Olympic Spotlight: Bebe Wins Big Ten Title

That was one of the best weekend of sports in Hawkeye history, right? Between the dramatic wins for the men's and women's basketball teams, baseball's upset of #1 LSU, and a conference championship for Myreanna Bebe, I can't think of a more complete weekend for Iowa athletics in a long, long time.

The scary part is, it could have been even better. Hawkeye softball nearly pulled an upset over #1 UCLA, losing by just one run after a hard-fought battle and Jenoah McKiver ran an incredible 600m race at the Big Ten Championships (the fastest ever by a U.S. collegian), but was unfortunately disqualified for crossing his lane line on the first turn after review.

I've been beating this drum for a while, but it's really an incredible time to be a Hawkeye fan. There are so many stars doing amazing things on a weekly basis. Let's take a closer look.

Iowa track and field has put together a strong indoor season and the cherry on top came last weekend at the Big Ten Championships when Myreanna Bebe set a school record en route to her conference championship win in the 60m hurdles. Bebe finished in 8.07 to claim gold and All-Big Ten honors. Bebe was the only Big Ten champion for the Hawks on the weekend, but she wasn't the only strong performer. Both the men's and women's teams finished third in the conference on the back of a string of strong performers.

On the women's side, the medley relay group of Alli Bookin-Nosbisch, Tesa Roberts, Grace Bookin-Nosbisch, and Amber Aesoph set an Iowa school record, finishing the race in 11:15.07, good for 5th place. Tionna Tobias finished third in the long jump (6.11m) and the pentathlon (3997 points). LaSarah Hargrove earned 2nd-team All-Conference honors in the 200m with her 2nd-place finish (23.37), while Paige Magee ran Iowa's 4th fastest 200m ever in 23.46, good for a 3rd-place finish.

For the men, Tyler Olson earned 2nd-team honors with his silver medal 600m time of 1:16.13 (3rd in school history), as did James Carter Jr. with his 2nd place finish in the triple jump (15.91m). Spencer Gudgel wasn't far behind Olson, finishing 4th in the race with the 4th-fastest time in school history (1:16.51). Gratt Reed finished 3rd in the 200m race (20.95) and Austin West finished 3rd in the Heptathlon.

It was another complete performance for the Hawks, who have shown their ability to compete in every event all season. Bebe was the clear headliner for the group, but that doesn't mean the rest of the weekend wasn't impressive. Mckiver put together an incredible 600m race before his disqualification, and he wasn't the only one right on the cusp of breaking through. Coach Woody and the entire Hawkeye Track and Field team have a ton to be proud of, even if they fell just short of their conference championship goals. The fact that the goal is a conference title is a testament to how strong this program has become and what Coach Woody has been able to build.

The Hawks will have another chance indoors at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 8-11 before the group shifts to the outdoor season, where they'll no doubt look to build on the strong momentum from the winter.

Iowa baseball put together another amazing weekend last week, knocking off #1 LSU en route to a 2-1 weekend overall. You can read all about the win here, but it was a testament to the strength and resolve of this group that they were able to bounce back from being shut out the day before against Sam Houston to win so emphatically against LSU.

The group didn't suffer a letdown after the win either, gutting out a 6-5 win over Kansas State on Sunday. The Hawks jumped out to an early lead, but the Wildcats fought back to tie the game in the 4th. The teams traded a run each in the late innings and it was tied 5-5 in the ninth before Keaton Anthony came up with the clutch game-winning homer run.

Anthony was named Big Ten Player of the Week for his strong performance. It's still early, but it's hard not to be incredibly excited about this team's performance in the first two weeks. The pitching looks strong and the lineup feels long when they're at the plate. The #24 Hawks will face Loras on the 28th, before heading to Alabama this weekend for a trio of games.

Hawkeye gymnastics finished second in the B1G Five meet over the weekend, posting a season-high score of 196.925. JerQuavia Henderson tied for the event title on floor while Karina Munoz tied for second in the all-around. The meet was exactly what Coach Libby and the squad have been looking for after a few slightly down weeks. The group put together their best performance of the year in their biggest meet of the year, which is all you can ask for. They'll look to carry that strong form into next week when they take on Iowa State.

Iowa softball went 2-3 over the weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, notching wins against Bethune-Cookman (5-3) and Cal State-Northridge (4-3). Denali Loecker was a one-woman show for Iowa against Bethune-Cookman: she went 3/3 at the plate with a HR and three RBI and she also pitched a complete game, allowing just three hits on seven hits over seven innings, while striking out seven hitters.

Iowa scored a comeback win over Cal-State Northridge, plating two in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure a walk-off 4-3 victory over the Matadors. Nia Carter went 3/3 hitting and scored two runs for Iowa, while Devyn Greer gave up four hits and three runs over six innings of work.

The Hawks hung with #1 UCLA on the back of a six-inning outing from freshman Jalen Adams and some incredible defense to keep the Bruins at bay. UCLA eventually found the winning run on a sixth-inning home run, but the performance shows that the Hawks have the potential to compete with anyone this year. Compare this to last year's 20-0 loss against #1 Oklahoma and it's clear there's growth happening within the program. Adams looks like a young star and I'm optimistic about this group moving forward.

The Hawkeyes lost 6-4 to Cal and 2-1 to Oregon State in their other games over the weekend. Carter and Loecker each had two hits against Cal and Iowa was able to take advantage of some sloppy play by the Golden Bears to score three unearned runs, but the pitching couldn't keep Cal's bats in check. Loecker, Adams, and Breanna Vasquez combined to allow six runs on 13 hits.

Iowa managed just four hits against Oregon State and didn't score a run until the bottom of the seventh inning. On the mound, Greer and Loecker combined to allow seven hits but just two runs from the Beavers.

The Iowa women's golf team finished 12th in Arizona over the weekend after a final round 288, their second-best round of the year. The top finisher for the Hawks was Madison Dabiaga, who finished tied for 20th at even par.

Hawkeye tennis fell 4-0 to #4 Iowa State last weekend. They'll have a chance at another rivalry win next weekend when they face Wisconsin on Saturday.