Iowa women’s track and field junior mid-distance runner Alli Bookin-Nosbisch broke the school’s all-time 800-meter dash record on Saturday.

The team split up last weekend, with mid-distance and distance runners traveling to Vanderbilt for the Music City Challenge and the rest of the team returning to Arkansas for the Tyson Invitational Feb. 10-11.

Bookin-Nosbisch ran the event in 2:04.28 for a third-place finish. The time beat Mallory King’s record of 2:04.56, which was set last year.

“It was really cool to reach it and see the time once I crossed the finish line,” Bookin-Nosbisch said. “This year feels like my first true year where I feel good, so I have no idea what to expect. I’m just going with the flow. I’m happy with where I’m at already.”

Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody said Bookin-Nosbisch is “on the verge of some really big things.”

“She’s definitely got the tools [to qualify for the national meet], and her confidence is really good right now, so I’m really excited about where she’s at,” Woody said. “I think it’s just running those faster races, and that’s how you get better. You get more confident and more comfortable at those faster paces.”

Still, Bookin-Nosbisch said she won’t set any goals going into championship season in the coming weeks.

“Where I’m at right now is way farther than I had anticipated,” she said. “Qualifying for the NCAA meet would be sick, but I don’t want to be disappointed if I don’t. I’m taking it with a grain of salt and just taking everything one step at a time.”

Throwing big numbers

Iowa senior Amanda Howe opened the throws’ stellar weekend performance in the women’s weight throw, winning the event with a personal-record 21.78 meters. The win improved her standing in second place on the Iowa track and field program all-time list.

“We have some ladies doing some unprecedented things for our program,” Iowa throws coach Ray Robinson said. “What [Amanda’s] been able to do in the weight [throw] this year is remarkable, and I think we’ve still got some more on the table.”

Iowa senior Elijah Barnes won the men’s shot put event with a throw of 18.25 meters.

“I think it indicates that we’re going in the right direction,” Barnes said. “It was a good win. There was a lot left on the table still, but the benefit is my technique looks better than it ever has, and my legs were dead. There’s a lot more in the tank for Big Tens.”

In the women’s shot put, Iowa senior Kat Moody finished fourth with a 16.64-meter throw. This improved her standing to third all-time in the event at Iowa.

“I think we’re doing a good job,” Robinson said. “Obviously, we’re continuing to strive to get better. It’s one of those things where we’re starting to turn the corner towards championship season, which is when you want to be hot.”

Other successes

The men’s 400-meter saw three Hawkeyes post personal records: Junior sprinter Connor Belken ran a 47.41, junior sprinter Evan Schuster ran a 48.36, and senior hurdler Julien Gillum ran a 46.73 — which moved him into seventh all-time in the event at Iowa.

“I’m always confident in Julien,” Woody said. “He’s one of the best competitors we have on the team, let alone we’ve ever had in our program … He’s the guy that I always have full faith in that’s going to step up at the right time.”

Sprinter Audrey Biermann continued her strong freshman campaign with a personal-record 53.30 in the women’s 400-meter, moving her up to sixth on the Iowa all-time list.

She then joined redshirt-freshman Chloe Larsen, junior Paige Magee, and junior Tesa Roberts for the women’s 4×400-meter relay. They finished fourth with a time of 3:33, moving into third all-time at Iowa in the event.

Championship season is right around the corner

The Big Ten Indoor Championships are Feb. 24-25 in Geneva, Ohio. The Iowa men’s team currently sits in first and the women’s team in fifth in the conference, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

“It’s a great recognition of where our program’s at,” Woody said. “I think right now we’re a better conference team because we’re just more geared towards that right now. I also feel like we’ve got some elite level athletes that can perform at a high level at the national meet.”

The NCAA Indoor Championships come the following week, March 8-11, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This week, USTFCCCA ranked the men’s team 23rd in the nation, down from 16th last week. The women’s team sits at 64th, down from 57th last week.

“Anybody that gets there, you’re going up against Olympians; you’re going up against the best in the world,” Woody said. “I’m really hoping we can get some more people there … I feel really good about getting to the conference meet. I think we’re going to have some people punch their tickets.”

The Hawkeyes wrap up their indoor season in Iowa City with the Iowa Open on Friday.