The Iowa track and field team will split up for a second-straight time in as many weeks this weekend. Some athletes will be sent to the Iowa State Classic, others will head to the Tyson Invitational, which is hosted by Arkansas.
Last weekend, the team split between the Meyo Invitational (hosted by Notre Dame) and the Sevigne Invitational (hosted by Nebraska).
At the Meyo, Mar’Yea Harris ran to the head of the Big Ten with a 400 time of 45.95 seconds.
“It feels really good, because I’m usually second in the Big Ten,” Harris said. “I still think I can continue to improve.”
Laulauga Tausaga set a school record in the weight throw at the Meyo, hitting 19.91 meters. She also holds the school record in the shot put.
“She is a phenomenal athlete,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody told Hawkeye Sports. “She can throw a lot of different events, and it’s a tribute to her athleticism.”
At the Sevigne, Brianna Guillory put together another fantastic weekend. Her performance rewarded her with a second Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week award, making her the first woman in program history to win the award twice in one season.
Guillory ran career bests in the 200 (23.26 seconds) and 400 (52.57 seconds), winning both races.
As the team heads its separate ways for the Iowa State Classic and Tyson Invitational, the women are ranked 27th in the nation, and the men are ranked 29th, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association.
Guillory’s times this past weekend put her in first for both the 200 and 400 in the Big Ten. Jahisha Thomas is also first in the Big Ten in the triple jump at 13.11 meters, which she recorded at the Black and Gold Premier.
On the men’s side, Chris Douglas is at the top of the Big Ten along with Harris. Douglas is tied for first in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.76 seconds.
The men’s 4×400 relay is also first in the Big Ten based on its 3:07.54 mark at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational.
Harris was the anchor in that event, and he believes they can run even faster this weekend.
“My goals for this weekend are to run the 400 meters in 45.4 seconds and the 200 meters in 20.7 seconds,” Harris said. “I also want to put up a faster time in the 4×400 relay.”
He will compete at the Tyson Invitational this weekend.
For Guillory, she strives for overall team success, not necessarily individually.
“I don’t care if I do well if my teammates aren’t doing well,” Guillory said. “Because when you get up, there it’s not about your name on your shirt, it’s about the Hawkeye on it.”
The Hawkeyes head to the Alex Wilson invitational next weekend in South Bend, Indiana, which will be the last meet before the indoor Big Ten indoor Championships on Feb. 23 and 24.
