By Carter Melrose
The Musco Twilight is but a memory now. This memory for many of the Hawkeye track and field team will be sweet.
On April 22, teams all around Iowa, including Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Wartburg, and Drake, came together on the Cretzmeyer Track to settle this year’s in-state meeting. The challenge for the Hawkeye team was met with 13 event titles and many Senior Night triumphs.
One great senior moment came from Alexis Gonzalez in the 200 meters. Up until the last 20 meters, it looked as though Gonzalez was going to lose, but for the senior with her entire family in attendance, she wasn’t going to be denied. She ended up winning the race with a great final push.
“Being able to win this race is very special. I have family out here for Senior Night from California, so I really wanted to do something special for them,” Gonzalez said. “They have seen me maybe two times this year and five times overall in the last four years.”
Another very important race for a senior was Aaron Mallett in the 110-meter hurdles — an event he could easily contend for the Big Ten title in. However, before this event started, Mallett did not have a recorded 110-meter time on the year. He needed a staggering performance to go into next week’s Drake Relays. Mallett was able to do that exact thing — he won the race, and his time now stands as the fourth fastest time in the country.
“I only had one good workout coming into this race, so I really just wanted to finish the race without doing anything detrimental to myself, just get a good race in,” he said. “I’m used to this crowd giving me the energy to be a four-time Musco champ. I think it’s a big deal to win it as a freshman and continue to win it in front of the people.”
Another senior, Adam Jones, also left his footprints on the night. He was able to both garner the 1,500-meter title and secure a personal best. His 3:45 mark was one second off the meet record, but that didn’t affect how Jones felt about the outcome.
“Having transferred in, I haven’t really had a Hawkeye experience,” Jones said. “It was great to finally have someone to run for.”
Close to the end of the night, another Hawkeye, fueled by the roaring crowd, exceeded expectations. Sophomore Ian Elkin ran the 3,000 meters faster than he ever had. He beat his own personal best by more than 5 seconds, and the adrenaline-filled race also resulted in a Musco Twilight meet record. It didn’t come in a blowout however — up until the finish, Elkin was being matched by one very persistent second-place finisher.
“I remember looking over to my left and thinking, ‘Shoot,’ ” Elkin said. “I thought to myself, ‘This guy needs to give me a break.’ But without him, I don’t think I would have gotten the meet record.”
