Hawkeyes Head To Regional Championships

May 23, 2005

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THIS WEEK — The Iowa men and women’s track teams will send athletes who meet the qualifying standards to the 2005 NCAA Midwest Regional, May 27-28 in Norman, OK. All events will be held at John Jacobs Track on the University of Oklahoma campus. All-session tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth. Single day tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for youth. Tickets can be ordered from the University of Oklahoma Athletic Ticket Office at 800/456-4668 or www.soonersports.com. Events will start each day at noon.

The Midwest region features 39 schools from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. The top five in each individual event and the top three relays from each of the four regionals automatically advance to the NCAA Championships, June 8-11 in Sacramento, CA. The other three regions are the West (40 men’s teams, 42 women’s teams), the Mideast (78/81) and the East (110/112).

2004 NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL REVIEW — Iowa automatically qualified five student-athletes for the 2004 NCAA Championships at the Midwest Regional in College Station, TX. The women’s team finished tied for 12th place with 20 points, while the men’s team finished 15th with 15. The Nebraska men (86.25) and Texas women (110) won team titles. Hawkeye seniors Sarah Arens, Shellene Williams and Brad Daufeldt, junior Ken Kemeny and freshman Peaches Roach automatically qualified for the national meet. Arens placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:39.31). Williams set a school record in the 400 meters, placing fourth in 52.41. Daufeldt placed fourth in the hammer throw (205-4), and also qualified in the discus. Kemeny placed fourth in the shot put (61-4 1/4) and Roach placed fifth in the high jump (5-10 1/2). Sophomore Adam Hamilton (hammer throw) and senior Russell Peterson (400-meter hurdles) also qualified for the NCAA meet.

BREAKIN’ RECORDS — Iowa has set four school records during the outdoor season. Sophomore Tiffany Johnson set records in the triple jump and 100-meter hurdles. She broke the triple jump record of 40-7 1/2 set in 1988 by Becki Borg with her leap of 40-9 1/2 at the Mt. SAC Relays. She also broke the 100-meter hurdles record of 13.60 set in 1999 by Colleen Prendergast and in 2000 by Paula Ruen with the 13.57 she ran in the Big Ten Championship prelims. Sophomore Becca Franklin shattered the hammer throw record of 161-10 set in 1999 by Kerri Blackstone with an 181-11 at the Iowa Musco Twilight VII. The 6,400-meter relay of sophomores Nikki Chapple and Jordan Laney, and seniors Katie Donlon and Michelle Sokol also set a school record (20:39.12) at the Drake Relays. The previous record was 20:40.89 set in 2001 by Sarah Arens, Atalie Barber, Katie Butler and Ericka Roberts.

HAWKEYE REGIONAL FACTS — In the two-year history of the NCAA Midwest Regional meet, the Hawkeyes have experienced lots of success. The women’s team has sent 41 qualifiers to the meet and crowned 13 all-region selections. The men’s team has sent 43 qualifiers and crowned six all-region honorees. Senior Bill Neumann won Iowa’s lone regional title in 2003, when he won the javelin.

Former Hawkeye Shellene Williams holds the school record for times qualified in a career, as she advanced to the regional meet a total of five times between 2003-04. Former Hawkeye Brad Daufeldt holds that distinction with the men’s team, qualifying four times between 2003-04. Four members of the women’s team have qualified in three events in one year. They are Williams (2003) and freshman Kineke Alexander (2005) and sophomores Peaches Roach (2005) and Tiffany Johnson (2005). Five members of the men’s team have qualified in two events in one year. They are Daufeldt (2003, 2004), former Hawkeye Russell Peterson (2004) and seniors Andy Banse (2005) and Ken Kemeny (2005).

Hawkeye junior Tim Brodersen and senior Chris Voller are the only team members to qualify for all three of the regional meets. Brodersen qualified in the discus and Voller in the hammer throw in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

2005 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS REVIEW — The Hawkeye men’s team placed eighth with 53 points at the 2005 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, while the women’s team placed ninth with 52.5. Junior Tim Brodersen won Iowa’s lone individual title, throwing a 187-0 in the discus. Iowa had three runners-up in senior Chris Voller (hammer throw), sophomore Peaches Roach (high jump) and sophomore Tiffany Johnson (100-meter hurdles).

Seniors Andy Banse and Aisha Hume, Roach and freshman Kineke Alexander each recorded two top-five placings. Banse placed third in the shot put (60-10) and fourth in the discus (177-11), Hume placed fourth in 800 meters (2:09.50) and third as part of the 1,600-meter relay (3:40.34), Roach placed second in the high jump (5-8 3/4) and third in the 100 meters (11.66) and Alexander placed fourth in the 400 meters (53.89) and third as part of the 1,600-meter relay (3:40.34). In all, the Hawkeyes recorded 14 top-five individual finishes.