HAWK TALK

January 2016

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119 M embers of the University of Iowa track and field team embraced what it means to be a Hawkeye student-athlete by volunteering every Friday aernoon at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. e Hawkeyes also hosted a Christmas giving event that benefitted two local families. "As a student-athlete, I feel that it is important to give back to the community," senior hurdler MonTayla Holder said. "People look up to us, and to let them know we care and want to help is naturally the Hawkeye way." roughout the fall, the Hawkeyes took turns every week at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen, where they would assist in preparing and serving dinner to visitors as well as cleaning dishes, kitchen, and dining area. To Holder, volunteering at the soup kitchen was more than just restocking the food pantry and making sack lunches for staff to distribute. "It's about making the day of someone in need by not only serving food, but meeting people who might not get the chance to have a conversation with a University of Iowa student-athlete," Holder said. It was those conversations that kept the Indianapolis native coming back almost every week. "When it was my turn to go, I absolutely loved it," Holder said. "From then on, I volunteered to go every week. It brings me so much joy when the visitors of the soup kitchen see me with my gear on and want to know everything about the track and field team. I love telling them about our success and watching them light up with excitement because they have just met a Hawkeye." e "Hawkeye Way" continued during the holiday season when members of the team bought, wrapped, and delivered presents to two local families. "We had a track and field party where everyone gave five dollars to buy gis and we each wrapped a present that night," sophomore thrower Reno Tuufuli said. "e next day we went to deliver the presents to those families. When we gave them the gis, they were so grateful that one family member even started crying. It was an amazing experience." It was the faces of the families that said it all for sophomore thrower Kayla Hochhalter. "My favorite part was seeing the look on the families' faces as we gave them gis and wished them Merry Christmas," Hochhalter said. "It was rewarding to know that we helped make a difference in their lives this Christmas season." Holder, Tuufuli, Hochhalter, and the rest of the Hawkeyes open the 2016 indoor season Jan. 9 at the Border Battle in Champaign, Illinois. JANUARY SCHEDULE Jan. 9 at Border Battle Jan. 15-16 Iowa Dual Jan. 23 at Big Four Duals

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