University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, May 27
Fayetteville, AR
All Day
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NCAA West Regional
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Throws
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Six Minnesota Women Punch Tickets to NCAA Championships
5/30/2026 9:36:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
Anthonett Nabwe secured two bids and Kennedy Martinson broke a school record.
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 23 University of Minnesota women's track and field team has qualified six student-athletes across six different events to the 2026 NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. at Hayward Field. The Maroon and Gold earned bids by finishing in the top 12 of their respective events at the NCAA Championships First Rounds at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., at John McDonnell Field on May 28 and May 30.
Minnesota's six qualified student-athletes combined to earn seven event entries with Anthonett Nabwe leading the way with bids to the NCAA Championships in both the hammer throw and the shot put. The seven event entries for Minnesota is the second time in the last three seasons the team has earned at least seven women's entries. Combined with Minnesota's men the program secured 17 tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., in June.
Nabwe, a mainstay on 'The Bowerman' Watch List this year, is the only female student-athlete to qualify for the 2026 NCAA Championships in both the shot put and the hammer throw. Nabwe's third round hammer throw toss of 67.89m (222-9) easily secured the Big Ten's all-time record holder a ticket to Eugene. Just hours later on Thursday Nabwe returned to pick up a second ticket to the NCAA Championships – this time in the shot put. Nabwe's second-round mark of 17.09m (56-1) held on for a seventh-place finish in Fayetteville and secured the Liberian's second trip to the outdoor NCAAs in the shot put and her third total between the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships.
After finishing 15th a season ago Hadley Streit improved to ninth overall at the NCAA West Regional meet in 2026 to qualify for her first NCAA Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw. The redshirt junior's second-round toss of 64.03m (210-1) earned the Mounds View High School grad her third career NCAA Championships ticket (twice indoors, once outdoors).
Saturday's first ticket puncher was Zoie Dundon in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:07.29. Dundon, a 2024 NCAA Championships finalist in steeplechase, is the first Gopher since Madeline Strandemo (2017 and 2018) to secure two bids to NCAAs in the steeplechase.
Minnesota's success on the track continued into the 400m quarterfinal round with Nontokozo Ncube putting down a lifetime best to advance to the NCAA Championships semis. Ncbue, a first-year Gopher, ran out of lane two to earn a time qualifying spot in 51.85 seconds. The performance goes down as the third-fastest in program history and makes her the first Gopher since 2018 to earn a ticket to outdoor NCAAs in the 400m.
In the 400m hurdles it was Kennedy Martinson who continued her magical season with a ticket to Eugene. After entering the weekend with a personal best of 57.62, Martinson dropped back-to-back lifetime bests to reach the NCAA semis with a school-record time of 56.43. Martinson broke Emma Spagnola's 2018 school record of 56.51 that Spagnola ran in the same round as Martinson did on Saturday (the NCAA Championships quarterfinals).
In the triple jump Diarra Sow punched her third career NCAA Championships ticket with her first-round leap of 13.57m (44-6 1/4). The lifetime best performance for Sow was aided by a +2.6 m/s wind and earned Sow a sixth-place finish. Sow's bid to the NCAA Championships is her first outdoors since 2024 and marked the first time she earned bids to NCAAs both indoors and outdoors.
Women's Qualified Events (Event, Regional Finish, Qualifying Performance)
Nontokozo Ncube – 400m (9th. 51.85)
**Kennedy Martinson – 400mH (10th. 56.43)
Zoie Dundon – 3000m Steeplechase (9th. 10:07.29)
Diarra Sow – Triple Jump (6th. 13.57m | 44-6 1/4)
*Anthonett Nabwe – Hammer Throw (2nd. 67.89m | 222-9), Shot Put (7th. 17.09m | 56-1)
Hadley Streit – Hammer Throw (9th. 64.03m | 210-1)
*Qualified in multiple events
**School Record
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.
Minnesota's six qualified student-athletes combined to earn seven event entries with Anthonett Nabwe leading the way with bids to the NCAA Championships in both the hammer throw and the shot put. The seven event entries for Minnesota is the second time in the last three seasons the team has earned at least seven women's entries. Combined with Minnesota's men the program secured 17 tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., in June.
Nabwe, a mainstay on 'The Bowerman' Watch List this year, is the only female student-athlete to qualify for the 2026 NCAA Championships in both the shot put and the hammer throw. Nabwe's third round hammer throw toss of 67.89m (222-9) easily secured the Big Ten's all-time record holder a ticket to Eugene. Just hours later on Thursday Nabwe returned to pick up a second ticket to the NCAA Championships – this time in the shot put. Nabwe's second-round mark of 17.09m (56-1) held on for a seventh-place finish in Fayetteville and secured the Liberian's second trip to the outdoor NCAAs in the shot put and her third total between the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships.
After finishing 15th a season ago Hadley Streit improved to ninth overall at the NCAA West Regional meet in 2026 to qualify for her first NCAA Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw. The redshirt junior's second-round toss of 64.03m (210-1) earned the Mounds View High School grad her third career NCAA Championships ticket (twice indoors, once outdoors).
Saturday's first ticket puncher was Zoie Dundon in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:07.29. Dundon, a 2024 NCAA Championships finalist in steeplechase, is the first Gopher since Madeline Strandemo (2017 and 2018) to secure two bids to NCAAs in the steeplechase.
Minnesota's success on the track continued into the 400m quarterfinal round with Nontokozo Ncube putting down a lifetime best to advance to the NCAA Championships semis. Ncbue, a first-year Gopher, ran out of lane two to earn a time qualifying spot in 51.85 seconds. The performance goes down as the third-fastest in program history and makes her the first Gopher since 2018 to earn a ticket to outdoor NCAAs in the 400m.
In the 400m hurdles it was Kennedy Martinson who continued her magical season with a ticket to Eugene. After entering the weekend with a personal best of 57.62, Martinson dropped back-to-back lifetime bests to reach the NCAA semis with a school-record time of 56.43. Martinson broke Emma Spagnola's 2018 school record of 56.51 that Spagnola ran in the same round as Martinson did on Saturday (the NCAA Championships quarterfinals).
In the triple jump Diarra Sow punched her third career NCAA Championships ticket with her first-round leap of 13.57m (44-6 1/4). The lifetime best performance for Sow was aided by a +2.6 m/s wind and earned Sow a sixth-place finish. Sow's bid to the NCAA Championships is her first outdoors since 2024 and marked the first time she earned bids to NCAAs both indoors and outdoors.
Women's Qualified Events (Event, Regional Finish, Qualifying Performance)
Nontokozo Ncube – 400m (9th. 51.85)
**Kennedy Martinson – 400mH (10th. 56.43)
Zoie Dundon – 3000m Steeplechase (9th. 10:07.29)
Diarra Sow – Triple Jump (6th. 13.57m | 44-6 1/4)
*Anthonett Nabwe – Hammer Throw (2nd. 67.89m | 222-9), Shot Put (7th. 17.09m | 56-1)
Hadley Streit – Hammer Throw (9th. 64.03m | 210-1)
*Qualified in multiple events
**School Record
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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Monday, May 18
The Liberian Legend: Anthonett Nabwe
Tuesday, April 21
Anthonett Nabwe Wins NCAA Title
Monday, March 16
Anthonett Nabwe Wins B1G Silver
Saturday, February 28