T&F Notebook: Meyo Invite | New Mexico Classic | Iowa State Classic

THIS WEEK
University of Iowa track and field splits its squad this weekend, heading to the Meyo Invitational (mid-distance/distance) in South Bend, Indiana, and the New Mexico Collegiate Classic (sprints/hurdles) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday and Saturday. The throws group heads to the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa on Saturday. The Meyo Invitational begins Friday at 1 p.m (CT), the New Mexico Collegiate Classic begins at 2:30 p.m. and the Iowa State Classic kicks off at noon on Saturday.

FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the meet on the Meet Day page at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive.
Results will also be posted on the team’s official twitter account @iowaxc_tf.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 27-28. Junior Peyton Haack broke the men’s heptathlon school record, earning 6,007 points. Haack ranks third in the country following his performance. Austin West recorded a personal best and ranks second all-time at Iowa with his score of 5,861. James Carter climbed to second in Hawkeye history in the men’s triple jump after his mark of 16.14 meters. Iowa’s 4×400 team of Ali Dorn, Paige Magee, Audrey Biermann, and Chloe Larsen set a season-best 3:34.06, catapulting them to fourth in program history. Tionna Tobias made her pentathlon season debut, scoring 3,919 points and moving to fourth in the school record books. Freshman Wisdom Williams used a shot put toss of 15.38 meters to crack the top 10, good for eighth in Hawkeye history.

BIG TEN FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Junior Peyton Haack put together a lifetime performance in the men’s heptathlon over the weekend. Haack, a junior from Westfield, Indiana, used personal records in the long jump, shot put, high jump and pole vault on his way to the earning the school record with 6,007 points. Haack tied for the title in the pole vault (5 meters; 16’ 4.75”), while winning the 60-meter hurdles section outright (7.95).

BEBE SHATTERS SCHOOL RECORD
Myreanna Bebe highlighted the Larry Wieczorek by breaking a school record that was set in 2009. Bebe registered a speedy time of 8.11 in the 60-meter hurdles, which also ranks seventh nationally. Her mark shattered the previous record set by Karessa Farley (8.21) and improved on her previous best, which was set earlier in January at the Hawkeye Invitational (8.22).

WELCOME TO THE TOP-10
Three Hawkeyes made strides in the record books at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational. Junior Myreanna Bebe surpassed her previous best in the 60-meter hurdles with a mark of 8.11, shattering the school record. Junior Alli Bookin-Nosbisch etched her name in Hawkeye history with a fourth-best time of 2:06.59 in the women’s 800-meter race. Freshman Wisdom Williams set a career best in the women’s shot put with her toss of 15.19 meters (49’ 10”), good for tenth overall.

MEET THE RECORD HOLDERS
10 Hawkeyes account for eight indoor school records. They include:
Kalen Walker – 60 meters (6.61)
Jenoah McKiver – 400 meters (45.39) | 600 meters (1:15.36)
Chadrick Richards, Julien Gillum, McKiver – 4×400 meter relay (3:02.40)
LaSarah Hargrove – 60 meters (7.25)
Mariel Bruxvoort & Tesa Roberts – 4×400 meter relay (3:32.38)
Myreanna Bebe – 60-meter hurdles (8.11)
Peyton Haack – Heptathlon (6,007 points)

HURDLE U.
Junior Grant Conway picked up where he left off last season, setting a season-best time of 7.69 in the 60-meter hurdles at the Jimmy Grant Invitational. He currently ranks fifth, nationally, in the event. Conway (7.72) and junior Gratt Reed (7.72) each qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 11-12 of 2022 after they each put down personal-best times at the Big Ten Championships. Conway finished as Big Ten runner-up and Reed took bronze. Junior Myreanna Bebe broke the 60-meter hurdles school record at the Larry Wieczorek on Jan. 21 (8.11).

MCKIVER IS BACK
Jenoah McKiver made his season debut on Jan. 14 at the Hawkeye Invitational, cruising to victory in the 400-meter event with a time of 46.26. McKiver, a sophomore from High Point, N.C., ranks third, nationally, in the event.

McKiver broke three school records last season. At the Meyo Invite, McKiver ran the seventh-fastest 600 meters in NCAA history (all conditions) and improved his school record (1:15.36). McKiver’s hot streak continued as he won the 400 meters at the Tyson Invitational with yet another school record (45.39). The then-freshman also ran the anchor leg of the school-record setting 4×400-meter relay (3:02.40). McKiver ranked fifth nationally in the quarter-mile, while Iowa’s time ranked 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. At the Big Ten Championships, McKiver won two gold medals (600 meters, 4×400-meter relay) to lead the Hawkeyes to back-to-back indoor titles.

FIVE MORE YEARS
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Joey Woody received a contract extension through June 2027. Woody, an Iowa City native and World Champion, is in his ninth season at the helm of Iowa track and field. He is a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and a six-time USTFCCCA Regional Coach of the Year. Since arriving on campus, Woody has led Iowa to 49 Big Ten individual titles, 12 conference relay titles, four men’s Big Ten team titles, four Big Ten Athletes of the Year, and 199 All-America honors.

BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody earned his fourth-consecutive Big Ten Coach of the Year honor on March 2 after leading the Hawkeye men to their second-consecutive Big Ten Indoor Championship. In 2021, 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.

LEADING THE WAY
After narrowly missing the NCAA indoor championships, senior sprinter LaSarah Hargrove returned for a chance to break into the field in the 60-meter and 200-meter events. Hargrove holds the 60-meter school record with a time of 7.25. Senior Amanda Howe looks to build on her 2022 Big Ten Outdoor Championship performance by taking things to the next level in the weight throw. Junior Tionna Tobias has shown improvement in different field events in preparation for the pentathlon. Tobias holds a team-best mark of 6.14 meters (20’ 1.75”) in the long jump. Fellow junior Paige Magee aims to jump back to the top of the Big Ten in the 60-meter hurdles, after taking gold at the 2021 B1G Indoor Championships.

NEXT ON THE BLOCK
The Hawkeyes will split their squad again and travel to the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee, on Feb. 10-11.