Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — April 2017 | Mt. SAC Complete Results (PDF)
By JACK ROSSI
hawkeyesports.com
TORRANCE, Calif. – Junior Brittany Brown highlighted the final day of the Mt. SAC Relays with a school record in the 200 meters on the campus of El Camino College.
Saturday included races that had a mix of collegiate athletes and Olympians alike. Hawkeye greats Troy Doris, Erik Sowinski, and MonTayla Holder joined Iowa in the final day of competition. Iowa ended the week strong after competing in a total of four meets while in California.
“It was kind of crazy,” UI director of track and field Joey Woody said. “We got some great things done out of this and it is always great to get champions like Brittany Brown and Briana Guillory yesterday. We are just a little off and it may be the travel because we have traveled three weeks in a row so we need to get back and get some good work in.”
Brown set her second school record in as many weeks in the 200 meters. She finished in 22.69 seconds to win her heat and break the record she set last week at the Jim Click Shootout with a time of 22.73. Brown entered the straightaway in the middle of the pack, but broke away in the final 50 meters to take the victory.
“I knew I had a second gear,” Brown said. “I wanted to come out here and run 22.6 and I did. I think when people see me and see I am from Iowa; they do not take me seriously. I want them to take me seriously now.”
She leads the Big Ten and ranks in the top 10 in the country and in the world.
“Brittany ran a great leg in the 4×1 relay and then came back to win the 200 meters,” Woody said. “She has the tools to win a national championship and compete post-collegiately someday.”
Iowa has become a regular at the Mt. SAC Relays and it is in part because it acts like a home meet for some of the athletes.
“One of the reasons we come out here is because we have a lot of California athletes on our team,” Woody said. “They all performed exceptionally well today and it is nice for them to come out and compete in front of their families.”
Iowa switched up its 4×400 meter relay lineup with freshman Emmanuel Ogwo anchoring for the first time this season. Usually running the lead leg, Ogwo finished with a team-leading split of 45.1 seconds to lead Iowa to a third place finish and time of 3:05.81.
“It’s a blessing to be here,” Ogwo said. “It’s a blessing to be a part of this team. I’m just excited for Eugene.”
“We’re always experimenting with our relay legs and that’s what’s fun about having eight to 10 guys that can run on the A team or B team,” Woody said. “Emmanuel has been coming out of the whole pretty much the whole season and we gave him an opportunity to show what he could do and he did an exceptional job.”
While traveling around the country has been very successful this outdoor season, the Hawkeyes are excited to host a home meet for the first time since mid-February when they hosted the Black & Gold Premier during the indoor season.
“We have Musco next weekend and then the Drake Relays,” Woody said. “This will be a good time for us to get away from travel, get back home, and get in our own beds. We have a lot more in the tank and you’ll see the next couple weeks.”
The 18th annual Musco Twilight meet will be held on Saturday, April 22, at Cretzmeyer Track in Iowa City. Opening ceremonies will begin at 4 p.m. (CT).
2017 Beach Invitational Results: http://royalresults.com/liveresults2/
