IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa track and field splits event groups and sends distance runners and throwers to the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, while the sprints, hurdles and mid-distance groups head to Tucson, Arizona, for the Desert Heat Classic. The Drake Relays begin on Thursday afternoon and concludes on Saturday, while the Desert Heat Classic is a one-day event on Saturday.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the meet on the live results link on the track and field schedule page at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive. Results will also be posted on the team’s official twitter account @IowaXC_TF.
LAST WEEK
Junior Paige Magee knocked two-hundredths of a second off her 100-meter hurdle school record, crossing the finish line in 13.15 in the finals on Saturday in Waco. On Friday, junior Tionna Tobias moved up in the record books on day one of the Michael Johnson Invitational hosted by Baylor University. Tobias jumped 6.25 meters (20″ 6.25″) to finish second in the long jump competition, setting her personal best and the fourth longest jump in program history. Senior Julien Gillum and sophomore Nathan Farrell represented the Hawkeyes in the 400 hurdles, finishing first and third against collegiate competition and second and fourth overall, respectively. In his 400-meter season debut, sophomore Jenoah McKiver won the men’s section in a loaded field, crossing the line in 45.33. On the women’s side, redshirt freshman Chloe Larsen ran her best 400 in 53.41 knocking two-tenths of a second off her 10th ranked time in the Hawkeye record books and finishing eighth in the event.
IN THE RANKINGS
This week’s USTFCCCA rankings highlight the Hawkeyes’ early season success, with the men’s team ranked 13th nationally. Both the men’s and women’s team are ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region. In the third week of the conference rankings, the men’s team holds strong at No. 1, while the women’s team has is No. 2. Additionally, the women’s team is ranked in the Top-20 in seven event groups, including a No. 1 ranking in the 400-meter hurdles and a second-place ranking in the 100-meter hurdles. The Hawkeye men have five in the top-20, with their highest ranking being No. 2 in the 400-meter hurdles.
ALL-TIME HAWKEYES
14 current Hawkeyes combine to hold 12 outdoor school records including:
- Austin Kresley – 100 meters (10.10)
- LaSarah Hargrove – 100 meters (11.20)
- Paige Magee – 100 meter hurdles (13.15)
- Jenoah McKiver – 400 meters (44.74)
- Max Murphy – 1,500 meters (3:40.63)
- Max Murphy – 5,000 meters (13:39.77)
- Austin West – Decathlon (8,179 points)
- James Carter Jr. – Triple Jump (16.68 meters | 54’ 8.75”)
- Kalen Walker, Kresley, Gratt Reed, Damoy Allen – 400 meter relay (38.70)
- Hargrove, Lia Love, Magee – 400 meter relay (43.69)
- Grant Conway, Kalil Jefferson, Reed – Shuttle Hurdle Relay (56.74)
- Amanda Howe – Hammer Throw (64.84 meters | 212’ 9”)
RANKED AMONG THE BEST
The Hawkeyes have posted 13 top-20 individual marks in the NCAA this season thus far. The men are also ranked in the 4×100-meter relay.
Women’s Top-20 Marks
T-11. Myreanna Bebe – 100 Hurdles (12.96)
11. Mariel Bruxvoort – 400 Hurdles (56.71)
12. Paige Magee – 400 Hurdles (56.79)
14. Lia Love – 100 Meters (11.10)
20. Kat Moody – Discus (56.47 meters, 185’ 3”)
Men’s Top-20 Marks
3. Austin West – Decathlon (8,038)
4. Walker, Kresley, Reed, Allen – 4×100 Relay (38.70)
5. Austin Kresley – 200 Meters (20.07)
7. Jenoah McKiver – 400 Meters (45.33)
13. Austin Kresley – 100 Meters (10.10
14. Kalen Walker – 100 Meters (10.11)
11. Gratt Reed – 110 Hurdles (13.50)
18. James Carter Jr. – Long Jump (7.85 meters, 25’ 9.25”)
T-20. Jordan Johnson – Discus (59.27 meters, 194’ 5”)
A LOOK BACK AT 2022
University of Iowa track and field earned 17 all-America honors at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The men’s team claimed 10 total honors, with seven earning first-team status. Last year, the 4×400-meter relay team of Everett Steward, Chadrick Richards, Spencer Gudgel and Julien Gillum sped to a 3:03.04, sixth place finish, and first-team all-America status. Jordan Johnson fired a career best discus toss of 59.52 meter (195’ 3”) to place eighth and grab his first all-America honor of his career. James Carter, Kalil Johnson, Austin Kresley, Gratt Reed and Khullen Jefferson return as All-Americans. The Iowa women combined for seven total All-Americans, including returners LaSarah Hargrove, Lia Love, Paige Magee in the 4×100-meter relay. Hargrove earned second-team honors in the 100-meter and 200-meter races.
REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
In 2022, the Hawkeye men had 12 entries ranked inside the top-20 regionally, plus Austin West in the decathlon. West secured a berth to the NCAA Championships as the No. 3 seed. James Carter, Jr. entered regionals with the sixth-best long jump mark (No. 23 in NCAA). For the women, LaSarah Hargrove (No. 9, 200m; No. 11, 100m) and Mariel Bruxvoort (No. 11, 400m hurdles) were the top-ranked athletes regionally for the Hawkeyes. Amanda Howe was ranked just outside of the top-15 (No. 16, hammer throw) and Paige Magee was the 17th-ranked 400-meter hurdler in the region and the fourth-fastest Hawkeye in the event. Sophomore Nylah Perry was the fifth Hawkeye to qualify for the 400-meter hurdles, coming in at 44th in the region. All four of Iowa’s relays entered regionals ranked inside the top-10. The men’s 4×400-meter relay team was seeded No. 4 in the region and the 4×100-meter relay checked in at No. 6. On the women’s side, both the 4×100-meter relay and 4×400-meter relay qualified as the No. 10 seeds.
2022 BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
Last year, the Hawkeyes crowned a pair of individual champions at the 2022 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Amanda Howe won the women’s hammer throw and improved her school record (64.84m / 212’9”). On the men’s side, Julien Gillum won the 400-meter hurdles (51.12) and became the third-consecutive Hawkeye to win gold in the event at the Big Ten meet (Jamal Britt – 2021, Chris Douglas – 2019).
2022 RELAYS CUP CHAMPS
The Iowa men won their first Drake Relays Cup Championship since 2018 at the 112th running of the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, behind a win in the sprint-medley relay (Austin Kresley, Khullen Jefferson, Julien Gillum, Alec Still). The Hawkeyes finished second in the 4×100-meter relay (Kalil Johnson, Kresley, Gratt Reed, Jefferson), and third in the distance-medley relay, the 4×400-meter relay, and the 4×800-meter relay. Additionally, the Hawkeyes won the shuttle-hurdle relay (a non-Relays Cup event) with the team of Grant Conway, Josh Braverman, Johnson and Reed for the first time since 1984 and set the school record (56.74). James Carter, Jr. became the first university division men’s athlete at the Drake Relays in 16 years to complete a sweep of the horizontal jumps, winning the long jump (7.84m / 25’8.5” w) and the triple jump (15.79m / 51’9.75”) – the second and third Drake Relays flags in his Hawkeye career.
JUMP, JUMP, JUMP!
Returning men’s indoor long jump and triple jump All-American senior James Carter, Jr. transitions to the outdoor season, where he won the triple jump at last year’s Jim Click Shootout (15.84m | 51’11.75). Carter, Jr. improved his lifetime-best in the long jump at the Mt. SAC Relays (7.81m | 25’7.5”) – the fifth-furthest jump ever at Iowa. Carter, Jr. became the first university division men’s athlete at the Drake Relays in 16 years to complete a sweep of the horizontal jumps, winning the long jump (7.84m / 25’8.5” w) and the triple jump (15.79m / 51’9.75”) – the second and third Drake Relays flags in his Hawkeye career. At the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Carter finished as the runner-up in both events.
IOWA STRONG
Senior school-record holder Amanda Howe geared up for the outdoor season after being crowned the 2022 Big Ten Champion in the hammer throw. Senior Kat Moody returns as the leader of the women’s shot put and discus. Both Howe and Moody saved their best for last by setting season bests at the Big Ten Championships in their respective events.
Junior Jordan Johnson returns as an NCAA outdoor qualifier in the discus, throwing a career best 59.52 meters (195’ 3”) at the NCAA Championships in Eugene. The senior thrower earned All-American honors with an eighth-place finish. Johnson began his postseason push with a 2nd place finish at the Big Ten Championships (57.63 meters | 189’ 1”), followed by a 6th place mark at the NCAA West Prelims (57.09 meters | 187’ 4”).
NCAA HISTORY
The Hawkeye men have eight top-10 NCAA Outdoor Championship finishes in program history, the last coming in 1932 (sixth). The Hawkeyes finished third on three occasions (1921, 1923 and 1930). In modern history, the Hawkeyes best NCAA finish was in 2021 when they placed 12th. Other top-25 finishes include 17th in 2017, 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).
NEXT UP
The Hawkeyes conclude the regular season at the Dr. Tucker Open in Dubuque, Iowa, on May 6.