The Iowa track and field team participated in the Jim Click Invitational with very fruitful results this past weekend.
“This is an exciting weekend for us with multi-events the past two days with three girls in the top 10 and to finish it off the way we did with a school record,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said in a release. “This is a meet that we have come to in the past and have always performed well, and we definitely did not disappoint.”During the meet, sprinter Brittany Brown entered the school record book by running the fastest 200 meters in Hawkeye history. Brown was the former 200-meter record holder for the Hawkeyes, and now holds that title once again Her time of 22.73 is top five in the country this season.
“Brittany is a special athlete,” Woody said in a release. “She has got some amazing ability, and today was impressive to see her run the 100 meter and, in the 200 meters, it looked like she was on cruise control. She is going to be exciting to watch in the next couple months because she has the tools to win a national championship.”
Notably, Brown also won the 100 meters in 11.43, which ranks first in the Big Ten.
Many more Hawkeyes participated in the invitational, including sophomore Christian Brissett, who won the men’s 200 meters with a time of 20.75.
“This is a great place to run the 200 meters because of how the way the track was set up and the wind was a little favorable on the curve,” Woody said in a release. “The guys all went out and competed really well. Christian ran a lights-out race.”
Laulauga Tausaga once again won the women’s discus throw. With a modest throw average of 54.95, Tausaga won the competition by more than 3 feet and displayed the unshakable dominance of Hawkeye throwers this season.
“It’s fun to see a freshman figure things out,” Woody said in a release. “She is showing the ability that she can compete at this level and compete to do well at the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Championships.”
Sophomore Reno Tuufuli, another Iowa force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten, won his event handily. With Tausaga and Tuufuli holding both sides of the discus down, the throwers should easily be considered one of the largest strengths of the entire team.
Another noteworthy item is the healthy number of personal-bests set at this competition. In the women’s 400 meters, Alexis Hernandez ran a career best. Tia Saunders was able to do the same in the women’s 800 meters.
— by Carter Melrose