University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, May 13
Minneapolis, Minn.
12:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Big Ten Championships
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Zaltos Wins Second Straight Big Ten Title, Three Medal on Day 1
5/13/2022 10:03:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS -- Hosting a championship meet for the first time since 2003, the University of Minnesota put forth a strong start to the 2022 Big Ten Outdoor Championships on Friday. Kostas Zaltos won his second straight Big Ten hammer throw title and two other Gophers earned medal finishes at the University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium.
Zaltos entered Friday's action as the favorite in the hammer throw and the Kilikis, Greece, native overcame any pressure to win in front of the home crowd. With a mark of 71.40m (234-3) Zaltos easily won the event by nearly five feet. Teammate Jake Kubiatowicz made great work of his first Big Ten championship experience with a fifth-place finish in the event, hitting his final mark of 65.97m (216-5) on his final attempt to move up from sixth to fifth.
In a magical performance, Lexy Berger earned a Big Ten runner-up finish in the women's pole vault on Friday night. The Rosemount, Minn., native vaulted to a performance that included three lifetime bests and thus propelling her to the No. 4 spot in program history at 4.28m (14-0 1/2). Berger was flawless through 4.18m (13-8 1/2) and eventually had an opportunity to win the title on one final attempt at 4.33m (14-2 1/2) but was unsuccessful. Berger and Chloe Timberg of Rutgers did finish with the same clearacne, but Timberg won based on amount of misses with Berger having six with TImberg only with five.
Seven more points for the Minnesota women came from the women's hammer throw with Tess Keyzers earning a bronze medal while Devia Brown added an eighth-place finish in the event. The medal for Keyzers is her third of her career, finishing with a mark of 62.76m (205-11) which came on her second attempt. Brown's final mark of 57.65m (189-1) came on her first throw and was enough to edge teammate Shelby Frank who qualified for the final (top 9) out of the first flight.
In preliminary action a total of five Gophers advanced to various Big Ten finals on Friday. Starting with the 400m hurdles, defending conference champion Abigail Schaaffe was able to win her heat in a time of 57.74 and will have the seventh-best overall time heading into Sunday's final.
A pair of Minnesota student-athletes advanced in the 200m, with Amira Young (23.77) and Kion Benjamin (20.79) advancing for the Maroon and Gold. Brothers Eli and Owen Hoeft both advanced to the 1500m final with quality performances. Owen (3:46.41) was able to capture a top three spot in his heat to automatically qualify for the final while Eli (3:45.33) was able to advance based on time.
Women's Scoring Finishes
2nd - Lexy Berger, women's pole vault (8 pts)
3rd - Tess Keyzers, women's hammer (6 pts)
8th - Devia Brown, women's hammer (1 pts)
Men's Scoring Finishes
1st - Kostas Zaltos, men's hammer (10 pts)
5th - Jake Kubiatowicz, men's hammer (4 pts)
Zaltos entered Friday's action as the favorite in the hammer throw and the Kilikis, Greece, native overcame any pressure to win in front of the home crowd. With a mark of 71.40m (234-3) Zaltos easily won the event by nearly five feet. Teammate Jake Kubiatowicz made great work of his first Big Ten championship experience with a fifth-place finish in the event, hitting his final mark of 65.97m (216-5) on his final attempt to move up from sixth to fifth.
Hear from the champ 🗣 #B1GTF https://t.co/RkRLvwlnFR pic.twitter.com/QEaBFgmpGy
— Minnesota Cross Country, Track & Field (@GopherCCTF) May 13, 2022
In a magical performance, Lexy Berger earned a Big Ten runner-up finish in the women's pole vault on Friday night. The Rosemount, Minn., native vaulted to a performance that included three lifetime bests and thus propelling her to the No. 4 spot in program history at 4.28m (14-0 1/2). Berger was flawless through 4.18m (13-8 1/2) and eventually had an opportunity to win the title on one final attempt at 4.33m (14-2 1/2) but was unsuccessful. Berger and Chloe Timberg of Rutgers did finish with the same clearacne, but Timberg won based on amount of misses with Berger having six with TImberg only with five.
Hear from the @bigten silver medalist @Lexyberger23 after her magical performance! #B1GTF#SkiUMah | #Gophers pic.twitter.com/csZbLuJli7
— Minnesota Cross Country, Track & Field (@GopherCCTF) May 14, 2022
Seven more points for the Minnesota women came from the women's hammer throw with Tess Keyzers earning a bronze medal while Devia Brown added an eighth-place finish in the event. The medal for Keyzers is her third of her career, finishing with a mark of 62.76m (205-11) which came on her second attempt. Brown's final mark of 57.65m (189-1) came on her first throw and was enough to edge teammate Shelby Frank who qualified for the final (top 9) out of the first flight.
In preliminary action a total of five Gophers advanced to various Big Ten finals on Friday. Starting with the 400m hurdles, defending conference champion Abigail Schaaffe was able to win her heat in a time of 57.74 and will have the seventh-best overall time heading into Sunday's final.
A pair of Minnesota student-athletes advanced in the 200m, with Amira Young (23.77) and Kion Benjamin (20.79) advancing for the Maroon and Gold. Brothers Eli and Owen Hoeft both advanced to the 1500m final with quality performances. Owen (3:46.41) was able to capture a top three spot in his heat to automatically qualify for the final while Eli (3:45.33) was able to advance based on time.
Women's Scoring Finishes
2nd - Lexy Berger, women's pole vault (8 pts)
3rd - Tess Keyzers, women's hammer (6 pts)
8th - Devia Brown, women's hammer (1 pts)
Men's Scoring Finishes
1st - Kostas Zaltos, men's hammer (10 pts)
5th - Jake Kubiatowicz, men's hammer (4 pts)
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