Holmes Runs For 3

May 28, 2011

NCAA West Preliminary Photo Gallery (Saturday)

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EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Iowa advanced 13 student-athletes to the NCAA finals in Des Moines, Iowa, after Saturday’s events at Historic Hayward Field. Among the qualifiers was freshman Ethan Holmes, the only Hawkeye to qualify in three different events (110 hurdles, 400 hurdles and 1,600-meter relay).

Holmes, a native of Clinton, Iowa, clocked a 13.80 in the 110 hurdles to finish 12th overall and secure a berth in the semifinals. He also advanced as a member of the 1,600-meter relay. Patrick Richards, Holmes, Erik Sowinski and Steven Willey clocked a 3:07.58 to place sixth and advance to the second round in Des Moines. Holmes had already secured a spot in the 400 hurdles semifinals following his 50.70 effort in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Junior Troy Doris won the triple jump competition in Eugene. Doris, a native of Bollingbrook, Ill., flew through the air and landed 53-3 ¾ (16.25m) to claim to top spot and advance to the final round in Des Moines.

Sophomore Justin Austin overcame a pulled muscle in Thursday’s preliminary race of the 100 to qualify for the finals in the men’s 200 meters Saturday. Austin clocked a 21.08 in the quarterfinals race to place ninth and punch his ticket to Des Moines.

Juniors Betsy Flood and Brooke Eilers finished among the top-12 in the 5,000 meter run to earn a place in the finals race. Flood placed fifth with a lifetime best time of 16:04.46, beating her previous personal best by nearly eight seconds. Eilers also qualified with a career best (16:11.86).

“Overall, we advanced a really good group of people to the NCAA Championships,” said head coach Larry Wieczorek. “Justin Austin showed a lot of guts finishing in the top 12 of the 200, and Ethan Holmes had one of the best meets of a track athlete that I’ve seen in a long time. We did have some disappointments, but overall we feel good about the group we’re taking.”

The Iowa women’s 1,600-meter relay team placed 11th overall to earn a berth in the next round. Seniors Bethany Praska and Tiffany Hendricks started the race for Iowa, running the first two quarters of the race before handing off to true freshman Ashley Liverpool for the third leg. Junior Nicole Erickson anchored the relay, pushing the Hawkeyes across the finish line in 3:37.27.

Sophomore Jeff Thode ran in the men’s 1,500 meter run Saturday. Thode’s season best time of 3:47.35 earned him 14th place in the event. ¬

Sophomore Majesty Tutson reached 154-8 (47.15m) in the women’s discus competition. Tutson, an Iowa City native, narrowly missed the finals of the competition.

“We had a lot of great stories this year, but the guy that stands out is Ethan Holmes,” Wieczorek said. “He had a superb weekend. He’s a sensational student-athlete.”

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS — DES MOINES, IOWA — JUNE 8-11

Hawkeyes’ NCAA Semifinal and Second Round Qualifiers