Minnesota State Mankato women finish second in NCAA Division II indoor track and field championships

Minnesota State Mankato came so close. A second or two faster here, an inch there, and the Mavericks would have won their second straight NCAA Division II title in women's indoor track and field in Virginia Beach, Va.

Instead, MSU Mankato took second with 51 points. Adams State won with 52.

Denisha Cartwright of the Mavericks took first in the 60-meter hurdles (8.11 seconds), and third in both the 200 (23.38) and 60 (7.31). Teammate Makayla Jackson was first in the 60 (7.20).

Shereen Vallabouy of Winona State won the 400 (52.27) and the Warriors' 4x400 was third (3:42.53) with Vallabouy running fourth.

Cailee Peterson of Minnesota Duluth was second in the mile (3:42.53).

On the men's side, senior Jakob Tordsen of Concordia (St. Paul) became the school's first male athlete to win a national title in track and field. He won the heptathlon.

Tordsen trailed by 39 points going into the last event, but a personal best of 2 minutes, 45.77 seconds in the 1,000-meter run enabled him to finish second in that event and surge to first. His 5,623 points broke his own school record.

The Augsburg University men's wrestling team clinched its 14th national championship in school history even before the individual finals began.

The Auggies, who finished with 101 points to second place Wartburg (Iowa)'s 65, had two wrestlers in the finals at the NCAA Division III national championships at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Va. Junior Sam Stuhl was unseeded at 141 pounds but won; senior Tyler Shilson, the fourth seed at 157, lost.

Junior Tyler Kim of Augsburg took third place at heavyweight and junior Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann fourth at 184.

Two St. Cloud State wrestlers reached the title matches of the NCAA Division II championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Sophomore Nick Novak, the second seed, won on a 3-1 decision at 157 pounds to stay unbeaten at 27-0. Senior Abner Romero, the top seed, lost 12-4 in the 174 final.

As a team the Huskies finished third with 64.5 points behind Central Oklahoma with 121 points and Lander (South Carolina) with 78.

In the 125-pound final, sophomore Jaxson Rohman of Augustana lost. Rohman is a Martin County West graduate.

Kayla Chavez hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Gophers softball team rallied to beat Central Michigan 2-1 Saturday on the second day of the Gopher Indoor Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium. Autumn Pease, who came into the game in the sixth, got the victory. She gave up one hit and one walk but struck out six.

In a second game, Pease pitched a one-hitter and struck out 12 as the Gophers (14-9) beat Idaho State 9-0 in six innings. Jess Oakland was 2-for-4 with three RBI and Clare Ceynowa hit a two-run homer.

Four Gophers pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts, but Minnesota lost 7-2 to host West Virginia in nonconference baseball.

Sam Hunt went 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI for the Gophers (2-13). Blaine Traxell gave up two runs in eight innings for the Mountaineers (9-4).