Minnesota, Oregon and USC Take Home Weekly Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Honors

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of April 30-May 7, 2025.  

Track Athlete of the Week  
Garrett Kaalund, USC 
Junior – Sprints – San Antonio, Texas – Major: Legal Studies 

• Won the men’s 400m race at the USC-UCLA Dual meet with a PR of 44.73
• Kaalund’s time leads the Big Ten, ranks second nationally and is tied for seventh on USC’s all-time list with Olympian Bryshon Nellum
• Kaalund also anchored USC’s winning 4x400m relay at the Dual Meet
• USC’s 4x400 time of 3:05.54 is second in the Big Ten this season
• Last USC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week award: Max Thomas (April 16, 2025) 

Field Athlete of the Week 
Angelos Mantzouranis, Minnesota 
Sophomore – Throws – Athens, Greece – Major: Exercise Science 

• Tossed a lifetime best hammer throw of 78.61m (257-11) at Hamline’s ‘Meet of the UnSaintly’
• The throw qualified the 21-year-old sophomore for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan
• He also moved up to No. 3 all-time in the NCAA and is the furthest since Andras Haklits (78.63m) of Georgia back in 2002
• His throw also is a Minnesota school record, Big Ten Conference record, world No. 6 currently, the Greek under-23 record, facility record and NCAA No. 1 this season
• Mantzouranis was named the Co-USTFCCCA Men’s National Athlete of the Week on Monday
• Last Minnesota Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week award: Kostas Zaltos (April 9, 2025)  

Freshman of the Week 
Kobe Lawrence, Oregon 
Freshman – Throws – Kingston, Jamaica – Major: Undecided 

• Recorded a season-best shot put of 64-5 ¼ (19.64m) to finish second at the Desert Heat Classic
• His mark currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten, 10^th in the NCAA, and is the top-ranked in each as a freshman
• Lawrence also moved to No. 5 on the program’s all-time list; UO top five had gone unchanged since 1982
• This marks Oregon's first Outdoor Freshman of the Week Award 

2025 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week 
March 26 
Track: Yougendy Mauricette, USC 
Field: Racquil Broderick, USC 
Freshman:  Bryce Ruland, IOWA 

April 2 
Track: Garrett Kaalund, USC 
Field: Elias Gerald, USC/Scott Toney, WASH 
Freshman: Ajani Dwyer, PSU 

April 9 
Track: Handal Roban, PSU 
Field: Kostas Zaltos, MINN 
Freshman: Precious Opinion, MINN 

April 16 
Track: Max Thomas, USC 
Field: Andreas Hantson, PUR 
Freshman: Nikolaos Sidirenios, IND/Duke Faley, IOWA 

April 23 
Track: Ajani Dwyer, PSU 
Field: JC Stevenson, USC 
Freshman: Ajani Dwyer, PSU 

April 30 
Track: Nathan Green, WASH 
Field: Till Steinforth, NEB 
Freshman: Abraham Vogelsang, IOWA 

May 7 
Track: Garrett Kaalund, USC 
Field: Angelos Mantzouranis, MINN 
Freshman: Kobe Lawrence, ORE