The Hawkeyes look forward to the Big Four Duals.
By Adam Hensley
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In-state rivals will go head-to-head on Saturday in Ames as the Iowa men’s track & field team will compete in the Big Four Duals against Iowa State, Northern Iowa, and Drake.

The Hawkeyes aim to keep their hot start in the indoor season going.

Junior Aaron Mallett heads into the weekend fresh off a successful Iowa Dual meet. The junior won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.82. Not only did Mallett finish in his best time this season, he set a facility record, and he is now tied for fourth place nationally in the event.

“I think it was a good race,” he said in a release. “I have things that I can work on and stuff to do in and out of practice every day. There are a lot of things that I can fix, like reaction off the gun and my approach to the first hurdle, so to run that fast this early is phenomenal for me. I’ll get better as the season goes on, so I’m looking forward to staying consistent.”

Mallett was not Iowa’s lone bright spot; the Hawkeyes won 13 events in the Iowa Dual, including junior Avery Meyers, who claimed his second shot-put title this season.

“We expected a lot of titles. Overall, I was pleased,” Iowa Director of Track & Field Joey Woody said in a release.
Before that, Iowa squared off against Illinois and Missouri in the Border Battle, winning the meet title. In the 2016 indoor track & field preseason rankings, Illinois and Missouri rank 30th and 63rd. Iowa performed well better than its No. 79 ranking in the victory.

Running indoors for the first time since 2014, O’Shea Wilson finished third in the 60 meters. That time was good enough for sixth fastest in program history.

These early meets have given the freshmen a chance to show what they can do, and they have not disappointed their coaches and teammates.

Christian Brissett has been a force in the 200 meters in both the Border Battle and the Iowa Dual; the Wyncote, Pennsylvania, native won the event in both meets. He also finished second in the 60 meters in the Iowa Dual.

Another freshmen — Andy Jatis — is showing promise in the pole vault. Before placing first in the Iowa Dual, he posted the ninth-best mark in program history (16-0.75).

Iowa fans should also keep an eye on the distance group this season, because the Hawkeyes have an up-and-coming group of runners. In the 2015 Big Four Duals, Michael Melchert won the 3,000 meters. Now in his sophomore season, he brings the experience of being one of the leaders on the cross-country team.

Saturday’s meet will also feature competition close to Iowa by ranking standards. Northern Iowa comes in at 76th and Iowa State at 82nd. Drake did not appear in the preseason rankings.

Competition will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday and continue on Jan. 24 in the Lied Recreational Center.

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