T&F NOTEBOOK: NCAA Championships

T&F NOTEBOOK: NCAA Championships

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa track and field team travels to compete at the 2021 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships on June 9-12 in Eugene, Oregon. The meet is streamed at Watch ESPN. A full schedule of events and links to video and live results are located at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive.

15 ENTRIES TO NCAA FINAL SITE MATCHES PROGRAM BEST
The University of Iowa track and field team has 15 entries at the NCAA final site, tying the program record for the most entries since 2010, the year the NCAA altered the format for athletes to qualify and advance to the NCAA Championships. Iowa last had 15 entries in 2018. The Hawkeye men have 10 entries (eight individual events and two relays), matching their 2019 total and tying a program high. The Iowa women have five entries (five individual events), their most since having a program-best seven entries in 2018.

COMPLETE TEAM
The Hawkeyes qualified a complete team to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, as each of Iowa’s six coaches will be represented by at least one student-athlete. The Hawkeyes qualified in sprints, hurdles, distance, jumps, throws, multi-events and relays.

NCAA HISTORY
The Hawkeye men have nine top 10 NCAA Outdoor Championship finishes in program history, the last coming in 1967 (tied for seventh, 22 points). The Hawkeyes finished third on three occasions (1921, 1923 and 1930). In modern history, the Hawkeyes best NCAA finish was 2017 when they placed 17th. Other top 25 finishes include 19th in 1995, 21st in 1993 and 21st in 1989.

The Hawkeye women’s best finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships came in 2018, when they placed 13th with 19 points. Laulauga Tausaga scored 10 points that year, placing fourth in both shot put and discus. The women also placed in the top 25 in 2019 (25th), 2006 (20th), 1992 (19th) and 1985 (20th).

USTFCCCA TEAM RANKINGS
The Hawkeye men are ranked No. 15 in the June 1 USTFCCCA Rating Index. Iowa is the highest ranked men’s team in the Big Ten. The Hawkeye women are ranked 29th, the third highest among all Big Ten team.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: LAULAUGA TAUSAGA
Laulauga Tausaga punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot put and discus. Tausaga won the shot put with a mark of 17.97 meters and finished second in the discus with a mark of 63.28 meters. Tausaga is a four-time outdoor All-American and is set to defend her 2019 national championship in the discus. She won the event in 2019 with a then-school record mark of 63.26 meters on her second attempt. Tausaga will be competing in the shot put and discus this weekend at the NCAA final site, doubling up for the second time in her career (2018). She is the school record holder in both events.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: JAYLAN MCCONICO
Jaylan McConico punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110 hurdles and the 4×100 relay. McConico won the 110 hurdles for the third consecutive meet in a row last weekend with a time of 13.41. McConico also ran the opening leg of the 4×100 relay that finished ninth with a season-best time of 39.57. McConico received second-team All-America honors by finishing 11th in the 110 hurdles at the 2019 outdoor championships.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: SERENA BROWN
Serena Brown punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships by finishing second in the discus throw. Brown recorded her best mark as a Hawkeye with a throw of 59.81 meters. Brown will be heading to her third straight national championships in the discus throw. Her best finish was in 2018 when she finished 13th to earn second-team All-American honors.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: WAYNE LAWRENCE, JR.
Wayne Lawrence, Jr. punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400 meters and the 4×400 relay. Lawrence finished fifth in the 400 meters with a time of 45.49 at the West Regional. Lawrence also anchored the 4×400 relay to a win the heat and earn a third-place finish with a season-best time of 3:04.71. Lawrence is heading to his second straight outdoor championships. He recorded two second-team All-American honors at the 2019 championships by finished 14th in the 400 meters and 10th in the 4×100 relay. Lawrence earned first-team All-American honors by finishing fourth in the 4×400 relay, setting a school record in 3:00.14.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: JENNY KIMBRO
Jenny Kimbro punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships by finishing third at the Big Ten Championships in the heptathlon. Kimbro season-best score of 5,543 points, set April 16-17 at the Husker Invite, gave her the 23rd best score in the NCAA. Kimbro will be competing in her second straight outdoor championships. She finished 23rd in 2019.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: JAMES CARTER, JR.
James Carter, Jr. punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the long jump. Carter finished seventh in the long jump at the NCAA West Regional with the second best mark of his career of 7.73 meters. That mark is sending him to his first NCAA Outdoor Championships. Carter has collected four Big Ten medals over the course of the year, including a bronze in the outdoor long jump and a gold in the indoor long jump. Ninety years ago, Ed Gordon won his third straight NCAA title in long jump while competing for the Hawkeyes (1929-31).

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: KAT MOODY
Kat Moody punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot put. Moody finished 12th with a career best mark of 16.65 meters at the NCAA West Regional. Moody finished 36th in the discus throw with a mark of 47.76 meters. The sophomore competed in her first regional championships and advanced to her first national championships.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: WILL DANIELS
Will Daniels punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the decathlon. Daniels finished second at the Big Ten Championships with a school record and career best of 7,864 points. This score is ranked sixth in the NCAA. Daniels won a national title in decathlon in 2019 competing for DIII Central College.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: NATHAN MYLENEK
Nathan Mylenek punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Mylenek finished ninth with a time of 8:40.34 at the West Regional. He is competing in his second straight national championships. Mylenek earned second-team All-American honors at the 2019 championships with a ninth-place finish.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: JAMAL BRITT
Jamal Britt punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110 hurdles and the 400 hurdles. Britt finished 10th in the 110 hurdles with a time of 13.67 and sixth in the 400 hurdles with a time of 49.70. Britt is the only male entry for the championships competing in both hurdle events. Britt, the Big Ten Champion in 400-meter hurdles, is competing in his first outdoor national championships.

WHAT 2: WATCH 4: AUSTIN WEST
Austin West punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the decathlon. West finished third at the Big Ten Championships with a career best 7,805 points, the second best mark in program history. West is ranked seventh in the nation with that score. West is competing in his first NCAA Outdoor Championships.

THE HAWKEYES ARE RELAY GOOD
Iowa punched tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 4×100 and 4×400 relay. The team of Jaylan McConico, Gratt Reed, Antonio Woodard, and Austin Kresley finished 10th with a seasons best time of 39.57 at the NCAA West Regional. This year marks the eighth consecutive postseason that the Hawkeye men qualified a 4×100 relay to the NCAA Championships. The 4×4 team of Jenoah McKiver, Austin Lietz, Julien Gillum, and Wayne Lawrence, Jr. won their heat and finished ninth with a seasons best time of 3:04.71. This the fourth consecutive postseason that the Hawkeye men qualified a 4×400 relay to the NCAA Championships. Iowa won the NCAA title in the mile relay in 1967.

BACK-TO-BACK BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
The University of Iowa men’s track and field team captured the 2021 Big Ten Outdoor Championships title with a school record 127.5 points, besting second place Michigan by 33 points. The outdoor conference title is the second straight for the Hawkeyes. Iowa won the championship in Iowa City in 2019. The Hawkeyes won both the indoor and outdoor championship in the same year for the first time since 1963.

HAWKEYES HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE
Laulauga Tausaga was a three-time qualifier in the discus throw for the NCAA Championships from 2017-19. Tausaga also qualified in the shot put for the 2018 Championships. Tausaga is a four-time first-team All-American and is the reigning national champion in the discus throw. Tausaga finished fourth in the discus throw and shot put at the 2018 Championships and seventh in the discus throw at the 2017 Championships.

Antonio Woodard is a two-time qualifier in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays, having previously competed at the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Championships. Woodard also qualified for the 200 meters at the 2019 Championships. Woodard recorded first-team all-America honors at the 2019 Championships by finishing fourth in the 4×400 relay with a school-record time of 3:00.14. Wayne Lawrence, Jr. ran the lead leg on that record setting relay and ran with Woodard on the 4×100 relay that placed 10th. Lawrence placed 14th in the 400 meters at the 2019 NCAA final site.

Jaylan McConico qualified for the 2019 NCAA Championships in the 110 hurdles, where he finished 11th with a time of 13.69. Jenny Kimbro qualified for the 2019 Championships in the heptathlon, where she finished 23rd with a score of 5,023 points. Nathan Mylenek placed ninth in the steeplechase at the 2019 NCAA finals.

WOODY AND BRITT EARN BIG TEN HONORS
University of Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody was named Big Ten Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year and Hawkeye junior Jamal Britt was named Big Ten Co-Athlete of the Championships. Woody was also named coach of the year following the indoor season. He is the first coach in program history to sweep the indoor and outdoor coach of the year awards. The conference honor is the third of his career. He was named Big Ten Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2019 following Iowa’s conference title.

Woody led Iowa to the 2021 Big Ten Outdoor Championship on May 16. The Hawkeyes scored a school-record 127.5 points, 33 points in front of second-place Michigan. The outdoor title was the second straight for Iowa, who won the 2019 championship in Iowa City, and completed the 2021 indoor-outdoor Big Ten championship sweep. The Hawkeyes had 15 medalists and crowned two Big Ten champions. Jaylan McConico won the 110-meter hurdles and Britt won the 400-meter hurdles.

Britt added a pair of silver medals to his gold in the 400 hurdles, contributing 26 points to Iowa’s record total. He placed runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles and long jump. He is the first Hawkeye to be named Athlete of the Championships since Justin Austin in 2013.