Iowa track closes out USA Championships with success

Laulauga Tausaga and Brittany Brown stood out for Iowa track and field at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Des Moines.

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Iowa runner Brittany Brown crosses the finish line in the women’s 4 x 100 meter relay at Drake Stadium on Saturday, April 26, 2014. Iowa won first place in this event. (The Daily Iowan/Joshua Housing)

Pete Ruden, Sports Editor

Iowa track and field had an eventful weekend with many current and former student-athletes competing at Drake Stadium in Des Moines this past weekend.

In one of the biggest track and field events of the year, The Daily Iowan kept tabs on each Hawkeye through every event.

800 meters — Erik Sowinski, Matt Manternach, and Carter Lilly

The 800 meters was Iowa’s most stacked event heading into the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Sowinski, the World Indoor Championships bronze medalist in 2016, led the way in the preliminary heat with a time of 1:47.03 to place fourth. Manternach ended in 20th at 1:48.66 and Lilly in 23rd at 1:49.08.

In the semifinals, however, Sowinski finished sixth in his heat in 1:46.84. The time itself would have been good enough to qualify for the finals, but Donovan Brazier finished in 1:47.27 in the second heat, with Kansas’ Bryce Hoppel and Southern California’s Isaiah Jewett close behind, and the trio qualified for the finals as the top three in the second heat.

Brazier ended up winning the event on July 28, 1:45.62.

400 meters — Mar’yea Harris

Harris’ 400 did not go as planned.

In the first round of the event, the former Hawkeye was disqualified along with unattached standout Michael Berry.

During the outdoor season as a Hawkeye, Harris earned All-American honors after anchoring the 1,600-meter relay to a fourth-place 3:00.14 finish at the NCAA Championships. The time set a school record.

Harris also finished 11th in the 400 at the NCAA Championships, with a time of 45.58.

Nike’s Fred Kerley ended up with the gold medal in the 400 on the Blue Oval with a facility record of 43.64.

110-meter hurdles — Aaron Mallett

Mallett, sponsored by Adidas, finished fifth in the prelims at 13.54, sandwiched in between former Oregon dual-sport athlete Devon Allen (13.52) and former Florida standout Grant Holloway (13.56).

Mallett then qualified for the finals with a time of 13.46 in the semis, which put him third.

In the final, however, Mallett didn’t place in the top three to automatically qualify for the World Championships in Doha, Qatar. Instead, he placed seventh, 13.51.

200 meters — Brittany Brown

Brown put up a time of 22.63 to lead all athletes in the first round of the 200.

After posting one of the most impressive performances by a Hawkeye at the championships, she posted a 22.60 to finish second in the semifinals and qualify for the finals.

Brown posted the best finish of any current or former Hawkeye in the finals. In the last round, she ran a 22.61 to finish second for a U.S. National Team slot.

Dezerea Bryant won the event with a season-best 22.47.

Discus — Laulauga Tausaga

Tausaga paired with Brown to put up another incredible performance for the Hawkeye women.

Tausaga threw for 62.08 meters to finish third, trailing only Kelsey Card (63.33) and Valarie Allman (64.34).

Her mark was short of her NCAA Championship-winning throw of 63.26 meters.

The meet marks another success for Tausaga, who has won an NCAA title and made a U.S. Track and Field National Team in under two months.