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29 A s much as track and field is an individual sport, the University of Iowa prides itself on teamwork, especially when it comes to the relay squads. "I constantly remind myself that this moment is more significant than me," junior Antonio Woodard said. "Not only am I representing myself, but I am also representing the team and the University of Iowa as a whole." Woodard and his teammates, freshman Wayne Lawrence Jr., junior Collin Hofacker, and senior Mar'yea Harris, made the Hawkeyes proud as they earned one of the team's most sought aer wins — the Florida Relays' 4x400-meter relay championship on March 30. "Winning the Florida Relays is a big accomplishment not only for us, but our entire program," Hofacker said. "Our coaches have always talked about going to the Florida Relays and coming away with a win in the 4x400-meter relay. Being able to accomplish that gives us a lot of confidence." e Hawkeyes pulled off the win in 3:03.10, a time that leads the nation, the Big Ten, and ranks third all-time at Iowa. Lawrence led off for the Hawkeyes, a position that is not necessarily in his comfort zone. Most of the indoor season, he ran the third of four legs. "I was excited, but not really confident, because when you're third, you go with the flow of the race," Lawrence said. "Leading off, the relay is on you. e tone of the race is set by you and I know how much everybody wanted it." He was successful. Lawrence's leading lap gave the Hawkeyes' an early advantage as he handed the baton to Woodard. Woodard continued the battle, keeping the Hawkeyes ahead of the pack even as the race started to take a toll on his body. "I said to myself, 'this lactic acid is hitting hard, but I have to dig deep and push through,'" Woodard said. "I couldn't afford to travel (to Florida) and not win. My family was there and the whole track community was watching. I wanted to give them a good show." Woodard handed the baton to Hofacker, who sat on North Carolina A&T's heels, waiting to make a move. "From the moment I got the baton, I knew I was going to sit behind the guy in front of me until 150 meters to go," Hofacker said. "Once we got to the 150-meter mark, I knew I had the energy le to take the lead. I wanted to be in front so Mar'yea was in position to bring home the win." In true form, Harris played it cool and collected. e Hawkeyes' anchor is infamous for sitting back and waiting for his kick halfway to the finish line. He let Western Kentucky and North Carolina get 10 meters ahead of him before he made his move. Florida was right behind. "My plan was to stay in range of people who were in front of me," Harris said. "I knew if I was able to keep people close, there was a chance we could win." With 150 meters to go, Harris started to close the gap on North Carolina and passed the Tarheels at 100 meters. He also passed Western Kentucky in the final 50 meters to take the lead, but Florida's Grant Holloway was closing fast, moving from fourth to second. Just as Holloway was closing in, Harris crossed the finish line to win. "e 1,600-meter relay was a big win for us," said Joey Woody, Iowa director of track and field. "at has been and event that we have wanted to win since we started coming to the Florida Relays. We've placed second and third, but never won. It's always great to win the last event on the track. I'm proud of our guys who battled aer a long and tough weekend." APRIL SCHEDULE April 5-6 at Sun Angel Invitational (Tempe, Ariz.) April 13 Musco Invitational (Iowa City, Iowa) April 18-20 at Mount SAC Relays (Los Angeles, Calif.) April 25-27 at Drake Relays (Des Moines, Iowa)