GENEVA, Ohio — University of Iowa track and field hits the road, traveling to Geneva, Ohio, for the Big Ten Championships at the SPIRE Institute. The Big Ten Championships begin Friday morning at 9:50 a.m. (CT) and resume on Saturday at 10 a.m. (CT).
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the meet on the live results page at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive. Results will also be posted on the team’s official twitter account @iowaxc_tf. A live stream will be available both days at bigtenplus.com.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Hawkeye men rank inside the top-10 for the fifth-consecutive week in the USTFCCCA National Track and Field Rating Index. The No. 8 Hawkeyes are the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten. No. 18 Nebraska and No. 19 Nebraska also represent the conference in the top-25 this week. Additionally, the Hawkeye men are ranked first and the women rank third in the Midwest Region.
B1G HONORS
The Hawkeyes have earned Big Ten accolades on three occasions this season:
LaSarah Hargrove (So.) B1G Women’s Track Athlete of the Week (Dec. 15)
Jenoah McKiver (Fr.) B1G Men’s Track Athlete of the Week (Feb.2, Feb. 9)
BREAKING RECORDS IS A HABIT
Ten school records have gone down this indoor season for the Hawkeyes:
60 meters 6.61 Kalen Walker
60 meters 7.25 LaSarah Hargrove
400 meters 45.39 Jenoah McKiver
600 meters 1:15.36 Jenoah McKiver
800 meters 2:04.56 Mallory King
4×400 Relay 3:02.40 Richards, Gillum, Lawrence, Jr., McKiver
4×400 Relay 3:32.38 Bruxvoort, Roberts, Wensel, King
Weight Throw 22.20m / 72-10 Tyler Lienau
Shot Put 19.57 / 64-2.5 Nik Curtiss
Heptathlon 5,832 pts. Austin West
BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
The Hawkeyes come off one of the best seasons in program history. A season ago, director of track and field Joey Woody became the first coach in program history to sweep the indoor and outdoor coach of the year awards. Iowa completed a Big Ten Championship sweep on the men’s side for the first time since 1963 — its outdoor title marking two-in-a-row. The indoor conference championship was the fourth in school history. The Hawkeyes had 10 medalists, including Big Ten champions James Carter, Jr. in long jump and Peyton Haack in the heptathlon.
RINGS ON OUR MIND
The Iowa men won their first Big Ten Indoor Championship since 1963 and their fourth all-time last season with 119 points. The women finished second with 58 points, besting third place Wisconsin by five points. Iowa returns three Indoor Big Ten Champions. For the men, James Carter, Jr. returns as the reigning long jump champion while Peyton Haack is the reigning champion in the heptathlon. On the women’s side, Paige Magee returns after winning the 60-meter hurdles. Iowa brings back eight Big Ten Medalists and 21 point scorers.
2nd
• Alec Still (800m)
• Women’s 4×400 Relay
• Wayne Lawrence, Jr. (200m, 400m)
• Gratt Reed (60 Hurdles)
3rd
• Austin West (Heptathlon)
• Clare Pitcher (600m)
• Julien Gillum (600m)
• Josh Braverman (60 Hurdles)
B1G TIME(S) FOR MCKIVER
Standout sprinter Jenoah McKiver leads the conference in a trio of events. At the Meyo Invite, McKiver ran the eighth-fastest 600 meters in NCAA history (all conditions) and improved his school record (1:15.36). At the Meyo Invite, McKiver ran the eighth-fastest 600 meters in NCAA history (all conditions) and improved his school record (1:15.36). McKiver continued as he won the 400 meters at the Tyson Invitational with yet another school record (45.39). The freshman also ran the anchor leg of the school-record setting 4×400-meter relay (3:02.40). McKiver currently ranks third nationally in the quarter-mile while Iowa’s time currently ranks second in the NCAA. McKiver earned back-to-back Men’s Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week honors (Feb. 2, Feb. 9) for his performances.
2FAST4U
The Hawkeye men and women know how to run a quarter mile. The men’s squad of Chadrick Richards, Julien Gillum, Wayne Lawrence, Jr. and Jenoah McKiver ran a conference-leading time of 3:02.40 in the 4×400-meter final at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 11. The relay team consisting of two freshmen (Richards and McKiver) and two juniors (Gillum and Lawrence Jr.) broke the school record and currently rank second-fastest in the NCAA. Additionally, the Hawkeyes became the fifth-fastest program ever in the event indoors. The group bested the previous school record by 2.36 seconds. On the women’s side at the Tyson Invite, the quartet of junior Mariel Bruxvoort, freshman Tesa Roberts, and seniors Payton Wensel and Mallory King passed the baton in a Big Ten-leading time of 3:32.38 – seventh in the NCAA – to break the Iowa record.
RUN DON’T WALK(ER)
The Hawkeye sprint group was a force in the Big Ten a year ago. Kalen Walker exploded onto the scene in his Hawkeye debut at the Jimmy Grant Invitational, tying the 60-meter school record with a time of 6.69 in the prelims. Walker added a win at the Hawkeye Invitational, winning the 60 meters with a meet-record time (6.71). Walker improved his all-time best mark at the Wieczorek Invitational, becoming the lone school-record holder in the 60 meters (6.67), running that time in both the prelims and final. Walker bested top-level SEC competition at the Tyson Invitational, winning the 60 meters and improving his school record-time to 6.61. Walker’s time currently ranks second in the conference and 12th nationally. He joins sophomore Austin Kresley, who owns a career-best time of 6.72 in the 60 meters, to form a strong one-two punch in the short sprints.
MID-DISTANCE DOMINANCE
Freshmen Antonio Abrego and Jenoah McKiver led a mid-distance assault in the 600 meters and 800 meters at the Meyo Invitational. McKiver won the 600 meters, besting his own school record with a time of 1:15.36. McKiver’s time ranks eighth all-time in NCAA history (all surfaces). Abrego recorded a personal best by finishing fifth in the 800 meters (1:48.48). Abrego’s time puts him fifth in the Big Ten and 36th in the NCAA. Junior Tyler Olson followed suit, finishing second with a personal-best of 1:16.70. Olson’s time ranks fourth in school history. The Hawkeyes grabbed the top-seven spots in the 600 meters. Junior Julien Gillum and freshman Armando Bryson grabbed third and fourth place, posting times of 1:17.02 and 1:17.70, respectively. This season, the Hawkeyes have had 10 athletes finish under 1:20 in the 600 meters and four athletes under 1:50 in the 800 meters.
HARGROVE GROOVING
LaSarah Hargrove broke her own school record in the prelims of the 60 meters at the Tyson Invitational with a time of 7.25. Hargrove currently ranks second in the conference and 15th nationally. At the Larry Weiczorek Invitational, Hargrove ran a 7.31 in the prelims to initially break the school record. The sophomore earned Big Ten Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors on Dec. 15 for her performance – the first conference honors of Hargrove’s career. Hargrove also ran an impressive 23.58 seconds in the 200 meters at the Hawkeye Invite on Jan. 15, winning the meet and running the fifth-fastest time in Iowa history. Her time currently ranks second in the conference and 44th nationally.
HURDLE U? HURDLE U.
The Hawkeye hurdlers have risen to expectations this year. The men have four athletes ranked inside the top-10 of the Big Ten and two inside the top-48 of the NCAA. Sophomores Grant Conway (7.77) and Gratt Reed (7.85) currently sit 18th and 23rd in the NCAA. Senior Josh Braverman (7.89) and junior Peyton Haack (7.93) are currently ninth and 10th in the Big Ten. On the women’s side, sophomore Myreanna Bebe leads the way (8.26), ranking fourth in the Big Ten, 39th in the NCAA and third in program history. Freshman Miya Brines jumped to ninth all-time at Iowa (8.43) and ranks seventh in the Big Ten. Sophomore Tionna Tobias is tied for ninth in the Big Ten (8.44) and moved onto Iowa’s all-time list at 10th.
LAUNCHING RECORDS
Four current Hawkeye women have thrown all-time top-10 program marks in the weight throw this season:
• 2. Nia Britt (20.94m / 68’8.5”)
• 3. Amanda Howe (20.85m / 68’5”)
• 4. Jamie Kofron (19.39m / 63’7.5”)
• 9. Alivia Bauer (18.11m / 59’5”)
Senior Nia Britt improved upon her career-best weight-throw mark (20.94m / 68’8.5”) at the Meyo Invitational, finishing third. Amanda Howe was close behind in fourth improving upon her career best (20.85m / 68’5”). Britt and Howe currently rank fourth and fifth in the Big Ten and 26th and 30th in the NCAA. In the shot put, the Iowa women again have four Hawkeyes on the program’s all-time top-10 list. Britt’s mark (16.75m / 54’11.5”) came in 2019, but three Hawkeyes (Moody, Berry, Kofron) have thrown top-10 marks this season. Sophomore Kat Moody has the best mark this season, winning the shot put (16.32m / 53’6.5”) at the Hawkeye Invitational. Moody’s mark was a career best that moved her into third all-time at Iowa. Berry moved up to No. 4 all-time at Iowa (16.02m / 52’6.75”) with her throw at the Badger St. Valentine’s Invite on Feb. 18.
On the men’s side, four Hawkeye men have thrown all-time top-10 program marks in the weight throw this season:
• 1. Tyler Lienau (22.20m / 72’10”)
• 5. Sean Smith (20.50m / 67’3.25”)
• 7. Jordan Hawkins (20.11m / 65’11.5”)
• 9. Jordan Johnson (19.47m / 63’10.25”)
Senior Tyler Lienau comes off a season-best throw (22.20m / 72’10”) at the Meyo Invite, winning the meet and improving his school record. Three other Hawkeyes have joined the top-10 this season. Sophomores Jordan Hawkins and Jordan Johnson both registered a new career-best marks at the Meyo Invite as well. Freshman Sean Smith is coming off of his best performance of the season a week ago, jumping to fifth all-time at Iowa. In the shot put, Nik Curtiss has broken the shot put record on two occasions (19.57m / 64’2.5”).
NEXT ON THE BLOCK
The Hawkeyes head to Geneva, Ohio, on Feb. 25-26 for the Big Ten Championships.