Iowa Wins 7 Titles on Final Day of Hawkeye Invitational

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa track and field team won seven events at the Hawkeye Invitational on Saturday, adding to junior Laulauga Tausaga’s school record weight throw on Friday.

 

Tausaga picked up her second win in the shot put (16.02m, 52-6 3/4).

“I know there’s still more in the tank, especially after I saw my warmups,” Tausaga said. “I’m just trying to prepare for Big Ten Championships and get a spot on the NCAA qualifiers list.”
 
QUOTING COACH WOODY
“I thought it was a great January opener,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said. “We had some great performances. We came out and had Laulauga in the weight throw break the school record and kept things going.
 
“In the men’s hurdles, Jaylan [McConico] had an excellent preliminary race, just pressed a little bit in the finals. Right now with his time, that should qualify him for the national race already. If he would have finished the race a little better on the last two hurdles, I think he’d be leading the nation right now. Definitely a good start to the season for him. We’re excited that he’s a part of our program. That was fun to see.
 
“I was proud of Payton Wensel today. She had a long day, running three races. She was runner-up in the 400 meters with a personal record, ran a near personal record in the 200 meters, and came back and had a great anchor leg in the relay.”   
 
HAWKEYES TAKE GOLD
Five women’s track and field athletes and the 1,600-meter relay team won events at the Hawkeye Invitational.

  • Antonise Christian won the 60-meter dash (7.60) with a collegiate best.
  • Jenny Kimbro won the 60-meter hurdles (8.38) for the second time this season
  • Briana Guillory ran the 600 meters and won in 1:30.92.
  • Freshman Grace McCabe won her first collegiate race in the 800 meters (2:12.98).
  • Tria Simmons jumped 5.68 meters (18-7 3/4) to earn the long jump win.
  • Kylie Morken, Kimbro, Talia Buss, and Payton Wensel won the 1,600-meter relay in 3:45.73.

CAREER BESTS
The women tallied 10 personal bests:

  • Payton Wensel, 400 meters (56.61)
  • Lindsay Welker, 600 meters (1:37.91)
  • Megan Schott, mile (4:54.96)
  • Jordan Winke, mile (5:10.47)
  • Kylie Latham, mile (5:13.17)
  • Aubrianna Lantrip, high jump (1.76m, 5-9 1/4) – tied previous best
  • Nia Britt, weight throw (18.32m, 60-1 1/4)
  • Allison Wahrman, weight throw (15.87m, 52-0 3/4)
  • Erika Hammond, weight throw (15.25m, 50-0 1/2)

The men added five personal bests:

  • Antonio Woodard, 60 meters (6.85) – tied previous best
  • Jaylan McConico, 60-meter hurdles (7.73)
  • Noah Healy, mile (4:12.25)
  • Daniel Soto, mile (4:13.09)
  • Ian Eklin, mile (4:13.42)

The Hawkeyes host their third of four indoor home meets with the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Jan. 18-19. Teams competing include Arizona, Baylor, Illinois, Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri, Purdue, and Wisconsin. Admission is free.
 

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