The Iowa Women's Track and Field team traveled far and wide this weekend competing at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Ca., the Long Beach State Invite in Long Beach, Ca., and the Jim Duncan Invite in Des Moines, Ia. The results were exciting as the team took full advantage of the great weather and competition to post numerous lifetime bests, NCAA Regional qualifiers, and all-time top 10 performances. Fr. Kineke Alexander started the weekend off for the Hawks as she blazed the track with her 52.73 over 400m. This is the #3 time all-time and an NCAA Regional qualifier. This is the first 400m outdoor for Kineke so 51 sec is a realistic goal by season's end. Another Fr. Meghan Armstrong experienced a breakthrough weekend when she clocked 4:27.10 for the 1500m on Fri evening. This time earns her a trip to the NCAA Regional and is the 5th fastest all-time at Iowa. Meghan has also qualified for the U.S. Jr. Nationals to be held in late June in Carson, Ca. Look for an even faster time for Meghan in the coming weeks and she is really gaining a ton of confidence. Aisha Hume had a PR weekend when she clocked a 2:10.74 at Mt. SAC and 2:10.59 at Long Beach. She is closing in on the NCAA Regional mark. The relays really capitalized on the opportunity as the 4 x 100m relay won the College section of the Mt. SAC Relays in an NCAA Regional mark of 45.39. This also ranks #5 all-time at Iowa. The 4 x 400m relay clocked a time of 3:40.43 to finish 3rd and post an NCAA Regional mark (#2 all-time). So. Tiffany Johnson bettered the school record in bettering her triple jump mark. She hopped, stepped, and jumped 40-9.50 to finish 2nd in the meet and continue what has been an awesome spring for herself. The results from the weekend are detailed below.

Mt. SAC Relays, Jim Duncan Invite, Long Beach Invite

400m - Fr. Kineke Alexander clocked the 3rd fastest time in Iowa history and won the Mt. SAC Relays when she stopped the clock at 52.73. This also qualifies the Indoor All-American for the NCAA Regionals. Look for her to challenge the 52 sec barrier this spring.

So. Lindsey McCalla ran to a collegiate best of 56.5 at the Long Beach Invite on Sat afternoon. She came back to lead off the 4 x 400m relay in 56.4 on Sun.

800m - Sr. Aisha Hume ran to a PR and #5 all-time performance of 2:10.74 and 2:10.59. Both races were run with waterfall starts and big fields (20+ runners) so a one turn stagger and a quicker pace through the 400m could be what is needed to run 2:09 and get the Regional mark. She also split 54.1 on the 4 x 400m relay.

Sr. Michelle Sokol won the Jim Duncan Invite in a time of 2:17.2.

1500m - Fr. Meghan Armstrong ran to her first NCAA qualifying mark when she clocked a 4:27.13 (PR; #5 all-time; NCAA Regional mark) in the 1500m. This converts to a 4:45 for 1600m and is already 8 seconds faster than her H.S. PR. Meghan should still improve upon this time as she is really gaining confidence in herself and this race could really spark some exciting things for her in the coming weeks.

RFr. Jordan Laney in her first ever 1500m at the Jim Duncan Invite clocked a super time of 4:45.40 to win by nearly 3 seconds. Fr. Jessica Schmidt and Molly Esche, and So. Ashley Merry came across together in 4:52.42 (PR), 4:52.56 (PR), and 4:52.70

5K - Jr. Nikki Chapple clocked a time of 17:13 in the evening section of the 5K. We will focus on the 1500m more in the coming weeks as she is a couple of seconds off the NCAA Regional mark with her 4:30.

4 x 100m relay - 1st place at the Mt. SAC relays in a time of 45.39 (NCAA Regional; #5 all-time)

4 x 400m relay - 3rd place at the Mt. SAC Relays in a time of 3:40.43 (NCAA Regional; #2 all-time). Kineke Alexander anchored with a split of 52.2.

High Jump - So. Peaches Roach cleared 5-10 and ran the anchor leg on the 4 x 100m relay.

Triple Jump - So. Tiffany Johnson broke the school record and finished 2nd with a jump of 40-9.50 (PR; School Record, NCAA Regional mark).

Hammer Throw - So. Becca Franklin smashed the school record with a throw of 169 feet.

All in all it was one of the most successful weekends in recent years with numerous NCAA marks, all-time top ten performances, lifetime bests, and meet champions. The weather for the first time this spring at a meet was awesome and the ladies really put things in motion for a great finish to the season. With the MUSCO meet and the Drake Relays up next look for more exciting results.

NCAA Regional Qualifiers

100m - Peaches Roach
100m hurdles - Tiffany Johnson
400m - Kineke Alexander
1500m - Meghan Armstrong
4 x 100m relay - Johnson, Alexander, Granger, Roach
4 x 400m relay - McCalla, Hume, Sheeley, Alexander
High Jump - Peaches Roach
Triple Jump - Tiffany Johnson

Athletes right on the bubble

Shot Put - Kamesha Marshall
Discus - Kamesha Marshall
800m - Aisha Hume
1500m - Nikki Chapple

Next Meet: The Iowa MUSCO Twilight against the University of Minnesota and the University of Missouri; April 23rd

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