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135 T he first order of business when Joey Woody became director of track and field at the University of Iowa was to get the program's 4x400-meter relay to an elite level. A crucial component to accomplishing that goal was signing Mar'yea Harris. Harris, now a sophomore, grew up in Auburn, Washington, but spent the final two years of high school at two different schools in Long Beach, California. As a junior at Polytechnic, he made it to state in the open 400 and anchored the 4x400 relay to a state championship. As a senior at Wilson, Harris placed fih in the 400 and anchored the 4x400 to a state championship. Iowa assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Jason Wakenight touched base with Harris when he was at Polytechnic. As Harris continued to show promise on the track, more college programs showed interest, but he stayed true to his commitment and became a Hawkeye. "We were recruiting him early," said Woody, who became Iowa's director of track and field in 2014. "When he was running fast times later, a lot of teams were calling him, but he stayed loyal to us. at says a lot about the character that Mar'yea has. Ever since he has been on campus he has led by example with his athleticism. He has become a good leader of that event group." Harris is fourth on the Hawkeyes' all-time 400 list with a time of 45.73 seconds set March 31 at the Florida Relays. It ranks 13th in NCAA Division I. He has run on the top three Hawkeye 4x400 relays this season and joined Emmanuel Ogwo, Collin Hofacker, and Carter Lilly to clock 3:30.78 at the Florida Relays on April 1. at is the third-fastest time in school history, currently sixth in NCAA Division I, and tops in the Big Ten. "I thought I would get here, make a couple finals, and establish myself as one of the better athletes in the Big Ten, but I didn't expect to be top two in the Big Ten and one of the best runners in the nation," Harris said. "It shocked me a little bit, but now I know." During his first indoor season, Harris led the Hawkeyes in the 400 (46.83) and placed sixth at the Big Ten Championships. He was Iowa's leading 400 runner during his first outdoor season as well (45.76) and became an honorable mention All- American in the 400 when he finished 18th at the NCAA Championships. At the most recent Big Ten Indoor Championships from Feb. 24-25, Harris was runner-up in both the 400 (45.75) and 4x400 relay (3:04.94). He collected two All-America accolades when the Hawkeye 4x400 finished fih in the nation (3:05.60) and he placed ninth in the 400 (46.52). Woody points to Harris' improvement and placings in major competitions as a steady progression. "He has big goals and wants to make the (outdoor) national championship final," Woody said. "He wants to win the Big Ten Championships. To do that you have to consistently run 45-mid. at will give him a good chance of making the national final, then anything can happen once you make the final." Harris is majoring in sport and recreation management, but if that doesn't work, he could try psychology. Aer all, he practices the art of deception every time he steps on the track. Harris started wearing glasses when he was in junior high, but he doesn't need them when he competes. Still, he puts them on under a headband for every race. It gives him a psychological boost. "I feel when people race me they are like, 'Oh, he wears glasses, he can't be that fast,'" Harris said. "e headband keeps the glasses on. Not