Men’s track steams ahead
The Iowa men’s track and field team has high hopes looking ahead.
What you should know
The indoor season was up and down for Iowa shot putter John Hickey. The peak of his season came on Feb. 14 at the Iowa State Classic, in Ames, where he broke Jeremy Allen’s 8-year-old shot-put record.
“[The Iowa State Classic] was the first meet of the year where I had really good competition — five of the top 10 guys in the nation were there,” Hickey said. “Having that atmosphere really brought the best out in me.
“I’m a big energy person. I need the energy for the meet to be there, and the first couple meets kind of felt like track practice. [The Iowa State Classic] definitely helped with the energy.”
Whom you should know
Sophomores-to-be Nick Brayton, Ryan Lamparek, and Matt Banse have followed in the line of stud Iowa throwers.
At Northern Iowa’s Messersmith Invitational on April 18, Brayton and Lamparek, as well as outgoing senior A.J. Curtis, rounded out the top-three spots in the discus. Brayton’s toss of 180-11 ranks sixth in school history, and Lamparek’s throw of 177-3 ranks ninth.
On the track, seniors-to-be Adam Hairston (800 meters) and Ray Varner (400-meter hurdles) both set regional qualifying marks at Arkansas’ John McDonnell Invitational on April 18.
Main rival
The Iowa men’s track and field team doesn’t have a chief rival, although it takes a lot of pride in performing well annually at the Drake Relays.
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