IOWA CITY — There was some delayed gratification for Kalen Walker in his record-setting 100-meter time at the NCAA West First Round meet in May.
Walker scorched a sub-10-second time for the first time in his career, breaking his own Iowa program record in the 100 meters. But upon seeing his time, Walker withheld some exuberance.
He was waiting to see the wind measurement. If the wind exceeded an average velocity of +2.0 m/s, the time would not be considered legal for World, American or NCAA records.
But that wasn’t an issue. The wind was recorded at +1.1 m/s, making Walker’s time of 9.94 seconds wind legal and allowing the emotional flood gates to open.
“Then I got really excited and a lot of emotions,” Walker said. “It was really overwhelming.”
He won his heat and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, held from June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon. Walker is one of a handful of Hawkeyes set to compete on college track and field’s national stage.
A product of small-town Eddyville, Iowa, population of around 1,000, Walker has rocketed to relevancy over the last few years. He didn’t have any Division I or II offers in high school, started his college career at Indian Hills Community College and transferred to Iowa as a preferred walk-on. But Walker (now on scholarship) is within shouting distance of the 100-meter crown.
“I really like my chances,” Walker said. “I feel like every time I’ve lined up with people, I feel like I am more comfortable and I execute better than anybody else. I think that I have just as good of a chance as anybody to win the whole thing.”
It was only less than one month ago that Walker delivered back in Eugene. Walker won the Big Ten title in the 100, narrowly beating Southern California’s Eddie Nketia. Walker only got better at the NCAA West First Round, posting a program and personal best 9.94 time, which set him up for another trip to Hayward Field.
“It’s excitement for sure,” Walker said of his emotions, “but I mean, I feel like I haven’t really done anything yet. Like, yeah, that’s a good time, but I didn’t win anything. It was a (quarterfinal).”
Another Hawkeye who punched a ticket to Eugene is Mike Stein.
He enters the javelin event in vastly different (and better) health than he did last year. Stein suffered a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder at the Big Ten Championships last season but gutted it out in NCAA competitions and U.S. Olympic trials. Remarkably, Stein still managed to place 7th at the NCAA Championships.
“It was all heart, really,” Stein said. “I was just trying to put as much intensity into the throw as I could to kind of override my torn labrum.”
Stein got a PRP injection over the summer and rehabbed his shoulder. Rather than trying to push through unfavorable physical conditions like he did this time last year, Stein is optimistic he hasn’t peaked yet this season.
“I still feel like I haven’t had my best throw of the year yet,” Stein said. “I still have a little bit in the tank. I’ve had a lot of good meets, but I feel like I’ve yet to really put it together with a super high-speed throw. I got close at it on one of my throws in Big Tens.”
Alli Bookin-Nosbisch, who qualified in the women’s 800 meters, is staring down the final stretch of her Iowa career. Bookin-Nosbisch is set to attend the University of Miami (Fla.) School of Law, starting later this year.
The Ottumwa, Iowa, product built some momentum in the NCAA West First Round, breaking her own outdoor 800-meter school record with a time of 2:01.70.
“Obviously, it’s a blessing that I’m even getting the chance to run at this meet,” Bookin-Nosbisch said. “And just getting to close my career out in such a positive way is awesome. So definitely going to try and stay positive and pretty calm. Because, kind of like I said before, no matter what happens, when I take a look back at my career as a whole, I’m really proud of how far I’ve come. And I know that my whole career doesn’t depend on this single race.
“Obviously, I want to go out there and do the best that I can. I have confidence that I can execute a race that I’m proud of.”
Iowa men’s qualifiers for NCAA track and field championships
Iowa women’s qualifiers for NCAA track and field championships
Find more information about the event here.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Kalen Walker, Iowa track & field ready for NCAA Outdoor Championships
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
