The Iowa track and field team kicked off its outdoor season at the Willie Williams Classic in Arizona on March 16 and March 17. The Hawkeyes took home 11 event championships during the weekend.
On March 16, Brittany Brown won the 200. The Big Ten indoor champion ran the event in 22.83 seconds, setting a facility record. She also went on to win the 100 on March 17 with a time of 11.44 seconds.
Antonio Woodward claimed the 200 title for the men, running a 20.61, beating his previous personal best by 0.83 seconds.
Kevin Docherty, a senior long-distance specialist, took home the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:58.05.
Iowa dominated the March 17 field events as well.
Laulauga Tausaga, who holds numerous school records, won the shot put with a throw of 15.17 meters.
Leah Colbert’s third try at the hammer throw, 56.78 meters, was good enough for first place in the event, fifth in Iowa school history, and a personal best. Tausaga came in second with a throw of 54.43 meters, and Nia Britt came in fourth with a throw of 51.49.
Reno Tuufuli, a 2017 discus All-American, took home the discus with a throw of 58.95 meters.
RELATED: Hawkeye track & field sets sights on NCAAs
On March 17, Iowa won four additional event titles to reach 11. First, the men’s 4×100 relay team — Tyree Sorrells, O’Shea Wilson, Woodward, and Mar’yea Harris — ran the only time under 40 seconds, 39.69.
Jenny Kimbro took home the 100-meter hurdles, her first-ever victory in the event, with a time of 13.82 seconds. Kimbro was a finalist in the 60-meter hurdles in the Big Ten in the indoor season.
Andy Jatis tied for first place in pole vault by clearing 4.9 meters.
Tuufuli and Tausaga added to their stellar first days, with Tuufuli placing first among collegians in the shot put and Tausaga finishing third overall in the discus. Tausaga now holds top marks in every throwing event except for javelin.
Tashee Hargrave, Talia Buss, Mallory King, and Chris Thompson all finished with personal bests in the 400 meters.
The team had 19 athletes competing in either the 400- or 800-meter events. Dejuan Fry and Colin Hofacker placed third and fifth, respectively, in the 400 meters. Hargrave placed fifth for the women.
The first outdoor meet proved to be a success after a few weeks off for athletes who did not participate in the NCAA Indoor Championships. It was also a weekend of rest for some of those who did.
The Hawkeyes will travel to three different relays between March 28 and March 31. Obviously athletes will split up given their events and their rankings in those events.