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THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes compete at the NCAA Championships West Preliminary Round this week in Austin, Texas. Thursday’s competition will begin at 11 a.m. (CT), Friday will begin at 12 p.m., and Saturday’s finale will commence at 1 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live results will be available through the team’s schedule page on hawkeyesports.com and at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive. Follow the team’s twitter account @iowaxc_tf for live updates of the meets. The three-day meet will be streamed online on texassports.com/watch.
HAWKEYES CROWN 3 BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
The Hawkeyes won three Big Ten titles at the Big Ten Championships on May 12-14. Senior Aaron Mallett (110-meter hurdles), junior Brittany Brown (200 meters), and freshman Laulauga Tausaga (discus) won Big Ten titles. Mallett ran a wind-aided 13.24 seconds, Brown finished with a time of 22.30 seconds, and Tausaga’s 55 meters throw led the field by over a meter for her first Big Ten title.
MALLETT JOINS ELITE COMPANY
Senior Aaron Mallett joined an elite group of Hawkeye track and field athletes at the Big Ten Championships. Mallett won his third outdoor Big Ten title and fifth including the indoor competition. Mallett is the sixth Hawkeye to win three Big Ten Outdoor championships, joining Charles Brookins (220-yard low hurdles), Frank Cuhel (220-yard low hurdles), Pat McGhee (400-meter hurdles), Edward Gordon (Long Jump), and Matt Byers (javelin throw) as the only Hawkeyes to win three Big Ten titles.
TAUSAGA MAKES HISTORY
Freshman Laulauga Tausaga made history at the Big Ten Championships in the women’s discus throw. Tausaga became the first Hawkeye woman to win a discus championship in the program’s history. Her winning throw of 55 meters set a new facility record. The last Hawkeye to win a women’s throwing event was Lisa Van Steenwyk in the shot put in 1993. Tausaga owns the fourth best throw in the world in the U20 rankings (56.10m) and three of the top 10 marks.
BROWN SWEEPS 200 METERS
Junior Brittany Brown won the 200 meters title at the Big Ten Championships. Brown swept the competition, clocking the fastest time in prelims (23.37) and setting a new personal best and school record in finals with a time of 22.30. Brown ranks second in the country and second in the world in wind-assisted marks. She also won the 200 meters at the Big Ten Indoor Championships with a school and Big Ten record of 22.69 seconds.
NCAA LEADERS
Iowa has three events ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA. Junior Brittany Brown is second in the 200 meters (22.30), senior Aaron Mallett is fifth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.47, and sophomore Reno Tuufuli is ninth in the discus throw (61.19m).
RENO TUUFULI BREAKS 200 FEET
A couple weeks removed from his first white flag at the Drake Relays, sophomore Reno Tuufuli set a personal best in the men’s discus throw to finish runner-up to the reigning national champion for the second straight year and make second-team All-Big Ten for the second time. Tuufuli recorded a mark of 61.19 meters (200 feet, nine inches) to finish second overall. Tuufuli’s mark is the first time he has thrown over 200 feet in his life and moves him into ninth in the NCAA and third in the region.
8 HAWKEYES NAMED ALL-BIG TEN
Eight Hawkeyes earned All-Big Ten nods following the Big Ten Championships in Penn State, May 12-14. Senior Aaron Mallett (110-meter hurdles, junior Brittany Brown (200 meters) and freshman Laulauga Tausaga (Discus) were each named first-team All-Big Ten following victories in their respective events. Junior Jahisha Thomas (Long Jump), sophomore Reno Tuufuli (Discus), sophomore Christian Brissett, junior O’Shea Wilson, senior Brendan Thompson, and Mallett (4×100 meter relay) made second-team All-Big Ten after finishing runner-up.
2016 NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY
Iowa sent 25 athletes to the NCAA West Regional in Lawrence, Kansas, in 2016 with 10 individuals and three relays qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Iowa advanced the highest number of total entries (22) to the national meet in combined program history and the women’s 400-meter relay and 1,600 meter relay qualified together for the first time in the same year.
RETURNING TO REGIONALS
The Hawkeyes have 13 athletes returning to regionals in 2017 — Taylor Chapman, Christian Brissett, Aaron Mallett, Briana Guillory, Alexis Hernandez, Mar’yea Harris, DeJuan Frye, Noah Larrison, Mitch Wolff, Carter Lilly, Jahisha Thomas, Reno Tuufuli, and Avery Meyers.
MALLETT NAMED BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Senior Aaron Mallett was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week on May 3 following his performance at the Drake Relays. Mallett competed in his fourth and final Drake Relays, winning the 110-meter hurdles for his first Drake Relays championship. Mallett posted a time of 13.47 seconds to win the event and move into fourth in the NCAA. This is Mallett’s third time receiving the honor during the outdoor season, the most in program history.
EKLIN SETS 90 SECOND PERSONAL BEST AT DRAKE
Sophomore Ian Eklin set a new lifetime best in the 10,000 meters on the first day of the Drake Relays on April 27. Eklin finished in 29:47.06 to finish fifth overall. Eklin now ranks sixth all-time in program history in the event.
FROM FOOTBALL TO TRACK
Freshman Emmanuel Ogwo is excelling in his first season on the UI track and field team. A former Hawkeye football player, Ogwo switched to track and has been one of Iowa’s best additions. Ogwo qualified for the NCAA Regionals in his first season. He has competed in the 200 meters, 400 meters, 4×100 meter relay, sprint medley relay and 4×400 meter relay. At the Drake Relays, he won two Drake Relay titles in the sprint medley relay and the 4×400 meter relay. Ogwo ranks fourth in the Big Ten in the 400 meters (46.46) and 13th in the 200 meters (21.04)
RELAY WARRIORS
The Hawkeye relay teams have been some of the best and most consistent groups on the track and field team. The men’s 4×400 meter relay group set the school record twice in the indoor season and has set two top 10 times this outdoor season. The men have set nine top 10 times in various relays in 2017. They rank 11th in the region in the 4×100 meter relay (39.46) and fourth in the 4×400 meter relay (3:03.78).
The women have put five relays in Iowa’s all-time top 10 in 2017 and have set the school record in the 4×200 meters with a time of 1:35.36. The women rank 11th in the region in the 4×100 meter relay (44.34) and eighth in the 4×400 meter relay (3:32.37).
TAUSAGA’S MONUMENTAL SEASON
Freshman Laulauga Tausaga continues to boast one of the best discus throws in the country. Tausaga broke a four-year-old record at the Florida Relays, throwing 56.10 meters (184 – 1), surpassing Majesty Tutson’s mark by almost a meter. Tausaga is seventh in the region and 13th in the NCAA.
COUNTING CURRENT ALL-TIME HAWKEYES
The men have 22 current athletes in Iowa’s all-time top 10, led by Aaron Mallett (110-meter hurdles) and William Dougherty (Decathlon) who hold school records in their respective events. The women have 26 athletes in the top-10 and four school record holders on the roster in Briana Guillory (100 meters), Brittany Brown (200 meters), Marta Bote Gonzalez (3,000m Steeplechase), and Laulauga Tausaga (Discus).
NEXT ON THE BLOCK
The Hawkeyes send their NCAA qualifiers to Eugene, Oregon, for the NCAA Championships June 7-10.
