FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — One week after breaking into the program’s all-time top 10, the University of Iowa women’s 1,600-meter relay broke the school record by more than one second Saturday at the Arkansas Spring Invitational.
Freshmen Elexis Guster and Alexis Hernandez, and sophomores MonTayla Holder and Lake Kwaza completed four laps in 3:34.83 to break the previous school record of 3:35.93 set in 2011.
“They challenged the record last week and claimed it as their own today,” said UI head coach Layne Anderson. “We got one school record, and nearly broke another, so it was great to see that consistency. What’s important now is we continue to build.”
Three of the same women — Guster, Holder and Kwaza — teamed with freshman Brittany Brown to win the 400-meter relay in 44.65, a mark that fell just .02 seconds behind matching the school record.
Holder pulled off a hat-trick with a title in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. She matched her personal best with a time of 59.71. The Hawkeyes also claimed gold in the women’s discus. Sophomore Dakotah Goodell led from start to finish when she hit 153-5 (46.76m) on her first attempt.
“Speed and power continue to shine as sprints and throws led the Hawkeyes once again,” added Anderson. “We certainly have areas to work on, but we have seen a lot of positives and that’s what we need to build from.”
The Hawkeyes set 11 personal-bests Saturday. Brown won her heat and finished fourth overall in the 200 meters. Her time of 23.72 ranks seventh all-time. Kwaza placed fifth in the same event, finishing with personal-best of 23.87.
Goodell added to her discus title with a personal-best in the javelin. She finished third with a mark of 140-2 (42.73m), the ninth best in program history.
Senior Zinnia Miller moved into fourth on the program’s all-time charts with a mark of 40-9 (12.42m) and a third place finish in the triple jump. Freshman Mahnee Watts also cracked the top 10 with a third place finish in the 800 meters. She placed third overall in 2:10.16 to rank No. 10 in program history.
Guster (400 hurdles), Courtney Fritz (discus), Alexis Hernandez (400 meters), Will Teubel (800 meters), and Mitch Wolff (54.43) also hit personal records Saturday.
The Hawkeyes return to the track Saturday, April 12 at the Lee Calhoun Invite in Macomb, Ill.
