After Friday's opening day of the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships, Matt Bingle didn't have high hopes that the Gophers women's team would defend its title in Geneva, Ohio.
"On Saturday, most of the day we thought we were going to lose,'' Bingle, director of track and field for Minnesota's men's and women's teams, said Monday. "We were down double digits on our charts to Ohio State.''
Instead, a couple of unexpected finishes and depth in some distance events on Saturday helped the Gophers surge past Day 1 leader Penn State and Ohio State to capture the crown again. Minnesota, which had 18 points Friday and trailed Penn State by 16, finished with 102 points. Ohio State was second with 94, followed by Penn State (85), Michigan (78) and Wisconsin (58).
"Our team did a great job, took on some challenges and it was exciting to watch,'' Bingle said after the Gophers women won their sixth indoor title in program history and their ninth Big Ten title overall.
The Gophers also won the Big Ten cross-country title last fall, so with this indoor title, they can aim for a conference triple crown when they host the Big Ten outdoor track and field championships May 13-15.
Minnesota's comeback Saturday got a big boost in the triple jump when Tiera Robinson-Jones, on her third and final attempt, moved from eighth to third with an effort of 41 feet, 7 inches, the fourth-best jump in school history. Robinson-Jones collected six points for her team, doubling the total that Ohio State's Cierra Pyles received.
"All of a sudden, we were in it,'' Bingle said.
The Gophers got a 2-3 finish by Odell Frye and Amira Young in the 60-meter dash and a 3-5 showing by Shelby Frank and Tess Keyzers in the weight throw, lifting their team hopes.
