March 12, 2007
IOWA CITY, IA –
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THIS WEEK — The Iowa men’s track team will open the 2007 outdoor season Friday and Saturday at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson, AZ. All events will be held at Roy P. Drachman stadium on the University of Arizona campus.
NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL — In order to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, student-athletes first must meet qualifying marks and compete at one of the four NCAA Regionals. The University of Iowa will compete in the Midwest region, which will be held May 25-26 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, IA. The Midwest region features 39 schools from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. The top five finishers in each individual event and the top three relays from each of the four regionals will automatically advance to the NCAA Championships, to be held June 7-9 in Sacramento, CA. The other three regions are the West (40 men’s teams, 42 women’s teams), the Mideast (78 men’s teams, 81 women’s teams) and the East (110 men’s teams, 112 women’s teams).
LAST MEET — Senior Micah VanDenend became the first Hawkeye to break the 14-minute mark in the indoor 5,000 meters when he shattered the school and Iowa State Last Chance Qualifier meet record with his winning 13:56.46 on March 3. VanDenend’s previous indoor best in that event was 14:08.06.
Senior Adam Hamilton improved his collegiate-best and NCAA qualifying weight throw by almost nine inches when he placed second with 66-9 1/4. The Hawkeyes also had a strong performance in the shot put with junior Shane Maier placing second (57-8 1/2), sophomore John Hickey placing third (56-11 1/2) and sophomore A.J. Curtis placaing fourth (55-0 3/4). Also running collegiate bests for Iowa were freshmen Paul Chaney (200 meters-21.45) and Adam Hairston (800 meters-1:53.20).
2007 TEAM CAPTAINS NAMED — Seniors David Pierre, Adam Hamilton and Micah VanDenend and junior Shane Maier have been named team captains for the 2007 season. Hamilton, an all-American and all-region selection from Milford, NH, is the 2006 Big Ten hammer throw champion. Maier, from Storm Lake, IA, earned all-region in the shot put last season, finishing one spot out of all-America contention at the NCAA Championships. VanDenend, a native of Glenbard, IL, won the 2006 NCAA Midwest Cross Country Regional and set two school distance records last season. Pierre is a sprinter from Miami, FL. The four have earned a combined five academic all-Big Ten honors.
HAWKEYE COACHING STAFF — Head Coach Larry Wieczorek is in his 11th season at the helm of the Iowa men’s track team. He has coached 24 all-Americans and 40 Big Ten Champions at Iowa. As a runner, Wieczorek was a six-time Big Ten champion for Iowa – winning four track and two cross country titles – and a four-time all-American. He is assisted by three-time Indiana all-American Scott Cappos and World Champion and four-time Northern Iowa all-American Joey Woody.
NEXT COMPETITION — Iowa will compete at the Louisiana State University Relays March 23-24 in Baton Rouge, LA. All events will be held at Bernie Moore Stadium.
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