University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, March 6
Long Beach, CA
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Minnesota's Men to Open Outdoor Season in California
3/5/2026 10:22:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
The two-day competition will be contested in Long Beach, Calif.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota men's track and field team begins its outdoor campaign on Friday, March 6, in Long Beach, Calif. at Jack Rose Track at the Beach Opener. The meet will serve as the first official outdoor meet for the Maroon and Gold, who will compete in a variety of events both on the track and in the field.
ABOUT THE 2026 BEACH OPENER
The 2026 Beach Opener is a two-day meet that begins on Friday at 1 p.m. CT with the men's hammer throw with also the javelin and women's hammer being contested on day one. The remainder of the meet will be held on Saturday with the first events starting at 12 p.m. with the women's high jump, men's pole vault, men's shot put and women's discus as well as the women's 3000m steeplechase. The meet will run until about 6:05 p.m. with the men's 4x400m relay concluding the competition on the west coast. Live results will be available throughout the event via FinishedResults.com.
A 2025 MEN'S TRACK SEASON REWIND
Last season Minnesota's men finished seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Championships as a team, the best finish for the men's program since 1948. Of Minnesota's four scorers at last year's championships, three events will have a chance to return in 2026 for the Maroon and Gold highlighted by the likes of Angelos Mantzouranis, Charles Godfred, Zion Campbell and Aaron Charles.
In addition to the incredible NCAAs finish for the men in 2025, the program also finished tied for second at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships a season ago. In 2025 the men set two new Big Ten Outdoor Championships meet records with 2026 NCAA hammer throw champion Kostas Zaltos' 77.67m (254-10) starting it off on day one of the meet held at Hayward Field. The quartet of Zion Campbell, Kion Benjamin, Aaron Charles and Devin Augustine then broke the 4x100m relay record in 38.54, besting Minnesota's 2023 time of 38.87.
WHO'S BACK IN 2026?
In 2026 Minnesota is thrilled to return five men who finished as First or Second Team All-Americans a season ago in Eugene, Ore. In total 14 different Gopher men on this year's roster have at least qualified for one NCAA regional meet in their college careers.
A back-to-back Big Ten champion and 2025 World Championships participant, Charles Godfred returns to the spotlight in 2026 in the long jump. Godfred finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in 2025, an improvement from his sixth-place finish back in 2024, and holds a wind-legal lifetime best of 8.16m (26-9 1/4). The hammer throw will once again be a vital event for Minnesota this season with 2024 Big Ten Champion and 2025 NCAA silver medalist Angelos Mantzouranis back in uniform. The Greek international holds the No. 3 all-time hammer throw in NCAA history at 78.61m (257-10) that he set back on April 30, 2025, at the Hamline Meet of the UnSaintly. Both Zion Campbell and Aaron Charles return in hopes of leading the Minnesota 4x100m relay team back to the top of the NCAA mountain in 2026. The duo helped lead Minnesota to its first 4x100m relay NCAA final in 2025 and in the semis clocked the sixth-fastest time in NCAA history at 38.16.
FIVE WOMEN QUALIFY FOR INDOOR NCAAs
The University of Minnesota women's track and field team officially qualified five individuals to the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., from March 13-14. Anthonett Nabwe, Hadley Streit, Diarra Sow and Zoie Dundon all qualified for the Golden Gophers, who are ranked No. 24 in the NCAA, and will compete at Randal Tyson Track Center on ESPN+.
Minnesota's five entries are the most for the women's program since 2021 when the program sent five individuals and one relay for a total of six event entries. In 2026 Minnesota's representatives will compete in the 800m (Dundon), triple jump (Sow), the shot put (Nabwe) and the weight throw (Nabwe, Streit). The 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships mark the fourth straight where at least one Gopher woman has qualified for the weight throw. For more information on Minnesota's qualifiers click here.
UP NEXT
The 2026 NCAA indoor schedule concludes in Fayetteville, Ark., from March 13-14 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Randal Tyson Track Center will be the site of the latest NCAA track and field championships with coverage available via ESPN+ and ESPN's family of networks.
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.
ABOUT THE 2026 BEACH OPENER
The 2026 Beach Opener is a two-day meet that begins on Friday at 1 p.m. CT with the men's hammer throw with also the javelin and women's hammer being contested on day one. The remainder of the meet will be held on Saturday with the first events starting at 12 p.m. with the women's high jump, men's pole vault, men's shot put and women's discus as well as the women's 3000m steeplechase. The meet will run until about 6:05 p.m. with the men's 4x400m relay concluding the competition on the west coast. Live results will be available throughout the event via FinishedResults.com.
A 2025 MEN'S TRACK SEASON REWIND
Last season Minnesota's men finished seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Championships as a team, the best finish for the men's program since 1948. Of Minnesota's four scorers at last year's championships, three events will have a chance to return in 2026 for the Maroon and Gold highlighted by the likes of Angelos Mantzouranis, Charles Godfred, Zion Campbell and Aaron Charles.
In addition to the incredible NCAAs finish for the men in 2025, the program also finished tied for second at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships a season ago. In 2025 the men set two new Big Ten Outdoor Championships meet records with 2026 NCAA hammer throw champion Kostas Zaltos' 77.67m (254-10) starting it off on day one of the meet held at Hayward Field. The quartet of Zion Campbell, Kion Benjamin, Aaron Charles and Devin Augustine then broke the 4x100m relay record in 38.54, besting Minnesota's 2023 time of 38.87.
WHO'S BACK IN 2026?
In 2026 Minnesota is thrilled to return five men who finished as First or Second Team All-Americans a season ago in Eugene, Ore. In total 14 different Gopher men on this year's roster have at least qualified for one NCAA regional meet in their college careers.
A back-to-back Big Ten champion and 2025 World Championships participant, Charles Godfred returns to the spotlight in 2026 in the long jump. Godfred finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in 2025, an improvement from his sixth-place finish back in 2024, and holds a wind-legal lifetime best of 8.16m (26-9 1/4). The hammer throw will once again be a vital event for Minnesota this season with 2024 Big Ten Champion and 2025 NCAA silver medalist Angelos Mantzouranis back in uniform. The Greek international holds the No. 3 all-time hammer throw in NCAA history at 78.61m (257-10) that he set back on April 30, 2025, at the Hamline Meet of the UnSaintly. Both Zion Campbell and Aaron Charles return in hopes of leading the Minnesota 4x100m relay team back to the top of the NCAA mountain in 2026. The duo helped lead Minnesota to its first 4x100m relay NCAA final in 2025 and in the semis clocked the sixth-fastest time in NCAA history at 38.16.
FIVE WOMEN QUALIFY FOR INDOOR NCAAs
The University of Minnesota women's track and field team officially qualified five individuals to the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., from March 13-14. Anthonett Nabwe, Hadley Streit, Diarra Sow and Zoie Dundon all qualified for the Golden Gophers, who are ranked No. 24 in the NCAA, and will compete at Randal Tyson Track Center on ESPN+.
Minnesota's five entries are the most for the women's program since 2021 when the program sent five individuals and one relay for a total of six event entries. In 2026 Minnesota's representatives will compete in the 800m (Dundon), triple jump (Sow), the shot put (Nabwe) and the weight throw (Nabwe, Streit). The 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships mark the fourth straight where at least one Gopher woman has qualified for the weight throw. For more information on Minnesota's qualifiers click here.
UP NEXT
The 2026 NCAA indoor schedule concludes in Fayetteville, Ark., from March 13-14 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Randal Tyson Track Center will be the site of the latest NCAA track and field championships with coverage available via ESPN+ and ESPN's family of networks.
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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