CHAMPAIGN, IL -- Hawkeye junior Ryan Kelly leapt to his first Big Ten title Saturday, snagging the men's high jump trophy at the 2008 Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Champaign, IL. His win and several strong performances from the rest of the University of Iowa track squads have the men's team in fourth place with 42 points and the women's team tied for second place with 36 after the second day of competition.

The top four men's high jump placewinners each cleared the winning and regional-qualifying height of 6-10 3/4, but Kelly recorded no misses at that height to win the conference title. He becomes Iowa's fifth Big Ten outdoor high jump champion, and the first since Bill Hansen in 1976. Hawkeye senior Jeremy Petsche placed fourth in that event with a collegiate-best 6-10 3/4 to also qualify for the NCAA Midwest Regional.

The Hawkeye men and women were led by seniors Tammilee Kerr, Shane Maier, Ryan Niver and Jessica Schmidt on Saturday. Kerr and Schmidt gave the Hawkeye women's team a boost with their school-record setting performances. Kerr placed fourth in the hepathlon and javelin. Her heptathlon point total of 5,532 broke the school record of 5,417 she set earlier this season, and automatically qualified her for the NCAA Championships next month in Des Moines, IA. She was in sixth place in the seven-event competition going into Saturday's final three events. She won the javelin (161-8), placed second in the 800 meters (2:27.49) and fourth in the long jump with a collegiate-best 19-4 1/4 to finish fourth. Kerr then went on to place fourth in the javelin with a throw of 163-5, which improved her previous regional-qualifying and collegiate-best mark she threw during the heptathlon. Schmidt placed fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a collegiate-best 10:27.18, which broke the school record of 10:34.50 set by Sarah Arens in 2004. Maier placed second in the discus (174-7), while Niver placed seventh in the decathlon with 6,712 points.

Also scoring points for the men's team were junior Andy Napier and sophomore A.J. Curtis. Napier was runner-up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, running a collegiate-best 8:58.21. He the fifth Hawkeye in men's school history to break the nine-minute mark in that event. Curtis placed fifth in the discus (171-7).

Four other Hawkeye individuals and two relays advanced to Sunday's finals in their respective events. For the women's team, senior Kineke Alexander placed fourth in the 400-meter prelims with a season-best 53.59, while graduate student Sarah Henize placed 12th in the 1,500-meter prelims with a collegiate-best 4:29.54. For the men's team, sophomores Adam Hairston (800 meters - 1:51.18) and Ray Varner (400-meter hurdles - 52.29) each placed third in their respective event prelims. Both 400-meter relays also advanced to Sunday's finals. The men's team of seniors Max Milder, Aaron Reed and Lee Elbert, and freshman Brandon McSkimming placed fifth in 41.19. The women's team of sophomore Rhonda-Kaye Trusty, junior Renee White and freshmen Kimberly Stanford and Tiffany Hendricks placed eighth in 46.89.

The Hawkeyes will conclude competition at the three-day conference event Sunday. Events are scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at the University of Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium.

WOMEN'S TEAM STANDINGS AFTER DAY TWO
1. Minnesota - 50
2. Iowa - 36
Penn State - 36
Purdue - 36
5. Wisconsin - 29
6. Michigan - 27
7. Illinois - 24
8. Ohio State - 18
9. Michigan State - 12
10. Indiana - 5

MEN'S TEAM STANDINGS AFTER DAY TWO
1. Wisconsin - 50
2. Purdue - 48
3. Minnesota - 47
4. Iowa - 42
5. Michigan - 37
6. Indiana - 28
7. Ohio State - 22
8. Penn State - 15
9. Illinois - 12
10. Michigan State - 11

WOMEN'S SATURDAY EVENT RESULTS (Winner Plus Iowa Placers)
Heptathlon Final Standings
1. Liz Roehrig (Minnesota) 5,855
4. Tammilee Kerr (Iowa) 5,532

Heptathlon Long Jump
1. Liz Roehrig (Minnesota) 20-4 1/2
4. Tammilee Kerr (Iowa) 19-4 1/4

Heptathlon Javelin
1. Tammilee Kerr (Iowa) 161-8

Heptathlon 800 Meters
1. Gayle Hunter (Penn St.) 2:23.05
2. Tammilee Kerr (Iowa) 2:27.49

1,500 Meters - Prelims
1. Angela Bizzarri (Illinois) 4:24.37
12. Sarah Henize (Iowa) 4:29.54
18. Krista Anderson (Iowa) 4:36.75
21. Lauren Hardesty (Iowa) 4:47.52
23. Amanda Hardesty (Iowa) 4:49.19

800 Meters - Prelims
1. Nicole Edwards (Michigan) 2:07.60

400 Meters - Prelims
1. Dominque Blake (Penn St.) 52.78
4. Kineke Alexander (Iowa) 53.59
14. Monica Mims (Iowa) 57.34
17. Bethany Praska (Iowa) 57.40
21. Tiffany Hendricks (Iowa) 59.46

100 Meters - Prelims
1. Jenna Griffin (Ohio St.) 11.52
13. Rhonda-Kaye Trusty (Iowa) 11.99

100-Meter Hurdles - Prelims
1. Aleesha Barber (Penn St.) 13.19
16. Kimberly Stanford (Iowa) 14.47

400-Meter Relay - Prelims
1. Ohio State 44.51
8. Iowa 46.89
(Trusty, White, Stanford, Hendricks)

200 Meters - Prelims
1. Shana Cox (Penn St.) 23.52
13. Rhonda-Kaye Trusty (Iowa) 24.76

400-Meter Hurdles - Prelims
1. Briana Cunningham (Illinois) 58.08

3,000-Meter Steeplechase
1. Bridget Franek (Penn St.) 9:58.56
4. Jessica Schmidt (Iowa) 10:27.18

Shot Put
1. Aja Evans (Illinois) 55-10 1/2

Long Jump
1. Leah Kincaid (Puredue) 21-2
10. Renee White (Iowa) 19-10 3/4

Javelin
1. Kara Patterson (Purdue) 202-0
4. Tammilee Kerr (Iowa) 163-5

MEN'S SATURDAY EVENTS RESULTS (Winner Plus Iowa Placers)
Decathlon Final Standings
1. Frank Shotwell (Michigan) 7,362
7. Ryan Niver (Iowa) 6,712
11. Frank Prill (Iowa) 6,381

Decathlon 110-Meter Hurdles
1. Frank Shotwell (Michigan) 14.79
6. Frank Prill (Iowa) 15.39
9. Ryan Niver (Iowa) 15.96

Decathlon Discus
1. Frank Shotwell (Michigan) 138-9
3. Ryan Niver (Iowa) 124-8
11. Frank Prill (Iowa) 93-11

Decathlon Pole Vault
1. Andrew Zollner (Illinois) 16-2 3/4
5. Frank Prill (Iowa) 14-3 1/4
Ryan Niver (Iowa) 14-3 1/4

Decathlon Javelin
1. Shawn Colligan (Penn St.) 206-2
9. Ryan Niver (Iowa) 150-7
12. Frank Prill (Iowa) 143-2

Decathlon 1,500 Meters
1. Matt Schmitz (Indiana) 4:28.54
7. Frank Prill (Iowa) 4:46.82
13. Ryan Niver (Iowa) 5:11.98

High Jump
1. Ryan Kelly (Iowa) 6-10 3/4
4. Jeremy Petsche (Iowa) 6-10 3/4
13. Dan Rolling (Iowa) 6-6 1/4

Long Jump
1. Kiwan Lawson (Indiana) 25-10
10. Matty Gorman (Iowa) 23-4
12. Aaron Reed (Iowa) 23-2 1/2

400-Meter Relay - Prelims
1. Michigan 40.10
5. Iowa 41.19
(Milder, McSkimming, Reed, Elbert)

Discus
1. Billy Hardcastle (Purde) 187-5
2. Shane Maier (Iowa) 174-7
5. A.J. Curtis (Iowa) 171-7

1,500 Meters - Prelims
1. Craig Miller (Wisconsin) 3:52.66
17. Bruce MacTaggart (Iowa) 4:02.39

400 Meters - Prelims
1. Stann Waithe (Michigan) 46.65
9. Steven Willey (Iowa) 47.47
14. Chris Barton (Iowa) 48.40
21. Brandon McSkimming (Iowa) 49.17

100 Meters - Prelims
1. Adam Harris (Michigan) 10.32
10. Lee Elbert (Iowa) 10.69
13. Max Milder (Iowa) 10.85

110-Meter Hurdles - Prelims
1. Josh Hembrough (Purdue) 13.78
15. Brice Wilson (Iowa) 15.17

800 Meters - Prelims
1. Hans Storvick (Minnesota) 1:50.25
3. Adam Hairston (Iowa) 1:51.18
23. Cannon Dolan (Iowa) 1:54.38

200 Meters - Prelims
1. Anthony Cole (Ohio St.) 20.99
11. Max Milder (Iowa) 21.70
21. Lee Elbert (Iowa) 22.12

400-Meter Hurdles - Prelims
1. Dan Harmsen (Michigan) 51.76
3. Ray Varner (Iowa) 52.29
12. Zach Splan (Iowa) 55.41

3,000-Meter Steeplechase
1. Ryan Gasper (Wisconsin) 8:56.78
2. Andy Napier (Iowa) 8:58.21

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