Feb. 2, 2004
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THIS WEEK — The Hawkeyes will compete at the co-ed Sevigne Husker Invitational Saturday 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 for 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.
LAST WEEK — The men’s track team crowned three individual champions at the UNI Invitational in Cedar Falls, IA, while the women’s team had one event winner in Cedar Falls and another at the Illinois Invitational in Champaign, IL. The women’s team placed fourth at Illinois with 51 points with their split squad. Illinois won the meet scoring 160. The men’s team recorded 19 top-five finishes, while the women’s team recorded 13.
Senior Shellene Williams won an event for the third consecutive week, winning the 60 meters at the Illini Invitational with a collegiate-best 7.50. Freshman Chloe Millward was the women’s winner at the UNI Invitational, taking first in the 800 meters (2:24.07). For the men, senior Derrick Burks won the 60 meters for the second time this season, posting a season-best 6.87 in the finals. Senior Brad Daufeldt won the weight throw (59-9 1/2) and junior Tony Rakaric won the mile (4:17.83). Placing second for Iowa were senior Michelle Lahann in the mile (4:52.73), senior Zach Digney in the 60 (6.94) and 200 meters (21.86), freshman Rob Long in the 600 meters (1:21.48) and junior Matt O’Hollearn in the 800 meters (1:57.37).
The women’s team also had three competitors in the pentathlon at the UNI Invitational. Junior Tiff Pedersen placed fifth (3,269), senior Kamesha Marshall placed sixth (3,185) and sophomore Katie Herrmann placed seventh (3,126). Nike’s Asutra Skujyte won all five events to take the pentathlon title with 4,580 points. Her point total set a UNI-Dome record and is the highest point total in the world to date. Pedersen placed second in the 60-meter hurdles (9.16) and long jump (17-11), Marshall placed second in the shot put (44-8 1/4) and Herrmann placed second in the 800 meters (2:29.83).
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 Jan. 24.
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 — “The highlight for us was winning three events. Zach Digney turned in a great performance, placing second in the 60 meters with a personal-best 6.94, placing second in the 200 meters with a season-best 21.86 and running a strong leg on our 1,600-meter relay.”
NEXT COMPETITION — The Hawkeyes will compete at the Iowa State Classic Feb. 13-14 in Ames, IA. All events will be held at the Lied Recreation Center. Starting times are 3:30 p.m. Friday and 10:15 a.m. Saturday.