Sports
Gopher Men Finish Second, Women Seventh at Big Ten Championships
MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota track and field teams finished second on the men’s side and seventh on the women’s side at the first Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. The Golden Gophers collected four conference titles over the three-day meet and earned 10 medals between the men and women.
The Maroon and Gold set three Big Ten Outdoor Championship meet records during the weekend, starting with the men’s hammer throw and Kostas Zaltos. In his final Big Ten Championships Zaltos won his fourth Big Ten gold medal with an effort of 77.67m (254-10). The fourth Big Ten title in the hammer throw makes Zaltos the first man to win the event at the conference meet four times. Zaltos’ meet-record toss of 77.67m (254-10) broke the meet record that was held by his teammate, Angelos Mantzouranis, who finished second overall to claim his second Big Ten medal of his career as just a sophomore. Mantzouranis’ runner-up mark of 75.11m (246-5) helped Minnesota earn eight points while Isaiah Schafer’s lifetime best toss of 66.57m (218-5) was seventh and helped Minnesota capture 20 vital team points from just the hammer throw.
“I am happy to be here again and compete,” Zaltos said after his win. “That was my last dance, I was very pumped and excited to be here and perform and set another meet record. Last year Angelos messaged me saying ‘I broke it a little bit just to give you something for next year,’ and I said, ‘just wait, I will break it again,’ and I am happy I did.”
The hammer throw sweep for the ‘U’ was completed by Anthonett Nabwe, who also set a Big Ten Championships meet record with a lifetime best 69.85m (229-2) which also goes down as a new Minnesota school record. Nabwe was joined on the podium by Hadley Streit who came in fourth with a personal best hammer throw of 65.65m (215-4), which improved her fifth-best standing in the hammer throw in school history.
“The main thing was consistency,” Nabwe said. “Yesterday I had a great practice that led into today. My coach kept reminding me of practice and to think like in practice and be relaxed. Consistency is a great factor.”
The third championships meet record came from the men’s 4x100m relay team of Zion Campbell, Kion Benjamin, Aaron Charles and Devin Augustine on Sunday. In a time of 38.54 the Maroon and Gold broke their own Big Ten Championships meet record that was set in 2023 (38.87). Coming into the meet as the No. 2 ranked 4x100m relay team in the conference, Minnesota’s quartet handled Southern California’s 4x100m relay team that came in with the top time in the conference and the No. 2 time in the NCAA at 38.41.
“It’s a wonderful experience,” Benjamin said after the performance. “You know, we came into the meet having the meet record already. So, the goal was to break the meet record on Hayward Field. It’s a beautiful stadium, a beautiful facility. So we had one job, and that was to come home with the gold medal. Some of my new teammates on the team, I will see them in the future. They have big things to do, and I just wanted to leave with them with a bang. I think that’s exactly what we did.”
In the men’s long jump Charles Godfred successfully defended his Big Ten crown in a leap of 8.05m (26-5). Godfred became the first man to defend his conference long jump crown since 2014 and was just eight centimeters short of Jesse Owens’ championship meet record of 8.13m that was set back in 1935.
“I can definitely take confidence from my jumps because I know I am capable of doing something big,” Godfred said. “When I saw the red flag, I knew I had something I needed to prove. When I get back home, I just need to buckle up and tighten my seatbelt and make sure everything is well organized, and any errors are cleaned up and just get the work done. I know something big is coming at the regionals and also the NCAA.”
Mantzouranis’ silver medal on day one was matched by Jak Urlacher in the men’s pole vault. The senior cleared 5.59m (18-4) and earned eight big team points while adding a second Big Ten medal to his collection after winning the competition in 2024 in Ann Arbor.
After a gold in the hammer throw Nabwe, a redshirt sophomore, added another Big Ten medal to her collection in the discus throw. Nabwe’s throw of 55.36m (181-7) had the Liberian national in the lead until the final round before dropping to the silver medal position by the competition’s end. Nabwe’s incredible 18 team points earned for the women matched Devin Augustine’s 18 team points he earned the men’s team in Eugene.
Using back-to-back lifetime bests in the 400m hurdles, Ahmed Khadar snagged his first Big Ten medal in a time of 50.49 seconds on Sunday. Khadar qualified with a then-lifetime best 50.86 on Friday and then dropped that to 50.49 to give him the fastest time in that event by a Gopher man in 21 years (Mikael Jakobsson, 49.72 – 2004).
The first bronze medal for Minnesota came on Saturday in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. True freshman Isabelle Schmitz clocked a 9:57.56 to earn her second Big Ten medal of the athletic year (DMR bronze medalist indoors) and earned a spot on the Big Ten’s All-Freshmen team as the highest placing freshman finisher in the event.
After a seventh-place finish in the 100m, Devin Augustine bounced back with a bronze medal finish in the 200m. The Trinidad & Tobago sprinter tied his season best 20.47 in the final to earn the third-place spot and finish the day scoring in three different events (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay).
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.
By Jeff Bowe, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech (6-7, 1-1) men’s basketball plays its final game of 2025 against Tennessee State (7-5, 1-1) at Hooper Eblen Center at 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
The Golden Eagles return to the hardwood after an extended break for the holidays to face the Tigers. TSU has won five of the last seven games but most recently fell, 91-82, to SEMO, opening OVC competition 1-1. Tech has won three of the last four games and opened conference play with an 85-74 victory over SEMO, then fell to UT Martin (L, 62-86).
TTU enters today’s game 4-2 at home this season with wins over SEMO, Bethel (101-69), Berea (86-64), and Va. Lynchburg (118-58), and losses to West Ga. (L, 59-61) and UT Martin (L, 62-86).
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Tennessee Tech (6-7, 1-1 OVC) vs. Tennessee State (7-5, 1-1 OVC)
Date & Time: Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m. CT
Venue: Hooper Eblen Center
Watch: ESPN+ | Dylan Vazzano (PxP) and Frank Harrell (Analyst)
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle | Noah McKay (PxP) and Jacob Vinson (Analyst)
Promotion: Purple Haze – WEAR PURPLE!
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: TSU leads, 41-39
In Cookeville: Tech leads, 23-17
In Nashville: TSU leads, 18-22
Neutral sites: TSU leads 2-0
Current Streak: TTU won 1
Last Meeting: TTU won 77-74 in Cookeville (Feb. 22, 2025)
TECH NOTES
Dani Pounds leads Tech in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game (19th in OVC), and Mekhi Cameron is second on the team with 12.2 points per game (20th in OVC). Pounds is fourth in the OVC in free-throw percentage, shooting 84.1 from the line. Pounds leads the Golden Eagles in rebounds with 4.8 per game (20th in OVC).
JaJuan Nicholls is second on the team in rebounds per game (4.7), which is 23rd in the conference.
Tennessee Tech’s 118 points against Va. Lynchburg (W, 118-58, 11/10/25) mark the third-most points scored in a single game by an OVC team this season.
Ty Owens is second in the OVC with 4.2 assists per game (54 total). Nicholls is tied for fifth in the conference in blocks per game (1.2) and fourth in the OVC in total blocks (16).
The Golden Eagles are second in the conference in points per game (79.7), as well as fourth in the conference in scoring margin (3.5). TTU holds the second-best shooting percentage in the OVC (47.0, 365-777), making three fewer shots than the conference leaders (Lindenwood, 47.4).
OPPONENT NOTES
Tennessee State (7-5, 1-1) leads the all-time series 41-39 as the teams split the last two matchups during the 2024-25 season.
The Tigers are coming off a hard-fought 91–82 loss to Southeast Missouri at the Gentry Center, while the Golden Eagles also enter the contest following a defeat.
The game marks the return to action for both programs after a 10-day break. Tennessee State will open the 2026 calendar year on the road at Little Rock on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Aaron Nkrumah leads the Tigers in scoring with 17.0 points per game, averaging 4.8 rebounds per contest and 2.6 assists per game. Travis Harper II is second on the team with 15.8 points per game, and Dante Harris is third on the squad per contest with 12.6 points on average.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets for Tennessee Tech Men’s Basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office, or order online at TTUsports.com.
FOLLOW THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Fans can be sure to follow the Golden Eagles men’s basketball team on X (@TTU_Basketball), Instagram (TTUMBB), and Facebook (TTU MBB) for all of the news, notes, and updates.
Helms, a transfer from Texas A&M, bested his previous Heptathlon score of 5394 which he earned at the Stan Scott Invite and Multis taking place on Jan. 30-Feb. 1, hosted by Texas Tech. He has had immense success in the Key City, posting three different splits at the Red Raider open in the 60m hurdles (8.30), 4x400m (3:16.21, 49.27 split) and pole vault (16-2/4.93m).
At the Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Robertson has etched herself in the record books. At the NCAA Outdoor National Championships, she recorded the best finish by a Bronco since the 2022 campaign by finishing 53rd in a field of 254 total runners.
Robertson was the first Bronco woman to earn All-America honors in the 1,500 since 2019 (Emma Bates). Hanna Ackermann also posted a top finish while in Eugene. Ackermann recorded a time of 9:54.21 in the steeplechase. The time was the third-fastest time in Boise State history.
Helms registered a score of 7,696 in the decathlon. His mark ranks third in Boise State school history and improved his previous mark in the decathlon at the 2025 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships which were hosted by Fresno State in Clovis, California.
Dec. 28, 2025, 10:54 a.m. ET
The 2025 Palm Beach Post All-County teams are here!
The Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the Player of the Year nominees for small school volleyball.
Player of the Year winners will be announced at the South Florida Fair in a live ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 24. Nominees will be able to register to attend for free, thanks to sponsors. For more information about the show, please reach out to deputy sports editor Eric J. Wallace (ejwallace@pbpost.com).
Dec. 28, 2025, 10:54 a.m. ET
The 2025 Palm Beach Post All-County teams are here!
The Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the Player of the Year nominees for large school volleyball.
Player of the Year winners will be announced at the South Florida Fair in a live ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 24. Nominees will be able to register to attend for free, thanks to sponsors. For more information about the show, please reach out to deputy sports editor Eric J. Wallace (ejwallace@pbpost.com).
MADISON, Wis. — On this day, December 28, 2012, Kelly Sheffield was hired as Wisconsin’s head volleyball coach, instantly propelling the program into one of the best in the country.
The Badgers had been coached by Pete Waite for the previous 13 years, and the program had been struggling since 2008. Sheffield turned things around immediately in his first season, making it all the way to the national championship in 2013, falling just short to Penn State.
Since then, the Badgers have made the NCAA tournament each season and have not lost more than 10 games in any season since he was hired.
He led the program to the top of the mountain in 2021, when they defeated Nebraska for the first championship in program history.
Since then, they have made the Final Four twice, most recently this past season, where they fell just short to the Kentucky Wildcats in five sets.
Sheffield has also coached 20 different Badgers to 45 All-American nominations, headlined by Dana Rettke and Sarah Franklin who won AVCA Player of the Year honors in 2021 and 2023.
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