The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Hawkeye women tracksters set to face Big Ten’s best

The Iowa track and field program will be in South Bend, Ind., today for the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame.

Most of the female tracksters had a week off from competition last week; only a few made the trip to Ames for the Bill Bergen Invitational. Head coach Layne Anderson said it was a necessary break and gets some valuable extra training in beforehand.

“Our season starts in January, but we’re also still competing in the outdoor season beginning in March all the way into May and June,” Anderson said. “If you tried to compete every weekend, you would find that most people would run out of steam.”

One of the athletes who did compete last weekend, multi-event participant Sarah Ryan, said getting some competition in last week was good way to prepare for long competition days.

“It was a good experience because we usually can’t duplicate a pentathlon in practice,” she said. “Doing one event after the other is different, and you can’t duplicate that feeling in practice. It shows you where to improve for Big Tens.”

The Meyo Invitational brings in ranked schools from all around the country, ranging from the Pac 12, Big East, and the ACC.

The track meet figures to be a good barometer for the upcoming Big Ten indoor championships. Iowa will compete against Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, and Minnesota.

Despite the large number of individuals ranked in the country, Michigan State has the lone women’s Big Ten team ranked in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association.

“There are five or six teams that aren’t currently in the rankings that have the potential [to be],” Anderson said. “The Big Ten is a tough conference, top to bottom. You have to have your best people healthy and competing well.”

More to Discover