The Iowa track and field program traveled to Geneva, Ohio, to compete in the Big Ten Championships over the weekend. Overall, the women placed third with 73 points, and the men finished in sixth with 58.
Despite frustration with team placements, the Hawkeyes are bringing six All-Big Ten honors back to Iowa City.
“This league is getting tougher every championship,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody told Hawkeye Sports. “And it just shows what it takes to win.”
Second-year thrower Sean Smith earned all-conference honors with a weight throw of 22.28 meters. The throw placed second in the meet and is a new Iowa school record.
“He is probably going to punch his ticket to the national meet with that throw,” Woody said.
Fourth-year sprinter Kalen Walker entered the weekend with the fastest 60-meter sprint time in the Big Ten Conference. Walker’s performance of 6.61 was good for second place behind Penn State’s Cheickna Traore in 6.54.
In the heptathlon, fourth-year Austin West placed second after tallying 5,975 points. His performance also earned him a personal record and second team all-conference honors.
Second-year Sal Capaldo earned 5,276 points of his own — good for a sixth-place finish and new personal record.
For the women, fourth-year Paige Magee finished second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.01. She ran slightly faster in the preliminary round, breaking her own school record and running 7.99. Fellow fourth-year Tionna Tobias finished fifth in the same race in 8.31.
Third-year mid-distance runner Chloe Larsen also took a silver medal in the women’s 600-meter race with a time of 1:28.66. Second-year Gabby Cortez followed directly behind in 1:29.22.
The final race of the day brought one more All-Big Ten finish for the Hawkeyes.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay composed of Magee, second-year Audrey Biermann, and fourth-years Ali Dorn and Nylah Perry finished second. Their performance of 3:34.29 now ranks seventh in school history.
Other top finishes
The men’s 60-meter hurdles brought two podium finishes for a pair of fourth-year Hawkeyes. Grant Conway finished in fifth in 7.77 with Gratt Reed on his heels in 7.78.
Magee and third-year Lia Love finished the women’s 200-meter race in 23.64 and 23.89 for third and sixth, respectively.
In the same race for the men, Conway secured a fifth-place finish in 21.08.
Perry finished sixth in the 400-meter race with a new personal record of 53.37. Her time ranks seventh at Iowa. For the men, second-year Tyrese Miller clocked a 46.98 personal best and finished seventh.
School record-holder fourth-year Alli Bookin-Nosbisch finished third in the 800-meter race in 2:05.55. Third-year Rivaldo Marshall took fifth for the men in 1:49.32.
Rivaldo also contributed to a third-place 4×400-meter race finish for the men. The rest of his relay included fourth-year De’Andre Stapleton Jr., fourth-year Connor Belken, and first-year Josh Pugh. The squad clocked in at 3:07.48.
The women’s distance medley relay crossed the line in fourth. Runners included Bookin-Nosbisch, Dorn, fourth-year Grace Bookin-Nosbisch, and fourth-year Amber Aesoph. They ran an 11:17.78 and now rank second in school history.
In the triple jump, first-year Daniela Wamokpego took fifth with a jump of 12.87 meters. Fellow rookie Precious Irivi finished sixth for the men with a leap of 15.26 meters.
First-year Annie Wirth competed in the high jump, clearing 1.69 meters and earning a seventh-place finish. Wirth also finished with a new personal best in the pentathlon with 3,870 points. She finished fifth in the meet.
Fourth-year Kat Moody’s shot put of 16.76 meters earned her a fourth-place podium finish.
Up next
Iowa track and field will continue championship season at the NCAA Indoor Championships from March 6-9 in Boston, Massachusetts.