Dec. 27—JAMESTOWN — If you knew Annie Nabwe, you knew she was never satisfied.
Last May, Nabwe swept the University of Minnesota in the BIG 10 Championship. Nabwe, a 2022 Jamestown High School graduate, set a BIG 10 championship record with a lifetime best throw of 69.85 meters (229 feet, 2 inches), which also became a new Minnesota program record.
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Prior to that, Nabwe won her second consecutive women’s weightlifting title at the 2025 BIG 10 Indoor Track and Field Championships. Nabwe’s championship throw was 24.22 meters (79 feet, 5 inches), a personal best for the former Bluebird. With the win, Nabwe becomes the fifth BIG 10 women’s weightlifter to defend her conference title and the first since two-time UW Olympian Kelceka defended back-to-back titles in 2016.
Nabwe owns the 21st-best mark in NCAA history in the weight throw and also has the second-best mark in University of Minnesota indoor shot put history (56 feet, 6 1/2 inches).
Still, the former Blue Jay classified her second season with the Gophers as a “learning experience.”
“I had a lot of highs, but also challenges mentally and physically,” Nabwe said. “I didn’t quite get to where I wanted to be, but it helped me grow more as a person and as an athlete.”
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Her growth should scare her competitors.
At the University’s M City Classic held on December 5, Nabwe won the weight throw and shot put competitions. Nabwe’s two winning scores in the shot put and powerlifting events both set school records. Nabwe has a launch height of 16.40 meters (53 feet 9 3/4 inches) and a weight of 23.74 meters (77 feet 10 3/4 inches).
“People should know that I am driven, focused, loyal and overall fun to play,” Nabwe said. “I am grateful for the support I have received from my loved ones, teammates, coaches and everyone who has supported me. I am grateful and excited to continue to grow and see what the future holds.”
Nabwe’s season-opening lift was more than 4 feet better than her 2024 opening lift mark of 73-8. Nabwe’s shooting score also improved by nearly 2 feet from last year’s opening indoor competition.
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On Dec. 9, the Big Ten designated Nabwe as the conference’s indoor track and field athlete.
“People should know that I’m ready, I’m working hard, and I’m not going to give up easily,” Nabwe said. “They should know that every time I show up, I’m going to do my best.”
Her “groove” is honed every day through the University of Minnesota’s training program.
Nabwe and her teammates have been lifting weights for four hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday since the season officially started. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, team members perform weight training sessions ranging from 1 hour, 45 minutes to 2 hours. On Saturday, the team practices or lifts for about 90 minutes.
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“A typical training session is based on my class schedule,” Nabwe said. “Normally, on Monday, I train at 8:30 in the morning, so I get up at seven, get ready and have breakfast. Then I go to training on my motorcycle, warm up with my teammates and train.
“Afterwards, I go home and if I have time to eat and shower, which I do, then I go to class from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.,” she said. “I try to eat between or after this class because my next class is between 1 and 2:15, and after class I lift weights at 3. … After I lift, I go to the trainer and do exercises, and then it’s about 5. I go to the restaurant, have dinner, and then go home around 6 to 7 p.m. to do homework, or if I don’t have homework, I try to relax.”
Nabwe’s next tournament is the Minnesota Open on Jan. 10 at the University of Minnesota. The indoor season will conclude with the BIG 10 Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 13-14.
“My goals for this year are to be more confident, mentally stronger, start competitively instead of leisurely, break some records and win championships,” Nabwe said. “These are achievable because I’ve worked hard and I have the ability to do it. All I have to do is connect the pieces.”
