DES MOINES, Iowa – University of Iowa senior Kat Moody waved two Drake Relay flags on Friday as she claimed wins in both the discus and shot put competitions.
The Clive, Iowa, native posted her first win of the day in discus with a 53.60-meter (175’ 10”) throw and doubled back with a 16.46-meter toss in shot put to earn her second win.
“The throws group battled in some tough conditions, and I’m really proud of that,” assistant coach Ray Robinson said. “Drake is a hard place to throw far. I thought the gold star was Kat (Moody). Winning two Drake Flags is hard to do. Winning them within an hour of each other is amazing! Although I’d say she didn’t have her best stuff today, she battled hard and kept fighting until she got it done.”
On the throws end of the Blue Oval, four Hawkeyes posted top-8 finishes, including a pair of fifth-place finishes from senior Elijah Barnes in shot put (18.19 meters, 59’ 8.25”) and senior Jordan Johnson in discus (55.39 meters, 181’ 8”), and a pair of eighth-place finishes from freshman Emma Callahan (13.95 meters, 45’ 9.25”) and junior Quintin Lyons (17.28 meters, 56’ 8.5”) in shot put.
“We had a great day overall at the Drake Relays, especially in the field events,” Iowa Director of Track & Field Joey Woody said. “Kat Moody led our program with some monster performances in both the Discus and Shot put to come away with two Drake Relays flags. She’s competing at a very high level right now, and it’s exciting to see her compete to win both events against two tough fields.”
The 4×1,600-meter relay squad of sophomore Yohana Yual, sophomore Ian Geisler, junior Jack Pendergast and freshman Hayden Kuhn ran the ninth fastest time in program history with a collective 17:11.68. Following up for the men’s distance group, sophomore Max Murphy finished second in the 1,500-meter run, crossing the finish line in 3:44.83.
“Max Murphy ran a great race in the 1,500 meters and came up just short of winning his first collegiate Drake Relays flag,” Woody said. “I also thought Elijah (Barnes) had a great meet with all marked throws over 18 meters. He’s very close to hitting a big throw. Natalie (Harris) had a great day today running a big PR in the 100m hurdle prelims to punch her ticket to the finals tomorrow. I’m looking forward to seeing our team continue this momentum into tomorrow for day three at Drake and at Arizona.”
Freshman Natalie Harris ran a personal best of 13.74 in the 100-meter hurdles to qualify for finals on Saturday at 2:35 p.m. CT. The Hawkeyes begin the day at 10:15 a.m. with the hammer throw. The sprints, hurdles and mid-distance are at Arizona on Saturday for the Desert Heat Classic.
HAWKEYE RESULTS:
*Wind aided
Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles (Prelims)
5. Natalie Harris – 13.74, PR
Women’s 1,500 Meters
12. Amber Aesoph – 4:39.54
Men’s 1,500 Meters
2. Max Murphy – 3:44.83
Men’s 4×1,600-Meter Relay
9. Yual, Geisler, Pendergast, Kuhn – 17:11.68, 9th all-time at Iowa
Women’s Long Jump
9. Kayla Hutchins – 5.58 meters (18’ 3.75”)*
Women’s Shot Put Invite
1. Kat Moody – 16.46 meters (54’ 0”)
Men’s Shot Put Invite
5. Elijah Barnes – 18.19 meters (59’ 8.25”)
Women’s Discus Invite
1. Kat Moody – 53.60 meters (175’ 10”)
Men’s Discus Invite
5. Jordan Johnson – 55.39 meters (181’ 8”)
Women’s Discus Open
10. Jamie Kofron – 46.15 meters (151’ 5”)
Women’s Shot Put Open
8. Emma Callahan – 13.95 meters (45’ 9.25”)
14. Ianna Roach – 13.48 meters (44’ 2.75)
Men’s Shot Put Open
8. Quintin Lyons – 17.28 meters (56’ 8.5”)