Woody named Big Ten Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year
University of Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody was named Big Ten Indoor Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year Wednesday afternoon.
Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody coaches from the infield during the 4x400m relay during the Larry Wieczorek Invitational at the University of Iowa Recreation Building on Jan. 18, 2020.
March 3, 2021
University of Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody has been named Big Ten Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year, per the conference office and a Wednesday afternoon UI Athletics release.
The news comes just days after Woody guided Iowa men’s track and field to its first outright Big Ten Indoor Championship since 1929. The Hawkeyes earned a share of a Big Ten indoor title in 1963.
To win a Big Ten Indoor Championship in 2021, the Hawkeyes had to score a program-record 119-points to best second-place-finishing Indiana by 27 team points. In total, 10 Hawkeyes medaled at the 2021 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Four of Woody’s athletes will also be moving on to the NCAA Indoor Championships March 11-13 at Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Juniors Jamal Britt, Wayne Lawrence, and Peyton Haack qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60-meter hurdles, 400-meter, and heptathlon, respectively. Sophomore Austin West also qualified for the NCAA indoor heptathlon.
As a team, Iowa is ranked No. 1 in the Midwest region and No. 18 nationally. The Hawkeyes have been ranked as a high as No. 9 nationally this season — good for a school record.
Woody is the first coach in Iowa track and field history to earn the conference coach of the year award for the indoor season. He was named Big Ten Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2019 after he guided his team to a league title.
