Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/651348
123 J oey Woody set the target, and the University of Iowa track and field team threw a bullseye. e Hawkeyes were down a number of top performers heading into the 2016 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 25. Collectively, both teams were underdogs. Individually, the Hawkeyes were hungry for points. "My goal was for both the men and women to score 50 points, and it's amazing we were able to do that on both sides," Woody said. "ey outperformed their paper points and I believe that will set us up to progress into the outdoor season." e women scored 50 points and placed fih overall, their highest finish since 2008, and a drastic improvement from last season when they finished at the bottom of the Big Ten. Just 12 months ago they were shutout of the medal count, but this year they brought home a pair of gold: Elexis Guster in the 400 meters and Lake Kwaza in the 60 dash. "e women stepped up in their overall expectations throughout the season," Woody said. "ey kept getting better and had big goals, especially our top-end athletes coming into the year. ey wanted to win, and they wanted to win their individual events. "I think last year stung. ey know they're not a last-place team, and they went out and had great outdoor performances. at motivation and determination carried over to this year and showed they could be a top-tier team." e Hawkeye men were missing three All- Americans — Klyvens Delaunay, James Harrington, O'Shea Wilson — but still scored 50 points, one more than they did a year ago, and placed eighth overall. Aaron Mallett and Vinnie Saucer, Jr., led the effort with gold medals in the 60-meter hurdles and 60 dash. "On the men's side, Aaron has been doing it all year and he continues to build on last year," Woody said. "What can I say about Vinnie? He barely made the final last year, then placed second in the outdoor 100, and then wins the indoor title. He is a guy that continued to progress every week." Mallett and Guster take their gold medals to the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 11. ey're joined by Will Teubel in the 800 meters, and the women's 1,600-meter relay. e rest of the Hawkeyes turn their attention to an outdoor season that begins March 18 in Tempe, Arizona. "e momentum is going our way," Woody said. "Our veterans made big improvements that put us over the top, and our young athletes were a great surprise for me, especially in a Big Ten Championship. at's a big sign of where we can be during the outdoor season." MARCH SCHEDULE March 11-12 at NCAA Indoor Championships (Birmingham, Alabama) March 18-19 at Baldy Castillo Invitational (Tempe, Arizona)