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Photo by: Kelly Hagenson
Benjamin Breaks 100-Meter Record
5/1/2021 4:15:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
Kion Benjamin set a new men's 100-meter program record as the Gophers wrapped up the M City Classic with three new program records and 18 event titles.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kion Benjamin set a new Minnesota program record in the men's 100 meters and the Maroon & Gold added nine more event titles on day two to cap off the M City Classic with three new school records and 18 event titles at the University of Minnesota Track & Field Stadium on Saturday.
Benjamin clocked a wind-legal career-best time of 10.25 seconds to win the 100 meters and improve on the previous Minnesota program record of 10.29 seconds set by his coach Ibrahim Kabia in 2008. On the women's side, Lexi Romero led the Gophers in the 100 meters with a career-best time of 11.75 seconds to rank 10th on Minnesota's all-time list and place third at the meet.Â
Ben Psicihulis added another title with an all-time top-10 mark for the Gopher men as he won the 400 meters in a career-best 46.38 seconds to rank eighth in program history. Val Larson (career-best 53.66 seconds) and Abigail Schaaffe (career-best 54.65 seconds) both clocked personal bests in the women's 400 meters as well; each improved her mark on Minnesota's all-time list as Larson moved into fifth in program history and Schaaffe improved her time at 10th among all-time Gophers.
"There were just so many performances that were great this weekend for everybody," director of track & field and cross country Matt Bingle said. "It's hard to pinpoint just one because it was just a great team weekend. We really came together. I feel like we have good momentum going into the end of the season, which is exactly what we want at this time of the year.
"It's nice to be at home, and it feels good to sleep in your own bed. We've been travel warriors this whole season since January. The student-athletes have been through a lot of road trips. To be able to come home and do what they did these last two days was just great. They continue to impress me with how they handle everything that keeps coming at them. They've done a good job managing all that and continuing to pull together just like a real family should. It's been fun to watch them do what they do."
The men's 4x100-meter relay team of Psicihulis, Benjamin, Finn Schirmer, and Aarron Westmoreland finished second at the meet and moved into fourth in program history with a season-best time of 40.11 seconds.Â
Other highlights on the track saw the Maroon & Gold sweep the 800-meter titles. Anastasia Korzenowski ran the second-fastest 800-meter time in women's program history with a personal-best time of 2:05.53 for the win, and Jordan MacIntosh won the men's race in a career-best 1:51.35. Women's 800-meter runner-up Erin Reidy also moved up Minnesota's all-time list with a career-best time of 2:06.77 to rank eighth in program history.
Alec Basten won the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a season-opening time of 8:41.38 while Abby Kohut-Jackson led the women with a runner-up showing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Julia Hayes finished as runner-up in the women's 100-meter hurdles in a career-best 14.07 seconds, and Teddy Frid finish second in the men's 110-meter hurdles in a career-best 14.37 seconds.
The Gophers closed out day two of the meet with a sweep in the 4x400-meter relay. Noah Burton, Elliott Davis, Benjamin, and Psicihulis won the men's race in 3:12.49 while Janielle Josephs, Larson, Kayla Vogt, and Schaaffe ran 3:38.48 to win the women's race and rank eighth on Minnesota's all-time list.Â
In the women's field events, Tiera Robinson-Jones (triple jump) and Hannah Hood-Blaxill (high jump) won titles for the Maroon & Gold on day two of the meet. Tess Keyzers recorded a season-best mark of 16.98 meters (55-08.50 ft.) as shot put runner-up while Hailey Poole used a mark of 44.40 meters (145-08 ft.) to finish as javelin runner-up as well.Â
The men's field events saw Kyle Atkinson lead the way in shot put with a throw of 17.82 meters (58-05.75 ft.) for third place. Mike Herauf cleared a career-best 5.23 meters (17-01.75 ft.) to move into ninth among all-time Gophers and finish fourth in pole vault at the meet as well.Â
The Gophers are back in action at the Big Ten Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Champaign, Ill, on Friday, May 14 through Sunday, May 16.
Gophers' Event Champions
Kion Benjamin, Men's 100m (program record, facility record)
Ben Psicihulis, Men's 400m (facility record)
Jordan MacIntosh, Men's 800m (facility record)
Owen Hoeft, Men's 1500m (facility record)
Noah Burton, Men's 400m Hurdles (facility record)
Alec Basten, Men's 3,000m Steeplechase (facility record)
Noah Burton, Elliott Davis, Kion Benjamin, Ben Psicihulis, Men's 4x400m Relay (facility record)
Kostas Zaltos, Men's Hammer Throw (facility record)
Kaleb Siekmeier, Men's Discus (facility record)
Yahya Madar, Men's High Jump
Amira Young, Women's 200m (program record, facility record)
Anastasia Korzenowski, Women's 800m (facility record)
Bethany Hasz, Women's 5,000m (program record, facility record)
Janielle Josephs, Val Larson, Kayla Vogt, Abigail Schaaffe, Women's 4x400m Relay (facility record)
Abigail Schaaffe, Women's 400m Hurdles (facility record)
Allison Gerads, Women's Long Jump (facility record)
Tiera Robinson-Jones, Women's Triple Jump (facility record)
Hannah Hood-Blaxill, Women's High Jump
###
Benjamin clocked a wind-legal career-best time of 10.25 seconds to win the 100 meters and improve on the previous Minnesota program record of 10.29 seconds set by his coach Ibrahim Kabia in 2008. On the women's side, Lexi Romero led the Gophers in the 100 meters with a career-best time of 11.75 seconds to rank 10th on Minnesota's all-time list and place third at the meet.Â
Ben Psicihulis added another title with an all-time top-10 mark for the Gopher men as he won the 400 meters in a career-best 46.38 seconds to rank eighth in program history. Val Larson (career-best 53.66 seconds) and Abigail Schaaffe (career-best 54.65 seconds) both clocked personal bests in the women's 400 meters as well; each improved her mark on Minnesota's all-time list as Larson moved into fifth in program history and Schaaffe improved her time at 10th among all-time Gophers.
"There were just so many performances that were great this weekend for everybody," director of track & field and cross country Matt Bingle said. "It's hard to pinpoint just one because it was just a great team weekend. We really came together. I feel like we have good momentum going into the end of the season, which is exactly what we want at this time of the year.
"It's nice to be at home, and it feels good to sleep in your own bed. We've been travel warriors this whole season since January. The student-athletes have been through a lot of road trips. To be able to come home and do what they did these last two days was just great. They continue to impress me with how they handle everything that keeps coming at them. They've done a good job managing all that and continuing to pull together just like a real family should. It's been fun to watch them do what they do."
The men's 4x100-meter relay team of Psicihulis, Benjamin, Finn Schirmer, and Aarron Westmoreland finished second at the meet and moved into fourth in program history with a season-best time of 40.11 seconds.Â
Other highlights on the track saw the Maroon & Gold sweep the 800-meter titles. Anastasia Korzenowski ran the second-fastest 800-meter time in women's program history with a personal-best time of 2:05.53 for the win, and Jordan MacIntosh won the men's race in a career-best 1:51.35. Women's 800-meter runner-up Erin Reidy also moved up Minnesota's all-time list with a career-best time of 2:06.77 to rank eighth in program history.
Alec Basten won the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a season-opening time of 8:41.38 while Abby Kohut-Jackson led the women with a runner-up showing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Julia Hayes finished as runner-up in the women's 100-meter hurdles in a career-best 14.07 seconds, and Teddy Frid finish second in the men's 110-meter hurdles in a career-best 14.37 seconds.
The Gophers closed out day two of the meet with a sweep in the 4x400-meter relay. Noah Burton, Elliott Davis, Benjamin, and Psicihulis won the men's race in 3:12.49 while Janielle Josephs, Larson, Kayla Vogt, and Schaaffe ran 3:38.48 to win the women's race and rank eighth on Minnesota's all-time list.Â
In the women's field events, Tiera Robinson-Jones (triple jump) and Hannah Hood-Blaxill (high jump) won titles for the Maroon & Gold on day two of the meet. Tess Keyzers recorded a season-best mark of 16.98 meters (55-08.50 ft.) as shot put runner-up while Hailey Poole used a mark of 44.40 meters (145-08 ft.) to finish as javelin runner-up as well.Â
The men's field events saw Kyle Atkinson lead the way in shot put with a throw of 17.82 meters (58-05.75 ft.) for third place. Mike Herauf cleared a career-best 5.23 meters (17-01.75 ft.) to move into ninth among all-time Gophers and finish fourth in pole vault at the meet as well.Â
The Gophers are back in action at the Big Ten Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Champaign, Ill, on Friday, May 14 through Sunday, May 16.
Gophers' Event Champions
Kion Benjamin, Men's 100m (program record, facility record)
Ben Psicihulis, Men's 400m (facility record)
Jordan MacIntosh, Men's 800m (facility record)
Owen Hoeft, Men's 1500m (facility record)
Noah Burton, Men's 400m Hurdles (facility record)
Alec Basten, Men's 3,000m Steeplechase (facility record)
Noah Burton, Elliott Davis, Kion Benjamin, Ben Psicihulis, Men's 4x400m Relay (facility record)
Kostas Zaltos, Men's Hammer Throw (facility record)
Kaleb Siekmeier, Men's Discus (facility record)
Yahya Madar, Men's High Jump
Amira Young, Women's 200m (program record, facility record)
Anastasia Korzenowski, Women's 800m (facility record)
Bethany Hasz, Women's 5,000m (program record, facility record)
Janielle Josephs, Val Larson, Kayla Vogt, Abigail Schaaffe, Women's 4x400m Relay (facility record)
Abigail Schaaffe, Women's 400m Hurdles (facility record)
Allison Gerads, Women's Long Jump (facility record)
Tiera Robinson-Jones, Women's Triple Jump (facility record)
Hannah Hood-Blaxill, Women's High Jump
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