March 10, 2009
THIS WEEK — Three members of the Hawkeye track team will compete at the NCAA Championships Friday and Saturday in College Station, TX. Seniors Racheal Marchand (5,000 meters) and John Hickey (shot put), and sophomore Karessa Farley (60-meter hurdles) will compete for the Hawkeyes. Hickey earned all-America honors at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships. This is Farley and Marchand’s first trip to the NCAA indoor meet.
All events will be held at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, TX, on the Texas A&M University campus. Tickets for the meet are available from the Texas A&M Athletic Ticket Office at www.aggieathletics.com. Live results will be available throughout the championships at www.aggieathletics.com.
NCAA QUALIFIERS — The Hawkeyes have qualified three student-athletes for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Their event, qualifying marks and where they rank, in their event, are listed below.
Name – Event – Mark – Rank
Karessa Farley – 60-Meter Hurdles – 8.21 – 13th
John Hickey – Shot Put – 63-0 (19.20 m) – 6th
Racheal Marchand – 5,000 Meters – 15:55.70 – 4th
NCAA SCHEDULE OF EVENTS — Following is the schedule of events for Iowa’s NCAA qualifiers:
Day – Event – Time (CT) – Competitor
Friday – Women’s 60-M Hurdles – Prelims – 4:30 p.m. – Farley
Friday – Men’s Shot Put – Prelims & Finals – 6:50 p.m. – Hickey
Friday – Women’s 5,000 Meters – Finals – 7:05 p.m. – Marchand
Saturday – Women’s 60-M Hurdles – Prelims – 5:20 p.m. – Farley
IOWA’S NCAA HISTORY — The Hawkeye women’s team has crowned four individual champions; Nan Doak (10,000 meters-1985), Tracey Dahl (5,000 meters-1992, 1993) and Kineke Alexander (400 meters-2006). Iowa has also produced 56 all-Americans. The 1982 season produced the most all-Americans by Iowa in one year with 12. Iowa’s last indoor all-American was Kineke Alexander (400 meters) in 2008.
The Iowa men’s track team has crowned one NCAA individual champion and made 14 appearances at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Former Hawkeye Bashir Yamini won the long jump in 1998 with a leap of 26-0 1/4. The Hawkeyes have a combined total of 84 all-Americans during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Iowa’s last indoor all-American was John Hickey in the shot put in 2008.
2008 NCAA INDOOR REVIEW — The Hawkeyes had two all-Americans at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, AR. Senior Kineke Alexander earned her seventh career all-America honor in the 400 meters, placing fifth in 52.72. With that performance, Alexander set the school record for most all-America honors earned. Junior John Hickey became the first all-American for the Hawkeye men since 2002 when he placed seventh in the shot put (60-8 1/2). The Piermont, NY, native was the second Hawkeye to earn all-America honors in the shot put. Former Hawkeye Jeremy Allen was a two-time all-American in that event (2000, 2001).
Also competing for the Hawkeye women’s team were seniors Meghan Armstrong, Tammilee Kerr and Diane Nukuri. Nukuri placed 12th in the 5,000 meters (16:35.05), Armstrong placed 13th in the 3,000 meters (9:37.54), and Kerr placed 15th in the pentathlon (3,836 points).
LAST MEET — The Hawkeyes set a new school record and added some NCAA qualifers at the Iowa State Last Chance Meet in Ames last weekend.
Sophomore Karessa Farley smashed the 60-meter hurdles school record of 8.30 that she set at Iowa State on Valentine’s Day with her winning mark of 8.21.
Juniors Adam Hairston and Paul Chaney, Jr., and the men’s 1,600-meter relay team of sophomore Steven Willey, freshman Patrick Richards, sophomore Chris Barton, and junior Ray Varner also posted NCAA provisional qualifying performances. Hairston ran a season-best 1:49.81 in the 800 meters to place fourth, while Chaney, Jr. ran a collegiate-best 21.34 in the 200 meters. Chaney, Jr’s time ranks fourth in school history. The 1,600-meter relay team ran a season-best 3:09.62, which ranks 10th in school history. Freshman Erik Sowinksi ran a collegiate-best 1:51.39 in the 800 meters, which ranks fifth in school history.
NEXT UP — The Hawkeyes will open the 2009 outdoor season March 27-28 at the Stanford Invite at Stanford, CA, and the Viking Olympics at Rock Island, IL.