GENEVA, Ohio – University of Iowa junior Babatunde Amosu took the men’s triple jump title on the final day of the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Saturday. The women finished eighth (49.5 points) overall, just three and a half points behind the fifth-place finishing team. The men’s team finished 10th with a total of 30 points.
Amosu reached the top of the victory stand when he recorded a personal-best leap of 51-7 ¾ (15.74m). His mark ranks fourth all-time at Iowa. Sophomore Klyvens Delaunay scored six points for the Hawkeye men with a third-place finish in the event. Delaunay posted a mark of 51-5 (15.67m).
“Babatunde had an amazing performance today,” said director of track and field Larry Wieczorek. “To come back from tearing his patellar tendon in the outdoor season and be crowned a Big Ten Champion is unheard of. That was one of the most amazing things I have witnessed in 42 years of coaching.”
Tevin-Cee Mincy ran to a third-place finish in the men’s 60 meters. The senior tied his personal-best time of 6.73 to put six points on the board for the Hawkeye men. His time ranks second all-time at Iowa.
Freshman Brittany Brown and sophomore Lake Kwaza competed in both the 60 and 200 meters finals. The duo each clocked personal-best times in the 200. Brown’s time of 23.63 earned her a third-place finish. Her time ranks third all-time at Iowa. Kwaza finished seventh (2 points) when she crossed the line in 23.92. Her time ranks sixth all-time at Iowa. Brown and Kwaza finished fourth (5 points) and fifth (4 points), respectively, in the 60 meters. Brown recorded a time of 7.44, while Kwaza finished just behind with a time of 7.45.
“Our young group gained some tremendous experience this weekend, and our women’s team really made some positive strides,” said head coach Layne Anderson. “To be 3.5 points from a 5th-place finish is a great building block for our future. This is a performance this group can be proud of as we close out the indoor season.”
Elexis Guster took the bronze in the women’s 400 meters. The freshman clocked a personal-best time of 54.08 to earn six team points. Her time ranks fourth all-time at Iowa.
Sophomores Will Teubel and MonTayla Holder earned fifth-place finishes (4 points) in the 600 meters. Teubel crossed the line in a personal-best time of 1:17.84. His time ranks second all-time at Iowa. Holder also clocked a personal-best. Her time of 1:30.00 ranks third all-time at Iowa.
Zinnia Miller grabbed a fifth-place (4 points) finish in the women’s triple jump. The senior recorded a leap of 41-2 ¼ (12.55m). Carisa Leacock also competed in the event. The senior finished 10th with a leap of 40-0 ½ (12.20m).
Sophomore MonTayla Holder tied for sixth-place in the women’s high jump. Holder cleared the 5-7 ¼ (1.71m) mark to earn two and a half team points for the Hawkeye women.
Annemie Smith recorded a personal-best toss to finish seventh (two points) in the women’s weight throw. The junior’s mark of 61-4 (18.69m) ranks third all-time at Iowa. Senior Ashlyn Gulvas (57-5 ¾; 17.52m) finished ninth in the event, while senior Jasmine Simpson (57-5 ¾; 17.52m) finished 12th.
The Hawkeyes ended the day scoring points in both the men’s and women’s 1,600-meter relay. The women’s team of freshman Alexis Hernandez, Holder, Guster, and freshman Mahnee Watts clocked a season-best time of 3:37.16 to finish fourth (5 points). Their time ranks second all-time at Iowa. The men scored two points with a seventh-place finish. The quartet of freshman Jared Ganschow, junior Kaleb VanCleave, senior Ethan Holmes, and Teubel clocked a season-best time of 3:11.45.
“We are very disappointed in the performance of the men’s team this weekend,” said Wieczorek. “We have a lot of work to do to get ready for the outdoor season.”
