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27 Editor's Note: As of Feb. 8, University of Iowa senior Josh Braverman has the third-fastest time among Big Ten competitors in the 60-meter hurdles (7.88 seconds). e Big Ten leader is teammate Jamal Britt at 7.70. A fraction of a second decides first from fizzle in Josh Braverman's world. When the University of Iowa senior last competed in track and field in 2020, 22/100th of a second separated his fourth-place time of 7.83 seconds from the Big Ten Conference 60-meter hurdle champion. Ever since that race at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, Braverman has pursued ways to shave milliseconds so he can climb to the top of future award podiums. One way is extra effort. Aer a recent practice in the UI Recreation Building that included several repetitions of pulling a weighted sled 40 yards, Braverman went home for additional core and plyometric training. "at is mandatory," he said. "You're not going to get everything out of yourself unless you are doing extra work on your own, outside of what is already planned for you by the coaches." Another potential time-cutting maneuver is improved diet. Aer this practice, and when the bonus reps had concluded at home, Braverman sat down to a menu of pan-fried Alaskan salmon soaked in a chipotle honey mix with garlic powder. ere were baked sweet potatoes coated with olive oil, garlic powder and pepper. On the side was a salad and a sea moss smoothie. He calls it simple, good food. No fast food, no soda, no candy. (If he does cheat, it's for a sliver of cheesecake). "I'm big on nutrition," Braverman said. "I have switched to eating what will benefit me rather than eating for taste. I'm doing research on what foods are going to help me." Braverman came to Iowa from Lacey, Washington, where he exceled in multiple sports at River Ridge High School, including track under Phil Lonborg, who he calls a great mentor and coach. A slot receiver and cornerback in football, Braverman thought his ticket to the next level would be football. "I never le the field," he said. en he discovered a different avenue. His high school teammate, DeJuan Frye, was running legs on Iowa's indoor and outdoor All-America 4x400- meter relay teams, so Braverman relocated to the heartland. "Track isn't necessarily the sport I wanted to do because I was all football, football, football," Braverman said. "I realized God has a plan for everything so I wanted to come here, see what happens, ride it out and do my best." So far, those bests are 7.83 in the 60 hurdles and 13.96 in the 110 hurdles. Braverman is already on a growing list of Hawkeye hurdle stars. Joey Woody, director of track and field/cross country, sees a hungrier, more dedicated Braverman who is focused on caring for his body. "He is dialed in on all the stuff that goes into being an elite athlete," Woody said. "He wants to do whatever it takes to get the extra tenth or hundredth of a second to become a Big Ten champion and national qualifier." Braverman's path to a degree in human anatomy and physiology — as well as being one of the top hurdlers in the Big Ten — has not been easy. Family and financial stressors have been on his mind, and most recently there have been health issues. During a hike this summer, Braverman was diagnosed with pneumomediastinum (a condition in which air is present in the space in the chest between the two lungs) and quit training for more than two months. When he returned to campus, he had wisdom teeth removed, keeping him off the track for another couple weeks. A week before Christmas, he broke a bone in his hand. ere is also a busy schedule with academics and working for DoorDash.