University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, April 3
Baton Rouge, LA
10:30 AM
University of Minnesota
at
Battle on the Bayou
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Pole Vault/Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Minnesota Track and Field Set for the Battle on the Bayou
4/2/2026 12:45:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
The two-day meet will be hosted by LSU on Friday and Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota track and field team will compete in this year's Battle on the Bayou on April 3-4 in Baton Rouge, La., at Bernie Moore Track Stadium. The competition will feature 52 Minnesota event entries between the men's and women's teams.
ABOUT THE 2026 BATTLE ON THE BAYOU
The 2026 Battle on the Bayou is a two-day meet that begins on Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT with the women's hammer throw. The running events start on Friday at 5:30 p.m. with day one wrapping up at about 8:15 p.m. The second day of the meet has the first events starting at 10:30 a.m. with the women's discus and men's shot put. The meet will run until about 2:40 p.m. with the men's 4x400m relay concluding the competition. Live results will be available throughout the event via PrimeTimeTiming.
GOPHERS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Maroon and Gold men came in at No. 3 in the first outdoor national rankings from the USTFCCCA. The women's program came in just outside of the top 25 at No. 29, with a large contingent still yet to open up their outdoor seasons.
In the event squad rankings the men had the No. 1 ranked hammer throw group at an 67.81m average while the 3000m steeplechase quartet also were No. 1 with an average of 8:56.14. The 100m crew, led by John Caleb, are No. 2 at an 10.31 average while the 200m crew averages 20.79 and is also No. 2 nationally.
Minnesota's women hold two top-five spots in the first outdoor event squad rankings. The 10K quartet of Ali Weimer, Izzy Roemer, Taylor Isabel and Charlotte Lange average 34:22.89 and are No. 2. The 400m hurdles group averages 1:00.85 with Kennedy Martinson's 58.30 leading the way.
LAST TIME OUT
The University of Minnesota track and field team produced two program top 10 performances at the Raleigh Relays from March 26-28. Emmett Gerres and Izzy Roemer both put forth career-best runs for the Gophers. Gerres broke through in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8:32.56 to finish fourth overall in a stacked field. Gerres' time of 8:32.56 is the fastest time at the 'U' in the event since 2023 when Olympian Matthew Wilkinson finished sixth at the USA Championships in 2023 in a time of 8:23.69. Roemer's program top 10 performance was delayed due to weather in the 10000m. After a weather delay from Friday night until Saturday morning Roemer became the second Gopher in the last five years to run a sub-34 minute 10K.
Additionally - the 'U' also sent competitors to the Hamline Invite which was held in St. Paul, Minn., on March 30. For full results from that competition, which was rescheduled due to weather, click here.
CALEB'S B1G DEBUT
Minnesota has earned one weekly conference honor already during the outdoor season. Freshman John Caleb earned his first Freshman of the Week nod of his career after his performances at the Beach Opener and the USF Alumni Invite over the past two weeks, the conference office announced on March 25.
Caleb, a native of Ogun State, Nigeria, joined the Maroon and Gold in January and has taken the NCAA by storm in his first two competitions in the Maroon and Gold uniform. After a 10.22 (+0.6 m/s) performance in the 100m at the Beach Opener, Caleb dropped a career-best time of 10.18 (+1.0 m/s) at the USF Alumni Invitational to finish as the runner-up. Caleb's 100m time ranks him No. 3 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the Big Ten in 2026. He is now No. 3 all-time at Minnesota in the 100m, and in the process became the fifth Gopher since 2022 to run faster than 10.23. As the lead leg of Minnesota's 4x100m relay at the USF Alumni Invite, Caleb helped the 'U' secure the event win at the USF Alumni Invite with a time of 38.69. Along with Belle, Charles and Charles Godfred the Minnesota quartet ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in 2026 and No. 5 in the world.
NABWE APPEARS ON 'THE BOWERMAN' WATCH LIST
University of Minnesota women's track and field redshirt junior Anthonett Nabwe was recognized as one of 10 student-athletes on the Women's 2026 Update No. 3 Watch List for The Bowerman, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on March 25. The award considers athletes' performances during the NCAA indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons with the performance window running from December 1 of the preceding year through the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the year in which the award is given.
Nabwe is the first Gopher since 2010 (Alicia Rue) to be named to 'The Bowerman' Watch List. In March Nabwe made history at the NCAA Indoor Championships becoming the weight throw national champion with a toss of 25.13m (82-5 1/2) in Fayetteville, Ark., at Randal Tyson Track Center. The two-time Big Ten weight throw champion became the second Gopher to win an NCAA title in the weight throw, joining Kaitlyn Long in 2018. Nabwe's weight throw moved her to No. 3 all-time in the event, and was the best throw by a collegiate woman since 2022 (Shey Taiwo, Ole Miss). Nabwe currently owns the all-time Big Ten record in the weight throw, Minnesota's school record and is now a four-time indoor All-American between the weight throw and shot put.
UP NEXT
Next for Minnesota is a pair of meets, including the Bryan Clay Multi-Event (April 9-10) and the Bethel Invitational (April 11). The Bryan Clay Multi Event is hosted in Azusa, Calif., while the Bethel Invite will be 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.
ABOUT THE 2026 BATTLE ON THE BAYOU
The 2026 Battle on the Bayou is a two-day meet that begins on Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT with the women's hammer throw. The running events start on Friday at 5:30 p.m. with day one wrapping up at about 8:15 p.m. The second day of the meet has the first events starting at 10:30 a.m. with the women's discus and men's shot put. The meet will run until about 2:40 p.m. with the men's 4x400m relay concluding the competition. Live results will be available throughout the event via PrimeTimeTiming.
GOPHERS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Maroon and Gold men came in at No. 3 in the first outdoor national rankings from the USTFCCCA. The women's program came in just outside of the top 25 at No. 29, with a large contingent still yet to open up their outdoor seasons.
In the event squad rankings the men had the No. 1 ranked hammer throw group at an 67.81m average while the 3000m steeplechase quartet also were No. 1 with an average of 8:56.14. The 100m crew, led by John Caleb, are No. 2 at an 10.31 average while the 200m crew averages 20.79 and is also No. 2 nationally.
Minnesota's women hold two top-five spots in the first outdoor event squad rankings. The 10K quartet of Ali Weimer, Izzy Roemer, Taylor Isabel and Charlotte Lange average 34:22.89 and are No. 2. The 400m hurdles group averages 1:00.85 with Kennedy Martinson's 58.30 leading the way.
LAST TIME OUT
The University of Minnesota track and field team produced two program top 10 performances at the Raleigh Relays from March 26-28. Emmett Gerres and Izzy Roemer both put forth career-best runs for the Gophers. Gerres broke through in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8:32.56 to finish fourth overall in a stacked field. Gerres' time of 8:32.56 is the fastest time at the 'U' in the event since 2023 when Olympian Matthew Wilkinson finished sixth at the USA Championships in 2023 in a time of 8:23.69. Roemer's program top 10 performance was delayed due to weather in the 10000m. After a weather delay from Friday night until Saturday morning Roemer became the second Gopher in the last five years to run a sub-34 minute 10K.
Additionally - the 'U' also sent competitors to the Hamline Invite which was held in St. Paul, Minn., on March 30. For full results from that competition, which was rescheduled due to weather, click here.
CALEB'S B1G DEBUT
Minnesota has earned one weekly conference honor already during the outdoor season. Freshman John Caleb earned his first Freshman of the Week nod of his career after his performances at the Beach Opener and the USF Alumni Invite over the past two weeks, the conference office announced on March 25.
Caleb, a native of Ogun State, Nigeria, joined the Maroon and Gold in January and has taken the NCAA by storm in his first two competitions in the Maroon and Gold uniform. After a 10.22 (+0.6 m/s) performance in the 100m at the Beach Opener, Caleb dropped a career-best time of 10.18 (+1.0 m/s) at the USF Alumni Invitational to finish as the runner-up. Caleb's 100m time ranks him No. 3 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the Big Ten in 2026. He is now No. 3 all-time at Minnesota in the 100m, and in the process became the fifth Gopher since 2022 to run faster than 10.23. As the lead leg of Minnesota's 4x100m relay at the USF Alumni Invite, Caleb helped the 'U' secure the event win at the USF Alumni Invite with a time of 38.69. Along with Belle, Charles and Charles Godfred the Minnesota quartet ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in 2026 and No. 5 in the world.
NABWE APPEARS ON 'THE BOWERMAN' WATCH LIST
University of Minnesota women's track and field redshirt junior Anthonett Nabwe was recognized as one of 10 student-athletes on the Women's 2026 Update No. 3 Watch List for The Bowerman, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on March 25. The award considers athletes' performances during the NCAA indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons with the performance window running from December 1 of the preceding year through the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the year in which the award is given.
Nabwe is the first Gopher since 2010 (Alicia Rue) to be named to 'The Bowerman' Watch List. In March Nabwe made history at the NCAA Indoor Championships becoming the weight throw national champion with a toss of 25.13m (82-5 1/2) in Fayetteville, Ark., at Randal Tyson Track Center. The two-time Big Ten weight throw champion became the second Gopher to win an NCAA title in the weight throw, joining Kaitlyn Long in 2018. Nabwe's weight throw moved her to No. 3 all-time in the event, and was the best throw by a collegiate woman since 2022 (Shey Taiwo, Ole Miss). Nabwe currently owns the all-time Big Ten record in the weight throw, Minnesota's school record and is now a four-time indoor All-American between the weight throw and shot put.
UP NEXT
Next for Minnesota is a pair of meets, including the Bryan Clay Multi-Event (April 9-10) and the Bethel Invitational (April 11). The Bryan Clay Multi Event is hosted in Azusa, Calif., while the Bethel Invite will be 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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