May 13, 2014
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa track and field team travels to West Lafayette, Ind., for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships this weekend. The meet will be held at Rankin Track and Field on the campus of Purdue University. The event begins Friday at 10 a.m. (CT) and continues through Sunday.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Follow @IowaXC_TF on twitter for updates on the team. Seniors Jasmine Simpson (@justjazzy40) and Ashlyn Gulvas (@ashlyngulvas) will be live tweeting the Big Ten Championships on Saturday and Sunday. Links to live results can be found on the schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
B1G T&F ON BTN
BTN will provide coverage of the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday, May 25, at 5 p.m. (CT).
THE COMPETITION
The Big Ten field includes four nationally ranked men’s teams and one ranked women’s team. The men’s team includes No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 16 Nebraska, No. 17 Penn State, and No. 20 Illinois, while the Penn State women are ranked 15th.
RETURNING POINT SCORERS
The Hawkeye men return three of 13 point scorers from last year’s championships. Gabe Hull finished third in discus, Sam Joens placed fifth in javelin, and Kylvens Delaunay placed sixth in the triple jump. The Hawkeye women return six of eight point scorers from a year ago, led by Lake Kwaza, who placed fourth in the 100 meters as a true freshman. Ashlyn Gulvas (5th/hammer), Carisa Leacock (7th/long jump), Jasmine Simpson (7th/hammer), Amanda Stahle (7th, javelin), and Khanishah Williams (8th/high jump) also return.
HULL GRABS GOLD… AGAIN
Gabe Hull broke the Iowa discus record at the Musco Twilight on May 3. Hull recorded a personal-best toss of 207-1 (63.11m) to take the Musco discus title. His mark currently ranks second in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation. Hull has claimed the discus title in four of the six outdoor meets (Arizona State, Illinois Twilight, Drake Relays, and Musco Twilight) this season. Iowa has won the Big Ten men’s discus title eight times, most recently in 2006 when Tim Brodersen defended his title from 2005.
SPEJCHER GOES HIGHER
Sophomore Kevin Spejcher recorded a personal-best leap of 7-2 1/2 (2.20m) to take the Musco Twilight title on May 3. Spejcher beat his previous personal record by three and a half inches (6-10 1/4; 2.09m). His mark ranks second in the Big Ten, 15th in the nation, and fourth all-time at Iowa.
BROWN TAKES 2
Freshman Brittany Brown claimed the women’s 100 and 200 meter titles at the Musco Twilight on May 3. Brown clocked a personal-best 100 meters time of 11.62 that currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten and ties for eighth on Iowa’s all-time list. Sophomore Lake Kwaza was the runner-up in both the 100 and 200 meters. Kwaza’s season best 100 meters time of 11.66 ranks sixth in the Big Ten, while her personal-best time of 11.56 ranks fourth all-time at Iowa.
4X1 MAKES HISTORY
The women’s 400-meter relay team of sophomore Lake Kwaza and freshmen Elexis Guster, Alexis Hernandez, and Brittany Brown clocked a school record-setting time of 44.51 to take the Drake Relays title on April 26. The previous school record of 44.63 was set in 1994 (Poole, Reid, Floyd, Hobbs). The Drake Relays 400-meter relay title was the first in school history for the Hawkeye women. Their time currently leads the Big Ten. Iowa has won the women’s 400-meter conference title two times; first in 1994 and again in 1997.
AMOSU, DELAUNAY IN THE TOP 5
Junior Babatunde Amosu and sophomore Klyvens Delaunay rank second and third, respectively, on the Big Ten triple jump list. Amosu recorded a personal-best leap of 52-4 3/4 (15.97m) at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 19. His mark currently ranks second in the Big Ten, eighth nationally and third all-time at Iowa. Delaunay recorded a season-best leap of 51-4 1/4 (15.65m) at the Musco Twilight on May 3. His mark ranks third in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally. Delaunay’s personal-best jump of 52-2 1/2 (15.91m) ranks fourth all-time at Iowa.
FOUR LAPS FOR THE RECORD
Freshmen Elexis Guster and Alexis Hernandez, and sophomores MonTayla Holder and Lake Kwaza ran 3:34.83 to break the school’s 1,600-meter record at the Arkansas Spring Invitational. The quartet bested the previous record, set in 2011, by more than one second (3:35.93). The 2011 team of Bethany Praska, Tiffany Hendricks, Ashley Liverpool, and Nicole Erickson won the Big Ten Championship. The 2014 team ranks second in the conference and 28th nationally.
SMITH, GULVAS IN THE TOP 5
Two Hawkeyes hold hammer throw marks that rank inside the Big Ten’s top five and among Iowa’s all-time top 10. Junior Annemie Smith’s mark of 198-1 (60.38m) ranks third in the Big Ten and is a school record. Senior Ashlyn Gulvas (186-0; 56.70m) ranks fifth.
MEET THE RECORD HOLDERS
Seven Hawkeyes share four school records. Sophomore Lake Kwaza and freshmen Elexis Guster, Alexis Hernandes, and Brittany Brown set the 400-meter record (44.51) at the Drake Relays on April 26. Guster, Hernandez, and sophomores MonTayla Holder and Kwaza set the 1,600-meter record (3:34.83) at Arkansas Spring Invitational on April 5. Junior Annemie Smith set the hammer throw record (198-1; 60.38m) at the 2014 ASU Invite on March 28. Senior Tevin-Cee Mincy ran the first leg on the school-record-setting 400-meter relay team (39.48) at the 2013 NCAA Championships.
10 YEARS AGO IN WEST LAFAYETTE
Ten years ago Shellene Williams and Peaches Roach won gold medals at the 2004 Big Ten Championships in West Lafayette. Roach, the school record holder in the high jump, won her first of two Big Ten high jump titles with a mark of 5-11 1/4. Williams, the 2003 Big Ten 400 meters champion, defended her title with a time of 52.97.
30 YEARS FOR WIZ
UI Director of Track and Field Larry Wieczorek is attending his 30th Big Ten Outdoor Championships as a member of the Iowa cocahing staff. Wieczorek was an Iowa assistant coach in 1985 when the Hawkeyes placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships in Evanston, Ill. In 1998, Wieczorek made his first B1G Championship appearance as Iowa’s head coach in Columbus, Ohio. The Hawkeyes placed third in his Big Ten Championships head coaching debut. In 2011, he led Iowa to the Big Ten title and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
RETURNING OUTDOOR ALL-AMERICANS
The Hawkeyes return three outdoor All-Americans from 2013. Senior Tevin-Cee Mincy and sophomore Klyvens Delaunay grabbed first team honors for their performances at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Mincy ran the first leg on the sixth-place 400-meter relay team (39.77), while Delaunay captured an eighth-place finish in the triple jump (52-2 1/2; 15.91m). Junior Gabe Hull earned second-team honors for his 15th-place finish in the discus (184-6; 56.25m).
NEXT ON THE BLOCK
The first round of the NCAA Championships is set for May 29-31 in Fayetteville, Ark.