Iowa track and field splits up for Badger St. Valentine, Alex Wilson Invitationals
The Hawkeyes sent athletes to Wisconsin and Indiana for their final meets before the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Iowa sprinter Wayne Lawrence Jr. leads the pack in the 400m dash premier during the second day of the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021 at the University of Iowa Recreation Building. Lawrence won with a time of 46.28. 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.
February 20, 2022
The Iowa track and field program split up for the second weekend in a row, as the Hawkeyes sent throwers to the Badger St. Valentine Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday afternoon and track athletes to the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday.
The Iowa throwers had three second-place finishes at the Badger St. Valentine Invitational.
Freshman Sean Smith took silver in the men’s weight throw with a 20.50-meter mark — moving to fifth all-time in Iowa program history.
Senior Nia Britt was runner-up in the women’s weight throw, claiming 20.84 meters.
Junior Nicole Berry took second in the women’s shot put, setting a new personal best with a 16.02-meter toss.
“I like where we are at heading into the Championship season,” Iowa throws coach Ray Robinson said in a Friday release.. “We are even stronger than we thought we would be and we’re expecting a ton of solid throws at the Big Ten meet next weekend.”
In South Bend, senior Wayne Lawrence recorded his first individual victory of the 2021-22 indoor season in the 400-meters, finishing in 46.91 seconds.
Lawrence, a four-time All-American, missed several meets at the beginning of the season because of an injury.
In the women’s 60-meter hurdle finals, freshman Miya Brines took gold while posting a personal-best 8.43-second time. The time pushed her into ninth in the Iowa track and field program record books.
Freshman Austin Kresley placed second in the men’s 60-meter, recording a 6.79-second time.
Kresley and Lawrence capped off the meet for Iowa by placing first and second in the men’s 200-meter, finishing in 21.41 and 21.46 seconds, respectively.
Big Picture
This weekend’s events were the last before the Hawkeyes head to the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
The NCAA Indoor Championships loom in the near distance as well, taking place from March 11-12.
“It was a great tune-up meet for us heading into the Big Ten Championships next weekend,” Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody said in a release.
Up Next
The Hawkeyes will compete at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio, on Feb. 25 and 26.
The meet will stream on Big Ten Network, with starting times yet to be announced.