Notes: Jimmy Grant Invitational

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes begin the 2025-26 indoor track and field campaign by hosting the Jimmy Grant Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The heptathlon begins Friday at 1 p.m. (CT) at the Hawkeye Indoor Track Facility. The meet continues on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
The meet schedule and results can be found on the Iowa Track and Field schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. Updates and results will also be posted on the team's official 'X' account (iowaXC_TF). A YouTube stream will be provided for home meets and can also be found on the schedule page.

2025-26 HIGHLIGHTS

• Three-time All-American Kalen Walker returns for the Hawkeyes for his senior campaign after redshirting during indoor last season. Walker holds the program’s school record in the 60 meters (6.51), 100 meters (9.94), and as part of 4x100-meter relay (38.64).
• Returning first-team All-American Ryan Johnson placed third in the weight throw at last season’s NCAA Championships (24.48m) and won the Big Ten weight throw title (24.38m). He set a school record of 24.59 meters at the Robinson Family Open, which earned him Big Ten Men’s Field Event Athlete of the Week honors.
• Reigning 600-meter Big Ten Champion senior Gabby Cortez returns to lead a strong women’s mid-distance group. Sophomores Chioma Nwachukwu and Damaris Mutunga are for their sophomore seasons after posting the team’s fastest times in the 400 and 600 meters. On the men’s side, Landon Fontenot, Terrick Johnson and Josh Pugh lead the way. Seniors Derek Leicht and Ryan Schreiner look to close out their collegiate careers on a high note. They’re joined by juniors James Fingalsen, Carson Lane, and Caleb Levy.
• The Hawkeyes return a strong throws group this season including senior Sean Smith, junior Austin Busch and sophomore Bryce Ruland. Smith placed fifth in weight throw at the Big Ten Championships last season, while Ruland posted a collegiate and team best in the shot put.
• Iowa’s women’s hurdles group features four upperclassmen, including senior Natalie Harris, who returns after missing the 2025 season. Transfers Jailya Ash and Dymonde Nave join Harris to strengthen the group.
• The multis bring back senior Sal Capaldo and juniors Carlee Rochford and Annie Wirth under the direction of first-year assistant coach Cameron Burrows. Capaldo is coming off a third-place finish in the heptathlon at the B1G Championships with a collegiate-best 5,528 points, which ranks sixth all-time at Iowa. Rochford placed 15th in the pentathlon with a collegiate-best 3,631 points.
• The Hawkeyes lean on a veteran group of women’s sprinters including Holly Duax, Alexandria Edison, Olicia Lucas and junior transfer Princess Uche. Damaris Mutunga, Chioma Nwachukwu, Alivia Williams and Arianna Williams are back in a loaded sprints group.
• The program welcomed 28 signees to the roster, who will join 63 returning student-athletes. 

SCHEDULE NOTES
Iowa will host four meets at the Hawkeye Indoor Track Facility during indoor season. The Jimmy Grant Alumni Invitational and Multi will take place as the home opener on Dec. 12-13. Following Christmas break, the program returns to action with the Hawkeye Invitational (Jan. 9-10) and annual Larry Wieczorek Invite (Jan. 23-24). The team travels to the Arkansas Invitational (Jan. 16) in between those two home meets. Iowa will return to the Meyo Invitational, New Mexico Collegiate Classic, Iowa State Classic and Tyson Invitational during the middle of the indoor season. The Iowa Open (Feb. 20) will be the final home meet of the campaign. Postseason competition heads to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championships, while the NCAA Indoor Championships will take place in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

2025 INDOOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior and school-record holder Ryan Johnson was Iowa's first Big Ten Champion in the weight throw in 2025. He finished as a first-team All-American at the national meet.
• Gabby Cortez was the Big Ten Champion in the 600 meters.
• The 4x400 relay group of Landon Fontenot, Isaac Lewis, Terrick Johnson and Zidane Brown won silver at the Big Ten Championships.
• The women's 4x400 team of Alivia Williams, Chioma Nwachukwu, Olicia Lucas and Damaris Mutunga took home second place at the conference championships.
• Emmanuel Njoku placed second at the conference meet in the long jump.
• Sal Capaldo (heptathlon), Terrick Johnson (600 meters) and Chioma Nwachukwu (400 meters) earned bronze medals at the Big Ten meet.
• The Iowa women finished 4th at the conference meet, while the men took 5th.
• Junior Sean Smith claimed the Iowa Open crown in the weight throw at 21.16 meters.
• Ryan Johnson crushed his previous program record at the Robinson Family Open in Tiffin, Ohio, with a 24.59-meter throw.
• At the Jarvis Scott Open, senior Lia Love updated her lifetime best in the women’s 200-meter invitational. She clocked a 23.38, good for second place.
• The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Chioma Nwachukwu, Alivia Williams, Olicia Lucas, and Damaris Mutunga claimed the second all-time spot at Iowa with the time of 3:31.62 at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
• Wisdom Williams collected the gold with a 15.75-meter finish in the shot put at the Robinson Family Open. Sydnie Smith secured first in the weight throw (17.94 meters).

2024 JIMMY GRANT INVITE
University of Iowa track and field opened its 2024-25 campaign with then-junior Sean Smith setting a new school record in the men’s weight throw, hitting 22.49 meters on his final throw. In addition to the school record, the Hawkeyes totaled nine personal bests and six updates to the program’s top-10 list. Four current Hawkeyes won events in their debuts at last year's season opener: Alivia Williams (300 meters), Terrick Johnson (600 meters), Damaris Mutunga (600 meters) and Luke Knepp (3,000 meters). Mutunga (1:28.19) rose to third all-time at Iowa, while Knepp’s 8:05.72 was the sixth fastest time in program history. 

BURROWS, WASHINGTON JOIN STAFF
The University of Iowa track and field program welcomed two coaches to its 2025-26 staff. Cameron Burrows and Taylor Washington will enter their first seasons with the program. Burrows will oversee the jumps and multis groups. He returns to Iowa City after spending the 2021-22 season as an interim assistant coach. Prior to joining the Iowa staff, Burrows spent three seasons at Coastal Carolina in the same role. Washington will work closely with the sprints and hurdles groups. Before joining the staff at Iowa, Washington was an assistant coach and director of operations for the women’s track and field and cross country programs at the University of Arkansas. While Washington was in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks were the 2025 SEC indoor track and field champions. In 2024, Arkansas won the NCAA and SEC indoor titles and claimed the NCAA outdoor title. Recently, Washington joined the USATF staff as an assistant relay coach, where she designs training plans and serves as a liaison between coaches and USATF staff. She coached several athletes to podium finishes at the 2025 World Relays, while qualifying all relays to the 2025 World Championships. Amber Jones will assist the distance and cross country groups.

SCHOOL-RECORD HOLDERS
Three school records have been set by current members of the 2026 Iowa roster:

• Kalen Walker: Men’s 60 meters (6.51)
• Ryan Johnson: Men’s Weight Throw (24.59 meters)
• Alivia Williams, Chioma Nwachukwu, Damaris Mutunga, and Olicia Lucas: Women’s 4x400 Relay (3:30.42)

UPDATING THE ALL-TIME LISTS
Last year, the Hawkeyes made 35 updates to the indoor top-10 lists:

• Men’s 60 Meters: Austin Kresley (2nd)
• Men’s 60-Meter Hurdles: Kai Graves-Blanks (8th)
• Women’s 60-Meter Hurdles: Lillian Harden (4th)
• Men’s 200 Meters: Austin Kresley (3rd)
• Women’s 200 Meters: Lia Love (4th)
• Men’s 400 Meters: Isaac Lewis (7th)
• Women's 400 Meters: Damaris Mutunga (3rd), Chioma Nwachukwu (4th), Alivia Williams (8th)
• Women’s 600 Meters: Damaris Mutunga (2nd), Gabby Cortez (5th)
• Women’s 600 Yards: Jaiden Itson (8th)
• Men's 800 Meters: Terrick Johnson (9th)
• Men’s 3,000 Meters: Luke Knepp (6th)
• Men’s 5,000 Meters: Brayden Burnett (8th)
• Women's High Jump: Jeanne Le Goff (9th)
• Men's Long Jump: Emmanuel Njoku (5th)
• Women's Long Jump: Pauline Bikembo (3rd), Maud Zeffou-Poaty (4th)
• Men's Triple Jump: Precious Irivi (7th)
• Women’s Triple Jump: Daniela Wamokpego (1st), Jeanne Le Goff (4th)
• Men's Pole Vault: Abraham Vogelsang (7th)
• Women's Weight Throw: Wisdom Williams (9th)
• Men's Weight Throw: Ryan Johnson (1st), Sean Smith (2nd), Austin Busch (4th), Bryce Ruland (8th)
• Women’s Shot Put: Wisdom Williams (5th)
• Women’s Pentathlon: Pauline Bikembo (2nd), Annie Wirth (6th)
• Men's Heptathlon: Abraham Vogelsang (3rd), Sal Capaldo (5th)
• Men’s 4x400 Relay: Pugh, Lewis, Johnson, Brown (5th)
• Women’s 4x400 Relay: Williams, Nwachukwu, Mutunga, Lucas (1st)

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return from to action on Jan. 10, hosting the Hawkeye Invitational.