Why roster caps already fit with Iowa track and field’s strategy in competitive Big Ten

IOWA CITY — From a distance, one may surmise that Iowa track and field could be running into some challenging headwinds in 2026 and beyond.

After all, the program accustomed to carrying more than 60 men and 60 women will soon need to abide by roster caps of 45 each — a key aspect of the recently approved House vs. NCAA settlement.

But the upcoming headwind might actually more closely resemble a tail wind for the Hawkeyes as they “already kind of planned on having a smaller roster” amid a more competitive Big Ten landscape in the sport.

“At the end of the day, you kind of have to have a little bit more of a smaller, mightier team moving forward,” said Joey Woody, Iowa’s director of track and field and cross country since 2014. “Within the conference, it’s just so much harder to compete at this level.”

Woody’s comments were ahead of the first Big Ten outdoor championships as an 18-team conference — a conference that now includes USC, UCLA, Washington and longtime juggernaut Oregon.

The Hawkeyes finished seventh on the men’s side and eighth on the women’s side at the Big Ten outdoor championships. All four conference newcomers finished sixth or higher in the women’s team standings, and three of the four finished sixth or higher on the men’s side.

As Iowa tries to keep up with the likes of Oregon and USC, it impacts who Woody needs to recruit — and how many athletes his staff can recruit.

“You don’t have enough time with some of the developmental athletes to get to this level,” Woody said. “And it’s unfortunate because we love developing athletes, and we’ve had a long history of doing that. They have to be at a higher level coming in the door to be able to make an impact within the conference and obviously the national meet.”

Iowa, Woody said, “had already gotten our roster down to the low 50s.” The 2025 roster accessible online lists 53 men and 48 women, to be exact.

“So we’re not far off,” Woody said.

It also helps that Iowa might not necessarily need to be exactly at 45 each in 2026. The House vs. NCAA settlement parties modified the terms to allow athletes who would have been on the chopping block to not count against the roster limits.

Woody believes the grandfathering of roster spots is “going to be good for our program.”

“Hopefully we won’t see a huge impact, but it’ll definitely impact a few kids,” Woody said.

It helps that the expected changes — whether they end up being headwinds or tail winds — has at least been something Woody and the Hawkeyes could plan for despite the settlement terms not receiving final approval until last Friday night.

“Thankfully, Beth has done an amazing job being very transparent with everything and working with us on everything from roster limits to scholarships and everything,” Woody said, referencing Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz. “So we’ve been very prepared going into this.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

Sign up for our curated Iowa Hawkeyes athletics newsletter at thegazette.com/hawks.