Feb. 16, 2004
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THIS WEEK — The Hawkeyes will host the co-ed Iowa Open Friday at the University of Iowa Recreation Buildling. Field events are set to start at 5:30 p.m., with running events starting at 6:30 p.m. Competing teams include Augustana, Coe and Loras.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS PRESS CONFERENCE — Women’s Head Coach James Grant will hold a press conference Monday, February 23 at 2 p.m. to preview the upcoming Big Ten Indoor Women’s Championships, which will be hosted by the University of Iowa. The press conference will be held in the press room, which is located on the ground floor of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. One or two student-athletes will accompany Grant. The Big Ten meet is Feb. 28-29.
LAST WEEK — The Hawkeyes posted some outstanding performances at the two-day Iowa State Classic in Ames. Senior Shellene Williams automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400 meters, setting a school record with a time of 52.83. Williams also ran the second leg on Iowa’s distance medley relay that provisionally qualified with its winning time of 11:30.36. Seniors Michelle Lahann and Sarah Arens and freshman Shannon Stanley were also on the relay. Freshman high jumper Peaches Roach also provisionally qualified in her event with a season-best leap of 5-10 1/2. Winning events for the Hawkeyes were freshman Nikki Chapple (5,000 meters in 16:48.21) and senior Aisha Hume, who broke the 600-yard meet record she set last year with a time of 1:21.74. Senior Ken Kemeny improved his provisional qualifying mark in the shot put with a throw of 59-10 1/2. That mark tied his personal best, and earned him second place. Junior Matt Esche placed eighth in the 5,000 meters (14:18.43), senior Brad Daufeldt placed eighth in the weight throw (59-5), and the men’s distance medley relay also placed eighth in 10:02.09.
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 success in 2003, as the team placed sixth at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. It 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.