March 3, 2009
THIS WEEK — The Hawkeyes have one last chance to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Iowa State Last Chance Meet Saturday in Ames. Events are set to start at 10:30 a.m. and will be held at the Lied Recreation Center on the Iowa State University campus.
LAST MEET — Hawkeye senior Racheal Marchand turned in a collegiate-best performance and nearly captured a conference title as the Iowa men and women’s track and field teams competed at the 2009 Big Ten Indoor Championships. The Hawkeye men’s team placed ninth with 43 points, while the women’s squad placed 10th with 25.
Marchand, who was competing with the women’s squad at Indiana’s Harry Gladstein Field House at Bloomington, IN, placed second in the 5,000 meters with a collegiate-best time of 15:55.70. That mark was .07 off the winning time posted by Wisconsin’s Gwen Jorgensen, ranks second in Iowa school history and automatically qualifies her for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Marchand is the third Hawkeye, in school history, to break the 16 minute mark in that event.
Hawkeye senior Renee White, sophomore Bethany Praska, sophomore Amanda Hardesty and the 1,600-meter and distance medley relays also scored team points for Iowa. White placed third in the triple jump (41-7), while Praska placed sixth in the 600 meters (1:31.80). Praska’s time was a collegiate best that ranks third in school history. Hardesty placed eighth in the 3,000 meters with a collegiate-best 9:50.76. The distance medley relay of freshman McKenzie Melander, sophomore Tiffany Hendricks, junior Sophia Poncé and Marchand placed third with a NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 11:27.34 that ranks third in school history. The 1,600-meter relay of freshman Nicole Erickson, Hendricks, Poncé and junior Rhonda-Kaye Trusty placed eighth with a season-best 3:46.98.
The Hawkeye men competed at Penn State’s Ashenfelter Multi-Sport Facility at University Park, PA. Three Hawkeye shot putters scored team points for Iowa – led by senior John Hickey. The Piermont, NY, native placed second with a throw of 60-5 3/4. Senior A.J. Curtis placed fourth (57-9 1/2) and redshirt freshman Ryan Lamparek placed sixth (56-8 3/4), both with collegiate-best performances. Senior Ryan Kelly (high jump-6th), juniors Paul Chaney, Jr. (200 meters-5th, 60 meters-6th) and Adam Hairston (800 meters-3rd), sophomores Steven Willey (600 meters-7th), Erik Sowinski (600 meters-8th) and Josh Bean (triple jump-6th), freshman Patrick Richards (400 meters-5th) and the Hawkeye 1,600-meter relay (junior Ray Varner, Willey, sophomore Chris Barton, Richards-8th) also scored points for Iowa. Chaney, Jr.’s 200-meter time of 21.45 ranks third in school history. Sowinksi broke a school record that was older than himself in the 600-meter prelims. His time of 1:18.05 bested the previous record of 1:18.30 set in 1988 by Pat McGhee.
IOWA TRACK TO HOST CLINICS & CAMPS — The Hawkeye coaching staff is scheduled to host a throws and speed/hurdle clinic March 8 and a four-day summer camp June 21-25. For more information contact Assistant Coach Scott Cappos at (319) 335-9392 or scott-cappos@uiowa.edu, or visit www.hawkeyetrack.com.
NEXT UP — Student-athletes who qualify will compete at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships March 13-14 at College Station, TX. All events will be held at Gilliam Indoor Stadium on the Texas A&M University campus. Competition is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Friday and Noon Saturday.