University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, January 12
Houston, TX
All Day
University of Minnesota
at
Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps/Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Gophers Shine in Houston to Kick Off 2024
1/12/2024 5:59:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Minnesota also picked up one victory at St. Thomas.
MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota picked up five event victories at the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational, the team's first competition of 2024. Additionally Minnesota posted four program top 10 performances both on the track and in the field while in Houston, Texas.
Friday's action started early, with one of the best performances coming from Minnesota's weight throw duo of Shelby Frank and Annie Nabwe. Frank posted the winning mark of 21.95m (72-0 1/4) on her second of six attempts on the day while Nabwe's lifetime best of 21.90m (71-10 1/4) came on her first attempt of the day. For Nabwe, the mark catapults her to the No. 4 spot in program history behind an elite list of Frank (2023 NCAA runner-up), Kaitlin Long (NCAA Champion) and Nayoka Clunis (Four-Time All-American).
The Maroon and Gold saw sophomore Diarra Sow break through in the triple jump on Friday afternoon in Houston. The United Kingdom native launched herself beyond the 13-meter mark to win the event with a jump of 13.12m (43-0 1/2) on her fifth attempt. Sow's lifetime best mark pushed her from the No. 4 spot on Minnesota's all-time top 10 list to No. 2, with her mark being the furthest by a Minnesota indoor triple jumper in 21 years. Sow now only sits behind Shani Marks' school record of 13.39m (43-11 1/4) that has stood since 2003.
Sow was joined by teammate Brooke Moore in the top three in the triple jump with Moore's 12.43m (40-9 1/2) going down as a lifetime best for the sophomore. Moore's leap helped her keep the No. 10 mark in school history that she set last indoor season.
Minnesota's all-time top 10 was under siege all day with Alliyah McNeil posting a mark of her own in the long jump. The Jamaican put forth the fourth-best long jump in school history and finished as the runner-up in Houston with a mark of 6.17m (20-3). The leap for McNeil is the furthest by a Gopher since Ayesha Champagnie in 2018 (6.56m | 21-6 1/4).
On the track Minnesota had a number of strong performances, including Odell Frye in the 60m and 200m. The graduate student was the top collegiate finisher in both events, finishing as the meet runner-up in both. Frye's 7.34 improves her time from December, and is just 0.03 off of her lifetime best time in the 60m that she set in 2023. In the 200m Frye finished second overall in a time of 24.19 out of heat 15.
Brooke Jaworski claimed victory in a rare 600-yard race for the Golden Gophers. Jaworski, who won the 600-yard Big 12 Championship in 2020, won the race at the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational in a time of 1:22.45, which is the best 600-yard time in the country so far this season.
Minnesota's final victories of the day were in the women's pole vault (Sofia Condon) and in the 400m (Abigail Schaaffe). Condon, a freshman, cleared a bar of 3.75m (12-3 1/2) to win the event based on misses. Schaaffe's 400m time of 56.11 was good enough to top the field and puts her in the top 20 early in the NCAA indoor season.
Other notable performances on Friday included McNeil in the high jump (2nd, 1.80m | 5-10 3/4) along with teammate Nyalaam Jok (3rd, 1.75m | 5-8 3/4). Ali Weimer was the runner-up in the 3000m in a time of 9:43.38, with four of her teammates finishing close behind in third (Brianne Brewster), fifth (Emma Atkinson), sixth (Taylor Kreitinger) and eighth (Elsa Bergman).
Back in St. Paul, the Golden Gophers earned one victory in the form of Hadley Streit. The freshman won the women's weight throw with a lifetime best mark of 17.48m (57-4 1/4).
Minnesota's schedule will next shift to a pair of meets on Saturday, January 20 with the Simmons-Harvey Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the Vanessa Seljeskog Classic at Macalester in St. Paul, Minn.
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 X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
Friday's action started early, with one of the best performances coming from Minnesota's weight throw duo of Shelby Frank and Annie Nabwe. Frank posted the winning mark of 21.95m (72-0 1/4) on her second of six attempts on the day while Nabwe's lifetime best of 21.90m (71-10 1/4) came on her first attempt of the day. For Nabwe, the mark catapults her to the No. 4 spot in program history behind an elite list of Frank (2023 NCAA runner-up), Kaitlin Long (NCAA Champion) and Nayoka Clunis (Four-Time All-American).
The Maroon and Gold saw sophomore Diarra Sow break through in the triple jump on Friday afternoon in Houston. The United Kingdom native launched herself beyond the 13-meter mark to win the event with a jump of 13.12m (43-0 1/2) on her fifth attempt. Sow's lifetime best mark pushed her from the No. 4 spot on Minnesota's all-time top 10 list to No. 2, with her mark being the furthest by a Minnesota indoor triple jumper in 21 years. Sow now only sits behind Shani Marks' school record of 13.39m (43-11 1/4) that has stood since 2003.
Sow was joined by teammate Brooke Moore in the top three in the triple jump with Moore's 12.43m (40-9 1/2) going down as a lifetime best for the sophomore. Moore's leap helped her keep the No. 10 mark in school history that she set last indoor season.
Minnesota's all-time top 10 was under siege all day with Alliyah McNeil posting a mark of her own in the long jump. The Jamaican put forth the fourth-best long jump in school history and finished as the runner-up in Houston with a mark of 6.17m (20-3). The leap for McNeil is the furthest by a Gopher since Ayesha Champagnie in 2018 (6.56m | 21-6 1/4).
On the track Minnesota had a number of strong performances, including Odell Frye in the 60m and 200m. The graduate student was the top collegiate finisher in both events, finishing as the meet runner-up in both. Frye's 7.34 improves her time from December, and is just 0.03 off of her lifetime best time in the 60m that she set in 2023. In the 200m Frye finished second overall in a time of 24.19 out of heat 15.
Brooke Jaworski claimed victory in a rare 600-yard race for the Golden Gophers. Jaworski, who won the 600-yard Big 12 Championship in 2020, won the race at the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational in a time of 1:22.45, which is the best 600-yard time in the country so far this season.
Minnesota's final victories of the day were in the women's pole vault (Sofia Condon) and in the 400m (Abigail Schaaffe). Condon, a freshman, cleared a bar of 3.75m (12-3 1/2) to win the event based on misses. Schaaffe's 400m time of 56.11 was good enough to top the field and puts her in the top 20 early in the NCAA indoor season.
Other notable performances on Friday included McNeil in the high jump (2nd, 1.80m | 5-10 3/4) along with teammate Nyalaam Jok (3rd, 1.75m | 5-8 3/4). Ali Weimer was the runner-up in the 3000m in a time of 9:43.38, with four of her teammates finishing close behind in third (Brianne Brewster), fifth (Emma Atkinson), sixth (Taylor Kreitinger) and eighth (Elsa Bergman).
Back in St. Paul, the Golden Gophers earned one victory in the form of Hadley Streit. The freshman won the women's weight throw with a lifetime best mark of 17.48m (57-4 1/4).
Minnesota's schedule will next shift to a pair of meets on Saturday, January 20 with the Simmons-Harvey Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the Vanessa Seljeskog Classic at Macalester in St. Paul, Minn.
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 X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
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