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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Five Hawkeyes took home MVP honors at the 2018 track & field and cross country team banquet on Friday.
All-Americans Mar’yea Harris, Laulauga Tausaga, and Jahisha Thomas were named most valuable performers for the 2018 track and field season, and Nathan Mylenek and Andrea Shine were named most valuable performers for the 2018 cross country season.
Harris won a Big Ten outdoor title and set a school record in the outdoor 400 meters. He was a first team All-American in the outdoor 400 meters, and earned second team honors in the indoor and outdoor 1,600-meter relay. Harris also ran anchor on the outdoor 1,600-meter relay conference champion.
Tausaga set school records in the weight throw, discus, and indoor and outdoor shotput. She earned first team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the discus and shot put, and won conference titles in both events at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
Thomas was named Big Ten Women’s Field Event Athlete of the Championships at both the indoor and outdoor conference championships. She won four Big Ten titles, sweeping the long jump and triple jump at the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Championships. She set school records in the indoor and outdoor triple jump, and in the indoor long jump. She was a three-time first team All-American, earning a pair of honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and placing fifth in long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Mylenek qualified for the NCAA Cross Championships after finishing third and earning all-region honors at the NCAA Regionals. He became the first Hawkeye to advance to the NCAA Championships since 2011. He led the Hawkeyes in each of their last three races.
Shine was Iowa’s top finisher in five of six races. She won titles at the Hawkeye Invite and Woody Greeno Invite, and was Iowa’s top runner at the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Regionals.
A complete list of award winners is below. The Hawkeyes open the 2019 Indoor Track and Field season hosting the Jimmy Grant Invitational on Saturday. The weight throw begins at 9 a.m. at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. Field events begin at 1 p.m. at the UI Rec Building. Running events follow at 4:30 p.m.
Keatinge-Cretzmeyer Award
Nathan Mylenek
Andrea Shine
Most Improved
Mallory King
Briana Guillory
Reno Tuufuli
Outstanding Freshmen
Konstadina Spanoudakis
Luke Sampson
Teammate Award
Antonio Woodard
Laulauga Tausaga
Inspirational Competitor
Matt Manternach
Jahisha Thomas
Silver Hawk
Brittany Brown
Chris Douglas
John Raffensperger Dedication Award
Talia Buss
Tysen VanDraska
Track MVP
Jahisha Thomas
Laulauga Tausaga
Mar’yea Harris
Cross Country MVPs
Deacon Jones Award – Nathan Mylenek
Doak-Dahl Award – Andrea Shine
