By Adam Hensley
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All athletes have ways of focusing and preparing themselves mentally for competition.

Most listen to music, trying to get themselves in a rhythm and a mood to contend. Certain songs can get them in a certain mindset, and that may be all they need.

For Iowa hurdler Aaron Mallett, it’s quite the opposite.

“I go into the meet with my music playing, but as soon as I get to the meet, I like to hear the atmosphere, how the crowd is reacting,” the junior from St. Louis said. “I like to hear the sounds of the track meet. I get into my zone that type of way. Instead of listening to music and trying to drown everybody out, I invite everybody in.”

Not only has he invited everybody in, he’s gotten everybody’s attention.

This past weekend at the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas, Mallett took home the crown in the 60-meter hurdles.

In the preliminary round of competition, he finished in 7.71, 0.01 second off of tying the school record.

“I’ve been chasing that record since I got here,” Mallett said. “To take down a record like that would be huge for me. I think I’ll get it this year.”

In the 60-meter hurdle finals, he finished with a slightly slower time than his record-threatening result, finishing at 7.72.

Mallett stumbled out of the blocks to open the finals but still managed to come out on top.

“He didn’t have the best start,” Iowa Track and Field Director Joey Woody said. “His toe kind of caught the track, so that made him stumble a little bit.”

Even with Mallett’s slow start, Woody credits him with using the race as a testament to his character.

“To come away with a [win] against that kind of competition just shows what kind of competitor he is. That’s the mark of a champion — even when you don’t have your best race, you still find a way to win,” Woody said.

Mallett’s victory came against some of the top-ranked schools in the country, six of which rank in the top 10.

Aside from beating the competition, Mallett has become one of the Hawkeye leaders.

“There’s a reason he’s a team captain,” Woody said. “He’s taken guys like Chris Douglas under his wing, really helping [him] take that next step in training. Anytime you get the opportunity to train with an All-American, that’s going to help you.”

Douglas echoed his coaches’ thoughts. He believes that training with Mallett is very powerful.

“It’s probably the best thing I could ever ask for,” the freshman said. “He’s a great training partner, great friend, and he is always pushing me in practice to help me get to that next level. I just learn everything from him.”

Mallett himself has had a learning experience at Iowa. He did not always compete at the level he has recently, Woody said.

“From the middle of last year, [Mallett] was struggling,” he said. “We had a breakout literally the week before the Big Ten Indoor Championships. From that moment on, he’s just really continued to carry himself as a guy who’s just focused on the process, not getting ahead of himself.”

Since the 2015 Big Ten Indoor Championships, he has not looked back.

Going into the Razorback Invitational, Mallett had not lost a 60-meter hurdle race in the three previous meets. Even with his undefeated season, he keeps the same mindset before every race.

“Just go out there and be the best and beat the best,” he said. “I always tell myself to stay relaxed and to stay focused on what we do in practice — no pressure.”