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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa track and field team travels to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete at the 110th Drake Relays at Drake Stadium, Thursday-Saturday. A full schedule of events is located at hawkeyesports.com on the track and field schedule page.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Fans can follow the Drake Relays live results on hawkeyesports.com/tracklive. Live stats and a live stream for the meet are also linked on the Iowa track and field schedule page, hawkeyesports.com/trackschedule, and is posted on the team’s official twitter account @iowaxc_tf.
2018 RELAYS
The Hawkeyes won four events at the 2018 Drake Relays, including:
Laulauga Tausaga – shot put (16.74 meters)
DeJuan Frye, Austin Lietz, Chris Thompson, Collin Hofacker – 1,600-meter relay (3:08.67)
Reno Tuufuli – shot put (18.50 meters)
Sommer Sharpe – 400-meter hurdles (59.73)
The men also brought home their second consecutive Hy-Vee Cup, an award that goes to the men’s and women’s team with the highest point total in five relays — 3,200-metere relay, distance medley relay, sprint medley relay, 400-meter relay, and 1,600-meter relay.
DRAKE RELAYS RECORDS
Iowa holds two Drake Relays meet records, both are in the long jump. Former Hawkeye All-American and Olympic Gold Medalist, Anthuan Maybank, holds the men’s long jump record from 1993 with a jump of 27-feet 1-inch (8.26m). Maybank holds the indoor and outdoor long jump school records.
Former Hawkeye Big Ten Champion Aisha James holds the women’s long jump meet record with a 22-foot 3-inch (6.78m) jump from 2003. James’ mark set the school record that she still holds today.
DRAKE RELAYS HALL OF FAMERS
Iowa has six former athletes in the Drake Relays Athletes Hall of Fame, including Charles Jones (two-mile), George Saling (120- yard hurdles), Ed Gordon (broad jump), Frank Cuhel (hurdles), and Ted Wheeler (mile), Anthuan Maybank (sprints/long jump), and Larry Wieczorek (distance/Director of Track and Field).
Wieczorek was inducted in 2013. Former UI head coach Francis X. Cretzmeyer was inducted in 1986.
UI Director of Track & Field Joey Woody was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002 as an athlete for Northern Iowa. He is the only athlete in Drake Relays history to win the Athlete of the Meet award in high school (1992) and college (1994). Woody’s son is named Drake.
HAWKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
The University of Iowa men’s and women’s track and field teams are both ranked in the top 15 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Week 4 poll.
The USTFCCCA ranks the men at No. 10 and No. 13, the teams highest ranking since the rankings started being tracked in 2008.
NATIONALLY RANKED HAWKS
The Hawkeyes have 13 individual marks in the NCAA’s top 16, including the NCAA women’s shot put leader, junior Laulauga Tausaga, the second fastest men’s 1,600-meter relay from freshman Wayne Lawrence Jr., junior Antonio Woodard, junior Collin Hofacker, and senior Mar’yea Harris, the second best discus throw from Tausaga, the third farthest discus throw from senior Reno Tuufuli, and the third fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase from Nathan Mylenek. Iowa is the only team in the NCAA with multiple 400-meter runners under 46 seconds this season.
Top 16 in the NCAA:
1. Laulauga Tausaga – shot put (18.02 meters, 59-1 1/2)
2. Laulauga Tausaga – discus (62.28 meters, 204-4)
2. Lawrence, Woodard, Hofacker, Harris – 1,600-meter relay (3:03.10)
3. Nathan Mylenek – 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:38.53)
3. Reno Tuufuli – discus (62.54, 205-2)
4. Matt Manternach – 800 meters (1:46.93)
5. Konstadina Spanoudakis – discus (57.95 meters, 190-1)
6. Briana Guillory – 400 meters (51.92)
7. Jenny Kimbro – heptathlon (5,679 points)
8. Karayme Bartley – 400 meters (45.83)
11. Mar’yea Harris – 400 meters (45.88)
11. Carter Lilly – 800 meters (1:47.52)
16. Jaylan McConico – 110 hurdles (13.82)
16. Tria Simmons – heptathlon (5,577 points)
B1G LEADERS
The Hawkeyes are ranked in the top eight 43 times in the conference with potential to score points at the Big Ten Championships, 18 of which are ranked in the top three. The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten Conference in 10 events, including the men’s 1,600-meter relay squad and nine individual events. Six additional marks are ranked second, and another is ranked third in the Big Ten.
Top Eight in the Big Ten:
1. Karayme Bartley – 400 meters (45.83)
1. Briana Guillory – 400 meters (51.92)
1. Matt Manternach – 800 meters (1:46.93)
1. Jaylan McConico – 110 hurdles (13.82)
1. Chris Douglas – 400 hurdles (51.00)
1. Laulauga Tausaga – shot put (18.02 meters, 59-1 1/2)
1. Reno Tuufuli – discus (62.54 meters, 205-2)
1. Laulauga Tausaga – discus (62.28 meters, 204-4)
1. Jenny Kimbro – heptathlon (5,679 points)
1. Lawrence, Woodard, Hofacker, Harris – 1,600-meter relay (3:03.10)
2. Mar’yea Harris – 400 meters (45.88)
2. Carter Lilly – 800 meters (1:47.52)
2. Jenny Kimbro – 100 hurdles (13.30)
2. Anthony Williams – 110 hurdles (13.86)
2. Nathan Mylenek – 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:38.53)
2. Konstadina Spanoudakis – discus (57.95 meters, 190-1)
2. Tria Simmons – heptathlon (5,577)
3. Taylor Arco – 800 meters (2:06.06)
4. Wayne Lawrence Jr. – 400 meters (45.96)
4. Noah Larrison – 400 hurdles (51.49)
4. Jenny Kimbro – 400 hurdles (58.27)
4. Tria Simmons – high jump (1.76 meters, 5-9 1/4)
4. Kimbro, Weum, Simmons, Wensel – 1,600-meter relay (3:36.32)
5. Briana Guillory – 200 meters (23.67)
5. Chris Douglas – 110 hurdles (13.98)
5. Raymonte Dow – 400 hurdles (51.79)
5. Amanda Carty – triple jump (12.47 meters, 40-11)
5. Williams, Woodard, Hofacker, Harris – 400-meter relay (40.16)
5. Reno Tuufuli – shot put (18.96 meters, 62-2 1/2)
5. Laulauga Tausaga – hammer (61.34 meters, 201-3)
6. Antonio Woodard – 200 meters (20.69)
6. Tysen VanDraska – 800 meters (1:48.52)
6. Daniel Soto – 10,000 meters (29:31.88)
6. Jay Hunt – high jump (2.11 meters, 6-11)
6. Nia Britt – shot put (16.50 meters, 54-1 3/4)
6. Kimbro, Laye, Guillory, Chistian – 400-meter relay (45.60)
7. Nolan Teubel – 800 meters (1:48.75)
7. Aubrianna Lantrip – high jump (1.75 meters, 5-8 3/4)
7. Peyton Haack – decathlon (7,129 points)
8. Antonio Woodard – 100 meters (10.49)
8. Andrea Shine – 10,000 meters (34:10.24)
8. Mallory King – 800 meters (2:07.08)
8. Josh Braverman – 110 hurdles (14.10)
COUNTING ALL-TIME TRACKHAWKS
The men have 28 current athletes on Iowa’s outdoor all-time top 10, led by school-record holders Mar’yea Harris, (400-meters, 800-meter relay, 1,600-meter relay), DeJuan Frye (1,600-meter relay), Collin Hofacker (1,600-meter relay), and Nathan Mylenek (3,000-meter steeplechase).
The women have 22 athletes in the top 10. Junior Laulauga Tausaga holds the school records in the shot put (18.02 meters, 59-1 1/2), discus (62.28 meters, 204-4) and hammer (61.34 meters, 201-3), junior Jenny Kimbro recorded Iowa’s best heptathlon performance with 5,679 points, and senior Briana Guillory ran on the school-record 1,600-meter relay (3:30.97, 2016).
TAUSAGA ON TOP
Tausaga was named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Athlete of the Week for the second time in her career on April 23.
The April 19-20 weekend in California was packed full of school records for Tausaga. She started on Thursday, throwing the hammer throw record (61.34 meters, 201-3), and continued throughout the weekend. She threw 62.28 meters (204-4) in discus to lead the Big Ten and tie the NCAA leading mark, but the real feat of the weekend was the shot put competition. After a rough start to the season, she hit a huge mark of 18.02 meters (59-1 1/2) to break her third school record of the week. Her mark ranks first in the Big Ten and second in the NCAA.
Tausaga is the first Hawkeye to earn the outdoor honor. She won during the indoor season after throwing the weight throw school record (23.26 meters, 76-3 3/4).
B1G ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Tausaga picked up her third consecutive Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honor, the conference announced on April 24. The honor comes after the Iowa junior broke three school records to rank first in shot put and discus, and fifth in the hammer throw in the conference.
The week prior, the Hawkeyes swept the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week awards for the second time during the outdoor season. Tausaga and Senior Reno Tuufuli earned the honors during week three, and sophomore Konstadina Spanoudakis earned the women’s honor and sophomore Jay Hunt earned the men’s during week one.
Tausaga earned her third honor of the outdoor season on April 10, sharing the award with Sophia Franklin from Michigan State.
During the indoor season, three Hawkeyes were named Big Ten Athletes of the Week, including Tausaga (Feb. 6), Mar’yea Harris (Feb. 6), and Jenny Kimbro (Dec. 12).
NEXT ON THE BLOCK
The Hawkeyes host the 2019 Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Iowa City, Iowa, on May 10-12. Ticket information is linked on hawkeyesports.com/trackschedule.
NCAA QUALIFICATIONS
First Round – Sacramento, Calif. (May 23-25)
For each individual event contested at each of the two Preliminary Round sites, the top 48 declared student-athletes will be accepted into the competition. For each relay event, the top 24 declared relay teams will be accepted into the competition. Combined events (Heptathlon and Decathlon), are not contested at the Preliminary Round sites. For combined events (Heptathlon and Decathlon), the top 24 declared student-athletes in each event based on their position on the national descending-order list will be accepted directly into the Championships.
The individual event student-athletes and relay teams accepted into Preliminary Round competition will be announced and posted on NCAA.com the week prior to Preliminary Round competition.
Championship Round – Austin, Texas (June 5-8)
Qualifying to the Championships site is accomplished through performance in the Preliminary Round competition. Twelve competitors from each individual event and twelve teams from each relay event advance from each Preliminary Round site. The individual event student-athletes and relay teams accepted into Championships competition based on their performance at Preliminary Round competition will be announced and posted on NCAA.com the week prior to Championships competition.
