The Iowa track and field indoor season officially kicked off Jan. 13 with the Hawkeye Invitational in the Recreation Building. The meet featured tracksters from Iowa, Iowa Central Community College, Iowa State, and South Dakota.
The Iowa men and women came into the meet with top-35 United States Track and Field/Cross-Country Coaches Association preseason poll rankings — 32ndnd and 34thth, respectively.
Iowa’s freshmen did not hesitate a bit in their first competition. Aly Weum won the 400 meters with a time of 57.33, and Luke Sampson took the 3,000 meters at 8:27.88.
Sheridan Champe won the women’s 200 meters at 24.70 seconds, and Bradford Garron — another outstanding freshman — won the men’s at 21.74.
Iowa’s Jenny Kimbro took home first in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.50 seconds, 0.05 seconds short of her personal best at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in 2017.
Former Hawkeye Aaron Mallett, now a pro, set a facility record in the same event with a time of 7.73 seconds.
Jalynn Roberts-Lewis won the women’s long jump, leaping 5.54 meters.
Nathan Mylenek blew out the field with a 4:10.8 mile, a Hawkeye Invitational meet record and personal best.
2017 All-American Lagi Tausaga moved into third in Iowa history in women’s shot put, winnng the event with a throw of 15 meters.
2017 pole-vault national champion Chris Nilsen of South Dakota put on a show for a captivated crowd as well, setting a track and meet record.
The Hawkeyes’ next meet will be the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Jan. 19-20 in the Recreation Building.
