Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody receives contract extension through June 2027

Woody is currently in his ninth season at the position.

Iowa+head+coach+Joey+Woody+watches+action+during+the+Musco+Twilight+at+Francis+X.+Cretzmeyer+Track+in+Iowa+City+on+Saturday%2C+April+23%2C+2022.+Iowa+hosted+its+only+outdoor+meet+this+season.

Jerod Ringwald

Iowa head coach Joey Woody watches action during the Musco Twilight at Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track in Iowa City on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Iowa hosted its only outdoor meet this season.

Chris Werner, Assistant Sports Editor


Iowa director of track and field and cross country Joey Woody has received a contract extension through June 2027, Hawkeye athletic director Gary Barta announced Dec. 2.

In his Hawkeye coaching career, Woody has guided Iowa to 49 Big Ten individual titles, 12 conference relay titles, and four men’s Big Ten team championships. Woody has coached four Big Ten Athletes of the Year and helped his athletes to a combined 199 All-America honors.

“I would like to thank President Wilson for her amazing support of Iowa Athletics and everything she does to help our men’s and women’s programs be successful academically and athletically,” Woody said in a release. “I also want to thank Gary Barta for his leadership and support of our teams and for trusting me to continue to lead this program into the future. I’m forever grateful to coach [Larry] Wieczorek for taking a chance on hiring me as a young coach in 2006 while I was finishing up my own professional career.

“He gave me an unbelievable opportunity to recruit and develop young student-athletes and allow me to fulfill a dream of coaching at the Division I level,” Woody continued. “I want to thank Associate Athletic Director Eddie Etsey for his support and leadership of our staff and student-athletes. I want to thank Deputy Director Barbara Burke and now Beth Goetz for their ongoing commitment to our program, and especially their focused efforts to provide great opportunities for our women’s teams.”

Woody ran collegiate track and field at UNI from 1997-2002 and competed professionally for four years. He first joined the Iowa track and field coaching staff in 2006 as an assistant coach and director of sprint and hurdle events. Woody was promoted to head coach in 2014.

Woody also credited his staff and family for his own personal success and the team’s achievements.

“I’ve been blessed to have had amazing coaches and support staff who have been the backbone of our program’s success,” Woody said in a release. “Our accomplishments on and off the track wouldn’t be possible without the tireless commitment and ongoing efforts of our staff to become the best in the country. I want to thank my wife Heather, my son Drake and daughter Isabelle, and my entire family for their unwavering love and support throughout my entire career as an athlete and coach. They have all had to sacrifice a ton, and I am forever thankful for what they do on a daily basis to allow me to live out my dreams and impact young student-athletes to accomplish their dreams. I couldn’t do this without them.”

The Hawkeyes’ indoor track and field season begins Dec. 10 as they host the Jimmy Grant Invitational. Events begin at 11 a.m.