The 2025 track and field postseason ends where it began, at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.

After 39 Gophers qualified for the NCAA West Regionals at Texas A&M, 12 moved on to the NCAA Championships — ten from the men’s track and field team and two from the women’s.

The first qualifiers of the meet came from the men’s 4×100 meter relay team, consisting of senior Devin Augustine, graduate student Kion Benjamin, and juniors Aaron Charles and Zion Campbell.

At E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas, the hot and windy atmosphere was much different from Oregon or Minnesota. 

To some, like Nigerian native sophomore Charles Godfred, the weather was ideal.

“The weather reminds me of back home,” Godfred said. “Texas, it’s the place I did my PR, and I broke the school record. When I went there, I was like, ‘I know I would do something great.’”

Godfred added that when he saw he hit 8.10 meters on his first long jump attempt, he was shocked. He said his best jumps typically come from the later attempts. 

Godfred placed first in the long jump and punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships.

However, the weather was not perfect for senior pole vaulter Jak Urlacher. Urlacher narrowly qualified for his first-ever NCAA Championships, but said he could have done better if not for the wind, which was strong on the easiest bars to pass but died down as he progressed.

“The Texas wind was definitely a big factor,” Urlacher said. “The wind was actually really bad for the first two bars, it was rather frustrating that I already spent so much energy on the previous bars, and then it was kind of more difficult to be able to get over the later ones.”

Sophomore distance runner Ali Weimer also said that the heat was not great, as the distance runners throughout the season often missed the meets that took place in hotter areas. She mentioned that she is excited to go back to the milder climate in Oregon.

“I think one thing is that it was so hot at the regional meet. And in Eugene, it hopefully won’t be, it shouldn’t be,” Weimer said. “I think that that’s one thing that is gonna make our performances even better.”

Senior Dyandra Gray is the only other representative of the Minnesota women’s track and field team to go to the championships.

Since April 30, Gray has consistently beaten her personal record in the 400-meter hurdles, setting a new best almost every week. At the regional meet, she continued her impressive run and set another new lifetime best, earning her first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships. 

Junior Hakeem Ford earned his first-ever trip to the Championships as well, in the triple jump. This will be the first time the Gophers send someone to the Championships in triple jump since 1948.

Graduate student Christian Martin earned a ticket to compete in the 110-meter hurdles, a rare occurrence for the Gophers. He is the third Gopher to ever qualify in the 110-meter hurdles.

Finally, the hammer throw duo of senior Kostas Zaltos and sophomore Angelos Matzouranis are going back to Hayward Field after taking first and second place at regionals. Opposite of the Big Ten Championships, Matzouranis placed first and Zaltos second.

The NCAA Championships start Wednesday, June 11 and run through Saturday, June 14.

The 2025 track and field postseason ends where it began, at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.

After 39 Gophers qualified for the NCAA West Regionals at Texas A&M, 12 moved on to the NCAA Championships — ten from the men’s track and field team and two from the women’s.

The first qualifiers of the meet came from the men’s 4×100 meter relay team, consisting of senior Devin Augustine, graduate student Kion Benjamin, and juniors Aaron Charles and Zion Campbell.

At E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas, the hot and windy atmosphere was much different from Oregon or Minnesota. 

To some, like Nigerian native sophomore Charles Godfred, the weather was ideal.

“The weather reminds me of back home,” Godfred said. “Texas, it’s the place I did my PR, and I broke the school record. When I went there, I was like, ‘I know I would do something great.’”

Godfred added that when he saw he hit 8.10 meters on his first long jump attempt, he was shocked. He said his best jumps typically come from the later attempts. 

Godfred placed first in the long jump and punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships.

However, the weather was not perfect for senior pole vaulter Jak Urlacher. Urlacher narrowly qualified for his first-ever NCAA Championships, but said he could have done better if not for the wind, which was strong on the easiest bars to pass but died down as he progressed.

“The Texas wind was definitely a big factor,” Urlacher said. “The wind was actually really bad for the first two bars, it was rather frustrating that I already spent so much energy on the previous bars, and then it was kind of more difficult to be able to get over the later ones.”

Sophomore distance runner Ali Weimer also said that the heat was not great, as the distance runners throughout the season often missed the meets that took place in hotter areas. She mentioned that she is excited to go back to the milder climate in Oregon.

“I think one thing is that it was so hot at the regional meet. And in Eugene, it hopefully won’t be, it shouldn’t be,” Weimer said. “I think that that’s one thing that is gonna make our performances even better.”

Senior Dyandra Gray is the only other representative of the Minnesota women’s track and field team to go to the championships.

Since April 30, Gray has consistently beaten her personal record in the 400-meter hurdles, setting a new best almost every week. At the regional meet, she continued her impressive run and set another new lifetime best, earning her first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships. 

Junior Hakeem Ford earned his first-ever trip to the Championships as well, in the triple jump. This will be the first time the Gophers send someone to the Championships in triple jump since 1948.

Graduate student Christian Martin earned a ticket to compete in the 110-meter hurdles, a rare occurrence for the Gophers. He is the third Gopher to ever qualify in the 110-meter hurdles.

Finally, the hammer throw duo of senior Kostas Zaltos and sophomore Angelos Matzouranis are going back to Hayward Field after taking first and second place at regionals. Opposite of the Big Ten Championships, Matzouranis placed first and Zaltos second.

The NCAA Championships start Wednesday, June 11 and run through Saturday, June 14.

The Gophers walked away with 10 medals between the men and women, sending 39 athletes to the NCAA West Regionals. The men’s team tied with Wisconsin, both earning 81 points.

The men’s track and field team jumped around the top ten of NCAA national rankings all season. They peaked at number two in early April, but at the time of the meet were ranked sixth.

Day 1 of the championships ended with the Gophers leading in points. The men had 4 events: hammer throw, pole vault, javelin and the 10,000-meter run. 

The men’s Gophers took home first and second in the hammer throw, as well as second in the pole vault. 

Senior Jak Urlacher earned the silver medal with the best pole vault performance by a Minnesota pole vaulter in 28 years, moving him to No. 2 in Gophers history.

The meet was Urlacher’s last Big Ten Championship, but when asked about the pressure of performing well in his final year, he said he was not worried about it.

“I like pressure, personally,” Urlacher said. “I typically jump better at championship meets, the goal for me is just to go out and put together my best meet, and be able to jump what I’m capable of.”

On Day 2, the men competed in the long jump, high jump, decathlon, shot put and 3000-meter steeplechase. 

The standout performance for the Gophers was sophomore Charles Godfred.

Godfred’s first jump attempt was ruled illegal but the jump, he said, would have likely beaten the meet record.

“I knew I was supposed to do that for my first jump,” Godfred said. “I was shocked when they raised the flag. I was just a pinch away. I think the jump was about 8.20 something.”

The meet record is 8.13 meters, set in 1935 by Jesse Owens. Godfred broke that record at other meets, but has yet to do it at the Big Ten Championships. 

Godfred came in first for the second year in a row, despite not using all of his jump attempts. He said he chose not to use them due to injury risk. 

“Due to the rain and bad weather, the board was a bit slippery and I didn’t want to take the risk,” Godfred said.

The rest of the track events were done on the final day of competition. The final meet record for the Gophers came from the men’s 4×100 meter relay team.

The team consisted of juniors Zion Campbell and Aaron Charles, senior Devin Augustine, and graduate student Kion Benjamin broke their own meet record they set in 2023.

Benjamin spoke about his expectations for the meet, especially because this is his final year with the Gophers.

“We came into the meet having the meet record already. So, the goal was to break the meet record on Hayward Field,” Benjamin said. “We had one job, and that was to come home with the gold medal. I just wanted to leave (my teammates) with a bang. I think that’s exactly what we did.”

Augustine put up the most individual points for the men, with 18. Augustine competed in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4×100 meter relay. He placed third in the 200-meter and seventh in the 100-meter.

Senior hammer thrower, Kostas Zaltos, was also awarded the Big Ten Men’s Field Athlete of the Championships.  

The Gophers had six athletes on the men’s All-Big Ten First Team, the most in the Big Ten.

The Gophers walked away with 10 medals between the men and women, sending 39 athletes to the NCAA West Regionals. The men’s team tied with Wisconsin, both earning 81 points.

The men’s track and field team jumped around the top ten of NCAA national rankings all season. They peaked at number two in early April, but at the time of the meet were ranked sixth.

Day 1 of the championships ended with the Gophers leading in points. The men had 4 events: hammer throw, pole vault, javelin and the 10,000-meter run. 

The men’s Gophers took home first and second in the hammer throw, as well as second in the pole vault. 

Senior Jak Urlacher earned the silver medal with the best pole vault performance by a Minnesota pole vaulter in 28 years, moving him to No. 2 in Gophers history.

The meet was Urlacher’s last Big Ten Championship, but when asked about the pressure of performing well in his final year, he said he was not worried about it.

“I like pressure, personally,” Urlacher said. “I typically jump better at championship meets, the goal for me is just to go out and put together my best meet, and be able to jump what I’m capable of.”

On Day 2, the men competed in the long jump, high jump, decathlon, shot put and 3000-meter steeplechase. 

The standout performance for the Gophers was sophomore Charles Godfred.

Godfred’s first jump attempt was ruled illegal but the jump, he said, would have likely beaten the meet record.

“I knew I was supposed to do that for my first jump,” Godfred said. “I was shocked when they raised the flag. I was just a pinch away. I think the jump was about 8.20 something.”

The meet record is 8.13 meters, set in 1935 by Jesse Owens. Godfred broke that record at other meets, but has yet to do it at the Big Ten Championships. 

Godfred came in first for the second year in a row, despite not using all of his jump attempts. He said he chose not to use them due to injury risk. 

“Due to the rain and bad weather, the board was a bit slippery and I didn’t want to take the risk,” Godfred said.

The rest of the track events were done on the final day of competition. The final meet record for the Gophers came from the men’s 4×100 meter relay team.

The team consisted of juniors Zion Campbell and Aaron Charles, senior Devin Augustine, and graduate student Kion Benjamin broke their own meet record they set in 2023.

Benjamin spoke about his expectations for the meet, especially because this is his final year with the Gophers.

“We came into the meet having the meet record already. So, the goal was to break the meet record on Hayward Field,” Benjamin said. “We had one job, and that was to come home with the gold medal. I just wanted to leave (my teammates) with a bang. I think that’s exactly what we did.”

Augustine put up the most individual points for the men, with 18. Augustine competed in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4×100 meter relay. He placed third in the 200-meter and seventh in the 100-meter.

Senior hammer thrower, Kostas Zaltos, was also awarded the Big Ten Men’s Field Athlete of the Championships.  

The Gophers had six athletes on the men’s All-Big Ten First Team, the most in the Big Ten.

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.”

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.”

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.”

The Louisiana State University Invitational was the last outdoor regular-season meet of the season for the Gophers women’s track and field. 

Multiple Gophers moved up in the Big Ten rankings while setting new PRs. Redshirt sophomore triple jumpers Diarra Sow and Brooke Moore are one of five duos to hold the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in any event in the Big Ten. 

Sow said her aspirations for this meet and for herself were really high.

“I really have a lot of expectations coming to track, especially for this outdoor meet, my goals are really high,” Sow said. “I was hoping to have a big PR because I knew I was ready.” 

Moore said she did not expect the LSU invitational to go as well as it did.

Moore set a personal record in the triple jump, earning her the No. 2 spot in the conference. 

This is Moore’s first time being ranked this high, and it will be her first time at Hayward Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. Sow and her are working to not give in to their nerves.

“I think that me and Diarra will have to do a little bit of getting out of our heads,” Moore said. “We both get in our heads really fast, so we have to make sure that circumstances don’t change what we came to do.”

Sow said that the pressure got to her last Big Ten Championship. She said she went to Hayward Stadium for last year’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and though it was not her favorite performance, she was not in her head too much. 

The LSU Invitational also saw success from the Gophers in the 400-meter hurdles and the 100-meter hurdles. 

Redshirt freshman Kennedy Martinson set a lifetime best along with senior Maja Maunsbach, who posted the fifth-fastest 100-meter hurdle time by a Swedish woman.

Graduate student Dyandra Gray set a lifetime best in the 400-meter hurdles. She PR’d in back-to-back meets and now sits at sixth in Gophers history.

Gray was not happy about her performance in the California meets and went to the last meets of the season, trying to amend that.

“I had a really terrible weekend in California the week before,” Gray said. “So it was more about rest and then trying to make up for the last week of regular season competition.”

Gray said she was surprised that she set a personal record at LSU because it was not a good technical race. She added that the team and her performances at LSU will help them succeed at the Big Ten Championship.

“It’s going to give me confidence going into Big Ten because I feel good. I feel lighter, and I feel more rested now,” Gray said. “For the team, I feel like we all felt better this week, the weekend, which is good. It’s good to feel good on the back end of the season.”

As the majority of the Gophers track and field team travel to Louisiana State University for their final regular season meet of the year, the women’s distance runners stay in Minnesota, prepping for the Big Ten Championships.

Minnesota coaches kept them in Minnesota due to the high number of meets they have competed in recently and wanted the runners to prepare to compete on May 16 at the University of Oregon. 

Currently ranked at No. 32 nationally, the women’s distance runners have made important strides for post-season success. 

Redshirt sophomore Ali Weimer broke the six-year school record in the 10K at the Raleigh Relays in March. Weimer continued cementing herself in school records with a 5K performance in the Bryan Clay Invitational that moved her to No. 2 in school history.

Weimer said track and field did not always come naturally to her.

“Track hasn’t always been my mojo,” Weimer said. “Cross country is like my bread and butter.”

Growing up, Weimer did not start competing in distance running until seventh grade. She said she grew up playing hockey and soccer.

“I had always envisioned myself playing college hockey, a true Minnesotan at heart,” Weimer said.  “Eventually, I found more love for (running), and ever since then, it’s just kind of worked out.”

Fellow redshirt sophomore distance runner and Minnesota native Zoie Dundon also pursued hockey along with cross country, track and soccer while at Burnsville High School.

Dundon found her niche in the 3000-meter steeplechase, an event she had not experienced until coming to Minnesota.

“Our coaches get an idea of who could be good at it, and then she has everyone try it their freshman year,” Dundon said.

Dundon ranks No. 10 among collegiate athletes in the steeplechase as of April 29. But she said the first time she tried getting over one of the steeples, she ended up tripping.

Stan Becton, a reporter for the NCAA, ranked the trio of Dundon, sophomore Diarra Sow and senior Maja Maunsbach in the top 10 of sprint-distance-field trios in NCAA track and field.

At the Drake Relays, Dundon improved to No. 8 in University history in the 1500 meter and graduate student Erin Reidy improved to No. 2. 

This will be Reidy’s last year running for the Gophers, and she said she is trying to enjoy every moment.

“I used to get really anxious and honestly depressed about really getting the mindset of having to do good,” Reidy said. “And I think just embracing, like, ‘No, this is the fun part you worked so hard for.’”

Reidy remarked on how she grew up as a multi-sport athlete, coming from a very active family, so leaving competition behind next year will be a difficult step.

The women’s runners are excited to travel to Oregon. Reidy and Weimer said they are ignoring the possible intimidation of competing at Hayward Field, instead focusing on how fun it will be.

“Oregon is Track City, USA,” Reidy said. “Other people that love the running community will be there, and it’s where Olympians have been made, so I’ve been really trying to go there.”

Reidy said she understands nobody is invincible, no one knows who will perform well on any given day, so the intimidation is a fun privilege to have.

Weimer agreed with Reidy’s attitude of a lighthearted approach to the meet.

“The Big Ten meet is just so much fun to begin with, you’re bringing together some of the best teams in the nation,” Weimer said. “So it’s like, why not just approach it with an open hand and just be like, let’s just see what we can do.”

After a series of meets in California, the Gophers women’s track and field team finally had their first home meet of the outdoor season.

The Gary Wilson Invitational took place Wednesday, right before the Gophers hit the road again to head to the 115th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.

The strong performances in the various California meets helped the Gophers jump in the national rankings to No. 29, moving up over 57 places.

Redshirt sophomore Zoie Dundon and freshman Isabelle Schmitz set lifetime bests in the steeplechase at the Bryan Clay Invitational in California. 

Due to their high frequency of meets, the Gophers did not compete in the Gary Wilson Invitational but worked as pacers. Depending on the event, coaches will have women sit out of certain meets so they can rest and perform better in future meets. 

The Gophers performed well at meets across the country, but Dundon said she enjoys the home meets because it means family and friends can come.

“My parents don’t get to come to a lot of my meets, but I love when my parents come,” Dundon said. “If it was up to me, I would run here every single time so that they can come watch.”

For sixth-year pole vaulter Lexy Berger, the Gary Wilson Invitational was her last home meet.

Berger set her lifetime best at the meet and narrowly missed the school record on her third attempt. She spoke about how much she enjoys home meets. 

“I love competing here, I love competing at home,” Berger said. “The last time I PR’d was at home, so that brings back good memories.”

Berger will be competing Friday in Iowa, and her goal before graduating is to set the school record, even if it is temporary, because she believes sophomore Sofia Condon will break it if she does not.

“Love to have that record,” Berger said. “Especially before Sofia gets it, I know she’ll get it soon.”

For redshirt sophomore throwers Anthonett Nabwe and Hadley Streit, being at home means familiarity.

“We’re used to the rings, so that plays a lot into it,” Nabwe said. “It does have an advantage.”

Streit said that she agreed on the benefits of competing at home.

“I do tend to throw well at home,” Streit said. “The rings are going to have a different texture everywhere you go, so we’re more used to it here.”

The invitational saw Nabwe and Streit take first and second in every event they competed in. 

The Gary Wilson Invitation was the Gophers’ first and last home meet of the outdoor season.