Minnesota Scene: Gophers runner runs fastest outdoor 800 in nation so far

Harun Abda of the Gophers ran the fastest 800 meters in the nation this outdoor season on Saturday in the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. The senior from Fridley won the race in 1 minute, 48.64 seconds. Teammate Justin Barber won the college hammer throw Friday with a toss of 186 feet, 3 inches.

• The women's track and field team, in another part of the country, won six events in the Arkansas Spring Invitational in Lafayette. Alena Brooks won the 400 (54.27), Te'shon Adderley the 800 (2:10.36) and both ran on the winning 4x400 relay (3:42.14)

The Gophers edged Michigan 2-1 in the second game of a baseball doubleheader at Ann Arbor to split a twinbill and win the three-game series.

Andy Henkemeyer's double in the seventh inning for the Gophers broke a 1-1 tie. He was 3-for-5 in that game.

The Wolverines won the first game 11-3, scoring at least one run in sixth consecutive innings. Michigan got 16 hits off four pitchers.

Third baseman Kaitlyn Richardson and outfielder Kayla Wenner both hit two home runs and teammates Paige Palkovich and Bree Blanchette had one apiece as the Gophers clobbered Northwestern 14-9 in Evanston, Ill.

Richardson had four RBI, Wenner three.

• Minnesota finished 18th, with 53 points, in the NCAA men's swimming and diving meet in Indianapolis, Ind. CJ Smith placed 13th in the 1,650-yard freestyle (14:54.21) and Derek Toomey 13th in the 100 freestyle (43.06).

• Gophers senior Erik Van Rooyen finished in a seven-way tie for ninth in the 45th annual U.S. Intercollegiate tournament Saturday at Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif.

Van Rooyen had rounds of 66, 70 and 73 for a 209 total. The Gophers and Iowa tied for 12th at 858.

• Junior MacKenzie Misel and sophomore Kathie Thyken have been named the co-captains of the Gophers women's soccer team for the spring season. Minnesota plays in the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge on April 20.