May 11, 2011
- Big Ten Championships – Iowa City, Iowa
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa hosts the 2011 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday-Sunday at the Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track in Iowa City, IA. All-session tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for youth. Single day passes are $10 for adults and $5 for youth.
FRIDAY, MAY 13 Field and multi-events start at 11 a.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 14 Multi-events continue at 9:30 a.m. Running events start at 2:10 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 15 Finals begin at 11 a.m.
CRETZMEYER TRACK
Cretzmeyer track was reconstructed and refinished in 2010. It features an IAAF certified, BSS 1000 track and field surface designed by Benyon Sports Surfaces. The state of the art full-pour polyurethane surface provides the resiliency and return of energy necessary for NCAA athletes to compete at the highest level. Iowa previously hosted the 1987 and 2000 Big Ten Championships at Cretzmeyer Track.
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
The Hawkeye crowned three champions at the 2010 Big Ten T&F Outdoor Championships. Matt Byers and Steven Willey return to defend their 2010 Big Ten titles. At last year’s conference championships, Byers won the javelin as a freshman with a toss of 220′-6″ (67.22m). Willey won the 400 meter title with a then-personal-best time of 46.12. Then-senior Ray Varner won the 400-meter hurdles title with a time of 50.61.
BIG TEN FAVORITES
Iowa enters the Championships with the top seed in four events. Justin Austin (200m, 20.87), Matt Byers (javelin, 245-8), Bethany Praska (800m, 2:05.46) and the women’s 1,600m relay team (3:35.93) own the Big Ten’s top marks. Byers’ and Praska’s marks are both school records. Byers’ mark is also a Big Ten record.
ON THE BIG TEN NETWORK
A tape-delay broadcast of the meet will air on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, May 22 at 12 p.m. CDT. Tom Werme will provide play-by-play while Craig Virgin and Rebecca Hararlow analysis. Kara Lentz will report from the field.
WHEN THE SCHOOL RECORD ISN’T ENOUGH
Sophomore Matt Byers broke a nine-year old javelin school record at the LSU Invite (April 2). Byers registered a toss of 245-8 (74.89) to best Bill Neumann’s 2002 school record (244-8), which also happened to be the Big Ten record. Byers won the Big Ten javelin title as a freshman last season and currently ranks No. 6 in the country.
4×4 DOIN’ WORK
The women’s 4×4 team – Bethany Praska, Tiffany Hendricks, Ashley Liverpool and Nicole Erickson – set a program record with their first place effort at the Drake Relays (4/28). Their 3:35.93 mark leads the Big Ten and ranks 23rd nationally.
WILLEY OR WON’T HE?… HE WILL
Senior All-American and defending Big Ten 400 meter champion Steven Willey captured a first-place finish in his outdoor season debut at the Sun Angel Classic. Willey’s 46.48 performance currently ranks third among Big Ten competitors and 34th nationally. His effort ranks seventh among Iowa’s all-time top performers.
RELAY DOMINANT
The men’s 4×1 team ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten and 26th nationally with a 39.86 mark. Tevin-Cee Mincy, Zeke Sayon, Paul Chaney and Justin Austin own the third fastest mark in program history.
A PAIR OF TOP 5s
Freshman Ashley Liverpool and senior Bethany Praska rank second and fourth, respectively, among the Big Ten’s 400 meter competitors. They are the only teammates ranked in the conference’s top five. Liverpool’s time of 53.87 ranks fourth in Iowa school history and Praska’s 54.01 mark ties for fifth.
HOLMES ON HURDLES
Sophomore Ethan Holmes owns the conference’s second best mark in the 400 hurdles and ranks third in the 110 high hurdles. Holmes captured a first place finish in the 400 hurdles at the Musco Twilight Meet (4/23), turning in a personal-best 51.05, the eighth best performance in program history. His 400m hurdles time ranks No. 21 nationally.
BETHANY GETTING HISTORICAL
Senior Bethany Praska has made the most of her senior campaign. The Longmont, Colo., native set the 800 meter outdoor school record at the War Eagle Invitational with a 2:05.46 performance. Praska set the indoor 800 meter school record and captured a Big Ten 600 meter title during the indoor season. She also earned All-American honors following a seventh place finish at the NCAA Championships.
HIGH MARKS IN THE 110-HIGH HURDLES
Sophomores Jordan Mullen and Ethan Holmes rank second and third, respectively, among the Big Ten’s 110m hurdles leaders. Mullen placed second (13.79) and Holmes fourth (14.02) at the War Eagle Invitational April 16 to climb to fourth and sixth, respectively, on Iowa’s top performers list. The duo claimed the top two spots in their last appearance on Cretzmeyer Track (Musco Twilight Meet, 4/23). Mullen (13.97) edged Holmes (14.21) for the title.
ROLLING 800s
Junior Erik Sowinski and senior Adam Hairston rank third and eighth, respectively, amongst Big Ten competitors in the 800 meters. Sowinski ran 1:48.15 while capturing first place at the LSU invitational (4/2) and Hairston ran 1:49.53 to place fifth at the Sun Angel Classic (4/9). Sowinski’s time ranks 12th nationally. He and Hairston rank third and fourth, respectively, on Iowa’s 800m all-time performers list.
LOCAL CHAPTER IN THE RECORD BOOK
Iowa City native Majesty Tutson climbed to the top of the school record list with a discus toss of 166-10.5 (50.87) at the Sun Angel Classic April 9. Tutson’s discus performance ranks sixth among Big Ten performers and 38th nationally. Tutson also ranks eighth in Iowa program history in the hammer throw.
2011 NCAA OUTDOOR QUALIFICATIONS
The top 48 individual event performers and top 24 relay teams from each region (East/West) will qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. A complete list of NCAA participants will be announced Thursday, May 19.
HEAD COACH Larry Wieczorek
Larry Wieczorek is in his 24th season as head men’s cross country coach and his 15th season as head men’s track and field coach at the University of Iowa. He served as an assistant track and field coach for 12 years before taking the helm in 1997.
HEAD COACH Layne Anderson
Layne Anderson is in his third year as head coach of the University of Iowa women’s cross country and track and field teams. He has served as the Hawkeyes’ head women’s cross country coach for the past seven seasons, and was the interim head women’s track and field coach in 2008.