Iowa track and field ready for NCAA indoor championships

Five Hawkeyes are heading to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend.

Iowa mid distance runner Mallory King pushes down the home stretch in the 800m run premier during the second day of the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021 at the University of Iowa Recreation Building. King won the race with a time of 2:06.00. Due to coronavirus restrictions, the Hawkeyes could only host Big Ten teams. Iowa men took first, scoring 189, and women finished third with 104 among Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Illinois.

Lauren Swanson, Sports Reporter
March 10, 2021

This weekend, Iowa men’s and women’s track and field head to the Randal Tyson Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Five Hawkeyes have qualified for the University of Arkansas-hosted event: Junior Jamal Britt, freshman Mallory King, junior Wayne Lawrence, junior Peyton Haack, and sophomore Austin West.

Haack and West will compete in the heptathlon, while King and Lawrence will run the 800-meter and the 400-meter, respectively. Britt is participating in the 60-meter hurdles.

At the Big Ten Indoor Championships two weeks ago, King finished the 800-meter in eighth place, posting a 2:11.11 time.

Despite her impressive showing, King is still trying to find ways to run even faster times.

“I have been working a lot on speed this week, along with a couple longer runs, just to shake out and get my body ready,” King said. “I am really just trying to feel fast by running a little faster than race pace. I’m excited to make race pace feel pretty comfortable.”

The women’s 800-meter semifinals are scheduled for Friday at 6:40 p.m., with the finals to follow on Saturday at 5:25 p.m.

Like King, Britt also performed well at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, placing fourth in the 60-meter hurdles and third in the long jump.

Britt and King’s efforts propelled the Hawkeyes to first and third-place finishes, respectively.

Prior to Feb. 27, Iowa men’s track and field had not claimed an outright Big Ten indoor title since 1929.

While the stakes are higher for national championship events like the NCAA Indoor Championships, Britt is going to approach this weekend’s competition like he would any other. She likes to relax before meets, in one way by listening to music at meets.

“Usually, the day before the race, I choose that as my day to relax a bit,” Britt said. “I calm my mind, especially for a day like this to go to the championships. This is my first year of making a single event, so I thought to just calm myself and treat it as any other meet. At the same time, though, I’m also trying to go out there and win that title. So, I’m trying not to overthink things that overwhelm me and stuff like that.”

Britt’s 7.82 60-meter hurdles time at the Big Ten Indoor Championships is not his best of the season. At the Hawkeye Big Ten Invitational Feb. 12, Britt finished the event in 7.60 seconds — good for the nation’s second-best time this season. Only Florida State’s Trey Cunningham has run the 60-meter hurdles faster than Britt this year, posting a 7.55-second time.

This weekend, the 60-meter hurdles semifinals will begin Friday at 2:15 p.m., with the finals to follow on Saturday at 2:10 p.m.

Live NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship coverage will be streamed on ESPN3 all weekend. The championship will then re-air on ESPNU on March 14. More information about event coverage and results can be found at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive.