SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- On the second day of the NCAA West Preliminary, the University of Iowa track and field team clinched seven more athletes to the NCAA Championships on Friday inside Hornet Stadium.
After qualifying two to the NCAA Championships yesterday, the Hawkeyes had 11 more opportunities on Friday and did not disappoint with seven of those athletes extending their seasons. In addition, Iowa added four more quarterfinalists set to compete for spots in the Championships tomorrow.
HEAR FROM COACH WOODY
“We have high expectation for our program, but things went really well for our team today. From the 100 to the discus to the 800 and everything in between, our kids came out and competed and that’s what it comes down to at this time of the year. Everybody is pretty good when you get to this meet, so you have to go out and compete hard and believe in yourself. I was proud of how our athletes represented Hawkeye nation and went after it.”
“It was great to see Brittany Brown qualify for the 100 meters for the first time in her career. It shows that she is an all-around sprinter. She can run anything from the 100 meters to the 400 meters. She did phenomenal today and then ran to the number one seed in the 200 meters for tomorrow’s finals.”
“Lagi (Tausaga) came back on her last throw and competed hard to the finish. She had a phenomenal throw at the end to qualify. We were a little bit nervous during that one, but she is a gamer.”
“Matt Manternach is a guy who was ranked 43rd in the region in the 800 meters. He was one of the last qualifiers to get here and to see him punch his ticket to Eugene is unbelievable.”
ON TO EUGENE
After day two, Iowa qualified seven more athletes to the NCAA Championships, including two first timers. These athletes will compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, June 6-9.
Reno TuufuliDiscus – 196-101st place
Briana Guillory 400 Meters – 51.86, personal best, T-2nd all-time4th place
Laulauga TausagaDiscus – 191-04th place
Mar’yea Harris400 Meters – 45.665th place
Matt Manternach *800 Meters – 1:48.63, personal best, 7th all-time10th place
Chris Douglas *400-Meter Hurdles – 50.7012th place
Brittany Brown100 Meters – 11.3112th place
*first time NCAA qualifier
QUARTERFINALISTS
The 200 meters, 110-meter hurdles, and 100-meter hurdles ran the first round of each event on Friday where Iowa garnered four more quarterfinalists. They will look to secure their spots at the NCAA Championships on Saturday.
Brittany Brown; Saturday at 9:50 p.m.200 Meters – 22.831st place
Jenny Kimbro; Saturday at 9:20 p.m.100-Meter hurdles – 13.44, personal best, 2nd all-time15th place
Antonio Woodard; Saturday at 9:35 p.m.200 Meters – 21.0115th place
Chris Douglas; Saturday at 9:05 p.m.110-Meter hurdles – 13.9910th place
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes conclude the NCAA West Preliminaries tomorrow, beginning with the women’s hammer throw at 2 p.m. (CT). Running events begin at 8 p.m. with the 400-meter relay. A live stream of the meet is available through FloTrack and live results are available on hawkeyesports.com/tracklive.