University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, March 8
Tucson, AZ
All Day
University of Minnesota
at
Arizona Spring Break Fiesta
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles/Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Gopher Men Open Outdoor Campaign with Five Program Top 10 Marks
3/8/2025 6:06:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field
Minnesota traveled to Tucson, Ariz. to take part in the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta.
MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota men's track and field program began its 2025 outdoor season at the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta in Tucson, Ariz., at Roy P. Drachman Stadium. Five different program top 10 marks were posted by the Maroon and Gold, including the No. 2 times in the 110m hurdles and the 4x100m relay.
Christian Martin set the tone with the first event on the outdoor track for Minnesota in 2025. The former two-time Ivy League 110m hurdles champion put down the second-fastest time in Minnesota history at 13.67 (+0.8 m/s) to win the event over teammate Spencer Brown (13.86). Martin's time came 0.01 seconds shy of the program record, held by current Gopher Michael Buchanan who finished third on Saturday in Arizona in a time of 13.95. Brown's time also went down as a lifetime best and the No. 3 time in Gophers history. Prior to Buchanan, Martin and Brown only one Gopher (Niles Deneen, 1997 - 13.95) had ever broken 14-seconds at Minnesota.
Just a few minutes later the Maroon and Gold put down one of the program's fastest 4x100m relay times in history at 38.78. The team of Zion Campbell, Kion Benjamin, Aaron Charles and Devin Augustine put down a time, in March, that would have ranked in the final top 10 list in the NCAA a season ago.
Both Campbell and Charles were not finished putting their names into Minnesota's record books. Later in the day Charles claimed the 200m title in Arizona with a season-opening time of 20.66, the No. 4 time in program history. Despite finishing fourth overall in the 100m, Campbell's time of 10.37 on Saturday placed him seventh all-time at Minnesota.
Claiming a total of 13 wins on Saturday, the Maroon and Gold had a number of victories that were eye-popping. Kostas Zaltos' win in the hammer throw came with his best season-opening mark of his illustrious career at 75.45m (247-6). The three-time Big Ten champion held off his teammate, and 2024 Big Ten hammer throw champion, Angelos Mantzouranis who was second with a toss of 72.02m (236-3).
Two other reigning Big Ten champions claimed wins on Saturday. Charles Godfred won the long jump with a season-opener of 7.93m (26-0 1/4) while Jak Urlacher was a winner in the pole vault with a clearance of 5.43m (17-9 3/4).
Minnesota's remaining wins on Saturday at the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta included: Isaiah Schafer (Shot Put - 19.24m | 63-1 1/2), Aidan Jones (1500m - 3:47.96), Hakeem Ford (Triple Jump - 15.30m | 50-2 1/2), Leo Goodman (800m - 1:51.92), Frankie Grey (400mH - 53.41), Sam Snitker (High Jump - 2.05m | 6-8 3/4) and the men's 4x400m relay (3:11.89).
Minnesota's qualified NCAA Indoor Championships women's competitors will travel to Virginia Beach, Va., from March 14-15. The 2025 outdoor season continues for Minnesota's men in Tampa, Fla., at the USF Alumni Invite that runs from March 21-22.
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.
Christian Martin set the tone with the first event on the outdoor track for Minnesota in 2025. The former two-time Ivy League 110m hurdles champion put down the second-fastest time in Minnesota history at 13.67 (+0.8 m/s) to win the event over teammate Spencer Brown (13.86). Martin's time came 0.01 seconds shy of the program record, held by current Gopher Michael Buchanan who finished third on Saturday in Arizona in a time of 13.95. Brown's time also went down as a lifetime best and the No. 3 time in Gophers history. Prior to Buchanan, Martin and Brown only one Gopher (Niles Deneen, 1997 - 13.95) had ever broken 14-seconds at Minnesota.
Just a few minutes later the Maroon and Gold put down one of the program's fastest 4x100m relay times in history at 38.78. The team of Zion Campbell, Kion Benjamin, Aaron Charles and Devin Augustine put down a time, in March, that would have ranked in the final top 10 list in the NCAA a season ago.
Both Campbell and Charles were not finished putting their names into Minnesota's record books. Later in the day Charles claimed the 200m title in Arizona with a season-opening time of 20.66, the No. 4 time in program history. Despite finishing fourth overall in the 100m, Campbell's time of 10.37 on Saturday placed him seventh all-time at Minnesota.
Claiming a total of 13 wins on Saturday, the Maroon and Gold had a number of victories that were eye-popping. Kostas Zaltos' win in the hammer throw came with his best season-opening mark of his illustrious career at 75.45m (247-6). The three-time Big Ten champion held off his teammate, and 2024 Big Ten hammer throw champion, Angelos Mantzouranis who was second with a toss of 72.02m (236-3).
Two other reigning Big Ten champions claimed wins on Saturday. Charles Godfred won the long jump with a season-opener of 7.93m (26-0 1/4) while Jak Urlacher was a winner in the pole vault with a clearance of 5.43m (17-9 3/4).
Minnesota's remaining wins on Saturday at the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta included: Isaiah Schafer (Shot Put - 19.24m | 63-1 1/2), Aidan Jones (1500m - 3:47.96), Hakeem Ford (Triple Jump - 15.30m | 50-2 1/2), Leo Goodman (800m - 1:51.92), Frankie Grey (400mH - 53.41), Sam Snitker (High Jump - 2.05m | 6-8 3/4) and the men's 4x400m relay (3:11.89).
Minnesota's qualified NCAA Indoor Championships women's competitors will travel to Virginia Beach, Va., from March 14-15. The 2025 outdoor season continues for Minnesota's men in Tampa, Fla., at the USF Alumni Invite that runs from March 21-22.
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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Thursday, June 12