University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Sprints/Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps/Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
High Jump
/ Men's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Men's Track & Field
Sowa Previews 2023 Multis and Vertical Jumps
12/16/2022 2:05:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Assistant coach Colleen Sowa breaks down a portion of the Gophers' squad for the upcoming season.
This feature is the first of many with each coach breaking down their group of athletes as the team inches closer to the start of the indoor season in January. Stay tuned for more features with the rest of the Gophers' coaching staff in the coming weeks.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Assistant coach Colleen Sowa breaks down a portion of the Gophers' squad for 2023, looking at key returners and newcomers heading into the indoor track & field season along with looking ahead to the outdoor season.
"We are really excited about this group this year. Being that it is my second year with the program, it feels like we all know one another much better than last year even with the newcomers. It was nice to be able to jump right into training instead of having to get to know everyone first. We have had a great Fall in my opinion, and we have continued to grow despite having a great end of last season. We have a great group that is coachable and wants to learn which has us all really excited to see what this season can bring."
Women's High Jump
Key Returners: Nyalaam Jok
Key Newcomers: Aliyah McNeil
Sowa: "Last year Nyalaam, as a freshman, was still getting into her rhythm last year indoors and then she really excelled outdoors. She's also coming in starting right where we left off last season, which is a great step forward for her. Both her and Lexy [Berger] have this expectation that they want to be contributors to their team, because we preach that we are a team first here, so they want to contribute to the Big Ten teams indoors and outdoors. We talk a lot about how we continue to get better, while also being consistent. That's where our discussion of internal motivation comes in. I can continue to coach, and drill and practice but ultimately, they have to internally want more. So can they add more energy or push themselves more in the weight room to get to that next level they all want to be at. They have taken that to heart and have shown that they want it, and that has really shown through their practices."
"Aliyah McNeil coming from Iowa Western is a huge addition to our group. She was a national champion in both the high jump and finished as the runner-up in the long jump. She carries a lot of expectations for herself, but obviously we know her talent level and we just ask her every day to trust the process. What we love the most about her joining this group is that she complements Nyalaam so well. I think it will be so great for Nyalaam to have someone to travel with that also competes in the same events as her so they can push one another. It is much more fun to have these experiences with a teammate next to you and for them to both successfully compete in both the high jump and long jump will help both. Aliyah coming in has the talent and the gifts, now she is at the Big Ten and Division I level, let's see her compete against the best of the best, which is exciting because we know she will step up and be a great addition for our team."
Women's Pole Vault
Key Returners: Lexy Berger
Key Newcomers: --
Sowa: "Lexy had a great indoor and outdoor season last year. She really showed success throughout the entire indoor and outdoor season. She is coming in continuing to progress off of how she ended last year. All of our upper classmen, including Lexy, have been great leaders and emphasize the messages of working harder, and doing it the right way each and every day. I'm proud of them all, because they have shown the newcomers what it is all about."
"What we like to tell recruits a lot is if you want to be successful, we must trust each other. We have to trust that our student-athletes are doing all the right things, and they have to give us 110 percent trust back. That's where Lexy has invested. She trusts our staff every step of the way. She has had coaching changes, gone through a redshirt season, she was a walk-on and dealt with a COVID year, and she has just continued to work, and it has shown with her continued growth in the pole vault. She's had a whirlwind of a college career, not only with our team but in college life in general but she has continued to stay the course and trust the process and it has paid dividends for her."
Women's Multis
Key Returners: --
Key Newcomers: Hailey Anchor, Thalia Mendoza-Brunotte
Sowa: "As far as our freshmen coming in, they are both brand new to the multi event. They have both bought into the process and know they have a lot of events to learn. They know it is not something that is just going to happen overnight, and they have been listening to everything and are extremely coachable and I cannot ask for more than that."
Men's High Jump:
Key Returners: Yahya Madar
Key Newcomers: --
Sowa: "Yahya has been around for a while now; he is in his final year with us. Yahya has had some ups and downs in his career, trying to get back into his groove and what makes him feel confident. I see him working on that, and we really feel like he is finally feeling confident in his jumps. He had a huge breakthrough at the end of last season. What I value so much in Yahya is not even as an athlete, but his ability to lead and be a great teammate. Everyone knows Yahya and he is a great contributor to our team comradery."
Men's Pole Vault
Key Returners: Jak Urlacher
Key Newcomers: --
Sowa: "I call him Jak-Jak, Jak Urlacher. Holy moly. Jak, along with us as a staff, knows that pole vault is a daily process, but we can see the gifts that Jak possesses and we're so excited to see him continue to grow this season. He had to make a lot of changes last season and was still figuring out the event to some extent last year. He has come in strong this season already and has had some fantastic practices. I think he has a chance to surprise some people at the Big Ten level. He didn't score last season at Big Tens, which I know he was disappointed in, but the potential he has this year is exciting. Honestly, I attribute his improvement so far to just learning the event more. He was a football player, a sprinter and was a long-time gymnast. He just had not done the event for long in high school, so he was still learning even the basics of the event last season. He has a lot of natural ability, and we had to focus on just making these simple progresses last season, and still do a bit this year which makes us so excited for his potential in the pole vault."
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MINNEAPOLIS -- Assistant coach Colleen Sowa breaks down a portion of the Gophers' squad for 2023, looking at key returners and newcomers heading into the indoor track & field season along with looking ahead to the outdoor season.
"We are really excited about this group this year. Being that it is my second year with the program, it feels like we all know one another much better than last year even with the newcomers. It was nice to be able to jump right into training instead of having to get to know everyone first. We have had a great Fall in my opinion, and we have continued to grow despite having a great end of last season. We have a great group that is coachable and wants to learn which has us all really excited to see what this season can bring."
Women's High Jump
Key Returners: Nyalaam Jok
Key Newcomers: Aliyah McNeil
Sowa: "Last year Nyalaam, as a freshman, was still getting into her rhythm last year indoors and then she really excelled outdoors. She's also coming in starting right where we left off last season, which is a great step forward for her. Both her and Lexy [Berger] have this expectation that they want to be contributors to their team, because we preach that we are a team first here, so they want to contribute to the Big Ten teams indoors and outdoors. We talk a lot about how we continue to get better, while also being consistent. That's where our discussion of internal motivation comes in. I can continue to coach, and drill and practice but ultimately, they have to internally want more. So can they add more energy or push themselves more in the weight room to get to that next level they all want to be at. They have taken that to heart and have shown that they want it, and that has really shown through their practices."
"Aliyah McNeil coming from Iowa Western is a huge addition to our group. She was a national champion in both the high jump and finished as the runner-up in the long jump. She carries a lot of expectations for herself, but obviously we know her talent level and we just ask her every day to trust the process. What we love the most about her joining this group is that she complements Nyalaam so well. I think it will be so great for Nyalaam to have someone to travel with that also competes in the same events as her so they can push one another. It is much more fun to have these experiences with a teammate next to you and for them to both successfully compete in both the high jump and long jump will help both. Aliyah coming in has the talent and the gifts, now she is at the Big Ten and Division I level, let's see her compete against the best of the best, which is exciting because we know she will step up and be a great addition for our team."
Women's Pole Vault
Key Returners: Lexy Berger
Key Newcomers: --
Sowa: "Lexy had a great indoor and outdoor season last year. She really showed success throughout the entire indoor and outdoor season. She is coming in continuing to progress off of how she ended last year. All of our upper classmen, including Lexy, have been great leaders and emphasize the messages of working harder, and doing it the right way each and every day. I'm proud of them all, because they have shown the newcomers what it is all about."
"What we like to tell recruits a lot is if you want to be successful, we must trust each other. We have to trust that our student-athletes are doing all the right things, and they have to give us 110 percent trust back. That's where Lexy has invested. She trusts our staff every step of the way. She has had coaching changes, gone through a redshirt season, she was a walk-on and dealt with a COVID year, and she has just continued to work, and it has shown with her continued growth in the pole vault. She's had a whirlwind of a college career, not only with our team but in college life in general but she has continued to stay the course and trust the process and it has paid dividends for her."
Women's Multis
Key Returners: --
Key Newcomers: Hailey Anchor, Thalia Mendoza-Brunotte
Sowa: "As far as our freshmen coming in, they are both brand new to the multi event. They have both bought into the process and know they have a lot of events to learn. They know it is not something that is just going to happen overnight, and they have been listening to everything and are extremely coachable and I cannot ask for more than that."
Men's High Jump:
Key Returners: Yahya Madar
Key Newcomers: --
Sowa: "Yahya has been around for a while now; he is in his final year with us. Yahya has had some ups and downs in his career, trying to get back into his groove and what makes him feel confident. I see him working on that, and we really feel like he is finally feeling confident in his jumps. He had a huge breakthrough at the end of last season. What I value so much in Yahya is not even as an athlete, but his ability to lead and be a great teammate. Everyone knows Yahya and he is a great contributor to our team comradery."
Men's Pole Vault
Key Returners: Jak Urlacher
Key Newcomers: --
Sowa: "I call him Jak-Jak, Jak Urlacher. Holy moly. Jak, along with us as a staff, knows that pole vault is a daily process, but we can see the gifts that Jak possesses and we're so excited to see him continue to grow this season. He had to make a lot of changes last season and was still figuring out the event to some extent last year. He has come in strong this season already and has had some fantastic practices. I think he has a chance to surprise some people at the Big Ten level. He didn't score last season at Big Tens, which I know he was disappointed in, but the potential he has this year is exciting. Honestly, I attribute his improvement so far to just learning the event more. He was a football player, a sprinter and was a long-time gymnast. He just had not done the event for long in high school, so he was still learning even the basics of the event last season. He has a lot of natural ability, and we had to focus on just making these simple progresses last season, and still do a bit this year which makes us so excited for his potential in the pole vault."
Support Track & Field
Support the University of Minnesota Track & Field program. Your support helps our student-athletes succeed athletically, academically, and socially. It takes just seconds to make a monthly or one-time donation. Thank you for your support! Give Now
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