Vasilj Minnesota junior Darja Vasiljeva ran to one of the Golden Gophers' best individual finishes in the Big Ten Conference Women's Cross Country Championships, placing third in a time of 17 minutes, 39.0 seconds. The Gophers placed sixth as a team at the meet, run at the Varsity Cross Country Course on the Purdue campus in West Lafayette, Ind., on Sunday.

Vasiljeva earned first-team All-Big Ten honors with her finish, adding the award to a second-team accolade captured in her freshman season in 2000. The only Golden Gopher to finish higher at a Big Ten meet was Eileen Donaghy, who won the conference title in 1987. Two other Gophers have placed third: Lori Townsend in 1995 and Rasa Michniovaite in 1998.

"Darja ran a nice race," said Golden Gopher head coach Gary Wilson. "She started out smart, then kept moving up, especially in the last kilometer."

Michigan edged Michigan State by just three points to capture the team crown by the closest margin in the 22-year Big Ten history. The Wolverines tallied 70 points to win their first conference title since 1994. Michigan State scored 73 to finish as runners-up, despite having the top two individual finishers in Michelle Carson (17:24.0) and Jamie Krzyminski (17:34.8).

Minnesota collected 123 points in placing sixth. The 49th place finish of junior Laura Bjork hurt the Gopher effort. Bjork, projected as a top-20 finisher, competed in the race despite battling a respiratory aliment severely hampering her time. She finished in a time of 18:53.0 and out of the team scoring.

"This is an extremely tough conference, and having just one runner struggle made a huge difference," said Wilson. "It's frustrating to have a season with so many injuries or illnesses effecting the team's performance. Adding Bjork to the list, we've had four of our top eight runners go down this fall."

Despite his disappointment over the team finish, Wilson did commend several young Golden Gophers' freshmen Jen Hess and Carly Emil and sophomore Zoe Nagell ' for their efforts, saying, "those kids did a great job."

Hess was the second Gopher finisher, placing 22nd in a time of 18:16.0. Emil placed 25th, crossing the finish line in a time of 18:17.9. Nagell contributed her best outing of the season, placing 31st in a time of 18:24.9.

Sophomore Paula Hoffert completed the Gophers' scoring contingent, placing 42nd in a time of 18:36.0.

The Golden Gophers have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Midwest Regional in Normal, Ill., on Nov. 16. Minnesota looks to earn a trip to the NCAA Championships for the sixth straight season.

Big Ten Conference Championships Sunday, Nov. 3, 2002 Varsity Cross Country Course - West Lafayette, Ind. 5-kilometers Team Result 1. Michigan 5-7-17-20-21-(23)-(26) 70 2. Michigan State 1-2-8-29-33-(46)-(60) 73 3. Indiana 6-11-14-15-35-(58)-(59) 81 4. Penn State 10-13-18-19-34-(40)-(41) 94 5. Wisconsin 4-12-24-30-37-(38)-(56) 107 6. Minnesota 3-22-25-31-42-(49)-(52) 123 7. Northwestern 8-27-28-32-36-(44)-(50) 132 8. Purdue 16-45-48-53-66-(72)-(73) 228 9. Illinois 39-43-55-57-61-(62)-(64) 255 10. Ohio State 47-51-63-65-69-(71)-(77) 295 11. Iowa 54-67-68-70-74-(75)-(76) 333 Top Individual Finishes (1-7 earn All-Big Ten First Team, 8-14 earn All-Big Ten Second Team) 1. Michelle Carson, Mich. St. 17:24.0 2. Jamie Krzyminski, Mich. St. 17:34.8 3. Darja Vasiljeva, Minn. 17:39.0 4. Hillary Edmondson, Wis. 17:40.8 5. Rebecca Walter, Mich. 17:47.8 6. Audrey Giesler, Ind. 17:49.3 7. Lindsey Gallo, Mich. 17:49.4 8. Sarah Pepera, Mich. St. 17:50.9 9. Rachel Evjen, N?western 17:51.9 10. Tracey Brauksieck, Penn St. 17:52.7 11. Jessica Gall, Ind. 17:58.9 12. Jackie Mulrooney, Wis. 18:01.7 13. Katy Hillard, Penn St. 18:05.3 14. Becky Obrecht, Ind. 18:05.5 Golden Gopher Finishes 3. Darja Vasiljeva 17:39.0 22. Jen Hess 18:16.0 25. Carly Emil 18:17.9 31. Zoe Nagell 18:24.9 42. Paula Hoffert 18:36.0 52. (49) Laura Bjork 18:53.0 56. (52) Lauren Williams 18:57.4 74. Jill Field 19:23.3 75. Kimberly Magee 19:23.5