BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – University of Iowa track and field’s Tionna Tobias won the women’s heptathlon in dominant fashion on day two of the Big Ten Outdoor Championship.
The Sicklerville, New Jersey, native began the second day of competition, winning the long jump portion with a 6.09-meter (19’ 11.75”) mark. In the javelin, Tobias threw 27.35 meters (89’ 8”) and then closed the multi event with a personal best in the 800 meters. The junior never fell from first place throughout the competition and set the program’s second-best score in the event with 5,640 points.
“We had a very good day two for both the men and women today,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said. “Tionna (Tobias) got things started with an amazing performance in the heptathlon and accomplished something no other female has done at Iowa the by winning the Big Ten title.”
The field group added to the teams’ overall points with senior James Carter Jr. finishing third for six points and junior Austin West finishing in seventh to add two points in long jump, and junior Zack Pluff cleared his personal-best bar of 2.14 meters (7’ 0.25”) to finish fifth overall, adding four more, and tying Iowa’s eighth all-time mark.
“On the men’s side, James (Carter Jr.) led the way with big points in the long jump, with Austin West picking up two more in his second event of the weekend,” Woody said. “I thought Zack (Pluff) had an amazing day, jumping over seven feet for the first time ever and placing top five in the high jump.”
On the women’s side, adding to Tobias’ 10 points, junior Kayla Hutchins posted her career-best long jump to finish seventh (two points), tying the 10th-best mark in program history (5.95 meters, 19’ 6.25”), and junior Kat Moody finished eighth (one point) in the women’s shot put with the No. 2 shot put at Iowa, marking 16.96 meters (55’ 7.75”).
“Kat Moody had a huge PR to finish as the second-best female shot put mark in Iowa history and managed eighth place in one of the deepest event competitions that I can ever remember in the Big Ten,” Woody said. “Kayla Hutchins came through big with a PR in the long jump to score some very important points for the team.”
Fourteen additional Hawkeyes put themselves in place to score on the final day of the Big Ten Championships.
In the women’s 100-meter hurdles, junior Paige Magee broke her own school record, crossing the finish in 13.08. Teammates Myreanna Bebe and Natalie Harris will join Magee in the finals after Bebe nearly broke her own personal best, crossing the line in 13.36, and Harris pushed to register the seventh all-time mark at Iowa, 13.50.
The women qualified four more in Lia Love in the 100 meters, junior Alli Bookin-Nosbisch in the 800 meters, and junior Tesa Roberts and freshman Aubrey Biermann in the 400 meters. Roberts’ 52.86 in the 400 meters bettered her seventh ranked mark in the Iowa record books.
“The women’s hurdlers kept the momentum going by qualifying three athletes to the final led by another school record by Paige Magee,” Woody said. “I thought Lia had a great race winning her heat to qualify for tomorrow’s final in the 100. Ali (Bookin-Nosbisch) had a great prelim and is in good position going into the 800 finals.”
On the men’s side, juniors Kalen Walker and Austin Kresley both automatically qualified for the 100-meter finals, winning their races. Walker’s 10.18 is his collegiate best and ranks second all-time for the program.
The 400-meter runners kept the momentum going for the men, qualifying four in junior Jenoah McKiver, junior Connor Belken, sophomore Chadrick Richards, and senior De’Andre Stapleton Jr. Belken broke his personal best (46.99) in the preliminary round to qualify for the finals.
“We had a lot of guys step up big with four qualifiers in the 400, two in the 100, and another in the 110 hurdles,” Woody said. “We are in a great position heading into the final day tomorrow with some very important events on the track and in the field events. The relays will also be huge for both programs. We need to have a big day tomorrow and compete for one another to give us a shot to win another trophy.”
Both teams sit in fifth place through day two. The men have 26 points with 20 more opportunities to score, and the women have 23 points with 22 more chances to add to the tally.
Big Ten Championship Sunday begins at 10 a.m. CT with the men’s triple jump and discus events. A full schedule is available on the track and field schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
HAWKEYE RESULTS:
Men’s 100 Meters Prelims
2. Kalen Walker – 10.18, finals qualifier
5. Austin Kresley – 10.25, finals qualifier
Women’s 100 Meters Prelims
9. LaSarah Hargrove – 11.483
10. Lia Love – 11.485, finals qualifier
18. Alexandria Edison – 11.74
26. Julia Pattison – 12.22
Men’s 400 Meters
6. Jenoah McKiver – 46.87, finals qualifier
7. Connor Belken – 46.99, PR, finals qualifier
8. Chadrick Richards – 47.07, finals qualifier
9. Deandre Stapleton Jr. – 47.13, finals qualifier
21. Evan Schuster – 48.70
Women’s 400 Meters
5. Tesa Roberts – 52.86, PR, finals qualifier
9. Aubrey Biermann – 53.36, finals qualifier
10. Ali Dorn – 54.21
11. Chloe Larsen – 54.29
Men’s 800 Meters
13. Ryan Schreiner – 1:50.24
15. Spencer Gudgel – 1:50.80
19. Tyler Olson – 1:51.13
26. Martin Strong – 1:51.87
30. Armando Bryson – 1:53.51
Women’s 800 Meters
7. Alli Bookin-Nosbisch – 2:06.81, finals qualifier
10. Clare Pitcher – 2:07.66
11. Grace Bookin-Nosbisch – 2:07.79
18. Jaiden Itson – 2:10.47, PR
Men’s 110 Hurdles
6. Grant Conway – 13.79, finals qualifier
Women’s 100 Hurdles
2. Paige Magee – 13.08, school record, finals qualifier
4. Myreanna Bebe – 13.36, finals qualifier
6. Natalie Harris – 13.50, PR, 7th all-time at Iowa, finals qualifier
13. Katie Peterson – 13.96
15. Ellie Rickertsen – 14.19, PR
Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
10. Yohana Yual – 9:07.74
15. Jack Pendergast – 9:24.31
Women’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
14. Brooke McKee – 11:03.16
Men’s High Jump
5. Zack Pluff – 2.14 meters (7’ 0.25”), ties 8th all-time at Iowa
17. Noah James – 1.95 meters (6’ 4.75”)
Men’s Long Jump
3. James Carter Jr. – 7.63 meters (25’ 0.5”)
7. Austin West – 7.43 meters (24’ 4.5”)
12. Deandre Stapleton Jr. – 7.24 meters (23’ 9”)
Women’s Long Jump
7. Kayla Hutchins – 5.95 meters (19’ 6.25”), PR, ties 10th all-time at Iowa
Men’s Shot Put
10. Elijah Barnes – 18.14 meters (59’ 6.25”)
15. Quintin Lyons – 17.81 meters (58’ 5.25”), PR
Women’s Shot Put
8. Kat Moody – 16.96 meters (55’ 7.75”), PR, ties 2nd all-time at Iowa
17. Jamie Kofron – 14.37 meters (47’ 1.75”)
18. Ianna Roach – 13.98 meters (45’ 10.5”)
Women’s Heptathlon
1. Tionna Tobias – 5,640 points
1. 100 hurdles – 13.20, PR, ties 2nd all-time at Iowa
2. High jump – 1.71 meters (5’ 7.25”), PR
9. Shot put – 10.49 meters (34’ 5”)
1. 200 meters – 23.97, PR
1. Long jump – 6.09 meters (19’ 11.75”)
10. Javelin – 27.35 meters (89’ 8”)
5. 800 meters – 2:19.61, PR