The Iowa Hawkeyes crowned 4 All-Americans at the 2008 NCAA Championships to close out a very successful 2007-08 Track & Field/CC season. The meet got off to a great start with the 10k as Meghan and Racheal closed out their season with All-American honors and a 6th and 8th place finish. Meghan closed fast to cross the line in 34:01, with Racheal posting a lifetime best of 34:05. Diane was racing in the pack with 2nd-5th place with 1200m remaining when she suffered a severe side cramp that shut down her breathing and forced her to withdraw from the race. It could have been a historical accomplishment to have 3 ladies from the same team earn All-American honors in the 10k. My memories of Diane will always be the Big Ten titles, the Midwest Regional titles, and the 4th place finish at the NCAA CC Championships. She is another big reason our program has risen from the basement of the Big Ten to a top 10 NCAA program in 4 years. This past weekend Diane began her professional running career with a second place finish at the Shelter Island 10k in N.Y. She will continue her training and racing as she prepares to represent Burundi in the Olympics this summer.
Kineke Alexander has battled through various setback this season, however, over the past few weeks she began to find her true form. She closed out her career with her 8th All-American honor at 400m. To earn All-American honors, both indoor and outdoor her entire career is nothing short of remarkable. I am certain that it would have to be a feat accomplished by a rare few. She will now continue her preparation for the Olympic Games later this summer.
Tammilee Kerr is truly the epitome of hard work and perseverance. A javelin thrower when she arrived at Iowa she has transformed herself into an All-American in the Heptathlon. She capped her Hawkeye career with an 8th place finish at the NCAA meet. She posted a lifetime best in the 200m, LJ, shot put, javelin, and 800m en route to a lifetime best score. She avoided certain disaster in the first event of the competition, the 100m hurdles, when nearly fell after hitting the 3rd hurdle. Her All-American honor hung in the balance as she sat in 9th place heading into the final event, the 800m, where she posted a lifetime best of 2:21 to move into the final All-American spot. She had also qualified for the javelin final, which was contested 10 minutes after completing the 800m in her heptathlon. She now has a NCAA trophy to place on her mantle and cherish forever.
Renee White has shown incredible consistency over the past month of the season. She arrived at the NCAA Championships as the 18th seed, however, she posted her 2nd best jump ever in the prelim to advance to the final. She placed 11th overall in the final and will return next year with her sights set on All-American honors.
One thing I am most proud of is the way the ladies competed on the Big Stage. All, with the exception of one meet or exceeded their ranking coming into the meet.
With various National Championships upcoming it will be exciting to see if any other ladies can join Kineke and Diane in Beijing, China this summer.
Post Season News:
Meghan Armstrong was selected to represent the United States at the North American, Central America, and Caribbean (NACAC) Championships in Toluca, Mexico on July 18-20. This will be the first of what we hope will be more U.S. National teams.
Two Hawks selected to represent their countries in the 2008 Olympics. Diane Nukuri (Burundi) and Kineke Alexander (St. Vincent & the Grenadines) will be making the journey to China for the Olympic Games. Five others (Karessa Farley, Meghan Armstrong, Renee White, Tammilee Kerr, and Peaches Roach) will compete next weekend in their Olympic Trials in an effort to join the Hawkeye duo.
Academic News:
With the Spring semester behind the Women’s Track & Field/CC team once again enjoyed another stellar semester in the classroom.
Overall the team achieved a 3.10 cumulative GPA, with 23 of the 35 ladies achieving above a 3.0 and 6 attaining above a 4.0. The team should once again Academic All-American honors, with Meghan Armstrong gaining consideration for individual honors based upon her academic and athletic performance.