Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — February 2018
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa track and field team will travel 10 student-athletes to the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, March 9-10.
Senior Brittany Brown, junior Mar’yea Harris, junior Briana Guillory, junior Chris Douglas, senior Jahisha Thomas, sophomore Collin Hofacker, junior Sarah Plock, junior DeJuan Frye, senior Sheridan Champe, and freshman Bradford Garron will represent Iowa in six events and two relays at the national meet.
“I am extremely excited and proud of our NCAA Indoor qualifiers,” UI director of track and field Joey Woody said. “To make the top 16 athletes and 12 relays to qualify signifies that these athletes are in elite company. They are in the top 1-2% of all Division I Track and Field. Our goal is the same as it was at the beginning of the season, which is to score in the top 10 as a team. I believe we have the athletes that can make this happen.”
Thomas enters the national meet after claiming two Big Ten titles in the long jump and triple jump. She ranks ninth in the country in long jump (6.42 meters) and 10th in triple jump (13.22 meters). Thomas placed 13th in the long jump at last year’s meet for second team All-America honors.
Brown is making her second straight appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The 2017 first team All-American in the 200 meters was a Big Ten champion in the event and enters as the 15th seed with a time of 23.09.
Guillory has qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships for the second time in her career. The Big Ten 400-meter champion enters the meet seeded fifth in the event and will run in the 1,600 meter relay.
Harris qualified for his second straight NCAA Indoor Championships in the 400 meters and 1,600-meter relay. Harris ran a Big Ten leading 45.95 at the Meyo Invitational to rank 12th in the nation. He will also anchor Iowa’s relay.
Douglas qualified for his first NCAA Championships in the 60 meter hurdles. The Deerfield, Illinois, native holds the 14th best time in the nation at 7.76. Douglas finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships in the event. The Hawkeyes have had an indoor All-American in the 60-meter hurdles for a school-record three straight years.
The women’s 1,600 meter relay makes their return to nationals after missing the cut in 2017. The group of Champe, Brown, Guillory, and Plock rank 12th in the nation after placing third at the Big Ten Championships with a time of 3:33.31, second in school history.
The men’s 1,600 meter relay returns three of its four qualifiers from a 2017 squad that finished fifth in the country. Frye, Harris, and Hofacker are joined by Garron, who helped Iowa run 3:05.33 and rank 10th in the nation entering the meet.
The NCAA Indoor Championships run March 9-10 in College Station, Texas. The meet will be live streamed on ESPN3 starting March 9 at 5:30 p.m. (CT) and March 10 at 4 p.m. Tickets for the event are available at 12thman.com/ncaatrack.
ATHLETE, EVENT, SCHEDULE (CT)
Mar’yea Harris: 400 meters (P), Friday 6:25 p.m.; 400 meters (F), Saturday 4:50 p.m.
Briana Guillory: 400 meters (P), Friday 6:40 p.m.; 400 meters (F), Saturday 5 p.m.
Chris Douglas: 60 meter hurdles (P), Friday 6:55 p.m.; 60 meter hurdles (F), Saturday 5:10 p.m.
Jahisha Thomas: Long Jump (F), Friday 7:10 p.m.; Triple Jump (F), Saturday 3:30 p.m.
Brittany Brown: 200 meters (P), Friday 7:50 p.m.; 200 meters (F), Saturday 6 p.m.
Men’s 1,600 meter relay: Saturday, 6:40 p.m.
Women’s 1,600 meter relay: Saturday, 6:55 p.m.
