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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Junior Gabby Cortez earned the gold medal in the women’s 600 meters on Saturday afternoon at the Big Ten Indoor Championships inside the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Cortez improved her previous career best with a 1:28.18 finish in the women’s 600-meter finals, securing the Big Ten title. She now ranks fourth in program history and is Iowa’s first Big Ten indoor women’s 600-meter champion since 2011. Senior Alli Bookin-Nosbisch also finished on the podium, placing fourth in 1:29.60.
As a team, Iowa finished in the top five on both the men’s and women’s side. The women’s team placed fourth with 51 points, while the men's team secured fifth place with 62 points. Oregon won both team titles.
“What an amazing weekend for our team,” Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said. “I am so proud of our athletes and staff for how we competed the entire weekend all the way through the last event. The athletes were ferocious competitors all weekend and really showed out in this championship environment. Finishing top five for both genders is a terrific performance in the first indoor championships in the new Big Ten.”
“There are so many athletes to recognize for their success this weekend, but I want to point out our multiple Big Ten championships and medalists for their incredible performances. Ryan and Pauline got the momentum going on day one with their tremendous victories. Gabby had an amazing weekend running a great prelim race to set herself up to be in the fast heat today where she took the lead from the gun and led all the way to the tape in an incredible performance.”
The men’s and women’s 4x400-meter relay teams both captured second place finishes as the championships drew to a close. The men’s quartet of Landon Fontenot, Isaac Lewis, Terrick Johnson and Zidane Brown clocked in a time of 3:06.18. On the women’s side, Olicia Lucas, Alivia Williams, Chioma Nwachukwu and Damaris Mutunga finished in 3:31.04.
Sal Capaldo, Johnson and Nwachukwu each clinched bronze medals in their respective events.
Capaldo improved his previous program all-time best in the heptathlon, capturing a total of 5,528 points. His score ranks sixth all-time at Iowa. Capaldo picked up where he left off on Saturday, scoring a personal best in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.18. Capaldo matched his best in the pole vault, placing eighth at 4.35 meters.
Johnson crushed his previous personal best in the men’s 600-meter finals with a time of 1:16.00. Johnson’s third-place finish propelled him to second all-time at Iowa.
Nwachukwu took the podium alongside Mutunga in the women’s 400-meter finals. Nwachukwu, a freshman from Asaba, Nigeria, clocked in a time of 52.44 to secure her spot in third. Mutunga’s time of 52.75 was good for fifth overall.
“Sal had an incredible weekend, battling through seven events and using a gutsy performance in the 1,000 meter race to earn his first medal,” Woody added. “Terrick had an amazing weekend with his huge personal record in the 600. He turned around and ran a tough third leg on our 4x4 to help us finish runner-up. Chioma finished third as a true freshman and then ran a fast lead leg to set up our 4x4 that competed well and battled through each leg to finish runner-up just behind USC.”
Freshman Landon Fontenot cracked into Iowa’s top-ten list with his performance in the men’s 400-meter finals. Fontenot finished in 46.59 to place fifth at the Big Ten Championships and eighth all-time at Iowa. Kai Graves-Blanks finished fourth in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 7.79.
Iowa closed the weekend with ten all-conference honors on the men’s side, including a first-team honor for Ryan Johnson in the weight throw. Emmanuel Njoku, along with Landon Fontenot, Isaac Lewis, Terrick Johnson and Zidane Brown, earned second-team recognition. Four Hawkeyes were named to the all-Big Ten freshman team: Graves-Blanks, Fontenot, Lewis and Njoku.
On the women’s side, nine Hawkeyes claimed all-conference honors, including first-team performances from Pauline Bikembo and Gabby Cortez. Alivia Williams, Olicia Lucas, Chioma Nwachukwu and Damaris Mutunga were second-team all-Big Ten following their 4x400 relay performance. Bikembo, Mutunga and Nwachuckwu made their way to the all-freshman team.
Up Next: Iowa track and field will wrap up the indoor season at the NCAA Indoor Championships next week in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Competition kicks off Friday, March 14.