%20--%3e%3csvg%20xmlns:inkpad='http://taptrix.com/inkpad/svg_extensions'%20height='231pt'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20width='796pt'%20version='1.1'%20viewBox='0,0,796,231'%3e%3cdefs/%3e%3cg%20id='Untitled'%20inkpad:layerName='Untitled'%3e%3cpath%20d='M102.252+48.3067L83.5399+48.3067L83.5399+182.202L102.252+182.202L102.252+230.822L-0.0490809+230.822L-0.0490809+182.202L18.6626+182.202L18.6626+48.3067L-0.0490809+48.3067L-0.0490809+0.300613L102.252+0.300613L102.252+48.3067ZM239.828+230.822L165.748+230.822C138.908+230.822+121.27+213.184+121.27+184.35L121.27+46.773C121.27+18.092+139.215+0.300602+165.748+0.300602L239.828+0.300602C266.669+0.300602+284.307+18.2454+284.307+46.773L284.307+184.35C284.307+213.031+266.362+230.822+239.828+230.822ZM218.816+182.356L218.816+48.4601L186.607+48.4601L186.607+182.356L218.816+182.356ZM313.448+48.3067L297.037+48.3067L297.037+0.300613L394.123+0.300613L394.123+48.6135L375.718+48.6135L392.282+159.503L426.945+0.300613L476.025+0.300613L512.834+159.503L526.178+48.6135L509.307+48.6135L509.307+0.300613L605.166+0.300613L605.166+48.6135L589.368+48.6135L560.534+231.129L482.313+231.129L451.945+95.0859L420.963+230.822L345.81+230.822L313.448+48.3067ZM588.141+182.356L605.779+182.356L640.902+0.300613L745.656+0.300613L780.166+182.356L796.577+182.356L796.577+230.975L718.356+230.975L710.994+174.687L672.19+174.687L665.288+230.975L588.601+230.975L588.141+182.356L588.141+182.356ZM706.853+132.509L691.975+39.4111L676.638+132.509L706.853+132.509Z'%20opacity='1'%20fill='%23ffcd00'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
June 8, 2011
NCAA Championships Photo Gallery (June 8, 2011)
- Video Interview with E. Holmes
- Video Interview with E. Sowinski
- NCAA Championship Central — Des Moines, Iowa
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
DES MOINES, Iowa — The University of Iowa opened the 2011 NCAA Championships with junior Erik Sowinski in the 800 meters and sophomore Ethan Holmes in the 400-meter hurdles Wednesday evening at Drake Stadium.
Sowinski opened the Championships for the Hawkeyes with a personal record-setting performance in the 800 meters semifinals. He finished fifth in his heat with a personal record time of 1:47.83. Despite nearly breaking the school record (1:47.64), Sowinski missed advancing to the finals by .40 seconds. The Waukesha, Wis., native placed 15th overall.
“The race got out a lot slower than I wanted it too,” Sowinski said. “I didn’t really want to take the lead from the get-go because I wanted to have a kick to compete with the other guys and I think it caught up with me in the end. It is disappointing, but on the bright side it’s a personal record and I have another year so I can’t be too disappointed.”
The runners in the third heat of the semifinals had to run through a rain shower that started as the runners approached the start line.
“Being from the Midwest, we’ll practice in the rain one day and the next it’ll be 35 degrees so I don’t think the rain affected me much, but I can’t speak on behalf of the other guys,” Sowinski said.
Holmes, the only collegiate athlete to qualify for the semifinals in both the 110- and 400-meter hurdles, placed seventh (51.06) in the third heat of the 400-meter hurdles. After finishing 14th overall and missing the finals cutoff (50.34), Holmes is ready to bounce back Thursday in the 110-high hurdles.
“I would have been happy not making the finals if I had ran a person best, but it wasn’t even close,” Holmes said after his race. “It just wasn’t my day. I just have to shake it off and come back tomorrow and show up.”
Holmes and Sowinski are also members of the 1,600-meter relay team that competes tomorrow night. The Hawkeyes are the only Big Ten school competing in both the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay.
Sophomore Justin Austin continues his quest for a national title tomorrow in the 200 meter semifinals. Austin will run at 5:45 p.m., followed by Holmes (110-meter hurdles) and the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relays.