Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — February 2018 | Track & Field Notebook
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa track and field team heads to South Bend, Indiana, for the second time this season as a final tune-up before the Big Ten Indoor Championships. The Alex Wilson Invitational is held Feb. 17 inside the Loftus Sports Center. The women’s weight throw and 60 meter hurdles begin at 10 a.m. (CT).
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the meet on the live results page at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive. Results will also be posted on the team’s official twitter account @iowaxc_tf.
HAWKEYES ARE NATIONALLY RANKED
The University of Iowa men’s and women’s track and field teams are ranked in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Rankings, released Feb. 12. The men are ranked 38th in the nation, while the women are ranked 41st.
Regionally, the men are ranked second in the Midwest Region while the women are fifth.
BIG TEN LEADERS
The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in five events in 2018.
- Junior Briana Guillory: 200 Meters (23.26)
- Junior Mar’yea Harris: 400 Meters (45.95)
- Junior Chris Douglas: 60 Meter Hurdles (7.76)
- Men’s 4×400 meter relay: 3:06.06
- Senior Jahisha Thomas: Triple Jump (13.11m; 43 feet, 1/4 inches)
NCAA LEADERS
Iowa has six athletes represented in three events in the NCAA top 10, according to TFRRS.com.
- Junior Mar’yea Harris: 400 meters (7th)
- Junior Briana Guillory: 400 meters (8th)
- Men’s 4×400 meter Relay (9th)
HAWKEYES HOLD STEADY IN 400 METERS
The men’s 400 meter group has taken control of the Big Ten. Iowa holds four of the top ten spots in the conference, including Big Ten leader Mar’yea Harris (45.95), Chris Thompson (7th, 47.32), DeJuan Frye (9th, 47.38), and Bradford Garron (10th, 47.42).
In addition, Harris is the only athlete in the conference to break 45 seconds, and Thompson’s time is ninth in school history.
RELAY WARRIORS
The men’s and women’s 1,600-meter relays reached a new high at the Tyson Invitational. The men placed third overall with a Big Ten leading time of 3:06.06. That group now ranks second in school history.
The women also put together an all-time race with a fourth place finish in the event. They ran 3:34.34 to solidify themselves in second place in school history and rank second in the Big Ten.
THE THROW GOES ON
For the fourth-straight week, sophomore Laulauga Tausaga has set a personal best in a throwing event. At the Tyson Invitational, Tausaga hurled herself into second in the Big Ten in the shot put with a mark of 16.51 meters (52 feet, 4 inches).
Tausaga placed second in the event and extended her school record by almost two feet. She is 22nd in the country in the event.
JUMPING FOR JOY
The Hawkeyes’ school record holder in the indoor triple and long jump is putting together another strong season on the runway. Thomas ranks second in the Big Ten in the long jump and triple jump with marks of 6.23 meters (20 feet, 5.25 inches) and 13.11 meters (43 feet, .25 inches).
In 2017, Thomas qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships where she was named a second team All-American in the long jump with a mark of 6.17 meters (20 feet, 3 inches).
MYLENEK’S MILE
A week after senior Michael Melchert recorded the fourth fastest mile in school history (4:04.32), sophomore Nathan Mylenek clocked the sixth fastest mile in school history. His time of 4:05.13 is 11th in the Big Ten and placed him 10th overall at the Iowa State Classic.
IOWA BOASTS STRONG PENTATHLETES
Heading into the final stretch of the indoor season, sophomore Jenny Kimbro and junior Tria Simmons hold two top-five Big Ten pentathlon scores. Kimbro (3,900 points) and Simmons (3,859 points) set their career bests scores at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Jan. 19. For Simmons, it was her first indoor pentathlon and for Kimbro, she improved upon her previous personal best of 3,715 points, set at the Black & Gold Premier in 2017.
Nationally, Kimbro is 26th and Simmons ranks 29th. Iowa is the only school with two athletes inside the conference’s top-five.
TEAM LEADERS
Iowa holds seven athletes on its roster with who hold team-leading marks or times. The athletes include Mar’yea Harris (400, 600 meters), Briana Guillory (200, 400 meters). Michael Melchert (Mile, 3,000 meters), Andrea Shine (Mile, 3,000, 5,000 meters), Jahisha Thomas (long jump, triple jump), and Laulauga Tausaga (shot put, weight throw).
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Iowa has 102 athletes on its roster in 2018. There are 36 freshmen, 29 sophomores, 20 juniors, and 17 seniors. Of the 107 student-athletes, 36 are from Iowa followed by 19 from Illinois. The team also has seven international athletes.
COUNTING CURRENT ALL-TIME HAWKEYES
The men have 40 current athletes in Iowa’s indoor all-time top 10, led by school-record holders Mar’yea Harris, (400-meters, 1,600-meter relay), Carter Lilly (800-meters, distance medley relay), Will Dougherty (heptathlon), DeJuan Frye (1,600-meter relay, distance medley relay), Collin Hofacker (1,600-meter relay) and Matt Manternach (distance medley relay).
The women have 35 athletes in the top-10 and five school record holders on the roster including Brittany Brown (200 meters), Jahisha Thomas (long jump, triple jump), Briana Guillory (1,600-meter relay), and Laulauga Tausaga (shot put, weight throw).
BROWN, HARRIS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Senior Brittany Brown (200 meters) and junior Mar’yea Harris (400 meters) were named 2018 Preseason All-Americans by FloTrack.
In addition, the men’s 4×400 meter relay is projected to finish fourth in the country.
Brown, a native of Upland, California, owns the 200-meter school record indoor and outdoor and is tied for the 100-meter record. Brown won Big Ten titles inthe 200 meters during the indoor and outdoor seasons and went on to finish fifth at the NCAA Indoor championships with a time of 22.92.
Harris, a native of Auburn, Washington, holds the indoor 400-meter school record and placed runner-up in the 400-meters at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.Harris was part of the 1,600-meter relay that broke the indoor and outdoor school records and placed fifth and third at the NCAA Indoor andOutdoor Championships, respectively.
Brown and Harris join Ohio State’s Nick Gray as the only male or female representaves of the Big Ten in the 200 or 400 meters.
NEXT ON THE BLOCK
The Hawkeyes will compete in the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio, Feb. 23-24.
