Feb. 3, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Senior Mark Battista, senior James Paul and sophomore Jeff Thode will represent the University of Iowa track and field team Saturday at the Meyo Track & Field Invitational in South Bend, IN. Battista will compete in the 3,000-meters at 3:35 p.m. CT. Paul and Thode will run the mile. The men’s mile begins at 10:10 a.m. and the prestigious Meyo Mile begins at 2 p.m. CT.
Head Coach Larry Wieczorek is optimistic Thode will perform in the elite Meyo Mile group.
“I’m hopeful Jeff will be able to compete in the Meyo Mile,” said Wieczorek. “He’s our school record holder in the event so he’s looking forward to training with some of the elite mile runners in the country. Mark Battista and James Paul will both be making their season debuts in their respective events, so I’m excited to see them in action.”
The events will be held at the Loftus Center on the campus of Notre Dame.
WHAT:2 WATCH:4
Meyo Mile:
Thode holds the Iowa indoor record in the mile. As a freshman, Thode turned in the third fastest mile run at the 2010 Big Ten Championships. His preliminary time of 4:05.81 trailed only head coach Larry Wieczorek (4:04.40) and former school record holder Ed DeLashmutt (4:04.01). One week after the conference championships, Thode grabbed the top spot in program history with a 4:03.07 performance at the NCAA Last Chance Qualifier.
Men’s Mile:
Paul turned in a collegiate best performance at the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships. Paul placed 15th with a mile time of 4:11.27. He placed first in the mile at the Iowa Open and ran the lead leg on the fourth-place distance medley relay at the conference championships.
3,000 Meters:
Battista peaked at the Big Ten Indoor Championships a year ago, running a collegiate best 8:25.82 in the 3,000-meters. He made his Meyo Invitational debut last season, crossing the finish line in 22nd place with a time of 8:26.27.