The Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame will serve as the Iowa track and field team’s last tune-up before the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Feb. 23-24.
The team set its expectations especially high this season, and time is running out to perfect individual performances that will help bring home a Big Ten title.
If the Hawkeyes want to be victorious at Big Tens, the key is strong performances from a plethora of athletes across all the events.
“We want to [be a] comprehensive track and field team,” Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said. “When you get to the conference meet, you need points from everywhere.”
According to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association, the Iowa men and women were ranked 32nd and 34th heading into the season. After last weekend’s meets at Arkansas (Tyson Invitational) and Iowa State (Iowa State Classic), the men and women are ranked No. 38 and No. 41, respectively.
After strong performances across the board in the Wieczorek Invitational, the Hawkeye men and women were as high as 22nd and 27th in the rankings.
The Iowa men have seven top-five marks in the Big Ten: Antonio Woodward in the 200, Mar’Yea Harris in the 400, Carter Lilly in the 600, Chris Douglas in the 60-meter hurdles, Reno Tuufuli in the shot put, William Dougherty in the heptathlon, and the 4×400 relay team.
On the women’s side, the Hawkeyes have nine top-five rankings in the Big Ten: Briana Guillory and Brittany Brown in the 200, Guillory in the 400, Laulauga Tausaga in the shot put, Jahisha Thomas in the long jump and triple jump, Jenny Kimbro and Tria Simmons in the pentathlon, and the 4×400 relay team.
If the athletes who have achieved top-five marks continue to compete at that level, Iowa will be a contender in the Big Ten on both the men’s and women’s sides.
“My expectations for the team are high,” Tausaga said. “I want us to be able to score in every event and fight for that Big Ten title on the women’s and men’s side. I also believe that we’ve been seeing that it’s completely possible for us to improve our national ranking.”
Tausaga has set school records in the weight throw (19.91 meters) and shot put (16.51 meters) this indoor season. Woody and teammates have echoed her confidence in the team’s strength throughout the season.
The 4×400 relay teams have been a source of that strength for the men in this season.
The team of Collin Hofacker, DeJaun Frye, Bradford Garron, and Harris has had the best mark in the Big Ten for most of the season. It maintained its lead with a mark of 3:06.06 at the Tyson Invitational this past weekend.
The women’s team (Sommer Sharpe, Guillory, Brown, and Sheridan Champe) is second in the Big Ten after running the event in 3:34.34 at the Tyson Invitational.
“They finished the day off with a great run in the 4×4,” Woody told Hawkeye Sports after the women’s 4×400 event. “We have a team that can run much faster and compete to make the NCAA Championships.”
