Gopher men's track and field team off to good start, hope to win Big Ten
MINNEAPOLIS -- Last week, the Gopher men's track and field team was ranked first in the nation for the first time in school history.
They couldn't compete because of the weather -- and that knocked them down to number 11. But their goal remains to track down a Big Ten Championship.
About a month into the outdoor season, the Gopher men's track and field team has six athletes among the top in their events.
"It was a great sign because I think we can win Big Ten this year," Devin Augustine, a sophomore sprinter, said. "It was our goal last year. Unfortunately, it didn't come true. Then we have a second chance to make it this year. The team is stronger, the energy is higher. I think we can get it done."
The men are off to a historically good start, but it's early. They want to be ranked high when the season ends.
"I think I was the one that wasn't that happy. It's the beginning of the season. We're in week one. We have a lot of things to work on, of course. We have a lot of things to change, as individuals. And I'm just trying to say to everybody, yeah we can celebrate today but tomorrow we have to go back to work," Kostas Zaltos, a junior thrower, said.
In the fall of 2020 men's track and field at the University of Minnesota was on the chopping block. The indoor team was cut, but the outdoor team survived.
"I came here as a true freshman and my goal was to always leave a legacy here," Kion Benjamin, a fifth-year sprinter, said. "We've had our ups and downs throughout the years with the school but throughout the years I'm able to leave a legacy and leave my mark. I just wanna leave history at the University of Minnesota."