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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa track and field team competes at the 2018 Big Ten Indoor Championship on Friday and Saturday in Geneva, Ohio. The event will take place at the Spire Institute for the fifth consecutive year and begins at 9 a.m. (CT) on Friday and Saturday.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the meet on the live results page at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive. Results will be posted on the team’s official twitter account @iowaxc_tf and will be streamed by FloTrack and BTN Plus (subscriptions required).
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 47th.
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 of Chris Thompson, DeJuan Frye, Bradford Garron, Mar’yea Harris: 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)
DMR RECORD GOES DOWN
The Hawkeyes took down another school record at the Alex Wilson Invitational. The distance medley relay of sophomore Nathan Mylenek, sophomore Collin Hofacker, senior Carter Lilly, and senior Michael Melchert ran to a time of 9:33.9 to shatter the previous record of 9:44.07 set at the 2017 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Iowa now ranks third in the Big Ten and 20th in the nation in the event.
RETURNING B1G MEDALISTS
Iowa returns seven medalists from the 2017 Big Ten Indoor Championships, including one Big Ten Champion. The list includes Brittany Brown (1st, 200 meters; 2nd, 60 meters) Mar’yea Harris (2nd, 1,600 meter relay), Collin Hofacker (2nd 1,600 meter relay), DeJuan Frye (2nd, 1,600 meter relay), O’Shea Wilson (2nd, long jump), Jahisha Thomas (3rd, long jump), and Will Dougherty (3rd, heptathlon).
BOULEVARD OF BROKEN RECORDS
After setting or resetting 18 school records during the 2017 indoor season, the Hawkeyes are putting together another program-changing season. Of the Hawkeyes’ six weekends of competition, the team has set a school record in five of them, including two school records in back-to-back weekends at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational and Black & Gold Premier.
The school records include: Will Dougherty (heptathlon) and Lagi Tausaga (shot put) at the Wieczorek Invitational, Tausaga (shot put) and Jahisha Thomas (triple jump) at the Black & Gold Premier, Tausaga (weight throw) at the Meyo Invitational, Tausaga (shot put) at the Tyson Invite, and the men’s distance medley relay at the Alex Wilson Invitational.
HAWKEYES IN CONTROL OF THE 400M
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 on Feb. 10. 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
Sophomore Laulauga Tausaga has set a school record in a throwing event four times this season.
Tausaga first set a school record in the shot put at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Jan. 20. A week later Tausaga reset the shot put record at the Black & Gold Premier. At the Meyo Invitational, Tausaga broke the weight throw school record with a throw of 65 feet, four inches (19.93 meters). Tausaga reset the shot put record for the third time this season at the Tyson Invitational with a throw of 54 feet, two inches (16.51 meters).
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 first in the 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).
IOWA BOASTS STRONG PENTATHLETES
Heading into the Big Ten Indoor Championships, 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 27th and Simmons ranks 30th. Iowa is the only school with two athletes inside the conference’s top-five.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Iowa has 101 athletes on its roster in 2018. There are 36 freshmen, 29 sophomores, 20 juniors, and 16 seniors. Of the 101 student-athletes, 35 are from Iowa followed by 19 from Illinois. The team also has seven international athletes.
COUNTING CURRENT ALL-TIME HAWKEYES
The men have 48 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), Collin Hofacker (1,600-meter relay, distance medley relay), Nathan Mylenek (distance medley relay), and Michael Melchert (distance medley relay).
The women have 41 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).
NEXT ON THE BLOCK
Hawkeyes ranked in the top 16 nationally and top 12 for relays will qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, March 9-10.
