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Julia Gehl running at the Larry Wiecorzek InvitationalJulia Gehl running at the Larry Wiecorzek Invitational
Men's Track & Field

Notes: Meyo Invitational

The Hawkeyes hit the road for the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Indiana.

Notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes hit the road for the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. Competition begins on Friday at 3:00 p.m. (CT) and continues at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. ESPN will pick up televsion coverage on Saturday.

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.

2026 NEWS

  • Sprinter Darwin Jimenez won the Track Guy Foundation 60 Meters in his debut at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational. Jimenez's time of 6.56 ranks second all-time at Iowa. 
  • Chioma Nwachukwu ran a personal-best 23.43 to move into the program’s record book and set the facility and Wieczorek Invitational meet record. Nwachukwu raced to Iowa’s fifth-fastest time on her way to the Jimmy Grant Memorial 200-meter title
  • In the men’s 60-meter hurdles, Blake Nyenati took gold, crossing the line in 7.80, while Vaughn DeVaughn III cracked the all-time list with his second-place finish at the Larry Wieczorek Invite finals. DeVaughn clocked a personal-best 7.82, which ranks tenth in Iowa history.
  • Carlee Rochford set and improved program records in both the prelims and finals of the Track Guy Foundation 60-meter hurdles. Rochford opened the day with an 8.38, which ranked ninth in Iowa history. She shaved .04 seconds off her time in the finals to claim the title in 8.34 and now ranks eighth in school history.
  • In the women’s triple jump, Lovisa Ulvenstam earned the title with a personal-best 12.43-meter jump.
  • Ryan Johnson won his fourth title of the year, clinching the Banse Family Weight Throw title at 24.09 meters. Senior Sean Smith and redshirt junior Austin Busch grabbed the next two spots, firing 21.79 meters and 20.08 meters, respectively.
  • Pole vaulters Sal Capaldo (4.70 meters) and Will Davidson (4.10 meters) cleared personal bests to conclude the evening.
  • Sophomore Damaris Mutunga posted a program record (1:26.69) in the 600 meters at the Arkansas Invitational, shaving three seconds off her season best and over a second off her previous personal best. Junior Leanna Lewis finished with a personal-best 1:29.02, which ranks eighth in program history.
  • Johnson became the fourth-best weight thrower in NCAA Division I history at the Hawkeye Invitational, launching a 24.85-meter throw. The mark moved him into the D1 lead while updating Iowa’s school record and setting both a facility and meet record. Johnson ranks fifth in overall collegiate history. Nationally, he stands as the 11th-best performer in U.S. history and 12th-best individual in world all-time rankings.
  • Iowa dominated the women’s 400 meters at the Arkansas Invitational, led by Chioma Nwachukwu, who secured the title in 52.14. Nwachukwu holds the DI lead.

LAST TIME OUT
Iowa posted five all-time marks in the program record book with 14 titles at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational. Sprinter Darwin Jimenez won the Track Guy Foundation 60 meters in his Hawkeye debut, clocking a 6.56 that ranks second all-time in program history. Chioma Nwachukwu captured the Jimmy Grant Memorial 200-meter title in a personal-best 23.43, setting the facility and Wieczorek Invitational meet records while posting the fifth-fastest time in Iowa history. In the men’s 60-meter hurdles, Blake Nyenati claimed gold in 7.80, while Vaughn DeVaughn III cracked Iowa’s all-time list with a second-place finish and a personal-best 7.82 that ranks tenth in school history. Carlee Rochford continued the record-setting trend in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, improving her own program records in both the prelims and finals and winning the event in 8.34, now ranking eighth in school history. Lovisa Ulvenstam rounded out the meet by earning the women’s triple jump title with a personal-best mark of 12.43 meters.

IN THE RANKINGS
In the initial 2026 USTFCCCA national rankings, the Iowa men are ranked No. 18. The women's team is ranked just outside the top 25 at No. 26. Iowa is joined by seven other Big Ten schools in the men's top 25. Penn State (No. 8) and Illinois (No. 9) are ranked inside the top 10. No. 13 Oregon, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 16 Washington, No. 22 Michigan and No. 23 Nebraska represent the league on the men's side. On the women's side, Illinois is ranked No. 1. Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota and USC are also ranked. Regionally, Iowa's men's team leads the Midwest section. The women are ranked third in the Midwest region. 

INDIVIDUALS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Hawkeyes have combined for 14 marks that are ranked within the top 25 of their respective event groups, including weight throw, where Ryan Johnson is ranked No. 1. Damaris Mutunga holds Iowa's highest ranking of the women's side and is currently No. 4 in the 600 meters. Darwin Jimenez is in a tie for the sixth-fastest 60-meter time. Sean Smith (weight throw) and Sal Capaldo (heptathlon) are both ranked No. 10 in their respective event groups. Blake Nyenati ranks No. 20 in the 60 hurdles. In the 600 meters, Caleb Levy is No. 23 following his performance in Arkansas. Chioma Nwachukwu is No. 6 in the country in the 400 meters and No. 16 in the 200.  Multi Carlee Rochford holds the eighth-highest total in DI in the pentathlon following her December performance at the Jimmy Grant Invite. Gabby Cortez (No. 11) and Leanna Lewis (No. 17) join Mutunga in a stacked 600-meter class. From the relays, Iowa's women's 4x400 has turned in the sixth-ranked time so far this season. 

2025 MEYO INVITE
Last season, the Hawkeyes captured four titles and added three updates to the program’s all-time list at the Meyo Invitational. Iowa dominated the 600 meters, sweeping the top two spots in both the men’s and women’s races. Damaris Mutunga led the women with a personal-best 1:27.77, a mark that ranks second all-time in program history, while Gabby Cortez followed closely with a personal-best 1:28.40, good for fifth all-time at Iowa. On the men’s side, Terrick Johnson and James Fingalsen finished first and second, respectively. Johnson also cracked into the all-time list in the 800 meters with a 1:49.03, good for ninth at Iowa. The Hawkeyes also claimed victories in both the men’s and women’s relay events. 

HAULING IN THE HONORS
Sprinters Jordan Gross, Dymonde Nave, Blake Nyenati, Izzy Zahn, along with thrower Ryan Johnson and mid-distance runner Caila Lyons, earned Big Ten Athlete of the Week recognition following standout performances at the Jimmy Grant Invite and Hawkeye Invitational. Gross was the Big Ten Men's Freshman of the Week after posting a team-best 6.77 in the 60 meters. He was the second-fastest collegian in the 300, racing a 33.49. Nave took home the Big Ten Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honor after winning the 60-meter hurdles in 8.44. She holds the Big Ten’s leading time in the event. Nyenati posted the program’s seventh-fastest time (7.73) in the 60-meter hurdles to earn the Big Ten’s Men’s Track Athlete of the Week award. He leads the Big Ten and is ranked fifth nationally. Zahn earned the Big Ten Women’s Freshman of the Week honor after posting a meet record of 38.14 in the 300 meters at the Jimmy Grant Invite. To cap the meet, Zahn ran the second leg of Iowa’s 4x400 relay that placed second in 3:46.76. Johnson earned Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week after a historic 24.85-meter weight throw at the Hawkeye Invitational, ranking fourth in NCAA Division I history and setting Iowa’s school, facility, and meet records. Lyons was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week after winning the 600 meters in 1:31.12, ranking No. 4 among freshmen nationally, and anchoring Iowa’s winning 4x400 relay with a meet-best 55.50 split.

SCHEDULE NOTES
Iowa will return to the New Mexico Collegiate Classic, Iowa State Classic and Tyson Invitational towards the end of the indoor season. The Iowa Open (Feb. 20) will be the final home meet of the campaign.

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

UPDATING THE ALL-TIME LISTS
This season, the Hawkeyes have made 12 updates to the indoor top-10 lists:

UP NEXT
Senior Kalen Walker will compete at the Millrose Games on Sunday, Feb. 1, in New York. He will run the 60 meters at 3:20 CT. NBC will provide television coverage. The Hawkeyes will then travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the New Mexico Collegiate Classic on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6–7, before heading to Ames on Saturday for the Iowa State Classic.