University of Minnesota Athletics
Well, what a journey.
A journey of a kid from Pedino, Kilkis, Greece. An eight-year quest that began when he decided to chase his dreams in the middle of the Midwest of the U.S., a place called Minnesota, somewhere he had never heard of. That Greek kid didn't know then that years later, that somewhere he had never heard of would become more special to him than he could imagine. Minnesota would become his second home, a place where he made friends who became family.
Everything started back in 2017, when I decided to study abroad. I was a kid who didn’t know how to speak or write English. While going to school and training I added countless hours learning the English language to my schedule. Every morning during my final year of high school I woke up at 5 a.m. to practice before school, then practiced again after school.
That year is where my dream of studying abroad began. Colleges started messaging me and offering scholarships. But I was patient. I spent another whole year just learning English and working hard. That’s when I met Peter Miller from the University of Minnesota.
Coach Peter was the only college coach who, I think, truly saw something in me, something special. That’s where that Greek kid’s journey changed from just studying abroad to a journey for an NCAA title. I came to Minnesota not knowing much about this place. The only thing I knew was that I’d have to deal with some crazy winters for the next few years.
Coach Peter was the only college coach who, I think, truly saw something in me, something special. That’s where that Greek kid’s journey changed from just studying abroad to a journey for an NCAA title.
Freshman year also had something even more special that I had thought impossible just a few years earlier: I competed against my teammates from home, from Greece. That small Greek village of 700 people I came from had three athletes competing in the NCAA finals that year and all of them in hammer. That’s something I will never forget.
Winter was cold, man.
I had never experienced anything like Minnesota winters before. Handling the snow was one thing, but the cold was a different beast. Unfortunately shortly after I arrived in the Twin Cities the COVID pandemic hit and changed my college career, both academically and athletically, forever.
I went back to Greece, not knowing when, or if I could return. So many questions ran through my head about not just my future in the sport of track and field, but my life in the United States that had just begun. But Coach Peter was there once again to remind me why I was here and just focusing on things we could control.
Freshman year had it all.
Countless PRs. An unexpected Big Ten Championship. First-Team All-American and a top-three finish. Freshman year also had something even more special that I had thought impossible just a few years earlier: I competed against my teammates from home, from Greece. That small Greek village of 700 people I came from had three athletes competing in the NCAA finals that year and all of them in hammer. That’s something I will never forget.
Sophomore year came, and I was excited for what it had in store. The year started with solid performances. I won the Big Ten title again here at the University of Minnesota. Apparently I was so excited that I even injured myself during the Big Ten Championships competition. But I never gave up. I finished the year with another First-Team All-American honor, and another top-three finish.
I finished with another First-Team All-American title and a second-place finish. That runner-up finish really made me think and reflect. No one remembers second place. That became my motto and my motivation to continue to push forward and pursue this elusive NCAA title.
Junior year was probably the one that changed me the most.
I won the Big Tens for the third time straight, broke Rudy Winkler’s Big Ten meet record, and set a new overall Big Ten record. The goal that junior season for me was to win NCAAs for the first time but it wasn’t meant to be. I still was able to throw a PR in the NCAA final by 4 feet (or about one meter) and still didn’t win. That hurt. I finished with another First-Team All-American title and a second-place finish. That runner-up finish really made me think and reflect. No one remembers second place. That became my motto and my motivation to continue to push forward and pursue this elusive NCAA title.
My redshirt season brought mixed emotions.
An Olympic year, Paris 2024, had everything in it. I made my first European Championships final, finishing top 12 in all of Europe. But missing the Olympics by one spot had me questioning everything. I wanted to just hang it up. To stop trying.
Why should I care so much about something that didn’t always feel rewarding?
And once again Coach Peter was there, reminding me of the plan, of my purpose.
Then, just as I was ready to set back on this final chapter of this journey I had started at Minnesota over four years earlier, I got the worst news. My first throws coach back home in Greece was diagnosed with blood cancer. Out of nowhere. It shocked us all. I couldn’t believe it and I dedicated my final NCAA season to him.
If I ever write a book, my final year of college would take up half of it. A year full of ups and downs, but I still had only one goal: WIN the NCAA Championship.
The Last dance.
If I ever write a book, my final year of college would take up half of it. A year full of ups and downs, but I still had only one goal: WIN the NCAA Championship.
That kid from Greece who came to study abroad graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management and a master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Science. But the kid didn’t stop there.
He became the only Gopher in program history to win four Big Ten titles.
And finally, after so many years and roughly 247 throwing attempts in a Gopher uniform later…
He WON his NCAA Championship!
He became the 2025 NCAA hammer throw champion!
Years of work. All the sacrifices. All the failures. They all shaped that me into who I am today.
Me - the Greek kid, who may just have had a different goal the entire time:
To make his family here at the University of Minnesota and back in Pedino, Greece PROUD.
Minnesota’s Greek Freak signing out...
Go Gophers!