Discussing three aspects of the upcoming Big Four Duals meet.
By Connor Sindberg & Adam Hensley
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Buy or sell: Iowa’s freshmen will impress observers
Hensley: Buy.
Even though this meet features some tough competition, the freshmen will continue to shine.
Early on, Briana Guillory has blossomed into one of the top 200-meter runners for the Hawkeyes. The previous two meets reinforce this notion. In both the Border Battle and the Iowa Duals, Guillory won the 200 meter dash. She was also a part of the first-place 4×400 relay in the Iowa Duals.
On the men’s side, I think Christian Brissett should keep pace with his red-hot start in the indoor season. Just like Guillory, he won both 200 meters in the past two meets. In the Iowa Duals, he was second in the 60. Mar’yea Harris and DeJuan Frye are also two names to watch in the sprints — they’re quietly starting to make some noise.
Expect this group to keep making headlines.
Sindberg: Sell.
While the freshmen have gotten off to a solid start, they still have a bit of work to do before they will be at the level they need to be to contend.
This is also the first in-state competition for the freshmen. Will they be able to perform under the extra pressure of going against in-state rival schools? With the added pressure and tougher opponents, the freshmen will go through their first growing pains of the season.
Buy or sell: The Hawkeyes field group will dominate the competition
Hensley: Sell.
Iowa could do very well in this group of events but not dominate.
Compared with their track events, the Hawkeyes’ field group is not all-around spectacular. The women are led by Dakotah Goodell in the throws and Khanishah Williams in the high jump. Andy Jatis (pole vault) and Avery Meyers (shot put) have stood out on the men’s team.
Sindberg: Buy.
Iowa has an assembly of talent in the field events. Williams has been good in the high jump so far this season, and she will only get better as the season moves on. Amy Smith, Goodell, Meyers, and Jatis also finished first in their events at the Iowa Dual.
To begin the season, freshmen Tria Seawater-Simmons had a strong first-place finish in the triple jump at the Jan. 9 Border Battle. With all the recent success, expect the Hawks to be the favorite to win the majority of the field events.
Buy or sell: Iowa will win the meet
Hensley: Sell.
Iowa took home 13 titles at the Iowa Dual and 11 at the Border Battle. The Border Battle put Iowa against Missouri and Illinois — two good teams — while the Iowa Duals featured Iowa Central and Western Illinois.
Iowa performed well each time, but Iowa Central and Western Illinois aren’t on the same level as Northern Iowa, Iowa State, and Drake. I see the men taking first or second, and the women grabbing second or third.
Sindberg: Buy.
Knowing that this is an in-state meet against rival opponents will give the Hawkeyes extra incentive to perform at their best. They will be ready to face the pressure because they’ve been battle tested against Missouri and Illinois at the Border Battle — two teams ranked ahead of Iowa in the Jan. 6 national rankings.
The men’s team is favored, with a better ranking than all of the teams besides Northern Iowa. The women’s team has a slightly worse ranking than Iowa State and Northern Iowa.
Expect the men’s team to win the meet, especially after winning the Border Battle against Illinois and Missouri earlier this month. The women are faced with a greater task than the men, but they have some high quality performers who could carry them to victory.