THIS WEEK

The Iowa Hawkeyes will compete in the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships from May 16–18 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

2025 NEWS

• In the men’s hammer throw, the Hawkeyes swept the podium at Musco Twilight. Sophomore Ryan Johnson led the way, breaking his own school record and setting a new facility record with a throw of 73.20 meters. Junior Sean Smith took second by throwing 66.93 meters and Sophomore Austin Busch threw 65.61 meters.
• In the men’s javelin, junior Mike Stein placed first with a throw of 78.58 meters. Stein’s throw set a new facility record and moved him to 3rd in NCAA Division 1 this season.
• In the women’s high jump, freshman Maria Arboleda broke her own school record and set a facility record with a jump of 1.88 meters. Arboleda’s performance moved her to fifth in the NCAA.
• The Hawkeyes took home the women’s Drake Relays Cup for the first time since 2019.
• At the Drake Relays, the 4×800-meter relay team of Derek Leicht, James Fingalsen, Ryan Schreiner and Terrick Johnson set a then world-leading time of 7:21.88 to secure the event title for the first time since 2017. The group’s time ranks third at Iowa.
• The women’s sprint medley team of Holly Duax, Lia Love, Damaris Mutunga and Alli Bookin-Nosbisch secured an event win and a school record at Drake with a time of 3:44.12.
• Freshman Bryce Ruland climbed the all-time list with his 57.62-meter throw, ranking eighth all-time at Iowa and securing first place. On the women’s side, Sydnie Smith launched a 52.30-meter throw that earned her the gold at Drake.
• Duax earned two flags at the Drake Relays in the sprint medley and 100-meters, where she clocked in an 11.98 finish.
• The women’s 4×400 relay invitational was dominated by Alivia Williams, Olicia Lucas, Mutunga and Chioma Nwachukwu, finishing in 3:31.13. In the women’s 4×400 university relay, Ellie Rickertsen, Gabby Cortez, Ali Fransen and Jaiden Itson also finished first with a time of 3:40.67 at the Blue Oval.
• Kai Graves-Blanks cruised through the 110-meter hurdle prelims with a time of 13.61, ranking seventh all-time in program history. He returned in the finals to claim gold, improving his mark to 13.59.
• The men’s 4×110 shuttle hurdles team of Kalil Johnson, Tyler Kenaga, Drew Dillard, and Graves-Blanks claimed a flag with a time of 57.26. The group now ranks second all-time at Iowa, securing its first win since 2022.
• At the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, fifth-year senior Kalen Walker clocked a personal-best 10.06 in the 100-meter invite, improving on his previous record of 10.09 and finishing fifth overall.

LAST TIME OUT

The University of Iowa track and field team traveled a small group to the Cyclone Twilight in Ames to wrap up the regular season. Kai Graves-Blanks cruised through the 110-meter hurdle prelims with a time of 13.61, ranking seventh all-time in program history. He returned in the finals to claim gold, improving his mark to 13.59. Teammates Kalil Johnson and Drew Dillard also reached the finals, finishing fourth (14.23) and seventh (14.67), respectively. In the men’s triple jump, sophomore Precious Irivi earned an event victory with a leap of 14.73 meters. The Hawkeyes recorded six personal bests to close the day. 

HAWKEYES RETURN TO B1G OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Hawkeyes delivered standout performances at last season’s Big Ten Outdoor Championships, with the men’s team finishing as runner-up and the women’s team placing seventh. Iowa captured three men’s event titles and one women’s title, closing out the week with seven All-Big Ten honors. Mike Stein led the charge with a Big Ten championship and school record in the men’s javelin. Kat Moody claimed the women’s discus title, while the men’s 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relay teams also took home championship titles. Tionna Tobias earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors in the women’s long jump, finishing runner-up with a leap of 6.23 meters. 

MUSCO RECORDS

At the Musco Twilight, the Hawkeyes collected school records in the hammer throw and high jump. In the men’s hammer throw, the Hawkeyes swept the podium with sophomore Ryan Johnson leading the way. Johnson broke his own school record and set a new facility record with a throw of 73.20 meters. This mark ranks 7th in NCAA division 1. In the women’s high jump, freshman Maria Arboleda broke her own school record and set a facility record with a jump of 1.88 meters. Arboleda’s performance moved her to fifth in the NCAA. 

HAWKEYES WIN WOMEN’S DRAKE RELAY CUP

The University of Iowa track and field team concluded an incredible weekend of competition at the Drake Relays, winning the women’s Drake Relays Cup for the second time in program history. The Iowa women last won the Drake Relays Cup in 2019. The Hawkeyes had first-place finishes in the women’s sprint medley, the women’s 4×400 relay invitational and open. The women’s sprint medley team of Holly Duax, Lia Love, Damaris Mutunga and Alli Bookin-Nosbisch secured an event win and a school record with its time of 3:44.12. The women’s 4×400 relay invitational was dominated by Alivia Williams, Olicia Lucas, Mutunga and Chioma Nwachukwu, finishing in 3:31.13. This marks Iowa’s first 4×400-relay win at the Drake Relays.

SCHOOL RECORDS IN ORLANDO

The Hawkeyes posted three school records during their trip to Orlando, Florida, to open the outdoor season. Junior Lizzy Korczak started things off strong in the javelin with her first throw shattering the all-time record. She launched a throw of 58.10 meters, surpassing her previous personal best and top-ten mark. Sophomore Ryan Johnson kept the momentum going in the hammer throw crushing another program record. He recorded a 71.12-meter toss with five of Johnson’s throws eclipsing the 68-meter mark. On day two of the UCF Black and Gold Invitational, freshman Maria Arboleda posted a program record in her debut in the high jump. Arboleda cleared 1.87 meters to win the event.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Hawkeyes are set to compete at the NCAA West Preliminary in College Station, Texas, from Wednesday, May 28, through Saturday, May 31. Last season, Mike Stein and Paige Magee advanced to the NCAA Championships in their respective events. Stein secured a third-place finish in the men’s javelin with a throw of 74.78 meters. Magee earned her spot with a time-qualifying performance, finishing 10th overall in the 100-meter hurdles at 13.01 seconds. Rivaldo Marshall punched his ticket to outdoor nationals with an automatic berth in the 800 meters, clocking 1:46.96 for a third-place finish in the quarterfinals. Jordan Johnson also qualified for the NCAA Championships in the discus, launching a season-best throw of 58.22 meters. Seeded 22nd entering the competition, Johnson placed ninth overall.

UPDATING THE ALL-TIME LISTS

The Hawkeyes have made 39 updates to the outdoor top-10 list:

• Men’s 100 Meters: Kalen Walker (1st)
• Women’s 100 Meters: Holly Duax (5th)
• Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles: Kai Graves-Blanks (7th)
• Women’s 200 Meters: Holly Duax (7th), Alivia Williams (9th)
• Men’s 400 Meters: Zidane Brown (10th)
• Women’s 400 Meters: Chioma Nwachukwu (1st), Damaris Mutunga (6th), Alivia Williams (9th)
• Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles: Isaac Lewis (3rd)
• Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles: Ali Frandsen (10th)
• Women’s 800 Meters: Alli Bookin-Nosbisch (1st), Gabby Cortez (4th)
• Men’s 800 Meters: Ryan Schreiner (10th)
• Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase: Luke Knepp (2nd), Yohana Yual (4th)
• Men’s 10,000 Meters: Brayden Burnett (6th), Will Ryan (7th)
• Women’s 4×100 Relay: Duax, Lucas, Williams, Love (5th)
• Men’s 4×110 Shuttle Hurdles: Johnson, Kenaga, Dillard, Graves-Blanks (2nd)
• Women’s 4×400 Relay: Lucas, Williams, Nwachukwu, Mutunga (1st)
• Men’s 4×800 Relay: Leicht, Fingalsen, Schreiner, Johnson (3rd)
• Women’s 4×800 Relay: Kelly, Cortez, Itson, Bookin-Nosbisch (3rd)
• Men’s Sprint Medley: Holmes, Zondervan, Pugh, Schreiner (7th)
• Women’s Sprint Medley: Duax, Love, Mutunga, Bookin-Nosbisch (1st)
• Women’s 4×1,600 Relay: Blazek, Torres, Kalaway, Kelly (7th)
• Women’s Distance Medley: Blazek, Cortez, Itson, Torres (4th)
• Men’s Decathlon: Abraham Vogelsang (2nd), Sal Capaldo (5th)
• Women’s Heptathlon: Carlee Rochford (8th)
• Women’s Javelin: Lizzy Korczak (1st)
• Men’s Hammer: Ryan Johnson (1st), Sean Smith (2nd), Austin Busch (5th)
• Women’s Shot Put: Wisdom Williams (4th)
• Women’s High Jump: Maria Arboleda (1st)
• Women’s Triple Jump: Jeanne Le Goff (4th)
• Women’s Discus: Sydnie Smith (8th)
• Men’s Discus: Bryce Ruland (8th)

INDOOR SEASON SUCCESS

Both the men’s and women’s squads have had an impressive finish to the indoor season, with 35 updates made to the all-time list. Notably, Pauline Bikembo set the Iowa school record in the women’s pentathlon with 4,331 points in the NCAA Championships. At the Iowa Open, sophomore Daniela Wamokpego reset the program record in the triple jump, leaping to a 13.51-meter mark. Sophomore Ryan Johnson also set multiple Iowa program records throughout the indoor season. At the Robinson Family Open, Johnson shattered the school record with a 24.59-meter throw, which ranked fourth in NCAA Division I history at the time of competition. Earlier in the season, the women’s 4×400 relay team of Alivia Williams, Chioma Nwachukwu, Damaris Mutunga, and Olicia Lucas crushed Iowa’s program record with a time of 3:30.42.

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes set their sights on the NCAA West Preliminary at College Station, Texas, May 28 through May 31.

It was a happy 18th birthday on Monday for Landon Mattiace. And for his Manheim Central volleyball teammates.

And especially for Cedar Crest, which continued its season of firsts.

Mattiace, the Barons’ imposing middle hitter and Eastern University recruit, dominated at the net — including a spiffy, one-handed solo block — and Central blanked Warwick 3-0 in a Lancaster-Lebanon League semifinal showdown on the Barons’ home court in Manheim.

In the opener, Cedar Crest, fresh off its first Section 1 championship in program history, clinched a spot in the league title match for the first time compliments of a 3-0 victory over Section 2 runner-up Cocalico.

It will be Central against Cedar Crest for all the league marbles on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Ephrata Middle School. The Barons will be shooting for their third L-L title in a row, after beating Warwick in the finale in each of the last two years.

The Warriors saw their string of five league championship appearances in a row come to a halt.

Manheim Central 3, Warwick 0

A shutout yes, but the Barons had to pull some teeth for the end result. Set scores were 25-22, 25-20, 25-20, as Central (17-0 overall) remained unbeaten and in line for an L-L three-peat.

“To get to go for three in a row is just … unheard of for us,” Mattiace said. “It’s awesome that we’ll get the chance to do something special. We have a lot of firepower, and we’re definitely capable.”

Warwick (10-3) had an 18-14 lead in the first set. That’s when Central, the three-time reigning Section 2 champ, pounced. Coming out of a timeout, the Barons got a kill from Dylan Musser, two kills from Reagan Miller, and Weston Longenecker’s kill gave Central the lead for good.

Blake Neiles also had two clutch finishes late, when the Barons used an 11-4 run to storm from behind for a 1-0 lead — and a ton of momentum.

In the second set, Musser had a key block and an ace, and Miller boomed two late kills for a 2-0 lead. Mattiace’s highlight-reel block sparked the Barons in the third set. Warwick knotted it up at 19-19, but Mattiace had a spike for a two-point lead, and Miller’s thundering kill on match point ended it.

“It was good to get early leads in all three games,” Mattiace said. “That’s always our goal from the jump, so we can do what we do well.”

That’s a pretty long list; after the Barons go for three league titles in a row, they’ll angle for return trips in the District 3 Class 2A and PIAA championship matches. Central is the No. 1 seed in the district, and is ranked No. 2 in the state.

Warwick, the Section 1 runner-up, is off to the District 3 Class 3A playoffs; the Warriors were the runners-up in that bracket last spring.

Cedar Crest 3, Cocalico 0

The Falcons took the Eagles first-set punch, then took care of their business.

Cocalico had a 23-22 lead on Colson Hildebrand’s kill in that first set. But Cedar Crest got back-to-back kills from Tate Tadajweski, Aidan Vukovich’s kill closed it out, and the Falcons went on for a 25-23, 25-18, 25-17 victory.

“They had the momentum there, but we took it back,” Vukovich said about the first-set rally. “That was really important because it also gave us the momentum heading into the second set. That was really big.”

Cedar Crest (17-2) got 13 kills from Jack Wolgemuth, nine digs from Tadajweski, and Ryder Rohrer teed up 36 assists to steer the offense, sending the Falcons to the finale opposite Central.

Those two teams clashed in a nonleague match earlier this season; Central blanked Cedar Crest 3-0 back on April 3 in Manheim. The rematch — on a neutral court — is for the shiny L-L gold trophy.

“We’re going for the first time in school history, so this feels really good,” Vukovich said. “We’re really excited. We’ll need to play with a lot of confidence, and we need to go into it knowing that we can win it.”

Hildebrand had 12 kills, Reilly Stark added 10 kills and Jacob Wambolt set up 26 assists for Cocalico, which will continue on in the District 3 Class 3A playoffs. The Eagles (16-3) are up from 2A last year.

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