By the Numbers: Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships
Ahead of conference championship weekend, both Hawkeye track squads have already put up a variety of impressive numbers this season.
The Daily Iowan; Photo by Ben Allan Smith
Iowa’s Tria Simmons competes in the Women’s 60 Meter Hurdles during the Hawkeye Invitational indoor track meet at the Campus Recreation Building on Satuday, Jan. 13, 2017. Simmons finished third with the time of 8.77. The Hawkeyes opened up the season with over 11 titles for the day.
February 20, 2019
The indoor track and field regular season has come to a close, and Iowa will head to the Big Ten Championships boasting two highly competitive squads seeking to bring home conference titles.
The Hawkeye men and women have put up highlights all season, and as they travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, some numbers show how Iowa stacks up against the rest of the conference.
22 — Individual marks ranking in the top five in the Big Ten
Between the men’s and women’s squads, Iowa boasts 22 individual marks that are good for top five in the conference. Among these marks, three Hawkeyes claim four of the top spots in the Big Ten.
Mar’Yea Harris leads in both the 400 (46.02) and the 600 (1:16.60) meters. Jaylan McConico holds the top spot in the 60-meter hurdles (7.73), and Tria Simmons is at the top of the leaderboard in the pentathlon (4,220 points).
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Simmons also ranks second in the Big Ten in the high jump (1.78 meters).
Joining the leaders are Laulauga Tausaga, who ranks second in the conference in the weight throw (23.26 meters) and fifth in the shot put (16.70).
From left: Iowa’s Tria Seawater-Simmons, Minnesota State’s Alexis Smith, and Iowa’s Jenny Kimbro compete in the women’s 100 meter hurdles during the 19th annual Musco Twilight meet at the Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track in Iowa City on Thursday, April 12. Kimbro finished first with the time of 13.77.
They, along with the rest of the Hawkeyes on the conference leaderboards, will aim for soild marks at the Big Tens.
13 — NCAA programs with men’s and women’s teams ranked in the top 25
Iowa is one of just 13 programs across the nation that have both their men’s and women’s teams ranked in the top 25 by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association. Iowa is also one of only three Big Ten schools that can boast this claim, joining Wisconsin and Indiana.
RELATED: Iowa men’s track concludes regular indoor season
The Hawkeye women come in at No. 15, up three spots from last week’s rankings. The men are ranked No. 22.
Since 2008, when the coaches’ association started tracking rankings, the Iowa women have been ranked in the top 25 seven times, including three times this season. The men have been ranked in the top 25 on 14 occasions in that same time span.
3:04.76 — Men’s record-breaking 1,600-relay time
The men’s 1,600-meter relay team — consisting of Karayme Bartley, Antonio Woodard, Wayne Lawrence, and Harris broke the school record on Feb. 2 at the Tyson Invitational. The time of 3:04.76 leads the Big Ten and is good for sixth in the country.
The event was a strong point for Iowa last season, also — the Hawkeyes finished third at Big Ten Indoors and brought home gold at the Big Ten Outdoors.
The Hawkeye women have also shone in the 1,600-meter relay. Jenny Kimbro, Aly Weum, Simmons, and Payton Wensel have the third-fastest time in the Big Ten (3:37.94).
Look for both relay squads to be near the top at the championships.
