University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, June 10
Eugene, Ore.
7:30 PM
University of Minnesota
at
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps/Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Basten, Wilkinson and Siekmeier Earn First Team All-American Honors
6/10/2022 9:13:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota men's track program capped its season off with a trio of First Team All-America honors on Friday night with Kaleb Siekemer, Alec Basten and Matt Wilkinson all earning the distinction in Eugene, Ore., at Hayward Field.
As a team the Golden Gophers finished 18th as a program with 13 points, the highest outdoor finish since 2014 and the second-highest finish since 2004. Minnesota's 18th-place also is the highest by any Big Ten team at the outdoor national meet, edging Wisconsin (T-25th, 11 points) along with Wisconsin, Michigan State and Iowa that all tied for 39th with eight points.
Siekmeier's showing highlighted the Maroon and Gold's final day of the 2021-22 track and field season with a fifth-place finish in the men's discus final. Coming out of the first flight, after making it out of the second of three flights at the NCAA West Regionals, Siekmeier launched his opening throw 59.99m (196-10). The mark catapulted the redshirt senior to the top of the standings and kept him there through the duration of the first flight in Eugene. After the second flight completed their throws, Siekmeier stood in fourth and earned himself three more attempts. Unable to improve his mark, but still throwing a 58.56m (192-1) second best throw, Siekmeier slipped to fifth and ended the NCAA Championships with his highest finish in the event in his career. Overall, Siekemer is now a four-time All-American overall in his career.
The First Team All-America honor for Siekmeier is his second of his career and his first outdoors. Siekmeier's first throw also pushed him up to No. 4 all-time at Minnesota, passing old teammate Phillipe Barnett (2021) and Dominique Howard (2014).
The dynamic duo of Basten and Wilkinson saved their best performances for their last on Friday night. Basten nearly matched his lifetime best with a seventh-place finish in a time of 8:23.86, just one second off his school record time he set in 2021. Wilkinson completed his season with an incredible run of lifetime bests in the event, setting a new career-best time for the third race in a row with a 8:25.03 to take eighth. The seventh and eighth-place finishes earned both First Team honors, making it Wilkinson's first in his first season in Minnesota while Basten's honor makes him a five-time All-American in track and field in his final race with the Gophers. The steeplechase time for Wilkinson was good enough for the second fastest in school history, passing 2018 NCAA champion Obsa Ali's 8:28.49 time that he set in 2019.
For more information on the Gophers in Eugene, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on Twitter and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
Gophers' NCAA Outdoor Championships Schedule
Saturday
4:00 p.m. CT - Women's high jump final: Nyalaam Jok
4:05 p.m. CT - Women's discus final: Shelby Frank
6:25 p.m. CT - Women's 5000m final: Bethany Hasz
Entries/Results by Individual
Kostas Zaltos, men's hammer, 3rd Place (6 points)
Kaleb Siekmeier, men's discus, 5th Place (4 Points)
Alec Basten, men's 3000m steeplechase, 7th Place (2 points)
Matt Wilkinson, men's 3000m steeplechase, 8th Place (1 point)
Women's 4x100m relay (Frye, Lewis, Hansen, Young), 17th overall
Abigail Schaaffe, women's 400m hurdles, 19th overall
Tess Keyzers, women's hammer, 21st overall
Women's 4x400m relay (Campbell, Josephs, Larson, Schaaffe), 21st overall
Nyalaam Jok, women's high jump
Shelby Frank, women's discus
Bethany Hasz, women's 5000m
As a team the Golden Gophers finished 18th as a program with 13 points, the highest outdoor finish since 2014 and the second-highest finish since 2004. Minnesota's 18th-place also is the highest by any Big Ten team at the outdoor national meet, edging Wisconsin (T-25th, 11 points) along with Wisconsin, Michigan State and Iowa that all tied for 39th with eight points.
Siekmeier's showing highlighted the Maroon and Gold's final day of the 2021-22 track and field season with a fifth-place finish in the men's discus final. Coming out of the first flight, after making it out of the second of three flights at the NCAA West Regionals, Siekmeier launched his opening throw 59.99m (196-10). The mark catapulted the redshirt senior to the top of the standings and kept him there through the duration of the first flight in Eugene. After the second flight completed their throws, Siekmeier stood in fourth and earned himself three more attempts. Unable to improve his mark, but still throwing a 58.56m (192-1) second best throw, Siekmeier slipped to fifth and ended the NCAA Championships with his highest finish in the event in his career. Overall, Siekemer is now a four-time All-American overall in his career.
The First Team All-America honor for Siekmeier is his second of his career and his first outdoors. Siekmeier's first throw also pushed him up to No. 4 all-time at Minnesota, passing old teammate Phillipe Barnett (2021) and Dominique Howard (2014).
The dynamic duo of Basten and Wilkinson saved their best performances for their last on Friday night. Basten nearly matched his lifetime best with a seventh-place finish in a time of 8:23.86, just one second off his school record time he set in 2021. Wilkinson completed his season with an incredible run of lifetime bests in the event, setting a new career-best time for the third race in a row with a 8:25.03 to take eighth. The seventh and eighth-place finishes earned both First Team honors, making it Wilkinson's first in his first season in Minnesota while Basten's honor makes him a five-time All-American in track and field in his final race with the Gophers. The steeplechase time for Wilkinson was good enough for the second fastest in school history, passing 2018 NCAA champion Obsa Ali's 8:28.49 time that he set in 2019.
For more information on the Gophers in Eugene, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on Twitter and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
Gophers' NCAA Outdoor Championships Schedule
Saturday
4:00 p.m. CT - Women's high jump final: Nyalaam Jok
4:05 p.m. CT - Women's discus final: Shelby Frank
6:25 p.m. CT - Women's 5000m final: Bethany Hasz
Entries/Results by Individual
Kostas Zaltos, men's hammer, 3rd Place (6 points)
Kaleb Siekmeier, men's discus, 5th Place (4 Points)
Alec Basten, men's 3000m steeplechase, 7th Place (2 points)
Matt Wilkinson, men's 3000m steeplechase, 8th Place (1 point)
Women's 4x100m relay (Frye, Lewis, Hansen, Young), 17th overall
Abigail Schaaffe, women's 400m hurdles, 19th overall
Tess Keyzers, women's hammer, 21st overall
Women's 4x400m relay (Campbell, Josephs, Larson, Schaaffe), 21st overall
Nyalaam Jok, women's high jump
Shelby Frank, women's discus
Bethany Hasz, women's 5000m
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The Greek Freak of Minnesota
Friday, July 18
Gophers Finish 1-2 in Hammer Throw
Monday, June 16
Mantzouranis Earns NCAA Silver Medal
Thursday, June 12