University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, May 24
Sacramento, CA
All Day
University of Minnesota
vs
NCAA Regionals
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Photo by: A.J. Harrison
Gopher Men Punch Seven Tickets to NCAA Championships
5/27/2023 12:28:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Minnesota qualified five on Friday, two on Wednesday in Sacramento.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota men's track and field team is sending its most qualifiers to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in a decade after the team's performance in Sacramento, Calif., at the 2023 NCAA West Regional at Hornet Stadium.
The Maroon and Gold punched two tickets on Wednesday before adding another five on Friday to secure the team's most spots at the Division I NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships since 2013 (eight). Minnesota's qualifiers include Kostas Zaltos (Hammer), Jake Kubiatowicz (Hammer), the men's 4x100m relay (Hosten, Benjamin, Schirmer and Augustine), Matthew Wilkinson (3000m Steeplechase), Michael Buchanan (110m Hurdles), Kion Benjamin (100m) and Carlon Hosten (200m).
Minnesota had a number of stand out performances throughout the regional meet, but NCAA-leader Kostas Zaltos was locked in and set the tone early for the Gophers on Wednesday in the men's hammer throw. The Greek national tossed three throws beyond 70-meters to easily qualify with a mark of 74.42m (244-2). The three-time Big Ten champion is the only male to throw beyond 74.42m three different times this season and is currently 20th in the world this year in the event with his lifetime best of 75.27m.
Joining Zaltos in Austin, Texas will be fellow hammer thrower Jake Kubiatowicz. The St. Paul, Minn., native came up clutch in his final attempt of the preliminary round to secure his first NCAA Outdoor Championships bid. The mark of 69.73m (228-9) not only reserved his spot for nationals but also was a lifetime best in the event and is No. 3 all-time at the University of Minnesota behind only Zaltos and Gopher great Sean Donnelly. Zaltos and Kubiatowicz both qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the same season marks the first time since 2013 that Minnesota has earned multiple NCAA qualifiers in the hammer throw.
Minnesota's next ticket to the NCAA Championships added four names to their travel party with the 4x100m relay stamping their names with an automatic qualifying performance. Minnesota's crew of Hosten, Benjamin, Schirmer and Augustine secured the first 4x100m relay bid for the program in its over 100-year history. The Gophers finished with the second-fastest time in the NCAA West Region at 39.02, the second-best time for the team this season.
A short time later on Friday it was the All-American Wilkinson who left no doubt in his return to the NCAA Championships in the 3000m steeplechase. The second-year Gopher finished with an automatic qualifying spot with a time of 8:26.33, just a second off of his lifetime best in the event that he set in Eugene last season to finish eighth in the NCAA. Wilkinson's qualifying marks six straight NCAA Championships that Minnesota has secured a spot in the men's 3000m steeplechase (Canceled in 2020).
Another automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships was first-year Gopher Michael Buchanan in the 110m hurdles. Buchanan, a Jamaican national, clocked a school-record time of 13.66 (+1.7 m/s) to earn his spot at the national meet in the Lone Star State. Buchanan has now broken the 26-year-old school record this season five times, not including his wind-aided 13.64 he clocked back in March. Buchanan is the first Gopher to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110m hurdles in 62 years (1960).
Moments later Minnesota punched another ticket to NCAAs in the form of two-time Big Ten champion Kion Benjamin in the 100m. In a heat with three Gophers (Benjamin, Hosten and Augustine) Benjamin was slotted in lane five where he exploded for a season-best time of 10.11 (+1.9 m/s) to win and automatically qualify himself for his first individual NCAA Championships. Benjamin, a Trinidad and Tobago national, becomes the first Gopher in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the 100m.
The Gophers saw another historical moment go down on Friday night with Carlon Hosten securing the program's first qualifier in the 200m with his automatic qualifying performance. Hosten, a fellow Trinidad and Tobago national with Benjamin, took second place in his heat in a time of 20.49 to earn his way to Austin, Texas, in his junior season.
Minnesota nearly had another pair of NCAA qualifiers on the men's side with Austin Parsons (Javelin) and Kaleb Siekmeier (Discus) both finishing just outside the top 12 cutoff in their respective events on Wednesday and Friday.
The Gophers' women will conclude their NCAA West Regional action on Saturday, May 27, with eight different entries scheduled to compete starting with the women's high jump at 4:30 p.m. CT and concluding with the women's 4x400m relay at 10:45 p.m. CT. A stream on ESPN+ begins at 7 p.m. CT.
For more information on the Gophers, 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.
The Maroon and Gold punched two tickets on Wednesday before adding another five on Friday to secure the team's most spots at the Division I NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships since 2013 (eight). Minnesota's qualifiers include Kostas Zaltos (Hammer), Jake Kubiatowicz (Hammer), the men's 4x100m relay (Hosten, Benjamin, Schirmer and Augustine), Matthew Wilkinson (3000m Steeplechase), Michael Buchanan (110m Hurdles), Kion Benjamin (100m) and Carlon Hosten (200m).
Minnesota had a number of stand out performances throughout the regional meet, but NCAA-leader Kostas Zaltos was locked in and set the tone early for the Gophers on Wednesday in the men's hammer throw. The Greek national tossed three throws beyond 70-meters to easily qualify with a mark of 74.42m (244-2). The three-time Big Ten champion is the only male to throw beyond 74.42m three different times this season and is currently 20th in the world this year in the event with his lifetime best of 75.27m.
Joining Zaltos in Austin, Texas will be fellow hammer thrower Jake Kubiatowicz. The St. Paul, Minn., native came up clutch in his final attempt of the preliminary round to secure his first NCAA Outdoor Championships bid. The mark of 69.73m (228-9) not only reserved his spot for nationals but also was a lifetime best in the event and is No. 3 all-time at the University of Minnesota behind only Zaltos and Gopher great Sean Donnelly. Zaltos and Kubiatowicz both qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the same season marks the first time since 2013 that Minnesota has earned multiple NCAA qualifiers in the hammer throw.
Minnesota's next ticket to the NCAA Championships added four names to their travel party with the 4x100m relay stamping their names with an automatic qualifying performance. Minnesota's crew of Hosten, Benjamin, Schirmer and Augustine secured the first 4x100m relay bid for the program in its over 100-year history. The Gophers finished with the second-fastest time in the NCAA West Region at 39.02, the second-best time for the team this season.
A short time later on Friday it was the All-American Wilkinson who left no doubt in his return to the NCAA Championships in the 3000m steeplechase. The second-year Gopher finished with an automatic qualifying spot with a time of 8:26.33, just a second off of his lifetime best in the event that he set in Eugene last season to finish eighth in the NCAA. Wilkinson's qualifying marks six straight NCAA Championships that Minnesota has secured a spot in the men's 3000m steeplechase (Canceled in 2020).
Another automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships was first-year Gopher Michael Buchanan in the 110m hurdles. Buchanan, a Jamaican national, clocked a school-record time of 13.66 (+1.7 m/s) to earn his spot at the national meet in the Lone Star State. Buchanan has now broken the 26-year-old school record this season five times, not including his wind-aided 13.64 he clocked back in March. Buchanan is the first Gopher to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110m hurdles in 62 years (1960).
Moments later Minnesota punched another ticket to NCAAs in the form of two-time Big Ten champion Kion Benjamin in the 100m. In a heat with three Gophers (Benjamin, Hosten and Augustine) Benjamin was slotted in lane five where he exploded for a season-best time of 10.11 (+1.9 m/s) to win and automatically qualify himself for his first individual NCAA Championships. Benjamin, a Trinidad and Tobago national, becomes the first Gopher in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the 100m.
The Gophers saw another historical moment go down on Friday night with Carlon Hosten securing the program's first qualifier in the 200m with his automatic qualifying performance. Hosten, a fellow Trinidad and Tobago national with Benjamin, took second place in his heat in a time of 20.49 to earn his way to Austin, Texas, in his junior season.
Minnesota nearly had another pair of NCAA qualifiers on the men's side with Austin Parsons (Javelin) and Kaleb Siekmeier (Discus) both finishing just outside the top 12 cutoff in their respective events on Wednesday and Friday.
The Gophers' women will conclude their NCAA West Regional action on Saturday, May 27, with eight different entries scheduled to compete starting with the women's high jump at 4:30 p.m. CT and concluding with the women's 4x400m relay at 10:45 p.m. CT. A stream on ESPN+ begins at 7 p.m. CT.
For more information on the Gophers, 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.
CHS Home Grown Gophers: Emmett Gerres
Friday, September 05
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