March 7, 2011
- Big Ten Championships – Iowa City, Iowa
- Track and Field Video Highlights
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa assistant track coach Joey Woody has been named USTFCCCA Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year. The announcement was made today by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
In his fifth season coaching sprints, hurdles and relays, Woody’s student-athletes captured a pair of 2011 Big Ten titles and earned two automatic bids to the NCAA Indoor Championships. He has also guided the Hawkeyes to six school records this season.
“This award is a culmination of five hard years of work and steady improvement by the Iowa track team,” said Head Coach Larry Wieczorek. “Joey’s a tremendous asset to our program and a great representative of the University of Iowa. He’s very deserving of this honor.”
Woody joined Iowa’s full-time staff in 2007 following a decorated competitive career that included a 1999 World Championships gold medal and a 1999 World Championships silver medal. He was a four-time All-American at Northern Iowa, winning the 1997 NCAA title in the 400-meter hurdles. He previously served as an assistant coach for the Panthers from 1997-2002.
Woody’s 2011 Big Ten champions include school record holders Justin Austin (200m) and the 1,600-meter relay team of Patrick Richards, Ethan Holmes, Erik Sowinski and Steven Willey. Austin and 800-meter school record holder Erik Sowinski have earned automatic bids to the NCAA championships.
The 1,600-meter relay team and sophomore Jordan Mullen (60-meter hurdles) are expected to receive NCAA at-large bids. Mullen’s school-record time of 7.75 ranks No. 12 in the country and the relay team ranks ninth (3:06.66). The NCAA will announce the complete championship field Monday night. Texas A&M will host the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend in College Station, Texas.