May 27, 2014
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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa track and field team travels to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to compete at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The NCAA West Regional is held at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas. Competition begins Thursday at 12 p.m. (CT) and concludes Saturday at 9:45 p.m. (CT).
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Follow @IowaXC_TF on twitter for updates on the team. Links to live results can be found on the schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
HAWKEYE QUALIFIERS
The Iowa men are represented by a total of 13 student-athletes competing in 14 individual events and one relay. The Iowa men are seeded 10th or better in four events, including the 400-meter relay, where the reigning conference champions earned the No. 3 seed.
The Iowa women’s team will send 15 student athletes competing in 15 individual events and two relays. The Iowa women are seeded 10th or better in three events. The Big Ten champion 400-meter relay is seeded eighth, and the mile relay is seeded 10th. Sophomore MonTayla Holder is seeded ninth in the 400-meter hurdles.
ON TO EUGENE
The top 12 individuals or relays in each event will move on to the NCAA Championships final round in Eugene, Oregon, on June 11-14. The 12 individuals and teams from the West Region will meet the 12 qualifying individuals and teams from the East Region to form the final 24-team/individual field.
On paper, the Hawkeyes have four individuals and three relay teams seeded in the top 12 in the West Region.
POSTSEASON HONORS
Fourteen Hawkeyes earned all-conference recognition following the 2014 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. First team honors were awarded to high jump champion Khanishah Williams and the eight members of the men’s and women’s 400-meter championships relays. They include Keith Brown, Tevin-Cee Mincy, James Harrington, and O’Shea Wilson on the men’s side; and Brittany Brown, Elexis Guster, Lake Kwaza, and MonTayla Holder on the women’s team.
Five more Hawkeyes were named to the All-Big Ten second team following runner-up finishes. They include Zinnia Miller (long jump), Klyvens Delaunay (triple jump), Gabe Hull (discus), Sam Joens (javelin), and Kevin Spejcher (high jump).
WOMEN MAKE HISTORY
The Iowa women recorded their highest Big Ten Outdoor Championships team finish in 20 years on May 16-18. The Hawkeyes tallied a school-record 86 points to tie for fourth place, marking their highest finish in a Big Ten outdoor meet since 1994.
RETURNING OUTDOOR ALL-AMERICANS
Senior Tevin-Cee Mincy and sophomore Klyvens Delaunay grabbed first team All-America honors 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).
IN THE FIELD
The Hawkeyes qualified 13 student-athletes in field events led by Babatunde Amosu, Gabe Hull, and Kevin Spejcher on the men’s side, and Zinnia Miller on the women’s side.
Amosu, a junior, is seeded fourth in the triple jump, the highest seed of any Hawkeye individual. Hull is one of four Hawkeyes to qualify for multiple individual events. The junior is ranked fifth in the discus (207-1; 63.11) and 21st in the shot put (59-4 1/4; 18.90m). Spejcher, a sophomore, is ranked ninth in the high jump (7-1 1/2; 2.20m).
Miller is one of four Hawkeyes to qualify for multiple individual events. The senior is seeded 13th in the triple jump (42-0 1/2; 12.81m) and 16th in the long jump (20-4 1/4; 6.20m). Both marks rank second on Iowa’s all-time triple jump and long jump list.
NCAA ROOKIES
Seventeen Hawkeyes are making their NCAA debuts this weekend, including five freshmen women and two freshmen men.
Brittany Brown is seeded 18th in the 200 meters. Elexis Guster is seeded 14th in the 400 meters, while Mahnee Watts and Katharina Trost are seeded 37th and 47th, respectively, in the women’s 800 meters. Alexis Hernandez will run on the eighth-seeded 400-meter relay team and the 10th-seeded 1,600-meter relay team.
O’Shea Wilson is ranked 46th in the 100 meters and 47th in the 200 meters, while Aaron Mallett is seeded 22nd in the 110-meter hurdles and 42nd in the 400-meter hurdles.
Dakotah Goodell (discus), Shannon Maser (1,500 meters), Zinnia Miller (long jump and triple jump), Babatunde Amosu (triple jump), Tevin-Cee Mincy (100 meters), Kevin Spejcher (high jump), and Will Teubel (800 meters) are also making their first NCAA appearance.
ANOTHER ROUND FOR HULL
Junior Gabe Hull is making his third appearance at the NCAA Championships. Hull finished 13th in the discus (185-11; 56.66m) as a freshman in 2012. He then earned second-team All-America honors with a 15th-place finish in the event a year ago with a toss of 184-6 (56.25m). Hull is seeded fifth in the discus and 21st in the shot put. He currently holds the Iowa discus record (207-1; 63.11), while his personal-best shot put mark of 59-4 1/4 (18.90) ranks eighth all-time at Iowa.
4X100 OPTIONS
The women’s 400-meter relay team of Lake Kwaza, Elexis Guster, Alexis Hernandez, and Brittany Brown set the school record with a first-place performance (44.51) at the Drake Relays on April 26.
The team of Kwaza, Guster, MonTayla Holder, and Brown took the Big Ten title (44.62) on May 18. The Hawkeyes are seeded eighth this weekend with the top 12 times moving on to Eugene, Oregon, for the NCAA Championships.
The men’s 400-meter relay team of Tevin-Cee Mincy, O’Shea Wilson, James Harrington, and Keith Brown clocked a season-best time of 39.35 to take the Big Ten Title on May 18. Their time ranks second all-time at Iowa.
Sophomore Brendan Thompson has also been in the mix. The team of Mincy, Wilson, Thompson, and Harrington clocked a 39.99 to finish seventh at the Drake Relays on April 26. The Hawkeyes head into the regional seeded third.
MEET THE RECORD HOLDERS
Seven Hawkeyes on the 2014 roster share five school records. They include:
Brittany Brown — 200 meters (23.45)
Annemie Smith — Hammer Throw (198-1; 60.38m)
Kwaza, Guster, Hernandez, Brown — 400-meter relay (44.51)
Guster, Hernandez, Holder, Kwaza — 1,600-meter relay (3:34.83)
Tevin-Cee Mincy ran the first leg on the school-record-setting 400-meter relay team (39.48).
NEXT ON THE BLOCK
The NCAA Championships is set for June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.