Third-year track and field mid-distance runner Rivaldo Marshall took the national title in the 800-meter race at the NCAA Indoor Championships on Saturday. 

Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, Marshall’s first two collegiate track and field seasons were spent at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. Now, he suits up in the Black and Gold on Division I track and field’s biggest stage. 

Over the weekend, he became the first in school history to become a national champion in the men’s 800-meter race and the first national champion from Iowa since 1998. 

“He executed that race perfectly and made a move at the right time going into the last lap that set him up to run away from the field in the last 100 meters,” Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody told Hawkeye Sports. “I’m so proud of him.”

In the preliminary round, Marshall took the top spot in 1:47.21. His gold-medal performance clocked in slightly faster at 1:46.96. 

Fellow first-team All-Americans

Fourth-year sprinter Kalen Walker took second place in the 60-meter sprint, just five-hundredths of a second behind Texas Tech sprinter Terrence Jones.

Walker has claimed the 60-meter sprint as his own this indoor track and field season– breaking the school record four times in three months.

Fourth-year multi-event athlete Austin West took sixth in the heptathlon with 5900 points, also earning first-team All-American honors. 

West’s highlights included winning the heptathlon 1,000 meters in 2:34.74 and long jumping a season best of 7.32 meters. 

“[West] has made this meet four times, and it was great to see him make the podium and get the momentum going for our team today,” Woody told Hawkeye Sports.

Second-team All-Americans

Fourth-year Tionna Tobias missed the long jump finals by one spot. Tobias earned ninth place in the event with a leap of 6.32 meters. 

In the 60-meter hurdles, the Hawkeyes claimed two more second-team All-American honors. 

On the women’s side, school record holder Paige Magee ran an 8.41 and finished in 14th place. Two weeks prior, Magee finished second in the Big Ten Conference with a time of 8.01. 

For the men, fourth-year Gratt Conway placed 15th with a time of 7.81. Conway has competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships three years in a row. 

Rounding out the weekend was first-year Daniela Wamokpego’s 15th-place finish in the triple jump. Wamokpego jumped 12.66 meters on Saturday. Her personal-best leap of 13.24 meters is the best in school history. 

Up next

The Hawkeyes will begin the outdoor track and field season next weekend in Tampa, Florida.