Hawkeyes Qualify 3 More for NCAA Outdoor Championships

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Iowa track and field’s Chioma Nwachukwu, Rosemary Arthur, and the 4x400-meter relay team punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene on Saturday night at John McDonnell Field.

“Overall, we had a lot of ups and downs today, but we finished very strong with the 400 meters, 800 meters, and 4x400 relay,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said. “I’m super proud of how all the women competed today.”

Sophomore Chioma Nwachukwu secured the automatic qualifying spot in the women’s 400 meters, crossing the line in 51.48 to earn her place at Hayward Field.

“Chioma had a terrific 400-meter race today, finishing second in her heat and punching her ticket to another NCAA Championship final,” Woody continued. “She got out comfortably through the first half of the race, then came charging home over the final 150 with a tremendous kick to qualify.”

In the women’s 800 meters, junior Rosemary Arthur qualified on time to book her trip to Eugene, clocking a personal-best 2:01.88 to solidify her No. 2 spot on Iowa’s all-time list. Junior Leanna Lewis also delivered a career-best performance, running 2:02.69 to improve her standing on Iowa’s all-time list at third. Lewis narrowly missed qualification, finishing 14th overall.

“Rosemary and Leanna both ran amazing 800-meter races tonight,” Woody noted. “Leanna had a huge personal best and just missed earning a time qualifier. She’s had a great season, improving nearly five seconds, and I’m excited to see her continue to progress next year.”

“Rosemary ran an unbelievable race tonight from start to finish,” Woody said. “She put herself in a terrific position right from the gun and maintained it the entire way. She closed with a fantastic finish to run the second-fastest time in Iowa history and punch her ticket to Eugene.”

The 4x400 relay team of Princess Uche, Damaris Mutunga, Olicia Lucas, and Nwachukwu secured an automatic qualifying spot with a time of 3:28.53. The quartet also recorded the second-fastest time in program history at Iowa.

“The women’s 4x400 relay got off to a great start with a strong lead-off leg from Princess that put us in the top three, and we never looked back,” Woody added. “Damaris ran a great second leg with a huge 51 split to hand off to Olicia in a great position. Olicia ran her fastest split ever in 52.2 to keep us in the top three. Chioma had a monster 51 low split to help us finish second and get the auto Q to Eugene.”

Junior Jailya Ash posted a personal-best 13.08 in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, narrowly missing qualification. The mark moved Ash to third all-time in Iowa history as she finished 15th overall. Senior Holly Duax clocked a 23.27 in the 200 meters.

“Jailya had a great race in the 100-meter hurdles, running a huge personal best and No. 3 time in Iowa history,” Woody said. “Unfortunately, she came up just .01 seconds short of qualifying. She had a tremendous outdoor season, and I wish we had two more weeks because she’s so close to breaking 13 seconds.”

Up Next: The Hawkeyes will take a week off before traveling to Eugene, Oregon, for the 2026 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Competition begins June 10 and continues through June 13.

HAWKEYE RESULTS
Women’s 110-Meter Hurdles Quarterfinals
15. Jailya Ash - 13.08, PR + 3rd at Iowa

Women’s 200 Meters Quarterfinals
20. Holly Duax - 23.27

Women’s 400 Meters Quarterfinals
6. Chioma Nwachukwu - 51.48, Q

Women’s 800 Meters Quarterfinals
9. Rosemary Arthur - 2:01.88, q, PR + 2nd at Iowa
14. Leanna Lewis - 2:02.69, PR + 3rd at Iowa

Women’s 4x400 Relay
5. Uche, Mutunga, Lucas, Nwachukwu - 3:28.53, Q + 2nd at Iowa