Hawkeye track and field hosts final home meet of the indoor season
Laulauga Tausaga and Tia Saunders are among the Iowa athletes who will wrap up their home indoor season this weekend as Iowa hosts the Black and Gold Invite.
Iowa’s Payton Wensel and Tia Saunders compete in the women’s 400m dash during the fourth annual Larry Wieczorek Invitational at the University of Iowa Recreation Building on Saturday, Jan 18, 2020.
January 30, 2020
With four meets under the team’s belt, Iowa track and field is hosting 10 schools at the Black and Gold Invite this weekend at the Recreation Building. It will be Iowa’s final home meet of the indoor season.
Athletes gearing up for the meet includes Tia Saunders, a senior sprinter who had a big meet in Kentucky last Friday, Jan. 24. Saunders’ time in the 600-meters (1:30.92) placed sixth all-time for Iowa and is currently second in the Big Ten.
“It was really exciting,” Saunders said. “It was a big PR, and it feels like I’m finally putting all the pieces together. I was surprised to hear I made it in the top 10, but I’m happy to have made it onto such an elite list.”
Saunders is confident about her team’s success as a whole for the rest of the season, especially coming off of the Kentucky meet, which was indicative of everyone’s hard work.
“I thought the team as a whole performed really well [last] weekend,” Saunders said. “We had multiple other people win races and make it into the top 10. I was especially proud of my teammates in the 600. We have a lot of depth in that event, and we have a lot of people ranked in the Big Ten after this weekend. I’m excited for what the rest of the season has in store.”
Two of her fellow Big Ten-ranked athletes are senior hurdler Jaylan McConico and sophomore sprinter Wayne Lawrence.
McConico is happy with the outcome of the Jan. 25 race, where he finished first in the 60-meter hurdles (7.72) for the second week in a row. However, McConico said he felt off before the event.
“I didn’t really feel on my game as usual, but I talked to [Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey] Woody, and he was saying, ‘Go out there and compete to win — don’t worry about the time,’ and it worked in my favor.”
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McConico’s time and first-place finish earned him his second Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor of the season.
Lawrence, the gold medalist in the 400-meters in Kentucky, is pleased with his time in the event (46.4). That being said, he always wants to be faster.
“I feel pretty good about it,” Lawrence said. “It’s an opener for the 400, it’s a Big Ten leading time and fifth in the nation, so I’m pretty good with it. I’m pretty happy. I plan on running faster next week, so I’m going to take it for what it is, and I’m feeling pretty happy for getting as close to my PR.”
Both Lawrence and McConico won’t compete this weekend, but they are set to compete at the Meyo Invite at Notre Dame Feb. 7-8.
Perhaps the biggest star competing at the Black and Gold Invite is senior thrower and NCAA Champion Laulauga Tausaga.
Tausaga didn’t compete in Kentucky, so she’s ready to show her improvements in the shotput this weekend.
“I believe that what [throwing coach Eric] Werskey has in place for me is really going to help me elevate to a new level in the shot,” Tausaga said. “I consider myself a discus thrower, but now, with the ability to do what I’ve been practicing and what I saw, I can change myself into a shot-putter as well.”
The Black and Gold Invite starts at 1 p.m. today. Senior sprinters Daniel Soto and Nathan Mylenek traveled to Seattle to compete at the UW Invitational this afternoon and will compete in the 3000-meters, which starts at 4:30 p.m.
