IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior Paige Magee shattered Iowa’s 60-meter hurdle school record during the Larry Wieczorek Invitational at the Hawkeye Indoor Track Facility on Saturday.
The Hawkeye hurdler broke through with an 8.00 finish, bettering her previous program record of 8.07 set at this season’s Jimmy Grant Invite on Dec. 9. Magee’s new best currently ranks second in the NCAA.
“It was a great day overall,” Magee said of her performance. “On Wednesday at practice, I felt like my reaction wasn’t really there. I had a couple of days to regroup and recover. In the prelims, I would say I didn’t have the best reaction, but I noticed it right off the bat and was able to make the switch for the finals.”
“We saw it coming,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said of Magee’s record. “To see her run eight flat this early in the year is spectacular. She’s putting her name out there as one of the best in the country.”
𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 🚨
Paige Magee runs 8.00 in the 60-meter hurdles to set Iowa's new all-time best!#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/hSkPpXn42J
— Iowa Track & Field/Cross Country (@IowaXC_TF) January 20, 2024
The women’s hurdle unit had a particularly strong day, sending five times to the finals. Senior Tionna Tobias, junior Miya Brines, sophomore Natalie Harris and senior Katie Petersen qualified with Magee. Harris and Petersen posted personal records of 8.47 and 8.54, respectively, in the finals.
Multi-event specialist sophomore Sal Capaldo was crowned the champion of the heptathlon and moved to sixth in program history with his 5,256-point performance. Capaldo notched second-place finishes in the 60-meter hurdles (8.32), pole vault (4.10 meters) and 1,000 meters (2:51.50). He prevailed over UNI’s Zach Butcher by 96 points.
Senior Joe Stein led the men’s 60-meter sprint group with a 6.77 lifetime best, while sophomore Holly Duax clocked a 7.45 to claim second in the women’s edition.
Completing a strong weekend of field events, Iowa’s triple jump unit displayed consistency as freshman Daniela Wamokpego matched her career best with a 13.12-meter leap. At the time of competition, Wamokpego’s mark was ranked fifth in the NCAA. Senior Kayla Hutchins put together a nice performance, finished fifth overall (12.24 meters). In his debut as a Hawkeye, freshman Precious Irivi made an instant impact on the program’s all-time list. Irivi, a native of Nigeria, began his career with a 15.10-meter triple jump and moved to sixth in Hawkeye history.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay group of sophomore Julia Pattison, Magee, freshman Olicia Lucas and redshirt sophomore Chloe Larsen passed the baton and sped to a title-clinching 3:40.91. The men’s quartet of senior De’Andre Stapleton Jr., sophomore Ryan Schreiner, freshman Josh Pugh and Fingalsen secured second place in 3:13.46.