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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa track and field team opens 2019 hosting the Hawkeye Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The teams competing include Bradley, Indian Hills, Iowa Central, Iowa State, Loyola, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, and Wichita State. The meet begins Friday at 2 p.m. (CT) with the weight throw at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. Jumps begin at 10 a.m. (CT) on Saturday at the UI Rec Building. Running events start at 12:30 p.m. (CT) with the 60-meter hurdle preliminaries. A full schedule of events is located at HawkeyeSports.com. Admission is free.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Fans can follow the meet on the live results page on hawkeyesports.com/tracklive. Results will also be posted on the team’s official twitter account @iowaxc_tf and live video of the meet is available on BTN2Go.
EARLY BIRDS GET THE GOLD
The Hawkeyes opened the 2018-19 season in December for the first time ever, hosting the Jimmy Grant Invitational. The men earned wins in the 60 meters (Antonio Woodard, 6.88), 300 meters (Antonio Woodard, 32.89), 600 meters (Mar’yea Harris, 1:18.77), shot put (Reno Tuufuli, 18.04m), triple jump (James Carter, 14.53m), and 1,600-meter relay (Clarke, Lietz, Olson, Harris, 3:13.34).
The women added eight wins in the 60 meters (Antonise Christian, 7.64) 60-meter hurdles (Jenny Kimbro, 8.34), 500 meters (Daneisha Woodside, 1:17.03), 600 meters (Taylor Arco, 1:32.82), weight throw (Laulauga Tausaga, 20.19m), shot put (Laulauga Tausaga, 16.46m), and the 1,600-meter relay (Wensel, Woodside, Bruxvoort, Weum, 3:47.73).
Junior Laulauga Tausaga broke her previous school record in the weight throw (20.19m, 66-3), Antonio Woodard broke the UI Rec Building 300 meters record (32.89), and Jenny Kimbro improved to No. 3 on Iowa’s all-time top-10 list in the 60-meter hurdles (8.34).
MEET THE RECORD HOLDERS
Six Hawkeyes on the roster account for four indoor school records. They include:
Nathan Mylenek, Collin Hofacker, Carter Lilly, and Michael Melchert: distance medley relay (9:33.90)
Reno Tuufuli: shot put (19.28m)
Laulauga Tausaga: shot put (16.51m) and weight throw (20.19m)
UI Rec Building Record holder:
Antonio Woodard: 300 meters (32.89)
2018 INDOOR ALL-AMERICANS
The Hawkeyes finished the 2018 indoor season with 14 All-America honors, the most in program history. Returning this season is first team All-American Briana Guillory (400 meters), and second team All-Americans Mar’yea Harris (400 meters, 1,600-meter relay), Chris Douglas (60-meter hurdles), Collin Hofacker (1,600-meter relay), and DeJuan Frye (1,600-meter relay). Guillory also earned second team honors in the 1,600-meter relay.
2018 All-Americans
First Team — Jahisha Thomas (LJ, TJ), Briana Guillory (400 meters)
Second Team — Mar’yea Harris (400 meters, 1,600-meter relay), Chris Douglas (60-meter hurdles), Collin Hofacker (1,600-meter relay), DeJuan Frye (1,600-meter relay), Bradford Garron (1,600-meter relay), Sheridan Champe (1,600-meter relay), Brittany Brown (200 meters, 1,600-meter relay), Sarah Plock (1,600-meter relay), Briana Guillory (1,600-meter relay)
GUILLORY EARNS GOLD FOR TEAM USA
Senior Briana Guillory won gold in the 1,600-meter relay for Team USA at the 2018 North America, Central America, and Caribbean Championships in Toronto, Canada. Guillory ran the first leg, while Jasmine Blocker of Tulane University, Kiana Horton of Baylor University and Courtney Okolo of the University of Texas finished the race in 3:26.08.
ALL WE DO IS WIN
At the 2018 Indoor Big Ten Championships, Nathan Mylenek, Chris Thompson, Carter Lilly, and Michael Melchert impressed with a come-from-behind win as Melchert passed five teams in the home stretch to earn the Hawkeyes first ever conference title in the event.
Senior Briana Guillory earned her first Big Ten Indoor title at the 2018 conference championships in the 400 meters (52.08).
RETURNING BIG TEN LEADERS
The Hawkeyes return 13 athletes who ranked in the Big Ten top five in 2018. Briana Guillory and Mar’yea Harris placed in the top five in multiple events.
Briana Guillory: 400 meters (1st), 200 meters (2nd), 1,600-meter relay (3rd)
Carter Lilly: distance medley relay (1st)
Michael Melchert: distance medley relay (1st)
Nathan Mylenek: distance medley relay (1st)
Chris Thompson: distance medley relay (1st)
Mar’yea Harris: 400 meters (2nd), 1,600-meter relay (3rd)
Reno Tuufuli: shot put (2nd)
Dejuan Frye: 1,600-meter relay (3rd)
Collin Hofacker: 1,600-meter relay (3rd)
Chris Douglas: 60-meter hurdles (4th)
Jenny Kimbro: pentathlon (4th)
Tria Simmons: pentathlon (5th)
Tysen VanDraska: 800 meters (5th)
RETURNING NCAA LEADERS
Iowa returns four athletes that finished the 2018 indoor season inside the country’s top 10. Briana Guillory finished 2018 fifth in the country in the 400 meters (52.08), and Collin Hofacker, DeJuan Frye, and Mar’yea Harris were 10th in the 1,600-meter relay (3:05.33).
Iowa returns three NCAA top 10 athletes from the outdoor season. Laulauga Tausaga ranked seventh in discus (59.86m), Mar’yea Harris ranked eighth in the 400 meters (44.98), and Reno Tuufuli ranked ninth in discus (60.87m).
COUNTING CURRENT ALL-TIME HAWKEYES
The men have 17 current athletes in Iowa’s indoor all-time top 10 (46 times), led by school-record holders Mar’yea Harris, (400-meters, 1,600-meter relay), Carter Lilly (800-meters, Distance medley relay), Reno Tuufuli (shot put) 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 11 athletes in the top 10 (19 times). Laulauga Tausaga holds the school records in the shot put (16.51m) and weight throws (20.03m).
NEXT ON THE BLOCK
The Hawkeyes host their third of four indoor home meets in January with the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Jan. 18-19. Teams competing include Arizona, Baylor, Illinois, Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri, Purdue, and Wisconsin.
