Iowa track and field splits up for three California events
The Hawkeyes will compete at the Bryan Clay Invitational, Mt. Sac Relays, Long Beach Invitational from April 13-16.
Iowa’s Jenoah McKiver runs during the 2022 Hawkeye Invitational track and field meet at the University of Iowa Recreation Building on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. The Hawkeye Invitational hosted Arkansas State, Bradley, Hawkeye Community College, Indian Hills Community College, Iowa Central Community College, Loyola-Chicago, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, UW-Milwaukee, and Western Illinois.
April 12, 2022
Iowa track and field is headed to the West Coast this week to compete at three meets slated Wednesday through Saturday in California.
Iowa will send competitors to the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, the Mt. Sac Relays in Ontario, and the Long Beach Invitational in Long Beach. The meet times are yet to be announced.
Last week, the Hawkeyes competed at the Jim Click Shootout in Tucson, Arizona.
Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said his team’s success in the Grand Canyon State has set them up for more improvement this week.
“I thought we made some huge steps forward,” Woody said. “I thought we just needed to get outdoors, in some good weather … Overall, I think we made some big moves as a program progressing towards this weekend as we get ready for Mt. Sac Relays, Bryan Clay Invitational, and the Long Beach Invitational.”
Sophomore Jenoah McKiver is a rising star in the Iowa track and field program in 2022, earning two All-American honors in the indoor season.
RELATED: Jenoah McKiver breaks Iowa track and field outdoor 400-meter record at Jim Click Shootout
McKiver further solidified his place in the Hawkeye record books at the Jim Click Shootout with the fastest 400-meter time in Iowa history, finishing in just 44.74 seconds. His time is currently the fastest in the NCAA, and the second-fastest time recorded in the world in 2022.
“Jenoah is No. 1 in the NCAA right now [in the 400 meters],” Woody said. “I think it has proven to him what kind of 400-meter athlete he can be. Maybe this will allow him to focus on the 200 meters this week, because he’s already set himself up for a chance at an NCAA championship in the 400.”
McKiver was named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Player of the Week on Tuesday after his performance at the Jim Click Shootout.
The reigning 2022 Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Year said he feels prepared for the strain of the outdoor slate after his All-American indoor season.
“It feels pretty good,” McKiver said. “I’d say practice, and Coach Woody pushing me, is what set me up to run well in the first meet. I felt great going into the outdoor season.”
The Hawkeyes will split into three separate teams this weekend in California, and Woody said he hopes to see competition in a broader array of events for his distance runners.
“I’m excited to see some big improvements in the distance events [this week],” Woody said. “We had a great start to the season in the 10k and steeplechase with that group at the Stanford Invitational. I think these meets will give them a chance to take a step forward and explore some of the other distance events, because it’s hard to run a lot of 10k’s.”
Following their trip to California, the Hawkeyes will return to Iowa for their only home meet of the outdoor seasons. Iowa’s Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track will play host to the Musco Twilight Invitational on April 23. Start times and streaming options have yet to be announced for the event.