The Gophers men's and women's teams have several standouts to watch heading into the three-day meet in Champaign, Ill.
Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships
When: Friday-Sunday
Where: Champaign, Ill.
TV: BTN+
ATHLETES TO WATCH
WOMEN
Amira Young: The Big Ten indoor champion in the 60- and 200-meter dashes has the conference's second-fastest outdoor times in both the 100 and 200; she'll also run on the Gophers' 400 relay, which is seeded third.
Allison Gerads: The Champlin Park native had a long jump of 21 feet, 2 inches (the Big Ten's best mark this season) on April 2.
Bethany Hasz: Her long career with the Gophers will conclude in the next several weeks, as the Alexandria native heads into the conference meet with the Big Ten's third-fastest 5,000-meter time (15:41.98).
Abigail Schaaffe: The freshman from Jamaica is tied for the Big Ten's best mark in the 400 hurdles, having run a time of 58.43 seconds at the M City Classic.
MEN
Kion Benjamin: The freshman broke the Gophers' 100 program record — previously held by his coach, Ibrahim Kabia — by running 10.25 on April 30.
Noah Burton: After joining the Gophers as a graduate student, he has the team's fastest 400 hurdles time (51.42) and is ranked fourth in the Big Ten.
Phillipe Barnett: His discus throw of 195-4 at Wisconsin last weekend was the longest in the conference this year, and the fifth-longest in Gophers history (teammate Kaleb Siekmeier is ranked No. 2 behind Barnett at 194-10).
Kostas Zaltos: A freshman from Greece, he posted the second-longest hammer throw in program history last weekend, and comes into the Big Ten meet ranked No. 2 at 229 feet.
The Gophers had two shots to win it in the final seconds of regulation, but both fell short. They face unbeaten Nebraska next.
