Over the weekend, the Iowa track and field program had its first road test of the season — and it passed.
The Hawkeyes boasted 41 personal best times, three first-place finishes, and seven adjustments to all-time school ranks. The team earned its respective honors across the country, from Indiana to New Mexico and Iowa.
Meyo Invitational
The highlight of the weekend took place at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, where fourth-year Alli Bookin-Nosbisch broke her own school record in the 800-meter race. She placed third in the event with a time of 2:04.20.
“[Bookin-Nosbisch] has been having a tremendous year,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said. “That’s her first 800 of the year, and I think she has more in the tank. Her training has been incredible. It’s great to get that school record updated on the board. She can take it to an even higher level next week.”
Twin sister Grace Bookin-Nosbisch followed closely behind, earning a new personal-best time of 2:08.09. Her performance ranks eighth at Iowa.
Fourth-year Katie Moore, second-year Lily Johannes, and second-year Jalyssa Blazek also ran respective personal bests in the half-mile race of 2:13.53, 2:15.83, and 2:20.31, respectively.
Fourth-year Nick O’Connor and second-years Ryan Schreiner and Derek Leicht did the same for the men with a time of 1:50.55, 1:51.08, and 1:53.47, respectively.
More mid-distance success came in the 600-meter race.
Schreiner took the men’s title with a 1:17.91 personal-best time. In the same race, O’Connor, Leicht, and first-year Carson Lane earned respective personal records of 1:18.13, 1:20.73, and 1:22.70, respectively.
On the women’s side, Johannes earned a personal best time of 1:36.36.
The distance squad showed out with a handful of personal records in the 5,000-meter race.
In the men’s heat, fourth-year Jack Pendergast set a personal best of 14:38.74. A trio of women in fourth-year Abby Ryon, second-year Rowan Boulter, and fourth-year Ellie Twedt, set new bests of 17:10.93, 17:49.30, and 18:13.41, respectively.
A duo of other career-best distance times came from first-year Cameron Kalaway with a 5:06.86 in the mile and third-year Yohana Yual with a time of 8:21.88 in the 3,000-meter race.
First-year Ali Frandsen bettered her best in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.89.
New Mexico Collegiate Classic
In the women’s 200-meter sprint, four personal bests were set in Albuquerque.
Records of 23.88, 24.01, 24.02, and 24.51 were set by second-years Holly Duax, Julia Pattison, and Alex Edison as well as first-year Olicia Lucas, respectively.
In the same race, third-year Lia Love earned a new personal best of 23.39, which now ranks fourth at Iowa.
Fourth-year Connor Belken ran a 47.35 in the men’s 400-meter race, earning himself a career-best.
In the 600-meter race, first-year Josh Pugh took the men’s title with a personal record of 1:18.85. Redshirt second-year Chloe Larsen did the same with a time of 1:28.31, which ranks third in school history.
“[Larsen] continues to show that she is a phenomenal 600 runner,” Woody said. “She was not highly recruited out of high school, but she has shown everyone her ability.”
In the pentathlon, second-year Isabelle Woody scored 3,175 points and earned her fastest time in the 60-meter hurdles with a 9.85.
Fourth-year Tionna Tobias made school history in the long jump with a jump of 6.41 meters. Her jump ranks second at Iowa.
On Saturday, third-year Kalil Johnson and first-year Kai Graves-Blanks ran personal-best times of 7.94 and 7.96 in the 60-meter hurdles. In the same race, first-year Carlee Rochford ran her best time with a 9.05. In the finals, Tobias set a new best of 8.15 and placed fifth.
In the 400-meter race, both the men and women posted a trio of personal bests.
Pugh, first-year James Fingalsen, and second-year Tyrese Miller clocked in at 47.40, 47.64, and 48.13, respectively. For the women, Larsen led the charge with a time of 54.20 and now ranks 10th at Iowa. Second-year Gabby Cortez and Lucas also ran PRs of 55.11 and 55.22.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay of second-year Audrey Biermann, fourth-year Paige Magee, Larsen, and fourth-year Nylah Perry now ranks sixth at Iowa with a time of 3:34.24.
Iowa State Classic
Iowa fourth-year Kat Moody took the title in the women’s shot put with a throw of 16.63 meters.
“Overall, we have momentum heading in the right direction,” Woody said. “We need to keep competing. Our young group got great experience in a tough environment. We want to be in the fire with the best programs in the country. Let’s keep building.”
Up next
The Iowa track and field program will be on the road next weekend to attend the Texas Tech Invitational in Lubbock, Texas; the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston; the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas; and the Wisconsin Windy City Invite in Chicago.
