Iowa looks to build on historic performances heading into week three of the outdoor season.
- Senior Kalen Walker set the Iowa program record in the 100-meter dash on April 15 at the USF Alumni Invite, racing 10.09 to win the event. Walker, whose previous best was 10.18, topped teammate Austin Kresley’s record set last season by one-hundredth of a second. Walker’s time is the fastest in the nation this year and is faster than any 100-meter time recorded by a Big Ten athlete during the 2023 season. Walker is a native of Eddyville, Iowa.
- Sophomore Mike Stein shattered his own school record with a 79.26-meter javelin throw to open outdoor season. The Milford, Iowa, native holds the second-best mark in the NCAA. Stein threw 75 meters or more on three of his six throws to win the event in Tampa; his previous record stood at 75.59 meters.
- Last time out, senior Tionna Tobias set the third-best long jump in women’s program history at 6.51 meters (21’ 4.25”). Tobias placed first in an elite invitational field at the Florida Relays; freshman Maud Zeffou-Poaty placed second in the open long jump field, tying the fifth-ranked program mark at 6.19 meters (20’ 3.75”).
- Two sophomores posted distance times that ranked seventh in school history last weekend at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic. Hayden Kuhn ran 9:01.92 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Brayden Burnett posted 29:41.66 in his 10,000-meter debut.
- The Hawkeyes have made 12 updates to the program top-10 lists through two weeks of outdoor competition.
THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes compete at the Jim Click Shootout in Tucson, Arizona. The field of teams includes Arizona, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Kansas, Kansas State and Nebraska.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Live stream and result links can be found on the track and field schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. Updates and results will also be posted on the team’s official ‘X’ account (@iowaXC_TF).
IN THE RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked first in the Midwest men’s regional rankings. The Hawkeyes are ranked fourth in the women’s regional ranking. Three women’s event groups rank top 10 nationally.
HAWKEYE HURDLERS
Seniors Paige Magee, Mariel Bruxvoort and Tionna Tobias lead a women’s hurdle group that is ranked first in the nation in the 400-meter hurdles and seventh in the 100-meter hurdles. Magee set the school record in the 100-meter hurdles (12.90) last season, while Tobais ranks third on the program record board (13.11). Magee ranks second for Iowa in the 400-meter hurdles (56.62) while Bruxvoort ranks fifth (56.71). Magee also set a school record in the 60-meter hurdles at Big Ten Indoors, racing 7.99 in the prelims to tie for the best time in the Big Ten and seventh nationally this year. Magee was a second-team All-American in the 60-meter hurdles. The men’s team returns three top-10 hurdlers in school history, including seniors Austin West, Gratt Reed and Grant Conway. Junior Kalil Johnson returns from a school-record shuttle hurdle relay team.
TIONNA TOBIAS-ED
In addition to her hurdle prowess, Tobias was a Big Ten Champion last season in the women’s heptathlon, earning 5,640 points for the second-best total in program history. At the Florida Relays, Tobias improved to third in program history in the long jump 6.51 meters (21’ 4.25”).
NEED FOR SPEED
Iowa returns a senior quartet in the men’s 4×100 that placed eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season. The group includes Kalen Walker, Austin Kresley, Gratt Reed and Damoy Allen. Walker has been stellar for Iowa this season, setting program records in the 100 meters (10.09) and 60 meters (6.51). Kresley is first in men’s program history in the 200 meters (20.26) and second in the 100 meters (10.10). On the women’s side, senior Lia Love set the program 60-meter record at 7.24. Love was blazing in the outdoor opener with a wind-aided 11.15 in the 100 and helping the 4×100 team to a ninth all-time result (44.54).
THE BOOKIN-NOSBISCH CLUB
Twins Alli and Grace Bookin-Nosbisch have etched their names in the annals of the Iowa record book. Alli broke the school record in the 800 meters last time out, racing 2:03.26 at the Florida Relays. She also set the indoor record (2:03.42) this season. Grace ranks fourth outdoors (2:05.49) and seventh indoors (2:02.21). For the indoor distance-medley relay, the duo shares real estate on the top line. The twins contribute to a women’s 800-meter crew that is ranked fifth in the nation this week.
IN THE FAST LANE: RIVALDO MARSHALL
Senior Rivaldo Marshall was named USTFCCCA Midwest Athlete of the Year on March 15 for his accomplishments this indoor season. Marshall became Iowa’s first national champion in the 800 meters on March 9. Marshall ran just one-tenth of a second behind his program-record 1:46.86 set at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 10. The Kingston, Jamaica, native arrived in Iowa City this season by way of Indian Hills Community College, where he was an NJCAA Indoor National Champion in the 800 meters last year. Marshall has competed in just four meets as a Hawkeye. Along with victories at the Tyson Invite and NCAA Championships, Marshall won the 800 meters on Dec. 9 at the Jimmy Grant Invitational in Iowa City; he was subsequently USTFCCCA Men’s National DI Athlete of the Week. Marshall placed fifth in the 800 (1:49.32) and anchored the 4×400-meter relay team to a third-place finish (3:07.48) at Big Ten Indoors.
THROW IT DOWN
Iowa throwers have set 10 marks ranked inside the program top five this season. Indoors, senior Sean Smith and sophomore Austin Busch posted the second and fourth ranked weight throws in men’s program history, respectively. Seniors Jamie Kofron (3rd) and Alivia Bauer (5th) improved their standings in the women’s weight throw, and senior Kat Moody threw the second-ranked shot put in school history. This outdoor season, Mike Stein threw a school record in the men’s javelin and sophomore Lizzie Korczak threw the No. 2 mark in the women’s javelin (50.62m | 166′ 1″). Smith (4th) and Busch (5th) threw program marks in the hammer throw, and sophomore Wisdom Williams threw the No. 4 mark in the women’s shot put.
UPDATING THE ALL-TIME LISTS
The Hawkeyes have made 46 updates to the program record boards this season, including 12 outdoor top-10 performances.
- Men’s 100-meters: Walker (1st)
- Women’s 800-meters: A. Bookin-Nosbisch (1st)
- Men’s 3K Steeplechase: Kuhn (7th)
- Men’s 10k: Burnett (7th)
- Women’s 4×100: Duax, Love, Pattison, Edison (9th)
- Men’s Hammer Throw: Smith (4th), Busch (5th)
- Women’s Shot Put: Williams (4th)
- Men’s Javelin: Stein (1st)
- Women’s Javelin: Korczak (2nd)
- Women’s Long Jump: Tobias (3rd), Zeffou-Poaty (5th)
GREAT INDOORS
The Hawkeyes reached historic heights this indoor season.
- The women’s team placed third at the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Feb. 24, matching the program’s best finish set last year. The Hawkeyes tallied 73 points and sent three qualifiers to the NCAA Indoor Championships.
- For the men, junior Rivaldo Marshall became the first 800-meter national champion in program history, racing 1:46.96 for the gold at nationals.
- Iowa placed ninth at the NCAA Indoor Championships with 21 points, good for the second-highest finish at the meet in school history. Iowa had four qualifiers and three first-team All-Americans.
- In total, the Hawkeyes set seven school records during the indoor season:
- Lia Love – Women’s 60m (7.24)
- Kalen Walker – Men’s 60m (6.51)
- Paige Magee –Women’s 60m Hurdles (7.99)
- Alli Bookin-Nosbisch – Women’s 800m (2:03.42)
- Rivaldo Marshall – Men’s 800m (1:46.86)
- Sean Smith – Men’s Weight Throw (22.28m)
- Daniela Wamokpego – Women’s Triple Jump (13.24m)
RETURNING PRODUCTION
- The men’s squad placed third at the conference outdoor meet in 2023. The group retains three Big Ten medalists, 20 conference place-finishers and 10 NCAA Outdoor Championships entries from last season.
- For the men, five outdoor Iowa record-setters return. That group includes Kresley (100m, 200m), West (decathlon), sophomore Stein (javelin) and the 4×100-meter relay group of Walker, Kresley, Reed and Allen. Iowa’s 4×100 placed eighth at NCAA Outdoors last season and finished Big Ten runners-up.
- West is Iowa’s top returner from nationals last season, where he placed third with 8,054 points in the decathlon.
- The women’s team returns three Big Ten medalists and seven entries from the NCAA Outdoor Championships last spring.
- Magee competed in three events at nationals, including the 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles and 4×400-meter relay.
- Magee took runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles at the Big Ten meet; her 12.90 time at the conference championships set a school record in the 100-meter hurdles.
- Magee was a second-team All-American in the event at outdoor nationals; the women’s team also returns three of four total individuals from last season that earned All-American honorable mentions.
- Tobias was the women’s heptathlon Big Ten Champion in 2023.
UP NEXT
Iowa competes April 11-13 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, as well as the Beach Invitational in Long Beach, California and the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida.