THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa track and field team travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the Battle on the Bayou, hosted by LSU. The one-day event will take place inside the Bernie Moore Track Stadium on Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (CT). The meet will be scored.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the meets on the live results page at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive. Notable results from each meet will be posted on the team’s official twitter account @iowaxc_tf. All live results links will be posted on the team’s schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
HAWKEYES SET NEW 800-METER RELAY RECORD
The Hawkeyes broke their first relay record of the season at the Florida Relays on March 31. The women’s 4x200-meter relay team of Brittany Brown, Sheridan Champe, Kyara Avant, and Sarah Plock ran 1:35.11 to break a record that stood for 364 days. The only returning leg of the 2017 school record-setting relay was Brown.
THREE MORE RELAYS ENTER IOWA’S ALL-TIME TOP-10
In addition to breaking the women’s 800-meter relay, Iowa added three more relays to the all-time list (men’s 800-meter relay, women’s 400-meter relay, and the men’s 1,600-meter relay) at the Florida Relays.
- The men’s 4x200-meter relay team of O’Shea Wilson, Tyree Sorrells, Chris Douglas, and Anthony Williams ran to the seventh best time in program history at 1:25.87 and finished 10th overall.
- The women’s 400-meter relay finished seventh with a time of 44.44 seconds, notching the fourth fastest time in program history. Seven of the 10 fastest times in program history have all been set within the last four years.
- The men’s 1,600-meter relay team of Hofacker, Woodard, Frye, and Harris ran to a second place finish in Florida, finishing with a time of 3:04.38 for seventh in school history.
NCAA LEADERS
Iowa has two athletes and one relay represented in the NCAA top 5.
- Men’s 4x400 meter relay: 3rd (3:04.38)
- Senior Brittany Brown: 200 meters (4th; 22.83)
- Junior Reno Tuufuli: Discus (5th; 193-feet, 8-inches)
BIG TEN LEADERS
After three weekends of competition, the Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in nine events in 2018.
- Senior Brittany Brown: 200 meters (22.83)
- Junior Andrea Shine: 10,000 meters (33:50.25)
- Sophomore Nathan Mylenek: 3,000-meter Steeplechase (8:48.66)
- Women’s 4x100 Meter Relay: 44.44
- Men’s 4x400 Meter Relay: 3:04.38
- Senior Jahisha Thomas: Triple Jump (13.04m, 42-9.5)
- Sophomore Laulauga Tausaga: Discus (57.33 meters, 188-1)
- Sophomore Jenny Kimbro: Heptathlon (5,164 points)
- Senior Will Dougherty: Decathlon (7,222 points)
HAWKEYES HOLD 4 MEET RECORDS AT LSU INVITATIONAL
The Hawkeyes return to compete at the Battle on the Bayou ,where Iowa holds four meet records.
- Matt Byers, 2011: Javelin (74.89m; 245-8)
- Troy Doris, 2012: Triple Jump (16.32m; 53-6.5)
- Jeffery Herron, 2012: High Jump (2.24m; 7-4.25)
- Erik Sowinski, 2012: 800 meters (1:47.02)
MYLENEK CLOSING IN ON STEEPLECHASE SCHOOL RECORD
Sophomore Nathan Mylenek recorded the second-fastest 3,000-meter steeplchase time in school history at the Stanford Invitational on March 30. Mylenek clocked in at 8:48.66, breaking his previous best by eight seconds and claiming ninth place overall.
Mylenek’s time is second only to Deacon Jones’ 8:47.40 from 1956, which is the longest standing record at Iowa. In addition, Mylenek leads the conference and ranks 10th in the nation.
SHINE RUNS FASTEST 10K IN 10 YEARS
Junior Andrea Shine clocked Iowa’s fastest 10,000 meter race in 10 years at the Stanford Invitational. Shine ran 33:50.25 to improve to sixth all-time and finish in fourth place, moving past former All-Americans McKenzie Melander, Racheal Marchand, and Tracy Dahl.
The 2017 All-Midwest cross country runner now leads the Big Ten in the event and ranks 15th in the nation.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Iowa has 98 athletes on its roster in 2018. There are 36 freshmen, 27 sophomores, 19 juniors, and 16 seniors. Of the 98 student-athletes, 34 are from Iowa followed by 19 from Illinois. The team also has seven international athletes.
MULTI-EVENTS LEADING THE CONFERENCE
Iowa sent three athletes to the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays March 28-29 for the multi-event competitions and left with two Big Ten-leading marks.
Sophomore Jenny Kimbro finished the event with a lifetime best 5,164 points to finish eighth overall in the heptathlon, including a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles (13.74) to finish second. Kimbro leads the Big Ten and is also 11th in the nation in the event.
Senior Will Dougherty secured the leading spot in the Big Ten in the decathlon with a total score of 7,222 points. Dougherty set personal bests in the 100 meters (11.07), pole vault (4.80; 15-8.75), and high jump (1.98; 6-6). Dougherty ranks eighth in Division I.
SPANOUDAKIS CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Freshman thrower Konstadina Spanoudakis had a big opening at the Willie Williams Classic on March 16. Spanoudakis finished fourth overall in the discus throw with a best hurl of 52.11 meters (170-11) on her third legal throw. She has already vaulted herself among the program’s best discus throwers, ranking third in Iowa history behind teammate and school-record holder Laulauga Tausaga.
COUNTING CURRENT ALL-TIME HAWKEYES
Iowa holds a total of 49 current marks in the program’s all-time top-10 with 29 on the women’s side and 20 on the men’s side. In addition, the women have seven school-record holders on the roster, including Briana Guillory (100 meters, 400-meter relay, 1,600-meter relay), Brittany Brown (100 meters, 200 meters, 800-meter relay), Marta Bote Gonzalez (3,000 meter Steeplechase), Laulauga Tausaga (Discus), Sarah Plock (800-meter relay), Sheridan Champe (800-meter relay), and Kyara Avant (800-meter relay).
The men boast five school-record holders including Will Dougherty (Decathlon), O’Shea Wilson (400-meter relay), Mar’yea Harris (800-meter relay, 1,600-meter relay), DeJuan Frye (1,600-meter relay), and Collin Hofacker (1,600-meter relay).
NEXT ON THE BLOCK
The Hawkeyes host the 18th annual Musco Twilight meet on Saturday, April 14, at the Cretzmeyer Track. The first event is scheduled for 1:55 p.m. (CT).