Jenoah McKiver breaks Iowa track and field outdoor 400-meter record at Jim Click Shootout

The freshman posted the second-best 400-meter race in the world on Saturday with a time of 44.74 seconds.

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Gabby Drees

Iowa’s Jenoah McKiver leads the pack during the men’s 600-meter premiere run at the 2022 Larry Wieczorek Invitational track and field meet at the University of Iowa Recreation building on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. McKiver placed first with a time of 1:16.08, setting a school record, a meet record, and a facility record. The Larry Wieczorek Invitational hosted Baylor, Gonzaga, Mount Mercy, the University of Northern Iowa, Purdue, Wartburg and the University of Wisconsin.

Grant Hall, Sports Reporter


Iowa track and field freshman Jenoah McKiver posted the second-best 400-meter time in the world on Saturday afternoon.

McKiver ran 400 meters in 44.74 seconds at the Jim Click Shootout in Tucson, breaking Iowa’s outdoor school record and pacing the NCAA in the 2022 season.

“It was an amazing day for Iowa track and field,” Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody said in a release Saturday night. “Jenoah had one of the best meets in Iowa history, breaking the school record in his opening 400-meter race this season, and then coming back to split 43.8 on the 4×400.

“He’s an amazing talent and just as impressive is his work ethic and dedication to taking care of himself every day so he can compete at his best when it counts.”

During the indoor season, Jenoah McKiver was a two-time All-American in the 400-meter and 4×400 relay.

The Hawkeye men came out on top in the Jim Click Shootout, outpacing host Arizona, 174-111. The Iowa women placed second.

Hawkeye relay teams heat up

Though McKiver received much of the attention on Saturday, Iowa’s 4×100 relay teams also had impressive outings.

The men’s quartet of Kalen Walker, Austin Kresley, Gratt Reed, and Khullen Jefferson broke the school record with a 39.03-second finish— the fourth-fastest time in the country this year.

The women’s relay team of LaSarah Hargrove, Lia Love, Erin Dowd and Paige Magee ran the second-fastest time in program history, finishing in 44.06 seconds.

“The men’s and women’s relays got things started,” Woody said. “That was the first time we’ve run those members together for both teams. I believe we can run much faster with both squads.”

Hargrove finds success individually

Hargrove won the women’s 200-meter at the Jim Click Shootout on Saturday, finishing the event with the second-fastest time in Iowa history. Her 22.79-second mark was the sixth-fastest in the country this year.

“LaSarah had a terrific day leading off our 4×100 and coming back to run the first sub-23 200-meter race of her career,” Woody said in the release. “She executed much better than at Florida Relays and set herself up to win by a large margin against a very good field.”

Up next

The Hawkeyes will travel to California next weekend for three separate events: The Mt. Sac Relays, the Bryan Clay Invitational, and the Beach Invitational.