THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes send sprints, hurdles and jumps to the New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., while mid-distance and distance head to South Bend, Ind., for the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 2-3. Competition begins on Friday with the New Mexico Collegiate Classic at 10 a.m. (CT) and at the Meyo Invite on Friday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. (CT). The throws group travels to Ames, Iowa, for the ISU Classic on Saturday. Action at the Meyo Invite and New Mexico Collegiate Classic resumes on Saturday morning.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
The New Mexico Collegiate Classic will be streamed via FloTrack (subscription required). Results for all three meets can be found on the live results link on the track and field schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. Updates and results will be posted on the team’s official ‘X’ account (iowaXC_TF) throughout the weekend.
IN THE RANKINGS
In this week’s USTFCCCA regional rankings, the Hawkeyes are ranked third in the women’s poll and sixth in the men’s. Iowa has seven women’s event groups ranked in the top 20, while the men are ranked within the top 20 in four event groups.
SPRINTING TO THE TOP
Senior Kalen Walker once again updated his program-best 60-meter dash time at the Black & Gold Invite. The Eddyville, Iowa, native posted a 6.58 en route to the title and broke the 60-meter school record for the third time this season. Walker currently leads the Big Ten and is ranked eighth nationally in the event.
FRONT PAIGE NEWS
Senior Paige Magee shattered her own school record at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Jan. 20, crossing the line of the 60-meter hurdles in 8.00. This is the second time Magee has broken the program’s record this season, after matching the previous all-time record (8.07) in the opener on Dec. 9. The senior from Columbia, Missouri, is currently ranked atop the Big Ten in the event group and third in the NCAA.
PERFECTING THEIR CRAFT
Multi-event specialists Sal Capaldo and Tionna Tobias opened their campaigns with event victories at the Wieczorek Invite. Capaldo was crowned the champion and moved to sixth in program history with his 5,256-point performance. The sophomore from Polk City, Iowa, notched the individual title in the high jump (1.96m) before earning three second-place finishes (60mH, pole vault, 1,000m) over the weekend. Tobias, the Big Ten’s reigning outdoor heptathlon champion, totaled 4,049 points in her pentathlon championship. The senior from Sicklerville, New Jersey, ranks third in program history and leads the Big Ten following her performance. Tobias set a pair of meet, track and facility records within the pentathlon (60mH, long jump) on her way to the title.
CLEAN SWEEP
For the first time in program history, the Hawkeyes swept Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors following the Jimmy Grant Alumni Invitational. Paige Magee won the women’s track athlete of the week honor by breaking the program’s 60-meter hurdles record. Kalen Walker broke his own 60-meter school record twice (6.60 | 6.59) in the season opener. Daniela Wamokpego, a freshman from Meaux, France, made an instant impact with her triple jump of 13.12 meters (43′ 0.5″) to win the women’s field award. Sean Smith set a facility record in the weight throw on his way to the men’s field honor, tossing a 21.66-meter (71′ 0.75″) mark.
UPDATING THE ALL-TIME LISTS
This season, the Hawkeyes have made 22 updates to the top-10 lists:
Women’s 60-meters: Love (2nd), Duax (5th), Magee (8th)
Men’s 60-meters: Walker (1st)
Women’s 60-meter hurdles: Magee (1st), Tobias (3rd)
Men’s 60-meter hurdles: Conway (4th)
Women’s 600-meters: A. Bookin-Nosbisch (6th)
Men’s 800-meters: Marshall (4th)
Women’s Pentathlon: Tobias (3rd), Wirth (6th), Rochford (10th)
Women’s High Jump: Wirth (6th)
Men’s Weight Throw: Smith (2nd), Busch (4th)
Women’s Weight Throw: Kofron (3rd), Bauer (5th)
Women’s Long Jump: Zeffou-Poaty (3rd), Hutchins (8th)
Women’s Triple Jump: Wamokpego (2nd)
Men’s Triple Jump: Irivi (7th)
Heptathlon: Capaldo (6th)
SPEED THRILLS
Kalen Walker leads the men’s sprint group in 2024. Walker owns the program’s 60-meter school record (6.58), set on Jan. 27 at the Black & Gold Invite. Seniors Damoy Allen, Khullen Jefferson and Austin Kresley prepare to open at the NM Classic. Hurdlers Grant Conway, Kai Graves–Blanks, Kalil Johnson and Gratt Reed are off tostrong starts in 2024. Conway is first in the Big Ten and fifth in the NCAA following his opener (7.68) at the Black & Gold Invite. Junior Lia Love leads the Hawkeye women’s sprints unit into the 2023-24 season. She holds five top-10 program marks, including the second-best 60-meter time (7.28). Sophomore Holly Duax joins Love at the top of the sprints group and climbed to fifth in program history with a 7.42 at the opener. Senior Paige Magee returns as a sprints and hurdles specialist. Magee ranks third in the NCAA following her record-breaking 60-meter hurdle performance at the Wieczorek Invitational.
KEEPING PACE
Following his facility record 1:47.83 in the 800 meters at the Jimmy Grant Invite, mid-distance runner Rivaldo Marshall was named the USTFCCCA men’s athlete of the week. It was Iowa’s first ever men’s indoor National Athlete of the Week honor. All-Big Ten transfer Zidane Brown adds talented depth to the group after placing third in the 400 meters at last year’s Big Ten Championships. On the women’s side, 800-meter school-record holder Alli Bookin–Nosbisch takes aim at the mile school record. Bookin-Nosbisch began the season with a personal-best 4:48.08 in the mile. Returner Chloe Larsen is another key piece to the mid-distance group and started with the 600-meter title (1:30.26) on Dec. 9. The women’s 4×400 relay team of Larsen, Holly Duax, Gabby Cortez and Bookin-Nosbisch holds the 14th-fastest time in the NCAA following its 3:41.06 finish at the Hawkeye Invite.
LAUNCH PARTY
Sophomores Sean Smith and Austin Busch are leading the men’s throws unit through the first month of the season. The duo holds top five marks in the weight throw. Smith is second all-time (21.83m), while Busch is fourth (20.91). Quintin Lyons leads the charge in the shot put and claimed an individual title in the season opener. Senior Alivia Bauer has two weight throw titles to start the indoor campaign. Senior Jamie Kofron ranks third in the weight throw and 10th in the shot put. Senior Kat Moody holds the third-best shot put mark (54’ 7.25” | 16.64m), set at last season’s Tyson Invite.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes remain on the road, scheduled to compete at the Tyson Invite in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Jarvis Scott Open in Lubbock, Texas, and the Windy City City Invite in Chicago on Feb. 9-10.