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Track and Field Notebook: Cyclone TwilightTrack and Field Notebook: Cyclone Twilight
Stephen Mally
Men's Track & Field

Track and Field Notebook: Cyclone Twilight

The Hawkeyes travel to the Cyclone Twilight meet at Iowa State on Friday, May 9.

Cyclone Twilight Schedule Full Notes (PDF)
by Elizabeth Coon

THIS WEEK

The Hawkeyes conclude the regular season, sending a small group to the Cyclone Twilight in Ames on Friday, May 9. The one-day meet begins at 3:00 p.m. (CT).

2025 NEWS

  • In the men’s hammer throw, the Hawkeyes swept the podium at the Musco Twilight. Sophomore Ryan Johnson led the way, breaking his own school record and setting a new facility record with a throw of 73.20 meters. Junior Sean Smith took second by throwing 66.93 meters. Sophomore Austin Busch rounded out the top three with a throw of 65.61 meters.
  • In the men’s javelin, junior Mike Stein placed first with a throw of 78.58 meters. Stein’s throw set a new facility record and moved him to 3rd in NCAA Division 1 this season.
  • In the women’s high jump, freshman Maria Arboleda broke her own school record and set a facility record with a jump of 1.88 meters. Arboleda’s performance moved her to fifth in the NCAA.
  • The Hawkeyes took home the women’s Drake Relays Cup for the first time since 2019.
  • At the Drake Relays, the 4x800-meter relay team of Derek Leicht, James Fingalsen, Ryan Schreiner and Terrick Johnson set a then world-leading time of 7:21.88 to secure the event title for the first time since 2017. The group's time ranks third at Iowa.
  • The women’s sprint medley team of Holly Duax, Lia Love, Damaris Mutunga and Alli Bookin-Nosbisch secured an event win and a school record at Drake with a time of 3:44.12.
  • Freshman Bryce Ruland climbed the all-time list with his 57.62-meter throw, ranking eighth all-time at Iowa and securing first place. On the women’s side, Sydnie Smith launched a 52.30-meter throw that earned her the gold at Drake.
  • Duax earned two flags at the Drake Relays in the sprint medley and 100-meters, where she clocked in an 11.98 finish.
  • The women’s 4x400 relay invitational was dominated by Alivia Williams, Olicia Lucas, Mutunga and Chioma Nwachukwu, finishing in 3:31.13. In the women’s 4x400 university relay, Ellie Rickertsen, Gabby Cortez, Ali Fransen and Jaiden Itson also finished first with a time of 3:40.67 at the Blue Oval.
  • In Des Moines, Luke Knepp led the Hawkeyes as the top collegian in the 3,000-meter steeplechase open, clocking in at 8:43.84.
  • The men’s 4x110 shuttle hurdles team of Kalil Johnson, Tyler Kenaga, Drew Dillard, and Kai Graves-Blanks claimed a flag with a time of 57.26. The group now ranks second all-time at Iowa, securing its first win since 2022.
  • At the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, fifth-year senior Kalen Walker clocked a personal-best 10.06 in the 100-meter invite, improving on his previous record of 10.09 and finishing fifth overall.

LAST TIME OUT

The University of Iowa track and field team capped off the 23rd-annual Musco Twilight at the Francis X. Cretzmeyer Outdoor Track and Field Complex on Saturday with 18 event titles and two school records.  In the women’s high jump, freshman Maria Arboleda broke her own school record and set a facility record with a jump of 1.88 meters. Arboleda’s performance moved her to fifth in the NCAA. In the men’s hammer throw, the Hawkeyes swept the podium. Sophomore Ryan Johnson led the way, breaking his own school record and setting a new facility record with a throw of 73.20 meters. Junior Sean Smith took second by throwing 66.93 meters. Redshirt sophomore Austin Busch rounded out the top three with a throw of 65.61 meters. In the men’s javelin, junior Mike Stein placed first with a throw of 78.58 meters. Stein’s throw set a new facility record and moved him to 3rd in NCAA Division 1 this season.

HAWKEYES RETURN TO AMES

The Hawkeyes return to Iowa State this weekend for the Cyclone Twilight. Last season, Hayden Kuhn climbed to third on Iowa’s all-time list in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Kuhn clocked an 8:50.99 in the event and placed second. The Marion, Iowa, native made a nine-second improvement on his previous best. The Hawkeyes set additional personal records with Lily Johannes (2:16.12) and Cameron Kalaway (2:19.28) in the women’s 800 meters and James Fingalsen (1:53.82) in the men’s 800. Ian Geisler (3:51.99) and Carson Houg (3:52.08) notched career bests in the men’s 1,500 meters.

MUSCO RECORDS

At the Musco Twilight, the Hawkeyes collected school records in the hammer throw and high jump. In the men’s hammer throw, the Hawkeyes swept the podium with sophomore Ryan Johnson leading the way. Johnson broke his own school record and set a new facility record with a throw of 73.20 meters. This mark ranks 7th in NCAA division 1. In the women’s high jump, freshman Maria Arboleda broke her own school record and set a facility record with a jump of 1.88 meters. Arboleda’s performance moved her to fifth in the NCAA. 

HAWKEYES WIN WOMEN’S DRAKE RELAY CUP

The University of Iowa track and field team concluded an incredible weekend of competition at the Drake Relays, winning the women’s Drake Relays Cup for the second time in program history. The Iowa women last won the Drake Relays Cup in 2019. The Hawkeyes had first-place finishes in the women’s sprint medley, the women’s 4x400 relay invitational and open. The women’s sprint medley team of Holly Duax, Lia Love, Damaris Mutunga and Alli Bookin-Nosbisch secured an event win and a school record with its time of 3:44.12. The women’s 4x400 relay invitational was dominated by Alivia Williams, Olicia Lucas, Mutunga and Chioma Nwachukwu, finishing in 3:31.13. This marks Iowa’s first 4x400-relay win at the Drake Relays.

SCHOOL RECORDS IN ORLANDO

The Hawkeyes posted three school records during their trip to Orlando, Florida, to open the outdoor season. Junior Lizzy Korczak started things off strong in the javelin with her first throw shattering the all-time record. She launched a throw of 58.10 meters, surpassing her previous personal best and top-ten mark. Sophomore Ryan Johnson kept the momentum going in the hammer throw crushing another program record. He recorded a 71.12-meter toss with five of Johnson’s throws eclipsing the 68-meter mark. On day two of the UCF Black and Gold Invitational, freshman Maria Arboleda posted a program record in her debut in the high jump. Arboleda cleared 1.87 meters to win the event.

INDOOR SEASON SUCCESS

Both the men’s and women’s squads have had an impressive finish to the indoor season, with 35 updates made to the all-time list. Notably, Pauline Bikembo set the Iowa school record in the women’s pentathlon with 4,331 points in the NCAA Championships. At the Iowa Open, sophomore Daniela Wamokpego reset the program record in the triple jump, leaping to a 13.51-meter mark. Sophomore Ryan Johnson also set multiple Iowa program records throughout the indoor season. At the Robinson Family Open, Johnson shattered the school record with a 24.59-meter throw, which ranked fourth in NCAA Division I history at the time of competition. Earlier in the season, the women’s 4x400 relay team of Alivia Williams, Chioma Nwachukwu, Damaris Mutunga, and Olicia Lucas crushed Iowa’s program record with a time of 3:30.42.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Hawkeyes gear up for the Big Ten Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with action starting Friday, May 16 and continuing through Sunday, May 18. Last year, the Hawkeyes placed second in the men’s competition and seventh in the women’s competition with four conference event championships. Iowa earned three men’s event championships and one women’s event championship last season. Kat Moody was an event champion in the women’s discus, Mike Stein won the javelin title, the men's 4x100 meter relay and 4x400 meter relay also secured titles. The 4x100 team was made up of Kalen Walker, Gratt Reed, De’Andre Stapleton Jr. and Damoy Allen. Isaac Lewis, Josh Pugh, Connor Belken and Rivaldo Marshall brought home the win in the 4x400. The men’s program has finished third or better at the outdoor conference championships five times in a row, dating back to 2019.

UPDATING THE ALL-TIME LISTS

The Hawkeyes have made 37 updates to the outdoor top-10 list:

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes set their sights on the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from May 16-18.