The Iowa track and field team had what the coaches called a "low-key weekend" as a select group of tracksters made their way to two events while many other Hawkeyes rested.
Assistant coach Scott Cappos took a group of Iowa throwers to the New Balance Classic in New York City for a two-day meet. Senior Matt Banse tossed a personal-best 20.39 meters in the weight throw, earning him second place and the fourth-best spot Iowa’s record books. Fellow senior Ryan Lamparek threw 18.22 meters, good enough for seventh place.
"It was exciting to see Matt [Banse] make a breakthrough [on Feb. 4]," Cappos said in a statement. "The women had a good day as well, but I think we are ready to step it up. All in all, I think it was a good performance."
Senior Majesty Tutson threw 17.18 meters in the women’s weight throw, and freshman Annemie Smith was right behind at 17.05 meters. Those finishes were good enough to finish 20th and 21st.
Other Hawkeyes to toss in the Big Apple were sophomores Ashlyn Gulvas and Jasmine Simpson, who threw distances of 16.55 and 15.48 meters, respectively.
Iowa’s other meet this weekend was the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind. Head coach Layne Anderson brought some of his more experienced distance runners to the Notre Dame campus for the two-day event.
Graduate student Marieke Schrulle led the Hawkeyes with a personal-best performance of 9:23.97 minutes — which ranks seventh all-time at Iowa — in the 3,000 meters, good enough for second place. Seniors Brooke Eilers crossed the line in sixth place at 9:33.97, and McKenzie Melander finished in 18th at 9:52.00.
Sophomore Ashley Liverpool was able to see her first action of the season in the 400 meters. The returning Big Ten runner-up came in fifth with a time of 54.82 seconds. Betsy Flood added another race to her season with the mile; the senior crossed the line at 4:57.43 in 13th place.
All-American Jeff Thode ran the mile for the men’s squad, and timed out at 4:08.06 in ninth place. The junior had hoped to break the four-minute mark at Notre Dame.
— by Cody Goodwin
