Minnesota Scene: Gophers women third in Big Ten track

Highlighted by a runner-up finish and a school-record time in the 1,600-meter relay, the Gophers women's track and field team finished third in the Big Ten outdoor championships on Sunday at East Lansing, Mich.

The Gophers amassed 22 points on Sunday, giving them 93 points for the meet. Michigan State won with 128, and Nebraska took second, four points ahead of Minnesota.

The 1,600 relay team of Emerald Egwim, Jessica Waldvogel, Erin Hawkins and Titania Markland secured Minnesota's third-place finish with a school-record time of 3 minutes, 33.76 seconds.

Minnesota's 4x100-meter relay team of Egwim, Emma Spagnola, Waldvogel and Hawkins used a season-best time of 45.17 seconds to place fourth and secure five points in the team race. Their time ranks sixth in Minnesota history.

Individually, Markland and Spagnola contributed to the Gophers' team score on the final day of competition. Markland clocked a 53.66 in the 400-meter dash to place fourth after setting a Gophers record of 53.53 in Saturday's qualifying. Spagnola took fifth in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.45.

The Gophers entered the final day of competition with a lead in the team race, but host Michigan State earned 53 points on the day.

"We're super excited, and I'm very happy with a great team effort," Gophers coach Matt Bingle said. "They deserve all the credit. It was an awesome weekend.

• The Gophers men placed sixth with 64 points, getting fourth-place finishes in the shot put (62 feet, 10 ¾ inches) from Mark Jennings and in the 800 meters from Goaner Deng, who ran a personal-best 1:49.24.

Illinois, with 145 points, coasted to the team title. Nebraska was second, 37 points back.

The Gophers rowing team, which had six boats racing in Sunday's finals, placed fifth with 88 points at the Big Ten meet in Indianapolis.

Rebecca Braak earned All-Big Ten first team honors, while Lynn Hodnett earned a spot on the all-conference second team.

The Gophers' Third Varsity Four had the team's best finish of the day, placing third. The Gophers' First Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Second Varsity Four boats all recorded fifth-place finishes.