Hawkeyes Run Into Conference Honors

Feb. 28, 2011

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Big Ten Conference announced Sunday that seven University of Iowa track and field student-athletes have earned first team all-conference honors. Six members of the team were named to the all-conference second team.

Senior Bethany Praska earned first team honors following her first place finish in the 600 meters at last weekend’s Big Ten Championships. The Longmont, Colo., native was also a key component on the Hawkeyes’ second place 1,600-meter relay team. Praska anchored the relay that set a new school record at 3:37.58.

The Hawkeye men were represented on the all-Big Ten first team by senior Steven Willey, juniors Erik Sowinski and Troy Doris and sophomores Patrick Richards, Ethan Holmes and Justin Austin.

Austin took the crown in the 200 meters, running 21.23. The sophomore from Milwaukee, Wis., automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the event when he ran 20.83 at the Razorback Invitational earlier this spring.

Doris leapt to a first place finish in the triple jump, hitting 52-6 (16.00m) at the Big Ten Championships. The Bolingbrook, Ill., native will compete at the NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas. Doris automatically qualified for the meet with a jump of 54-0 (16.46m) at the Razorback Invitational.

The Hawkeye quartet that ran a first place time of 3:12.13 in the 1,600-meter relay included Richards, Holmes, Sowinski and Willey. The foursome beat out Ohio State by .4 seconds to push Iowa ahead of the Buckeyes in the team race and finish the conference meet in fourth place.

Iowa student-athletes named second team all-conference included Jordan Mullen (So.) from the men’s team and Nicole Erickson (Jr.), Betsy Flood (Jr.), Tiffany Hendricks (Sr.) and Ashley Liverpool (Fr.) on the women’s team.

Mullen ran the 60 meter hurdles in 7.83 seconds to earn a runner-up finish

Flood, a Des Moines, Iowa, native, placed second in each of the two longest races on the track. Flood narrowly missed a championship title in the 5k after she crossed the line just .02 seconds after the leader. The junior set personal records in both events, running 9:20.09 (3k) and 16:20.67 (5k).

Hendricks, Liverpool and Erickson joined Praska on the track for the 4×400 meter relay. The Iowa women ran the event in record-setting time (3:37.58) and placed second overall.

A select number of Hawkeyes will compete at the 2011 Indoor NCAA Championships at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. The Championships are set for March 11-12, 2011.