THIS WEEK
University of Iowa track and field heads to California for the Mt. SAC Relays in Ontario, the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa and the Beach Invitational in Long Beach. The Hawkeyes begin competition at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, as second team All-American multi-athlete Austin West will compete in his first decathlon of the season. The decathlon resumes at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Mt. SAC, and the Bryan Clay begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday’s action begins at noon at Mt. SAC and the Beach Invitational, and 1 p.m. at the Bryan Clay. On Saturday, the Mt. SAC Relays resume at 11:15 a.m. and the Beach Invitational resumes at 11 a.m. All times in Central Time (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.
NATION’S BEST GETS NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Sophomore sprinter Jenoah McKiver picked up right where he left off this indoor season in his outdoor debut at the Jim Click Shootout on April 9. The two-time All-American and indoor NCAA 400-meter runner-up ran a jaw-dropping 44.74 to make him the fastest quarter-miler in Iowa history undisputedly, as he now owns the indoor and outdoor 400-meter records. His time wasn’t just a school record, it was good for the NCAA lead and No. 2 in the world for 2022. He doubled back and split 43.8 as the anchor on Iowa’s 4×400-meter relay that is No. 5 in the NCAA and third-fastest ever at Iowa. The national media took notice as he was named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week.
LaSPEEDY HARGROVE
Sophomore LaSarah Hargrove broke the Iowa 60-meter record this indoor season (7.25) and put down a blistering time in the 100 meters in her outdoor season debut on March 19 at the Baldy Castillo Invite. Hargrove ran a wind-aided mark of 11.13 to win the 100 meters — a mark good enough for a school record, but was just outside of the wind-legal threshold. The speedy sophomore continues to challenge to take down the record (11.28). Hargrove added to her hot start of the outdoor season with a win in the 200 meters (22.79) at the Jim Click Shootout (April 9). Her time was No. 2 all-time at Iowa and sixthfastest in the NCAA this season.
HURDLE U
Senior Erin Dowd (57.47) won the 400-meter hurdles at the Baldy Castillo Invite (March 19) in her outdoor Hawkeye debut – a mark good for fourth all-time at Iowa. At Western Michigan, Dowd was a two-time MAC champion in the 400-meter hurdles, and placed third at the 2018 Drake Relays. Junior Mariel Bruxvoort, senior Payton Wensel and freshman Paige Magee have run the fifth (57.73), sixth (58.05) and eighth (58.48) fastest 400-meter hurdle times in school history this year. The 400-meter hurdle event squad ranks atop the nation in the USTFCCCA Rankings. In the 100-meter hurdles, Myreanna Bebe’s season-best time (13.36) is third in the Big Ten and 31st in the NCAA this year.
Three men’s high-hurdlers rank inside the top-34 in the nation this season. At the Baldy Castillo Invite (March 19), Josh Braverman finished runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles (13.74), ranking 19th in the NCAA. Sophomore Grant Conway won the Jim Click Shootout (April 9) in 13.81, clocking in at No. 26 in the nation. Sophomore Gratt Reed’s season best time (13.87) is 34th fastest this season. As a unit, the men are ranked second in the USTFCCCA event squad rankings. The 400-meter hurdle group is ranked second in the event squad rankings as well, due to five men with times under 52 seconds — all ranked inside the NCAA top-48 this year. Drake Woody is currently 25th (51.20), Julien Gillum is 29th (51.33), Phillip Jefferson is 31st (51.36), Nathan Farrell is 39th (51.65) and Raymonte Dow is 48th (51.86).
RECORD BREAKING WALKER RUNNER
Sophomore Kalen Walker tied the 60-meter school record in his indoor debut as a Hawkeye this winter before ultimately claiming the top spot (6.61) and ending his season as a second-team All-American. Walker kept the trend going in his outdoor debut at the Baldy Castillo Invite (March 19), breaking Justin Austin’s 2011 100-meter record (10.21). Walker ran 10.20 — good for 16th in the NCAA and fifth-fastest in the West Region this season. At the Jim Click Shootout on April 9, he came out of blocks for the school-record setting 4×100-meter relay (39.03) – the No. 4 time in the NCAA this season.
THE HAWKEYES ARE RELAY, RELAY GOOD
Iowa’s relays put on a show at the Jim Click Shootout (April 9) with the women’s 4×100-meter relay (Hargrove, Love, Dowd, Magee) getting things started by running the second-fastest time in program history (44.06) – just two-hundredths of a second off of the school record and ranking 18th in the NCAA this season. The men’s 4×100-meter relay (Walker, Kresley, Reed, K. Jefferson) followed by breaking the school record (39.03) – fourth-fastest in the NCAA this year. The 4×400-meter relays had similar results, as the women (Bruxvoort, Roberts, Wensel, Dowd) ran the fourth-fastest time in school history (3:35.40). The men (Steward, Bryson, Gillum, McKiver) capped off the day with the third-fastest time ever at Iowa (3:02.39) – clocking in at No. 5 in the NCAA this season. The 2021 season marked the eighth consecutive postseason that the Hawkeye men qualified a 4×100 relay to the NCAA Championships, and the fourth consecutive postseason that the Hawkeye men qualified a 4×400 relay to the NCAA Championships.
IOWA STRONG
Indoor shot put school-record holder Nik Curtiss started the outdoor season with a win in shot put at the Baldy Castillo Invite (March 19). The senior moved to sixth all-time on Iowa’s outdoor list (18.84m / 61’9.75”) with a mark that ranks 20th nationally this season. Curtiss also cracked the top-10 list in the hammer throw (58.62m / 192’4”), and teammate senior Tyler Lienau finished third (60.52m / 198’6”) at Baldy Castillo. Sophomore Jordan Johnson won discus on April 9 at the Jim Click Shootout with a Big Ten-leading mark (56.06m / 183’11”). On the women’s side, sophomore Kat Moody won discus at the Jim Click Shootout (52.42m / 172’0”) – good for 41st in the nation and sixth in the conference.
200-METER MUSCLE
Freshman Khullen Jefferson finished second in the 200 meters (20.83) to Olympian Fred Kerley at the Baldy Castillo Invite (March 19), recording a lifetime best. Freshman Austin Kresley (20.83) and sophomore Gratt Reed (20.92) each ran lifetime-bests at the Florida Relays (April 9). Jefferson and Kresley are tied for the Big Ten lead and 45th in the country.
JUMP, JUMP, JUMP!
Returning men’s outdoor long jump All-American junior James Carter, Jr. won the triple jump at the Jim Click Shootout (April 9) with the 11th-best mark in the country this year (15.84m / 51’11.75). Carter leads the Big Ten and is No. 6 in the NCAA West Region.