Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — March
By JACK ROSSI
hawkeyesports.com
Live Results: hawkeyesports.com/tracklive
TUCSON, Arizona — The University of Iowa track and field team opened their first day of the Willie Williams Classic with seven event titles and six all-time marks in the Hawkeye’s first taste of the outdoor season.
Senior Brittany Brown (200 meters), sophomore Antonio Woodard (200 meters), senior Leah Colbert (hammer throw), sophomore Laulauga Tausaga (shot put), junior Tria Simmons (long jump), senior Kevin Docherty (1,500 meters), and junior Reno Tuufuli (discus) collected event titles.
EVENT CHAMPIONS
Brown ran 22.83 in her first 200-meter race of the outdoor season. The Big Ten indoor champion in the event also set the facility record by .01 held since 2011.
Woodard won the men’s 200-meters with a huge personal best time. Woodard shattered his previous best time in the event (21.44) with a 20.61. He is now sixth in program history. Woodard has run a personal best in the 200 meters in three consecutive races dating back to the indoor season.
Colbert’s 56.78-meter (160-3) third round throw earned her the victory in the hammer throw and keeps her fifth in Iowa history.
After becoming Iowa’s school-record holder in the indoor shot put, Tausaga set another personal best in the event on her way to a shot put title with a throw of 15.17 meters (49-9.25). Tausaga led from the first throw to the last.
Simmons entered Iowa’s top-ten in the long jump with an event title of her own. Simmons improved to 10th in program history with a jump of 5.87 meters (19-3.25).
Docherty closed the first day of competition on the track with a win in the 1,500 meters. Docherty, who returned to Iowa for a final outdoor season, ran 3:58.05 for the victory in the event.
Tuufuli, a 2017 discus All-American, continued to dominate with a winning throw of 58.95 meters (193-5).
HAMMER TIME
Colbert’s win and personal best only scratched the surface of what Iowa did in the women’s hammer throw. Tausaga and sophomore Nia Britt finished second and fourth, respectively with all-time marks themselves. Tausaga threw 54.43 meters (178-7) to enter the rankings at sixth, while Britt’s 51.49m (168-11) mark puts her ninth in school history.
Tausaga now holds all-time marks in every Iowa throwing event except the javelin.
FRESHMEN DEBUTS
Iowa debuted 17 freshmen at the Willie Williams Classic on Friday. The athletes include:
Raymonte Dow, 400 meter hurdles
Marissa Mueller, Javelin
Addie Swanson, 400 meter hurdles
Kylie Morken, 400 meter hurdles
Carly Donahue, 400 meter hurdles
Shelby West, 400 meter hurdles
Kylie Welch, 200 meters
Antonise Christian, 200 meters
Aly Weum, 200 meters
Tyree Sorrells, 200 meters
Josh Braverman, 200 meters
Jay Hunt, high jump
Cole Moeller, high jump
Daniel Gaynes, Javelin
Karson Sommer, 1,500 meters
Konstadina Spanoudakis, shot put
Cooper Koenig, long jump
UP NEXT
Iowa concludes the Willie Williams Classic tomorrow. The first event is set for 12 p.m. (CT). Live results can be found at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive.
