60m hurdles prelim with a time of 8.37 to advance.
MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans find themselves in ninth place with 11 points following action Saturday at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Senior Nicole Bush led the way for the Spartans women, finishing third in the 3000m run with an NCAA provisional mark of 9:18.98. Lisa Senakiewich finished third in her heat with a time of 4:51.28 and will be in the finals of mile run. Senior Jackie Walton ran to an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 8.37, finishing her heat in second place in the 60m hurdles. Sophomore Leah Elenbaas finished in eighth place overall in the 800m preliminaries, coming in with a finals qualifying time of 2:11.76, while senior Paris Mandy qualified for tomorrow's 60m dash, placing fourth in her heat with a mark of 7.66.
MSU's team of Senakiewich, Elenbaas, freshman Liz Watson and sophomore Emily MacLeod finished fourth in the distance medley relay, coming in with a time of 11:37.34.
After six events the women find themselves also in ninth place with 11 points. Minnesota leads the field with a score of 58 points, followed by Michigan (37), Penn State (33), Wisconsin (32), Iowa (16), Purdue (14), Indiana (13) and Illinois (12).
OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes finished Day 1 at the 2008 Big Ten Championships in 10th place. Senior Veronica Jatsek took third place for Ohio State in the shot put with a toss of 49 feet, 6 ½ inches scoring sixth points for the Buckeyes. Freshman Alana Gray grabbed the first points of the day for the Buckeyes with her seventh-place finish in the pentathlon with a score of 3,568. Gray was the top underclassmen in the event.
In preliminary action, Junior Ayrizanna Favours won her heat of the 60-meter dash in a time of 7.62 to advance to the final on Sunday. Favours also earned a trip to the final of the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.65. Senior Chandra Krempel qualified for the finals of the 600-meter run with a time of 1:32.23 in the prelims.
The Gophers held a 10-point (130-120) advantage over the Wolverines heading into the final event, the 4x400 meter relay. Minnesota's team of Ritita Butler, Julie Schwengler, Jamie Dittmar and Heather Dorniden finished in third place, just one spot behind Michigan to seal the conference crown.
In the end, Minnesota staved off Michigan, 136-128.
"It's always great winning in front of your fans, the crowd, the people that support our program," Minnesota coach Matt Bingle said. "To win it back to back is a very special thing for these young women."
The indoor conference title was the second in program history. The Gophers won by 13 points (121.5-108.5) over Michigan last season in Champaign, Ill.
Leading by just three points (77-74) over second-place Penn State after 11 events, the Golden Gophers soared into the lead for good place by placing three runners (junior Schwengler, junior Gabrielle Anderson and freshman Nikki Swenson) in the top four of the 800-meter run. The event notched Minnesota 19 team points and put them 16 ahead of Michigan at the time.
The day's most memorable performance, however, was turned in by the junior Dorniden in the 600 meter dash. Dorniden, a five-time track and field All-American, tripped while moving to the inside lane after one lap of the event, falling several meters behind the rest of the pack. But Dorniden recovered quickly made a move during the event's final lap, passing teammate Dittmar at the finish line to win her heat and come in second place with a time of 1 minute, 31.72 seconds.
"When I started running again, I was thinking I just had to get a decent time to get in scoring range, and then they just seemed close," said a breathless Dorniden about her dramatic come-from-behind race. "There is just so much adrenaline rushing through you there; I didn't even feel it."
Dittmar, a freshman, placed third in the 600 with a career-best time of 1 minute, 31.76 seconds.
"It was a huge race for us," said Bingle of the Gophers' performance in the 600. "Michigan was coming and coming and that race determined how everything else went. If (Dorniden) wouldn't have gotten up, we would have lost."
| FINAL STANDINGS |
| 1. Minnesota, 136 |
| 2. Michigan, 128 |
| 3. Penn State, 121 |
| 4. Wisconsin, 69.5 |
| 5. Iowa, 60 |
| 6. Illinois, 47 |
| 7. Purdue, 40 |
| 8. Michigan State, 35 |
| 9. Indiana, 33.5 |
| 10. Ohio State, 32 |
In the 800 meter run, Schwengler came in second with an NCAA provisional time of 2 minutes, 9.39 seconds, with Anderson and Swenson placing third and fourth, respectively.
Junior Caitlin Roemhildt was the Minnesota's top field event performer Sunday, placing second in the high jump at a height of five feet, 10 inches, an NCAA provisional mark.
All told, the Gophers gained 12 top-three finishers and three individual champions (Liz Roehrig in the pentathalon, Alicia Rue in the pole vault and Liz Podominick in the shot put).
MICHIGAN: Despite winning four Big Ten titles (800-meter run, mile, 60-meter hurdles, high jump), Michigan finished second at the Big Ten Indoor Championship Sunday at the Minnesota Fieldhouse in Minneapolis, Minn.
Geena Gall came in first in the 800-meter run with an NCAA Provisional qualifying time of 2:05.99, setting a new Big Ten meet record. She also served as the third leg in the second place 4x400 meter relay squad.
Nicole Edwards won the mile with a 4:41.04. Competing in her first Big Ten Championships, freshman Danielle Tauro also scored points for the Wolverines in the event with her sixth-place 4:48.37 finish.
Tiffany Ofili won the 60-meter hurdles with a new Minnesota Fieldhouse record of 8.06. She also scored points for U-M with a second place NCAA Provisional qualifying finish in the 60-meter dash (7.42) and a fourth place 24.62 finish in the 200-meter dash. Charnee Lumbus came in third in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal best 8.35.
Bettie Wade soared above the competition in the high jump earning a first place and indoor personal best 5-11 1/2. Olivia Both also scored points with her fourth place jump (5-7).
Bridgette Maynard earned a point for the Wolverines with her personal record 55-11 3/4 weight throw.
Casey Taylor earned an NCAA Provisional mark with her second-place personal record in the triple jump (42-0 3/4).
Spinters Serita Williams (56.32) and Shana Vinson (56.38) placed seventh and eighth, respectively in the 400-meter dash to add to the U-M total.
Linda Montgomery came in seventh in the 600-meter dash with a 1:33.45.
The 4x400-meter relay team, composed of Vinson, Amber Hay, Gall and Williams placed second in the race with a 3:44.43.
Lisa Uible scored a point for the Maize and Blue with a personal best eighth-place 16:40.38 NCAA Provisional qualifying mark in the 5,000-meter run.
PENN STATE: Shana Cox delivered the kind of performance reserved for superstars Sunday on the final day of the Big Ten Championships. Cox, who fueled Penn State to its third-place finish, took the title 200 and 400 and also anchored the 4x400 winning team.
WISCONSIN: Wisconsin tallied 69.5 points to finish fourth, its best finish since 2000, at the 2008 Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships in Minneapolis.
"It's a step in the right direction," coach Jim Stinzi said. "I think it means we're doing some things right, our athletes are competing really well over two days. It's something that we've kind of struggled with in the past and I do think that we're making some progress in a lot of different areas, and we're scoring in a lot of different areas."
Senior Katrina Rundhaug won the 5,000 meters, setting a new personal best with her 15:57.93. Her time improved her NCAA automatic qualifying time and ranks third on the UW all-time list. Junior Alicia Pabich, who was stopped a lap early still managed to place ninth in the 5,000 meters in 16:42.47 while sophomore Hanna Grinaker placed 11th in 16:57.70. Freshman Leah Coyle finished 21st in 18:12.53.
Rundhaug's race was "a pretty spectacular race," Stintzi said. "She led almost start to finish and just kind of laid the gauntlet down and forced everybody to go with her. She ran a great race, and I think it's just a little taste of what she can do, and in a couple weeks it will be a new race and an even better outcome, I think."
Senior Ann Detmer medaled as well, placing third in the mile in 4:44.12. Michigan's Nicole Edwards won the race in 4:41.04. UW junior Gwen Jorgensen finished seventh in 4:48.50. Stintzi applauded both Detmer and Jorgensen on their performances, noting that ""they came in big for us.""
Also scoring in the top five were juniors Amanda Hoeppner, Chavon Robinson and Megan Seidl.
Hoeppner took fourth in the weight throw, setting a new school record of 59 feet, 11 ¼ inches. The throw broke her own UW mark of 57-4 ¼ set previously this season. Robinson finished fifth in the triple jump at 40-11 and Seidl placed fifth as well, clearing 5-7 in the high jump.
Sophomore Carrie Woltman also scored in the high jump, tying for eighth with Ashley Rhoades of Indiana at 5-5 ¼.
In the last event of the day, the 4x400-meter relay team of Kaitlyn Marsolek, Akaila Cabell, Caitlin Dodge and Egle Staisiunaite captured a sixth-place finish in 3:50.29.
IOWA: The Hawkeyes placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships with 60 points, nine-and-a-half points behind fourth-place finisher Wisconsin. Iowa won two championship events as senior Meghan Armstrong and junior Renee White each took first in their respective events.
"This was a good championship meet for us, but not a great one," Iowa coach Layne Anderson said.
Armstrong won the 3,000 meters Saturday with a career-best time of 9:18.30 and White took first in the triple jump with a school-record leap of 42-4. This is the ninth time in school history the Hawkeyes have won multiple titles.
Renee White took first in the triple jump with a school record leap of 42-4. This jump meets the provisional qualifying standard for the NCAA Championships. White also competed in the 60-meter hurdles finals, Sunday. She placed seventh and was less than .01 behind sixth place. Teammate Karessa Farley finished behind White for eighth.
"We did have two championships with Meghan and Renee and two second-place finishes in the 200 and 400 meters by Kineke, but I feel like we left a few things out there," Anderson said. "We have to give credit to Wisconsin for finishing ahead of us though," Anderson said.
Five-time Big Ten Champion Kineke Alexander was second in the 200 (24.39) and 400 meters (53.77). Her time in the 400 meters was a provisionally qualifying performance.
Senior Diane Nukuri automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 5,000 meters with a third-place time of 16:02.96, marking the fastest of her career. Armstrong finished four spots behind Nukuri with a provisional qualifying time of 16:39.04.
Sophomore Rhonda-Kaye Trusty finished sixth in the 60 meters with a career-best time of 7.61. Sophomore Caleigh Bacchus (5-5 ¼) and senior Tammilee Kerr (5-3 ¾) placed 10th and 14th respectively in the high jump.
ILLINOIS: Senior Tiara Armstrong won the 60-meter dash and placed third in the 200m to pace Illinois' sixth-place attack at the Big Ten Indoor Championships at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse on Sunday.
Armstrong crossed the finish line in 7.41 seconds in the 60m, which was both a personal-best and an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. She edged out Michigan's Tiffany Ofili for the title, who finished in 7.42 to take second place. In the 200m, Armstrong timed 24.47 to finish third and bring her individual total to 16 points scored toward the Illini's team score.
"Tiara competed very, very will," head coach Gary Winckler said. "To win the 60m and get third in the 200m is a great day for her. As a team, we pretty much accomplished what we could expect out of the day. This meet was a learnineg experience for our young team, and now we're going to start getting ready for the outdoor season."
Angela Bizzarri, who took fifth in the 3,000m on Saturday, also placed fifth in the mile with a time of 4:47.76 in one of the meet's most competitive races. The top seven finishers all hit NCAA provisional qualifying times, including Bizzarri. The sophomore has a strong chance of competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships, owning a season-best mile time of 4:41.91.
Omoye Ugiagbe joined Armstrong and Bizzarri in scoring in two events. The junior placed fifth in the 400m for the third consecutive year, running 55.47. Ugiagbe also took eighth in the 200m in 24.87.
In the 800m, senior Rachel Hernandez sparked the Illini with a sixth-place finish of 2:11.74, while sophomore Katie Engel just missed the scoring column in taking ninth (2:13.02).
Senior LaNeisha Waller, who won the Big Ten 60m hurdles title in 2006, finished fifth with a time of 8.42. Freshman Melissa Bates was ninth in the triple jump (39 feet, 7.25 inches), while the Illini 4x400m relay of Armstrong, Bates, Ugiagbe and Briana Cunningham was eighth (3:51.50).
Illinois will send its athletes with hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships to the Iowa State Last Chance meet in Ames, Iowa on Saturday, March 8.
PURDUE: Purdue posted its best indoor conference finish in the last six years, taking home seventh at the 2008 Big Ten Indoor Championships on Sunday. The Boilermakers tallied 40 team points on the strength of a pair of silver medal performances.
Senior Astin Steward claimed silver in the weight throw, hurling it 19.57 meters (64-02.50), while sophomore Stacey Wannemacher gave Purdue two scorers in the event, picking up sixth with a toss of 17.39 meters (57-00.75). Senior Leah Kincaid scored in both the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles, taking fifth in the dash with a career-best time of 7.59, and earning fourth in the hurdles in 8.37.
Second-year Christina Madison posted a personal-best in the triple jump, earning seventh place with her leap of 12.15 meters (39-10.50). Fellow sophomore Ashlee Lengacher grabbed fifth place in the 800-meter run, scoring at the conference meet for the first time in her career with a time of 2:10.11.
The Boilermakers picked up a point in the coveted Crimson and Gold Cup standings overtaking archrival Indiana University, which finished ninth. With the Purdue men topping the Hoosiers at the indoor championships as well, the Boilermakers draw even in the standings with six points apiece.
MICHIGAN STATE: Nicole Bush placed second in the 5,000 meters with an NCAA provisional time of 16:00.25 to lead the Spartans on Sunday at the Big Ten Championships. In the weight throw, Meagan Halliwill took third with a toss of 18.56 meters (60-10 3/4), while Ashley Lawrence claimed fifth with a throw of 17.91 meters (58-9 1/4). As a team, the Spartans placed eighth with 35 points.
INDIANA: Audrey Smoot claimed a first-place finish in the 600 meter to pace the Hoosiers' ninth-place finish Sunday at the Big Ten Championships. Indiana also recorded six top-10 finishes and three top-five finishes.
Smoot's time of 1:31.59 was a career best and the second-fastest time in IU history, surpassing fellow junior Molly Beckwith in the record books. Smoot's previous career best, which had stood as the fourth-fastest in program History, was improved by .64 seconds. Beckwith finished fifth in the event, recording a time of 1:32.16.
The two juniors teamed up with senior Kyndal Carr and freshman Lindsey Hartman to place seventh in the 4X400m relay with a time of 3:50.71.
Junior Wendi Robinson finished fifth in the 5000m, recording a provisional qualifying time of 16:29.07. Robinson finished nearly 10 full seconds ahead the sixth place runner, and the provisional qualification is the second in the 5,000m for Robinson on the season, as she finished in 16:16.23 on Jan. 26 at the Gladstein Invite.
OHIO STATE: Buckeye senior Veronica Jatsek paced Ohio State's last-place finish at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday. Jatsek won the weight throw title with a career-best toss of 70 feet, 7 3/4 inches. The toss by Jatsek is the second-best in Ohio State history behind Keturah Lofton's school record by one inch. The toss is an NCAA automatic qualifier and is the second-best toss in the country this season behind world record holder Brittany Riley of Southern Illinois. The toss by Jatsek also set the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse record.
Junior Ayrizanna Favours scored in two events on Sunday. Favours grabbed fourth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.56 and sixth-place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.74. Also scoring points senior Chandra Krempel took eighth in the 600-meter run. Favours and Krempel joined with Ashley Caldwell and Ashley Jones in the 4x400-meter relay to take fourth in a time of 3:46.87.
DAY 1
Host Minnesota held a commanding 58-37 lead after day one of the 2008 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships at the University Fieldhouse in Minneapolis. Michigan, which won the distance medley relay and the long jump, is currently in second place. Penn State is in third place with 33 points.
Minnesota won three of Saturday's six final events, including a school record-setting jump by sophomore Alicia Rue in the pole vault final. Rue, who set a new school record with her jump of 13 feet, 9.25 inches (4.20 meters), also met the NCAA automatic qualifying height.
"I think our team had fun today," Minnesota head coach Matt Bingle said. "In those competitive situations, it's important just to enjoy it and thrive, and that's what they did."
Two-time multi-event All-American Liz Roehrig won the pentathlon to become the first Golden Gopher athlete to win four consecutive titles in an individual sport/event. Roehrig scored an NCAA automatic 4,218 points to earn the second-best pentathlon score in the nation and set a new Minnesota school record.
Senior Liz Podominick won the shot put with an NCAA provisional toss of 51 feet, 4.5 inches, her career fourth Big Ten title. Podominick previously won conference titles in the outdoor shot put (2005, '06) and the discus (2005).
Rue's pole vault mark was a Big Ten Championship and Minnesota record. Fellow Gophers Andrew Smith and Laura Massey also bettered the NCAA provisional height with jumps of 12 feet, 11.5 inches. They finished tied for fifth and sixth in the event.
"It was great to have Liz Podominick, Alicia Rue and Liz Roehrig come through like they did today," said Bingle. "It was awesome and exactly what we needed. It provided some momentum for us... Everybody saw it, and it was huge."
Christin Kingsley finished second in the long jump with an NCAA provisional mark of 20 feet, 2.5 inches. Kingsley's score earned her the top spot on Minnesota's all-time list for the long jump.
Junior Heather Dorniden qualified for Sunday's finals in the mile run and the 600-meter dash. Dorniden ran a time of one minute, 29.65 seconds in the 600 meter and a time of 4:48.18 in the mile run.
In the 600-meter dash Gopher Jamie Dittmar qualified for the final tomorrow with a time of 1:32.44. The time put her eighth on Minnesota's all-time list.
Junior Jamie Cheever qualified in the mile run with a time of 4 minutes, 47.81 seconds. Cheever also ran an NCAA provisional time of 9 minutes, 23.64 seconds in the 3,000 meters to finish sixth.
Sophomore Ekene Obi qualified in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.25 seconds. Fellow Gopher Rikita Butler also qualified in the 400 meters (55.33 seconds).
In addition, Minnesota is sending three runners to the 800-meter dash final. Junior Gabriele Anderson ran the best time out of the three with a time of 2 minutes, 10.14 seconds. Nikki Swenson (2:10.47) and Julie Schwengler (2:10.96) also qualified in the 800 meters.
Saturday's distance medley relay featured a second place finish by Minnesota's team of Anderson, Schwengler, Challis Larson and Swenson. Their time of 11:30.11 broke the old Fieldhouse record (that time, 11:45.97 was beaten by five teams Saturday) and qualified Minnesota provisionally for the NCAA Championships.
Sunday's action will get underway at noon with the weight throw and triple jump events at the University Fieldhouse. The meet is scheduled to be televised on tape delay by the Big Ten Network early in the week.
MICHIGAN: Conference championships in the long jump and distance medley relay coupled with a pair of runner-up finishes have Michigan in second place after the opening day of action at the Big Ten Indoor Championships Saturday. The Wolverines also sewed up 11 spots in Sunday's finals with their efforts in today's preliminary races.
The distance medley relay team composed of junior Geena Gall, senior Serita Williams, freshman Danielle Tauro and senior/junior Alyson Kohlmeier set a Minnesota Fieldhouse record with a first-place time of 11:20.62, beating the prior record of 11:45.97 by more than 25 seconds.
Junior co-captain Tiffany Ofili won the long jump with a leap of 20-6 1/2 for a new personal record and NCAA provisional qualifying mark. She also qualified for tomorrow's finals in the 60-meter hurdles with an NCAA provisional time (8.26), the 200-meter dash (24.42) and the 60-meter dash (7.46).
Junior co-captain Bettie Wade posted an NCAA automatic qualifying score of 4,089 to finish second in the pentathlon. Wade placed third in the 60-meter hurdles (8.66), second in the high jump (5-8 1/2), second in the shot put with a new personal best (41-3), third in the long jump (18-5) and fifth in the 800-meter run (2:23.76).
Senior co-captain Nicole Edwards added a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter run, clocking 9:18.39 to beat her prior personal record by more than five seconds and earning an NCAA provisional time.
Freshman Allison Liske also earned a vital point for the Wolverines with her eighth-place shot put throw (47-7 3/4).
Junior Geena Gall ran the fastest time in the 800-meter run prelims, an NCAA provisional time of 2:09.08, to advance to the final. She will be joined by junior/sophomore Kelly Sampson, who grabbed the ninth and final qualifying spot with her time of 2:14.30.
Also advancing to the finals were Edwards (4:50.23) and Tauro (4:51.38) in the mile run, senior/junior Linda Montgomery in the 600-meter run (1:33.14), sophomore Charnee Lumbus in the 60-meter hurdles (8.34), and Williams (56.87) and junior/sophomore Shana Vinson (57.11) in the 400-meter dash.
The Wolverines will return to the second and final day of Big Ten Championships action Sunday (March 2) at noon CST at the Minnesota Fieldhouse.
PENN STATE: Penn State stands in third place after Saturday's first day of the Big Ten Track and Field Championships at University Field House. Behind a silver medal finish from junior Emma Schmelzer, two bronze medal performances from junior Gayle Hunter, and an all-around outstanding day in the preliminary rounds the Lions are in prime position to challenge for a conference title of Sunday.
All told, the Nittany Lion women ended the afternoon with 33 points, with additional scoring performances from Bridget Franek and the distance medley relay. Host Minnesota is in first with 58 points, with Michigan in second with 37.
"The Nittany Lions gave a tremendous first day effort, setting us up to contend for the win tomorrow," Penn State coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "Two podium performances from Gayle certainly shows what caliber of athlete she is within the Big Ten Conference, and a surprise second place finish from Emma gives us a great boost in momentum to challenge for a team title."
After sneaking into the last spot in the final, Schmelzer popped a career-best 49-7.75 (15.13m) on her penultimate shot put attempt, vaulting from eighth to second to secure her first-career trip to the Big Ten medal stand. Schmelzer improved her personal best by over a foot to finish second to only provisional qualifier Liz Podominick of Minnesota, and ahead of Ohio State standout Veronica Jatsek.
After falling to fifth place after the pentathlon shot put, Hunter mounted a comeback, beginning with a big 19-11 (6.07m) long jump, which was the best in the field and tied her season best. In fourth going into the 800-meters – the final pentathlon event – Hunter posted a career-best 2:19.42 to claim bronze medal honors and add six points to the Lion total.
Hunter got off on the right foot in the 60-meter hurdles, nosing Michigan's Wade at the finish line to clock 8.60, winning her heat, and tying Iowa's Tammilee Kerr for the fastest time of the morning. Minnesota's Liz Roerhig won the event for the fourth-consecutive year, posting an automatic-qualifying and Big Ten record 4218. Michigan's Bettie Wade was second with 4089.
Hunter's big jumping continued in the open long jump as the junior posted a season-best tying leap of 19-11 (6.07m) to finish third in an outstanding field. Bianca Fung and Lena Bettis also contributed scoring performances, with efforts of 19-5.50 (5.93m), and 19-5.25 (5.92m), respectively, good for sixth and eighth.
WISCONSIN: After the first day of the 2008 Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships in Minneapolis, the Wisconsin women's track and field team is in fourth place with 32 points.
Wisconsin finished six events with individual placers, including two podium-worthy performances, and advanced three athletes to finals Sunday. Junior Jenny Soceka captured a silver medal in the pole vault, clearing a new personal best of 13 feet, 3 ½ inches, tying for second with Purdue's Mallory Peck. Soceka's height breaks the previous school record of 13-1 ¾ set by senior Blair Luethmers in 2006.
In the distance medley relay, the top-five teams bettered the previous Minnesota Fieldhouse record of with three earning NCAA provisional qualifying times. This year's Badger team, consisting of Sarah Hurley, Caitlin Dodge, Ann Detmer and Gwen Jorgensen placed third overall in 11:30.31.
In the pentathlon, junior Carly Ducharme received a NCAA provisional mark and finished fifth overall with a personal best of 3,753 points. Following in sixth place was teammate Lindsey Biel, who also set a new personal best with 3,692 points.
There were three Badgers that finished in the top 10 in the 3000 meters. Senior Katrina Rundhaug placed seventh in 9:24.97, with junior Alicia Pabich and sophomore Hanna Grinaker close behind, placing ninth and 10th, in 9:43.26 and 9:44.48, respectively.
In the shot put, senior Kayla Schultz competed in her last indoor Big Ten championship. She finished seventh with a 48-6 ¾ throw.
Junior Chavon Robinson placed in the top five for Wisconsin and set a new personal record, capturing fourth with a distance of 19-9 ¾ in the long jump.
IOWA: No. 21 Iowa is in fifth place after day one at the Big Ten Championships. Senior Meghan Armstrong became Iowa's first Big Ten Champion in the 3,000 meters since 1985 when Nan Doke took the title. Armstrong finished with a career-best time of 9:18.30 for her first Big Ten title.
Senior Diane Nukuri placed eighth behind Armstrong in the 3,000 meters. Nukuri turned in a provisionally qualifying time of 9:28.39. In the pentathlon, senior Tammilee Kerr provisionally qualified for the NCAA championships with a total of 3,973 points, breaking her previous school record of 3,907 points. She finished first in the 60-meter hurdles tying her career-best time of 8.60, then finished third in the high jump with a new career best height of 5-7 ¼, fourth in the long jump (18-3 ¾) and 800 meters (2:22.42) and sixth in the shot put (36-3).
Senior Kineke Alexander will be defending her 2006 and 2007 titles in the 200 and 400 meters. She heads to the finals with the fastest time in the 200 (24.34) and the fourth fastest in the 400 (55.87). Joining Alexander in the finals will be sophomore Rhonda-Kaye Trusty in the 60 meters. She enters the finals with the fourth fastest time (7.46). Renee White and Karessa Farley will be in the 60-meter hurdle finals. White ran a career best time of 8.45, demolishing her previous best 8.66.
"We had a solid first day of competition," Anderson said. "We are going to need to have a better performance, but I think we are in position to finish anywhere from a fourth to sixth."
PURDUE: Purdue is in sixth place after the first day of the Big Ten Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Minnesota at the University Fieldhouse. The Boilermakers put together 14 team points, placing in a trio of events.
Junior Mallory Peck and sophomore Brianna Neumann put the Boilermakers on the board in the pole vault as Peck claimed the silver medal, while Neumann picked up a team point in eighth place. Peck cleared 4.05 meters (13-03.50) and Neumann marked 3.85 meters (12-07.50). Sophomore Stacey Wannemacher earned fifth in the shot put, hurling it 14.96 meters (49-01.00). She returns tomorrow in pursuit of more team points in the weight throw.
The foursome of junior Lauren Scott, sophomores Nan Hammel and Kristin Phillips and freshman Kristina Krasich grabbed another couple team points in the distance medley relay, placing seventh with a time of 11:47.97.
Senior Leah Kincaid had a busy day for the Boilermakers, qualifying for tomorrow's finals in the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles, and placing ninth in the long jump. She earned a spot in the 60-meter dash finals with a preliminary time of 7.64, and moved on to Sunday's 60-meter hurdle finals with a heat-winning mark of 8.31. Sophomore Ashlee Lengacher moved on to tomorrow's 800-meter run finals.
INDIANA: The Hoosiers had eight athletes finish in the top-10, two athletes finish in fourth-place, and two athletes qualify for Sunday's finals competition following the first day of the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Saturday.
Sophomore Vera Neuenswander improved her best mark of the season in the pole vault with her fourth-place vault. The mark of 4.05m was good for a tie for second place, but Neuenswander finished fourth after tie-breakers. The mark is ten centimeters better than the provisional qualifying mark of 3.95m, and it is nine centimeters better than the season best she recorded at the Tyson Invite on Feb. 15th, 3.96m. Neuenswander wasn't the only Hoosier to score points for the team in the pole vault. Freshman Stephanie Chin's clearance of 3.84m was good for seventh-place.
Sophomore Faith Sherrill was just six centimeters shy of her career best with her fourth-place heave of 14.99m (49' 2.5"). She finished just five and a quarter inches shy of second-place and only four inches short of third. Sherrill was one of only nine athletes to advance to the finals in the shot put.
Junior Molly Beckwith continued her solid season with a qualification for tomorrow's final in the 600m. Beckwith's time of 1:32.63, was the sixth best qualifying time in the event. The time was also less than a second slower than her career best, 1:31.74. Beckwith wasn't the only Hoosier to qualify for the finals in the 600m. Fellow junior Audrey Smoot posted a time of 1:33.95, qualifying for Sunday's event final.
Indiana finished eighth in the distance medley relay with a time of 12:00.16. The relay team consisted of senior Maura Ratcliff, juniors Britney Freiberger and Wendi Robinson, and freshman Lindsey Hartman. The eighth-place finish scored a point for the Hoosiers in the team standings.
In the pentathlon, freshman Laura Morris finished tenth, recording four career bests in the process. Her point total in the pentathlon of 3510 was a 67 point improvement on her previous best. The total was only 58 points behind the seventh place finisher. Morris also recorded career bests in three of the five events. In the 60m hurdles, her time of 9.41seconds was a .11 second improvement on her previous best. Morris raised her career best clearance in the high jump by two centimeters to 1.65m. In the 800m run, Morris finished in 2:33.61, cutting nearly three full seconds off of her previous best of 2:26.60.
ILLINOIS: Sophomore Angela Bizzarri finished fifth in the 3,000m and moved to second on Illinois' all-time list, highlighting action for the Illini women's track and field team on day one of the Big Ten Indoor Championships at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Bizzarri's time of 9 minutes, 23.02 seconds (9:23.02) provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Championships and ranked her second behind Cassie Hunt on the Illini career performance list. Hunt holds the school record of 9:15.16 in the 3,000m. Bizzarri will run again tomorrow in the one mile final after placing ninth in preliminaries with a time of 4:51.96.
Freshman Jessica Penney was another bright spot for the Illini, taking fifth in the long jump with a personal-best distance of 19 feet, 6.25 inches. Other Illini day one scorers were the distance medley relay of Shannon Phelan, Briana Cunningham, Rachel Hernandez and Liz Mengyan taking sixth with a time of 11:47.87 and sophomore Alecia Beckford-Stewart placing eighth in the pentathlon with 3,557 points.
"Our young team had a learning experience today and we're going to get better and grow from it," head coach Gary Winckler said. "We'll focus on the people we got through to finals and hope to score some more points. It was nice to see Bizzarri run so well, and Penney did a nice job in the long jump."
Senior Tiara Armstrong and junior Omoye Ugiagbe both qualified for tomorrow's finals in two events. Armstrong took third in the 60m preliminaries (7.56) and eighth in the 200m preliminaries (24.72) to advance, while Ugaigbe was sixth in the 400m (55.86) and seventh in the 200m (24.68). Freshman Cheria Morgan also advanced in the 60m, taking fifth in prelims with a time of 7.63.
The Illini will have two competitors in tomorrow's 800m final, as sophomore Katie Engel was fourth in prelims with a time of 2:10.48 and senior Rachel Hernandez was fifth in 2:10.84.
Senior LaNeisha Waller rounds out Illinois' finals qualifiers after taking fifth in the 60m hurdles prelim with a time of 8.37 to advance.
MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans find themselves in ninth place with 11 points following action Saturday at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Senior Nicole Bush led the way for the Spartans women, finishing third in the 3000m run with an NCAA provisional mark of 9:18.98. Lisa Senakiewich finished third in her heat with a time of 4:51.28 and will be in the finals of mile run. Senior Jackie Walton ran to an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 8.37, finishing her heat in second place in the 60m hurdles. Sophomore Leah Elenbaas finished in eighth place overall in the 800m preliminaries, coming in with a finals qualifying time of 2:11.76, while senior Paris Mandy qualified for tomorrow's 60m dash, placing fourth in her heat with a mark of 7.66.
MSU's team of Senakiewich, Elenbaas, freshman Liz Watson and sophomore Emily MacLeod finished fourth in the distance medley relay, coming in with a time of 11:37.34.
After six events the women find themselves also in ninth place with 11 points. Minnesota leads the field with a score of 58 points, followed by Michigan (37), Penn State (33), Wisconsin (32), Iowa (16), Purdue (14), Indiana (13) and Illinois (12).
OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes finished Day 1 at the 2008 Big Ten Championships in 10th place. Senior Veronica Jatsek took third place for Ohio State in the shot put with a toss of 49 feet, 6 ½ inches scoring sixth points for the Buckeyes. Freshman Alana Gray grabbed the first points of the day for the Buckeyes with her seventh-place finish in the pentathlon with a score of 3,568. Gray was the top underclassmen in the event.
In preliminary action, Junior Ayrizanna Favours won her heat of the 60-meter dash in a time of 7.62 to advance to the final on Sunday. Favours also earned a trip to the final of the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.65. Senior Chandra Krempel qualified for the finals of the 600-meter run with a time of 1:32.23 in the prelims.
