Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships Recap: Day One
Minnesota leads both men’s and women’s standings after strong first day of competition
EUGENE, Ore. – The 2025 Big Ten Championships, hosted by the University of Oregon, began Friday at the iconic Hayward Field, marking the first time a West Coast institution is hosting a Big Ten Championship.
At the end of day one, Minnesota leads both the men’s (28 points) and women’s (20 points) overall team standings. In the men’s competitions, Oregon sits in second place with 27 points, followed by Washington with 25 points. On the women’s side, Penn State is in second with 14 points, and Illinois is third with 10 points.
Four individual champions were crowned on the men’s side in the hammer throw, pole vault, javelin, and the 10,000m— while two individual champions were determined on the women’s side in hammer throw and 10,000m.
Kostas Zaltos of Minnesota broke the previous meet record for men’s hammer throw with a mark of 77.67m (254-10). The previous record of 75.15m (246-6) was set last year in Ann Arbor by current teammate Angelos Mantzouranis. Mantzouranis placed second this year with a mark of 75.11m (246-5).
On the women’s side, Minnesota’s Anthonett Nabwe took home the hammer throw title, beating the field by over a meter with a mark of 69.85m (229-2) on her third attempt. Illinois’ Phethisang Makhethe earned second with a mark of 68.66m (225-3) and Chloe Lindman captured third with a mark 67.89m (222-9).
With a clearance of 5.64m (18-6), Illinois’ Cody Johnston secured the Big Ten title in men’s pole vault. Minnesota’s Jak Urlacher and Rutgers’ Brian O’Sullivan placed second and third, respectively.
Nebraska’s Arthur Petersen captured the men’s javelin title after throwing 78.91m (258-10) on his third attempt. Iowa’s Mike Stein, who finished second, secured his best mark of 77.41m (253-11) on his first throw but was unable to improve and hold onto the lead.
In the men’s 10,000m Washington’s Evan Jenkins edged out Oregon’s Aiden Smith in a neck-and-neck finish to win the individual title with a time of 29:24.48.
Oregon’s Diana Cherotich shattered the Big Ten Championship meet record for the women’s 10,000m by over 40 seconds. She finished with a time of 32:00.48. Penn State’s Florence Caron finished second with a time of 32.32.55 which also would have been a Big Ten Championships meet record prior to this year.