The 400-meter relay team will add Brittany Brown to its already stellar squad.
By Connor Sindberg
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In the second competition of the outdoor season, the Iowa women’s track and field team will divide the squad among three events this weekend.
The sprinters, jump squad, and middle distance will travel to Gainesville for the Florida Relays. The long-distance team will split competitors between the San Francisco Distance Carnival and the Stanford Invitational in California.
In Florida, all eyes will be on the 400-meter relay team. The squad of Lake Kwaza, Elexis Guster, Briana Guillory, and Alexis Hernandez finished with a time of 44.04 at the March 18-19 Baldy Castillo Invitational. The team’s time is ranked fourth nationally, first in the Big Ten.
But that time has room for improvement; Hernandez will be replaced by senior sprinter Brittany Brown. She was an honorable-mention All-American in the 2015 outdoor season.
With Brown joining the squad, Guster has big goals, not only this weekend but down the road at the Big Ten meet.
“I know we have a group of girls that can win a Big Ten Championship,” Guster said. “Brittany has been showing a lot of improvement, and Lake, of course, is always going to give 100 percent. I’m excited to see this group compete together.”
Iowa Track and Field Director Joey Woody also has high expectations for the group, but this weekend, he is focused on the fundamentals of the race.
“The biggest thing is we run within ourselves, and we don’t try to do too much,” he said. “If we just focus on good handoffs and good technical runs, then we will run fast, and we will keep getting faster throughout the season.”
With the sprinters having dominated the indoor season, the Hawkeyes are hoping to pump up other events, particularly in the jumps.
Last time out, at the Baldy Castillo, Madison Rouw won the high jump at 5-8.75. That mark was good for sixth on Iowa’s all-time list and a rank of 14th nationally. Rouw’s performance also earned her Big Ten Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors.
Jahisha Thomas joins Rouw on the jump squad in the long jump. Thomas, one of the top performers in the indoor season, and Woody hopes continued she has continued success that could lead to a championship.
“Jahisha will try to build on her indoor season, and I know that she feels that she has the ability to compete and win the Big Ten championship later this season,” he said.
While competition will be great in Florida for the sprinters and jump squad, California will present opportunities for other groups to shine.
“Florida is great competition; even some professional athletes will be there, and it’s a great environment,” Woody said. “The energy [in Florida] will bring the best out of everybody; I’m excited to see how we perform. In California, our long-distance crew will get a chance to shine in their respective events, too.”
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