Jan. 26, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
THIS WEEK — The men’s and women’s teams will compete at the UNI Invitational Friday and Saturday in Cedar Falls. Friday’s events include the women’s pentathlon at 3 p.m., the men’s heptathlon at 3:10 p.m. and the men’s long jump at 8 p.m. All other events will be held Saturday, with field events beginning at noon and running events starting at 1 p.m. All events will be held in the UNI Dome. Competing teams include Iowa, Kansas State, Minnesota and Northern Iowa.
The Hawkeye women’s team will also send competitors to the Illini Invitational Saturday in Champaign, IL. Field events are set to start at 9 a.m. with running events beginning at 12:15 p.m. All events will be held in the University of Illinois Armory. Competing teams include Iowa, Illinois, Southeast Missouri State and Southwest Missouri State.
LAST WEEK — Iowa provisionally qualified seniors Ken Kemeny and Shellene Williams for the NCAA Indoor Championships at the Minnesota Gold Country Classic in Minneapolis. Kemeny provisionally qualified in the shot put for the second consecutive week with his runner-up finish of 59-5 3/4. Williams qualified in the 200 meters with a collegiate-best and winning time of 24.11.
The Hawkeye women’s team won four events and recorded 13 top-five finishes. Freshman Tiffany Johnson continued her streak of double-wins, taking top honors in the 60 meters (7.82) and triple jump (37-5 1/4). Johnson won the triple jump and 60-meter hurdles last weekend in her collegiate debut. Freshman Nikki Chapple made her collegiate debut with a win in the mile (4:59.85), beating her nearest competitior by over three seconds.
The Iowa men’s team recorded seven top-five finishes. Junior Andy Banse placed third in the shot put (53-8 1/4), senior Derrick Burks placed third in the 60 meters with a season-best 6.88 and Iowa’s 1,600-meter relay placed third with a season-best 3:15.62.
NCAA QUALIFIERS — Seniors Ken Kemeny and Shellene Williams have provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, to be held March 12-13 in Fayetteville, AR. Kemeny has provisionally qualified in the shot put twice this season, with a best mark of 59-5 3/4, and Williams qualified in the 200 meters with her winning time of 24.11 at the Minnesota Gold Country Classic last weekend.
HAWKEYE COACHES — Larry Wieczorek is in his eighth year as Iowa’s men’s head track coach. As a runner, Wieczorek was a six-time Big Ten champion for Iowa, winning four track and two cross country titles. He was also a four-time all-American. In 1998, Wieczorek was inducted into the National Iowa Varsity Club Hall of Fame. He is assisted by former Iowa all-American and world-class 400-meter hurdler Pat McGhee and three-time all-American and two-time Big Ten shot put champion Scott Cappos.
James Grant is in his eighth year at the helm of the women’s track and field program. Grant and the Hawkeyes had monumental success in 2003, as the team placed sixth at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, which was Iowa’s highest finish during Grant’s tenure. They also crowned a school-record six individual event champions, including two-time winner Shellene Williams who was the third female student-athlete in school history to win two events at the same conference meet. During his career at Iowa, Grant has coached one all-American and 14 Big Ten Champions. As a runner, Grant captained Eastern Michigan University’s 1970 and 1971 track teams, earning all-America honors while specializing in the 400-meter dash, 400-meter hurdles and the mile relay. Grant is assisted by Steve Callaway, who was a decathlete and pole vault school record holder at Indiana, and Layne Anderson, a three-time Southern Conference champion who set 10 school records at The Citadel.
QUOTING WIECZOREK — “Two of our highlights at Minnesota were Derrick Burks and Ken Kemeny. Now that Derrick is healthy, we have high hopes for his contributions as a sprinter. As the weeks go on, we hope to have a few more athletes step up and perform at a high level.”
QUOTING GRANT — “I thought we had another good meet last weekend. It was a continutation of what we did at the Hawkeye Invitational. We are staying focused and looking ahead to the end of the season, but are also using these meets as good tuneups.”
NEXT COMPETITION — The Hawkeyes will compete at the co-ed Sevigne Husker Invitational Feb. 6 in Lincoln, NE. All events will be held at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Field events are scheduled to start at 10 a.m., with running events set to begin at 11 a.m. Competing teams include Alabama, Cal State-LA, East Carolina, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oral Roberts, Purdue, Southwest Missouri State, Tulsa, Texas-El Paso, Washington State and Wyoming. No team scores will be kept.