Luca Wieland and Jess Herauf of the Gophers both finished first in the two multievent competitions on Saturday in the Big Ten track and field meet in East Lansing, Mich.
Gophers sweep two multievent titles in Big Ten track and field meet
By NEWS SERVICES
Wieland, a sophomore from Saarbrucken, Germany, won the decathlon with 7,635 points. On the second day, his best finish was a second in the discus and a third in the 110 hurdles in four events. But he won four events the first day — the 100, long jump, shot put and high jump — to build a huge lead.
Herauf, a junior from Dickinson, N.D., won the heptathlon with 6,014 points. She took first in three of the seven events: the long jump, javelin and 800. Teammate Alex Beckman placed fourth (5,088).
Nicolle Murphy of the Gophers placed second in the javelin (160 feet, 5½ inches), followed by Rachel Melum and Herauf, who were third and fourth. Devin Stanford and Agnes Esser were third and fourth, respectively, in the discus.
Going into the final day of the meet, the Minnesota women's team is in first place with 71 points — 19 ahead of the host Spartans — and the men's team is second with 38 points, six behind Nebraska.
Gophers' Reilly will be testing the market
Mike Reilly definitely will test the free agent market. The Gophers' two-time All-America defenseman informed the Columbus Blue Jackets, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL draft, that he will field offers from other interested organizations, TSN's Bob McKenzie first reported Saturday.
McKenzie also reported that Reilly officially withdrew from school this week, triggering a 30-day countdown until he officially becomes an unrestricted free agent. Reilly, however, said he's still considering signing with Columbus.
JASON GONZALEZ
Gophers' baseball team wins its season finale
The Gophers edged Michigan State 2-1 on Saturday at Siebert Field to end their baseball season. They finished one-half game behind eighth place Nebraska — just shy of advancing to the Big Ten tournament next weekend at Target Field.
Dalton Sawyer allowed one unearned run and four hits for Minnesota (21-30, 9-15 Big Ten) in 6 ⅓ innings. He struck out seven. Matt Halloran's sacrifice fly in the third inning and Austin Athmann's double in the sixth drove in the Gophers' runs.
The eight seniors on the team, including Halloran, were honored after the game.
St. Cloud State stays alive, eliminates MSU Mankato
St. Cloud State beat Minnesota State Mankato 5-4 in 10 innings in the losers' bracket of the NCAA Division II Central Regional baseball tournament at Joe Faber Field, the Huskies home ballpark. Mike Jurgella singled for the Huskies, moved to second on Zak Hoffman's single and, on the same play, scored on an outfield error.
Earlier the No. 1-ranked Huskies (54-4) beat Southern Arkansas 4-0. Garrett Harrison got the shutout, despite allowing 10 hits. He also struck out 10. Mike Jurgella had an RBI and scored a run.
The two victories advanced SCSU to the title game against Henderson State, the lone unbeaten in the field, on Sunday. The Huskies will need to win twice to capture the region title.
Lynx fill out roster by adding point guard
Point guard Jennifer O'Neill signed with the Lynx on Saturday, the day before the WNBA team opens its training camp.
O'Neill averaged 14.4 points, 2.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 33 games for Kentucky last season as a senior. .
Etc.
• Sophomore Jose Mendez of the Gophers shot a closing round of 1-over-par 73 in the NCAA Bremerton (Ore.) Regional in men's golf. His 7-over 223 total for 54 holes tied him for 52nd.
Only one individual from the regional advanced to the NCAA national meet and that was Michigan's Kyle Mueller with a 2-under 214.
• Olivia Herrick and Leigh Klasse won the Minnesota Women's Public Golf Association Four-Ball Championship for the second year in a row. The pair fired a 4-under 68 and edged Sarah Burnham and Raelyn Spears after a three-hole playoff at Valleywood Golf Course in Forest Lake.
• The Gophers qualified six boats for the Grand Finals of the Big Ten Rowing Championships in Indianapolis.
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NEWS SERVICES
The last week of the regular season brought a shakeup, with Michigan playing spoiler against rival Ohio State, and Iowa taking on Nebraska.