Minnesota Track and Field: NCAA Championships Preview

The 2021 NCAA Track and Field Championships kick off Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon with the Minnesota Gophers represented in ten individual events and one relay. A quad of Gopher men will kick off the action on Wednesday afternoon and evening, but Minnesota will have at least one athlete competing in each day of the four day Championships. A full schedule is below with start times:

Wednesday

3:00 p.m. CT - Men’s decathlon 100 meters final: Teddy Frid

3:40 p.m. CT - Men’s decathlon long jump final: Teddy Frid

4:30 p.m. CT - Men’s hammer throw final: Kostas Zaltos

4:55 p.m. CT - Men’s decathlon shot put final: Teddy Frid

6:10 p.m. CT - Men’s decathlon high jump final: Teddy Frid

7:32 p.m. CT - Men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinals: Alec Basten

9:10 p.m. CT - Men’s shot put final: Kyle Atkinson

9:26 p.m. CT - Men’s decathlon 400 meters final: Teddy Frid

Thursday

11:30 a.m. CT - Men’s decathlon 110-meter hurdles final: Teddy Frid

12:20 p.m. CT - Men’s decathlon discus final: Teddy Frid

1:20 p.m. CT - Men’s decathlon pole vault final: Teddy Frid

3:00 p.m. CT - Women’s hammer throw final: Tess Keyzers

4:00 p.m. CT - Men’s decathlon javelin final: Teddy Frid

6:02 p.m. CT - Women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinals: Abby Kohut-Jackson

7:56 p.m. CT - Men’s decathlon 1,500 meters final: Teddy Frid

8:48 p.m. CT - Women’s 4x400-meter relay semifinals: Jayla Campbell, Val Larson, Janielle Josephs, Abigail Schaaffe

Friday

6:35 p.m. CT - Men’s discus final: Phillipe Barnett, Kaleb Siekmeier

7:24 p.m. CT - Men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase final: Alec Basten

Saturday

4:35 p.m. CT - Women’s discus final: Shelby Frank

5:24 p.m. CT - Women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase final: Abby Kohut-Jackson

6:55 p.m. CT - Women’s 5,000 meters final: Bethany Hasz

7:21 p.m. CT - Women’s 4x400-meter relay final: Jayla Campbell, Val Larson, Janielle Josephs, Abigail Schaaffe

The best chances for top podium finishes for the Gophers should come from Kostas Zaltos and Alec Basten from the men and Abby Kohut-Jackson and Bethany Hasz for the women. Zaltos had the third farthest hammer throw in either prelim competition headed into the finals, while Basten ran the 8th fastest time in the 3,000 meter steeplechase but has run faster this season.

For the women Kohut-Jackson ran the fourth fastest time in either of the prelim competitions, while Hasz is the NCAA runner up in the indoor 5,000 meters this past spring.

TV coverage for the NCAA Championships will be split between ESPN2, and ESPN U with all individual events streaming live on ESPN3.