After an excellent outdoor track and field season, the Gophers throw team prevailed in the Big Ten Championships, setting multiple meet records and achieving several lifetime bests.
In their inaugural year in the Big Ten, the University of Oregon hosted the Big Ten Championships at the famous Hayward Field in Eugene.
The throwing events finished on day one of the championship, and the Gophers throw team made sure Minnesota had an impressive start to their postseason. Unlike meets throughout the season, points for the team mean just as much as individual performances, the throw team mastered both.
The hammer throw has been the strongest event for the Gophers all season, and their talent shone during the event.
Senior Kostas Zaltos took home the gold, winning his fourth Big Ten title in the hammer throw and becoming the first Big Ten player to win the hammer throw four times. Though he did not beat his personal best, his performance crushed the previous meet record by two meters.
The previous record was held by fellow Gophers thrower and sophomore Angelos Mantzouranis. Zaltos acknowledged that the two are always engaging in friendly competition to push themselves.
“I can’t catch a breath with Angelos. He is always there, always a good competitor, always trying to win,” Zaltos said. “He is a great teammate, very competitive in practice, and I am just trying to be as strong as him.”
Mantzouranis was right behind his teammate, throwing 75.11 meters to a second place finish. They were the only two throwers to hit over 71 meters.
Along with a lifetime best from senior Isaiah Schafer, who came in seventh, the Gophers men ended the day with 20 points from hammer throw alone.
Both the Minnesota men and women finished the day in first place. The men’s throwers finished with 20 of the team’s 28 total points, while the women’s team accumulated 20 total points.
Sophomore Anthonett Nabwe led the women’s throwers. Nabwe, unlike many high-level throwers, competes in all three throwing events: shot put, hammer throw, and discus.
Nabwe set her personal best in the hammer throw, earning her gold, and took home the silver in discus. She earned 18 points for the Gophers by herself after her first and second place finishes.
Her hammer throw set the meet record, however she said that she was looking for a better execution from herself.
“(My goal) was to go above 70 meters because yesterday that happened in practice,” Nabwe said. “The expectation was higher but I’m really grateful I got to PR today and also win.”
Another lifetime best was set in the hammer throw by sophomore Hadley Streit, who earned fourth place.
At the end of the weekend, the men’s track and field team finished second and the women’s team finished seventh. The Big Ten expansion makes competition much more intense, but in the long run it will help prepare the Gophers for the fierce competition in the NCAA semifinals and finals.
Zaltos said he is very excited for this team and their postseason future.
“We are happy to be here and compete in the Minnesota logo and trying to throw far every single time. We are here to make history and make a statement,” Zaltos said. “We are excited for regionals and then excited for the next steps at nationals.”