Hawkeyes Collect 9 Titles at Hawkeye Invitational

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa track and field concluded the Hawkeye Invitational on Saturday inside the Hawkeye Indoor Track Facility. The Hawkeyes claimed nine event titles on day two.

“At the first meet back from winter break, we always want to see where the team is at,” Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said. “We had some fantastic performances today. Our multis group had a strong day. Abraham had a nice pole vault on a short approach and he is proving he is going to be a phenomenal talent. The hurdlers ran well and I thought Kai had a terrific performance competing against the reigning Big Ten champion. Kalil is right off of his personal record.”

“Jeanne in the triple jump notched a personal best in her first meet and she is doing some really good things. Our 400s performed well. Zidane and Isaac competed at a high level. Chioma is an unbelievable talent and is going to do some amazing things for our team.”

Iowa had a strong showing in the hurdles on Saturday, with returning All-American Paige Magee coasting to the women’s 60-meter hurdles title in 8.37. On the men’s side, sophomore Kai Graves-Blanks (7.85, PR) and senior Kalil Johnson (7.90) placed second and third, respectively. The Hawkeye hurdlers went 7-for-7 qualifying to the finals, as Graves-Blanks, Johnson and freshman Tyler Kenaga punched their tickets to the men’s 60-meter hurdle finals. Magee was joined by multi-event specialists Pauline Bikembo, Jeanne Le Goff, and Annie Wirth in the title race of the 60-meter hurdles.

In the women’s 60 meters, senior Lia Love secured a second-place finish of 7.43, while junior Holly Duax took third with a 7.50. In the prelims, sophomore Olicia Lucas used a personal-best 7.66 to qualify for the finals, before placing seventh in 7.67.

The Hawkeyes made waves in the 400 meters. Freshman Chioma Nwachukwu emerged as the victor in the women’s race in 53.32 and posted Iowa’s seventh-fastest time in program history. The freshman from Asaba, Nigeria, also climbed to third in the country. Senior Zidane Brown and sophomore Isaac Lewis posted times within the top-ten in the NCAA Division I. Brown won the men’s 400 meters in 46.99, good for seventh in the NCAA, while Lewis followed in 47.19 for the ninth-fastest time in the nation. 

In the field events, sophomore Maud Zeffou-Poaty improved upon her fourth-longest jump in school history with a matched personal record of 6.19 meters to win the long jump. Across the track in the men’s pole vault, freshman Abraham Vogelsang finished second with a 5.00-meter mark. The freshman from Oslo, Norway, moved into a tie for seventh place in program history with the result.

The Hawkeyes claimed victories in both the men’s and women’s triple jump. Sophomore Precious Irivi improved on his all-time best with a 15.27-meter jump, while Jeanne Le Goff won the women’s event with Iowa’s fourth-best all-time mark of 12.87 meters.

To finish the day, both men’s and women’s 4x400 meter relay teams claimed first place. Sal Capaldo, Braedin Zondervan, Lewis and Brown took home the gold with a time of 3:12.64. On the women’s side, Olicia Lucas, Love, Nwachukwu and Alivia Williams recovered from a collision after the first leg and took first with 3:47.31. Hawkeyes Ali Frandsen, Ellie Rickertsen, Claire Kohler and Annie Wirth hit the 3:52.06 mark – good for third place. Finishing out the event, Bikembo, Wamokpego, Zeffou-Poaty and Le Goff secured fourth with 3:54.94.

Up Next: The Hawkeyes host the Larry Wieczorek Invitational at the Hawkeye Indoor Track Facility on January 24-25.

HAWKEYE RESULTS
Women’s 60 meters prelims
2. Lia Love - 7.44, Q
3. Holly Duax - 7.51, Q 
5. Olicia Lucas - 7.66, PR, q
10. Lillian Harden - 7.81

Women’s 60 meters finals
2. Lia Love - 7.43
3. Holly Duax - 7.50
7. Olicia Lucas - 7.67

Men’s 60m hurdles prelims
1. Kai Graves-Blanks - 7.88, PR, Q
2. Kalil Johnson - 7.97, Q
7. Tyler Kenaga - 8.32, q

Men’s 60m hurdles finals
2. Kai Graves-Blanks - 7.85, PR
3. Kalil Johnson - 7.90
6. Tyler Kenaga - 8.06

Women’s 60m hurdles prelims
1. Paige Magee 8.42, Q
2. Pauline Bikembo - 8.54, Q
6. Jeanne Le Goff - 9.13, PR, q
7. Annie Wirth - 9.17, q

Women’s 60m hurdles finals
1. Paige Magee - 8.37
2. Pauline Bikembo - 8.46, PR
4. Jeanne Le Goff - 9.00, PR
5. Annie Wirth - 9.09

Men’s 200 Meters
3. Sal Capaldo - 21.90
15. Will Davidson - 23.17

Women’s 200 Meters
1. Paige Magee - 24.61
4. Daniela Wamokpego - 25.26
5. Ali Frandsen - 25.30, PR
12. Claire Kohler - 25.92
13. Ellie Rickertsen - 25.93

Men’s 400 meters
1. Zidane Brown - 46.99, 7th in DI
2. Isaac Lewis - 47.19, 9th in DI
4. Braedin Zondervan - 48.79

Women’s 400 meters
1. Chioma Nwachukwu - 53.32, 7th at Iowa, 3rd in D1
2. Alivia Williams - 54.19

Men’s 600 meters
6. Nicholas Gorsich - 1:22.18
7. Canaan Burnett - 1:24.33

Women’s 600 meters
9. Ava Rush - 1:39.80

Men’s Mile
7. Carson Houg - 4:11.53, PR

Women’s Mile
9. Elena Torres - 4:55.49
22. Clare Kelly - 5:07.55
23. Cameron Kalaway - 5:08.99
31. Marissa Long - 5:20.13

Men’s 3,000 meters
5. Will Ryan - 8:13.73, PR
6. Miles Wilson - 8:17.08, PR
9. Yohana Yual - 8:27.13
11. Kyle Montgomery - 8:28.12
15. Ethan Eichhorn - 8:42.36, PR

Women’s 3,000 meters
7. Miriam Sandeen - 9:57.08, PR 
11. Hillary Trainor - 10:04.01, PR
13. Jalyssa Blazek - 10:16.06, PR
16. Audra Soderlind - 10:21.89, PR
19. Abby Ryon - 10:34.29

Men’s 4x400 relay
1. Capaldo, Zondervan, Lewis, Brown - 3:12.64

Women’s 4x400 relay
1. Lucas, Love, Nwachukwu, Al. Williams - 3:47.31
3. Frandsen, Rickertsen, Kohler, Wirth - 3:52.06
4. Bikembo, Wamokpego, Zeffou-Poaty, Le Goff - 3:54.94

Women’s Long Jump
1. Maud Zeffou-Poaty - 6.19 meters (20’ 3.75”), =PR, 4th at Iowa
5. Carlee Rochford - 5.37 meters (17’ 7.50”)

Men’s Triple Jump
1. Precious Irivi - 15.27 meters (50’ 1.25”), PR, 7th at Iowa

Women’s Triple Jump
1. Jeanne Le Goff - 12.87 meters (42’ 2.75”), 4th at Iowa

Men’s Pole Vault
2. Abraham Vogelsang - 5.00 meters (16’ 4.75”), 7th at Iowa
6. Sal Capaldo - 4.20 meters (13’ 9.25”), SB
10. Canaan Burnett - 3.75 meters (12’ 3.50), PR
11. Will Davidson - 3.60 meters (11’ 9.75”)