Gophers freshman high jumper Staffan Strand clinched national runner-up honors Thursday at the NCAA Championships in Bloomington, Ind.
Strand’s mark of 7 feet, 2 1/4 inches was good for second place behind Texas’ Ivan Whenar. Whenar won the NCAA title after jumping 7-6 1/2.
After Thursday’s events, Minnesota was in fourth place with 14 points among NCAA competitors. Texas was first with 28 1/2.
Gophers sophomore Benjamin Jensen rebounded from an injury-riddled season with a third-place finish in the decathlon. With a final point total of 7,716, Jensen again shattered the Minnesota decathlon record.
Thursday, Jensen added 900 points to his total after finishing second in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 14.59. He finished eighth in the discus with a throw of 139-2, earning 714 points.
Jensen continued to improve his standing in the pole vault, the third event of the day. He tied for second with a mark of 16-8 3/4, gaining his highest single event point total with 941.
He improved from fourth to third overall in his final two events. Jensen finished ninth in the javelin with a mark of 178-1 and fourth in the 1,500, recording a time of 4:27.07. These events earned him the 1,416 points he needed to finish third.
Parkos places 18th at NCAAs
Senior thrower Dani Parkos placed 18th in the shot put with a toss of 48-4 1/2 at the NCAA Championships in Bloomington, Ind.
Nebraska junior Tressa Thompson won the event with a mark of 60-8 1/2, a new NCAA Track and Field Championship meet record.