Tausaga Wins World Championship

Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — June 2017

By JACK ROSSI
hawkeyesports.com

TRUJILLO, Peru – Freshman Laulauga Tausaga won gold and freshman Nathan Mylenek won silver for Team USA at the 2017 Junior Pan American Games in Trujillo, Peru, on Saturday.

Tausaga dominated the field on her way to a world championship in the women’s discus. The 2017 Big Ten Champion and All-American threw a meet record 59.29 meters to defeat the runner-up by almost six meters.

The meet record was previously held by seven-time NCAA Champion and two-time US Olympian Seilala Sua, whose 57.88 meter throw was set in 1997.

Mylenek, a 2017 NCAA qualifier, finished second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:00.70. Mylenek set the fourth fastest time in school history the event earlier this year.

Canada’s Jean Desgagnes won the race with a time of 8:56.57.

Mylenek leads the cross country team in its season opener and lone home meet of the season at the Hawkeye Invite on Sept. 1.

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