EUGENE, Ore. – Former University of Iowa track and field NCAA discus champion Laulauga Tausaga qualified for her third World Championships at the 2023 USATF Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday.
Tausaga set a new personal record of 65.46 meters (214’ 9”) on her final discus throw to solidify the second-place finish. This marks her third qualification to the World Championships, joining former Hawkeye Brittany Brown as a World Championship representative of the program.
Fellow Hawkeye alum Jamal Britt was the final qualifier for the men’s 110-meter hurdle final after an eighth place time of 13.30. Britt took home sixth place in the finals, clocking a 13.31. Current Iowa hurdler Gratt Reed crossed the line in 13.68 in the semifinals.
Austin Kresley brought his season to a close with a semifinal appearance and a 12th-place finish in the men’s 200-meter dash. Kresley’s time of 20.42 was an improvement from Saturday’s preliminary mark, but just two-tenths short from advancement.
In the U20 competition, distance runner and freshman Will Ryan highlighted the day in the 5,000-meter race. Ryan finished in third place with a time of 14:57.87, just three-tenths off of the winner.
Sal Capaldo put together a nice effort in the U20 decathlon, taking home sixth place with 6,448 points. His day began with his best performance, a third-place time in the 110-meter hurdles (14.88). Capaldo used a sixth-place mark, pair of seventh-place finishes and a ninth-place result to wrap up his decathlon in Eugene.
On the women’s side, Alexandria Edison competed in the U20 200-meter race, stopping the clock in 24.23 to put a bow on her season.
HAWKEYE RESULTS
U20 Women’s 200-meters
16. Alexandria Edison – 24.23
U20 Men’s 5,000-meters
3. Will Ryan – 14:57.87
U20 Decathlon
6. Sal Capaldo – 6,448 points
3. 110-meter hurdles – 14.88
7. Discus – 31.76 meters (104’ 2”)
6. Pole Vault – 3.90 meters (12’ 9.50”)
9. Javelin – 36.27 meters (119’)
7. 1,500-meters – 5:22.48
Women’s Discus
2. Laulauga Tausaga – 65.46 meters (214’ 9”)
Men’s 200-meters
12. Austin Kresley – 20.42
Men’s 110-meter hurdles semifinals
8. Jamal Britt – 13.30, q
15. Gratt Reed – 13.68
Men’s 110-meter hurdles
6. Jamal Britt – 13.31
Men’s Shot Put
16. Nik Curtiss – 19.12 meters (62’ 8.75”)