Iowa track wins 10 events at the Musco Twilight Invitational
Led by strong performances from Laulauga Tausaga and Reno Tuufuli, the Hawkeyes had strong performances all around despite resting several athletes.
Iowa sophomore Reno Tuufuli attempts a throw during the Border Battle indoor track meet in the UI Recreation Building with Iowa, Missouri and Illinois competing on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. The Hawkeye women defeated Missouri and Illinois, 105-33 and 96-51 respectively, while the men defeated Missouri, 107-27 and fell to Illinois, 85-74. (The Daily Iowan/Joseph Cress)
April 13, 2019
Iowa track and field took the track for the 20th annual Musco Twilight Invitational on Saturday, and the results did not disappoint.
Facing off against seven other teams, Iowa walked away with 10 wins on senior recognition day.
Leading the way for Iowa was the men’s and women’s throwers, who, as a group, filled the stat sheet and put up big numbers at Musco.
A week after earning the Big Ten Co-Athlete of the Week honor, Laulauga Tausaga made a case to win the award again after earning three victories on the day. Tausaga started out her day by winning the discus (59.09 meters), and then would follow up by taking gold in the hammer throw (58.02) and the shot put (15.29).
Finishing right behind Tausaga in the discus was Konstadina Spanoudakis, who threw a new personal best of 57.95. That mark moves Spanoudakis from third to second on Iowa’s all-time top-10 list, trailing only Tausaga.
“We had some great performances in the throws today,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said. “Konstadina had a massive personal best and a great series in the discus today. I think she’s top-five or so in the nation.”
Continuing the theme of strong throwing performances is Reno Tuufuli, who finished with wins in both the discus and the shot put.
Tuufuli was one of 17 Hawkeye seniors to be honored during the meet and was happy finish his Musco career out on a high note.
“This was a great way to end my Musco experience,” Tuufuli said. “My mom got here for the banquet last night, and she saw me perform well today. It was a great day.”
Joining the throwers in victory – and as a reward, getting to throw a t-shirt into the passionate Iowa crowd – were five other Hawkeyes.
Megan Schott and Nathan Mylenek swept the Larry Wieczorek 1,500-meters, an event named after the former Iowa Hall of Fame coach. Both runners breezed by the competition, with Schott finishing in 4:33.68 and Mylenek crossing the finish line at 3:52.06. Schott’s time was a personal best.
In her first time running the event at the collegiate level, freshman Anna Hostetler won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:02.81.
“It was good to see our athletes on some new events,” Woody said. “I thought Anna Hostetler competed very well in her first steeplechase ever.”
Rounding out the Iowa winner were Antonise Christian and Jay Hunt. Christian ran 11.97 in the 100-meters, while Hunt cleared 2.05 in the high jump.
Iowa filled the leaderboard at the Musco Twilight Invitational, a trend that seems likely to continue, especially since it will be competing in full force in the coming weeks.
“We held some of our athletes out this week,” Woody said. “We did this in preparation for Mt. Sac and the Drake Relays, and before we get ready to host the Big Ten Championships in May. It was just a good time to get some of our athletes a rest.”
Iowa track travels to California for its next slate of competition. The Hawkeyes will split across the state and compete at the Bryan Clay Invitational (Azusa), Mount Sac Relays (Los Angeles), and the Beach Invitational (Long Beach).
