IOWA CITY, Iowa – Junior Ashlyn Gulvas set a school record to lead the University of Iowa track and field team to 14 first-place finishes at the Iowa Invite tonight at the UI Recreation Building.
Gulvas passed teammate Jasmine Simpson to claim ownership of the school record in the weight throw. Gulvas placed first with a mark of 63-6 (19.35m), besting Simpson’s previous mark by nearly one foot.
“I went in really relaxed and just wanted to get a good throw,” said Gulvas. “I happened to get the mark on my first throw, which proves the best throws are the most relaxed throws. It’s a great time for it heading into the Big Ten championships. It’s a good momentum builder.”
Sophomore Gabe Hull placed first in the shot put, recording a season best toss of 56-4 (17.17m). Hull also placed second in the weight throw with a mark of 56-7.5 (17.26). Senior Ben Stancombe placed third in the weight throw with a season-best toss of 56-2.5 (17.13m).
Sophomore Kevin Lewis grabbed one of Iowa’s 14 first place finishes when he won the mile in a personal-best time of 4:10.05.
Freshman Lake Kwaza and junior Tevin-Cee Mincy led Iowa to a sweep in the men’s and women’s 60 meters. Kwaza grabbed the title in 7.64 and Mincy placed first in 6.93.
The Hawkeyes placed 1-2 in the men’s 400 meters. Sophomore Kaleb Van Cleave grabbed the top spot in 49.10 and senior Kyle Slaymaker placed second in 49.81.
Iowa grabbed the top five spots of the men’s 600 meters. Senior Ryan Weir was the top finisher with a personal-best time of 1:18.62, a mark that ranks fifth in school history. Junior Nathan Prom (1:19.97) and freshman Will Teubel (1:20.17) turned in personal bests to finish second and third. Senior Keaton Rickels (1:20.37) and freshman Neil Flattery (1:20.40) rounded out the top five.
The Hawkeye women swept the top three spots in pole vault. Senior Kirsten Weismantle turned in season-best 11-1.75 (3.40m) to grab first place, and junior Katie Truedson and sophomore Brittany Holst tied for second place with a height of 10-8 (3.25m). Senior Kyle Reid and junior Jack Eckert grabbed the top two spots in the men’s pole vault. Reid topped out at 15-5.5 (4.71m) and Eckert cleared 14-11.5 (4.56m).
In the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Khanishah Williams set a personal-best to grab third place in 8.96. On the men’s side, senior Ethan Holmes grabbed first place with a mark of 7.84. Holmes missed matching his personal-best, which ranks second all-time in program history, by one one-hundredth of a second. Holmes also grabbed the 200 meter title with a mark of 21.57.
Junior Carisa Leacock earned the top spot in the women’s long jump with a mark of 18-11.25 (5.77m), and freshman Rachel Ballard placed third in 16-6 (5.03m). Iowa went 2-3 in the men’s long jump. Sophomore Caleb Mere recorded a season best 21-7.5 (6.59m) to place second, while freshman Kerry Dean, Jr. placed third with a mark of 21-6 (6.55m).
Senior Brandon Oest grabbed the title in the men’s high jump, clearing 6-9.5 (2.07m) to record his best mark this season. Freshman Anthony Gregorio turned in a personal-best in the 3,000 meters, crossing the finish in 8:47.94 to earn first place.
Seniors Rachel Curry and Majesty Tutson turned in personal-bests in the shot put. Curry placed second with a mark of 48-2.5 (14.69m) and Tutson placed third at 45-8.5 (13.93m)
David Nsabua and Dean, Jr. placed 1-2 in the men’s triple jump. Nsabua grabbed the title with a jump of 47-7 (14.50m), and Dean, Jr. finished second at 45-1 (13.74m).
“I was really pleased with how we performed,” said head coach Larry Wieczorek. “This is our last tune-up before the conference championships and we saw some good performances. Some people really stepped up, so I’m really happy with the meet.”
The Hawkeyes return to the track Feb. 22-23 when they travel to Geneva, Ohio, to compete at the 2013 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
